MITCH CHESTER"ARE YOU SURE you want to see them?" Mitch asked, trying to block Lorna from passing through. The bus was parked a few feet away and the driver stood uncertainly beside the backdoor."Step away from my way, Mitchell," she growled. "I have seen more deaths than you can imagine."Mitch stepped aside and nodded to the bus driver. "Open it," he said.The driver bowed and fidgeted with his keys, Mitch noted that the man's fingers were turning white with cold as he inserted the keys and pulled open the back of the bus."Bring stretchers from the hospital," Anna called from behind. Some patrol guards nearby hurried to do as she said. She came to stand beside Mitch and whispered, "We need more hospital staff."Mitch groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Lorna needs your shoulder to cry on," He mindlinked.Anna nodded and stepped up to Lorna. She placed a hand on Lorna's shoulder and gave her a grim smile."Careful, ma'am," the bus driver said as Lorna climbed into the bus. She crouched a
THE SUN SET in a deep golden yellow haze, basking the whole city in its warm glow. In a half-empty nightclub, Vladimir sat on a couch in the VIP area. He nodded his head slowly to the rhythm coming from the loudspeakers."This is one thing I enjoy about this Era," he said, raising his voice slightly as he spoke to Vorenus. "The music. That was not something I grew up with.""We had some sort of music in old Rome," Vorenus muttered.Vladimir scoffed and turned to Alice who was by his other side. "Can you listen to him?" He gestured at Vorenus. "Calling some unorganized rambling of tambourines and hideous trumpets "music""Alice rolled her eyes. "It was more than that," Vorenus said, gesturing at a passing waiter for another glass of champagne."And they didn't dance at all," Vladimir muttered, laughing.Alice frowned. "I don't see why you are in such a good mood," she snapped. "It's been days now and we haven't seen anyone of that traitor's family.""Oh be patient, my sweet," Vladimir
ENRIQUE DRUMMED HIS fingers on the steering wheel. They had been driving for the past 5 hours without saying anything apart from a few words. The silence was filled by the country music floating from the radio.Enrique suddenly pulled to a stop by the side of the road."What is it?" Lorna asked. "What happened?""A cramp on my leg," Enrique muttered, folding himself from the car and stretching."We should be there before any of my sisters," Lorna complained.Enrique snorted. He cracked his neck and yawned. "Did you even have breakfast?" He asked, looking at her."Henry," she said, reverting to one of the many variations of his name."Did you?" Enrique asked, leaning against the bark of a tree."I wasn't hungry," Lorna said under her breath. "Come on, let's go.""The engine is at risk of overheating, Lorna," Enrique said. "We need to give it time to cool off."Lorna leaned over to the driver's seat and looked at the dashboard to confirm what he said. She groaned and got out of the car.
IN THE NEXT few hours, a minimum of 200 witches had arrived. They were of different shapes and races, but they all bore some things in common. They all paid their respects to Lorna, and they had magic running in their veins.Enrique stood apart, being the only male and the only non-witch in the gathering, he was feeling like an outcast. He kept his eyes on Lorna, ignoring the looks that some of the witches threw at him.The sun was starting to set, and bonfires were lit at different spots. The mumbling of over 200 women talking swarmed the air."I was not expecting this sort of turn-up," Lorna said, coming to stand by his side."Is this all the witches in the world?" Enrique asked, watching as the crowd mingled with one another.Lorna heaved a heavy sigh and shrugged. "It sure looks like it," she said."Sister," a dark-skinned woman came to join them. She hugged Lorna warmly and kissed her cheek."Ada," Lorna greeted. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it," she said. The witch cal
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERLORNA AND ENRIQUE had been gone for hours now. We had no way of knowing if they were alright. I poked around my lunch uninterested."Patty would be happy if you ate up," Mitch said. I sighed and nodded."I'm sure they are fine," he said, knowing what was on my mind already. "They have my cell phone number.""Are they going to call?" I asked."Probably not," he chuckled. He reached across the table and picked a lone green pea from my plate. "But they will be fine." He threw the pea into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.I nodded again. I was probably worrying for nothing and that was not good for my health. Maybe it was my coping mechanism. It was easier to worry about things I could relate with; like Lorna's safety and how she was grieving, than to worry about things out of my control... like Vladimir's interest in my blood, or my ancestry and the chance that I could be the reincarnation of the most powerful witch to ever exist."If the kids saw you worrying like
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERADDISON SKIPPED AHEAD while Aiden stayed close to my side as we took the short walk to Beta Draco's house."SO is she really a human?" Aiden asked, looking up at me."Watch your feet," I told him and nodded. "She is.""Why did her mummy drop her here?" He asked.I doubt it was a parent who dropped off a child in the middle of snowy mountains unsupervised."I don't know, Aiden," I answered truthfully. "YOU don't?" He asked."I don't." I sighed."Hmm," he kicked at a mound of snow. "I thought you knew the answers to everything."I chuckled. "What made you think that?" I asked him.He shrugged his small shoulders. "You are an adult."That was even funnier. If only every adult had the answer to every question, there would be a lesser number of fucked up adults out there. "No, Aiden," I said softly. "Nobody knows all the answers.""Not even our teachers at school?" He asked, his eyes came up to my face again.I sighed and shook my head. "Not even your teachers at school.
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER "EASY, DRACO," I said in a calm voice. "Take it easy." My Luna aura must have washed out because he was suddenly calm, although his breaths came out in guttural grunts. He sat down on the chair and tapped his thumb against his knee repeatedly in agitation."I had to tell you," I said. "You're the one taking her into your home. You had to know the risks involved."He nodded. "Thank you, Luna." He looked up at me. "But how did you come to this conclusion?""It was Lorna," I said honestly. "Tell me; what has she said since she woke up?"Draco shook his head. "Nothing." He replied and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I think I heard her mumbling something to your children as we left. That must be the first thing I've heard her say."I nodded. Bringing the children along was a good idea. They would help her come out of the hypnosis. I hope it was nothing like what I experienced. "I tried talking to her when she came out of her unconsciousness," I told him. "She kept on re
IT WAS A starry night and the wind swept the vast expanse of the desert in strong waves. On the warm sand, a total of 405 witches stood in a circle, they all wore black gowns. In the middle of the circle, wood and sticks had been stacked like beds in a dozen places. The dead witches were laid upon the wood like they were sleeping. They looked almost peaceful. The whole environment was serene.Enrique stood a few yards away from the meeting. He heard the small mumbling of the witches as they carried out their final rites. It was an eerie place. He felt goosebumps break out on his neck. "Could do with some warmth now." He growled to himself under his breath, rubbing his hands together. Lorna stood alone in the middle of the dead witches. "We are gathered today," Her voice was soft, but it was like the wind worked for her. It carried her voice so everyone heard it gently. "To mourn and put our sisters to rest." She looked around. She could not make out the faces of the numerous women tha
MITCH CHESTER“YOU ARE GOING to crash the car,“ Draco said, holding on to the side of his seat as Mitch drove like a blind bat.Mitch scoffed without slowing down. He pressed down on the pedal, and the car shot even faster. “This fucking snow,“ he growled as he screeched to a stop. The tires of the car were stuck in the thick layer of snow. He got out of the car; his legs sank almost to his knees.Draco came out too, cursing under his breath. “I wonder whose idea it was to get electric cars to drive over snow,“ he looked at Mitch and added sarcastically. “Oh wait, it was your brilliant idea.“Mitch rubbed his chin and said, “Maybe I should have gone with your idea and bought electric sleds instead.“Draco scoffed, kicking at the snow.Mitch looked around. His breath vaporized from his mouth as he breathed out. “Come, we are not far,“ he said to Draco.“Sometimes I wonder why I follow you,“ Draco said as they walked away from the stuck car. “This is crazy. You can't just stand up and w
MITCH CHESTERMITCH KNEW HIS mind should be at rest now that he had reinforcements, but his mind was still worried. He had no doubts that it was because his mate was still out there in danger, his son was lying in bed, unconscious and blind, and his kingdom was on the brink of civil war.He paced the length of the room anxiously, his eyes drifting into the dancing fireplace as he walked past. A small knock came at the door. “Come in,“ he called.The door opened, and Draco came in. He took a look around the small, almost empty room and shook his head, saying, “You are still sleeping here.“Mitch chuffed and nodded, “I can't stay in the master chambers alone. Anna should be with me.“Draco nodded and said, “I understand that, but…“ He looked around again. “I am sure you can do better than a tiny room. There is even no air conditon -““No one uses air conditioning here, Draco,“ Mitch said. He sat on the bed heavily; it creaked under his weight.“There is no ventilation,“ Draco continued,
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERTHE DINNER PROGRESSED silently between me and Janet after Vladimir left. I was not inclined to say anything to her, so I ignored all the stares she sent my way. I was focused on the meal, because I do not know the next time I would eat again. It might not be until the ritual, and if I had any hopes of escaping, then I need all the energy I can get.When I had eaten to my fill, I sat back, watching Janet's thin hands pick at her food tastelessly.“You are vegan,“ I said, noting that there was no meat nor fish on her plate.She scoffed, “Unlike you savages, I care about the lives of animals.“ She stuffed a strip of carrot into her mouth. “I heard that you dogs even eat raw meat. That is just disgusting.““And yet you sleep with a man - a creature that drinks raw blood… you don’t think that is disgusting?“ I retorted, knowing that she was right about us eating raw meat. Sometimes when in our wolf skin, he could go hunting and eat whatever we catch, which could range fr
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERHOLDING ON TO Vorenus softly as he led me out, We walked up a flight of stairs and down a hallway till we stopped in front of a thick, mahogany wood. I took a deep breath as Vorenus pushed the door open and stood aside to let me through. Taking careful steps, I walked into the room. It was like a large hall, lit up beautifully with gold chandeliers. There was a small round table in the middle of the room, and Vorenus was seated at the head of the table.He looked at me as I walked in; his eyes widened slightly, but that was the only reaction he gave. His human mistress sat beside me; the look she gave was a nasty, dirty stare, but she kept her mouth shut. Vladimir's eyes followed me all the way to the table. I nodded at him curtly and took a seat. The table was filled with many delicacies, and even a full roast pig sat in the center.“Thank you for coming,“ Vladimir said.It was not like I had any option; I scoffed under my breath. I turned and looked behind me, exp
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI DO NOT know how long I remained in the cage — listening to the dripping of water in the far dark distance. But I knew when the sun went down, because the mansion became more active, and the sound of night bugs joined in the sound of water droplets.I felt like I was going to run mad, but the door opened and the butler came in. He was human, I was sure of it, but still, there was something off about him. But I could not place my hand on it. He stood a few feet away from my cell and looked at me in a spiteful manner. “My name is Bartholomew the Fourteenth,“ he said.The fourteenth? I asked myself. Does that mean that fourteen generations of this man's family had lived with and worked for Vladimir?“What you are thinking is exactly correct,“ the butler said. “And no, I cannot read minds, but I could clearly see the confusion written on your face.”“What do you want?“ I asked. If he was going to be anything like the other human in the mansion - Janet, I wanted to prep
320LORNA DID NOT know her next move, or why she washed the mind of this vampire, but she knew she had to do something, and this seemed like the first step.“Rise,“ she commanded.The vampire stood up robotically and looked at her with his soulless eyes.“What are you doing here?“ she asked him.“Keeping watch on the borders of this kingdom,“ he replied.“Why?““I was just following orders,“ he said.“Whose orders?“ Lorna asked, even though she already knew the answer, but she wanted to be sure.“The king,“ the vampire replied.Lorna scoffed under her breath. Vladimir. She turned and looked at the way she had come from, considering her options. Should she take this vampire back to the kingdom where he could be interviewed by Mitch for information, or should she take the more riskier option and tell the vampire to take her to where Anna was being kept prisoner?She looked back and forth a couple of times, then she made her decision. She was not going back to the kingdom. She and they w
LORNA LOOKED OUT the window and watched as Mitch addressed the guest from the Red Moon pack; she saw the way they looked at him with awe and adoration. They were here out of respect for him and love for Anna.She turned away from the window and went to the bed where Aiden was sleeping, brushing her hand across his forehead. He mumbled something inaudible and shuffled slightly, but he did not wake up. She sighed sadly, wondering what the medical personnel were going to make of this. Aiden was not entirely in a coma. He responded to touch, and she had seen his flicker in his eyelids when Mitch had whispered something in his ear a few hours ago. It was just like he was in a deep slumber without being able to wake up. She imagined it to be like he was trapped in his own body.“If only your mother were here,“ she muttered in a small voice. “She would know what to do to bring you back.“ Lorna spoke gently to herself. She sighed and leaned in to kiss Aiden's forehead. She felt very connected
MITCH CHESTERMITCH COULD FEEL the animosity in the tense air as soon as they walked in. Draco was behind him, and Delta Adam walked beside him as they walked to the front of the hall. All heads followed their movement. Mitch stopped and overlooked the senate; he cleared his throat to stop all side talks and make sure all the attention was on him before he said, “We have some guests in our midst,“ he said in a strong voice. “And I expect us to be hospitable and treat them well.““They are from the inland pack,“ a small, stubby man muttered.“From the lunas former pack,“ Mitch nodded. “And they are here to help us in rescuing her. I hope we will be able to put aside your differences and work together.“The hall was silent for the next few seconds, so Mitch continued, “And they brought some weapons to give us an added advantage,“ he said.“We will be fighting with weapons now?“ Sil asked, astonished, “Like the humans?“Mitch cocked his head and nodded. “I'm afraid so,“ he said. “We need
MITCH CHESTERMITCH SAT DOWN heavily and examined the faces of the members of the Senate before him. They knew something was off in the balance of the kingdom. He cleared his throat and said, “What called for this meeting?““I think the meeting is long over due, Your Highness,“ Lane said in a small voice. Mitch looked around at the nods of agreement around the table.Mitch snorted.“We got the news that we had guests.“ a fat man muttered. “Guest. Warriors from another pack. As if the military in this kingdom is not enough.““So it means there is a heavy war coming,“ Sil said. She paused and continued, “A war that would mean we are accepting help from other inland packs.“A ripple of murmuring went round the pack again.“It is not just any inland pack,“ Mitch said. “They are from the red moon pack. Luna Anna's former pack.““Talking of Luna Anna,“ Sil cut in. “Where is she?“Mitch sighed. Truly, there are so many things that they need to address. Where would he even start? He asked him