Kaden ~Something was wrong with Maeve.Or maybe something was wrong with me.Because the more I watched her, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something obvious. Like a puzzle with one piece just barely out of place, an image almost complete but not quite.And I hated it.I hated that she made me think so much.I was still stewing over it when Orion found me.He leaned against the stone archway with his arms crossed, looking entirely too smug for someone who had just experienced a war. There was something different about him, his scent was dull and his pulse was slower.A Scarvyn had fed on him.I narrowed my eyes. “I thought you had better self-preservation instincts than that.”Orion ran a hand through his hair. “She needed it.”I let out a slow breath through my nose “You let a Scarvyn bite you again?”“Couldn’t exactly say to Scarvyn venom, you should know this.” He pushed off the wall and walked toward me, he stopped just close enough to make a point. “But
Dahlia ~I needed to get out of my head and stop thinking so damn much.The moment I stepped into the massive shower that was decorated with silver tiles, I turned the water on full blast and let the scalding heat wash over my skin. My fingers pressed into my temples, trying to rub away the ache that had been sitting there since this morning.Everything was a mess.Everything was too much.The way he looked at me like I meant something to him, the way his eyes burned into me like he knew something was off. Like he was piecing it together, bit by bit.And now the claiming ceremony was in two days, meaning I had less than two days to seduce him and kill him. A muscle jumped in my jaw.This mission should have been easy.He was arrogant. Overconfident. The kind of man who thought himself untouchable. He had let me in, trusted me enough to fight beside me, to put his hands on me, to kiss me like he meant it.And yet he had saved my life during the Jorran war.I let out a slow breath and
KadenThe day of the Claiming ceremony had finally come. And anticipation filled the air.The entire kingdom had gathered, their eyes fixed on the altar where I stood, waiting.For her.I rolled my shoulders and adjusted the heavy ceremonial robes draped over my skin, but no fabric could ease the weight pressing against my chest.The wait was becoming unbearable.And then a hush fell over the crowd and Dahlia emerged, I had no doubts in my heart again, I was looking at my mate.Dressed in white, the fabric looked soft and light as it flowed like water around her, delicate gold chains draped over her collarbones, and circled her wrists before wrapping around the slender curve of her waist. Her red hair was woven into intricate braids, pearls and moonstones glinting under the sun.She was breathtaking.And she was walking straight to me.My jaw tightened.The hatred I felt for her was gone completely and now all I felt was want.A raw, aching hunger that burned deep in my bones.She sto
Dahlia ~The imposingly tall Gates of The Kingmaker Academy stood proud in front of me.I turned to my twin sister Sienna to find her equally awed.“I am having second thoughts about this whole thing, Dahlia.”“Its too late to turn back now, and besides we can't turn back,” I said, “you know what's at stake.” Her eyes softened with understanding and then she stepped forward to knock on the gate hoping someone would open it.The gates groaned open before her fist could touch the metal surface, to reveal the most beautiful luscious environment I had ever seen.Perfectly cut grass and hedges, beautiful conifers lined the roads precisely spaced. Flowers of different kinds had butterflies playing on them.And the air… it smelled of wealth, the kind I had never even imagined before. “Do people actually learn here?” Sienna questioned.“Indeed they do,” her answer came in the form of an aged masculine voice. We both gasped simultaneously and turned around to face him.The elderly man approa
Dahlia ~ I turned away quickly, silently praying to the Moon Goddess that Kaden wouldn’t connect the dots. He had only seen us for a fleeting moment after our parents brought him home before he was sent off to this school and besides, how rare was it to see two short boys with silver hair?“Let’s move along,” Vincent said his tone clipped, as he picked up his pace as if he had better places to be— he probably did. I didn’t need to be told twice.We reached the dormitories shortly after we passed the break area. The building was enormous, divided into wings for each student class ranked by strength. Vincent led us up a grand spiral staircase to the third floor and down a polished hallway before stopping at a heavy oak door.I did not bother myself with asking why we were at the wing for the strongest students. We were late so there probably wasn’t enough space in the other wings to accommodate us.“These will be your quarters,” he said, pushing the door open to reveal a spacious ro
Kaden ~These girls were so fucking dumb! What on earth were they doing in this den of dangerous wolves?And now they would be sharing a room with me these wild animals.I despised these boys, in fact, everyone hated everyone in this school, but cliques and packs had to be formed for added protection from more dangerous people.Anyone without a pack here was seen as an easy target for others to use to prove themselves and instill fear on others.We were all cruel, of course I was not excluded.The clique that currently ruled the school— The Vicious boys— had dragged me and forced me to be their alpha because everyone could feel the sheer power that emanated from me the very moment I stepped into the school. They needed me on their side because they knew if I entered any other pack they would instantly be dethroned from their spot as Alphas of Alphas.I liked the violence they brought to the school, it ignited my overabundamt reserves of adrenaline and I was able to let out years of a
Dahlia ~“So what are you telling me?” Sienna asked me with one brow arched up in suspicion. “I’m not loosing my virginity to these mindless savages!”“Oh come on! Do you want to get fucking caught? Our virginities are nothing compared to what is at stake!” I whisper yelled.We were in the bathroom of our dorm room and we had to practically skip a class to have this conversation in private.“We won't get caught, Kaden is just trying to get into our pants cant you see that?” She countered. “Our scents aren't half as strong as that.”“Not yet, but soon enough it will get stronger and we won't be able to control it and by then it would be too late already.”After a pause, Sienna slid against the wall until she was fully seated on the floor with her face in her palms.“I hate my life!” she cried.“Me too, but we have to—”I was interrupted by the sound of voices in the dorm room.Were they back already? Classes weren't over until an hour at least so what the fuck were they doing here?“We
Kaden ~ “Well, not exactly fuck fuck, you could use our mouths and hands,” Dahlia said and Sienna, Obviously the more reasonable one, realized this foolishness for what it was and she stayed quiet. What could be their reason to go through such lengths? If they knew what I planned to do with their pretty bodies they wouldn't have dared propose this. But unfortunately for them, they did, and I would make sure they regretted every fucking moment. Yes, I was a hate filled bastard that yearned to make everyone around me hateful as well. I would make their lives hell.I knew what they were the moment they made mention of needing blood, Scarvyns, blood sucking witches. I was repulsed to say the least. But these goons obviously did not care about what they even were. “Fuck yeah!” Silas said with a crazed smirk on his face. “I always thought you both were smoking hot but now,” he leaned down to toy with a strand of Dahlia’s hair, “as girls, you're even better… I'm taking the first ro
KadenThe day of the Claiming ceremony had finally come. And anticipation filled the air.The entire kingdom had gathered, their eyes fixed on the altar where I stood, waiting.For her.I rolled my shoulders and adjusted the heavy ceremonial robes draped over my skin, but no fabric could ease the weight pressing against my chest.The wait was becoming unbearable.And then a hush fell over the crowd and Dahlia emerged, I had no doubts in my heart again, I was looking at my mate.Dressed in white, the fabric looked soft and light as it flowed like water around her, delicate gold chains draped over her collarbones, and circled her wrists before wrapping around the slender curve of her waist. Her red hair was woven into intricate braids, pearls and moonstones glinting under the sun.She was breathtaking.And she was walking straight to me.My jaw tightened.The hatred I felt for her was gone completely and now all I felt was want.A raw, aching hunger that burned deep in my bones.She sto
Dahlia ~I needed to get out of my head and stop thinking so damn much.The moment I stepped into the massive shower that was decorated with silver tiles, I turned the water on full blast and let the scalding heat wash over my skin. My fingers pressed into my temples, trying to rub away the ache that had been sitting there since this morning.Everything was a mess.Everything was too much.The way he looked at me like I meant something to him, the way his eyes burned into me like he knew something was off. Like he was piecing it together, bit by bit.And now the claiming ceremony was in two days, meaning I had less than two days to seduce him and kill him. A muscle jumped in my jaw.This mission should have been easy.He was arrogant. Overconfident. The kind of man who thought himself untouchable. He had let me in, trusted me enough to fight beside me, to put his hands on me, to kiss me like he meant it.And yet he had saved my life during the Jorran war.I let out a slow breath and
Kaden ~Something was wrong with Maeve.Or maybe something was wrong with me.Because the more I watched her, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something obvious. Like a puzzle with one piece just barely out of place, an image almost complete but not quite.And I hated it.I hated that she made me think so much.I was still stewing over it when Orion found me.He leaned against the stone archway with his arms crossed, looking entirely too smug for someone who had just experienced a war. There was something different about him, his scent was dull and his pulse was slower.A Scarvyn had fed on him.I narrowed my eyes. “I thought you had better self-preservation instincts than that.”Orion ran a hand through his hair. “She needed it.”I let out a slow breath through my nose “You let a Scarvyn bite you again?”“Couldn’t exactly say to Scarvyn venom, you should know this.” He pushed off the wall and walked toward me, he stopped just close enough to make a point. “But
Sienna ~The pain seared through my body and I had to bite my lip to the point of bruising to keep myself from crying out.I sucked in a breath and pressed my hand to my side where the silver blade had cut deep. The healers had done everything they could, but silver wounds were rather tricky to heal.I needed blood… fresh blood to heal.I lay on the med in the private healer’s quarters, my head rolled to the side and my body was weakened. The white sheets beneath me were already stained red, and the scent of my own blood was making me nauseous.Then the doors were opened and someone stepped in.I didn’t have to look to know it was Orion. I usually felt him before I saw him.“You look like hell, sweetheart,” he said to me in that smooth deep voice.I opened my eyes.And gods.He looked good, especially better to my hungry eyes.His copper hair was damp, strands falling across his forehead in that effortlessly messy way. He had a few smudges of dried blood on his jaw, but it didn’t make
Kaden ~The Jorrans were defeated and what was left of their forces retreated.It was pathetic to say the least.One moment, they were an unstoppable force, with their war cries that shook the ground. And the next? They were nothing but desperate men and women fleeing for their miserable lives.My grip on my sword tightened as I surveyed the battlefield. Mangled bodies lay scattered everywhere, the scent of blood was thick in the air. The thrill of war still hummed beneath my skin, and then my skin prickled with awareness.Maeve was watching me, only her gaze caused this visceral reaction from me.I turned slowly to find her standing a few feet away from me.Blood streaked her cheek and there was a smudge of dirt along her collarbone which I had the ridiculous urge to wipe away.“We won, Kaden, they're gone,” she said with a smile on her face. Instead of speaking about the battle, I said, “You saved me.”She lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. “Don’t mistake it for loyalty.”A shar
Dahlia ~The battlefield was flled with screams of the dying and struggling.Steel clashed against steel, and flesh, the scent of blood and smoke was thick in the air. The Jorrans were relentless in their fierceness.Kaden was a storm.He moved like he was born for battle, his black sword seeped with smoke anc he handled it as though it was an extension of his body. He cut through enemy after enemy without hesitation, his expression was calm, cold and calculating… I came to the realization that back in the training room, he had let me over power him for some reason.And I should have hated it.Should have hated seeing just how much of a challenge he would be to kill. But there was something maddeningly intoxicating about the way he fought. Like war was nothing more than a game he knew he would win. Like death was an inconvenience he didn’t have time for.He turned and his back was to me for just a second as he struck down a warrior to his left. Another enemy lunged from behind him wi
Sienna ~The battle had barely begun, and already, Orion was at my side.Where has he materialized from? I have no idea. I should have been annoyed.I should have rolled my eyes, brushed him off and told him I didn’t need a bodyguard.But the way he looked at me as though I was the only person in this entire palace that mattered… yeah, made my pulse stutter.His voice was rough, urgent. “Are you alright?”I blinked and gripped my machine gun tighter. “Why do you care?”His jaw clenched. “That’s not an answer.”I hated that my heart fluttered at the way he said it. Like my well-being was something personal to him.I forced a smirk. “I’m fine. But really, Orion, don’t you have more important people to protect?”He didn’t hesitate. “No.”I swallowed.Damn him.I shook off the warmth threatening to settle in my chest. “You know nothing about me.”Something changed in his eyes.“You remind me of someone,” he said slowly. “Someone I once knew, she meant a lot to me.”My breath caught and m
DahliaKaden drove fast and hard until we got to the area where the smoke was coming from. I rushed down from the car and a massive fire was set to the kingdom.Bombs were dropped from fighter jets and explosion after explosion rattled my bones.For a second, I couldn’t move. The smoke plumes curled into the sky, thick and dark, the scent of burning wood and blood clogging my lungs. My heart slammed against my ribs.Gunshots rang out and my eyes darted to the kingdom where people fought with guns and knives. A scream tore through the air and a warrior charged at me. He was fast and deadly. His golden blade gleamed in the light as he swung toward me. I willed my body to move, to dodge, to fight, to go anything, but my feet stuck to the ground.But Kaden was quick to counter his attack.His dagger sank into the warrior’s chest before I could even gasp. The man choked, eyes wide, before crumpling to the ground.Kaden swore under his breath and yanked his blade free, his other hand alre
Dahlia ~The training session was a total mess. I had barely made it back to my chambers before the shaking started.I slammed the door behind me and pressed my back against it, trying to catch my breath. My pulse was still unstable and my skin was on fire from Kaden’s proximity.Damn him.Damn his strength, damn his eyes, damn the way he got under my skin without even trying.This wasn’t supposed to happen.I squeezed my eyes shut, but all I could see was the way he had looked at me—like he saw something beneath the surface, like he was trying to read me. Like he knew I was Dahlia.He can’t know. He can’t.I shoved off the door and paced the length of my room. My muscles were still tight from our fight, my body still wired from the way he had pinned me, so close, so solid, so unbearably there.I should have laughed it off. I should have played along. I should have leaned in and let him fall deeper into the trap I was supposed to be setting.But instead, I had panicked.Like a foo