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Chapter Twenty Two
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The following evening went just as well. The committee was well pleased with Emily's transformation, and permission was granted for them to leave. William couldn't wait to have the island and the Coven with all its problems behind him.
Mere hours before they were to depart for home, he and Paoli returned from making flight arrangements to find Emily missing. On the table was a simple note which read:
Gone with Amber to meet Lycaon.
Back soon,
Emily
William froze in place, his mind running to the meeting with Sekhmet and Empusa.
Amber.
Amber had taken sides.
She'd come while he was gone and taken Emily right to Lycaon; into the hands of the man who was running a secret agenda.
“Oh no,” Paoli whispered when he read the note.
“How are we on weapons?” William's voice was low and menacing. He felt for Emily through their blood bond and found
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Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Three
They went straight for the plane at full speed ahead. They needed to get the hell away from the Coven.Immediately.If Lycaon had time to gather his guards, they wouldn't get away at all.A few miles separated them from the runway, but they never slowed. They hit the front door of the castle and just kept running.Emily was worn out enough when they neared the plane, she stumbled and almost went head over tail when her body began to regain human form of its own volition.William looked behind them and saw no one in pursuit, so he motioned for Paoli to halt.A quick glance told Paoli what was happening. He stood with his back to them; clearly on the lookout for enemies while one of their party was so vulnerable in the midst of a shift.It took just a few minutes for the wolf to basically melt away. Emily was left too exhausted to stand.William pulled his shirt off and threw it around her naked form. He swung her into his
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Four
Paoli made several calls over the next few days, trying to reach anyone in the committee, but to no avail. The only thing remotely close to helpful he learned was the committee was aware of the situation and were actively taking steps to thwart the plan. The steps did not include removing Lycaon from the Coven, and things would continue as they always had. Which translated to mean everyone was too afraid of Lycaon to stand up and do anything to stop him. Ergo, no help could be found there.William expected as much, but Paoli had really put his faith in them and was livid with their lack of action.“I cannot believe,” he complained one day. “They intend to do nothing.”Emily rolled her eyes at William in an overly dramatic, exasperated expression. They'd been cooped up in the house together for days; everyone in agreement she needed plenty of time to recuperate from her first transition; and they'd heard Paoli's 'I can't believe it'
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Five
“Brace yourself,” William whispered, one hand on the car's door handle.When she looked at him questioningly, he pointed through the windshield at a couple in the distance. "You're about to get your first scent of a human. Be ready," he cautioned.She rolled her eyes dramatically in response.He didn't reply.As soon as his door opened, the distant scent of humans wafted into the car and saturated them both with the sweet, siren scent of fresh blood.“Emily,” William said questioningly, watching her reaction closely.Her lip curled up to display fangs that were suddenly prominent, and her eyes became unfocused. His mind went back to the first few days after her change. Days she thankfully had no memory of. It had taken all four of them; he, Paoli, Sekhmet, and Empusa to keep her under control. Could he restrain her alone if it became necessary?"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.
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“All right,” William said encouragingly a few days later.He and Emily were in the woods surrounding the house. It was a beautiful evening; much warmer than it had been, though there was still a small bite to the air.The pair didn't even notice.They were working together in a small clearing, surrounded completely by the dense forest. The beautiful mixture of purple and gray across the sky signaled dusk and long shadows were starting to form from the trees.“Focus all your energy on reaching into the pit of your stomach and make yourself stretch," William instructed.“Okay,” Emily agreed enthusiastically. She stood with her feet apart and knees bent like a miniature sumo wrestler. “I can do this," she said, more to herself than him.Her weight shifted back and forth in nervous excitement. Her face crinkled in concentration. She tried to focus on the way the wolf had felt at the Coven; during her one and o
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Over the next few weeks, Emily and William spent days at a time in animal form while she became comfortable with her wolf. She spent much of her time flying just over his head as he loped lazily through the trees, going nowhere in particular.It was amazing to watch her become more comfortable in her giant shape. On several occasions, they included Paoli in her training; having him hide in various places in the woods for her to track.William took Paoli's advice and they spent most of one hilarious afternoon on shifting natural fibers so she could be dressed when she regained human form. It was hysterical to see a wolf in a blouse and jeans. She did eventually start to get the hang of it, though she panicked when she shifted her jeans over her face and had her head stuck in the pant leg. William's levity with the situation was not appreciated.Some days they went back into town for brief trips to give Emily more exposure to humans. She was growing more
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Eight
A cool numbness spread over Emily at his words. She braced herself for the pain of her sister's hatred, but it never came. After so many years of dealing with the pain, it was almost alarming that it was simply gone.She looked around the room carefully; taking in William's carefully controlled expression, and to Paoli; who had a very animated face beneath his long, dark blond hair that was almost always tied at the back of his neck, and even to Sekhmet.It dawned on her at last. As dark and just plain weird as her life may have become, this was where she belonged. She was loved and protected and accepted, just as she was. Flawed and weak though she may be at times; these men would stand with her eternally. It was a humbling certainty.Amber had long ago walked away from her; despising her ability to move on after their mother's death, she thought. Over the years, it had slowly become something stronger and more destructive. Hate. It wasn't until the day in Lyca
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Nine
With Emily safely settled away from the house, the men prepared for battle. They packed the blood mobile and made plans. Then they each took up a post to wait. Dawn was only a couple of hours away. If the attack came tonight, it needed to come before then. As Paoli said, it was possible they planned to wait until tomorrow during the day. If so, they'd be long gone because William wasn't waiting around after dawn. He was good in battle, but not take-on-twenty-werewolves-single-handed good.While it hurt Paoli to leave his little bookstore again, he'd reopen in a new location when things got a little more back to normal.For William, the situation was much more dangerous. His wolf was a natural hunter. Even though he made sure to run at least once during the week of the full moon to chase rabbits and deer, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as tearing apart a humanoid creature. He had a long history of losing control and going on what Paoli referred to as 'benders', though h
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty
William flew through the hotel door like a possessed thing and found exactly what he feared.Nothing.For a long moment, icy rage seemed to blot out his vision and his wolf very nearly took control. The wolf wanted to rend and howl and tear the entire hotel to the ground.He fought back the beast, determined to remain in control. He needed to think, to come up with a plan. His wolf wasn't helping. If ever he needed a clear head, this was the time.His teeth snapped together in frustrated fury and he tried to calm himself. With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly to center his thoughts. Once he had some semblance of control, he began to smell the room, trying to catch the scent, some clue of what had happened.It was difficult since it was a hotel and there were so many different smells to sift through. Amber and Emily's scents were easy to find, but he couldn't locate Lycaon's. Maybe he hadn't come here at all. Or maybe he'
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Six
"What do you suppose is the significance of what we've just done?" Empusa asked when the group gathered in Paoli's room. Empusa was lounging casually on the bed with his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands folded behind his head, looking for all the world like a man without a care."You're the expert on blood binding around here. You tell us," Paoli returned. "My only experience with blood bonds had proven to be questionable at best. Maybe I did it wrong." He shrugged carelessly, but his face suddenly looked concerned.Empusa gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise. "I'm a wolf with understanding of pack ties. Here in the Coven, I was a spy to watch Lycaon and report to the committee. I don’t know anything about parchment agreements and blood contracts. That's more in your wheelhouse, being a vampire and all," he said.Sekhmet came into the room with a rosy glow on his cheeks.Paoli narrowed his eyes at him.Sekhmet grinned in return. "Don
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Five
William and Emily stood side by side before the committee. Paoli stood on William's other side, and Sekhmet and Empusa flanked the group. They presented a united front of strength and power.William was proud to stand, surrounded by his people.No matter that some of them had come to him at the behest of the committee itself. They were his now, with blood bonds to unite them, and that was all that really mattered in the end.Unconsciously, he felt for the people connected to him and found some comfort in his ability to do so. He could feel the nervousness and turmoil of each person. Without giving it a thought, he sent them strength.It was amazing the satisfaction he felt as the posture of each of his people relax almost imperceptibly. It was only seen as the set of their shoulders relaxed the slightest bit.It was enough.He'd done what he co
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Four
Empusa showed them into a room that was much smaller and less decorated than the one they'd enjoyed on their previous stay.Guard quarters, William realized.The furniture was much the same type; with a decent-sized bed in the center of the room and a small table in the corner. It was just less decorative and more utilitarian. His nose told him the room was clean, though, and that was good enough."My quarters are right across the hall. I'm going to grab some sleep, so I'll be easy to find if you need me," Empusa said."With everything going on around here, it's probably a good idea if we stick together and don't wonder the castle alone," William said."That's my thought, as well," Empusa agreed easily. "Sekhmet and Paoli will come and get us when they rise, and we can go to the committee as a united pack.""A flock," Emily corrected.Empusa gave her an exaggerated wince and a smile. "I am not part of a flock," he said with m
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Three
After a long night of flying, the five of them landed outside of the castle on the same runway they'd used to escape only a few weeks before.The irony of that fact was not lost on Emily. A part of her was expecting to see Lycaon and a whole army waiting for them in a twisted trap. But all that awaited them were two ornate crates that looked as though they belonged in a museum of ancient artifacts.Emily gave William a questioning look when she noticed the men loading them into the back of the plane."It's daytime," William said in answer to her silent question. "They'll get Paoli and Sekhmet to the castle safely."She eyed the strangers speculatively, uncertain if they could be trusted with the two vampires while they slept. Or while they were dead for the day, which she didn't like to even consider. As far as she was concerned, they were asleep; no matter what Sekhmet said. She had not just been in a little airplane with two dead guys.I
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Two
Emily sat on one of the bench seats on the bus, feeling fully satiated. After they'd arrived at the small campground, the three wolves had taken to the wooded area that hugged the little clearing and gone hunting. It was Emily's first hunt as a wolf, and it had been absolutely thrilling. Together, they brought down a buck that seemed huge to her, but she was later informed it was at best medium-sized.She would never have guessed how satisfying it would be to use her new big teeth –the better to eat you with, my deer, she thought with a chuckle to herself at her own play on words—to tear apart a carcass, still flanked protectively by the two males.After the hunt, both William and Empusa showered in the RV that she would not go back into for any reason and joined her on the bus to wait for their vampire compatriots to rise for the long evening ahead.Now she sat between William and Paoli, across from Empusa and Sekhmet, and even wit
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty One
Emily sat in the cage in her wolf form and glared at the wolves around her. All seven of them were in human form, but there was no mistaking their scent. Thanks to Williams' training, she'd learned to discern many scents.Werewolf was an easy one.Interestingly enough, most of them looked at her with wariness and kept a good distance between themselves and her, especially after she'd nearly torn out the throat of the wolf who stuck her in this damned cage in the first place.It gave her some satisfaction to see the fear in their eyes. Part of it was fear of her; of her sheer size since most wolves were about twice the size of an ordinary timber wolf, while she was nearly three times that and winged; a condition unique to her if Paoli was to be believed; but most of it was their fear of William, she thought.They knew he'd be enraged and hunting them. Everyone was afraid of William, even under the best of circumstances. If he caught them before they got wh
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty
William flew through the hotel door like a possessed thing and found exactly what he feared.Nothing.For a long moment, icy rage seemed to blot out his vision and his wolf very nearly took control. The wolf wanted to rend and howl and tear the entire hotel to the ground.He fought back the beast, determined to remain in control. He needed to think, to come up with a plan. His wolf wasn't helping. If ever he needed a clear head, this was the time.His teeth snapped together in frustrated fury and he tried to calm himself. With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly to center his thoughts. Once he had some semblance of control, he began to smell the room, trying to catch the scent, some clue of what had happened.It was difficult since it was a hotel and there were so many different smells to sift through. Amber and Emily's scents were easy to find, but he couldn't locate Lycaon's. Maybe he hadn't come here at all. Or maybe he'
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Nine
With Emily safely settled away from the house, the men prepared for battle. They packed the blood mobile and made plans. Then they each took up a post to wait. Dawn was only a couple of hours away. If the attack came tonight, it needed to come before then. As Paoli said, it was possible they planned to wait until tomorrow during the day. If so, they'd be long gone because William wasn't waiting around after dawn. He was good in battle, but not take-on-twenty-werewolves-single-handed good.While it hurt Paoli to leave his little bookstore again, he'd reopen in a new location when things got a little more back to normal.For William, the situation was much more dangerous. His wolf was a natural hunter. Even though he made sure to run at least once during the week of the full moon to chase rabbits and deer, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as tearing apart a humanoid creature. He had a long history of losing control and going on what Paoli referred to as 'benders', though h
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Eight
A cool numbness spread over Emily at his words. She braced herself for the pain of her sister's hatred, but it never came. After so many years of dealing with the pain, it was almost alarming that it was simply gone.She looked around the room carefully; taking in William's carefully controlled expression, and to Paoli; who had a very animated face beneath his long, dark blond hair that was almost always tied at the back of his neck, and even to Sekhmet.It dawned on her at last. As dark and just plain weird as her life may have become, this was where she belonged. She was loved and protected and accepted, just as she was. Flawed and weak though she may be at times; these men would stand with her eternally. It was a humbling certainty.Amber had long ago walked away from her; despising her ability to move on after their mother's death, she thought. Over the years, it had slowly become something stronger and more destructive. Hate. It wasn't until the day in Lyca
