Jasmine POV I was floating down in a space I did not recognize. The darkness was all around me, I could not see anything. However, even in the darkness, I could sense the shadows all around me, pulling onto me slowly, tearing me, almost drying me of my soul; one shadow more terrifying and colder than the other. I tried to move, but somehow, I felt suspended. I could not really tell in the dark if I was suspended somehow by restraints, but I could not feel any on my body. I tried to use my magic, and despite various spells and enchantments, nothing changed. I tried to reach out to Calypso, my Lycan, and I could not feel her or hear her anywhere. Silence awaited me whatever I tried to do to contact her. Panic started building within me. There can only be two explanations for this. I was dead, yet somehow aware, coming forth trying to return to the world of the living. Or, I was enchanted into a veil in between, which only meant that I would stay alive, but never truly wake up. I would b
Dragana POV I stood confused, looking at Solomon and my hands, gold energy still pulsating through my hands, like gold sparkles flying everywhere. He was smiling at me, his eyes kind and encouraging. “What just happened????”, I finally managed to ask him, feeling the energy vibrations through my whole being. “You saved Jasmine’s life”, he stated simply. “She was bound by the Shadow. And you freed her”, he said, as if he was reading the weather report. “I… I did WHAT???I can do that...???”, I was stuttering now, my anxiety shooting through the roof. “Yes dear child, you can do that and so much more! I am so very proud of you! You should probably rest again. You are not used to these spells. We need to train – both your body and mind”, his concern for me evident, as he extended his hand to pick me up. Somehow, in the process of whatever spell I was doing, I fell to the ground. “Does this work only on family? I mean what I did for Jasmine??? Is that why I managed to do it?? Because w
Roman POV I did not know what to make out of all this. I felt as if somebody pulled the rug under my feet and as if my whole life had been a lie. Princess Dzana was friends with my parents. They were not captives; they were never supposed to be captives. It was a ruse perpetrated by my parents so that they would be protected. Nobody, not even spies, cared about “prisoners”, but they surely cared about royal witches and guests. My parents did the best they could, as Lady Asma and my father explained. One of the conditions of her exile and secrecy was that they were presumed as prisoners. It was not uncommon for packs to have prisoners, depending on the circumstances, and those kinds of situations never raised any questions. Not with the Council, not with the pack. It was within the Alpha King’s rights. “You really are dumber than you look”, Caleb was mocking me. “It is a good thing you are handsome, otherwise, I’d have to go find me another human!”, he was now laughing. “How many pri
Dragana POV The great grandfather stood in human clothes, dressed in a crisp navy suit, white shirt and had a colorful scarf around his neck. I was equally provided with modern clothes for the human world to blend in. “Your library is in the human world?”, I asked, confused. “Not exactly. It's the entrance is in the human world. However, a library designed for human needs exists on the surface still”, he explained. “What do you mean still for human needs???” I was confused and surprised that he would share our world with humans. I personally did not trust them. Too much greed, too little honor, I thought to myself. “Gia is very fond of humans, as am I, child”, he said, looking at me softly. “I do not trust them”, was all I said. “I do not blame you, they are extremely untrustworthy, petty creatures”, he chuckled. “Yet you gave them knowledge and a library???? I do not understand”, I confessed, confused. “You do not love people or creatures because they are perfect child. You love them
Dragana POV I had so many questions. Solomon said that he had some business to take care of and I was now sitting in the garden, drinking tea and talking to Lord Cazima. “So, I guess, you are my chaperone for the day?”, I smiled at him. I did not know how old he was, but he did not look much older than me. His hearty laugh was like bells, higher than a normal male voice, but with a beautiful sound to it. “You are more than welcome, Dragana. It has been forever since I have seen you”, he said. “Seen me? You know me???? I do not…”. More laughter followed. “Your mother used to bring you here when you were young. Just like you, she has always wanted to learn and expand her knowledge. And I see she has done a great job!”, he said reassuringly. I tried to search my memories, but I could not recall ever meeting him. “Are you sure? You are not mistaken? ”.. He nodded, sipping the hot aromatic tea. “I do not leave this place much. And yes, you used to come with your mom. I’d know you anywhere
Lady Asma POV “I would love to know that answer myself, Roman. I would love to know who your mate is too! However, my King, I am not Gia, nor the Moon Goddess”, I said, confused by his question. Something was nagging me though. He told everybody he had found his mate, and based on what we learned, his mate was Alice, daughter of Alpha Alan. If he knew she was his mate, why is he asking me this, I thought to myself. “Caleb does not think Alice is our mate”, he said flatly before I had a chance to ask him to clarify. “Her wolf refuses him, hides from him. And….” “And what Roman??”, I heard Alpha King Jonathan ask the question that was on my mind. “There is no real bond. There is something like a bond, and I smell her scent, but… I do not know… something is off”, Roman tried to explain, his stress evident on his handsome face. He was pinching the top of his nose and running his fingers through his messy hair. “Mate bond is undeniable, regardless of one’s past endeavors”, I noted dip
Dragana POVAfter the initial shock of seeing the dagger, I quickly realize I could not allow Lord Cazima know anything about it. “Forgive me, you startled me there”, I said quickly to him after we entered the Inner Sanctum. “I completely understand Princess, I have been told I can be intimidating at times”, he said winking at me. Cold shivers were going through me and I kept thinking of my mother’s death, and how she was taken from me so brutally. And here I am, making small talk and drinking tea with her possible killer. “Focus Dragana, you need to understand what is going on”, the soft voice said and she was right. Giving him a little smile, I walked behind him toward the large onyx pool in the center of the Sanctum. I saw no bookshelves, no books, nothing. The walls were high, and some of them looked like the gate we just passed through albeit smaller. “What re those???? Are they doors too?”, I asked my curiosity peaked. “Some are”, he shrugged as if this was completely normal. “S
Third Party POV The dungeons of the fortress at Alam Baarah stunk of rotting flesh, blood, and decomposing corpses. Everywhere the eye can see, the shifters rot in their cells. Newer ones only had some beating wounds and bruising. However, anyone who stayed longer than 3 days soon found out that this was a place of doom, place of torture and place of no escape. Once you entered Alam Baarah, you never left. Alive. You never left alive. The screams of torture were coming from the adjoining chamber, yet she did not flinch. Her dark demon eyes were scanning the reports, and something caught her eye. The Master will be pleased – very, very pleased, she thought with a sneer, and called Tocher. “I have the information on the target”, she smirked. “Notify the Master I will be upstairs shortly!”. The screams next door, in the chamber where the young ones were held, was music to her ears. They always cried the most, she thought. Such little creatures, so useless. Well, except for fresh meat w
Beta Artemis POVAs we sat by the willowy tree in the ever-encompassing darkness, I started to feel…. Well… different, would be the best explanation. There was something here… Something an eye could not see, something that devoured your very soul. Emir whimpered, and this was strange – my wolf was a warrior, unfazed by anything. Roman was chewing on his food, looking at me strangely, his eyes flickering between him and Caleb, something happening, something he did not share. “Can you reach Caleb?”, I asked Emir and the definite answer was no. Our wolves could not communicate to one another and that was a huge red flag! I did not know what was happening. The darkness around us started moving and through the shadows I heard her voice… Faint at first, but then I felt her. I felt her calling to me, I felt her presence, her scent, her ever-present light… I opened my eyes, and there she stood before me, my beautiful Dragana, smiling at me, in flesh.It had only been moments since we left the
Roman POVWe sat down in the darkness that enveloped us. It was not like anything we had ever seen, it was permeating, ever dark, ever shadowy. It almost all felt unreal, as if we stepped into a realm unseen, something made of the darkness itself. Although I was initially reluctant to have Art join me, I was grateful for his presence, for his stoic aura and his support. Still chewing on a piece of beef jerky, I set up a temporary camp. We had moved far, and I knew we did not have a lot of time, but I needed to talk to him. Events back home did not allow us a conversation, and I needed to speak to the only other man Dragana loved. I needed to come up with a plan. Just in case. Just in case I did not make it out of here, I needed to know that he would love her as she deserved to be loved. In truth, I already knew that, but somehow, my heart was heavy, and I simply needed my friend.I knew he was restless seeing the dark waters. In truth. I was too; however, I did not want to admit it. I
Artemis POV When Dragana opened up the portal, I did not know what to expect. I knew we were going into a treacherous situation – by all accounts. What I read about the Yamuna River, coupled with what King Solomon said, did not look promising or encouraging. Surely, we were walking into danger, but none of that mattered. I loved her. I loved her with every breath I took and would gladly lay my life down for her, as I would for Roman. My connection to him was different, but there was love in my heart for him too, love, loyalty and friendship that only came from years of shared life like we had. We live in a strange world, one that to humans, at least most, would be incomprehensible. When I was young, I thought about their ways, the way they love, the way they live. I wondered what my life would be if I were born a human. I observed them, read about them, and thought to myself. Imagine having to work so hard, continuously on the verge of injury or death, struggling for most hours of you
Dragana POV“Regina Dominum???? You are not the Luna Queen yet, Alice!!!” I heard a strong booming voice of Alpha King Jonathan as strong as a command almost, his eyes piercing and blazing at her. I could tell he was none the more pleased with her invoking the ancient rite. “My son has not marked you, nor mated you from what I can tell from your scent… You do smell… well.. different… in some way, that I must admit… But you do not smell of my blood!!! You do not smell of Spieta line!!” he now all but growled, his hazel eyes turning almost crimson. I had never seen him that mad, nor did I know that his eyes had such a deadly hue to it. He looked quite intimidating, in fact.“Ah… ah.. no matter old timer”, Alice snickered.. “Roman and I will be mated and marked in no time, as soon as he is back from whatever idiotic and self-serving trip this betrayer, this murderer sent him to. In fact, how do we know that she is not planning to overtake the pack itself???? She must have sent Roman to h
Dragana POVGamma Aldar’s wife, Rose, looked bewildered and her face was a river of tears. A petite brunette with beautiful, amber-colored eyes, she held his body as if it were a baby, her sobs piercing my very soul. I knew they were fated mates, and I knew they had children. In fact, I remember delivering one of their sons many years ago, a chubby blonde boy with his mother’s eyes. I could not imagine or fathom the pain she was going through, and my heart went out to her. I was still in shock that somehow the dead man’s hand had the piece of my dress, covered in blood, but that was not my main concern. It should have been.“IT WAS HER!!!! SHE KILLED HIM!”, came the screeching voice of Alice, storming with purpose from a corner of the circle, her eyes flaming with fury, her hand outstretched and pointed at me. Everybody’s eyes turned toward me, confused and insecure, doubt in their eyes, yet nobody said anything. Rose lifted her eyes up to me, puffy and red, looking between me and Ali
Dragana POVMy aunt and her husband excused themselves to go meet with their children. It was just yesterday that they all arrived, and I was excited about meeting my relatives. I understood most favored a witch gene, although a couple of them were hybrids, so we had a lot to discuss. Fluttering emotions were overcoming me every time I thought of them. Having a family also made me feel stronger, and an anchor if you will, albeit a little insecure. For somebody who did not even know I had a family, I now swam in family relationships, magic, lovers and everything in between. My whole world had been tossed upside down and I was still adjusting to it.My great-grandfather, the sage of old times, looked at me with tenderness. “My sweet child…. A new day, a new dawn is coming into your life… The question you need to ask yourself, is are you going to allow it to control you… Or will you step up and control it?”, he asked, as we made way toward the packhouse. My stomach was grumbling, and I o
Dragana POVWatching both of them getting ready to go to Yamuna, to risk their lives for Jasmine, tightened my heart and nearly made me breathless. The weight of what I asked of them weighed heavy on me, and while I appreciated their bravado and their honor in making sure that I understood that none of this was my fault, none my responsibility, deep down I knew better. I also knew that no matter what, I could not choose between them. I knew in my heart that I loved Roman, in spite of all the past, in spite of fear that he would never see me as an equal, never see me as somebody worthy. Many years of solitude within the pack, many years of cold shoulder and downright emotional abuse, did not disappear simply because he confessed his love. I did not know if they ever would and if I ever would fully make peace with this. However, right now, at this moment, as we stood there, on the cusp of change and on the cusp of their departure, I could not allow such a burden to be placed on either o
Roman POV“Yamuna River…..” I heard Solomon’s strong voice echoing around our odd gathered group, snapping me from my thoughts of my night with Dragana and her revelation of truly being my mate. I was ecstatic and apprehensive all at the same time, as even though Aisha and Caleb had acknowledged and recognized each other, Dragana did not accept me, nor did we mate, nor was she marked. I did not know how to feel about it all, but one thing was certain. At least I was not crazy, well, not as crazy as everyone thought anyway. I knew I had seen the beautiful white wolf; Caleb and I knew she was our mate. What sorcery Alice was playing at and why to fake mate bond, I did not know. Both Dragana and I also thought that perhaps there would be a possibility of her being an unwilling victim of a larger force at play. We had a plan. A plan I was going to discuss with Art and Gamma Aldar when I returned. Dragana had promised to discuss this with Solomon and the Slavic Coven, her uncle, Lord Samue
Roman POVWe made an odd crowd standing under the blue-blooming tree. Dragana, Lady Asma, Lord Samuel, King Solomon, Art, and I. Odd crowd indeed. It was the early morning hours and we only had two days left until we had to return with the Blessed Blade, the only way to save Lady Jasmine from certain death. Dragana stood there stoically in a white gown that in the morning sun made her look etheric. Her silver, sparkling eyes stood out more than usual and I could see a gentle smile whenever she gazed at Art or myself. I had a lot of emotions raging within me, a lot that I was trying to understand after my night with her.Flashback*****************I had to know. I had to ask her, even though somehow, inexplicably, even though she claimed I meant nothing to her, I could feel that she was lying. I knew that her body melted into mine as I had into her, a feeling unlike any other in my life. I knew she felt it, I knew she felt some type of a deeper connection. I could see I had put her on