ROSE A cold chuckle followed by a—WHACK! My butt hit the soil with a thud—which would be louder if it was B.A.D.’s toilet floor—and then the side of my body slammed against something blunt—a tiny bump in the ground. “Ooph!” I winced, the sheer pain instantly shut down my reflexes. “Hold her,” the deep voice growled. And I was grabbed and flipped around harshly, then pinned to the ground. Fuck. Different place, same thing. Why can’t these people just be nice? Scarface knelt down, his smirk clear as the blue sky behind him, and then glided his fingers down the curve of my cheek. “I asked you a question, pup. And it’s rude to not answer it.” And Wacko burst into another series of high pitched cackling. “After you, me.” “Goddess bluff…,” groaned the female voice. “Must I be here?” “Can you speak?” Long, thick fingers slid around my neck, tightening. I pressed my lips together even tighter. And the fingers tightened some more. “Answer me.” Those dark green eyes came cl
ROSE “Rum….” I dashed over and knelt beside him, rubbed his back to help him breathe. “Breathe, Rum… Breathe….” “Ha!” He clutched the ground hard, as though begging it to give him some air, his knuckles turning white. “HA!” I was lost. Frightened. What do we do when someone in front of you has a panic attack? Think, Rose. Think! Air. He needs air. NO. His airways are blocked. He needs something to balloon them so air can go through. I grabbed the sides of his face, but he pushed me away. “Leave me alone—.” He coughed and gasped deeply and heavily, as though someone had his hands around his neck. “Get the fuck away from me!” “No….” I cried and grabbed his face once more, then covered his mouth with mine. He tried to push at my shoulders—but I slid my hands around his head to the back and pushed it towards me just as his lips parted more and I sealed his mouth with mine. Pain stung my throat from the inside, but I kept going, pressing my body against him so he’d breathe thr
ROSE Suddenly, I feel like an old motorcycle. Until, of course, I pulled down my hood and Rum tipped my chin. Ellis’s eyes couldn’t get any bigger while Elena rushed towards me with an even paler look. Both reactions told me that my condition has worsened. “Goddess me…,” muttered Elena as her fingertip lightly touched my wounded skin. I winced hard, the heat of pain seared the back of my eyes, tearing them. “Jesus Christ, stop touching her!” Rum shouted at the healer. “Can’t you just use your eyes?” “If I could just use my eyes, I wouldn’t touch it! I need to touch it to FIX IT!” The godmother blasted back. Glaring at her annoying godson, she ordered, “Lie down, Rose. It’ll be painful. But I need you to bear with it.” Rum was immediately by my side, about to help me get on the bed, when Elena snapped, “You–out. Now.” She glanced at her husband. “Both of you, men. Out.” “I’m not going anywhere without her.” Rum slapped Elena’s hand away when she tried to grab his wrist
RUM “Mmm….” I jerked my gaze to the bed. “Blast it, she’s awake. She’s going to move. Stop her,” the Luna ordered, both her palms still hovering over Rose’s neck—which didn’t seem to look any better, colour wise. I was right back on the stool and leaned close to whisper into Rose’s ear as she stirred some more. “Hey Rose, it’s me.” “R…am?” She was about to lift her hand to rub her groggy eyes when I gently pressed on her wrist to stop her. It’s still a little scratchy but thank goodness she can still talk. “Yes. Rum. You knocked out for quite a while there. Don’t! Don’t move. Elena’s still treating you.” And the poor girl froze—in a super adorable way that made me want to kiss her entire face. “You can relax, stupid girl. Just stay still.” I had to stop myself from reaching out to touch her. “Oh…kay…,” she whispered. “How do you feel?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “Less… pain….” But she was still wincing and I felt my heart drained. The wheels in my min
ROSE "Rose." Rum sidestepped his mother to the bedside. "Are you alright?" he whispered. I blinked at him and then at the woman beside him, her gorgeous features puckering with concern. "I… I'm alright." Rum sighed in relief. "Jes—." He halted at Elena's glare and said, "I mean, blast it. You gave me a scare." "Is she your mate?" asked the soft, silky voice. And Rum swung around at his mother while I stared at her, horrified. "No!" Rum retorted. Then, to her surprised doe eyes, he added, "She's my assistant." Quickly, I nodded. Fiercely. "Assistant?" Those slim light pink brows wrinkled with curiosity. "What is she assisting you on?" And the white couple coughed knowingly. "Rose is hungry," said Rum, moving to the table. "Can we eat first?" After a glance at his mother, the superstar werewolf sighed. "I'll explain everything to you as I eat." ***** Werewolves make the best beef stew. Now I know why Rum complains about them back home. Home…. Rum is definitely hom
ROSE He kissed the side of my head then pressed his lips into my lips to muffle his groan of bliss, and I felt his body tensed up. Then, it relaxed again. And I felt another kiss on my forehead then his lips spread into a smile. We sat there, in the dim glow of the oil lamp, in each other's arms, listening to our heavy breathing coming down, our heartbeats becoming normal. “There's something you need to know. This place is nothing like the human world.” There was a snigger in his voice. I breathed in and sighed. “I’m aware. I see nothing but trees and rocks. I mean, this inn is by far the only man-made structure I’ve seen.” And it’s made entirely out of rocks. “I mean the bathroom, cub.” He pulled back and kissed my cheek. “There’s no shower.” And he flashed a bright smile. I was shocked. Werewolves' existence is one thing. But no showers? “You’re kidding.” “I’m not. Want me to show you how to use the facilities?” I don’t like the smug smile on his face. ***** SPL
RUM I stared at the two older Alphas and the scent in the air hit me. "Fuck. It's a trap." And Rose disappeared from my side. I spun around and caught a glimpse of her standing with Bell, who had her arms around that small frame and a victorious smirk on her face, and pure rage shot to my eyes. I lunged forward when four huge strapping guys appeared from nowhere, completely cutting Rose out of my sight. "Magnus!" Ellis shouted in rage from behind me. "You promised!" I straightened to the height of my four ambushers. "You fucking pieces of shit," I growled under my breath, glaring at them. "Yes, I did!" Magnus cried back in anguish. "And I'm also tired of waiting for this mutt to wake up from his stupidity!" "This mutt is Joe's cub!" Ellis grabbed Magnus by his collar. "And Rose is unwell–she can't…." I couldn't hear the rest of it because I needed to get to Rose. What if another vessel broke? PUNCH! WHACK! "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" I grabbed the son of a bitch by
ROSE A few jumps later, we came to a stop and Bell immediately grabbed my wrist, locking it in her grasp, before she jumped off. “You want to come down, you answer my question, Rose.” “What’s the problem?” Hansel asked, his snout faced me, his eyes watching fiercely. And Bell pointed at my neck. “I asked her how she got that nasty wound around her neck and she ignored me!” I continued glaring at the pretty woman in a biker jacket when Hansel sighed wearily. “She can’t talk, Bell. That’s why.” A few blinks later and the smile was back. “Ah!” Two warm palms cradled my cheeks and her thumbs stroked my skin affectionately. “I’m so sorry, love.” Don’t call me that, I tried to tell this werewoman with my glare. But, clearly, she didn’t notice. “Come on. Let’s take a break.” She helped me down, making sure I don’t pressure my neck too much. “Stay here. I’ll get some water for you.” “Bell…,” called Hansel, a reminder in his tone. “Don’t worry. Magnus will understand. She’s wo