RAYA BANKSI gulped reflexively, taking a step back as the dark-haired man stalked towards me and the tower of the castle loomed behind us.”What are you talking about?” Prince Nikolai rasped, quirking one dark brow at me as he folded the thick mass of his arms over the toned abs of his chest.My eyes rested on the stretch of his muscles that stretched fairly against the skin under his rolled-up shirt sleeves before I swallowed, snapping my eyes away and feeling the beat of a blush creep up my cheeks.What was it I had been saying again? Lady Artemis! Why was it so hard to think when the man was around me? I could almost feel the pull of his wolf simmering beneath the surface, the dark power lurking in his restive gray eyes as the heat of his gaze raked over me.“I, I don't want to be any more of a burden than I already am, Your Highness, I'll take my leave, if it so pleases you,” I whispered, wringing my hands furtively as an odd look passed over the man’s face, and he inhaled a lon
ALPHA TOPHGone. The woman I had locked in the cellar was gone!How had a merchant’s daughter managed to break through the reinforced iron of the castle’s keep? It was remarkable. “Raya? Bloody hell woman, Are you in here?” I screamed, whirling on my haunches to peer about the room with my wolf’s vision, but she was truly gone.I threw my head back and let out a loud roaring howl, hearing the guards rush into the cellar and dance about the room, the tension in their coiled spring of bodies sending shivers of delight through my frame until I was unable to hold it in anymore.“Raya Banks, bloody whore, you shouldn't have done this,” I raged, barking out a harsh, demented laugh and turning suddenly to catch the guards exchanging dumb looks, instantly sending a surge of irritation bubbling up my throat.“Don't just STAND there you bloody fools! Find the girl! I don't care how you do it! I want missing posters in every state and city by fucking sunrise, you hear me?” I thundered, watching
NIKOLAIIt took longer than I would have liked for my breathing to go back to normal after the woman had made her request.I allowed myself to take a deep breath, stilling the shift of my wolf bubbling to the surface as I collected myself, careful to keep my face neutral when It was all I could do not to take her right then and there.“You know what? Never mind, I-I’m sorry to have bothered you, what was I thinking? I’m only a common girl, surely I can't ask that I share your bed,” Raya whispered as I watched her shoulders fall, a pang of regret twisting in my chest.I had taken too long to respond, and it was now obvious that the woman had mistaken my surprise for offense.Could i risk it really? Bringing my mate into my royal chambers without an official announcement was not a crime, but something told me the woman might think it deceitful, the council would not be pleased when they learnt who else she was mated to.I knew for a fact that Igor wasn’t.And there was the matter of wha
OLIVIA BURNSThe Stone City Alpha werewolf was not the man I remembered him to be. “Olivia you bloody fool!” I hissed, snapping my nightgown back into place and slumping back into the soft covers of the bed. It was one of the good things about visiting the Stone Castle. Alpha Nikolai was not stingy with his gifts, only his affection.The love I had managed to win years ago, before I went and ruined it by sleeping with that bloody chancellor who had thrown me out on my ass when he realized I was as much use to him as a talking donkey.“It is the life of a show woman Olivia, you have to accept the fact that men would never grow to love you, only see you as a passing attraction, something sweet they could have a bite of, before they went home for a proper meal.” My mother’s voice came again in my mind as I remembered the way her lips pursed sadly after she was done talking, turning back to the mirror to reapply her blood red lipstick. The same kind I had stowed away in my bag.I had bee
RAYA BANKSNikolai had still not come to see me by the time the sun blazed dully in the sky and I gave up waiting by the window side.What time was it? I must have been sitting by the window sill for hours, looking down at the line of tin-armored guards that marched up and down the stone pavement of the lot when the knock came on the door.“Miss Lady? Prince Nikolai urgently requests your presence at the royal dining hall. I’m here to help you dress,” Judith whispered, her eyes seeming to me to be wider than they usually were.I hopped down from the high gold stool, following obediently behind the muscled woman and stepping out my clothes, into the tub where she threaded her fingers through my hair.I could get used to this, the easy life at the stone city castle was nothing compared to life back in the village.I felt the void in my mind that I had fought hard to keep closed bursting open as I thought back to the evening I had been shuffling home from school.”Lady Artemis,” I groane
ALPHA TOPH“Your Majesty, please!” Odessa screamed before I let the back of my hand crack loudly against her cheek so that her head whipped violently to the side and she fell back, groaning.The coffee-toned woman with broad shoulders and even broader hips was one of my newest conquests, one of the Main City maidens Hagrid had managed to kidnap from my father’s palace.It was lucky that I had found the woman when I did, I was talking business with my father, something I tried not to make a habit, when Odessa sauntered in, tray in hand.I was instantly smitten when she leaned over, thrusting the round half-moons of her bottom out to me like she was challenging me, so that I struggled to control the tent in my trousers.She’d vanished from sight the next day, coming to live in the maiden houses of my castle so that i used her whenever I wanted. It was how I liked my women, how it had always been until Raya Banks got away.“Please,” She whispered again, the shudder of her frame shaking w
RAYA BANKSGoosebumps rose on my back and neck as the handmaiden marched me outside the maiden chambers , and I saw the ornately decorated hallway for what felt like the first time. There were rows of small fitted fluorescents on the high ceiling of the passage, the stone walls slanted in thin columns at the top so that the draft from outside blew through the space.“Well if it isn’t the runaway,” A snotty-faced woman chipped, the glazed coffee tone of her collarbones catching my eyes.If I didn't know any better I would have sworn the woman was one of those high-bred werewolves that spawned from a half-Lycan breed.“Oh Anya, don't scare off the kitty just yet, she hasn't gotten used to your crazy. Hi! I'm Lori, we're old maidens, consorts of the royal palace.” The shorter woman offered, waving at I and I felt my hand shoot up in return.”I’m Raya, Raya Banks,” I whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear shyly.Anya scoffed, flicking her long, auburn hair over her shoulder and saunteri
NIKOLAIThere was silence in the royal diner banquet for what felt like the longest time before the sound of a chair scraping across the floor broke the spell.My heart thudded oddly in my chest and I was aware of the way Olivia’s hands were splayed across my chest, the heady feeling of the wine I’d had earlier sloshing around in my head so that the world around me blurred slightly at the edges.I saw Igor rise from the table, looking dapper in his oil-black silk suit and crew-cut blonde hair as he jogged over to the empty chair and pulled it out for the woman, who whispered her thanks.Why hadn't I thought about that? Damned Igor with his annoyingly good charisma. I shifted uneasily, taking Olivia’s hands away from my chest as murmurs of dissent rose on the table.She hadn't stopped making her come -on’s at me, batting her ginger-colored eyelids and bumping my thigh with her toes under the table as I fought to hold back my grimace.”Who do we have the pleasure of meeting Nikolai? Wou
Raya BanksI hadn't stopped glancing anxiously through the wide carriage windows after we left until my breath caught in my throat when I saw the looming buildings of the castle up ahead and leaned back in my seat, suddenly feeling my pulse jump.“It's okay Raya, I'm here...I won't let anyone hurt you.” Nikolai growled and I felt something warm unravel inside me at the possessive tone of his voice.I nodded, searching his stormy gray eyes once more before looking out the window again at the wet plains of the fields off to the sides.And Olivia? I wanted to ask, but something stopped me and I shook the thought out of my head, resting on his shoulder instead as the giant gate of the castle creaked open and I marveled at the cheers that boomed and erupted.“Holy shit,” I whispered and my cheeks warmed to hear Nikolai laugh beside me. Gosh, I never wanted him to stop laughing! There were rows and rows of ruddy-faced wolves holding large bouquets that they threw like confetti at the carri
NikolaiThe voices, by Jove! The rush of shadows and voices crowded into my head as I wove the moonstone around my neck must have made me mad!I roared, feeling my rage amplify and baring my teeth with bloodlust as I turned my body to see Alpha Toph charging toward me like a bat straight from hell.“You bloody prick! I'm going to annihilate you once and for all!” He bellowed, his lumpy muscled frame flying into the air before I surged forward to meet him halfway, almost stumbling when Raya’s soft whisper carried to my ears.I love you, I love you, I love you. I inhaled sharply, throwing everything I had into the fight as our bodies slammed meatily together before we landed heavily on the floor and I pushed against the bracket of his arms. His disfigured eyes stared at me from behind the barricade with such hate and venom that I threw away all the guilt I had swirling inside me.“Not if I kill you first.” I sneered, jamming my knee into his sides and watching him crumple in on himself
158Raya Banks“Nikolai! Watch out!” I shrieked loudly, feeling my gut wrench with fear as I saw the king get knocked down by Alpha Toph’s hulking frame.“You let a woman be your weakness again Nikolai, it's almost as if you never LEARN! Wasn't Olivia’s betrayal all those years ago enough for you?” Alpha Toph gurgled in a voice that sounded like rushing water and I felt chills wash over me as I tried to struggle to my feet before one of the shadowlings slammed their heavy foot flat on my back, knocking the breath out of me.“No!” I cried out, winded, and stretched a hand to the huge gray wolf that was being mauled ferociously by Alpha Toph’s half-human, half-beast frame. A trap! The beast had set a trap for the king and now he was cut in between. I knew almost immediately what he had planned to do but there was almost no way to warn Alpha Nikolai as he crossed the field to rescue me.Had I been his weakness? How did he find me? It couldn't have been that long since I was kidnapped an
Olivia BurnsIt was the silence that haunted me the most now. The empty hours from dawn to dusk and everything in between, just me and the shadows, and the shadows and me.“You rest up now Miss Burns, His Highness will be back to the Stone Castle in no time.” Meredith’s calming voice rang, making me snap my eyes to her pale oval face that had lifted into an encouraging smile.“Enough, I'm positive ill turn into one of the meadow fishes if you soak my stubs any longer.” I hissed impatiently, feeling my heart squeeze when the woman only smiled, snatching up a dry, white towel from the rack before wrapping my tender feet in it and toweling me off.I sneered at the unhealthy size of the swollen lumps as she massaged them into a reasonable size, and I stirred uneasily in the low plush stool that had been placed in the sunlit room.The King had ordered renovations for me, giant blue ceramic pots with fake gold flowers at the corners of the room that hid the shadowlings from my sight. The bi
NIKOLAIShe was RIGHT THERE, a few feet from me before he snatched her right out of the air. So close, and yet, so far away.“It doesn't have to be this way Tophas, my mate has no business in our rivalry, let her go.” I deadpanned, hearing the din of my voice as it caught in the wind whipping about us before my brother’s uneven face jerked into an excited smile.I could hear the thud of my heart beating and was aware how fast my breaths rushed out from my chest and yet, I could do nothing but stand and wait. No sudden movements.“But you lie, brother, Raya Banks is my mate too don't you reckon?” Tophas growled, slamming one thick paw that looked like the fingers had been snapped all the way back against Raya’s full cleavage.“Please!” Raya’s desperate wheezes twisted at my heart as I held out a hand, stopping Gallagher’s copper-colored wolf from morphing out and tearing forward. I could sense his agitation, because it was double in my gut, watching the woman I loved so much desperatel
Raya BanksI couldn't stop the shudders from running through my body before the sound of wolves laughing heartily in the distance reached my ears.“Oh God, oh God, help me,” I panted, squeezing my eyes shut and clamping my lips firmly to keep from whimpering when what felt like a tongue licked at the underside of my ass from the stone.The damned thing was alive! Like the stack of bodies in the corner of the room! Wolf zombies, immobile now, no doubt until the dark shadow king Gobar wanted to command them!“A feast! We shall have a feast!” Alpha Toph’s voice boomed in the distance and my body automatically stiffened, still as a rock.It had been some time since he left and the hearty yellow beam I could see beyond the cave opening flaps if I angled my head right had now turned a smokey gray. Dusk. I had to get out of here fast, I couldn't hope on the King any longer, he may as well have moved on with his betrothed and heir and here I was slaving away, holding out hope and waiting for
Alpha TophMy tongue pressed against the uneven ridges of my teeth as I fiddled with the lock of the shadow king’s secret compartment.I had caught a glimpse of the mammoth beast leaving the small shed, the spot on his neck where the blood moonstone hung bare. I knew then that Gobar had to have been hiding it here. He never wore it to hunt.“Come on!” I gritted through clenched teeth, feeling my eyeballs sting as the sweat rolled down from the cliff of my forehead.Everything had begun to feel weird, it was hard enough to feed without tasting the worms from the inside of my mouth in the blood.If I could just get my hands on the dark moonstone I could stop the transformation and have SOME chance of killing the shadow king.Yes! I had to kill him, there was no way in seven hells I would have gone through all the pains to settle for being his eternal stooge!The numbers I tried to spin on the lock didn't make any sense and it was beginning to get dark. I glanced around quickly, catchin
Meredith The Maid“MEREDITH!” My name, I answer it with pride when my mistress calls, but she does not call today. “MEREDIFFTH!” My name, whenever the mistress was in one of her moods and couldn't stand to get the words out nice and proper, her shrill tone seemed to shake me to my very core.She was in one of her moods again as I led her away from the King’s horses, holding the blubbering countess by the hand and helping her climb the stairs until we were behind the safe walls of the familiar quarters.“What time is it Meredith? I haven't had my afternoon tea and all that screaming has made me rather, famished!” Miss Olivia exclaimed and I caught my tongue between my teeth before I could tell her she had taken her lunch already. Thrice.“Of course, I'll send for it M’lady,” I cooed softly, lowering her onto the plush cushion of the high bed and propping her feet too before smothering her with the rich red duvets that had been layered on the foam.“My Merd, what would I do without y
NIKOLAITime seemed to stand still as I swung the silver sword in a neat arc, striking the stretched meat of my best friend’s neck and feeling the sword spasm in my death grip before cutting cleanly through the bone and clanging up to my shoulders against the hard rock of the dias.My heart pounded wildly in my chest as the brightly colored room blurred in my vision for a moment before I caught the lapse and blinked everything back into focus.The silence was so loud that my ears rang from the nothingness, not a breath, not a word, nothing but quiet. I watched Igor’s blood-spattered head roll quietly down each stone staircase until it toppled in a neat circle and stopped on the floor.I was breathing fast, and heavily, with my fingers shaking on the hilt of the executioner sword I still held tightly in my hand and yet I couldn't manage to shake it off.It was like a part of me had died the moment I held the blade. My fault! It was all my fault. I had let my best man turn into a trait