Lily turned her mind away from the puzzle. She might never discover how Livia had gotten her filthy hands on her, and for the moment, it didn’t really matter. All she truly cared about was finding some means of getting free so she could get to her and beat the shit out of the witch. She doesn't care if the bitch was powerful. No! She would send her straight to hell. Thinking about the witch, something inside her awakened, something powerful and dark, asking her to let the darkness in so it could help her out of this mountain as she swallowed down her frustration. "Rhye, if you don't believe me and that I'm so full of shit, then why have you not killed me yet?" she snapped. She appreciated how frustrated he was in finding Lily, but knowing that he had hurt the same person made her want to slap the hell out of him so hard that it hurt so he could recognize her. His expression tightened with annoyance as irritation pricked him at her stupid questions. "I didn’t intend to make you aliv
"I don’t have time for this crap," she hissed. "Release me or I swear to God, Rhye, the witch will be the least of your concern, I'm going to cut your penis."He paled at the stark threat in her voice but stubbornly held his ground."I need your word, witch! Your word that you’ll help me find Lily before I release you.""And just how the hell am I supposed to give you my word? I'm not a bloody witch. I can't do a thing aside from annoying you to death," Lily narrowed her gaze. ""Do you think I didn't notice?""Notice what?""You are healing so fast for an ordinary witch without even casting a spell. You are without a doubt, Livia."She furrowed her brow as if he was crazy, "What the hell are you trying to say?"He scoffed, "For starters, I've punched you many times, even bit you harder in the neck and the shoulder many times, slapped you but looked at you? You seem fine… no scar whatsoever."What the hell? "You punch me?... A woman?""Whore! You are nothing but a monster! You are th
Shocked by the sudden movement of Alpha Rhye as someone shot and accidentally or deliberately untied the rope that bound her to the tree. Not to mention the six-foot-plus man that had just landed on top of her, Lily struggled to clear the fog from her mind. What the hell just happened? One minute she was laughing the next, her ears were ringing? She knew enough to realize that someone had shot the tree. And that Rhye had quite likely saved her from a nasty injury. What she didn’t know was why. It couldn’t have been the gay demon after her. Lily thought as if some unknown distant knowledge that wasn't hers, made her aware of something she didn't have any idea of. "What the heck." She grumbled. The few times the gay demon had tried to use a gun, he hadn’t been able to hit the broadside of a barn. Besides, if he’d come gunning for her, he would have brought a rocket launcher. The son of a bitch knew he had one chance, and one chance only, to kill her before she ripped out his throat
"Oh…" Lily's eyes fluttered shut as she felt him suck deeply into her blood, every pull fastening the spiraling heaven that was boarded in the pit of her stomach. "Oh goodness me…" Her whole body shivered with the same warmth that had set her on fire when he’d kissed her blazing through her body. Only this time it was more powerful, more ambitious, more…explosive. Her free hand landed flat on the dirt as her body bent forward, nearly toppling her onto Rhye’s prone feature. She was drowning, lost in the dark, intoxicating longing. God, she missed him. In a foreign corner of her mind, she heard Rhye’s low groan of contentment, or possibly it was a pleasure. At the moment, she didn’t care which it was. She was too caught in the sweet building tension that gripped her with breathtaking force. She was sensing their blood bond again. He sucked, again and again, forcing the pleasure to be virtually painless. Hell. She couldn’t stand it anymore. There had to be something... something… And
Lily rested against the concrete front of a nearby thrift store, too exhausted to be upset over Rhye's inexplicable absence, or even about being passed off as a used automobile. She would get rid of her bothersome bodyguards once she got the chance to gather her might. Until then... She'd been through worse. Worse in a spectacular way. Her heavy eyelashes drooped as she rested against the wall, trusting her acute sense of scent to alert her of any impending danger. Another five minutes went by, then another five. Stephen, who plainly had the attention span of an ant, couldn't take the silence any longer. "Um- you don't mind me asking, yeah? …you’re Lily’s sister," he murmured. "The resemblance is remarkable, but why do you smell like rotten meat? I don't mean anything but you don't know what deodorant is? You could buy some, you know." "Lily's eyes widened and she smelt her armpits… "Did I really smell that bad? I can't seem to smell myself." "Just kidding… you smell like a dead r
"So where is this cavern?" Lily asked. "Follow the demon and you shall know." The frosty blue gaze swept over her face. "Fine, anyway, did Elfy have a lot of contact with the ferals or my coven during my well, um-unconsciousness?" "On occasion, maybe," Rhye frowned. "No more than any other of the lowlife demons we encountered during our travels." "Travels?" "Yes." "So why did you not kill me if you thought I was truly Livia?" She inquired again with obvious mockery that made Rhye think about how the witch had changed in ten years. Before Livia was naive, didn't even know smile, and was dumb, but now, she appears to be a different person. He shook his head, it was absurd. No way in hell this was his Lily. He should have known it. "You are linked to her, and the only one who knew where she was... so no, I'm not going to kill you just yet." "What made you think I wouldn't escape?" "Witch, do you think I'm that foolish? You can't escape from me because I have your amulet. You wil
The cavern that burrowed through the cliff was not enormous. The central basin was the length of a human living room, and low enough that Rhye was in endless threat of banging his head. Walls with jamming hands in fissures for handholds, to avoid slipping on a patch of wet rock.On the plus side, the foyer was thin enough to deter more than one assailant from infiltrating at a time, and there was an elegant chamber in the back that had a shallow cascade of water that emptied into a chamber down to the seaside below.A man-made scraping against the wall covered the left side while a fist of stone poked everywhere that might stab someone in the back as someone was stupid enough to lean against a wall while bumping their head on a low ceiling.However, the small semi-private chamber has a small bed, a center table, a couch, and a small kitchen. With lanterns on each corner.It was not the fact that it was easily defendable, or that there was a ready stock of fresh water, nonetheless, th
Rhye felt a stirring deep inside him. He’d never encountered a woman with such incredible enthusiasm. "I’m a werewolf, an alpha. There isn’t a tunnel I can’t sense." Her eyes faded. "Then why did you allow Stephen to come with us?" "Because he can sent a message to my warrior anytime." She flickered, caught off guard by his blunt and stupid confession. "Oh, yeah? Ever heard of a cell phone? Or email?" "Are you mocking my old ways, witch?" "Surely big bad alpha Rhye is not afraid of being bugged or being spied on, yeah?" "That is not my job; I am not a techie person, Leon is…I still love the old way," he said dryly, his gaze lowering to the lush temptation of her mouth. "Besides, there are a few hunters that love to bug my pack and my warrior. The old way is way better and safer." "You sound as if you have personal experience. Did some hacker babe break your heart?" she mocked. With one fluid motion, Rhye was on his feet, his features cold and unreadable. Lily couldn’t know his
Shock at what she’d done had barely begun to flicker through her mind when she felt something heavy and oppressive build within her. A sudden, sharp pain in her chest had her crying out as something foreign inside her pulled tight, stretching like a rubber band. Oh, god, it hurts. It felt like every atom of her being was being simultaneously crushed and pulled to its breaking point. The foreign sensation grew stronger and heavier until it felt like she was being ripped apart. The agony was unreal. She tried to scream her pain, but her chest was caving in, and she couldn’t breathe. It was gathering her power. She could feel it, like a thorned vine, latching onto the tendrils; she could feel it squeezing them, choking them. With a violent, agonising wrench, it yanked her power back into her, the cold, burning pain of it tearing a ragged shriek from her throat. Like a hand swatting a fly, the whiplash of it folded her body in half and sent her hurtling toward the floor. Strong arms
Thighs clenching at the feel of it, so erotically foreign, yet so right, she writhed between kisses and moaned. In response, Rhye coils his tail around her leg, guiding her to widen her stance. He slipped a thigh between her legs at the same moment he cupped her breasts, as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. Moaning in delight... "Oh, God..." Livia growled.The multitude of sensations had her crying out into Rhye’s mouth. Pressing her breasts into his hands, she ground down against his thigh, needing the pressure where she was so wet and swollen for him.Like an extra set of arms, she felt him wrap his majestic tail around her, enclosing her in a cocoon of warmth, safety, and need. Even with her eyes closed, she knew he didn’t surround her completely. She didn’t have to wonder why. The knowledge that he’d left a gap so she could breathe and her inner demon could watch unimpeded had a new rush of wetness slicking her core. It was like she had been transported to a different dimensio
That was enough to snap her out of the trance.Unsure if she was more freaked out about being hypnotized by a fucking tail, or charmed that it seemed to like her, she pet it in return, carefully stroking a fingertip lightly over the spade tip.If it were possible, her eyes would have widened even more at the shiver working through Rhye.Did he like that?Oh, how she wanted to play and find out.Soon, it retreated, and Livia marvelled at all three men as she really, truly realised that they weren’t humans. They were predators and, unlike humans, had the features necessary to both lure in prey and kill it. Joseph’s eyes, Rhye’s tail—they were all mesmerising."Like cuttlefish," she muttered under her breath.Rhye zeroed in on her and cocked his head. "What’s that?""Oh, nothing." Peering up at Rhye, she prompted, "You wanted to ask something earlier?"The alpha gave her a look that said he knew she was intentionally redirecting the conversation but that he was going with it. "How did it
The words escaped without thought, but she didn’t have the mental capacity to regret them, even when the room was suddenly full of low, masculine laughter."Does that mean you think I’m pretty, too?" Leon rumbled, his eyes, now a vivid purple, sparkling—literally sparkling—as though they were dotted with a thousand tiny stars.His voice had already been deep, but now it was even more so. The gravelly, bass sound vibrated through her like distant thunder but was also creepy at the same time, but Livia didn't show how scared she was of the two-headed wolf. There was something about Leon's wolf that made her shiver with fear. He was something else. There was darkness in him, and she could see it. Livia paused, seeing a vision of Leon killing Joseph in the subway, while Rhye was unconscious on his side. Livia gasped; anger settled over her, and rage throbbed in her like a heartbeat. Leon creeped into Joseph... He would kill him. Livia could feel it... She didn't have a choice but to use h
Livia frowned. She picked up on that apparently being a bad thing easily enough, but why he thought she would care was beyond her. When she voiced as much, he just blinked at her like she’d stunned him speechless; at first, she was sure.Peering between the two of them, she took in the tense set of their shoulders and the tightness in their expressions that lingered, despite her assurance that she didn’t care about their lack of purity.Deciding to fix the problem she’d inadvertently caused, Livia smiled softly at them. "I don’t care if you’re pure or as mixed as milk and coffee, but I’ve obviously stepped on a sore point, so I rescind my invitation." Hoping to lighten the mood, she ended with a haughty sniff and an imperious wave of her hand.Joseph’s eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. "Well! Now that you don’t want to see, I want to show you. What is this witchery?"Leon made a low sound and nodded, mimicking Joseph’s suspicious expression, though his grey eyes were dancing with amu
Speechless, Livia gaped at the beautiful monster before her. Drawn like a moth to a flame, she took a step closer, wanting, needing to see him, to touch him. She managed a single step before Rhye cursed, eyes wide and dark brows furrowed, as he stared down at himself."How the fuck did you do that?" he demanded, pinning her with a stunned look.God, but his eyes were unreal. Vibrant, ocean deep blue with a sunburst of bright green around the pupils. They were the eyes of a predator. Eyes of a pureblood alpha. She wanted to get lost in them, wanted to stare into them until she’d mapped every facet."I have no idea," she admitted with a slow shake of her head. At the disbelieving expression he gave her, she tried to think past the shock of seeing him and explained, "The heat of your power was starting to get painful, and then, all of a sudden, it felt like mine got pissed off and threw yours back at you.""You shouldn’t be capable of that," Rhye muttered, but it was said almost absently
The memory of the creepy, child-looking demon and the sensation of it sucking the power out of her, remembering how weak she’d felt afterward, sent a shiver down her spine and hardened her resolve. All her martial arts and self-defense training had been useless against the thrall it had used on her. She’d spent too long and worked too hard to not be a victim to give up on this now. Rhye smirked at her for the second time that day, setting a new record. His eyes shone with approval at the resolve in hers. “I can force your power out of you. If you’ll allow me to try,” he tacked on at the end. Livia appreciated the effort he was making to be more polite, now he knew she wasn’t a spy sent to surveil them. She just wasn’t sure how to react to this new Rhye. He’d gone from cold and dangerous to interested and almost nice. Almost. It was a jarring change. Seductive, dangerously enticing, and intriguing as hell, but still jarring. Livia glanced at them, gauging their reactions to his of
Cocking her head, Livia frowned at him. "I don’t understand." Her eyes went wide as it hit her. "Oh my god, I get it. So, if they make vampires popular in movies and books, demons will become stronger because more humans are glorifying them. Same for witches and werewolves and everything else, yes?""Exactly.""Holy shit. I wonder how much I affected them in my Twilight phase as a kid."Joseph growled, "Those fucking movies! The "vampire" and "werewolf" demons were out of control. The "underworld demons" were pissed. They’d been top dogs for most of what"—he glanced at Leon—"like the last thousand years?""Mm, thereabouts, yes.""Wait. Did I hear you say ‘top dogs’?" she asked, ignoring the twilight thing in favor of something more important."Yes, but now anymore," Leon nodded.“Spiteful little fuckers, really. And always hungry!” Joseph pointed to a few thin white scars crisscrossing the back of his hand, scars she’d somehow never noticed before. “They like people meat, and they are
"As Joseph said, it’s not exclusively a torture chamber, and it’s not used as such all that often. Only when we’re left with no other recourse," Rhye soothed with a small smile.Her gentle giant, the man who touched her with such tenderness and care, was talking about torturing people with about the same amount of contrition as confessing he didn’t always take the time to recycle.That wasn’t actually what shocked her, though. She knew they were on the dark grey side of the morality scale.When she continued to frown at him, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, looking suddenly unsure. "Does that bother you, Livia? Would it help to know we don’t hurt the innocent?"Rhye was very still at her back, she noticed. He hadn’t pulled away from her physically, but she could sense him closing off, could almost feel him pulling the cold, unfeeling mask back into place.Joseph, who’d strolled farther into the room, snorted. "Of course she knows that!" He stopped walking when she didn’t immedia