Raul had awoken when Olivera had stirred awake in her room. Her muted cry for help had resonated through the bond and had aroused him from the sleep that had been plagued by Olivera in his bed without clothes, writhing under him. The boner-a constant feature in his life now-had died away when he had felt the terror that had swum over the mate bond. He had quickly donned a polo and a short for he usually slept naked, and ran out of the room. He had paused at the door for a second, to take a deep breath, not knowing what to expect in the room. Olivera had kept lying to his face for the past two weeks, and after she had butted him out of her mind those weeks ago, he had resolved not to attempt it again, believing that she would open up to him when she was ready. But he didnât think he could wait any longer. This time he would have to force his way through even if it meant being in her bad books for a while longer. This was the third time she was waking up in terror the past two weeks
âI have called for breakfast.â Raul started when he saw Olivera come out from the restroom looking pale, looking sick. She hadnât replied to his question earlier, nor had she bothered to explain who Vee was, and what the male meant to her. Rather she had watched him in silence for more than ten minutes, not offering any words at all. Until she had coughed, and ran into the bathroom. To vomit. He was sure. She was sick. She had spent more than ten minutes inside the bathroom. Perceiving the jasmine scent peculiar to soaps and body wash, he knew why. She had taken a bath. âAre you okay?â He wanted to pull her to himself, to hug her and whisper sweet nothings of care into her ears, but he knew that she wouldnât have that. She would rather die in her vomit. The past two weeks had told him that. She loathed him. She hadnât been kidding when she had said she didnât want him around her. âAnd since when did you care?â Taking a bath must have rejuvenated her. He thought, watching as she
Oliveraâs mind was divided in the meeting that Raul had called five minutes ago, probably because the meeting hadnât yet started. Nick was yet to come. What was taking him too long? She wondered, suddenly aware that her hand had come to rest on her stomach. Quickly, she removed it, and any inclination either in face or mood that would show that she was pregnant. Although Raul had promised that he had clothed her with some scent that would make the others oblivious of her state, she still added her own extra precautions. After all he had been the same one that had promised to hold her straight and well during the transition, and yet she had gone into an unconscious state. âOlivera, it wasnât my fault.â Olivera heard this through the mind link, and scoffed, putting up her mind walls. Vee had mentioned that they be up at all times, even if not at full strength, so that she would be able to tell if the vampire was trying to infiltrate her mind, so that the latter wouldnât be able to j
With Raulâs sharp gaze landing on Olivera, and everyone following the same, Olivera cussed Raul in her thoughts, or so she had thought. When she saw the smirk on Raulâs lips, she knew that it had come out aloud. She cussed again, especially as she now remembered the plant. It was the particular flower-less one that she had first seen, or rather that had grabbed her and had called for her attention the first time she had been in Nickâs place. Nick was sure to be happy then. The plant had surely grown out of bounds for a flower in a flower pot. But what was that got to do with her? Jeremy didnât know too, but the other three in the room seemed to have an inkling. âNick had come to see me sometime after you had arrived at the pack, with this pot of flower which he claimed had been magical, which he claimed had sprouted as soon as it had seen you.â Raul started, and my ears perked up. âHe had believed even then that you were quite special. Sadly, I hadnât seen it, and neither had my
âOlivera, do you perhaps know why your mother had been used, why she had tried to tempt you into killing? And do you have a taste for blood, seeing as your dream has depicted that?â Sethâs question which seemed off point threw Olivera off balance. These were questions she had been asking herself for a while, apart from others, and she had no answers to them. âSeth, that isnât what we are discussing now.â Raul enthused, but Seth shook his head, annoying an already annoyed Raul. âIt might help. You see, in the dream, Olivera could put out the vampire stain from the jaguar's head, without killing him off, without listening to those evil creatures around. What if there was the presence of another species apart from the vampires that also drink blood, but not to kill. I think thatâs what I had been able to deduct from the dream. The separate species that she was in that dream, that can turn into white hot light. The light alone indicates the presence of magic too. Itâs nothing else. Anc
Zande sat by Jacobâs side, by the edge of the table of healing soil, her fingers intertwined with his cold, unmoving hand. He had been on the healing table for eighteen hours now, buried in rich, sacred soil that was supposed to aid in the recovery of his memories. The ancient process was a last resort, one he had finally agreed to two days ago. Now, she watched him with growing dread, her heart heavy with fear and uncertainty.Had she made the right choice?Was knowing the identity of Olivera important?Should they have let it slide?She shook her head. This had been the last resort. And they needed to know who Olivera was. It was the last piece of the puzzle.The healer, Kendalf, had told them that the soil, imbued with powerful herbs and ancient magic, would help Jacob reconnect with his past. And so her lifemate had sunk into the soil with a sense of determination and hope, but since then, he hadnât woken up. The first three hours had been the hardest to watch. Jacob had thras
Jacob floated in a sea of memories, each one more vivid and enticing than the last. He had agreed to the ancient process of recovering his lost memories two days ago, and since he had sunk into the soil bed, he hadn't woken up. The healer had warned him that the journey would be perilous, that he might get lost in the labyrinth of his own mind. But Jacob had been desperate. He needed to remember, needed to reclaim the pieces of his past that had been torn away. He needed to overcome the taint that the vile creature of the undead had left on him. If he had decided the easy way out, he knew that he would never have forgiven himself. The first three hours had been agonizing. He had felt his body convulsing, his muscles straining against an invisible force. The spasms were violent, jerking him around like a puppet on strings. He had thrashed on the soil bed, gasping for breath, his mind bombarded with fragmented images and sensations. It was as if every memory he had ever had was tryi
Relieved signs dropped from the mouths of the ancients in the room when Jacob spoke out aloud. Kendalf dropped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. âYou scared us there for a moment, lad.â There was an emission of chuckles in the underground chamber. âWell, at least he had come back with the memories. I would have beaten him with a laden spoon if he had us worry for nothing.â Raven said with a chuckle, her hands staying intertwined with Caitlin who was looking at Jacob like he was some strong god. She ignored Zendedariâs grunt of disapproval in her head. The man can be so territorial. âAll males of our kind are the same way.âCaitlin held back a scoff, but she made sure to send that feeling down the bond, whilst resuming marveling at the fact that Jacob was here with them. A part of her had feared that he wouldnât make it, considering the turn it had taken when he had seemed lost in his memories, when his life force had started waning. And another part had thought that even if h
When they clambered to the surface of the ground, away from the lab, the girls breathed in relief, freed from the nightmares they had been subjected to for years. It was then that Olivera took a blood bag from the polythene in her arms, feeling better in the night hair, and took a sip, wary of how the blood would taste. She had heard Jacob talking about the heady feeling, worse if it came from an ancient. But it still hadnât prepared her for the kick of pleasure. She found herself moaning as she greedily drank the blood, until she drained the bag. When she was done, she looked at the others. They were staring at her with unexplainable emotions on their faces. At least it wasnât disgust. Olivera thought with a shrug, before handing the bag over to Miriam. When her friend hesitated in collecting it, she piqued an eyebrow. âYou want to do the dismantling of the structure, without alerting the soldiers?â Miriam huffed, and took the bag. As much as she had great magic, she didnât want
The first thing Olivera saw when she stepped into the hole where the passageway stopped was the largeness of the space, which could contain more than five thousand people. Then she saw the tubes, the boiling liquids and the lab rats. A modern lab.âWhere are you?â She asked the girl, needing to get out of here; it was making her nauseous. Ten more minutes here, and she might be vomiting all over the place. And there was the fact that she didnât know when the soldiers would be waking up. âAt the far end of the caveâĶâOlivera nodded as if the girl was speaking to her physically. And gesturing with her head, for Miriam to follow her, she sauntered toward the end of the hall, making sure not to look at the tubes housing different organs and parts of an organism. What the hell! She screamed mentally when she saw a full brain at a table which looked like a butchering table. âOh, my godâĶwhat are they doing here?â She heard Miriam ask beside her and sighed. Whose brain was that? A human
Miriamâs heart pounded erratically as she followed Olivera, who seemed very confident on what she was doing, and on where she was going. Three times she thought of grabbing Olivera and walking away from the region, but she also knew it would have been a futile attempt. Her friendâs mind was already made up. She watched as the latter walked past the last barrack, and stopped by a pole, the only pole in the backyard. Behind it were the gates towering them. They have come to a dead end. âOlivera, there is nothing here? Are you sure this girl is real?â Olivera gave Miriam no answer, instead she concentrated on looking around her, waiting for the signal. When she got nothing, she traced the vibration residue, touching the girlâs mind. A jerk in her mind path told her that the girl was surprised she had breached her mind guards. But should she be surprised? Or was something else at play here? âWhere next should I go?â She continued, because she knew she was at the right place, that t
âHow are we getting past that?â Olivera asked Miriam as they came to stand before a huge gate that towered many feet over them. She could now see why Miriam had wanted the journey to be done in the privacy of the night. As much as she could seeâas they had zapped to this pointâthis area wasnât open to the city dwellers, only to the special few. She looked around her again. Barracks with soldiers sleeping within. None was even standing guard at the gates. She didnât believe such a thing would exist at this time. City gates. Where did it lead? She piqued an eyebrow when Miriam smirked. What was the latter thinking? âAs if you donât already knowâĶwhich other way, if not by mistâĶthere is no way I am climbing that. I donât think I am ready to fly with you above itâĶâ Miriam spoke, covering the distance between them, and wrapping her arms around Olivera, her mouth fixed in a pout. Olivera shook her head, yet unable to stop the smile that cascaded her lips. It seemed that her friend was g
A knock woke Olivera up from her deep slumber. After bathing and eating off the snacks she had bought earlier in the day, from the shops in the new city, she had fallen like a log of wood to the bed, and hadnât even stirred after that. Still groggy from the smooth sleep, she let her hand search for her phone which was the only thing that had gone to bed with her, should Miriam call for her. She peered at the screen. It was one in the morning. It was time then. She yawned like a hyena, causing Miriam to chuckle from behind the door. The chuckle dissipated the remaining fog fostering around her head. Taking a deep breath in, she stood up from the bed, flung a sheet around her naked body, and walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw that Miriam was alone, and carrying a tray of steaming food. âYou are a lifesaver.â She muttered, opening the door wider for her friend to come in; the rumbling sounds that emitted from her stomach in agreement with her. Miriam chuckled again, an
âWhere are we heading next?â Olivera asked Miriam immediately they stepped out of the borders of the town, into a city sprawling with people. After they had left the males who had tried to detain them because of her eating habits, they had walked to the largest building in the town, because if Clooney was a big name, it was probably because the man was rich. They hadnât been right in their deduction, but they had at least gotten away from the unsettling males. Olivera had taken her friend behind the building, and had quickly switched to her mist form, turning Miriam into the same, and together they had zapped the remainder of the city without stopping, till they were out of it, till they were in a new one which looked more modernized than the previous. She looked at Miriam, who was staring at the city with artificial skylights, and wondered if her friend had ever been here before. âI never get over the culture shock, you know, seeing the drabness of the town we just left. The cont
What now? Olivera thought, looking at the six males that couldnât be a year older than twenty five years old. What were they doing in front of her? âState your names, and what you are doing in this townâĶâ The male, slightly in front of the others, spoke with a steel voice, causing Olivera and Miriam to exchange furtive glances. What was going on?There was a minute hesitation before Olivera spoke. âI am Darcy. My friend is Lilian. Who are you?â She patted herself mentally for names well cooked and delivered. Darcy and Lilian? How had she come up with those seemingly true names? She watched the male that had just spoken, looked to his comrades behind him, and judged that he was the leader of this small group. Were they the police? She looked at them again. They didnât look like the police. Vigilantes? Maybe. But why were there vigilantes in the town? She kept a seal on her thoughts when the male returned her attention to her. âMy name is Luke, and these are my associates. Our job is
âWe will kill him right?â Miriam asked, as they stepped out of the camp, and turned around to look at it again, reliving what they had seen in there. âWe need to. He is evil. Why will a sane man work with a vampire? Is he crazy?â Olivera just couldnât understand the foolishness, no matter how much she tried. Why would one make a deal with an almost eternal wickedness? Had he no fear for his life, for his family? âI think he is crazy. Evil-y crazy. But thatâs by the way. What are we going to do now?â Olivera looked around the camp, and spat in disgust. âWe will burn it down. We will burn it until itâs nothing but dust. We will eradicate this curse from the face of the earth.â Miriam couldnât agree less, but then she remembered that the ancients might have use for the materials in there. Olivera, having sensed the latterâs thoughts, shook her head. âThey wonât be needing it. Iâve already transferred the necessary details to Raul, and Jacob. They can take it up from there. The mater
âDo you think anyone is in there?â Olivera asked Miriam, immediately she shifted to human self. Miriam looked at her clothed self and smiled. âSeems you have gotten the best hang of shifting, and still keeping your clothes on.â Olivera shrugged her shoulders. âThere was no other choice. I canât keep going up and down with my clothes in my hands or mouth. Since Iâm part ancient, I have to improvise.â She took in a deep breath, inhaling the air tainted with magic and something else. âThis place is tainted with magic. You smell it?â She shook off the imaginary dirt on her clothes, just in case, whilst waiting for Miriamâs reply. When she looked up, her friend was smiling. âWhatâs tickling your fancy? I donât think my question has that much prowessâĶâ Miriam cackled. âI never thought riding on a wolf would be so exhilarating. If I had known, I would have befriended a werewolf, and snagged rides every week at least. Itâs quite freeing and therapeutic.â Olivera nodded. It was just as