Raul was there instantly, lifting her out of the Jacuzzi and wrapping a soft towel around her. Olivera clutched it to her and made her way to the bed in a slow but steady steps, using the map in Raul's mind."I want your trust, Olivera. And I want you to choose me. I do not want it to be because you are my mate, or even because we have good sex. I want you to say yes because you feel the same way about me as I feel about you. I want you to know you love me that much." Raul stated, stomping down the surprise he felt for himself. He knew that he was doing something he had sworn off against, but he also knew that there was no way he was going Olivera go, not after what they have shared, not after he has had a taste of her, a taste of what they could have and be together."Great sex," Olivera corrected softly. He was tearing her up inside. If he had tried to force her, she wouldn't really have a choice since she was his prisoner; but he was asking her. More than just asking her. He was st
Olivera snuggled against Raul, burrowing against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I'm so tired, Raul. I don't think I can stay awake. If anything momentous is happening, don't wake me up; just let me sleep through it." She mumbled, knowing that he would hear too.She wasn't altogether certain if she had dreamt of their joining. If she really had taken his blood. Her mind felt hazy, her body so limp she couldn't move. She wanted to ask him if the conversion was really working, if it would spike up her wolf but she couldn't. Her tongue felt too heavy to talk. Deep within her, she bristled wondering if a Lycan's blood could create a baby wolf within her. It sounded so silly that she wanted to laugh, but she bit her lips instead, preferring to hope."Why did you say yes to me, Olivera?" Raul asker her, as he kissed her eyelids, the corners of her mouth. She rubbed her face against his shoulder like a contented cat. "I think everyone wants to be loved, Raul. All of my life I dreamt of m
Raul trailed the gaze of his eyes all over Olivera's beautiful and peaceful gaze. Since she had slept a few hours ago, he had hardly had a good sleep. He woke up intermittently to check on her, to be sure that nothing had happened to her. What had made him bit her for the third time? He cussed. His heart was pounding, and he actually tasted fear in his mouth. Framing her face with his hands, he kissed her mouth. "Wake for me, Olivera." He said, aware that it was morning already, probably some minutes past seven. His Beta and Gamma would be pushing through to this floor anytime soon. But he had told the guards through the mind link that they should them stall for now, it had been a command. He didn't care how they did it, but he believed they would. Whilst he had watched Olivera, he had packed up his suitcase himself, not wanting ay of the guard or servants in here.Olivera stirred, her lush body moving beneath his, her breasts pushing into his chest, her hips providing a cradle for h
Olivera laughed softly at Raul's statement, not understanding how in the hell it was possible for her to sit on top of him and make no movement. "You always make me feel beautiful, Raul. No matter what, around you, I feel happy." His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs sending a shiver of excitement down her spine."Make me happy and give this a try." He whispered, his eyes an erotic vice.Olivera found his heavy erection, took her time settling over him, gasping as he filled her, her tight muscles giving way to allow him deep inside of her. "You think I can just sit here without moving?" She asked, sounding naughty and mischievous.He laughed, lifting his head to lap at her nipple. "Just think of the rewards." He lay back and clasped her hands tightly in his. "Just look at the wall. It is dark in here, very little light can penetrate through the heavy curtains."Olivera deliberately wriggled, tightening her muscles around him, and lifted her hips to ease back over him in a slow, tea
The sun had long since sunk beneath the mountains before Caitlin managed to rouse herself. Hunger was a gnawing, relentless ache, but the thought of food made her stomach heave. She struggled to sit up, far weaker than she had ever been. She pushed a hand through her heavy fall of wine-red hair.Zendedari’ fingers circled her arm, slid the length from shoulder to wrist. She was small and delicate, yet she had such inner strength. It amazed him how brave and courageous she was, how compassionate. He found her intriguing, mysterious even. The world as he knew it had begun seven years earlier: pain, isolation, and darkness. The monster in him had grown, eclipsed his soul. At first, he had had no emotion at all, simply a will that would never die, an icy determination, a promise of retribution made in exchange for his lost soul. He would find them - the betrayer, the human assassins - and he would destroy them. But once he had found his lifemate, despite the distance that separated them,
Caitlin stepped away from the bed, suddenly close to tears. He was in a treacherous labyrinth; he walked a fine line between sanity and a world she did not want to try to comprehend. "I will protect you, Zen. You have my solemn word. I won’t let you down. I’ll see you through this until you’re right again."And then? Zendedari asked.His black gaze slid lazily over her.Do you intend to leave me, Caitlin? You save me, and then you think to desert me?There was a kind of dark humor in his voice, a secret amusement that stirred something in her she hadn’t known existed. Something that went beyond fear. Terror.Her chin tilted a little belligerently. "What does that mean? Of course, I won’t desert you. I’ll stay with you and see you through this. We’ll find your family."It was too late. Even if she attempted to put distance between them, she could not break their bond. His blood ran in her veins; his mind was familiar with the path to hers. Their souls called to one another. Hearts were
Open the door for me that I might breathe the night.Zendedari said and tried not to devour Caitlin with his eyes. He was well aware she was beginning to see that no one - certainly not her with her gentle, compassionate nature - could oppose his will, a will honed in the fires of hell.She did as he asked. "You didn’t try to get up, did you? You can’t, Jacques. You’ll do too much damage. And if you keep adding scar tissue, you’ll end up looking like Frankenstein."He had closed his eyes to inhale the fresh, clean night air.We don’t ever scar.It came out of nowhere. He was elated he remembered something. He was even elated he remembered Frankenstein.Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, really? Then what’s that thin line around your throat? I barely caught it, but it’s there."His black eyes snapped open, a merciless fury burning there. Caitlin stepped away from him quickly, her heart pounding. She could actually see red flames burning in the depths of his eyes.He looked like a demon, an inv
Zen stared relentlessly, the watchful eyes of a predator. Caitlin twisted her fingers together in agitation. He looked a stranger, an invincible being with no real emotion, only a hard resolve and a killer’s instincts. She cleared her throat. "You needed me."I had no thought but to feed. My body recognized yours before my mind did."I don’t understand."Once I recognized you as my lifemate, my first thought was to punish you for leaving me in torment, then bind you to me for eternity.There was no apology, only a waiting.She sensed danger, but she did not back down. "How did you bind me to you?"The exchange of our blood.Her heart slammed painfully. "What does that mean, exactly?"The blood bond is strong. I am in your mind, as you are in mine. It is impossible for us to lie to one another. I feel your emotions and know your thoughts as you do mine.She shook her head in denial. "That may be true for you, but not for me. I feel your pain at times, but I never know your thoughts."T
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 hadn’t 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 wasn’t disgust. Olivera thought with a shrug, before handing the bag over to Miriam. When her friend hesitated in collecting it, she piqued an eyebrow. “You want to do the dismantling of the structure, without alerting the soldiers?” Miriam huffed, and took the bag. As much as she had great magic, she didn’t 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.‘Where are you?’ 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 didn’t know when the soldiers would be waking up. ‘At the far end of the cave…’Olivera 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. “Oh, my god…what are they doing here?” She heard Miriam ask beside her and sighed. Whose brain was that? A human
Miriam’s 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 friend’s 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. “Olivera, there is nothing here? Are you sure this girl is real?” 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 girl’s 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? ‘Where next should I go?’ She continued, because she knew she was at the right place, that t
“How are we getting past that?” 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 see—as they had zapped to this point—this area wasn’t 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 didn’t 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? “As if you don’t already know…which other way, if not by mist…there is no way I am climbing that. I don’t think I am ready to fly with you above it…” 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 hadn’t 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. “You are a lifesaver.” 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
“Where are we heading next?” 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 hadn’t 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. “I 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 couldn’t be a year older than twenty five years old. What were they doing in front of her? “State your names, and what you are doing in this town…” 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. “I am Darcy. My friend is Lilian. Who are you?” 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 didn’t 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. “My name is Luke, and these are my associates. Our job is
“We will kill him right?” Miriam asked, as they stepped out of the camp, and turned around to look at it again, reliving what they had seen in there. “We need to. He is evil. Why will a sane man work with a vampire? Is he crazy?” Olivera just couldn’t 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? “I think he is crazy. Evil-y crazy. But that’s by the way. What are we going to do now?” Olivera looked around the camp, and spat in disgust. “We will burn it down. We will burn it until it’s nothing but dust. We will eradicate this curse from the face of the earth.” Miriam couldn’t agree less, but then she remembered that the ancients might have use for the materials in there. Olivera, having sensed the latter’s thoughts, shook her head. “They won’t be needing it. I’ve already transferred the necessary details to Raul, and Jacob. They can take it up from there. The mater
“Do you think anyone is in there?” Olivera asked Miriam, immediately she shifted to human self. Miriam looked at her clothed self and smiled. “Seems you have gotten the best hang of shifting, and still keeping your clothes on.” Olivera shrugged her shoulders. “There was no other choice. I can’t keep going up and down with my clothes in my hands or mouth. Since I’m part ancient, I have to improvise.” She took in a deep breath, inhaling the air tainted with magic and something else. “This place is tainted with magic. You smell it?” She shook off the imaginary dirt on her clothes, just in case, whilst waiting for Miriam’s reply. When she looked up, her friend was smiling. “What’s tickling your fancy? I don’t think my question has that much prowess…” Miriam cackled. “I 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. It’s quite freeing and therapeutic.” Olivera nodded. It was just as