Kenna
My heart is in shambles as I walk up the slight rise to the willow tree. The forest groans all around me in a stiff breeze that promises cooler weather and storms tonight. It would be a welcome relief from the heat and a distraction from the raw conversation I just had with my parents about everything that happened and will soon happen.
I’ve been blessed to have never experienced the torment of war. Sure, small tangles and skirmishes have occurred during my parents’ reign, but nothing like this. Nothing that promises what could be years of battle and bloodshed while Gabriel fights his way to my parents’ throne.
He’ll never take it. He’d have to overthrow the entire royal family in both kingdoms to succeed.
But he’ll lay waste and leave bodies in his wake.
I move the branches out of the way and step inside the cool sanctuary of the willow.
“Evander?&rd
KennaEvander’s mouth crashes against mine. The roar of the waterfall behind us fades to nothing but a gentle hum as the sound of his pleasure–a low, guttural growl–fills my ears and blur my senses.We’re both stark naked and slightly sweaty from shifting. There’s nothing between us now–nothing stopping us from just being with each other.He picks me up and kneels with me in his lap, his hands on my hips to hold me in place.“You’re so beautiful when you shift,” he whispers, nipping the shell of my ear. “Like a pure, moonless night.”His kisses dust over my jaw and neck, igniting a fire in my body I never want to stanch. I wiggle my hips, grinding against him, making mewling, desperate sounds of desire as his skin brushes over mine.I’m aching for him. Every touch and smooth, heat-filled word out of his mouth sends me into a fr
EvanderMy mind is a roaring, tangled mass of chaos as I tear through the castle with Kenna at my side. It’s full night–nearly 3:00 AM–but the castle is alight with activity as warriors canvass every inch of every room and winding hallway. Kenna’s tears have dried, but her eyes are wide and hollow as I guide her to my family’s wing, neither of us saying a word. Brie was taken last night, and so far, she hasn’t been found. A maid is dead–killed in my mate’s bedroom. Neither of us have eaten or slept. Worse yet, the prisoner I interviewed in the barracks is gone as well. All signs point to the Draven Coven for the kidnapping and murder. I yank Kenna into the foyer of my family’s quarters. It’s quiet–my parents are out, probably sitting in Ella's office or Ryatt’s war room deciding what needs to be done, but I’m sick of waiting. Kenna’s despair is like a blade in my chest. I take her upstairs into my bedroom which hasn’t changed at all since I was a young teenager and I left home
KennaI hold my breath as I run through the dark, my cloak billowing out behind me like a crimson curtain. The tunnel of gnarled, bent trees is longer and tighter than I anticipated, and I have to crawl on all fours toward the end.But the tunnel doesn’t drop into the inky dark underground as expected. I trip, falling down a shallow ledge and land hard on my knees.The tunnel entrance is a few feet above me, hidden in a tangle of heather and bramble bushes, but I’m still wholly in the forest.But it’s changed. The dense woods I’d just been in with Evander and Sydney give way to sparse trees and a rolling, hilly landscape of soft green grass.I’m past the wards.I can’t feel the strain of my dad’s magic on my shoulders any longer.I look up at the tunnel and can barely see the entrance through the glare of the morning sun.‘Ev
EvanderWater pours down the walls in steady, frigid streams. My head aches, and the smell of blood hangs thick in the air as I try to open my eyes for the fourth time in the last five minutes.I think my skull might be cracked. I reach up to rub my throbbing temples but wince when I flex my hands.My fingers are shattered.“Syd?” I croak into the darkness.“I’m still alive,” he replies groggily.I open my eyes to slits. Faint light fills my vision. It’s enough to cause a searing pain to ripple through my brain. “Where do you think we are?”“One-hundred-percent underground,” he answers shortly somewhere beside me.I reach for him, unsure how far away he is, but the manacles binding each wrist to heavy chains only allow me to stretch my arms so far.We’ve been here for a day at least. No food or drink
SydneyKenna’s anguished screams slows time to a halt the moment my powers finally break through the manacles on my ankles and wrists.It’s too late.I’m too late.Evander falls face first, unable to save himself from hitting the floor.I feel like everyone is moving in slow motion. Kenna sprints forward, her shadows billowing out around her as her face twists with despair. Guards move in, blades drawn in her direction.And Gabriel is grinning like a madman as he turns back to Brie.Fuck, no.My body screams in pain as I lurch forward, shouting in rage, agony, and desperation as I collide with the nearest guard. The man falls to the ground with a crunch. I leap off his body, his ribs cracking beneath my feet as I jump, begging the Goddess to help me gather enough power to shift.We’re all so weak right now. Gabriel knew exactly how to enact t
KennaA heat like no other spreads through our joined hands. I almost pull away from Sydney, surprised by the searing pain. My heart hammers against my ribs, but I stay focused, looking down at my mate and praying so hard the words jumble together.I barely notice how everyone but Amanda has backed away. Even Granger, who looks like he’s ready to flatten Eastonia to kill the rest of the Draven Rebels with his bare hands, is resting on his knees with his hand wrapped around Evander’s ankle.But Dad stays by my side. My dad, who wanted to send Evander away, now rests his hand on Evander’s shoulder and squeezes.“Come on, son.”“Evander,” Granger whispers, squeezing Evander’s ankle. “Don’t do this to your mother. Don’t do this to Kenna.”My heart wrenches. I let my tears flow freely, several of them dripping down onto Evander&rs
A month laterKennaA rush of cool air greets me as I step out on the balcony overlooking the city of Veiled Valley. The valley is a sea of green against the mist rising from the river far below–mist that swallows whole a dozen or so bridges connecting the city on either side of the pristine, near tropical mountains.I take a deep breath, my ribs aching as the corset I’m wearing cuts into my skin. Why do we bother wearing these anymore?I pinch the fabric of my silver-blue gown between my fingers. The fabric billows out around my waist, creating a ball-gown effect that’s honestly very beautiful, if not totally inefficient. I can barely walk in this gown–this gown of silver stars and fresh-water pearls that glimmer in the moonlight–but I guess that doesn’t matter. I won’t be doing much walking until the after-party tonight, after my ascension ceremony.The
Kenna“I’m going back to Crescent Falls at the end of the week,” Sydney says over the rim of his whiskey glass, his blue eyes a stark contrast to his all black suit. “To look for Sasha.”“Ah,” I say, giving him a hard look. “You sure?”“Am I sure I’m looking for her? Yes. It’s my mission.”Ryan crosses his arms, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.Evander leans against one of the enormous black marble columns in the ballroom, his eyes sliding to mine.There’s barely anyone in here at this point. The musicians are being fed copious amounts of champagne in thanks for their near ceaseless playing over the past four or five hours, and the once riotous crowd has dispersed.It’s 2:00 A.M. Everyone is going home. Even our family members have retreated to the numerous guest rooms.So, it’s just me, Evander,
MistyTwo white wolves in a clearing.Their bodies made of mist and aether, standing side by side.Mates. A marvel of second chances and extraordinary fate.Two white wolves turn toward the sunrise knowing what they must leave behind; what he sacrificed for those he loved and her refusal to let him go into death alone.Two white wolves stand over their earthly bodies. He, battered and still.She, going into death with eyes open, cupping her mate's face between her graceful hands, her eyes locked on his at the moment of her dying breath.Their last words had been simple. I love you.They always had.They’d promised this instance in stolen moments, in private corners, when there was nothing but the stars to light their way.I will not stay here without you.I will not leave you behind.And so, it was.Two
AvivaThe first flakes of snow fall from the sky as I watch Ryan trying to herd everyone in position. Bundled against the cold in a wool coat Freya and I worked tirelessly on for the last three weeks, I step to the side, finding myself in the center of the crowd standing in the middle of the village of Silverhide. I watch my mate and his Beta, James, nudge families together and run back and forth toward a tripod where Ryan’s camera rests, facing us, to gauge whether all one-hundred and fifty people are in view of the lens.Ryan stands behind the camera with his hands up, his hair dusted with snow. “Okay. Nobody move!”A few excited giggles whisper through the front of the crowd where the numerous children are arranged. I glance around, watching as James joins Dahlia’s side, their baby on her hip. The baby girl finally has a name. Cosette, named after a friend of Dahlia, but they call her Cossie for short. Other babies
Two months later…RyanThe Harvest Festival has been held at the festival grounds between Endova, Teshka, and Navvan for centuries. When we arrived two days ago, leaving only a few people behind in Silverhide to make sure the animals are tended to in our absence, the wide, open space had been nothing but rolling plains.Now, it’s a city of canvas tents and twinkling lights, the air spiced with smoke and the smells of meals being cooked at each fire. Songs mingle as I walk through the festival with Aviva on my arm. I’m wearing a normal outfit. Well, not normal, actually. Mom forced me into a suit and tie with the Crescent Falls royal banner and all of my metals from my years as a warrior draped over my shoulders. Aviva is wearing that white, fur-lined dress again and a pair of new sheep-skin boots Freya and Mercy made for her, but instead of freshwater clam shells and pearls decorating her hair, her curls are w
RyanAn hour earlier…I can’t scrub the image of Aviva dead in my arms out of my head. It’s been several days since the battle, since the moment I put her in my uncle's arms and turned back to the ravaged scene, not knowing whether or not she survived the journey all the way to Maatua.Three days. It was three entire days before Sydney arrived in Silverhide with news about my mate. I’d just arrived back at my territory, exhausted and in tatters, when he clapped a hand on my shoulder and used his powers to spirit us to Moonrise, then to Veiled Valley, then to Maatua. He’s not as strong as Ryatt. Jumping took a toll on us both, and when we finally arrived at my grandparents’ beach house, I collapsed before I even made it up their driveway.Everything since the battle is a blur. Navvan is just… gone. The few survivors were mostly women and children who’d left the villag
AvivaI wake with a start to bright, warm sunshine and the smell of salty air. I grope white sheets, blinking several times to clear my vision as an unfamiliar bedroom fades to life around me. Warm white walls. Pale wood finishes and sleek furniture in soft browns and creams. White curtains drift in a salty breeze coming through several open windows, and a glass door opens to a deck with a view of… a view of the ocean.I’ve never seen the ocean before. From where I lie, I can hear the waves crashing on a white sand beach. Music I don’t recognize drifts toward me, carrying two voices with it, one male, and one female.“Your parents worry about you endlessly, Misty.”“They have nothing to worry about. It’s not like I’m ten anymore, Grandpa. I can make my own way in the world now. Plus, where was their worry when they shipped me here four years ago, huh?”“You
RyanI’ve been dreaming about tying Aviva to my bed, but I’m going to make it a reality for entirely different reasons. Now, I’ll be tying her to keep her there, forever. No more hunting. No more fighting. No more killing rogues barefoot in the woods.No more putting herself in situations like this. I will do her dirty work. I will gladly do it. I roll with Hardan in his… hellhound form? Whatever the fuck he is now. I wish, Goddess, I wish I could have faced him man to man instead of beast to beast. I would have loved to see the look on his face when I ripped out his heart for even thinking for a second he had some kind of claim to my mate, even before I found her. We roll down a decline. I sink my talons into his belly, ripping hard, but I already know hellhounds aren’t that easy to kill. We crash into an oak tree. Leaves shower over us as he tries to claw free of my grasp. He’s calling out, bellowing strange, high-pitched howls. The forest floor rumbles as I sink my claws into hi
AvivaI’m having the time of my life.I zigzag through the woods in my wolf form after three rogues who’ve decided they want nothing to do with me. In fact, the rogues have stopped hunting me over the past several hours and instead are trying to get as far away from me as possible. Their prey has become their biggest predator.I did my best to lead the horde away from Endova. That was my goal–the reason I made the snap decision to leave my mate behind and race into the jaws of death itself. Now, I have the horde moving away from the tribal packlands all together, herding them back into the open plains like a shepherd, and they’re my sheep–if a shepherd killed their sheep, that is.I’ve lost count of how many there are. My red fur is completely black with their blood. I catch my reflection in another small, burbling creek as I leap, seeing only my eyes shining like polished amber against a
Ryan“She’s not here, Ryan,” Mercy hisses as I run through the village. She’s hot on my heels, grabbing my fur to try to pull me to a stop but I’m not in my right mind.It’s been five hours since I last saw Aviva. Andrew and I have been scouring the forest and plains for any sign of her, but I lost her scent, and my desperate attempts to mind-link with her have come up empty and silent.I shift into my human form the second I cross into the pack house and immediately crash into one of the tables, tripping over the bench and landing on my side with a crunch. I’ve been in my wolf form since last night. Exhaustion sings through my bones as my vision spins. I hear Andrew similarly falling to the ground with a choked groan before hurried footsteps reach the pack house. Someone throws a blanket over me with a scoff, followed by Mercy’s sharp, soprano voice ripping through the air as she starts s
RyanIt’s barely dawn. Four hours ago, I was taking a deep breath as I tucked my mate into our bed, and now we’re here, lying low in the grasslands ten miles from Silver, with twenty of my best warriors scattered behind me. Stars still fill the sky, shining under a blanket of deep navy and vibrant violet. It's kind of hard to stay focused when the sunrise looks like this, the first echoes of gold casting Aviva, in wolf form, in a halo of light. She’s crouched in the swaying grass just a few feet below where the rest of us are lying, hiding in the scant brush and scorched trees. I watch her edge forward a few inches, her body covered in weapons and leather–one of her special dresses from Endova. A half dozen whispers ghost through my head, mingling with the thundering of my heartbeat in my ears as we watch, and watch, the dozen or so rogues passing by, moving in a lazy formation toward the forests we, and the tribal packs, call home. ‘What are they doing?’ Andrew lies on my left sid