KennaThe willow tree wasn’t touched during the battle. I’m not sure how I would have felt if we’d walked up and found it destroyed. Some of the tension in my chest eases as Evander parts the curtain of branches and ushers me inside the shaded haven of our youth.My gaze sweeps over the cool, shady clearing before I turn to my mate and finally let out a deep breath. It seems like I’ve been holding it since I woke up this morning.“What do we do?”Evander paces with his hands tucked in his pockets, his brow pinched in thought. “You and Brie will go to Veiled Valley, immediately.”“But–”“It’s the best option other than sending you both to Maatua,” he cuts in.I rest my back against the tree trunk, crossing my arms under my breasts. “I won’t just run away and let others fight my battles. I’ve spent my ent
EvanderRyatt only wanted to see me to tell me what I already know. I’m not leaving yet, but if it were up to him, I’d be on the next ship sailing out from Tarsian into the uncharted sea south of Eastonia with no return date. I’m needed. It’s the only reason I’m still in Moonrise. While Ryatt is the king, he has commanders to appease, and all of those commanders are currently fighting over who gets to use the Ghosts. “I’m not a fucking roofer,” Flynn groans, squinting against the sun as he drops another box of singles on the roof we’re currently patching. “You look the part,” Connor remarks from a few feet away, his brow damp with sweat and eyes shining in the setting sun. Flynn scowls and wipes his face with the back of his hand, smearing tar across his cheek. “This is absolute bullshit. Where the fuck is Commander Artyom? I know this wasn’t his idea.”Connor's eyes flicker to mine. He gives me a knowing smirk. “I take it your soon-to-be father-in-law didn’t take so kindly to th
KennaMy 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
LoganSunlight pours over the deck of the Asteria, glinting off the sails. I watch the Artemis drift past, Alex waving from the upper deck before fading into the bright glare of the sun. I grip the railing, closing my eyes for a moment and taking a much needed breath that catches in my throat the second footsteps sound on the stairs nearby. Sawyer grunts softly as he reaches the top of the steps and turns in my direction, squinting against the sun but smiling as he says, “You settled in?”I nod, biting back that breath I desperately needed and all the other feelings threatening to make themselves known the next time I see Brie, which is hopefully several hours from now after I’ve had a chance to cool off. “The Asteria’s the oldest and slowest,” Sawyer says under his breath, joining me at the railing. “But she’s a solid ship. A good girl. My favorite of the fleet, actually.”“Why aren’t you captaining her, then?”He grins and shrugs. “The same reason I’m not on the Artemis with Alex.
MaeveThe hallowed halls of the palace in Moonrise are quiet and somber. Normally, light would spill through the ancient stained glass windows lining the foyer, casting sunlight that made the golden walls gleam, but today everything is dark. Gray. Lifeless. Rain thunders across the glass ceiling, echoing down hallways usually alive with conversation and bodies bustling from room to room. Now, my only company is my shadow, and even that’s trying to curl away, just as worn and empty as I feel. It’s been nearly a week since we lost Brie. I couldn’t stay in Maatua for another second waiting for news.I walk up the grand staircase, wearing a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, a far cry from the sweeping, luxurious gowns of silk I normally dress in when visiting my future home.Yes, one day all of this will be mine. I’ve known it–felt it in my bones since I was just a little girl. I will be queen. Soon. Three years from now, I’ll stand on the balcony and wave down at the people of Moonrise–of a
BrieAt first, I feel nothing but his mouth on mine. He inhales, but otherwise, is still as stone. The tension between us is so thick I could drown in it, and I wouldn’t bother saving myself by coming up for air.I pull away just a touch–just enough to take a shuddering breath. Maybe this was a mistake. I’m not sure what I was thinking kissing him back, but… here I am, wondering when he’s going to start laughing at me.Logan’s nose brushes mine as he closes his eyes. His hands drift to my waist, and my eyes flutter closed as his grip tightens. He takes a step toward me, then another, until I’m forced back, until my shoulders hit the wall. Time moves in slow motion as his lips brush the corner of my mouth, and he groans.Logan presses me to the wall and kisses me hard enough to steal my breath away. I rise on my toes to meet him, my lips parting as I try to suck in another breath, but his
BrieNight falls on the trio of ships. During the course of the evening, the ships had been readied, and the camp on the beach had been totally dismantled, leaving no trace that Alex’s pack had ever been there.Now, against a blanket of silver moonlight, the Artemis bobs in the shallows just beyond the mouth of the lagoon, engines purring and sails drawn.I lean against the railing and soak in the cool night breeze. It smells amazing here–like salt and tropical flowers. It’s almost exactly like Maatua but far more rocky and mountainous. Beyond the mountain shielding the lagoon, nothing but calm, open water stretches as far as the eye can see… which means we’ll be totally exposed to whatever enemies are lying in wait.The deck teems with people waiting for the two other ships to silently leave the lagoon. It’s a rough looking bunch–mostly hardened men with deep suntans and scars on
BrieMonica arches her brow as she plucks another petal off the flower she’s been defacing for the last ten minutes in relative silence. She’s precariously perched on the railing of the upper deck, with an insane drop to sudden death beneath her, yet she doesn’t look the least bit fazed by it.Me, however?I adjust my position on a crate nearby, neatly crossing my legs and refusing to look over the railing and the lagoon below.“Afraid of heights, Princess?”“No,” I rush out, but the word wobbles. I straighten my back, brushing invisible dust from my dress, and fix her with a cold look. “I’m not.”“Come sit with me then.” She pats the railing, a cocky smile tugging on the corner of her mouth.“I’m fine here,” I counter, narrowing my eyes.“Suit yourself. You’re missing the show.&rdquo
LoganI don’t remember falling asleep. I don’t remember much of the past day, actually, not since washing up on the shore on some nameless island. I slowly sit up, wincing as bright, fresh pain ripples through my back. I press my hand to my chest where the bandages cover most of my skin and find them damp with blood, but it’s not fresh. No, I must have stopped bleeding like a stuck pig a few hours ago. That’s one thing going my way, at least.A soft murmur beside me steals my attention from my pain, and I turn to find Brie fast asleep, her hands tucked beneath her cheek. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear her hair natural before. It’s wild and… lovely. But looking at her–at the soft, relaxed expression on her face as she sleeps–has me careening back to going into the water with her and realizing that was it.I’m not sure how we survived. Call it divine intervent
BrieThis giant boat is something out of a fairy tale… well, I’ve just found out that Alpha Alex not only has these three but two more tucked away in some island chain about as far from the capital of KiloKilo as he could get. It’s hard to believe these boats even exist. It doesn’t make sense. This room and its finery doesn’t make sense.I watch Logan resting only a few feet away, his large frame eating up the dainty armchair perched in front of a dormant hearth. He hasn’t touched any of the food laid out for us, but I have. I’m on my second bowl of stew, swiping the nearly empty bowl with my fourth or fifth piece of rustic sourdough bread. With food in my body for the first time in what feels like days, I’m acutely aware of my senses and the room around me… and the people within it. The ship's ornate details come into startling view as I scan the room under the shadow of my eyelashes, carefully not
BrieI gasp as cold water rushes over my head and shoulders, flowing down my body in icy rivelets. The woman leaning against the doorframe nearby smirks at my expense as I shiver violently, trying desperately to cover my naked body with my arm braced over my breasts and my hand shielding the apex of my thighs.Another bucket of water is dumped over my head, and I swallow some of it, choking.“It’s not that bad,” Monica smirks, her arms crossed over her chest as she watches another woman, a young maid or something, start scrubbing sand from my hair for a fourth time.“Wh-why is it-it so c-c-cold?” I stammer through chattering teeth.“It’s filtered water, that’s why.” She untangles her arms and knocks on the doorframe, her pretty, angular face shining with pride. “This ship might look like something out of the stone-age, but it’s high-tech. We have
BrieI’m not sure what I’m expecting to find while following these two strangers dressed like pirates from the poorly illustrated fairy tale I used to make Dad read to me over and over again before bed.Sawyer offered to carry me back to their… camp, but I refused, of course. In retrospect, I should have accepted. My legs are peppered with scraps and bruises, and I’m sore in places I didn’t know existed, but they have their hands full with Logan.They’re dragging him. They don’t have any other option, I realize. Logan’s a big guy–bigger than Sawyer, who has a few inches on his Alpha, and Alex isn’t a small man by any means.I feel childlike and useless in comparison as I drag my piece of driftwood, deciding if I’m going to put my trust in a pair of strangers, I should at least have a weapon.Sawyer stops, panting, and says, “We should shif