I looked up and almost cried as Candido came staggering down the hall. He looked hazy, clutching his shoulder. His arm hung uselessly at his side and unmoving. He seemed to be wearing a glove on that hand but not the other. It was weird.“Candido!” I cried, my eyes tearing up. “Finally, I—”I went quiet as he froze in his tracks, staring at me with narrowed eyes and suspicion. His eyes darted over me, but it didn’t feel like he was looking for injuries. It looked like he was trying to figure out if I was real or not. He leaned against the wall, but he got no closer.Then, his eyes got darker. “Who are you, and where is Hedy?”I flinched at his tone and sniffled. “What are you talking about? It’s me—”“Don’t lie to me!” Candido yelled. “You aren’t Hedy. I know what she smells like. You’re not her. Where is she?”I stumbled towards
He choked and spat out a mouthful of blood. It was thick and dark like his body was trying to expel the poison.The vampire chuckled. “Seems like they went the extra mile with a bit of wolfsbane. Bravo.”“Candido, answer me!” I cried, shaking him. “You have to wake up! You have to fight it! You have to!”But he said nothing. I kept screaming at him, telling him to snap out of it. Candido was too strong to be taken out by a bullet, to be taken out by anything. He promised to always protect me. How could he do that if he died? What would I do if he died here?I shook him again. “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”“He needs medical attention,” Vanessa said stiffly. “I’m calling for a medic.”“Good luck,” the vampire said. “They won’t make it in time, and I have no problem with letting him die.”Vanessa said nothing, but her expression loo
Again, he seemed oddly untouched by the falling water. Meanwhile, everyone else seemed to be getting soaked. Candido shivered as his clothes got wet and the sprinkler water started to wash away the blood.“It would seem that your crude defenses have finally failed,” he hissed. “Give me the Triskele, Vanessa. Now!”“No!” She yelled. “I’d rather die.”“Allow me to help you with that!” He hissed.“No!” I yelled, jumping, and trying to protect her, but there was no bolt of light. The guns exploded in the hands of the operatives, and Vanessa jerked forward. She screamed and flailed through the air. I tried to stop her, but I was swatted aside by a force and into the wall. I hit my head and the world blurred for a second. I turned over and slumped back against the wall as she stopped flying just in front of him.The vampire started patting her down. She tried to fight, but she
I kept falling and falling as if there was nothing but space beneath me, then I turned and realized that I wasn’t falling but flying up. Wind rushed over my face and I slammed into water. Bubbles drifted around me, but I could breathe even as I seemed to be surfacing.Slowly, I started to hear voices.“You’re sure?” Someone asked.“She mentioned silver coming from the ground and that golden-furred idiot on the cliff,” another person said. “I am certain. What that means only time will tell… Perhaps the elixir was a bit too effective.”What elixir? What were they talking about? Who were they? I could recognize them as… not a threat exactly but I didn’t know for certain what that meant.“But… I thought you said it was a long stretch. Wasn’t her dad like the weakest kind of werewolf?”I pushed against the darkness in my mind. They were definitely talking
I couldn’t say how long it had been since I had passed out. My mouth tasted terrible, like bile and blood. I struggled to breathe in the cold air and shivered. The world spun again and I landed hard on my front on the hard cold ground. I tried to curl up then a light drifted over me. I looked towards it and squinted into the brightness of the white-blue light.“Even children know better than to look into a light source,” Ian said with a clipped tone. The light shifted aside, illuminating him. “Honestly, you prove yourself to be dumber and dumber every time I see youHe was wearing something different. It looked expensive and old-world-like. It was nothing like the neat suits Candido wore. His cuffs were trimmed with silver and gold. There were sun and moon motifs in the tile behind him and between us was a line of sturdy black poles that looked like the door of a cell.“You…” A cold air drifted in as my breath turned to
Without the light, I had no idea how long I drifted in and out of consciousness. It grew colder in the silence. The blood that had soaked into my clothing turned stiff and cold, but that wasn’t the worst part.My stomach cramped with hungry. My mouth was dry. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself trying to focus. No matter what Ian said, I knew that Candido would find me. He’d find a way to get out of wherever Ian had put him and he’d come for me.I knew that.I had to believe it because there was no other way out.I thought I heard Shiloh or Messiah’s voice.“Can you hear me?” I called. “Let me out!”My voice echoed, then the world started to move around me. The darkness turned oppressive and my heart quickened. It felt it like a dark blanket over my senses the same way it had in the caves. The weight grew heavier, crushing my mind until I could barely breathe—barely think. All I could do was scream as the pain mounted in my skull. My ears were ringing and I could feel somethi
Time passed in the dark. Sometimes I heard noises, but mostly it was just my own breathing, the beat of my heart and the scuffle of my body against the ground as I tried to turn. I drifted in and out of hazy dreams that made no sense no matter how hard I tried to make them make sense.Fear filled me. The cold was making me sink back into memories I never wanted to relive. I drifted back into Wolf Fang for a while, then that cold night on the highway, but there were no cars coming in my dreams.“Candido,” I whispered to the dark. “Where are you?”“Hey,” Messiah’s came through the bars. I opened my eyes, blinking into the light and trying not to move.How many days had it been since Ian had come? I didn’t know. Messiah leaned on the bars as he plopped down on the floor.“You look terrible.”“Where is Candido?” I asked.Messiah shrugged. “Not my jurisdiction. I don’t track down missing daddies.”“Missing…”“Well, he hasn’t show up on the broadcast,” he said pulling out his phone and lean
Sometime later, maybe hours, maybe days, the wall turned mirror-like as the light turned on outside. I didn’t know how it worked or why, but I saw myself for the first time in a long time and could barely breathe. I was filthy. Dirt was smeared all over my face, matting my hair. My clothes were ripped up, exposing my bra and skin. Blood was smeared everywhere, but there on my chest, glinting with moonlight, was my still incomplete moon mark.My heart lurched and I could barely breathe at the sight of it.I didn’t understand. I tugged my clothes down and rubbed at the dirt and grime smeared on my chest, but nothing helped. It was still incomplete. I stared at it. The moon mark hadn’t grown or shrank. Nothing about it had changed, but how was that possible?What did that mean? I knew my birthday was near. It should have been complete already. My heart raced.Was I wrong? Were we wrong? Was everything I had been feeling and saying until now been completely wrong?I thought back to his we
She cocked an eyebrow. “They might be related, but there’s no way to know if they’re compatible.”“They’re both golden wolves. That should be enough.” I swallowed. “I don’t care what you have to do, you have to keep him alive.”Her eyes drifted down to Candido with an odd expression on her face. “I’ll see what I can do,” she looked up at me. “But… there will be a hefty cost.”“I don’t care,” I said. If Candido was really being used to stabilize Solare, whatever that meant, then I had make sure that he had enough life force, that his body still remained, after that was done to wake up. “I developed a drug that strengthened wolves,” she said. “I have a feeling that it would at least help.”My eyes bulged. “You’re… You’re the one who made the drug for the vampires.”She smiled. “I am. And?”I growled at her. “You’re a traitor.”Her smile turned cold. “And you aren’t the alpha king’s mate.”She cocked an eyebrow. “Given the state of the world, do you think they’ll care?”“Of course, the
“It was unsure if my Beloved King would have ever risen again and to what world,” she said. “It was for the best that I changed the path.”“We’re mates,” I said again. “We’re mates. Nothing you say can change that.”“Mates,” she scoffed. “A tool for conquest. Were you not listening? The vampiric power you inherited from your mother was the only reason you could fake the moon mark. The white fur you inherited from your father turned platinum because of it. When you were no longer a vampire, after Cillian had drained the last of that power out of you, you were just a plain werewolf…”“I don’t believe you,” I said. “I won’t believe you. You’re just trying to trick me.”“Your real moon mark vanished the night that your mate died trying to protect you.”I saw the senior diving in front of me and jerking as the bullets hit him in the chest. “Him?” I growled. “No. I can’t believe that.”“Neither could your mother,” she laughed. “By the time you met your grandfather, I had already been makin
I pushed at the wall, trying to get over there and drag Estella away from Candido. Then, Vanessa appeared dressed in a wispy gauzy red dress. She looked younger than the last time I had seen her. Two younger men followed her, chatting with her though I couldn’t make out what they were saying. They were dressed in red tunics. Then, I saw Claire and Francium striding towards them in red. They were holding hands. Her hair was gathered up in a flower wreath as they smiled together. They looked so happy together as they sat beside Candido and Estella. Soon, I saw other people. I saw Claire’s parents and the people I remember dying over the course of the war. They sat together in a circle around Candido and Estella, chatting happily. “Don’t be happy!” I yelled, banging on the wall. “Claire! You’re supposed to be my friend! Get her away from my mate!”No one even noticed I was there. They laughed and chatted, welcoming other people as they came to join them. Everyone else was wearing red,
Weeks passed, and in that time, I made the remaining people do what needed to be done. They fixed up the building Candido and I were in. While they couldn’t get the water or electricity working, there was a roof and the floors were cleaned. They brought me food when they came to check on Candido and busied themselves with trying to contact whoever else might be alive. “Miss Hedy.”I looked up, glaring at them. “How many times have I told you to call me luna?”The man lifted his head. “Until the king confirms it, I would never disgrace the position that way.”I glared at him. “Then, I suppose you’ll be tried for treason, then.”His eyes narrowed as two people entered the room. “You’re supposed to be regent, right?” The woman asked. “You have some authority.”I lifted my head. “I’m luna.”She pointed at the man beside her. “Then tell this man that I want nothing to do with him and he should leave me alone.”“We’re mates!” He growled. “You’re not going to leave me.”“There is no mark,”
When I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t awake. Candido wasn’t there with me. I was seated across a long table that I had never seen before. The windows were all made of stained glass. Moonlight filtered through the colorful glass and sent the colors splashing everywhere. At the other end of the table was the vampire king. He was darker than I remember, but his hair glowed the way it had in that castle. The crown on his brow twinkled with light. To his left, like an odd reflection, was Marius. His blonde hair didn’t glow, and he didn’t wear a crown, but looking at the two of them it was so obvious that he was related to the thing. Their eyes glowed the same. I clenched my jaw and glared at them both. “Where am I?” I asked. “If you think you can change my mind about—”“The time to change your mind has long since passed, Hedy,” the vampire king said softly. His lips twitched into a small smile. “The time to make different decisions is long since over.”He took a deep breath and shook h
I shook my head. “You’re lying. You have to be lying. How would you know if the door was closed?”He laughed. “It was closed to her and all the other traitors. No child of Lunae who still walks in the Goddess’ grace would be turned away from returning home.”I swallowed and shook my head. “She never got Candido’s grandfather or father… I imagine she’s burning with jealousy that you’re so close to what she wanted,” he smiled. “Or maybe she’s proud that you share the same tastes.”“None of that matters,” I said. “I’m not a vampire. I never was. I’m a werewolf. I’m Candido’s mate. Tell me what you plan is. What are trying to do? If you’re trying to hurt Candido, I’ll never forgive you.”He laughed, throwing his head back. “Why would I give a fuck about your forgiveness, traitor?”“I— ““You’re even worse than Hedwig in some ways,” He laughed. “At least Hedwig mourned Candido’s father and grandfather. At least she was faithful in her pursuit. You jumped at the chance to get as close to f
I fell to the ground, choking. For a moment, I imagined Candido stroking my hair like we were in one of the parlors at the Estate before the war. I could almost hear him reading a book to me, some book that I was supposed to read for class but didn’t want to. I didn’t remember the words. I wasn’t even paying attention to his words or the book. I didn’t care. I just loved that he was spending time with me. It was all that I wanted. It was all that I had ever wanted. I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the memory. Slowly, the darkness faded. I felt his lips on my forehead then he was gone. It was so cold. I shivered in the wind that picked up over the mountaintop. I opened my eyes. Dawn was coming over the mountain. I shook and rolled over and tried to get up. I could see Candido there. His fur was still golden. He hadn’t turned back. He didn’t move. I crawled toward him. “Candido?” I whispered. “Candido? You can’t be gone… She promised me. I… You promised.”I got to him and we
“Fuck!”I rolled over and tried to see what was happening as I sucked in breath after breath. I choked, trying to catch my breath as I saw a glint of silver cut through the air. The man barely choked as his head tumbled through the air. His body went up in flames. Then, I saw Raven’s face. Her eyes were filled with blood-red light.She walked toward me. A flash of silver went by me and the gag loosened. I spat it out and my hands fell apart like the cuffs were broken. Her sword was aimed at me. Her expression was cold as she looked at me. Her hand trembled. Tears streamed down her face. Her jaw trembled. Then, she lowered her blade. I couldn’t believe it. I looked around, searching for someone else, but there was no one. It was just the two of us behind the barrier. Then, the wall of light shimmered and started to fade.I heard a stroke of thunder and turned as lightning fell from the sky and slammed into the side of the mountain. I smiled. Candido was using his power and winning. W
The fury simmered behind the tears in her eyes before she turned back to the group. They talked a little longer When they broke apart, none of them came my way. Most of them went with Wren, but the man with bandages headed toward a different truck. I eyed him suspiciously. What was he doing separate from the rest of them? Were the rest of them going to Candido and leaving him behind? Where were they going?I looked across the way as Harper and Wren and the others looked at me, glaring. Their eyes were filled with red light. They drove away, never taking their eyes off me. One of the women was crying. I looked over at the bandaged man as he hauled himself onto the back of the truck, still leaning to one side. Then, the truck I was in started to drive away. I turned back to see where were going and knew we were headed toward the mountain from my vision. My heart started to race. It seemed like we were heading to the end of the war now.“Black Team,” someone said. “En route to Gold Tea