“Are you thinking about it?” Cillian asked. “What it would be like?”
“I…” I swallowed past the dryness in my throat.
I couldn’t answer, but that wasn’t because I didn’t have an answer.
Yes. Yes, I was thinking about it. Would he be gentle with me? Would he not? Did I want him to be? I felt… hungry and clenched my thighs together as an ache began to build there. I didn’t know what to say or if I even needed to say anything.
Unlike Candido, Cillian seemed to know exactly what I wanted and wanted to give it to me, even if I couldn’t say it.
“Are you thinking about what my hands on you will feel like? My mouth? How hard I am? How wet you’d be for me?”
I couldn’t speak. I was so embarrassed and turned on that I couldn’t think. What… What was he saying? How could he say something like that in public? But how was I supposed to resist
I frowned and replied. Coming where?A few moments passed then another message came. Never mind. I was confused.Confused about what? I frowned and looked toward the door. I stood up and went out the door, listening for some sound or movement. There was nothing.I opened the door across the hall. The room was empty, but I knew that there had been someone inside it earlier. I marched down the hall, checking every room I could and they were all mostly empty. I headed back to my room, but stopped as I saw the group of people that were heading away from the barracks and toward a portal. I saw Ian and someone talking. Then, I saw Estella and I was furious. Candido wasn’t with her, but it was obvious that she was leaving or something.I hurried out of the barracks, not even bothering to change and raced out.“Whoa!” Shiloh cried, darting out of the way.I turned on him, glaring up at him as I realized that I cou
I knew she’d say something. She was a woman too, and she had to know that Candido wouldn’t stand for me to be treated like this.“Falcon to Armageddon—”“Armageddon to Falcon. No, you cannot injure her in any way unless she attacks you first.”“Permission to boot her off the moving jeep in self-defense.”“Granted.”My jaw dropped and she clipped the radio back on her belt. “I’d suggest you shut up. Your voice is an assault on my intelligence and honor.”I couldn’t believe they would treat me like this, but more than that I couldn’t believe that Candido would let them treat me like this.We arrived at the clearing. The jeeps circled around. I got up and scrambled off the jeep as I saw Candido. He didn’t come toward me. Instead, he helped Estella unload the boxes that were on the truck. I marched across the clearing towards them, furiou
I blinked up at her. I couldn’t speak. The disbelief and the fury that welled in me took my breath away.No.No, I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it. That woman, Estella, couldn’t have been here. It was supposed to be Candido. It’s always supposed to be Candido. I looked back, hoping to find Candido, hoping to get some idea that he’d ordered her to save me, that he had something to do with it, but he wasn’t where he’d been a moment ago. He was leading another group to fight back the vampires still trapped in the barrier.“Haul the injured into the truck beds! When full ride out. Grab what medical supplies you can!”I turned back as Estella’s voice called through the air. “Follow the west flank’s movements. Injured first, medical supplies. Troy and Justice, take the lead on major treatment as needed. Grace and Victory, give them cover! We need to be out of here in five minutes, tops! Hustle up!”She turned back and looked at me. “Can you stand? Are you injured?”I bared
I had never fired a gun. Aside from the guns that the security guards carried, I had never even been that near one before, not since Francium had been ordered to shoot me, but it was my only choice. Estella and Candido moved as if they had fought together all their lives. The longer I watched them, the more furious I was. The more jealous I was. If I let this go on, she’d get exactly what she wanted.She’d take Candido from me. All of this, every moment that she’d stepped into seemingly save me had been a ploy to get closer to Candido, because she knew how important I was to him. She had to know. Candido would have told her no matter what. She was just like Sibyl, trying to get rid of me, and just like Sibyl, I wasn’t going to let that happen.If only she and Candido did have such a good relationship. If only he could see her plan the way I did, but I couldn’t blame him. He hadn’t realized how much of a problem Sibyl was until it was almost too late.I’d save him this time too. Estell
A loud hiss came from above and the jeep rocked. I slipped down in the seat and fumbled for the radio on the corpse’s waist as Vanessa fired her gun. I listened to the battle as I fiddled with the radio.I had never used a radio like this. Why weren’t we using phones? I didn’t have my phone on me. I’d lost it somewhere in the fight. I tossed the radio and searched the corpse’s pockets as the jeep rocked and rocked again with the fight outside. A vampire’s hand shot through the little window between the bad and the bed of the jeep. I found his phone and I called Candido’s phone.There was no answer. I growled and threw the phone down before shifting the lever again to R and slamming my foot on the pedal. The jeep lurched backward. I shifted it again and turned, heading away from the path we had just left and in the general direction of Rendezvous Point B based on where the other jeep had been going.“You’re going the wrong way!” Vanessa cried from the back, shooting at something else.
I whirled on Candido. “You heard that, didn’t you? She doesn’t—”“I understand,” Candido said with a nod. “But it’s not going to happen that way.”My jaw dropped, before I could say anything. He leaped from the jeep to another.“We’re shifting into the Delta formation. Set-Up. You have five minutes before they’re on us.”He leaped down from the truck and kneeled. He pressed his hand to the ground. The jeep I was on shifted forward. A metal shield lifted with just a few holes big enough for rifles to aim through. Estella set up several more guns in a row to shoot through the shield.Why hadn’t they used this before in the clearing? Then we wouldn’t have had to be separated. They should have done this before. I bet if I had known about it and had been there to help plan we would have been using the shields from the start and that ambush would have gone a lot differently.“Hedy,” Candido said. “Get in the jeep and stay out of the way.”“I can help! I’m your partner! Your mate, you should
The world was going hazy. I felt so dizzy. The pleasure of it surged through me. It felt just like when Cillian had bitten me. Was it because Damian was attracted to me, or was it because he was older? I didn’t know. Even as I felt myself slipping away, I couldn’t help but feel warm from the sensation of being bitten. Was this part of being bitten? Could I make Candido feel like this if I bit him?Then, I heard something.“Hedy!”“Candido?” I asked, hopeful. My vision was too blurry.He was coming for me. It wouldn’t be in my death that I’d get to have him. He was here. He was coming to save me the way it should be. My eyes filled with tears and they slid down my cheeks.I was so grateful. I didn’t want to die. I just wanted to be with Candido in this life and the next, whatever that took. Whatever I had to do to make that happen, I wanted that more than anything. The Goddess knew that. I still wasn’t sure what she had taken from me in return for my wish, but it didn’t matter.“Candid
Claire vanished into ash. I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think. I heard myself gasp, but the deep sadness I had felt the first time she had died wasn’t there this time. I should have been distraught, but I wasn’t.For the first time since I found out she was alive, I realized that our relationship had never had a chance to go back to what it had once been. We hadn’t talked about it. I don’t even think I thought about how much our relationship had changed, but seeing her vanish into a swirl of ash felt surreal.I felt so little. I felt… almost relieved somehow. I heard Damian cry out in frustration.“You idiot! You–”“Claire!” Francium cried, rushing across the clearing. “Claire!”It was too late to do anything as the ashes blew away in the wind. No more than a few seconds later, Francium turned on Damian and started firing, screaming with tears streaming down his face. His eyes were full of light.“Francium, stop!” Julia called, firing at another vampire. It jerked
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