His eyes were worried as he approached me, and more tears slipped down my face. I didn’t look at him. Candido sighed.“I… understand you’re angry with me,” Candido said and grabbed a mitten. “But you came into the kitchen for a reason, right? You’re hungry? At least… let me feed you?”I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want his help doing anything and that I didn’t need it. I wanted to throw words about fate and the future in his face, but my stomach growled with hunger, and I couldn’t trust myself with the task of eating.I’d rather go back upstairs and curl up in bed with this guilt.So, I nodded stiffly. If I left, I’d just be back in a few hours.Candido wasted no time, pulling the brownies out of the oven and setting them aside. He crossed the kitchen to pull out food and warmed it up for me before setting it on the table.He sat across the table from me as I lifted my silverware.“Thanks.” I cut into the chicken on the plate and started to eat.“You’re w
“Well?” Candido pressed after the man didn’t speak for a long time.“I… don’t know,” he looked away.Candido frowned, and I gasped. It all made sense now. Hadn’t Francium mentioned the fact that his father wasn’t a real descendant of the New Moon Pack’s founder? How had she faded into obscurity? Was she in the same position as my mother had been?I worried my lip and glanced at Candido. Had Candido’s mother been the same position? Was she actually a member of the Blue Moon Pack?Or was she the true descendant of the Full Moon Pack’s founder?“This isn’t the time to hide things,” Candido said. “If you know something, say so.”His shoulders slumped. “I haven’t seen his mother since I took Francium from her. I don’t think he’s there. He would know better… I’ve taught him better.”“By letting his brothers abuse him?” I asked.He sneered, “What do you know?”“Enough,” I replied.Candido looked at me and hung up. “You think he’s with his mother.”“Where else would he be?”Who she was and wh
Preparing for the tunnel excursion was probably the only thing that kept me from crying all day. The first night had been so hard. I hadn’t slept at all. I kept tossing and turning. I fought with myself to call Candido and ask him to come or to let me come home, but I held back.I knew I was doing the right thing. I unpacked and reviewed my homework a few times to try and get my mind off of the silence of the condo.If I were at the Estate, I would have heard someone walking past my door by now, but there was none of that now.In the morning, I drank a large cup of coffee and tried to get through the search results of my investigation. There had been no new sightings of the vampire, but there was plenty of data on the fountain water, the air samples, and the attack on the mall in the capital.It turned out that there were three other attacks like it spread out across New Moon, Red Moon, and a few of the larger packs.The vampire had been seen at every single one though they’d all happ
“Fan out!”We darted down different pathways. I went with Armageddon and listened to the others getting farther away. I wondered if Bella would be killed or if the cage would keep her safe.Either way, she deserved what she was getting.I frowned, worrying my lip as I realized that she wasn’t wearing my mother’s necklace.Where had it gone? Was it back at Wolf Fang?I turned on my communication charm. “Can everyone hear me? Are you alright?”“It’s chasing us!” Dune and Apollo said. “Circle back as you can. We’ll try to lose it in the caves.”“Don’t lose yourself—”“Vampires!” Gilgamesh screamed.The hair on the back of my neck rose as Armageddon took us down another pathway. I felt someone coming up behind us. He stopped and turned, throwing me behind him before lifting his arm and swinging. A sharp crack echoed through the cave. A body dropped to the ground.A long strip of fire went through the air and sliced down.Something hissed further in the cave and he turned.“Quickly!” Armag
I couldn’t turn fast enough. There were people shouting through the communication system, but I couldn’t make out all of what they were saying. Armageddon stepped in front of me. He cut through the air with blade of fire and set the area near us on fire. He pushed me back towards the rendezvous point.“We found an entrance!” Someone said through the communication system. “About a three-minute run west of the rendezvous point.”“Everyone converge on that point,” Armageddon said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away. He wasn’t running as fast as he had been earlier.“You’ve used your powers too much.”“Just run, Pandora!”I looked back at line of fire. The creature had shuffled around the fire and was following us. It wasn’t going to give up until it had caught us. We passed the rendezvous point and he turned, throwing his hand back. The ground surged up and opened as the creature rushed forward. It formed a spike and pierced the creature before tumbling over itself and sinking the cre
“Isn’t that… Sibyl of the Red Moon Pack?” I asked. What the hell was she still doing here? Candido had banished her days ago.“It is,” he said lightly. “The king banished her from his territory for assaulting his ward… But what else do you see?”Not much. I didn’t recognize the building, but a faint glimmering scrip above the door caught my eye. It was the same script as the script in the vampire book. “It looks like the writing that was on the painting,” I said. “That means it’s related to vampires, right?”“Come to the haven of the children of the night,” Armageddon said softly. “It’s used to mark safe spaces. Whether the spa knows that they’re in one of those buildings, I don’t know, but it almost doesn’t matter.”My heart lurched, “You can read it? Without blood?”“What do you mean without blood?” He asked.I winced. “I… found a book full of that script, but it’s only legible when there’s blood spilled on it.”“… Your blood?”I didn’t answer, hearing the tension in his voice. I
“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”We drove for a while, tailing Norton. I was listening in on the conversation in the car, waiting for them to speak, but they weren’t saying anything. It was almost as if they were waiting to get somewhere else to talk. Sibyl was crying softly. Norton sped ahead, cutting through a light that was right on the edge of the capital where they hadn’t yet set up a barricade. It was a little-known or used road. We followed to keep pace, but to not be obvious. We followed him down the winding road. We went around a curve but Norton’s car vanished into a bank of trees.“Damn,” he cursed, continuing down the road. I kept my eyes peeled for some sign of them in the trees, but there was nothing.“You understand what this means, don’t you?” Norton’s voice came through the laptop.Armageddon pulled over to the side and cut the engine so we could listen.“But Daddy, I did everything—”“No, you idiot,” he hissed. “I’m not talking about your botching of the
I tried to call the number back, but there was no answer the first or second time. I couldn’t do much with just my phone, so I headed home to try and get online using Moon Shadow. Maybe I could trace the number and narrow down an area from where the call came. If it was just a prank or someone trying to lure me, it would be one thing, but my gut told me that wasn’t the case. With Francium still missing and her body gone, it could have been her.But how? Did that mean she wasn’t dead? Did that mean she had been revived somehow? But how? And why? My stomach lurched at the thought. I had to cross that bridge when I got to it, not right now. I tried to call the number again, but there was no answer. Quickly, I snuck back into the condo and stripped out of my clothes, and changed into some loungewear. Before I could get to my laptop, the doorbell rang.It was too early for anyone from school to be here, and what would they want with me right now anyway? More than that, the security team wo
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