He said nothing as he headed to the door. The door closed softly behind him, and while I knew I had won that argument, it didn’t feel like a victory.I stood and went to the balcony. I watched him get into the jeep. He didn’t even stop to look up. The jeep sped off and away. I tilted my head and went to grab my laptop to pick up my work on tracing Claire’s call. The scent of pastries faded into the background as I set my jaw and tried to find where the call could have come from.It was at least an hour later before my stomach demanded more food, and my mood felt so low that I made myself a cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. I spent hours trying everything I could to find out what I could from the call, but there was nothing. Whatever phone she used was a temporary one. Wherever she’d made, the call had no ambient noise I could use to identify it. It was as silent as the grave.My gut told me that she was with Francium, but that meant nothing as the investigation by the Int
“No,” the woman said evenly. “She’s been turned.” The guards came in after the Blue Moon team had left, but I sat, wrapped in a robe, in the living room, trying to think through all the information that they’d told me. Claire was alive. She was with Francium. She was now a vampire. Claire was a vampire. She was our enemy, but was it possible that she was still Claire? We could kill her, but would that be the right thing to do? It wasn’t her fault. Or was it? No one knew how vampires turned people. We didn’t even know that a werewolf could be turned into a vampire! It was all so confusing. I didn’t know what to do next. I wanted to call Candido, but I held back. Telling him anything might blow my cover as Pandora, and the leader trusted me with this mission because of my judgment. They searched the whole place before coming back to me and asking me what had happened. I didn’t know if it was my silent that made the whole situation seem more serious than it was or if it was just pro
I fumbled through my backpack for a pen and paper before offering it to him. As he wrote, I noticed the Moon Shadow crest on his watch. My heart sped up. He was an operative. Was he also the mole? Maybe he wasn’t. I’d need to try and contact him as Pandora just to see who he was. Now that I had a direct connection to the Moon Shadow leaders, I might be able to get his operative record. “Tell him to hang in there, yeah?” He asked. “Sometimes… the Moon Goddess has plans for all of us and we can’t always see the full path.” I nodded. His words seemed oddly devout. I thought of the red cloth that was found at the scene of the attack. As I left, I checked my phone and saw another message from Candido. Will you come to lunch with me? I want to see you. I winced at the request, looking down at the paper before reconsidering it. I would need to eat before I headed there. If I did eat with Candido it would be free, and I’d be able to shake my escort team a little easier. Besides, if I didn
The book was bigger than I thought and covered more subjects than I thought it would. I hoped that the book and the book on vampires didn’t contradict. If they did, which was right? I reached the section about the packs and the lines of the packs and got to the New Moon Pack. I could have never imagined that this was all more complicated than I first thought. New Moon descendants seemed to be closer to vampires than werewolves. It seemed like they were some other kind of vampire or some other kind of werewolf, but their mates were mirrors of them. I wasn’t a literature person, but as I thought of Francium and Claire’s relationship, it made a lot of sense. They could probably talk for hours about boring literature and anything else that interested them. They were popular and beautiful just in general. Did that mean Claire was capable of murder? I didn’t know. Was it the reason that she was now a vampire? Had she really been turned, or was it something else? What did being turned e
“Where shall we take you, Miss Hedy?” The leader asked me, opening the door to the jeep. “New Moon,” I said as I climbed into the jeep. “It’s a bit of a remote place, so you might not be able to drive me all the way there.” They looked wary, but they revved up the car and drove me toward the border. I didn’t look out the window until we reached the forest. The forest closed in around us as we entered it and drove away from the capital. The sun was beautiful, glinting off the snow. It made me think of the first time I’d had a snowball fight. It had been me and Candido outside. He’d tried so hard not to indulge me, but he was laughing by the end of it just like I was. Just as I thought, my phone rang, and it was Candido. I decided to answer it. “Hello?” “Hedy, where are you going? Why are you leaving the capital?” “To visit someone,” I said. “He lives in New Moon. We’ve been talking about getting together—” “Hedy,” he growled. “Are you… Is he your mate?” I smirked. “Why does th
The woman looked just like Francium down to the cut of her jaw, but she held herself with a different sort of poise than he did. She was dressed in a simple shirt and pants, but her jacket had a hood pulled up over her head. Where had she come from? How had she gotten behind me when she had been in front of me. The unease that had been building since I’d arrived in this town only got worse, but I couldn’t say exactly why. Where had all the people gone? Why did I feel like someone was just behind me, ready to pounce? I turned my head quickly, trying to catch sight of the person, but there was no one there. I still felt it, though as I turned back to the woman. Her eyes focused on me. She seemed completely unafraid though my heart was hammering. The entire town seemed empty, and that just couldn’t be right. Where had all those people gone? “I’m looking for Francium,” I said. “My name is Hedy.” Her eyes brightened, and she approached me, taking my hand and squeezing it. “Hedy? I’ve h
The thought terrified me. How much time did I have before they showed up? Maybe I didn’t have nearly as much time as I needed to figure out where Francium was and where Claire was. Francia didn’t seem nefarious, but how much of that was a stall tactic. I would have never thought Francium was capable of killing anyone, let alone Claire, but I’d heard it, and I was here trying to track him down to find her. I still wasn’t entirely sure what that vampire wanted from me or wanted to do with me. Did he want to turn me the way Francium had turned Claire, or did he just want to kill me. Maybe it was related to my mother. I had no idea and I wasn’t ready to find out today. I was still recuperating to some degree. I almost regretted this ploy to make Candido jealous. It seemed like it was turning back on me quickly. I pushed that thought away. How could I know that Francium’s mom was probably in league with the vampires that were out to destroy everything that werewolves had built. I had
Francia said nothing for a while. I waited and waited, wondering what she was going to say, then her eyes drifted away from me, and her voice turned light. “What do you know about the New Moon Pack?” “You like literature and art.” She chuckled. “Well, I supposed that’s a start… Francium did mention that wasn’t your forte. I told him that pursuing a relationship with you would be difficult if you were so disinterested in the arts.” “I wasn’t interested.” “So, he said.” Francia said. “What do you know of werewolves and how they came to be?” I wondered what to say as she smiled and tilted her head. “Or how similar they are to vampires?” I narrowed my eyes, thinking back to the Moon Goddess book and the vampire book. “I know… a bit. And I have theories.” “Not surprising.” She nodded and her lips twitched. “Francium isn’t here. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure… Claire is nearby, but you can’t go there. Perhaps we might pass the time with a bit of history?” I narrowed my eyes. “Why can
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