Pearl had a dream that night about someone she felt was extremely familiar, someone her heart recognized. Maybe this wasn't just a dream, perhaps this was the missing memory that Finn and Vergel were talking about when Ethan got kidnapped and she vanished into the mortal realm.Pearl was gone. Beneath the earth, black eyes snapped open, burning with fury. The ground rolled slightly, sending an ominous ripple across the park’s surface. Then Ethan rose, bursting into the air, with soil spewing like a geyser all around him. He felt the curious, disorienting wrench, then the overwhelming sense of loss—the black stain spreading across his soul.His breath was coming in painful, hard gusts. Red flames flickered and danced in his eyes. There was a pounding at his temples, and deep within him, the beast roared and raged, demanding to be unleashed.Ethan tried to regain a semblance of self-control. Pearl didn’t understand his world or the necessity of death. In her world, she clung to the beli
Ethan dragged her beneath the protection of his shoulder, his arm circling her slender waist. She looked as if she would fall down if he allowed her to stand on her own for too long.The driver watched them descend the two steps. Behind them, the doors snapped closed. Sheets of rain slammed down from the sky, obscuring his vision. Blinking hard, he peered out the windshield, but he couldn’t see anyone. The mysterious gangster and the woman were gone as if they had never been. There wasn’t so much as a car around.Without a word, Ethan scooped Pearl into his arms and covered the distance to his waiting family using his preternatural speed, blurring their images as he did so. Pearl lay against the solid wall of his chest, cradled in his arms, peeking out at the group suddenly crowding close around her."Are you all right?" One of his companions, a red-haired guy, asked gently."She is fine,
Ethan found he could smile then. In spite of the urgent, painful demands of his body and the fear she had put him through, even his anger that she had tried to leave him, she could make him smile. Pearl could melt his heart. Here he was, the leader of his people, an ancient one with enormous strength and tremendous knowledge, his word law, his commands obeyed without question. She was a small, fragile, female, and he was putty in her hands.The tunnel led deep within the bowels of the earth itself. It was warm and moist, the sound of water ever present. It seeped from the sides of the tunnel and trickled from the curved ceiling above their heads. Pearl inspected her surroundings warily, not liking the fact that they were in a volcanic range of mountains and it was decidedly warm.Ethan murmured, “We need to seek refuge, Pearl.”“Have you ever been here before?”He heard the note of nervousness in her voice. “Of course I have, many times. We spend a great deal of our time below ground.
Ethan swore. Pearl knew that was what he was muttering although she didn’t understand the language. And then he bent his head low, his thick mane of midnight-black hair brushing her ribs, sending darts of fire dancing over her skin. At the first touch of his tongue, she closed her eyes, unable to believe the exquisite beauty of the moment. She felt his lapping, velvet soft yet slightly rasping across her damaged skin, a mixture of soothing sensuality.Even as he took time and great care to see to the wounds on her body, the clothes covering his skin became unbearable, confining his bursting muscles, drenching him in heat and sweat. He shed them easily, as he did everything else, with a single thought to ridding himself of the discomfort. His body moved against hers, hot and aggressive as he bent to his task. His hands caught at her hips, bending her back to get better access to the puncture on her rib.His hair brushed the underside of her breast, and she jumped as if he had scorched
Pearl opened her eyes slowly, drowsily, sexily. Ethan smiled down at her, touched his finger gently to her swollen lips, caught a ruby drop of his blood on the pad of his finger, and brought it to his own mouth. She blinked to bring him into focus. Her body was locked with his; she could feel him, thick and heavy, buried deep within the tightness of her core. His smile was lazy and sated, his black eyes holding masculine satisfaction that he had done so much more than simply please her. He looked as if he might start purring over his own prowess.Pearl found her smile hovering too close to the surface. He was moving with slow, languid strokes that kept heat scorching her body, kept her nipples pressing into the muscles of his chest. The flickering lights from hundreds of candles illuminated the fine sheen of sweat on his skin. His long hair was damp, falling around his face, lending him the look of a pirate. She reached up and gently traced the hard line of his jaw.Ethan captured her
Ethan lifted his head, his dark eyes moody and unreadable. “I can heal you completely, you system is new to this realm, and passing through the portal is a risk, it took all your magic but you must stay very still and accept what I do.”Pearl nodded solemnly. He was so beautiful, in a purely masculine way. She loved the hard bones of his face, the deepness and purity of his voice, the rippling of power beneath his skin. His beautiful face now showed intense concentration. He had withdrawn into himself. Pearl found the way his hips indented fascinating. He was so physically perfect. Her hands, of their own volition, reached out to touch those smooth indentations.The feel of his skin beneath her fingers sent flames dancing in her stomach. She explored farther, the palms of her hands sliding over his muscular buttocks. A so
Pearl's skin was warm. Her insides were warm. The soles of her feet ceased to sting and actually felt good. Whatever Ethan was doing was obviously working, and she wondered at how he was able to heal as he did. At that moment he seemed a perfect miracle to her. Ethan returned to his own body and gazed down at Pearl’s beautiful face. She looked very young, and he felt like a criminal, knowing she had no way to fight him, no way to fight his claim on her. He had made certain of that. She had no idea what the ritual entailed, and perhaps the truth was, neither did he. But Ethan felt the difference, in himself, the difference the words he had uttered, binding them together, had caused. He no longer had any choice in the matter. He had to be with her, near her. He knew they could not be comfortably apart for any length of time. Whatever those words had wrought, it was out of their hands now. They had to abide by the results. Ethan touched her face with a gentle fingertip, “Do you feel be
Pearl awoke nestled in Vergel's bed, with Vergel and Finn fast asleep on each side of her. She yawned, stretched, and cuddled back down, content with their proximity.Those dreams with Ethan? Was it a hallucination, or a memory from her mortal life? What happened to Ethan in the mortal world? Was he trapped? Would she tell his brothers?Pearl sighed and thought that now wasn't the right time. She'd slept out on the couch the night before, and she assumed one of them had transported her to the bed.They'd spoken late into the night before she'd fallen asleep. They'd made no sexual advances. They'd apparently struck a deal not to tag-team her just yet. She wasn't sure what she thought about it. Part of her was anxious about meeting both of these macho males at the same time...another part of her couldn’t wait.They’d come to one major conclusion in their talk. They would take advantage of the time they had left. Savor it. Tuck it away in their hearts forever. She turned her mind away f
Henry approached the captives, who were dangling from a tree. He leaned in close to take in June, Ryan, and then Janet's features. In his murmur, he said something along the lines of "This woman is unusual; she smells like a lycan but also human. It has an odd scent that reminds me of Her Majesty Queen Janet herself. When June and Ryan heard the massive lycans, they looked to each other and toward Janet, who was smirking at them, as if to say, "I told you so." Henry continued, as he went to Janet's side and licked the blood from his forehead and raised his brows. "You are an oddity, little one. And you are not from around here, either. Who are you?" Henry and his band of mercenaries might have been the same ones that June's own people were on the lookout for. It was a long-running blood controversy that began some years ago. Nonetheless, June had been on the verge of passing out when he felt that all the blood flowing to his head from the wound made him conscious of the fact that he
Suddenly, they were knocked senseless by three lycans as they were transported to their secret lair when someone appeared out of nowhere and attacked them, rendering them unconscious. Janet's nose was dripping with blood, and a trickle of it dripped out. It did not drip down her chin, but rather up into her eyes and over her forehead, due to the fact that she, along with her partner Ryan and June, were hanging upside-down in the air. After being taken and strung up, they will be skinned alive and eaten by a gang of feral lycans who have come to take advantage of their situation. Earlier, however, the three had been attacked when they were seen traveling down a trail near the cliff, and their belongings, including their backpack and weapons, had been taken from them. And now Ryan and June were arguing with their backs to the wall. "I told you we shouldn't stop," June snarled at him. "But you dickhead, you weren't even forced to walk in front of us, but for your own bloody sense of im
"We need to check to see if my friend is still in the building.""Why?""Wait a minute, and you'll see."Before they knew it, they were being waved at by someone who said, "Thank goodness, your little train is still running." June uttered the words and walked over to the man, who appeared to be an elderly retired soldier."Nice to see you, young man, and I've received your secret message on my radio, and right now we must move quickly. After ten minutes, the train would depart from the station. I already had a secret compartment set aside for you three, but please don't leave your cabin at any time, okay? I've managed to bring on a dozen lycans. Actually, you're dealing with tourists, so keep your mouth shut and never, ever open your cabin door, okay? Unless, of course, it's me knocking on the door.""Of course, Joe, and thank you for your assistance." June wrapped her arms aroun
Suddenly, June shook his hands, as though he were attempting to dislodge himself from the spell of Ryan's lips. "It was a dirty trick," says June."Oh yeah? According to the person who made me drunk and then attacked me to prove a point. What is it about you that requires everything to be a test? Is it June? Remember when you chose the army over me?" Ryan said with a sigh, "We are done with that nonsense.""Come on, sweetie. Play fair now. Tests enable you to push yourself to new limits, mate," June moved in so quickly that he was standing by the couch one moment and standing right in front of Ryan the next. His punch was deflected by June, who moved more slowly than usual, and Ryan managed to avoid his punch back."It's a bitter past, Ryan! And I already apologized a hundred fucking times, did I?""I don't care! You still hurt me." Ryan added with a bit of a smile on his lips. He knew it drove June
June added, "I think this is going to be good." He murmured to himself as he sat in a nearby chair and rummaged through his backpack."This is the possible trail that we have to follow to reach the peak." "We needed a compass and a certain map to reach the cavern.""What cavern?" Janet asked.June gestured to his own graph and mumbled something under his breath, "There is a cavern at the peak of the mountain, and if I'm not mistaken, then there is a possible entry on the west side." So maybe whatever you've been looking at was inside the cave, right?"Worth a try." Ryan smiles, knowing full well that there was an adventure waiting for them.After two bottles of June's grandmother's wine, Janet was unable to keep her mouth shut. When she told them everything, they laughed at the foolishness of her tale and didn't believe her at first, but after an hour of hearing about the Scroll of Fate, the message behind Ethan's research paper, and her time traveling with Finn, Vergel, and Ethan, th
"No, not at this time." "I believe the trail has been buried beneath the sleet." She sighed as she took up a position beside him."Fuck it. I'm done with it. Does that mean we're stuck here? "I'm not sure whether I should be angry with you or grateful," he said as he turned away from her and back into the chimney fire."What the hell are you talking about?""While you were outside, I needed to go to the bathroom." "I happened to stumble into some sort of attic." Ryan went on to say that, as he stared into the flames, he felt something stab him in the back of the head. There was a ray of hope. Then he went on, "...and then I found this," he mumbled as he handed her a small brown military bag that looked like it had been abandoned."Can you tell me what this is?" "What am I supposed to do with this?" Janet inquired as she purposefully opened the back and began to untangle what was inside."That, Janet, you know. That notebook, of course. Take a look at it right now." He muttered somethi
Human Realm. Present Time With two warm sleeping bags of her own, Janet warmed up beside Ryan. They were lying close enough to the chimney's fire that Ryan could feel the warmth of it lapping at his face as their wet clothing dried on the brick quarters hanging near the vent as Janet added wood to rekindle it. When the storm had passed, Janet had buried the family in the snow a few yards away from the cabin, just in case. By the next day, however, the storm was still raging outside, with the entire bracket of the house trembling under the force of the storm's powerful wind. After his encounter with the father's dead body, which was lying in the living room the day before, Janet's eyes were opened. She couldn't help but wonder. She didn't mean to touch his forehead, but she was not expecting those memories to come crashing down on her like hurricanes. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Janet had no idea she possessed the ability to read the memories of someo
He nodded.She stroked his shaft with the curled tip of her hand, rubbing back and forth on his glans. "To bring you down before we even started," she snarled, her tongue slithering across his ear, causing him to moan. "Of course, I'd go further... I'd keep going until I thought you couldn't take it anymore, but I'm a kind woman. After all, I asked to have your soul... but let me have fun!"She giggled again before attacking the other side of his neck, causing Darwin to whimper again as his fangs elongated. He wanted to taste her. She pumped him carefully, tightening her grip and almost wringing his rod out. Her leafy scales moved on his naked skin and garments, wrenching and untwisting as she shifted her coils, all over again as he moaned.His body bucked, turning involuntarily against her shackling grip. He feared this would enrage her, but it didn't. It had the opposite impact: it was terrifying and erotic.She liked it. Her veins shifted to enable his reflexive twists to gain some
Darwin murmured. He was getting eager, clenching his thighs together automatically. Alicia hissed sensuously, her rich fragrance only marginally less sensual. "I can smell your blood boiling, I can smell your aroused soul, little vampire, just like what I smelled from the little sorcerer earlier—wanting it, wanting me." "I... I don't..." he began, unsure of what he was saying. He couldn't quite get what she was saying, but her voice was fascinating and alluring. He was in a trance; he understood, but he couldn't get himself away from her. "But don't you wish to enjoy the pleasure no dark creature can provide? What do you have to lose to get a taste of heaven and a replica of the manuscript? If you only accept, you will discover new passions." She slithered closer, her head brushing his hips, her eyes peering up into his. Her body loop softly nudged his back, her head rising in an arc again. Her movements were slow and deliberate, a lovely performance that soothed the senses. Nothi