Her back pressed against the table faster than she had even processed the command, and her thighs inched apart with expectation. He slipped between her legs, the fabric of his pant brushing lightly against her inner thighs while he leaned down to her, his lips brushing lightly against hers in a lingering kiss, his body hovering against her, his heat engulfing them.His hand slip down her body, resting at her core and applying a bit of pressure as he had done before. Her hands slip around him, his muscles flexing beneath her touch, as she clung to him. He attempted to pull away from her lips and pressed his lips on other parts of her body, but she wasn't satisfied yet, so she pressed her lips against his, arching her body into his as much as she could, and his hand that was in between her thighs.His hand moved up to pry her away but she took the chance and pushed herself further against him, rutting against his hardened member. Gasps. Moans. Shut eyes.Her hands slipped into his
The growl was distant but it rumbled through her, rolling together with her worry and flowing freely through her veins.After Eli had left his study, Anok had come to get her a while later, and she had left with him to her room. Anok would usually stay outside her door but for the first hour of that period, he had stayed indoors with her. Eli must have so much trust in him.The growl had been quite loud then and she had pressured Anok to tell her what was going on, her heart raced with panic at what had to say, even more by the fact that he didn't know as much as she would have expected.It was very unusual for the dragon to break her chains and even go as far as knocking down a good part of the den's gate.She had heard that the chains were enchanted. She wondered if the need for a mate had been so strong that it pushed her to snap against magic. Maybe the need to find a mate for a dragon was just so strong that it couldn't be ignored, maybe it made them twice as feral as they alre
Belladonna had never been one to fancy blood, despite how much her mother had made her accustomed to it.Perhaps that was where her hatred for the color even steamed from. Although she liked to tell herself that she hated it because it clashed with the color of her eyes and made them ache, but what if there was more? What if it reminded her of every time her mother had caused her to bleed? What if some part of her found that color repulsive because it triggered memories she would love to believe that she had overcome? What if... She had never thought about it before, but after cleaning so much blood and having the metallic smell cling to the roof of her nose and her tongue to the point that she could almost taste it, the thought was crawling all over her mind.Lady Kestra had worked smoothly and the injured victims had stopped coming in a long time ago. Anok had gone to help them, although at first he didn't want to leave her side until Lady Kestra had stepped in, and assured him
The next morning was quiet and Belladonna wished that she could rip her hair out, when she found out that she had even slept.She had not planned to do that, she had planned to wait for Eli throughout the night, watch the door with the hope that he would step in through the wooden frame that was blocking her from the rest of the hallway.She had even planned to go down to the den herself if she waited enough and he didn't come back yet. She just had to be there for her Eli. Belladonna had planned to drug Anok, and find her way to the den. She didn't know how she would do that but she was certain she would figure it out on her way. All that plan and she had fallen asleep. Asleep!It had been barely for a couple of hours but she still hated that she had slept. Now, all her plans had been halted, and being no longer sleep deprived, she could see how stupid some of them were. She was quick to step into the bathroom and refresh herself. Anok had told her that she didn't need to help
The den was hot and although the growl did not come from her, it seemed to vibrate through her veins, extend to the tip of her fingers, to her toenails, and the ends of the strands of her curly hair.It was so consuming. She looked around and found nothing but darkness. Despite the heat, she could feel a chilling breeze settle over her as goosebumps laced her skin. It was unnatural. This was unnatural.Something was glimmering red a distance away, and her eyes followed the trail of the light.The closer she got, the more she sensed that it was like a small red gem.She walked further towards it, to discover that the gem was hanging in the space of darkness. That had looked like Eli's ring. But it seemed to be alone and in space, instead of around Eli's finger where it used to be.The next thing she saw made her heart drop. Dragon's eyes. Pamela.She stumbled backward only to find out that the dragon wasn't looking at her. It hadn't even noticed her. It turned around and sent a
It happened all too quickly. The sound around her blended with the blankness in her heart and she told herself severally that it was impossible. She felt Anok pull her around as he grabbed a bag and took her down the hallway of the castle.They had ran, voices of people coming from the distance. Then the gongs of bells.It sounded like it was coming from a distance too and she staggered as someone ran into her.She halted in her steps and looked around at the chaos. There were people rushing around, voices of people clashing together as they called to one another in a desperate search, and her mind raced through it all to process it.Impossible. A hand held her wrist in a firm grip and quickly she was pulled out of the hallway. Her steps were too slow and with a mutter of "please forgive me for this" Anok had carried her. It was blur and it kept getting blurrier. This was impossible. They had been together and nothing had been wrong. He just couldn't be dead, just like that.
The first person she had bumped into was Anok. It was as if the whole of Ignas was working against her at that moment, her mind racing as she pondered on what do to if he somehow made himself an obstacle in her plans.He had steadied her with his hand on her shoulders and snatched them away to his sides as if she was lava, moving from her the second he realized she was alright.Her grip on Seb's shirt tighten, as she held it closer to her face to hide it away from any trace of recognition. She had asked him for it while on their face here and although he looked at her with absolute confusion, he had handed her the shirt, whispering to her that he was a virgin and was saving himself. She ignored his words, making it clear that had no intention to be intimate with him before they had continued their journey here.Why would he have even thought about that?It was hard to hold her breath and not breathe in Seb's smelly sweat but she did it anyways, her gaze fixed on the ground, while A
She threw the door open to the emptiness of the Bride's roomOf course, she had taken off. She had seen the pesky bodyguard when he had shown her the mask. She didn't deserve Eli. If she loved him as much as Eli claimed, then she would be here sacrificing herself for him. He deserved someone better, someone, who would stay with him through his trying times as she had done with him, and not take off at the first sight of trouble. Coward. Stupid girl. She didn't love him. No one could ever love Eli as she do--Her thoughts screeched to a halt when she saw someone make it into the empty hallway. She frowned, surprised when she realized that the person had been the little pretty thing. Lady Bell.Well, it was good that she was here. Now she could just walk up to her and request for her to give up her soul for the ritual. There was nothing a little convincing couldn't do when it came to Belladonna. Just the right twist and she would be down with the idea, taking it hook, line, a
Her stomach rumbled, but it was quiet, and for the sake of her dignity, she hoped that he hadn't heard it. “You don't need the sun, you need food; I know a place.”“Get out of my sun.”“I’ll take you there.” Quickly she was on her feet, his arm along her waist to keep her stable. “Are you even listening or are you just deliberately ignoring me?”“Deliberately ignoring you.” “What? I expect the elderly to behave with more sense,” she jabbed, annoyed with his interference. “There are no elderly here.”In a flash, he is with Arlo. Then before she could tell, they were before a table that must have been prepared for them only moments ago. She was dizzy from the speed but the lovely aroma in the air could not be mistaken; there was food here. She felt Ikrus push her into a chair and she took her seat, blinking to regain her stability and clear vision. When she finally did, she looked around. They were in a kind of glass room with flowers on the ceiling. The table before her was smal
She cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Is my age a problem for you, Ikrus?”He sucked in a deep breath, looking away, still thinking about why he had brought her and Arlo here - still trying to figure out his thoughts. “No. I was merely surprised, that is all.” “I’m not bothered either.” She leaned closer to him, a hair’s breadth between them, catching him off guard with her action. “Don’t worry,” she skimmed her fingers over his hair and he stilled, forcing himself not to move as more of her fragrance consumed his air. “I have always fancied old men.”What?!Old men?!Old men where?!“I’m not old,” he said, clearly offended. “You are thirty-two,” she said as she lay down and closed her eyes. “Exactly. I am not old.”She felt his shadow over her and she sighed, wanting the warmth of the sun on her skin once again. “You are thirty-two… and blocking the sun.”“That is not old at all.” He sounded like he was losing his mind, but his voice was leveled. She shrugged nonchalantly
She turned to him sharply, wheels turning dangerously in her head already to come up with a lie, her lungs clogging with fear, only for her to discover that he wasn't looking at her but at someone else. “Look! Arlo is walking!” He declared in hushed excitement. Aniya rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief, tucking away the poison bottle. He didn't catch her, she could still kill him. “Arlo can walk.”“For long distances like that?” He turned to her, surprised. “Yes.”“Oh.”“In fact, we must redesign the room to accommodate him. He keeps on trying to pull things down.”Ikrus frowned. In a flash, he was holding Arlo who was strongly protesting against being held. He certainly wanted to play on the ground. “How old is the little one?”“Arlo,” she said, emphasizing his name, subtly ensuring that he wouldn't call him “little one” again, “will be two soon.”Ikrus nodded, taking the information in as he easily moved Arlo from one hand to another in his struggle to get down. “H
Aniya told her about the strange lily she found in her coin bag while telling her how she had come by it, although leaving out part of the poison, while watching to see if the witch had told Oana about what she was searching for. It didn't seem like the witch told her anything. “I have seen something like that in my room before,” Aniya said. “I’m scared of what it means and I am afraid—” she looked over to Arlo for the umpteenth time, “of harm coming to Arlo or me.” Oana was very concerned and she said she would tell the Alpha and Luna about it so that they could give orders for the Pack House to be thoroughly searched. Then Aniya asked, “What about last night? Why did the sun suddenly come up and merge with the moon?” She rushed to the window. “Everything seems normal now.”“Elder Superior said it was a result of something that happened in another realm. It is none of our concern; our Realm stays unaffected, and all the portals remain sealed.” Aniya panicked.Another realm? Wha
That night, after they had both eaten, Alaris took Belladonna to a nearby river, where a burning incense was placed on a leaf pad to float away. “It is to let go of the past and begin anew,” he has explained. It was something that helped Belladonna even though she hadn't known she needed it. Her heart felt lighter and with a more positive perspective, she left the river bank.The Belarion Rebellion and the rest of the Cave had fully returned now. Shortly after, Belladonna and Alaris started trying to create the army. They were once again under an open sky. Nyka watched from a distance, just like every one of the dragon people had been advised to do. Her father was right next to her, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still injured from the torture he had received from the White King’s warriors that had captured him but he was terrified that if he as much took a step from her, the Heir would seize her and kill her. “What do I do?” Belladonna asked, trying to shake off the press
[LYCANS’ REALM]The coins vibrated on the floor, clanking as they added to the slight trembling she could feel around her. Aniya’s heart jumped. Quickly, she dashed to her bed and grabbed Arlo, taking him swiftly into her arms. She could hear a bell ringing from a distance. Voices of terrified people seeping into the air, even with her ordinary human hearing, the building chaos felt loud to her.What was going on? Before she could make it out of the room, though, she felt someone sweep her away, and in a flash, she was in an enclosed space, an arm around her, so that she held Arlo between them. She knew it was Ikrus; with such speed and the feeling of momentarily ease that went through her, it could be no one else. She hated the Matebond for many things but for this little ease that she could feel right now, she appreciated it a little. Even if this relief was a lie that everything was alright, it was better than the sheer terror she had been experiencing.The rumbling continued,
Finally, they were under an open sky.The Moon was full in its glory above them. “It is a perfect night,” Ny'ka said before intertwining her with Belladonna's.“Close your eyes.”She obeyed. “Think of the Bearer, of her grave, of her presence, and connect with her.”The Bearer. Belladonna allowed her mind to roam, remembering the silver-haired woman she would always dream about. She had never seen her face so there was no way she could see that. The image was blurry and soon it was nothing but darkness. “Open the windows, open the door,” she could hear Alaris' voice. Then she remembered her way of sealing the windows and the doors of her mind. So many things were happening in her mind. She could see the path to the castle, down to that room, to that sarcophagus, Then she was back in that room again - with the windows sealed and the doors locked.There was a white beam outside the window and a woman with long silver hair that shadowed her face.“Open the doors and the windows!”
“Don't kill me please, I believe now. You are the Heir, you are the savior. I see it.” Ny'ka begged. They were in one of the underground rooms, away from the people of the Belarion Rebellion and those of the Cave. This was something Alaris didn't want many to know about.“Please, take my life instead and spare my daughter,” Leader Tyrek begged. He knew what crimes Nyka had committed, the Priest told him everything.“You tried to kill me,” Alaris said to Ny'ka who was still on her knees, begging, tears running down her cheeks.“It was a mistake. It won't happen again.”Alaris smiled. “It won't.”He held her wrist and pulled her up, but while he did that, he crushed her bones, and pressing his flames into her skin, he healed her, just like he had seen it happen with Nightshade and that stranger in the Castle during their escape.It was an excruciating moment for Ny'ka and it didn't help that he did it again and again and again…By the time he was done, she was back on her knees, breat
The moment the ambush came upon them, some guards had taken Ny'ka and discreetly escaped from the scene. They were headed to the White King’s Castle to be highly rewarded for bringing to him the daughter of the leader of the revolution against him. They were supposed to take Leader Tyrek along too, but it seemed the guards who had him in captivity had been attacked. There would be much to tell the King upon getting to the castle. While they silently snuck away, Ny'ka found a way to free herself from the bondage and attacked them. She would rather die than have them take her alive; it was looking like that was the only option for her until she felt she had until Alaris' showed up. He descended from the sky with his massive leathery wings and he saved her; he killed the guards and swept her up into the air in his arms. In that moment, she saw what the others saw in him. A saviour.In that moment, something changed. “You saved me,” she said, the wind almost stealing her words away