“Come on, Shrimpy,” Luca says, quite cheerful for my sake as he puts his arm around my shoulders and gives me a tug towards the door. “Let’s go drink this.” He holds up the bottle of wine still in his other hand and gives it a little shake.I grin up at him. “You don’t even have glasses.”“You can l
“Oh, look who’s talking,” he murmurs, running his hands up my thighs and then sitting up a little as he reaches further back, one hand cupping my ass while the other slides up my back, obliging me to lean a little closer into him. “Miss I dress as a boy every day, never wear makeup, sometimes have b
“Ariel,” he whispers, looking intently down into my face. “I love you so, so much. It almost killed me to come close to losing you like that. I want…I want to go further. Life is so short – we shouldn’t wait -”I still, realizing what he’s asking. But then my eyes flick over his gorgeous form, his t
I gasp, pain flaring in my neck, my wolf howling and scrambling away in my soul as I put my hands on Luca’s chest and shove him away, hard.He gasps too, his eyes flying wide as he falls to the side and I pull myself from beneath him, huddling up against the headboard and staring at him, my hand sla
“So!?” I say, leaning forward in turn and matching his tone, my hand still clamped to the wound on my neck.“So – so we had sex!” Luca shouts, baffled and freaked out and afraid. “So – you picked me! You picked me, Ariel! I gave you my mark because you picked me!”I go perfectly still as I stare at
“Luca,” I groan, shaking my head and getting to my knees, still clutching the blanket to my chest with one hand and reaching for him with the other. “It’s not like that –““It is!” he shouts, turning back to me, fury in every line of him now. “It is like that, Ariel! You – you fucking chose him!”“I
And then I’m screaming and crying aloud as Luca’s wolf fades away, as the sense of Luca’s physical presence fades from my mind – meaning that he’s gone, he’s gone –I turn my face into the pillow, sobbing, physically unable to do anything else, the pain wracking through me.I barely notice the stir
Jackson empties his stomach onto the corridor floor, one hand flat against the wall as he presses his eyes shut, his whole body trembling. Because – it can’t be –What he saw can’t be true –But then why is he reacting like this? He gasps in a breath, turning back towards the figure in the Prince’s
Ariel bursts out laughing and gestures out to the rest of the roof. “Of all the interference to our plans, you’re going to point out this tiny, adorable, sleeping infant pup as the problem!?” Both boys look down at the little dark-haired baby, whose amber eyes flicker open to betray her mother’s w
Jesse sighs, glancing at his watch and then looking to the door, an undrunk glass of champagne in his hand. “Where the hell is your damn sister?” “Your damn cousin,” Rafe murmurs, draining his glass and then pouring himself another. “You’d better stop that,” Jesse says, turning his head to Rafe
She goes still for a moment and then laces her fingers with his, squeezes his hand. “We’re not dating or anything,” she snaps. “Just…because you got all rejected and stuff. I didn’t come running up here just because you’re single – I thought you were going to die –“ “Sure, you didn’t,” Jesse says,
“I love you, Jesse,” Midnight whispers, watching him, her little mouth trembling, her entire body feeling weak. “I love you too, Mids,” he replies. “Always.” She nods once. And then disappears. Midnight fights hard against her emotions as she flits through the castle, moving back and forth bet
“I’m saying,” Midnight says, freely crying now, cupping Jesse’s face in her tiny hands. “That I – I don’t want to have your pups, Jesse. Ever. Ever. I don’t want them.” She shakes her head, vehement. “I think I’d be a bad mom. I’d leave them at the grocery store and forget they were there. I – I jus
She has to admit though…the stars are a pleasant addition. Midnight’s wolf gives a little worried howl, sprawled out in her soul, her little legs too weak to carry her much or far these days. But Midnight smiles a little and strokes a mental hand over her wolf’s fur, pleased to see her free and cl
“What,” Jackson asks, frowning down at the little rectangular stone in his hands. “Is it like, special?” “Jackson!” Midnight hisses, standing on her toes to smack him on the chest. “They’re invaluable! This is only the second I’ve ever seen in the world! And I only know of one besides that other o
I laugh, pointing at the big plate of apple pie on the table. “Well, I’m glad to see that you’re feeling cheerful,” I say, grinning at her. “I am!” she says, happily plopping down next to Jesse and reaching for the pie, pulling it all onto her lap and digging in with a fork. “I don’t think that an
Jesse’s eyes open first, and then Midnight’s, slow and sleepy. “How do you feel?” I ask quietly, leaning towards her, able to see her better now in the dawn light that streams through the windows. “What happened?” Jackson asks. I turn to see him standing at the door and I smile, reaching out a h