Chris and Matt had both seen Colin in serious pain before. They had both been the cause of it before. But this was too much, even for them. He laid in a pool of his blood as high-pitched whines escaped his throat. “Watch and make sure he doesn’t die!” Matt ordered as he ran up the steps to find the doctor.
Doctor Cillian, an older wolf, came and looked down on the young man, horrified. “What did you do to him?” he snapped.
“Watch your tone, Doc,” Chris growled, straightening his spine to tower over the old man, who nodded in deference. “He’s trying to shift, but he obviously can’t in there.”
“Colin has been shifting for over a decade; he can control it. Why is he trying to?” Cillian pressed. At the brothers’ silence, he sighed, “I need to know so that I can give him the correct tonic. Why is he trying to shift?”
Matt shot Cillian a sharp look and hissed, &ldquo
“Yes, of course I would welcome you to my home. Have I ever been anything but a gracious host before?” Elias said with a charming drawl over the phone in his office. He knew that Claire was outside the door, but he did nothing to dissuade her presence. As long as she stayed within the mansion, he did not care. But if there were plans for a sudden visit by the local arm of The Council, he would need to prepare her as best as possible. And to Elias, that meant to get her as far away as possible. As soon as the phone was set down, Claire sprinted away to the library. She scoured the books, grabbing anything on The Council that she could find. Elias walked past the room at one point but paid her no mind. He was glad that she was reading up; it would save him explanations. He knew exactly what was in his library, and he could shape his answers around that.  
Claire stood in front of The Council members, trying not to appear as worried as she was. They were staring her down, studying her as the doctors did in the hospital all those years ago. It made her feel weak. Elia sensed her discomfort and squeezed her arm slightly, smiling down at her. The old woman began to smirk wickedly. She stood up and offered her hand; Elias growled, and she tittered again, withdrawing it. “Does she not know anything about her world, Elias? Did you worry that she would take me up on my offer?” Claire would not have touched the witch, but she did stare at her. She looked familiar. She even sounded a bit familiar. But if she was the Priestess of the local coven, that would make sense. She had likely met with Elias before, maybe even re
Colin paced back and forth, two miles outside Elias’ land. Reed and Kali stood nearby, trying to offer support. But he knew that the real reason for their presence was to keep him from doing something stupid. Something that could get the pack in trouble. “Why is she with him?” he asked no one for the hundredth time. “We don’t know, but it might not mean anything,” Kali replied again, trying to soothe him. “Humans often accompany vampires. Elias is a strong man, but he does not have a reputation for cruelty.” “No reputation for cruelty? He’s convinced her to stay so he can slowly suck the life out of her,” he growled in response. “She probably doesn’t even know what’s happening! Can’t they mind-control people? Even wolves and witches?” Every so often, the wind would blow, sending her scent down to the trio. The only way Colin would agree to stay outside th
Jocelyn’s smug grin only grew as she watched panic rise in the young wolf’s face. The moment she saw the hybrid, she knew why the witch was able to be turned; the Moon Goddess had already fated her to be with a wolf. She wondered how Elias found the witch, especially in the vulnerable position he had found her in. Of course, there would be time for such questions. She had nothing but time.“Claire,” the wolf said, his voice shaking. “Do you know what I am?”The young woman looked at him and nodded. “You’re a wolf.”His face clouded for a moment as he realized that she was not scared of him. She was scared of what she could do to him. He glanced down at his shirt, covered in his own blood, and looked back at her. Her blue eyes had darkened as blood flooded her irises, turning them into a deep purple. Jocelyn heard his heart flutter, both from innate fear and from the admittedly beau
Claire was gone. She had been right in front of him, close enough to touch. But now, she was gone. Colin was both frozen and on fire. His mind ran faster than ever, but he could barely pick up his feet. He pressed his nose to the ground, both bathing in her scent and attempting to track it. But she had just disappeared out of thin air. High-pitched whines escaped his throat as he lifted his head, howling desperately into the sky. “Silence!” his father commanded him; now that Claire was gone, he had no need for false pretenses of kindness towards his son. Colin’s ears pressed flat against his head as he bowed his head. Elias looked at the bloody wolf, who trembled with rage, and frowned for a moment. He turned back to Alpha Peter and said, “I cannot cross into her lands; the wards will kill me within a moment.” Peter shook his head. “I will not risk my warriors for your hybrid,” he sneered, and Colin growled at his words.&
Claire was staring at Elias. Or at least, she had been. He was threatening to use the sire bond on her. Or at least, he had been. And that wolf, Colin, was trying to defend her for some reason. Or at least, he had been. But then, she started spinning. Like when she was a child and would sit in her father’s office chair as her sisters spun her around and around. The kind of dizzy that made the world blur into colors. And after the dizziness, she wasn’t in her garden. She was in a damp cellar, behind a wall of bars, surrounded by gray concrete. Weakened and confused, Claire dropped to her knees and gagged, the back of her throat burning as she hacked. “I do not think vampires can throw up. But I suppose that you may be an exception to every rule,”
“My dad died seven years ago,” Claire answered coolly.Jocelyn smirked wickedly and feigned embarrassment. Shaking her head, she replied with the same bubbly tone she had used when first meeting Claire in the cage, “My mistake! Of course, your dad is dead. But your father.” Her eyes twinkled as she laughed mischievously, “Your birth father, however, is there.”Claire stood, dumbfounded. She had no witty retort because for some reason, she knew that the old woman was not lying. “How?” she whispered, unsure of what else to say.“No, no. That is not how this will work.” Jocelyn took her seat again, clearly happy to be back in control of the situation. “You will get your answers in turn for cooperation.”Claire’s eyes narrowed, but she was not surprised. She sat on the floor, realizing just how exhausted she was. Closing her eyes, she ignored the witch. If the old woman
Colin ran through the woods until he reached the border of their lands. He sniffed the air and knew that a patrol would be around sooner rather than later, so he only had a minute. By now, his father would have given an order just shy of ‘kill on site.’ Colin shifted back into his human form and rooted around some fallen logs until he found his pack. He had them stashed all over the woods, waiting for Peter to banish him. He slipped on the shorts, shivering slightly in the cold air. He would adjust soon, but the switch from being covered in thick fur to bare skin was always jarring. He had fifty bucks, two knives, a canteen, and some food. He took a bite of dried venison and walked through the neutral mile that separated the Yew Coven and the Half-Moon Pack’s lands. He knew that Claire was there, and his father had forbidden him from staying at the vampire’s home, but not from f
The moment Claire stepped foot on the gravel, a she-wolf raced up to her, pulling her into a bear hug. “I’m so excited to finally meet you!” she squealed.Claire didn’t move. She could hear the wolf’s heart beat jumping with her. The way her blood pumped. The way her blood smelt. She was getting dizzy.Colin noticed the stressed body language of his mate and pried the young woman off with a laugh, “Relax. Introduce yourself at the very least.”Slightly embarrassed, she stepped back, throwing her long, brown hair over her shoulder. A young man, about Colin’s age, stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, offering her a foolish love-struck grin. He looked a bit like Colin too. He stuck his hand out with a smile and said, “I’m Reed, and this is Kali.”Claire smiled slightly, taking his giant hand in her own. “Claire,” she replied softly.Colin wanted to pick up h
Alpha Peter stared at the hybrid, a delighted look on his face. Claire had noticed his malevolent grin and would not look up. She simply stared at the seat, where Colin’s hand sat just next to hers. He was fighting to stay awake, drifting in and out of consciousness. But each time he closed his eyes, she would brush her fingers against his, jolting him back. He knew that it was out of fear, that she did not wish to be left alone, but he relished the contact wholeheartedly. Peter leaned back in his seat, sipping from a glass tumbler. They had a nearly two-hour drive ahead of them. He had time to do this. But he was an impatient man. “You shall stay in the pack house, of course.” Claire stiffened,
Elias stepped forward, frowning. He placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder, who offered him a disproving glance before stepping away, still helping Colin stay upright. As more time passed, he was growing weaker and weaker. His body needed to rest in order to flush out the massive amounts of wolfsbane in him, but his severely weakened wolf wouldn’t let him; his mate needed help. “She will come back with me,” Elias stated calmly. “Like hell I will,” Claire muttered under her breath. Ife grinned. “Well, Mademoiselle Claire, unfortunately we cannot leave you unattended.” Elias growled at the King quietly, but everyone could hear him anyways. “She should come with her family,” Jocelyn rep
The dryad looked at the hybrid, who had distanced herself from her sire. They wondered briefly what the two had spoken of but quickly became apathetic to it all. They simply wished to return to the Fae Wilds at this point. “If the hybrid does not have magic, there is no need to consider a threat. Just as witches have lost their power when turned into werewolves, we will treat this as the same case. Any development of magic will result in the immediate execution of the hybrid and the sire.” Marwen turned to Elias. “You are forbidden from siring for the next century, when we shall reassess your case. Any attempts to do so will result in the immediate execution of yourself and any progeny made in that time.” Elias shrugged, uncaring. He had no intention of siring any time soon. In the past 1,500 years, he had sired only three vampires. Though when he was first turned, he used his ability l
There was a visible tremor of shock that ran through The Council Members after Jocelyn announced so calmly that Claire should die. A small squeak of fear escaped the hybrid’s lips, but she did not give the witch the satisfaction of looking in her direction. Marwen only narrowed their eyes in anger. “The Council did not ask for your opinion on the matter, Priestess. And we do not appreciate it. You may leave.” They raised their voice and spoke above the fire, “Elias Elhassan.” Jocelyn left, the matter-of-fact smile still on her face. Elias glowered at her as they passed one another. Immediately, he stood by Claire and reached his hand out to hers. Lifting her puffy face up from her hands, she stared at him blankly, ignoring his outstretched ha
When Marwen decided that Jocelyn would ‘take the stand,’ as it were, Claire felt a bubble of hope flutter around her chest. She would have to tell the truth. She would admit that everything she said about Elias was a lie, and that Claire wasn’t really a witch with any powers, and that everything could go back to the way it had been those few minutes that she felt freedom. But the cruel smirk gracing her grandmother’s face quickly popped anything she felt. She wore that smile as the High Priestess created the same blood spell, pressing it against the Priestess of The Yew Coven’s forehead. The dryad faced the old witch with a glare; they did not care for her cocky attitude, nor the fear that she struck into the hybrid. “You were listening
Ife Adeyemi stepped forward with a toothy grin. “Mademoiselle Claire, enchanté.” Claire looked hesitantly to Elias, who smiled encouragingly. “I understand that you are unfamiliar with The Council as a whole?” “I, um. Well, I,” she stammered, uncomfortable with the stares of so many on her. “I’ve done a bit of, I’ve read some.” Ife’s grin grew; he liked her. She was beautiful, yes. But too many vampires tried to stand too tall to him, tried too hard to seem confident. He liked that she was smart enough to be scared. “Well, it is my job to ensure that you do not lie. Unlike humans, we prefer to.” He
The ceremony surrounding The Council was not particularly extensive, but it was too much for the thin patience Elias had for the situation. Since The Council Meeting was called due to a vampire’s misconduct, Ife was responsible for most of the formalities, especially pertaining to evidence. Only the truth would be tolerated, and to ensure such, each representative of The Council had ways to force the truth out. The High Priestess casted a spell based in blood magic. The Alpha King commanded it. The fae representative carried a book charmed by the first fae queen, Titania. As for Ife, he simply told the vampires that they could not lie. As one of the men on trial, Elias was closely guarded by soldiers of each species. He could not care less. “Why is none of thi
Elias paced impatiently by the door. The sooner he came, the sooner all of this would be over, and he would have his child back. It pained him to think of what that witch was doing to her, what she was telling her. Elias had planned to eventually tell Claire the truth, but not until he was certain that she could handle it. And if she never developed any connections, he simply would never tell her. After all, enough of his lie was true that it would not be found out. The sound of a car turning up his gravel driveway did not put Elias at ease. The butler opened the front door with a deep bow as the master of the house sat in the drawing-room, drinking a cup of black tea mixed with enough laudanum to knock out an elephant. “Elias, my old friend!” a booming voice