I finish getting to my feet and make my way slowly over to where they are standing; I stop just short of them as she pulls back, wrapping her arm around his waist and facing me. I ignore her for a minute and just stare at Zachariah. He just smirks at me as he pulls her into his side just that little bit more. I return his smirk and give him a right hook that not only connects with his jaw but also connects with her nose. I then turn and walk away, shaking my hand. I meet up with Jade just inside the back door. She passes me a bag of ice, saying. "Well done. You just met Vivian, the pack slut, and I watched as you put her on her arse on your first day of training. You are good, with some more training you would probably be even better than some of the high-ranking males here... I have been wanting to do that to her for years and you probably just broke her nose with that last shot. You also gave my brother a nice right hook to the jaw. Probably not the best
As Raphael sits on the stall next to me, I face him and ask quietly and hesitantly, "Did Zachariah... Did he ask you... Did you find anything on my mother?"Raphael smiles. "Yes, he asked me as soon as he came down to the field this morning... You showed good form, stamina, and skill out there this morning, even with how many he made you fight... You have had other training??" "Yes, it wasn't much just what one of the Elders in my village had learned and was teaching some of the younger guys..." "You're not like the other girls we pick up from the villages... They are all... Well, girls!" I smile and laugh. "Yes, I am. I have always been different, I never felt comfortable wearing the dresses and the skirts, or learning how to properly wash a man's really smelly, stinky underwear and clothes, or how to pick, prepare and cook food for a man just because he is just that a man. And that a girl's or women's
He glares at me as he bows to Zachariah and leaves; he returns not long after with another plate and places it in front of me. This one, however, has a cover over it. Zachariah, seeming to be happy with this, then picks up his knife and fork and, after taking the first bite, everyone else then follows. I sigh and remove the lid to find a very small serving of food. I look over at the Omega that brought it out and see the smirk on his face. I guess he doesn't approve of me either.I pick and eat a little. I then just watch Zachariah as he sits, eats, and discusses different things with Zaire and Raphael. I carefully and silently move my chair back and, while everyone is preoccupied, I slip from my chair and out of the room. I stop just outside the doorway and move into the shadows, turning back just to watch. I wish I hadn't looked back though as I watch Vivian get up from her seat at the other end of the table and make her way down approaching Zachariah. I guess she was
Valentino runs the knife, making a small cut along my arm. I gasp at the shock and sting of it, but I do not scream. I smile a little to myself at his confused and disappointed look. I guess he was expecting a little girl, one that will break quickly and easily, but I can stand more pain than most girls and I don't intend to give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream. At the sight of my slight smile, he tightens his hand around my throat a little, making it harder to breathe.He then makes another cut, but he starts this one from my left shoulder and goes down at an angle, stopping once he gets to the middle of my chest between my breasts.When I didn't make a sound other than the gasp as he first started the cut, he passes the knife back to the other beast and moves real close to me, whispering once more,"What are you to him? What is his weakness?"I struggle to answer him as he tightens his hand a little more around my throat.
Valentino growls again as he slaps me hard before turning his back to me and facing the young girl that is still standing just inside my cell. He says something to her; she nods, and he leaves. She follows him out but is back a short time later, carrying a bottle of something and a tube of something else. As she gets closer to me, she whispers,"I'm not meant to talk to you, but you probably wouldn't trust what I was trying to give you if I didn't..." I just watch her as she continues to get closer, she takes the lid off of the bottle and moves it to my lips as she says,"This is a healing tonic. It will help with the pain. It will also give you what you need to stay alive."I shake my head. She sighs, lowers the bottle from my lips and places it on her own, and takes a small mouthful. Lowering it from her lips and facing me so I can see it in her mouth, and then she actually swallows it, showing me her empty mouth afterwards. As she steps back up to me and lift
I drift in and out. I feel like I am trapped in water. I fight my way to the surface but can't seem to stay there as something pulls me back down into the darkness again. I fight my way to the surface again and this time I can hear voices. I can't make out what they are saying but at least one of them sounds familiar.I then get pulled back into that darkness again, the next time I fight to the surface I wait to be pulled back but I seem to stay this time, I then wait for the cold and pain that would run through my body after each session with Valentino but that wasn't there either. I start to wonder if I am dreaming as I am laying on something soft, I am covered and I am warm instead of cold. I then panic a little as a warm arm moves over my side and the hand stops laying flat on my abdomen.I flinch a little in pain as he hits a recent slash from the whip and I then shiver in fear, thinking, did he finally do it? Did Valentino take me out of my torture cell and take
I drift in and out of the darkness until I can finally hold onto the light, every time I have scratched the surface it has been with Zachariah's arms wrapped tightly around me. This time is different, he is not holding me and I hear yelling, it takes me a little until I am able to focus on what is going on."Jade drop it!""No! What did you expect Zach? You kiss Vivian in front of your mate and then act as if she doesn't exist at dinner that same night... Did you really expect her not to run?""She is my mate! She belongs by my side...""That's right by your side, not just in your bed...""Jade!!... I nearly lost her..." He stopped yelling and actually sounded a little sad"Why haven't you turned her?""I..""Zach, this is not like you. You have always taken what you want, what is different here?"Jade stops yelling too, changing her tone to being concerned rather than angr
With the help of Jade, Raphael, and Zachariah, I slowly make a reasonable recovery. Jade helped me to get my attitude and confidence back. As we built on our friendship, Raphael became my personal trainer and helped me trust a guy other than Zachariah. We started with some light stuff in the bedroom. Raphael then moved us to a small section on the training field, away from everyone else.Then once I was stronger, Raphael moved our training to the wildflower field so we could do more with my private training against their kind, getting me back to where I was before Valentino got his hands on me. Raphael would even get Zaire to join us occasionally to help with not only fighting one or two of their kind, but to also expand on who I trust.Now, Zachariah, he was much more personal. He would wake me the same way every morning. To start with, I would flinch and struggle until he could convince me that it was him and not Valentino. He started slowly, holding me tight a
>YASMINE“So this is what it feels like to die… I thought it would have hurt more…” “But we aren’t truly dead, are we?” Zelda asks. “Yes, but No… We are in the in-between. The nothingness between life and death.” Lorelei answers. “So, how long we here for?” I ask, looking around at the endless darkness around us. “We are being held to our body through the power of the ancient dagger. So as long as nothing has happened to Zachariah, then we will return to our body once he removes the dagger and Summer performs the resurrection ritual...” “What happens if something has happened to Zachariah and he can’t remove the dagger and someone else does?” Zelda asks, getting more worried. “I don’t know and I hope that we never find out…” Lorelei says, finally not having the answer. “You have nothing to worry about, my daughter. Everything is as it should be. You can and will return to your loved ones soon.” I turn in the dark and just manage to spot the blue glow as it fades into the dar
The Final Battle Continues... She was off limits; she was the Masters; she was Kastrath's. The general forced the lower Demon back to their world as he landed and then took his place lying over the beautiful female that will be his Queen. Yasmine struggles against the new Demon but stops rather quickly as she feels the difference between the Demon that was just holding her to the one that is now. She looks into his bright red eyes and he seems to smirk at her before leaning down and running his double-forked tongue over her skin. Yasmine shivers in disgust and starts struggling again as the general leans down and pushes his rough, demonic voice into her head, “You, my dear female, are lucky that you are already claimed for if you weren't your life from now on, would be a nightmare for you, however; pure hell for me…” Yasmine tenses as she is then hit by her gift opening and entering into the Demon on
The Final Battle Continues…Zachariah wakes slowly, tightening his arms and only finding air. he reaches his hand out to be met with cold sheets. He sits up and looks around. He smiles to himself when he sees the light on in the bathroom and hears the shower running.Zachariah slips out of bed and walks over to the bathroom with every intention of joining his mate. However, the scene in front of him as he enters has him bewildered.He moves quickly, stepping into the shower and crouching in front of her, first grabbing her hands, stopping her from doing any more damage to her skin. Then he places one hand on her cheek as he scans her body, assessing the damage, stopping at the two bites he can see on the top swell of both breasts.He lets out a low growl, bringing her eyes to his. Zachariah doesn't get to say or do anything as Yasmine's resolve breaks completely and she jumps at him, whimpering."I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I coul
The Final Battle Begins!THIRD PERSON… Kastrath paces in his castle's realm. He had watched Young Yasmine live and grow. He had been watching the panther shifter bloodline and had known who and what she was from the moment she was born and had been watching over her ever since.Kastrath watched as she grew into a headstrong, fiery female that would make him proud and would be worthy of standing next to him as his Queen.He had known the moment Queen Margaret and King Jason had summoned him, that deep into the future they would provide something he had been looking for…Something that he had been searching for a millennium.Now he knew that he had to wait until after her mate had changed her first, forthe real her to be released. However, Kastrath hadn't taken into account just how powerful the Moon Goddesses' mate bond would be between them o
I struggle against his hold, trying to push him away from me until he tightens his arms around me and whispers in a low tone,“Now, now, my Queen. I am only here to congratulate you and to remind you that you can avoid all the bloodshed to come if you will just say yes and come with me now…”Even with the anger and conviction in my voice, as I say,“Never…”He just laughs, then moves one of his hands to my cheek as he takes a deep breath and says,“Mmm… So much fire… Just a few more weeks, my Queen and you will be mine.”He then holds me tighter against him as he presses his lips to mine before disappearing into his tentacles of grey smoke, leaving me to collapse to my knees as the smoke disappears. Zachariah runs over to where I am and helps me back to my feet as he whispers,“What happened? One minute you were there dancing in my arms, the next you were gone
I then place a soft kiss on his forehead as he steps back and into Summer's arms. She gets to her feet and bows before her and the others disappear and enter the throne room from another door. I stand up straight and take a deep breath before giving a slight nod to the two warriors that are once again standing guard at the doors.I hear the music as the doors open stop and the Royal announcement chimes ring out I take a step and enter the room and freeze just inside the door, I still hate being the centre of attention as everyone steps aside and bows, revealing a very handsome Zachariah standing in the middle of the room wearing a traditional Royal black tux. He smiles at me and opens our private link,“Yasmine, look at me and only at me. Remember…” With his voice in my head, I smile as a quick flash of the last time we did something like this and he had asked me in front of the whole pack to be his. I walk slowly toward him
I feel the bed dip and then feel his fingers lightly touch under my chin. He applies a little pressure, making me lift my head and look at him. Tears sting my eyes and one seems to escape. He then moves his hand to my cheek and wipes away the tear as he whispers,“It’s okay… Yasmine, it is a natural response. We didn’t get to spend the time we should have with them once they were born. So your protective instincts to do with them will be heightened for a little while.”I then snap my eyes to the door once more as there is a knock. Zachariah gives me a kiss on the cheek and then gets off the bed. As he leaves the room, he says,“Relax, I’ve got this. You lay down with our pups.”He closes the doors behind him and I do as he says and I lie down, wrapping my arms around my pups. I take a deep breath of their scents and then drift off into an exhausted sleep.**Dream** I look like a
As Zachariah talks to Jasper and the other Alpha, I walk up to Mary and give her a hug. When she pulls back, she steps to the side. With her arm around my waist, she says, “Yasmine, I would like to introduce you to Alpha Isaac's mates, Leah and Nyla.” “It’s nice to meet you both.” They both bow and then I think it's Nyla who steps a little closer and places her hand on mine as she whispers, “I am glad that Alpha Zachariah found you. He deserves to be happy, because if it wasn’t for him, then I wouldn’t have met my mate or found my sister…” I feel as all her walls drop and she opens herself up, and just as Darius said I can’t control it as my power flows from me into her and I see everything that was her life, I can’t stop the tears that fill my eyes and then slide down my cheeks at all the suffering she went through at the hands of Valentino. As with Alpha Clive, Zachariah seems to be standing behind me when my power returns to me and I sway on my feet. Zachariah wraps his arms a
I look around the room at the pack that is in the room casting its vote. Most of them have stopped and are looking at me and Zachariah. Zachariah follows my gaze as it passes over the room. He smiles, turns so that he is now facing the room and says,“If you will excuse us, but family is calling. Please continue to cast your votes.”When he turns back to me, I look at him with wide eyes and whisper, shocked,“But don’t we have to be here for this?”“Technically, yes, but we haven’t seen much of Darius since we have been here, and I can feel that being with him is what you need, so that is what we will do. We can count and look at the votes tomorrow.”Then, without another word, he steps up to me, grabs me around the waist, throws me over his shoulder and then walks out of the throne room. I lift my head just as he steps out of the doors to see Alpha Clive with a smirk on his face before he turns his attention back to his pack and the voting going on around him. True to his word, Zach