Gary shrugged. “I didn’t say I thought it was too risky, only that it is a flawed system. There are weaknesses and they have to be addressed if all of you want to be safe.”Damonq noticed the healer had said “all of you.” He hadn’t included himself as if it didn’t matter one way or another that he was safe. It hadn't been to Damonq before he’d found Elina. He knew it still didn’t to Sandu, Andor or Ferro. He looked around at the other ancients. So many without lifemates. The burden of an entire species fell squarely on the shoulders of a very few couples.“Elina wishes to remain here. She wants to have a home here near her friends,” Damonq said. “She will go with me if I choose to leave, but she would much rather be here. I would like to buy property bordering this one and add to the compound. I would also like to go through the entire compound with you, Gary and Tensel, to see if some of these weaknesses can be addressed.”Tensel inclined his head. “I’m grateful you wish to stay. Jane
Tensel inclined his head at Damonq’s observation. “Perhaps,” he agreed. “On the other hand, I have found my love of humans is both a strength and a weakness. Thanks to the prince, we do know some human women can be converted. Those of us who did not find their lifemates, century after century, still can have hope. That soul is reborn again and again until we find her or we go into the next life. There are women out there, human and ancient, protecting the soul of a hunter.”“We left the monastery because three women came together and gave us hope. They told us that our lifemates were waiting in this century for us. I am not certain I really believed them at the time. I may have needed to believe them, but I was skeptical. Then I heard Elina’s voice, and my world changed from darkness to light. I hope that finding Elina continues to give the others hope that they might find their lifemates, too. Like me, they don’t think they belong anymore. We are ancients, and while we locked ourselv
STORMIt’s been two days since I had last seen Kaden, or heard anything from him even though Lucy usually gave me updates about the arrangements that he has been making with them about our school and housing. But he has never involved me. Had never called me or even asked Lucy about me. Lucy thinks I must have really annoyed him.I was beginning to feel sad, then agitated with him, and with myself. Was he really still angry that I had sent him away hard and needing for me? But what had he expected? That I pretended my best friend hadn’t just caught me making out with my benefactor and lead him to the room, where we will do what? Have sex obviously. I wasn’t ready for that. Somehow, I believed that my life would never remain the same if I crossed that threshold. That was one of the reasons why I had kept away from sex with Kaden, if not the major one. He seemed more than a mystery that I wasn’t sure that I wanted to unravel, even though I had campaigned for Justin to go ahead with i
STORMMy phone rang at the moment I was still contemplating if I should open the door, or let the knocker keep knocking. Sighing deeply, I retrieved my phone from the back pocket of the denim black shorts I was putting on. It was Lucy that was calling. Thank god.“Hi Lucy, how are you doing?” I asked, immediately I picked up the call.“I am okay, Storm. Could you open the door? Kaden’s man mentioned that no one is answering the door. He is there to pick you. He will help with carrying the luggages, so you should lock up and turn off the lights. Justin will receive the keys here. His parents are already with spares after all. See you later babes. Can’t wait to see you here. You will love it here!” She finished rattling off and hung up, without waiting for a comment from me. Was she that busy? I sighed again as I slithered my phone into my front pockets, before hurrying to the door.“Good morning.” I greeted, immediately I opened the door, a smile crawling across my lips as I recognize
STORMWherever it is we are going to have to be very far. We have been on the road for more than two hours. It made me wonder if taking a flight hadn't been the best option, not that there is a nearby airport around though. “How long before we get to the house?” I asked Lent who was driving. It was just the two of us since the two hours. No stops. No whatevers. Snacks and water were already available on my seat when I had stepped into the car. He was prepared.Lent shrugged, humming to the slow, unfamiliar music playing on the car radio. “Some minutes from now.” He answered quickly a few minutes later as if he had been calculating the distance in his mind, not taking his eyes from the road. I wanted to tell him that that was exactly what he had said an hour ago, but I kept quiet, deciding to try out his answer one last time. The next time I might call the journey up short. My buttocks were crying for relief. I turned to the window, allowing my eyes to shut at least for a while, to p
Dream continuation in Author’s POV:The wind picked up in intensity, but maintained its calm profile, moving gently through the crowd, ruffled hair with the touch of a father’s hand, gently, lovingly, brushing a shoulder, an arm. His voice, when it came again, was achingly sad.“Our males are turning into evil beasts, and the evil is spreading across the land faster than our hunters can keep up. Before, in lands far from us, the lycans and the werewolves and the Jaguar race were strong enough to keep these monsters under control, but their numbers have dwindled and they cannot stem the tide. Our world is changing, and we must face the new problems head on." He stopped, once again looking over their faces.Loyalty and honor ran deep in their blood. He knew each of them by name, knew each of their strengths and weaknesses. They should have been the future of his species, but he was sending them to walk a solitary path of unrelenting hardship."All of you must know these things I am about
STORM“We are here, Storm. Wake up.” That was Lent. He must think that I am still asleep, since my eyes are still shut, my face still facing the window. But I am not sleep. I don’t think I have been, for the past thirty minutes.My mind had just refused to let go of the dream which I had just had. A dream that looked so real to be called a dream. It was like I was there. It was like I was the Prince, or rather in the Prince. Does that even make sense?What was it all about? What could be the essence and interpretation? The Prince, whosoever he is, had sounded so sad. A sadness that had been very tangible. But what had he meant by sending them off to be killed? Why will he do that? Beasts and Demons? First, who were those people? Where did they come from? How come they can metamorphose from an owl fo a human? Are they even humans? And most importantly, why were they in my dreams?I was confused. Confused as shit. I needed to see the angel. She might have an inkling about what is going
The house was beautiful, and large. It had three master bedrooms and a smaller room which I think must be for guests. Probably that was why Justin had chosen to move in with us. There was enough room for everyone. And I am not sure he didn’t want to incur more burden on Kaden, not that the devil would complain. He seemed to have a lot of money to spend. Talking about Kaden, I haven’t seen him yet, nor have I heard anything from him. I didn’t want to ask either Justin or Lucy about him. I have decided whilst on the journey here to keep calm and mute about Kaden and his matter till whenever he is done hiding or running. I don’t care if I had been the one that had chased him out first, but I wasn’t going to go running after him,no matter how much I missed him. My room was very spacious, actually the biggest room with a balcony which gave a wonderful view of the nearby surroundings and forest.Yes, my side of the house faced a thick forest which was held in with fencing wires. Lucy had
Storm could feel her heart pounding hard, but it was more out of excitement than fear. She should be afraid, the bird was a true raptor, but it was magnificent. It had black eyes! Round, shiny, very intelligent black eyes. She stared at it for two full minutes. That wasn't normal, she was certain. Very slowly, so she wouldn't startle the creature, she backed across the room to the desk where she kept her phone. Still looking at the bird, she googled the images of the bird, biting her lips intermittently as she waited.Strangely, the bird was observing her just as intently, an intelligence in its gaze as it watched the phone beep occasionally. When the page opened, Storm glanced at the image of the harpy eagle. The eyes were round and shining with intelligence, but they were not black. The eyes in the picture were a bright amber with a black pupil. She let out her breath slowly. Something was wrong with her bird.‘You aren't blind, though, are you?’ She sent the words, not even kno
After Storm was done eating, she thanked Kaden, and let him have the plates when he stretched his hands to collect them. To hold herself from jumping on him, and demanding that he put her out of her sexual misery, she stood up from the bed and sauntered to the window to look at the forest, and clear her immoral thoughts. He had joined her to eat, and for each time his mouth had closed over a morsel of food, she had jerked subtly, as if the mouth was closing over her twin orbs. In a large oak tree, plenty feet away from her, a bird flapped its mighty wings, drawing her attention. A smile swept past her lips when she became aware that she could sight its distinctive features. She was not the same Storm of a month ago. She was different now, considering the amount of trainings she had submitted too.The bird had a round facial disk with a very pronounced ruff. It wasn't an owl but it was large. Very large. The unusual bird could easily weigh at least twenty pounds. She stared at it
Storm walked into Kaden's treehouse and was immediately struck by how it seemed larger than usual. The wooden walls, which should be plain and simple, were adorned with colorful murals and hand-painted designs. One wall even showcased a sprawling mural of a sunset over a peaceful lake, with vivid oranges and pinks blending into each other. And another wall had a charming depiction of a forest, complete with playful animals like squirrels and birds, all brought to life with bright, cheerful colors.The room was filled with natural light that filtered through the large windows, which had been decorated with flowing curtains in soft, earthy tones. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, adding a sense of movement to the scene. The wooden floor was covered with cozy rugs that added warmth and comfort to the space.A large, comfy bean bag was positioned in one corner, surrounded by soft pillows. Next to it was a small bookshelf brimming with colorful books, their spines lined up neatly
Storm’s mind kept conjuring up provocative images, as she and Kaden walked hand in hand around the clan. The kiss they had shared in her room still tingled on her lips, still kept heat in her blood, still made her hunger for more. She inhaled sharply when Kaden turned and stared at her, his eyes brimming with the emotions that she was sure was playing out in her own mind. For a second, she feared that he might have peeked into her dirty mind, but then she remembered that they were not bonded yet, not in that sense. It brought her swift relief which came with a coating of abashed-ness seen in the coloring of her cheeks and necks, something that wasn’t lost on Kaden who was battling to hold on to his honor. He cussed at himself for closing her lips with his earlier, knowing what could happen from there. But she had been speaking, and her luscious mouth had been like water in a desert land; he had been parched so much that he couldn’t have been able to help himself. And now, the stirr
All through the week, Storm only concentrated on the books Kaden had given her, or rather on the first book she had collected from the pile. Jutul had done the same, concentrating on the second book he had picked. Both had only taken breaks when they wanted to eat or when they wanted to train with Casper for an hour. To assuage Kaden’s caveman jealousy, all the reading had been in the dining downstairs, and yet they weren’t close enough to whatever the books were on about. They weren’t close to the end either, and the transcribers were doing a poor job, despite Jiraq’s input sometimes. It was then that Storm had learnt that Jiraq wasn’t done with the book either. ‘What are you doing with one of the hardest books in the pile?” had been his first question when she had solicited for his help. He had gone ahead to pick up a smaller book, written in English, for her and Jutul to start with, but she had declined—she had grown attached to the old book. And she had vowed to bring it to a fi
Storm groaned tiredly; under the full weight of the knowledge she had been absorbing for the past four hours. Kaden had been true to his word, and with the help of Jiraq, had bundled more than thirty books which smelt of oldness into her room this morning, just before she dressed for school. “For those written in old language, Jiraq was kind enough to let you have his transcriber, so that you can better understand it. You can check them out after classes today.” Kaden had said, when he had stepped into her room with a fellow whom she knew went by the name, Micheal, Liam’s younger brother. She had found out right after Liam’s recuperation weeks ago, about the wicked action on the young fellow who didn’t look a year older than her. The first book on the pile had gotten her attention after the duo had left the room, and picking it up, she had decided to peek at a page, then return to her preparation for school. But a page had turned to two pages, and then five pages, until school was
Storm was chatting with Lucy and Justin, in their phone group , around a time when she should be sleeping, when she heard her name being droned in her ears. “S-t-o-r-m” She furrowed her eyebrows, and looked around the room she shared with Kaden sometimes. There was no one. The voice sounded familiar, and until she felt the eeriness in the room, she didn’t know who it was. The vampire.She got up from the empty bed, and sauntered toward the door, needing to get to Kaden as soon as possible, but the door wouldn’t budge. She stamped her foot on the floor out of frustration, as fear suddenly took root in her mind and body. Where was he when she needed him? Why hadn’t he spent the night with her? She wondered, never minding that she had been one to ask they sleep on separate beds tonight, after he had returned from his meeting with his people, after she had returned from seeing her friends off with Lent. The voice called for her name again, and she shuddered before she could help it, h
There was a stark naked silence in the room after Jutul’s declaration. So stark was it, that Storm felt her ears ringing with deep silence, deep silence and an unclothed unbelief. They were lying? If she didn’t know of Jutul’s gifts, she would have berated him for speaking against her friends. But she knew. She knew he was telling the truth—there wasn’t a need to lie. And she still was finding it hard to believe. Lucy and Justin had planned a lie, and had come to convince them of it? All for what? To gain information on what was going on in the clan? Was their school even on break? Then, the silence was broken by Kaden’s voice which had descended to a certain chillness that informed Storm that her mate was angry, very angry, at being made a fool of. “Lent, place a call to the school’s authorities, and find out if the school is really on break…” Lucy’s dark laughter interrupted his statement, and brought Storm’s attention to her. “So y’all would rather believe Storm’s newest friend
Of course they wouldn’t. Storm thought, looking at Lucy squarely for the first time since she had entered the room. Her friend was still bubbling in age-old anger, and was still carrying a grudge against her.And since, Storm knew she couldn’t do much about it—because what Lucy was demanding was unattainable—she let the latter think that she wasn’t bothered by it. It would help with them leaving earlier. Having seen what exactly was at play here, what evil forces were at play here, she wasn’t about to risk the lives of her friends. She wasn’t about to have their blood on her head, because she wanted them to be included in every facet of her life. It was better they thought she was against them; it was better they believed that she didn’t value their friendship.“So, why are you here, Lucy?” She schooled her face to a cold aloofness, unfazed when Justin let out a cuss word, whilst darting a glance between Lucy and her. There was a minute silence, where Lucy scanned Storm’s features;