“We have no option but to once again examine those in the compound who have been near the healing grounds,” Max said, sounding weary.Tensel sighed. “The children have been put to the test repeatedly. I am not certain how much more they can take. Certainly Charlotte will be very distressed by the idea of having to examine them again, but we cannot risk everyone here.”‘My heart, there is another answer, one that will be difficult for you to put to the test, but these are children who you saw the vampire torturing. Do you remember?’‘Yes.’ How could she forget? Juliet had allowed herself to be taken prisoner in the hopes of rescuing her. There were children down in the tunnels, and they were used cruelly by Levon and his brother. Elizabeth had been in a tiny cage, hidden in the room, unable to do anything but watch the horror unfolding before her eyes.‘You would have to be very brave and trust me. I know it would be difficult for you, but if I am right, it would spare these children mo
Isai rose immediately and held out his hand to Juliet, who stood reluctantly. “Are you certain, Elizabeth? I would help you through this.”“She is certain,” Fero said. “This is difficult for her,” he added when Juliet continued to hesitate. “I ask that you go.”Juliet nodded and went with Isai from the house. Elizabeth didn’t look at her. She couldn’t. She already felt abandoned by her lifemate. The moment Juliet and Isai were gone, the remaining males immediately began weaving safeguards.Fero continued to hold Elizabeth while her mind went crazy with all sorts of possibilities that this was the moment when the axe was going to fall and she would see what was really in store for her. Was it possible that this was one of Levon’s many cruel tricks? He’d played so many over the centuries he’d held her. Was Fero an equally vicious master and now was the moment when he would reveal his true character? She couldn’t stop the thousands of likelihoods from pushing forward.Very slowly Elizab
Gary glanced at Fero and then he calmly took the ancient wood and plunged it into the heart of the creature, careful to avoid touching any part of the gray shadow. The thing wiggled obscenely and then slowly went still. The healer stood and brought the light to bear on the pinned worm. The edges of the shadow began to darken and curl. Flames licked at it and eventually consumed it. When the entire creature was reduced to ash, the door to the house opened and the breeze carried the ashes outside. The light in the room dimmed and then receded completely.“What did you find?” Tensel asked. “How did the lewykol slip through our safeguards? The three of you were sharing her brain when he managed to penetrate Elizabeth’s mind.”Fero once more went to Elizabeth and lifted her into his arms, surrounding her with his strength. ‘I am here, just as I said I would be. The vampire is gone. He cannot get to you. But you must be very brave and continue to believe and trust in me as you have done.’‘
Elizabeth heard the praise as if from a distance but felt Fero’s pride in her, and it warmed her that he felt that way. She didn’t like him to feel that deep sorrow that she couldn’t reach and remove. It was important to her to take care of his every need.“Her fears drive her. Levon has terrorized her for centuries, and without Fero to shield her, he continues to do so,” Gary explained. “Her very fears summon him. She opens the doors for him. Obviously, nothing from this world can come through and Levon knows it—the safeguards are woven too strong—but not one of us thought to keep anything from the netherworld from creeping in. Elizabeth summoned him with her fears and Levon responded to the summons by sending in the only servant he could get inside. The lewykod, the spirit shadow worm, could only stay so long in this realm, which is why it slipped away the moment she was put back in the ground.”Complete silence greeted the explanation. The ancients looked at one another. “You are ce
“You are really going to his place?” Lucy asked Storm, watching keenly as Storm performed a finishing touch to the light make up on her face. When Storm had asked for Kaden's number the first time, Lucy had thought that her friend would just talk about the stuff bothering her to Kaden over the phone, but Storm had set a meeting. Lucy sighed thinking about it, especially knowing that Storm would be going alone; her friend didn’t want any of them with her on this journey to Kaden’s place. Lucy couldn’t help but feel left out, and she wondered if it was because she and Justin had frightened the latter in the dark. Thinking about it now, she couldn’t help but beat up herself for doing that. What had they been thinking? “Yes, I have to. It’s important.” Storm replied curtly, picking her sling purse which she opened subtly and peered into it, as if trying to check if something she had put in there earlier, was present. She deftly closed the purse after that. Lucy, noting this act, coul
Hadn’t I just closed my eyes a second ago? Storm wondered, as she stood up from the sofa, aware that Lucy was staring at her sleptially. Her friend must be wondering what was wrong with her. “How long was I out?” She asked her friend tentatively, picking the purse that was on the centre table. “Probably an hour and thirty minutes. Ten tops.” Lucy answered, gauging the current state of her friend. The latter look like she had just been drugged.Storm furrowed her eyebrows at Lucy’s response, not believing what she was hearing. She had passed out for an hour and thirty minutes? She couldn’t believe it but for the truth in her wrist watch. She tried to recall if she had any dream, any pointer for the reason why she had passed out. Yes, passed out. That would explain this better, than closing her eyes to sleep. Too weird that she was now someone that relied on some dream sign for directions in the physicals realms. She almost laughed at herself. When had she gotten here?But a muse has
Kaden inhaled deeply, drumming his fingers on the mahogany table, his nerves fraying at intervals due to the anticipation building inside of him at the prospect of seeing Storm again. Storm. The girl made him act like a sixteen year old teen high on puberty and lovesickness. He took another deep breath in, feeling the need to straighten something; his hands found his beard. He chuckled drily as he realized what he had just done. Feeling overwhelmed, he stood up from the chair, and strode to the window, sighing when he saw from the window, Lent leading an awe stricken Storm to the office building. He didn’t blame her. He was sure that the house hadn’t been what she was expecting. He swirled, then paused. On a better note, he thought he should remain at the window till she came into the room. That would give the impression that he was busy, and not restless from wanting to see her, from wanting to hold her in his arms. Amusement bubbled within him. Amusement that startled him, bec
Kaden's composure faltered at Lent's revelation, a sudden surge of alarm coursing through him like a lightning bolt. His expression paled, a stark contrast against his normally composed visage. The news about the car, the ominous link to Liam's wife's kidnapping, ignited a flurry of apprehension within him.Why was it always Storm, his mate, teetering on the precipice of danger? The mere thought of her inadvertently entangled in these dangerous webs of clandestine events sent a shiver down his spine. His protective instincts surged, the instinct to shield her from the perils that lurked in their world overwhelming him.The gravity of the situation dawned upon him, accentuated by Lent's deliberately cryptic tone. His mind raced with unspoken questions, the implications of Storm's involvement in this discovery unsettling him.The girl would be the death of him. The thought tumbled through his mind like an ominous refrain. Storm, with her unyielding curiosity and knack for stumbling upo