I have immediate need. Amelia must be transported to the safe room with my body. I will be inside her trying to keep Darkness from killing her.He would have to leave his body behind, unprotected, but she didn’t have the time it would take to get her to the safe room.He heard the soft echo of Elina’s cry. No. No, don’t do this. The wrenching pain in her voice nearly shattered him. He sent as much emotion to her as possible, giving her his heart as he shed his body, leaving it vulnerable to Darkness’s mutations.Amelia’s mind was the real battlefield. Darkness wanted her dead before they contained her. The sliver of evil commanded her lungs to cease breathing.Damonq forced the air to continue in and out of her. He felt the anger as the master monster realized he wasn’t alone in Amelia’s mind. The force of the undead’s rage, coiled and ugly, hit him hard. Waves of turbulent sound bounced through Amelia’s head, high-pitched, painful. Darkness tried to drive Damonq out of the te
Damonq reached for the monster, using the common link between ancients. Your brother will be the one everyone must look to. You are defeated by a teenage human child. With the loss of this splinter, you lose power and all those following you will be aware of your diminished capacity.He was poking the tiger, but he wanted the other monsters and especially the brother to know Darkness wasn’t invincible. In the past, they were too vain and selfish to stick together. The brothers had been the ones to accomplish what no one had ever done – they’d formed their own army of monsters and demons. Even other master monsters were talked into joining with them. That was unheard-of and boded ill for the world.The Ancients were playing catch-up with the monsters. The latter had put a plan in place centuries earlier and had the patience to carry it out. Darkness was a huge part of that. If Damonq could discredit him and cause doubt among his followers, it would be all to the good.Amelia’s body
“Amelia’s so far away, none of us can reach her,” Damonq told Elina as he gathered her close to feed her. “Tariq is hoping you’ll try. The healer thinks she doesn’t want to come back. She knows Darkness used her to try to kill me, her sister and the other children. She knows he used her to try to reacquire you. Claire and Jane have tried. Gary has tried; so has Tensel. Danny is at her bedside along with Liv, but nothing is working.”They had to have the conversation about Damonq imperiously preventing her from helping during the attack, but right then he sounded so distressed over Amelia that she couldn’t help reaching up to link her fingers behind the nape of his neck as she fed. He tasted delicious. Perfect. Truthfully, she was just thankful he was alive.You throw yourself into battle without thinking of the cost to yourself, she pointed out. It’s terrifying, Damonq. You almost died. That poisonous knife could have killed you. So many things could have killed you last night. You
“I understand, Damonq. I do. I’ll do my best not to worry too much.” Like that would happen. “I love you. When a woman loves a man, she worries. I can’t stop that.”He brought her hand to his mouth, still looking into her eyes. “And the other?”Elina realized immediately it was “the other” he was most worried about. “I realize you are from a different time where women didn’t have rights and their men looked after them —”“Our women have always had rights,” he interrupted. “They are cherished. Treasured. We know how capable they are.”“Claire and Cass go with Tensel and Max. They are at their side when a battle comes.”“That affects us how?”He seemed genuinely puzzled. She sighed. “Damonq, I can’t be locked up.”“You wouldn’t have stayed where you were safe.” He retorted calmly.If she were honest, she wouldn’t have stayed in the house. She would have tried to help in some way. She wasn’t like Claire, a warrior woman. She never had been. But she went her own way and made decisions
Elina leaned into Damonq to kiss him. She’d been fixated on his eyes, but his mouth was equally as intriguing to her. He tasted wild. She loved that about him. He tasted dangerous. He was both those things and yet, he was hers. She had to be brave enough to look into his mind and see those terrible memories – the emptiness that drove men of honor to become the worst monsters on earth.He kissed like sin. Like heaven. She indulged because she’d hated that look in his eyes, the one that said he thought she wouldn’t want him as he was. She indulged because he was just sexy and his kisses were hotter than the most out-of-control firestorm imaginable.She laid her head over his heart. “I love you, Damonq.”“I know you think you do, Elina. I know you’re my lifemate and you said I was your choice, but I’m not an easy man. I swear to you, I’ll give you everything I can, everything you want or need, but I cannot give you the right to fight at my side when I battle monsters. I will never be
Elina liked that. She liked that he felt respect for Tensel and that a part of him wanted to stay and protect him and the others. With Damonq came the brotherhood. They were loyal to him and to one another.“I don’t understand why Darkness doesn’t just give up and go away when there are so many ancient hunters here. Tensel has an army of humans with weapons that can kill them. Why doesn’t Darkness find another empire where there aren’t any hunters?”Damonq opened the door and stepped into the foyer. She hung back. “We should knock.”“I called ahead and let Tensel know I was bringing you. He said to go inside and up the stairs to the first bedroom.”She found herself smiling. She wasn’t certain she would ever get used to the ancient’s telepathic way of communication. “I would like to buy land near here. Bordering Tensel and Claire. Maybe even on the lake, although the water scares me.”His gaze jumped to her face. “Why?”She shrugged, unwilling to sound like a frightened child. “Drea
Elina took another deep breath, set her shoulders and drew on every ounce of courage she had. “Baby,” she greeted softly. “I know you’re locked away from us, somewhere safe. Somewhere monsters can’t get to you. I know, because I’ve gone there a time or two myself. It’s all right to go there; we all need that respite once in a while. It isn’t cowardice, it’s self-preservation. Just know, you can’t stay there.”She stroked caresses down Amelia’s arm. “I know, Amelia. Darkness’s horrible creatures surrounded me and held me down. They ripped my clothes off. Some of them licked me with their tongues. Their tongues were black and bumpy with parasites wiggling on them. When they touched my skin I felt filthy.”She watched Amelia closely. The body never moved. Her skin was cool to the touch. Had those lashes fluttered, or had Elina just wanted them to do so? Could she do this again? Relive it all for Amelia? She had to, because it was what Amelia was escaping – what she couldn’t face – an
“So far, Darkness has been the aggressor every time,” Tensel said, looking around the circle of ancients, the men he trusted with his family. “I think it’s time we struck back and struck back hard. I know many of you have been out looking and scanning all around San Diego and the surrounding parks and hills, but so far, we’ve got nothing.”The ancients looked at one another, shaking their heads. “Not a thing,” Thomas reported. “They head out toward the water and we lose them there. I’ve checked ships. We all have. The wharf, docks, storage, they disappear without a trace.”“Even the newer demons,” Loj added. “We deliberately targeted them because they tend to leave such a mess behind making them easier to find. We’ve noticed they have another with them, one that’s been at it longer. Darkness isn’t taking chances with his recruits.”“That’s worrisome in itself,” Tensel said with a sigh. “No master devil has ever concerned himself with lesser ones. They’ve always been pawns to sacrific
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;