“Valentine would know. Liv, the little girl, is his lifemate. What is in her mind, he knows.” Damonq stated.“I didn’t think of that. I thought he left.” Elina mentioned, furrowing her eyebrows.“There was that trouble with the lightning when we were converting you. He came back to protect Liv.”“I don’t understand how he would know she was his lifemate. She’s too young. I thought it had to do with sexual maturity.”“That plays a huge part,” he admitted. “Sometimes being in close proximity over time can make a man aware his life mate is near. His colors fade but don’t altogether leave him. His emotions don’t completely disappear and he has a sex drive. One that won’t go away. I’ve heard all kinds of things that tip off the male. Most don’t have those luxuries. Valentine most likely discovered it when Darkness brought the child to him to take her blood. Darkness had kept Valentine starving for so long, he thought when he gave him a child, Valentine wouldn’t be able to resist killing h
Elina liked the sound of dancing in the stars. For the first time, she allowed herself to fully relax. She tipped her head up and studied the constellations scattered overhead. The sky looked beautiful, so dark it was nearly blue, the stars and sliver of moon hot and glowing against that backdrop. There were a few drifting clouds, but they looked inviting rather than threatening.More childish laughter caught her attention, and she turned her head to see the old couple standing with Danny, talking to the two youngest. Mary carried something cradled in her arms. Her husband, Don, had a large gun slung around his shoulder. She sat up so fast she nearly spilled into the water.“What in the world?” She stared at the couple as they laughed and talked with Danny. “Damonq, they’re carrying guns. Both of them. They’re the sweetest couple. They live in the boathouse. I’ve never been in it, but the children tell me it’s really nice and homey. Why in the world would Mary be carrying a gun? Or
“If you don’t show me, little rebel, I am going to have to wake you up.” Damonq promised.“Mmm.” She wouldn’t mind him waking her up. She let the various ways he could do it play through her. She didn’t have a lot of experience, but she read books. Tons of them, and there were many books that had erotic relationships, ones that intrigued her.His hand came down hard on her bottom, startling her out of her fantasy. His palm rubbed and heat spread through her center. She pressed closer to him. “All right. Before you get too comfortable, I’ll show you.” She pushed the image into his head.He was behind her, hands on her hips, taking his time, controlling her completely. She couldn’t move or she’d fall. He held her up with one arm, forcing her body over his forearm, so her head was down and her bottom up in the air. He teased her, first with his hands and then with his cock, making her plead for him, making her so needy and hungry for him she had gone mindless. She wanted mindless. S
Damonq brought Elina safely back to the dock and settled her feet there, holding her until he knew her legs were steady. He’d deliberately used the marina closest to the boathouse and away from where Amelia and Liv were skipping rocks. He glanced over at the two girls. Amelia was watching.He wrapped his arm around Elina’s waist, tipped up her face and kissed her. Hard. Possessively. Wet and deep. She melted into him instantly, her body going soft and pliant, her arms circling his neck. He loved her mouth. It was always so responsive. His kisses. His cock. Her mouth loved both and she showed that to him every time.“I like your creativity,” she whispered. “I intend to explore every inch of you when we’re alone.”“In the middle of a crowd we can be alone,” he informed her with a wicked laugh.She pulled back just enough to look up at him. “How?”“I could take you right here, remove every stitch of your clothes, carry you to the picnic bench and pound into you. No one would see unles
Damonq winged his way over the lawn filled with creatures that should have been gophers but had morphed into something altogether different. The mutations flung their bodies at the hunters, swarming up legs, hurtling themselves onto arms and backs. Biting ferociously. Their giant teeth tore large chunks of flesh out of the ancients while the birds circled and came back for a second assault. The timing was perfect, the mutated creatures keeping the ancients occupied with their terrible teeth while the birds regrouped and circled, darting in to try to tear the little ones from Danny’s hands. He had dropped to the ground, covering both little girls with his body. Jane covered him, adding a second layer of protection.The mutated gophers bore through the ground to get at the children, forcing Danny and Jane to stand, each protecting a child, vulnerable now to the attack from the birds.Tensel and Gary laid double protection over all the humans, so that the birds battered at an invisib
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