Elina stared out the window. Damonq and the others had gathered together to figure out the best way to get rid of the splinter Darkness had left in her. Her heart was so heavy she thought it might just shatter into a million pieces. There was no going back from this. It was the last straw. The very last. She’d done everything she knew how to do to make things right with Damonq and the others, but no matter what she did, there was always more.“Elina.”She closed her eyes. She was certain Tensel had sent Charlotte and Claire to assure her everything would be all right – but it wouldn’t. She would always be that girl from the streets. She could change species, but she couldn’t shed who she was inside. That girl.She touched her fingers to her face and was shocked to find blood red tears tracking down her cheeks. She stared for a moment at the blood smearing the pads of her fingers, not comprehending. Her tears were blood? She sat there feeling frozen inside. She didn’t answer the doo
Of course Elina knew she would do as Damonq asked. What else was there for her when his voice stroked caresses in her mind and righted her tilting world? She forced her stiff body to respond. Very slowly she got to her feet, her eyes on him. She smoothed her hand down the beautiful dress he’d created for her and took a deep breath.For you, Damonq, because I’d do anything for you.Love surrounded her. His love. It poured into her like a healing balm. It spread through her mind, rushing to encompass her heart. The emotion went deeper, finding her soul and wrapping it up in him – in his love. His love was deep and abiding and endless. Unconditional. She saw it and felt it and it made her ashamed that she wasn’t stronger for him. Still, if he wanted her to lean on him, to choose his way in this time of madness, she would follow him. She would do it even when she felt it would be better for him if she left him.I wouldn’t survive you leaving me. I am weak in ways you cannot imagine. Yo
Damonq’s soft laughter warmed Elina’s heart. She loved to hear him laugh. She knew it didn’t happen often and she felt it was a great victory every time she made him laugh – even it if was at her expense. Hän sívamak.He stroked the endearment along the walls of her mind. Caressing her with it. Beloved. She loved how he called her that. Or his heart. Sometimes it was keeper of his soul. But she loved beloved.Pesäd te engemal.I don’t know what that means.It means you are safe with me. Do you feel safe? Do you know that I would do anything for you? Pesäd te engemal. You are safe with me.She loved him so much she was overwhelmed with the emotion. She wanted to run to him, fling her arms around him and hold him tight. Just hold him, so he knew he was just as safe with her. She wasn’t going anywhere. If Amelia could face the world, holding her head high without an extraordinary man like Damonq standing beside her, then certainly Elina could do it.I love you so very much, Damonq.Tha
“He also told Tensel you love the dragons and he wanted to incorporate dragons into the design. I thought that was very cool,” Charlotte went on. “Did you talk about it with him? About the dragons? He was very specific.”Elina shook her head. “Specific in what way?”“The headboard is the male dragon with his wings outspread. The footboard is the female dragon with her wings spread. He wanted the feeling of the baby being held by both, protected by both. Loved, he said. The carvings are beautiful, and both Tensel and Damonq are weaving strong safeguards into the wood.”Elina set the quilt carefully on the small end table and stood up to walk to the window. She touched the glass, staring out at Damonq. He was talking, shaking his head, the others listening. Tensel said something, and Damonq nodded. Suddenly he turned his head and looked straight at her. His features had been stone, cold, expressionless. The moment his gaze touched her, he warmed.You have need of me?Just looking at th
Elina’s stomach knotted, and she put her hand carefully over her baby as if she could protect her. A cloud passed over the moon, an ominous sign. Even the wind chose that moment to kick up leaves and twigs against the window. “I think, no matter what, as long as Darkness lives, we should all be on alert, even here in the safety of the compound.”She squared her shoulders as Damonq broke away from the group and started toward the house. She refused to give the appearance of cowering inside. She immediately put down the quilt, stroking her hand over it to collect courage and peace as she hurried to the door. She was halfway down the outside steps when Damonq got there. He swept her up, his hands at her waist, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around to set her on the ground.The small, dizzying dance warmed her. She slid her arm around his waist and looked up at him. “Your supersecret meeting is over?”He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you giving me a hard time about our stra
Damonq’s arm circled Elina’s waist, and he pulled her back against his solid body. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, his mouth moving against her earlobe, yet he spoke telepathically, making his communication intimate.Think only of me, of what I wish to do to you. I do not care if the others are close. I want to slowly remove this dress, slip the buttons from their holes and allow the dress to slip from your body and pool at your feet. Feel me. So hard for you. I am always like that now.It was impossible to think about anything else when he spoke like that to her.Think of me when I’m inside you. When I am a shield and a destroyer. Think of only me, Elina. Do this for me.She nodded. I’ll try. It shouldn’t be that hard. His body was pressed so tightly against hers, the fullness of his cock reminding her how it felt when he was inside of her.He pulled her down on top of him, his body hard beneath hers, his arms around her waist, his chin on her shoulder. Just that fast he sh
STORMMy eyes snapped open suddenly, my heart pounding in my chest as I emerged from a daunting dream that left me breathless.I sat up in bed, my mind still reeling from the vivid images that had plagued my sleep.In my dream, Kaden, the man I secretly harbored feelings for, I secretly longed for, had been viciously attacked by a terrifying red beast with piercing red eyes. I don’t think I would be forgetting the details anytime soon. They were etched into my memory now, and a sense of fear and urgency washed over me. I needed to see Kaden. Damn my earlier decision to stay away from him. Damn him too for respecting it.In the dream, I had found myself in a dense, foreboding forest. The moon casted an eerie glow through the twisted branches overhead, casting long, haunting shadows on the forest floor. I had watched as a young man, whom of course I recognized as Kaden, ran desperately through the woods, his fear palpable.As Kaden fled, a monstrous beast emerged from the darkness. It
The aroma of freshly cooked dinner filled the air as I joined Lucy and Justin at the dining table. I tried to push aside my troubling thoughts and immerse myself in the lively conversation and laughter going between the duo. They were talking about some vacation.I wondered why. We had just arrived for college. A vacation now wasn’t necessary. But I still listened as I dipped my fork into the spaghetti filled plate.For a while, it worked-pushing down my concerns. The company of my friends provided a temporary respite from the weight of my own worries.Lucy, always the social butterfly, animatedly recounted a funny incident from a few hours ago while I and her had walked by one area of the school grounds, causing Justin to burst into laughter.The sound was like music to my ears, a temporary respite from the darkness that had consumed my thoughts.I listened intently, grateful for the distraction that their conversations provided.Justin, the overachiever, spoke passionately about his
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;