Paine was panting as she stood in her small kitchen. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and her mind raced as she watched the blood pool and run in the cracks of the small kitchen. She had lost it. She’d lost it and now what was she going to do? That moment of intense pleasure she’d felt when her hand had punched into the body and she’d felt the heart in her hands, felt the heartbeat, beat, beat, and then, slow and then stop, as she squeezed it. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. The power, the pleasure she’d felt, was still coursing through her. But now, she had a problem. A big, bloody, problem. They couldn’t stay here now. And she didn’t have a backup plan for this backup plan. She looked around the room and ran her fingers through her hair. Too late she realized that her hands were covered in blood. And she tracked the sticky, thick liquid through her hair. She tugged at the strands in frustration and spun around the room. Her eyes met those of the woman still tied i
Tris walked slowly back to the cabin she was staying in while she stayed in Silver Moon. She’d dropped the kids off safely and now she could clear her mind and just take in the quiet. She had to call her mom and check in on the business. But for now, for this small amount of time, she was going to just breathe. She looked up when a twig snapped not far off on her left side. She stopped and listened. An animal? Another wolf? She sniffed the air but didn’t scent danger, so she kept walking. Naked still, but not worried, she’d never been a shy wolf, and honestly being a shy wolf must be a pain in the ass. Shifting destroyed their clothes, unless they got naked first, and if they had to shift back to human form, there wasn’t always a change of clothes lying around. So, since a young pup, she’d been okay with walking around naked.Another twig snapped and she realized that it had sounded deliberate. Something or someone wanted her to know that they were there. So, she stopped and turned to
Hunter paced in front of the door. She’d been fighting with herself for the past ten minutes. She knew it was late, knew she shouldn’t even be where she was, or do what she was about to. But damn it, she didn’t know what else to do! She stopped pacing and lifted her hand to knock. The door opened before she could touch it.“Took you long enough.” Isis said. She stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come in.”“I’m sorry, I’m not even sure…”“Yes, you are.” Isis said. “You don’t strike me as a liar. Just tell me what you want.”“I’m sorry.” Hunter shook her head and lifted a hand to grab at her hair. “I’m going to go.” She turned and reached for the door Isis closed behind her.“Hunter, don’t be stupid. We both know what you need. And I’m a witch, I’m used to this.” Isis shrugged and Hunter, looking over her shoulder, saw the casual gesture for what it was, a barrier, a thin disguise to the hurt. “Just tell me what you want me to do, and if I can, I’ll help you. And don’t say sorry a
She was dreaming. Amber knew she was dreaming. It was a familiar dream. One she’d had since Ava had taken her that long time ago. But unlike that time, no one came for her, no one rescued her, and she had to watch Taylor die, before Ava killed her. She wanted to wake herself up. Wanted to make herself open her eyes, but she couldn’t, she had to face it, go through it. So, she let it unfold, and hoped that this time it would go quickly. Warm arms wrapped around her and a soft whisper in her ear brought her back. She felt the dream leave her, felt her body relax and knew she was safe, Sam was with her, Sam was holding her, soothing her. The kiss was slow, deep, and warmed her from the inside. The cold the dream had caused, evaporating into thin air as Sam kissed her, touched her body. She moaned, and turned to the body next to hers. She answered the call with her own body, her own hands, touching and stroking them. Sam rolled them over and Amber was on top, their bodies meshed, fit perf
Gem woke slowly. She felt like a heavy blanket had been thrown over her and she pushed at it, trying to break through the fog. She felt fury rise inside her as she realized that Paine must have drugged her. Why? She knew they were close to Silver Moon, the cave they were hiding in, which was on the lake that ran through the compound. And she’d seen the smoke from the fires when they’d eaten. The blood! Gem realized that was what must have been drugged. It was the only thing she had to eat. Or drink. She gathered her strength and sat up. Her legs weren’t tied up, but her hands still were. Paine had obviously thought that the drug would keep her down. She looked around and realized she was alone in the cave. She pushed harder at the fog, and tried to stand. She immediately dropped to one knee and swore as pain rocked her leg. All she had to do was get up, get enough strength to run, and she’d be out of the mad woman’s grasp. And she could lead Hunter and the rest to her hide out. She to
Tris watched Mya stride into the clearing, her long legs ate up the distance between them, and their eyes stayed locked. She’d never understood what people meant when they said they could see anger emanating from someone. But she did now. She would swear at that moment she could reach out and touch the cloak of anger around Mya. She stood and blocked her way. Not sure why, or where the courage came from, but knowing that she needed to protect Taylor. A second too late she realized her mistake. She had no right to step between Mya and Taylor. And she had no right to assume that Mya would hurt Taylor. She felt Mya’s fists curl in front of the shirt, she didn’t fight it, she went with the momentum and landed with a huff on the grass as Mya lifted and threw her off the porch. She rolled to her feet, shaking off the tufts of grass and lifted her hands as Mya stepped towards her. “Hold up! Wait!” Tris stepped back as Mya stalked her.“Don’t you ever, step between me and what’s mine again!”
Hunter paced her room. She could feel Gem’s pain. It tore through her at intervals. Intervals, that had become shorter and shorter. Wherever she was, she was running out of time. Nothing had ever scared her as much as this. Not even when Gem had left her on their wedding night. She’d known then that one day she would get Gem back. Now, it was so hard to keep the hope inside her alive when she knew how much pain Gem was suffering. How much more could she endure? Yes, she was a vampire, yes, she was resilient, but everyone had a limit. What she’d learnt about the ruffian woman, Paine, she scoffed, fitting. What she’d learnt, was that the longer Gem stayed with her, the less chance they had of getting her back. She’d roused the witches and Alex, but she waited, stalled really. Because she was afraid of hope. Afraid to go down and be told that Gem could not be found. That Isis and Morgan can’t track Paine.She picked up her glass of scotch and took a sip. She realized it was empty and thr
“Enough!” Mya pushed Sam out of her way and shoved at Hunter. “She’s had enough.”“Stay back, we’ve almost got it.”“Damn it Hunter, don’t make me hurt you!”“Get her out of here Sam,” Hunter growled.“Don’t touch her!” Taylor stepped between Sam and Mya. “Amber, look at her, she’s had enough, they’ll kill her!”“She’s a wolf, she’ll be fine.” Sam snapped.“Then put Amber in that chair and after hours of this, tell me the same?” Mya snapped. “Oh, wait, Amber could probably go for days. How about, Addi?”“Mya!” Taylor pulled her back and stepped back in front of her. “She’s exhausted, we all are. She needs a longer break than she had.” Taylor touched Sam’s arm, who shook from anger. “Look at her, look at the person you’re using and see what’s happening. Is it worth hurting her like that? Are we going to stoop to Paine’s levels to find her?”“If I damned well have to, yes!” Hunter snapped. “Get out of here if you can’t handle it!” “Mya, we need to find the location, we’re…”“Sam, pleas
Three days later a celebration was held at the compound. Amber and Sam brought everyone together for a celebration of life, friendship, and love. They stood watching their friends and family. Hunter and Gem sat with Gina and Ava and they seemed to be getting along for the moment. Hunter and Gina never seemed to last long before they snapped at each other. Tris, Taylor, and Mya were huddled together. Taylor sat on a chair with Tris and Mya at her feet. Taylor had a hand in each women’s hair and they seemed as content as three people could be. Pax, Addi, and Dylan were running between the gathered crowd. They’d made a friendship pact with Pax and it seemed to help him settle back into the friendship. They’d found out that his mother had been taking money from a vampire and feeding said, vampire. That had been stopped in its tracks. She’d been told that if she wanted to be a blood supply to move away. But she’d opted to stay when Pax had declared he wasn’t leaving. Everyone else was just
Mya burst through the tree line. All she could see was Paine. The bitch stood with a smile and her arms spread wide in welcome. She pushed her body harder and rushed at her. A scream, Gem, took Paine’s attention off Mya for a second and she dove with her whole body, she hit Paine in the center of her back and they flew through the air before landing hard. Mya was on her feet, ready to lunge again, but Paine lifted a hand and she felt her throat being squeezed. She ignored the sensation and lunged anyway. Paine screamed and shoved her back, Mya felt the power as she was shoved back into the tree line, she thought she saw Hunter and Sam, but ignored them and rushed back toward Paine. She’d kill her. Today, she would get justice for Jane.“Come on, can’t we have a little chat first?” Paine whined.Mya saw Hunter slowly make her way to the cave entrance where Gem was on her hands and knees. “Chat?” Mya spat. “You will die today, Ruffian.” Mya swore. “I will rip you to pieces.”“Oh, darlin
Tris watched Amber pace in her wolf form. She could feel the frustration pulsing from the agitated wolf. And anger. At Tris and Taylor. Was it her place to explain? Or should she just let it go? They’d done nothing wrong, and Amber had no right to judge them. “I don’t appreciate people taking advantage of a situation to get to my friends.” Amber shot at her. “I didn’t take advantage of anyone,” Tris said. “Were you not kissing Taylor?” Amber hissed. “We were kissing each other, and it’s none of your business,” Tris said. “I understand she’s your friend. And Mya too. But what we share, or how, is for us to figure out.” “Then Mya should be privy to the discussion or lack of discussion,” Amber grumbled. “That I’ll give you,” Tris said. “We never planned for it to happen.” Tris felt her ears prick when a stick snapped not far from them. “Did you hear that?” “Yes,” Amber said her eyes fixed on the trees behind Tris. “Look, let’s focus on what’s happening now. I will just say, please
Paine paced up and down the cave entrance. She knew she had run out of time. She could feel the witch’s locator spell pinprick her skin. It would only be a matter of time until they found her. What could she do? She looked back toward where Gem sat with her head leaned back against the cave wall. She could use her, maybe set a trap, if they come too close, it could trigger and kill her. But she didn’t really want to kill Gem. She wanted Mya. Or she could just kill them all. She knew they were coming. She had the upper hand.“You seem worried.” Gem said. She was weak, Paine hadn’t fed her in hours. “Did something go wrong?” Her voice cracked and she coughed. “Did you make a mistake?”“No, but your friends did.” Paine snarled. “I know they’re coming. I am going to set traps, and guess what? I will kill them all before they get to me. Except for Mya and Hunter. I want them to suffer. Hunter will watch you die! Mya will take your place.”“Mya will never be taken. She has too much to live
Sam, Amber, Hunter, and Tris fought their way through the thick woods. Amber led them, her nose picked up the faint scent Mya left behind. Sam, Hunter, and Tris pushed themselves to the limit to keep up with Amber. Fear, anger, and hope pushed them hard as they tried to get to Mya before it was too late. “Amber, you need to slow down.” Sam huffed in her mind. “I know time is of the essence, but it won’t help anyone if you lose us.” “Sorry.” She slowed and they all caught up. “I just don’t want her facing this fight on her own, we have Gem to think of too.” “I know,” Sam said. “Tris?” “Yes?” “When we get closer, I want you and Hunter to circle around to her back. We are not letting her get away this time.” “Okay. But will Hunter follow?” “If she doesn’t Amber will go with you.” “I may be a Vampire, but I can make out what your plan is. Don’t even think that I will stay out of this fight.” Hunter told them. She could almost taste how close she was to Gem, there was no way they wo
Amber walked into the conference room with Taylor on her heels. Sam stood with Addi who was still talking nonstop. “What do you mean she went after Gem alone?” Taylor demanded. Addi answered. “She found us in the woods, as she was leaving, she said to come straight here and tell mom she’s going. And that we are missing Pax.” Addi added more quietly. “We need to go after her!” Taylor said. “Where is she going?” “We plan to go after her, Taylor,” Amber said. There was a cool note in her voice, but Taylor ignored it, Amber only had half a story anyway. “We’ve already coordinated who goes where. We need you here with Diane, for any of our own that need medical treatment. Sam, Hunter, and I will go after Mya. The rest is going to stay here and find Pax, he’s just a kid and if he falls into the hands of the wrong people, he could be lost to us.” “I’m going with you,” Taylor said. “There is no way you’re leaving me here when Mya is out there!” “We don’t know what we’re walking into, we
Taylor ran a hand gently over Tris’s face. She’d cleaned up her face but her clothes were still covered in blood. Taylor looked around the room and found the closet they kept the spare clothes in for injured wolves and went over to pull their pants and a shirt out. She stood for a second debating with herself about what she was about to do. In the end she shrugged and set the clothes down next to the bed. She bent over Tris and pulled the blood-soaked shirt from her pants, then lifted it up and over her head. Tris’s eyes fluttered open and a tiny grin lit up her face.“Not how I imagined this to go.” She mumbled.“Me neither.” Taylor winked and smiled. “But we have to work with what we have.” She reached for the cloth she’d used to clean Tris’ face and after giving it a rince, started wiping down Tris’ arms and then moved to her chest.“I… You don’t have to…” She shut her mouth when Taylor shot her a withering glare.“Can you sit up?”“Yes.” She tried to pull herself up, but had to ho
Addi knew they’d get in trouble if her mom knew where she and Dylan were. But Dylan had asked her to go for a run and then they’d just sat at the lake, watching the water. She knew they should be heading back, but being with Dylan like this was great, and she felt a bit guilty that she was happy Pax couldn’t come with them. They had asked him, obviously. But he’d had chores, so she and Dylan had come out on their own.“Are you nervous?” Dylan asked.“Yes. My mom would be pissed if she knew we’d gone running alone.”“I know, mine too.” Dylan shrugged. “I wanted to spend some time with you, you know, alone.” She smiled sweetly. “Pax is always around. I like him, but I like it when we have time alone.”“Me too,” Addi said.“Can I tell you something, but like a secret?” Dylan asked. She fidgeted with the grass they were sitting on and shifted uncomfortably. “I haven’t told mom yet either.”“Sure, okay?” Addi tilted her head and felt Trixie shuffle on her shoulder. Obviously listening. She
“Enough!” Mya pushed Sam out of her way and shoved at Hunter. “She’s had enough.”“Stay back, we’ve almost got it.”“Damn it Hunter, don’t make me hurt you!”“Get her out of here Sam,” Hunter growled.“Don’t touch her!” Taylor stepped between Sam and Mya. “Amber, look at her, she’s had enough, they’ll kill her!”“She’s a wolf, she’ll be fine.” Sam snapped.“Then put Amber in that chair and after hours of this, tell me the same?” Mya snapped. “Oh, wait, Amber could probably go for days. How about, Addi?”“Mya!” Taylor pulled her back and stepped back in front of her. “She’s exhausted, we all are. She needs a longer break than she had.” Taylor touched Sam’s arm, who shook from anger. “Look at her, look at the person you’re using and see what’s happening. Is it worth hurting her like that? Are we going to stoop to Paine’s levels to find her?”“If I damned well have to, yes!” Hunter snapped. “Get out of here if you can’t handle it!” “Mya, we need to find the location, we’re…”“Sam, pleas