what should happen next??
~Aurora’s Point of View~ “What are you naming her,” I whisper as I rub my nose over the baby’s chubby cheek. She stirs slightly, but falls right back asleep. I try to recall if I’ve ever held a brand new baby, and I don’t think I have. Sure there are babies all over this pack on the mainland, and there were many at Midnight Moon but I always saw them after maybe a week old. *I love her so much,* Lucy coos, wanting me to also rub my face over what little hair she has so far. So I do, and it tickles my face in the best way. “You can give her so much more than I can,” Brenna says, as she stares at the wall. She hasn’t even held her, and while I’m already fuming with anger over it, maybe it is for the best. I have to let go of the things I can’t control. “Though you reek of death,” she adds, and I roll my eyes. It’s honestly shocking how alive I feel with so called “dead” blood rolling through my veins. She can kiss my dead ass because this is the best I’ve ever felt. Javed says in
~Aurora’s Point of View~ “My, my… Javed’s been a busy boy. I certainly never thought he’d go that far with a … human. Let alone a … dog. Why exactly is her pussy special? A thousand years and he’s barely looked twice at any woman. And why not turn her? Something is definitely off with this one,” I hear, just before a sting hits me across the face. I gasp as my eyes pop open. My hands instinctively try to move but can’t. I try to scream, but can’t. Blinking rapidly and looking around I see Brenna also bound and gagged, and we’re in a room I swear looks like some sort of medieval torture chamber. If it’s meant to intimidate me, it’s damn well working. The scents of blood, rust and metal loom in the air as I take in several “tools” hanging on the walls that are clearly for killing. Doing all kinds of things I don’t want to think about. Lucy forces me to stare back at the person who slapped us, and I find a male with a smug grin on his face. His clone stands across from Brenna, who l
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Two Months Later~ “Mama! Ma-ma,” Aurora coos, playing with Rosemary. I watch them lovingly, feeling proud and content. For a thousand years I went through the motions of existing, but there’s no way I was ever living. An immortal could and should do so much more with their time. I always knew something was deeply missing from my life, and now that I have a real, true family I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be. We’ve already had Rosemary in the ocean a bit, getting her used to the water which she loves. I went a little overboard and found a way to mount a large solar light on the beach, giving us some illusion of daytime in a shallow part. I’ve already got elaborate drawings for a playground set I plan to build, and couldn’t be more excited to do it. There’s even a perfect large tree where I’ll add a fort when she’s old enough. I grin for all I’m worth when Rosemary just stares back blankly at Aurora, then sticks her hand in her mouth and beings
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~Earlier That Night~ *That rabbit was good enough, let’s go get some cake so we can get home,* Lucy says, taking me a bit by surprise. She hadn’t been run in a week and I was certain she’d want to gallup about for at least an hour or more. I wait while she watches a pack member who is only out for his second shift get a squirrel and we beam with pride. Seeing any wolf master hunting and being able to provide for themselves is always a happy thing. Generally speaking, I haven’t even had Lucy all that long, but I feel wise beyond my years already. Like we’ve been in the thick of it together forever. After I mind-link two of the pack that I’ve had my fill, I begin to trot back. We went in a direction that I’m not terribly familiar with, and Lucy was too busy staring at a male’s ass on the run to really pay attention. I groan in frustration after twenty minutes when nothing looks familiar. *Hold on, hold on. I’ll find a scent and we’ll figure it out, ye of li
~Javed’s Point of View~ Holding my sleeping sweet, my mind races at a thousand miles an hour. I gaze at Rosemary also sleeping peacefully in her bassinet. Right now I’m in my home, safe and protected. Or so I have the illusion. Mentally I’m spent from using the day to run over every possibility in my mind. What the council will do, what Setareh’s children might do. How could we ever be safe? Not have to constantly look over our shoulders? There are those like me, who hated her. But far more that didn’t. Wanted to be in her shadow, get whatever drop of love and admiration from her they could. She played favorites for sure, and many were always jealous I was the one she coddled the most. I was the one who she wouldn’t leave alone. Her jealousy of me was her undoing. I had something she didn’t: freedom and youth. Freedom which she took away for her own gains. A body that will forever reflect my youth, when hers didn’t. She may have been immortal, but she was clearly never going to
~Javed’s Point of View~Despite one of the councilors supposedly being unavailable, I find a full house tonight. I immediately relay the story as I explained it to Aurora and note that vampires must have already been looking for my intended. Or looking for me. Why would they just be on the outskirts of the pack? Specifically from Setareh’s nest at that!“As you can imagine, dozens of her children have filed complaints, they want your head. They’re furious and there’s a serious power vacuum now at her nest. It’s already ugly and many will die. Killing your maker has quite a trickle down effect,” Arthur states. I nod understanding, but don’t speak. Everyone’s eyeing me, expecting me to flip out. I’ve always prided myself on being calm, few vampires are, they react. I wait patiently as they review my file and Hassan speaks on the previous acts Setarah committed. They also rehash what I did to her in order to get punished the first time. While the councilors are generally thorough, the
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~Rosemary’s First Birthday~ “Blow it out sweet girl you can do it,” Javed coos, as he holds the camera. I giggle so bad I nearly wet myself watching Rosemary stare at the candle in her cupcake as if she’s offended. She eventually sticks her finger in the icing, licks it, then makes a face. “She hates it,” I laugh, hitting Javed’s arm playfully. She’d had some plain vanilla cake once when I was doing some baking with Gretchen but I hadn’t tried icing since she really doesn’t have that much sugar in her diet. “We should have done a cake pop, those all the rage,” I say, as I silently make a wish and blow out the candle. There’s only one thing I’d really wish for, and I know it won’t come true. I want my family to stay whole, I need Javed by my side. I can’t even fathom how Rosemary will handle it. They’re absolutely two peas in a pod, always together. She utterly adores him. He’s decided to go tomorrow to begin his sentence. This way, he’ll be home for R
~Mason’s Point of View~ I can’t take my eyes off Aurora, not for a second. I’ve had far too long to fantasize about having her again, and now her damn vampire of all people is delivering her to me. He wrote to me last month and asked if we could meet. I didn’t know what to think, though he assured me in the letter that nothing was wrong with Aurora. But when he came last week to talk to me man to man, it was clear that wasn’t the case. Things were very wrong. It makes me sick she got caught up in his bullshit. Vampire bullshit. If she’d stayed with me where she damn well belongs, she wouldn’t have any worries. Just being happy, being a mom. It warmed my heart to find out she did have a daughter, but it just isn’t the same as having your own true pup. *We’ll give her many,* Jaxon says, matter of fact. He eyes our mate, drooling over the curves she’s developed but it's clear she’s also got some muscles. Her calves almost look like she’s a runner. I need those legs wrapped around me
~Aurora’s Point of View~ When we’re outside what I remember to be the palace where Setareh lived, my eyes are wide. The place is now deserted, and completely dark. But there’s a very eerie feeling over the place and it’s absolutely nowhere I want to go. My eyes quickly move to Brenna, and I have to wonder if this will make her freak out. “They added onto the place over time but I’ve been here over the last couple of decades out of curiosity. There’s one thing I never quite told Javed and there’s no time like the present,” Artoosh says, as we all turn to stare at him. Javed especially looks puzzled. He and his father have grown so close that I can’t imagine them having any secrets. Artoosh waves for us all to follow him and I hold the hands of both my mates and make a face. *What the fuck is this place,* Mase asks, over mind-link. Lucy paces in my mind as if she should be ready for a threat but with three vampires by our side any threat in here should be what’s scared. *Javed’s
~Twenty Years Later~ ~Aurora’s Point of View~ “This could never get old,” Mase says, as I lean back into him. I gaze out at the insane view, wishing I could see it in the daytime. We’re perched on a flat sliver of rock overlooking the Grand Canyon and it’s breathtaking even in the darkness. Thank the Goddess for shifter’s night vision. Lucy immediately perks up my ears at all the different sounds of animals below. Just when I think Javed has shown me all the beauty this world has to offer, when I think I’m stunned, we visit somewhere we’ve already been but I fall in love with it all over again. Javed sits in front of me, and as usual I’m happily squeezed between my warm and cool mates. “I promised Rosie and her mate I’d take them out tomorrow night. They’re looking at the Maldives. Which probably means they’ll need a babysitter,” Javed says, a lazy smile on his face. Grandparents. We’re grandparents now. How fucking bizarre! Eleven so far and counting. Some days I can barel
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~A Year And A Half Later~ “We don’t have much time,” I whisper, as I grind on Javed’s hard thickness. When he looks at me like I’m the only female in existence, like I’m his goddess, nothing else truly does exist. Except when you’re a mother of six pups and ohh, you have another mate in the house that literally always knows what you’re doing. Not only can he hear you, but he can feel you through the bond. And his parents are always around. And my parents and brother. Goddess I miss the privacy of the beach house I knew I should have asked to go tonight. “Yes, Javed, ohhh right there,” I whisper, as he grips my hips and pumps into me. *Hmmm, this is incredible, but do you know what would be better…* Lucy says, moving my thoughts where she wants them. I run my nails down Javed’s chest, drawing a bit of blood as she makes me see what she wants. What she dreams of, and I literally can’t focus. She’s been bringing this up for months but lately it’s every s
~Aurora’s Point of View~ “I think he’ll surprise you,” I say, trying to be upbeat. *Of course he will,* Lucy chirps, practically half asleep. It’s literally taking all my energy, cause I’m fucking exhausted. It’s just after two in the morning and while I’d love nothing more than to stay with my vampire lover, I know my family is also waiting for me. I’d mind-linked Mase to tell him I was going to the beach house when Javed first came, and he understood that meant I may not be home. “Just come at dusk with an open mind, okay,” I say, as Javed kisses my forehead. I look back at the Midnight Protectors packhouse which is mostly dark and quiet. “You say that like I’m not already a fool at your mercy,” he teases, his eyes lighting with mischief. Lucy bats her eyes playfully as if he can see her. Goddess I miss that so damn much! His impossibly sexy flirting. I’d melt if I had even an ounce of energy left in my body, but I simply don’t right now. He walks me to the door, and kisse
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Three Weeks Later~ “This is bullshit Hassan, I’m fine. I would never, ever hurt her, let me see my Aurora,” I growl, ready to rip his head off. “Tsk, tsk, that hostility is why you need more time,” he says, wagging his finger at me. I’m nearly ready to punch a hole in the wall when suddenly everything stops. Time seems to stop. I draw a deep breath and catch the familiarity of what I know can only be … my father. Just last week when I was coherent enough to understand, Hassan told me what happened. I simply still can’t believe it but when I think about Setareh in those early days, I know it in my black heart to be true. This is the very level of cruelty that she aspired to. Forcing me to remain by her side all these years knowing that the only creature, the only person who ever loved me was nothing but a pile of bones, descended into absolute madness by her hand… As if she didn’t fuck him up enough in his human life. When he thought she loved him and bo
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I can’t for the life of me understand if this is some kind of psychological torture bullshit, but for probably ten minutes the vampires have been doing literally nothing but standing on the beach watching us. Some freakish curiosity? Jealous of what they could never have? A true mate? A beating heart? But there’s nothing we can do. Mase’s dick is still inside me, neither of us really wanting to move. I know he’s sure as hell not letting me out of his grasp. *What do you think they’re doing,* I ask, over mind-link as I rest my head on his chest. *I wish I fucking knew. This is stupid, fucking dumb,* he says, and it's obvious his level of irritation has spiked. Out here he’s not a Gamma or a fierce fighter, a father or a son. He’s just a blood bag. Our question gets answered pretty quickly when two new vampires practically fall out of the sky and stare at us. Mase has since tied my bikini back on, not that it really freakin’ matters. But if it helps him
“Just one night Mase,” I whisper, as I look up at him from the floor of the walk in closet. The carpet in here is impossibly soft and it smells more like Javed in here than anywhere else. I’ve already decided I’m staying in there, naked and rolling around all night. Goddess knows if this carpet could talk… “Baby I can’t just leave you out here unprotected. If something happened to you I’d never forgive myself,” he says, not backing down. “There’s a panic room in his office where he’d slumber for the day, it’s fireproof, all that. I can go down there if I have an issue,” I insist. His chest growls slightly and I can’t blame him. The idea of Mase raising four pups on his own is in fact terrifying. I’d never want that. But I need this. “Surely there’s a hotel or something on the island, that’s the best I’ll do. I have to at least be that close if you need me,” he says, running his hand through his hair. He looks so damn sexy, he’s gotten a lot of sun today. We stare at each other
~Aurora’s Point of View~~One Month Later~“Goddess, I’ve never been so happy to see a familiar face,” I sigh, as I practically lurch myself at Matthew. I have literally no idea where my pups, mate and family are but I could care less. Being cooped up in a wagon with pups that have way too much energy is anything but ideal. Sleeping in a tent is hell on earth and I’m convinced we’ll have to stay at Midnight Protectors for a year because I am NOT making that trip again any time soon.That journey is a HELL of a lot better in a vampire’s arms. Even when I first went to Midnight Moon I did travel by horse and we did the trip in two days. This … was over a freakin’ WEEK.“Glad to see you sweetie,” Matthew says, rubbing my back.He abruptly clears his throat and pulls back. “Guessing the guy looking at me like he’s going to rip my head off for touching you is Mason,” he says, shaking his head and laughing. Just then his pups descend on me and I scoop one up quickly and coo at it. Ohh, I
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~Two Years Later~ “Colton! You knock it off,” I snap, as I drop the laundry basket and watch as the clothes go all over the place. I make a face but then look down at the chubby cheeks of my two month old angel Violet and smile. “I’m gonna get you,” Rosie shouts, as she continues to chase her brothers. Closing my eyes, I count to ten. When they pop back open, Lucy is trying to calm me down but it’s useless. Mase has been out all morning doing Goddess knows what and I’ve been alone with four pups on nearly no sleep!! “Fuck this,” I whisper, as I turn and walk straight into the pantry and shut the door. I instantly curse that there is no lock on it, but none of our doors have locks. I close my eyes again and let my forehead thunk against the wall. *It’s gonna be okay, some days will be hard,* Lucy coos. A tear falls down my cheek as I recall the pains I had last night, Javed’s pain. It’s truely fucking horrible and I just can’t understand how it doe