Lincoln’s POV
There was the sound of water dripping loud enough that it woke me up. I could hear bristles scratching the surface of the floor. And there was a small tiny voice muttering incomprehensible words in rapid succession.
I opened my eyes and found that it was dark and my cheek was pressed against a cold stone. A few more blinks and what I saw caused me to push myself by hands and my soles until I had my back against the wall.
The creature turned its head and snorted. “What? You’ve never seen a goblin before?”
Its ears and nose were long. It looked grotesque with its skin looking withered and wrinkled. It was small and the broom at its hands was even smaller.
Lincoln’s POVWhat the hell did she mean that I was a rogue? That question lingered in my mind until someone came to get me. He stood tall, and the red of his hair was like the dying embers of a fire. “You,” I began.“I’m Ruby’s brother, Garnett,” he answered like he was bored as the bars slid open. “Move along. We have no time to waste.”The chains on my wrists were opened, and I was tempted to launch myself against this person, to fight him—to get out of here. But something in his stature and the vast sword strapped on his waist made me stop.He snapped new chains on my ankles and wrists, and I wondered, would this break if I turned into a werewolf?“Don’t even think about it.”My head rose. “What?”
Ruby’s POVI was expecting the decision. There was no way that my father would be fazed—not when his entire court was present to ostracize every decision he would make. I grabbed Lincoln by the arm and hauled him to his feet as Queen Onyxia’s shouts were swallowed by the loud cheers of my father’s men.“I’ll take care of him,” I told the queen as her eyes blazed, looking at my father.Lincoln kept muttering my name, but I ignored him until we were a safe distance away from the throne room.“What the hell is going on?” he asked.“Don’t you have better questions?” I asked back. “Is that all you can ask after everything?” I pushed open the door to the weapons room and pulled him inside.I breathed out and pressed a lever until a giant cage was dropped in
Ruby’s POVThe response from Randwulf Stein was almost immediate. In fact, it came after just a day. He was willing to meet us in the Sacred Ground. Now, we are on the journey to get there.“Why do we have to meet there again?” Lincoln asked, his fingers wound together.“Because it functions like a common ground for all the supernatural creatures,” I told him but pleaded with my eyes to keep his mouth shut. I had to threaten Garnett just so I could ride in the same wagon as him—not that Garnett had been really threatened.“Okay,” Lincoln said, and his eyes looked inside the wagon. It was clear that he was nervous. &ldqu
Ruby’s POV“Why did you do that?!” Lincoln demanded when he was already back at his human form. We’ve reached the end of the forest and found the road.I tossed him a bag so he could put on some clothes. At this point, I was already indifferent from seeing his naked form. It was like his muscles were still pulsating, and his skin was glowing and dotted with sweat.“What the hell is wrong with you?!” he asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.I spun to meet him. “What? Should I have handed you over to them?! Should I have not done something?! You told me that I should get you out of this mess, and I’m trying!”
Ruby’s POV “Shouldn’t I just transform, and we could comb this forest faster?” he asked, huffing as he jumped from a rock. “We’re actually making a great time. Thebesttime. No ordinary being could reach this deep in just two hours.” “Yes,two hours,” he repeated. “In the middle of the night. It’s pitch black here.” “Well, it’s not like neither of us can’t see,” I only replied. I did not expect Lincoln to be the one who was complaining and offering his werewolf abilities. I had my bac
There were a lot of theories surrounding why the Fae and Werewolves were at war. Some said it was because they were fighting over territory. Others claim it was because werewolves loved taking Fae people and eating them. It was even mentioned that both sides believed that they were the superior supernatural race and wanted to make the other bend their knees.Whatever the reason was, the most popular theory originated before even humans began counting time.The Moon Goddess created the werewolves, and they worshipped her by howling. All was well until some of her werewolves, a pack later named The Grave Walkers, preyed upon a sacred cattle that belonged to The Sun God.The Sun God was furious. As he could not come down from the skies to punish the werewolves himself, he dealt with the Fae court on
Ruby’s POVThe slow upward movement of the elevator made me question why I had not taken the stairs. I reeked of blood and sweat, and I could already feel them drying on my clothes. My feet tapped impatiently as I thought about the ice-cold water that would soon run down my body and the takeout that had been in my fridge since last night—a.k.a. my dinner for tonight. Again.The elevator doors slid open, and as soon as I exited, I could tell that something was amiss. The smell of musk and earth entered my nose in a sniff. I felt for the blade strapped on my waist and grabbed it by the hilt.The door of my office-slash-house remained closed. The darkness inside of it was visible through the frosted square glass with the sticker “SCARLETMARK,” and underneath it, my name: Ruby Carnelian. Working as a bounty h
Ruby's POVMy foot met the metal, and it finally gave. I hurtled in the air, the manhole cover clanging noisily on the ground as I landed lightly on my feet. I kicked it back to place and pulled a heavy dumpster above it. Vampires were strong and fast, but that should hold them for a short while—if they had been able to follow me.The boots I was wearing were soaked with the sewage water. “Damn those vampires,” I muttered under my breath as I squeezed the water out of the tips of my red hair.I had been running from a group of young bloodsuckers. Well, it would not have happened if I had not shot one of their friends with my crossbow loaded with a wooden stake. The death of vampires was something I particularly enjoyed. After all, they were the most common enemy of the Fae when they almost pushed us to the brink of extinction ages ago. Besides, it was satisfying when their heart bursts
Ruby’s POV “Shouldn’t I just transform, and we could comb this forest faster?” he asked, huffing as he jumped from a rock. “We’re actually making a great time. Thebesttime. No ordinary being could reach this deep in just two hours.” “Yes,two hours,” he repeated. “In the middle of the night. It’s pitch black here.” “Well, it’s not like neither of us can’t see,” I only replied. I did not expect Lincoln to be the one who was complaining and offering his werewolf abilities. I had my bac
Ruby’s POV“Why did you do that?!” Lincoln demanded when he was already back at his human form. We’ve reached the end of the forest and found the road.I tossed him a bag so he could put on some clothes. At this point, I was already indifferent from seeing his naked form. It was like his muscles were still pulsating, and his skin was glowing and dotted with sweat.“What the hell is wrong with you?!” he asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.I spun to meet him. “What? Should I have handed you over to them?! Should I have not done something?! You told me that I should get you out of this mess, and I’m trying!”
Ruby’s POVThe response from Randwulf Stein was almost immediate. In fact, it came after just a day. He was willing to meet us in the Sacred Ground. Now, we are on the journey to get there.“Why do we have to meet there again?” Lincoln asked, his fingers wound together.“Because it functions like a common ground for all the supernatural creatures,” I told him but pleaded with my eyes to keep his mouth shut. I had to threaten Garnett just so I could ride in the same wagon as him—not that Garnett had been really threatened.“Okay,” Lincoln said, and his eyes looked inside the wagon. It was clear that he was nervous. &ldqu
Ruby’s POVI was expecting the decision. There was no way that my father would be fazed—not when his entire court was present to ostracize every decision he would make. I grabbed Lincoln by the arm and hauled him to his feet as Queen Onyxia’s shouts were swallowed by the loud cheers of my father’s men.“I’ll take care of him,” I told the queen as her eyes blazed, looking at my father.Lincoln kept muttering my name, but I ignored him until we were a safe distance away from the throne room.“What the hell is going on?” he asked.“Don’t you have better questions?” I asked back. “Is that all you can ask after everything?” I pushed open the door to the weapons room and pulled him inside.I breathed out and pressed a lever until a giant cage was dropped in
Lincoln’s POVWhat the hell did she mean that I was a rogue? That question lingered in my mind until someone came to get me. He stood tall, and the red of his hair was like the dying embers of a fire. “You,” I began.“I’m Ruby’s brother, Garnett,” he answered like he was bored as the bars slid open. “Move along. We have no time to waste.”The chains on my wrists were opened, and I was tempted to launch myself against this person, to fight him—to get out of here. But something in his stature and the vast sword strapped on his waist made me stop.He snapped new chains on my ankles and wrists, and I wondered, would this break if I turned into a werewolf?“Don’t even think about it.”My head rose. “What?”
Lincoln’s POVThere was the sound of water dripping loud enough that it woke me up. I could hear bristles scratching the surface of the floor. And there was a small tiny voice muttering incomprehensible words in rapid succession.I opened my eyes and found that it was dark and my cheek was pressed against a cold stone. A few more blinks and what I saw caused me to push myself by hands and my soles until I had my back against the wall.The creature turned its head and snorted. “What? You’ve never seen a goblin before?”Its ears and nose were long. It looked grotesque with its skin looking withered and wrinkled. It was small and the broom at its hands was even smaller.
Ruby’s POVEveryone was right. I was this thing called Halfling. I’m a mixture of a human and a Fae. My father, The High King of The Carnelian Court, got bored one day and decided to venture into the human world. He did not come back for a whole year, and when he returned, he was cradling me in his arms. My human mother never recovered from giving birth to me and died before I was two months old. Leaving my father with no choice, he took me here—to Faerie, the land of the Fae with its giant trees and never-ending grass and flower fields—and made me a princess.Having a royal title did not save me from all the scrutiny. Nobody wanted to be my friend when I was younger, and I was constantly bullied by my pureblood siblings. Everyone saw me for what I was: a mistake. It should never have happened. The Supernatural should never mix with humans. Many o
Ruby’s POV It was mesmerizing to see how werewolves transformed and how they turned from one creature to another. It would be something that I would keep replaying on my mind if it did not produce something with bloodlust. Lincoln, in his new form, did not hesitate to attack. Knowing that he could fend for himself, I focused on how I could stay alive. I concentrated on what remaining Light I had on my fingers. I was almost relieved when I felt them shooting out from my fingertips. Electrokinesis, the ability to conjure lightning and electrical currents. The next moment, the werewolf was convulsing on top of me as I felt the energy leave me and transfer to him. It was taking a lot more and longer than I thought. I was near fainting when suddenly, the weight on top of me was lifte
Ruby’s POV I didn’t even know why I was packing. If there was one thing that I was sure of, I needed to get Lincoln out of this situation. I tried to block out all of the other thoughts in my head as I threw a few changes of clothes, a dozen of weapons, and the three money bags that I received in a duffel bag. As soon as I zipped the bag close, I realized I did not know what to do with Lincoln. All I knew was that I needed to keep him safe. I locked my room and headed straight for the secondhand car that I barely use. On my way back to Maximillian’s place, I tried to convince myself that I was only pitying Lincoln. The poor guy did not even know he was supernatural, and he was being thr