“Okay,” Jesse says, putting a hand on Midnight’s shoulder, noticing her discomfort. “Nice to meet you, Laila and Orion. And I love you, June and Tony. I’ll see you tom-“But Midnight doesn’t let him finish, looking excitedly around at all of her presents and vanishing them away, eager to get them ho
But I just wait for Anton to reply, unwilling to let the slightly awkward silence get to me. Because I’m not letting him distract or joke his way out of the question this time.“Come on, Anton,” I say, holding his gaze. “You know every detail of my romantic life and you refuse to tell me anything ab
“Do you think you have a mate?”He shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t think it matters. I always just knew that when I found her, that would be it, mate or not.”I smile a little. “She’ll have to be one hell of a girl.”He nods, just once. And doesn’t say a word.“Thank you for telling me,” I murmur, sn
“Whoa,” Jesse says, looking around as Midnight and he step into my room. “Crap, June, you sure got the shiny side of the coin in terms of lodging on this planet –““Hey!” Midnight snaps, glaring up at him. “You’d better say nice things about my yurt.”“The most comfortable yurt in which I have ever
Anton grimaces as Jesse leads him outside, already knowing where this is going.“Jess,” he sighs, his hands sunk deep in his pockets.“Nope,” Jesse says, turning when he gets to the balustrade and peering over Anton’s shoulder to make sure the girls are busy in the room and not listening. “Tony, wha
“Then tell me, Tony,” Jesse says, advancing on his friend, his hands balled into fists, ready to hit if there were anything to punch. “What the fuck is it?” Anton stares at Jesse for a long, long moment, his mouth and shoulders trembling. And then he breaks, groaning and striding away to collapse
“Jesse,” I groan, stumbling forward and knocking my hand hard against his shoulder, making him fall back a step and laugh. “If you go to pieces on me, I’m going to kill you! And trust me, the Deadlands is not a nice place, okay? So, save us both the trouble.”“Yes ma’am, yes ma’am,” he murmurs, glan
“Jesse Sinclair,” I snap. “You’d better not be sleeping with that girl.”“Oh my god,” he groans, tilting his head back to the sky. “Why does everyone think that I would do that!?”“Just because she’s your mate does not give you any right to her in that way! She is an innocent, and she has been abuse
“No!” she sputters out, stumbling a few steps towards me, shaking her head so hard her pretty blue-green hair flutters out all around her. “No, Junie, don’t make me go! I want…I want to stay here! And help! I mean…” she bites her lip. “It will be nice to be able to visit home. But I want to stay wit
“I’m sending you home too,” I say quietly, doing my best to look each in the eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that you didn’t get the wish.” They murmur a variety of responses back to me, most of them relieved. One by one they step forward and I take their ha
“Does…” I whisper, my eyes still fastened to Orion as my eyes move over him, feeling the powers that radiate from him now. “Does that mean you have all of the powers of Darkness too? From…from the wish?” “No,” Orion murmurs, looking down at his hands and flexing them, experimenting with the feel o
Beatrice is the last to go, staring at me in shock, realizing finally that she bet everything on the wrong horse. I bare my teeth at her, fangs extended, and Beatrice’s eyes go wider as she trembles and finally submits, going to her knees and bowing her head. “Good,” I say, my voice returning to n
Laila’s knife sinks deep between Death’s shoulder blades and the final scream of a God fills the air as Death falls to his knees. The magic stops mid-stream, like a tap being suddenly turned off. I groan and tilt forward against Anton, who catches me and holds me against his chest. “Shit, June,”
“Just a little longer, June. She’ll do it.” But what if she doesn’t? What if…what if I’m inches from oblivion, and this is it? My heart strains in my chest, my wolf shaking like a leaf from snout to tail. But still, I will myself to hope. To trust in my friend. “I know,” I reply, letting my ey
I gasp, my shoulders trembling under the sheer weight of Death’s magic that flows over and around us, my shield barrier straining and buckling under its might. “June,” Anton breathes, eyes wide as he looks up at the magic streaming over us in an unending torrent. “Shit – are you –“ I crouch besi
The wish presses against Death for a moment and then sinks into him, dissolving into his chest. He sighs with happiness and what looks like ecstasy, tilting his head back to the sky as the magic disappears into him. Beatrice steps away, tucking her hands behind her back, beaming at the God she jus
Before I can get more than three steps after Laila, Anton lunges forward, his paws landing on either side of me as he snatches at the back of my gown with his teeth, holding me back. His fierce growl reminds me that I need to stay here – that Death took Laila because he wants me to come rushing onto