I groan when I wake up the next morning, my face flat against the marble of my bathroom floor.“Shhh!”I turn my head to see Anton laying flat on his back, his hands covering his face.“What?” I murmur, groggy and in pain.“You’re being impossibly loud, Juniper,” Anton mumbles, massaging his eyes wi
I just moan and shake my head back and forth while he continues to laugh. But eventually we both settle down and lay quietly next to each other on the cool floor. I sigh and let my hands drift to my stomach, staring up at the ceiling and then turning my head to look at my pretty ghost boy, at the st
Laila’s eyes dart between me and Tony as she stands perfectly still, clearly trying to come up with some kind of excuse – any excuse - for why she’s in silky lingerie and coming out of Orion’s bedroom. She lets out a pathetic little squeak, her shoulders slumping, as she utterly fails.“Laila!” I hi
“It wasn’t a line, she was drunk!” Orion says, casting out a hand towards our friend. “She just needed somewhere to sleep!”When Laila doesn’t respond, her head still tucked against my shoulder, her body mostly limp with embarrassment in my arms, Orion goes pale. I cackle with glee.“Oh my god,” Ori
Laila stills for a moment and then shakes her head, not looking at me. “I don’t know how Orion feels about me. I…I was the one who initiated things last night. And he…gave in. But was he just drunk? Or being a…a boy?”My wolf growls inside of me, not liking the idea that Orion would take advantage o
Contestants,The next Trail will be held tomorrow at 11:00.“Damn,” Anton murmurs, leaning over Laila’s shoulder and reading her note. “That is…concise.”I had my note to Orion so he can see too and he nods once, his face tense.“I guess…we’re expecting more of the same?” I say, my voice growing mor
I sit up straight against the back of the couch, staring in awe between Orion and Anton as they face off against each other because these two –Honestly, despite all of this nonsense, I’ve only ever seen them be kind to each other.What – what the hell is going on here?“You need to back off, Tony,”
“Can we have a minute?”Anton and I both go quiet and turn towards the big Alpha behind the bar in the corner of the room, glaring at us all tense and upset.“A minute?” I ask, dropping my hands from my temples and again sitting straight.“Yes, a minute,” he says, giving a stern nod. “You and I, Jun
“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