Emory “Well, what do we have here?” The snarl from the squatty guard filling the majority of my doorway is enough to set my teeth on edge as my shifter body longs to call forth my wolf to defend myself. Unfortunately, I’m not quite old enough for that yet and will have to rely upon my other fight
As he comes toward me, I use his torso as a stepladder, twisting my body so that my feet go over the top of my head at the same time as I bring my arms together. It burns in the places where they have their grips on my skin, and in my shoulder blades, but when I hear their skulls whack into one anot
I feel his gaze on me before I turn to see him looking at me. “Did they harm you?” he asks me. I know I have some bruises on my arms and maybe a few scratches, but I am confident when I shake my head. “No, Sir.” He stares at me for a long moment, and I feel a chill pass down my spine, something I
Emory King Kane is flying up the stairs, and I am going as quickly as I can to keep up with him. Normally, I think of myself as pretty fast, but clearly I am either too tired after the adrenaline rush has worn off, or he is even faster than me. Not that it would surprise me that a vampire is faste
I shake my head, returning to the hallway. “Oh, uh… because… you’re the king,” I stammer. “It’s not polite to walk next to you.” He snickers and shakes his head. “How about right behind me instead of so far away I have to keep pausing to make sure you haven’t gotten lost? Or stolen?” His voice is
I can’t help but giggle slightly. He most definitely does not. But I am still at a loss. “This room is for me?” I ask him. “I mean, I’m a feeder. Not a guest.” “You are the daughter of an Alpha,” he reminds me. “A princess for all intents and purposes, and it won’t do for someone of your stature to
Emory I take a bath, soaking in notes of rose and lavender, letting my muscles relax as much as they will after the hellacious day I’ve had. King Kane had suggested taking a nap, and that does seem like a good idea, but I know I won’t be able to sleep. My mind keeps puzzling over everything that’s
I’m not used to walking in heels, so I try the black pumps out a bit before I decide I’ve got enough balance and coordination to fake it. If I take a wrong step, I’ll go tumbling down, though. I am not overly confident. With a final spritz of rosewater, I am ready to go, just as there’s a resoundin
MichaelSummer“I don’t think my parents could be any happier with the idea,” Deacon says, walking by my side, his face shielded from the sunlight by a hood. “You don’t think it’s a little fast?” I ask, smirking as I squint into the uncommon sunlight beating down on the field between the castle and
ColeI run my fingertips over the smooth leather suitcase as a trio of male servants hurry around the room, packing my things for the journey back home, to Scarlet Thunder. I grip the suitcase and carry it out of the apartment where I’ve been staying inside the castle, looking over my shoulder to ta
FayeMorning descends on Crimson Peak. It’s a bleary but warm winter day. Water drips down the windows as the snow and ice melts off the roof of the castle. Dark clouds promise more snow if the weather chills again, and the air smells like ozone as I slip out of bed, blinking blearily into the gray
Lex clears his throat. I’m still facing the door, but Cole turns, his hand not leaving my arm. I lean into him, closing my eyes as Lex says, “An opportunity arose that we couldn’t let pass us by.”Before Emory can cut in again, Kane adds, “King Mattias announced he’d be coming to the wedding to ensu
EmeldaI find Emory in the ballroom trying to rectify the situation. Blood stains the center of the grand mosaic tiles that cover the ballroom in shades of gray and the deepest gold, but even the dark hues aren’t enough to hide the vampire blood. I wasn’t here for whatever happened, but I heard whi
FayeMichael kisses me like it’s the first time we’ve ever tasted each other. It’s gentle at first–a featherlight brush of his lips against mine. It’s like it was before… when we loved each other in secret, when we were ignoring our growing feelings for each other while the world burned down around
FayeEmelda slams the door shut behind Emory as I run into the suite I share with Michael. The familiar deep blue walls and warm air does nothing to calm my nerves as I whirl toward the women, my dress swirling out around me, feeling suddenly heavier than it had before. “What–what’s happening?” I a
MichaelI’m not sure what I expected getting married to feel like. In my mind, it had always been a business arrangement with little fanfare and no emotions attached. Now, that’s not the case. I’m a husband. I have a wife who I love, who wasn’t chosen for me based on whatever political alliance was
MichaelI can count on one hand how many times I’ve been in this cathedral over the course of my short life. The dark stone walls echo even the smallest whisper, and the ancient stained glass sends shadows instead of snowy sunlight into the cavernous space. I wouldn’t consider vampires a very relig