Her fangs are a good four inches long now, and I know this is it for me. They will drain me dry, killing me within a few minutes.“Help me!” I scream. “Lex, please! Kane! Nellie!”I am still screaming for all of the people I can think of when I feel the piercing sting of Opal’s teeth sinking into my
Kane I am walking through a meadow in the darkness. The tall grass waves in the breeze as the moonlight glints off of the trees in the distance. A slow fog rolls in from the edges of my vision. I am all alone, yet I know that Emory is somewhere nearby. I’m not sure if I’m looking for her or if I’m
The cup of blood I’d been drinking when I fell asleep sits cold on the coffee table. I scurry to shove my feet back into my shoes and take off for the door. Throwing it open, I nearly collide with Nellie and Helga. “Thank god, Your Highness. It’s Emory!” “In the library?” I ask them, and they conf
The doctor and his team work quickly to get the blood flowing back into Emory. At the same time, they patch up the marks in her neck where she was bitten, and the doctor sets her broken arm and puts it in a cast. He says, “Her shoulder was dislocated, but now that it’s back in place, I believe her b
Rainer Those two fucking assholes had a head start on me, but that doesn’t stop me from tracking them down. It’s not too hard. I just follow the trail of dead bodies they leave in their wake. Lex was able to get the guard on their trail as they left the library, so as I rush after them, I encounter
Is this really the same asshole I was sitting across from at dinner just a few hours ago? How did we get to this? “You really wanna die for her?” I ask him, as I continue to run at him full speed. “You only think you know what happened, but you’re wrong. It wasn’t Opal who planned this. It was Lex
“Come on!” he shouts, ready to run after again, but two things are stopping me. One, I see a puddle of fresh oil on the ground on the asphalt near where we are sitting, and two, I can hear the roar of an engine in the distance. We don’t have much need for vehicles when we can run almost as fast as o
Emory I hear a beeping sound, faintly, in the background, and I know that it’s some kind of machine. I remember hearing them in the hospital when Lola was born. For a moment, I am back there, and I am wanting to hold the baby but also want to see her mother, and I’m told that she died in childbirth
WillowI never like it when Rainer comes home injured. The gashes Opal left on him have healed by the time I see him, so there’s no reason to drag him to the clinic to get checked over by Dr. Martin. He tells me that Lex is in worse shape and is being treated by the doctor at Scarlett Thunder. Opal
LexRainer moves quickly, shielding Kane with his body. The sword slices into the dark fabric of his shirt and leaves a large cut on his shoulder. He hisses from the pain and pushes Opal away with his other arm, nearly knocking her off her feet. Blood drips down from the sword, onto the carpet.Opal
EmoryWith the Nightstones all refusing to leave Nightfall until Lydia is woken up from her magically-induced coma, I decide to hold the meeting with all the Alphas at Alpha Gerald’s home. His home is a fortress, and he has the room to accommodate all the Alphas and their entourages. I’ll also get t
Rainer“You son of a bitch, you did it,” I say, still reeling with how Kane has managed to convince the vampire monarchs to agree to his insane plan.“Hey. That’s my mother you’re talking about.” Kane is smiling so I know he doesn’t really take offense. “I’m surprised I got them to agree, too. I tho
KaneI don’t know how much King Myenas is looking into Lydia’s death. I know people have to be talking about seeing Lex flee Carmine Falls with a witch who throws fireballs at guards. Having the meeting with all the vampire monarchs at Scarlett Thunder is a way to deflect that this whole thing isn’t
LexI’m not looking forward to having guests again after Cole’s birthday party. It hasn’t been that long, and the expense troubles me. The royal coffers are still low on funds, but I couldn’t refuse my brother when he asked me if I could host the meeting between the vampire monarchs. I'm surprised K
KaneAs Lex is leaving to go back to Scarlett Thunder, I tell him about the plan to end King Myenas’s feeder trafficking operation by replacing it with my own more humane system. My brother looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Saying it out loud to another person makes me realize how unhinged the pla
LexNow that Lydia Nightstone is back with her pack, I’m going to head back to Scarlett Thunder. Cole and I have been away for too long, and I have a lot of work to tackle. I’m not looking forward to the paperwork, but that’s part of running a kingdom. There’s always an endless amount of paperwork.
“I need to end the business with the feeders. It’s how he has allies. He provides them a steady blood supply without going through the trouble with the shifter packs. If I can cut off his blood supply, his allies will not stick around,” I explain.If there is anything I know about the vampire royals