I wrinkle my nose. “Ugly?”“When they come out, babies are kind of squished,” she tells me. “Being born is hard work.”That makes sense to me. I know where babies come from. Emory explained it to me last year when the stork story was becoming less and less believable. I’ve never even seen a stork at
“I like you better naked,” he says. “You’re the one that’s distracting.”“Because I’m the size of the moon and hard to miss. I practically have my own gravitational force at this point.”He laughs. “You’re not big. You’re pregnant.”“I’m still big. Does it matter why?”He pushes the fabric of my shi
KaneEmory sits up, her face scrunched up in discomfort. I’m about to ask her if she’s okay before she lets out a pained scream. I lean up, placing a hand on her back to comfort her. She’s breathing quicker, her green eyes wide in realization.“The baby is coming.”I nearly jump out of my skin. Fear
“It’s not a secret if we’re just guessing.” He shrugs. “It’s all for fun, Hels. No harm done.”Helga rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t push Thomas away when he wraps an arm around her chair. I know Thomas has been planning to propose for a while. They really like each other even if Helga pretends like
“What does he look like to you?” Kane replies. “Lowell? Alaric?”“No.” I only think about it for a moment, but I know what’s the right name. “Michael."Kane’s eyes stare into mine, uncertainly. “Are you sure? That name has a lot of history attached to it.”“It’s not all bad history. Your father trie
KaneI don’t want to leave Emory and my newborn son even for a moment, but the serious look in Rainer’s eyes tells me that whatever he has to tell me is urgent. I have my most trusted guards right outside the door. Nellie and Helga are there along with Emory’s mother. I know all these people would l
He has lost a lot of weight. The plain food in the dungeons and no access to sunlight has taken its toll on the shifter. Even if he tried to fight Jacob off, a weakened vampire is still stronger than a healthy shifter. In this leaner state, Bernard stood no chance.Bernard’s gray lifeless eyes stare
His pale blue eyes gleam with hatred. “Fuck…you…”“I missed you too, Jake.” I lean down and grab Jacob by the shoulders, hauling him up like a limp marionette. “Come on, princess. I’m taking you back to the dungeon.”“No!” The threat of being imprisoned again brings the fight back to Jacob, and he p
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
FayeIt’s snowing on my wedding day. Snowing hard, actually, as I watch cars pulling around the castle where valets are waiting to greet the guests. The wedding will take place in an hour. An hour. I can’t believe it. My stomach pitches as two maids pull curlers from my hair and dab blush on my che
EmeldaQueen Emory smiles at the spread of vampire-friendly food laid out on a tea-table. Blood pastries and cakes galore sit on pretty little trays adorned with flowers, flutes of blood made to sparkle resting beside them. “Are you not hungry?” she asks as I inspect the spread over the sound of Al
MichaelI don’t really want to be here, but my mother and my fiancee practically forced me out of the castle and locked the door behind me. The dingy, crowded tavern some thirty miles away from the castle seems to sway against the crowd of shifters and vampires alike, everyone drinking copious amou
FayeIt’s snowing again. White fluff falls from the dark sky, highlighted by the exterior sconces placed along the walls of the castle. I smile as it blankets the ground, sticking to every surface it touches. I never really thought about the logistics of my future wedding. A marriage? Sure. My even
MichaelI stare at my soon-to-be bride, who looks up at me like a little golden owl, her blue eyes wide and shocked as she takes in my level of disheveledness. But I’m looking at her bloody finger, the bowl of liquid on the table, and the two guilty-looking ex-witches standing on either side of Fay
“He told me he thought you might have been pregnant the night we were going to give you that final potion,” she whispers, meeting my eyes. “I told him it couldn’t be. It was far too early to tell and the herbs I’d been giving you to try to heal you would have been harmful for the baby.”We stare at
FayeMorning comes like sand falling through an hourglass. All night, time moved so slowly. Each second passed in agony as I waited and paced, hoping for any shred of news from Michael. I’ve spent the most time in the living room sitting in awkward discomfort between Cole and Emelda, who refuse to
MichaelAlpha Harold watches as I sink into an armchair across from the raging fire in the hearth. He holds me a glass of whiskey, his eyes holding mine for a second before he turns to settle on a stool beside his mate. I find this entire situation–this man, this pack–alarming. “How long have you