“What-”I watch in shock as she places the needle in her vein, andcrimson blood starts dripping into the bag. When it’s full enough, she offers it to me, and the hunger spurns me on, practically burning my throat. I take the bag and drink, her blood salty and vibrant. After starving for days, her bl
I shrug. “He’s a prick. Always has been.”“Even if I win and I lose you, I don’t know what my life will be like without you, Rain. I don’t trust anyone else. I can’t. You have been my one true friend.”I feel my throat closing up as unexpressed emotion makes it hard to speak. Damnit. Kane wants us t
EmoryMy mother tells me about what happened to Bernard before we arrive in Moon Grove. His body is transported in a separate car as we make our way back to my hometown. I’m too numb from shock and the millions of things I need to focus on other than my father’s death. Bernard, until the end, is cau
“He gave us you, Lo,” I add. “That’s another good thing he did.”“In spite of himself, Bernard managed to make good kids,” Coit says. “We’re his legacy. The best thing he's ever done."My mother nods. “He’s wronged many people and made many mistakes. People will remember him for what he’s done and n
“How many?”“Around two thousand.”I close my eyes in relief. I can work with those odds. We might win this war after all.“I love you,” I tell her. “And not because you brought me an army.”She smiles. “I know, and I love you too.”We have to leave the tent so I can greet all the Alphas. I’ve met t
LexThe girl lies limp on the dungeon floor. I’ve drank more than I meant to this time, and I feel her blood running through my system. Since she first started to visit me a few days, she’s returned several times, and my body has begun to heal itself. My ribs still feel tender as the bruises fade ar
The eastern gardens are filled with grotesque antique statues King Peter’s ancestors had commissioned or taken from other kingdoms they conquered. They are covered in vines and moss, largely forgotten by the gardeners some of which are trimming hedges and tending to flower bushes at the moment.I s
She grip my shirt with her sharp nails. “Don’t go. My father’s men will hunt you down like a dog.”I pull her hands away from me. “Not if I get out of this cesspit of a kingdom first.”“Lex!”We both turn to see Jacob walking briskly toward us. He’s carrying a sword in one hand. Oh shit. Now I reall
MichaelI carefully pluck Matilda’s cold fingers from my shirt. “Where’s your fiance?”“Hell if I know,” she replies smoothly, her full lips curving at the edges. “Not around, obviously. He’s keeping his distance.”I want to say that I don’t blame him. Something about her makes me want to crawl out
I whirl and sink against the door, fuming, holding my face in my hands while I listen to Emelda’s voice drop to something soft and gentle while the nameless girl moans as if she’s in pain. The girl starts sobbing, begging Emelda for help, and it’s my undoing. Emelda is right. Whatever this tugging
MichaelEmelda silently returns to the kitchen with her tray of tonics and potions and sets them on the counter, wordlessly scribbling doses in the black leather notebook she’s been carrying around in her pocket since the night I met the witch-turned-vampire seven years ago. I lean against the coun
FayePrince Michael sits on the side of the bed. I edge closer, holding his gaze like I’m in a trance. I can hear his heart thumping even from this distance. I can hear his blood rushing in his veins. His scent is warm and overwhelmingly comforting, adding to the dizzy feeling cascading over my body
Faye“Wait,” I beg, scooching across wet grass, my palms broken and bruised from the gravel on the road. “Why? Why are you doing this?”Another blow to my chest has me curling into the fetal position. Rain pelts my face–sharp, and cold. The dress my mother spent weeks perfecting is torn from my body
MichaelIt’s the middle of the night when I walk up to my doorstep. Thunder rumbles in the distance, but Ravenfell is foggy, cool, and only slightly damp tonight. I open the door to quiet darkness. A light switches on upstairs, illuminating the second floor landing as I step into the foyer, holding
FayeIt’s raining. I watch a raindrop roll down the window, absorbing its companions. The rest of the world is a dark blur as I press my fingertips to the window, finding the glass cold. Someone touches my thigh in the darkness, murmuring something under their breath. Soon, the world comes into view
“We were held up,” Matilda replies in a low, sensuous drawl that betrays her looks. I would have assumed her voice would be pitched and sharp. She’s very thin and hard–all bone and muscle. Most vampire females are like that, I suppose, with some exceptions. One being the woman curled up in a guest r
MichaelThere’s a hum of excitement in the castle as I pass through the main entrance, rain sliding off my black leather jacket and onto the dark stone floor. The bridge behind me is socked-in by fog as the doors close, and a couple of guards step back in place, standing stoically at attention while