LexI have never cared for King Matthias of Red River. We first met when he visited Crimson Peak soon after Kane’s coronation. He’d recently been married, and the couple were already being unfaithful to one another. I found this out when I came back to my suite to find King Matthias’s wife waiting f
I bristle at the insult. “I am not my brother’s dog.”“Do you not bark when he commands it?” he retorts. “Roll over? Play dead? Be a good boy?”My fists clench in anger. I need to calm myself and not rise to his baiting. He’s doing this on purpose. I will not give him the satisfaction of winning by
RainerGeorge Nightstone is a tall, muscular man that hovers over Ivy while she is trying to read the grimoire. Ever since we brought the male shifter to Ivy’s cottage, he’s been watching her like a bird of prey. Willow and I exchange looks, wary about this development. Ivy seems to mostly ignore hi
KaneLex calls me after his meeting with King Matthias. My brother has gone above and beyond and was able to get the information we need. King Matthias is aware of the Blood Takers abducting people that are passing through his kingdom. It’s an operation that’s been in place for a while now.“King My
RainerKane informs me that the Blood Takers will be in Rouge Curve by tomorrow. I have no time to spare as I have to make my way from Crimson Peak to Red River within the day. I don’t take any personal items with me that can point to my real identity. I pack a small bag of clothes, a supply of bloo
EmoryI’m not expecting Coit to show up at Castle Graystone. It’s early in the morning, and I’ve just finished getting ready when he barges into my suite, followed by the castle guards. He looks furious, his eyes like emerald fire. I gesture toward the castle guards that everything is fine, and they
WillowI’m distracted as I reshelve books in the castle library. My thoughts are far away while I move the book trolley to another aisle and rearrange the books. I can’t even be annoyed at whoever put the books back in the wrong order. There are even books from a different section of the library her
LydiaMy head fucking hurts.While shifters can heal fast, head wounds take longer and slow down healing other injuries in the process. Cataloguing my injuries, I have a sprained wrist and bruises all over my body. besides the concussion Sleeping in the semi-truck is uncomfortable. All of us, human
Michael“Michael! MICHAEL!” Emelda’s voice rips through the gloom just as I’m about to reach my front door. I’m in my wolf form, my dark brown, nearly black, coat dusted with beads of mist as I turn on the top step to look down at the vampire rushing in my direction. She’s soaking wet and moving at
FayeI’m sitting against plush pillows feeling like myself again, whoever that is. My memories are still hazy, but I’m starting to remember key things. My name is Faye. I’m twenty. I like to read, draw, and play the piano. I’m actually very good at playing piano. I like the color pink, even though i
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