WillowBryony’s nightmares prevent her from getting a lot of restful sleep at night, so I encourage her to nap when she can. When she’s awake, she often draws disturbing images. If my daughter is a seer, then she’s seeing troubling visions of the future. It’s a lot for a three-year-old girl to have
LydiaThe vampire with the shaved head brings Jesse and I back to camp dressed in some ill-fitting clothes he had with him in a backpack. The vampire I attacked lies on the ground, blood soaking the front of his shirt. The earth beneath him is a dark red, almost black. I’m shocked that he’s still al
LydiaJesse’s death has left me numb with shock. I can barely sleep and eat. The memory of her being decapitated replays in my mind nonstop. The scent of her blood lingers, refusing to leave me alone. I don’t know what the Blood Takers did to her body, but my best guess is that they dumped it somewh
RainerIt took me several days to track down the Blood Takers. They kept moving and seemed to travel in a pattern anyone would call confusing. They’re not travelling in a straight line. They’ve been turning left and right into different territories, keeping to the woods and out of sight.I finally f
EmoryI’ve never been to Sardonia before. Queen Olga has been asking for me to visit her kingdom for years. So far, Kane and I have managed to put off the visit as we’ve been busy recuperating after the war with Scarlett Thunder and raising our son. Although, I have met Queen Olga a few times when s
“Some might say delusional,” she replies. “And yet, we all worshipped the same Goddess at one point in time. We may have more in common than we think.”I glance at Kane and then back at her and say,“I know that. At the end of the day, we all want similar things—safety, love, and friendship.”“You ar
KaneThe dining room feels intimate with the short table that could only accommodate a dozen people. Queen Olga tells us that they use this dining room for family and friends only. The nobles that live in the castle dine in another more spacious room. The table is made of stone and is connected to t
LydiaI watch warily as Randal comes over with a plate of food. His smile is wide and friendly like we’ve known each other for years. His overall niceness is unsettling compared to the usual treatment the feeders receive from the other Blood Takers. I don’t know what to make of this man.“Hello, Lyd
FayeEmelda tucks my hand in the crook of her elbow as we walk through the fog. It’s drizzling, and the sky’s a deep gray in the faint early morning sunlight peeking through the mist. “Does it always rain like this here?” I ask, turning to Emelda. She smiles down at me, her face shielded by the hoo
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