After laying down pouting in Nikolai’s bed, I figured I could make better use of my time, as I began to rifle through Nikolai’s belongings, hoping that maybe I would be able to find something useful either to help with my escape or help when I am free and searching for the wolves that murdered my sister. At the thought of Anya, I felt a familiar ache in my heart. She’d died so young, she had so much life left to live. I pushed the heartache I felt for Anya away, I’d later use that pain when I faced her killers. My search through Nikolai’s closet had been for nothing, the only thing I found was that Nikolai was very particular about the way his clothes were organized, each item was separated by category, the dress shirts with the dress shirts, the pants with the pants, the suits with the suits, the jackets with the jackets, and so on and so forth. Then each category had its on sub category, separated by sizing, color, and length. Part of me, wanted to rearrange the closet and see how
Hello little fighter.” Growled the sound of a voice I hadn’t been expecting to hear again so soon. I took a deep breath, trying to find my courage before turning around to face my enemy. “What are you doing here wolf?” I asked glaring at Beta Daniels.“I’ve come to fetch my prize.” Beta Daniels smiled wickedly, his wolf flashing in his eyes. I felt goosebumps cover my entire body, I was terrified and I knew I wasn’t going to make it out of this alive, if I tried to fight, but I’d be damned if I let a werewolf take me alive. If I could just get to Nikolai’s bathroom, then I might be able to find a weapon to at least inflict some pain on the wolf. I heard a loud bang outside of Nikolai’s room and then a vicious growl. The palace was under attack. The wolves had laid siege. How the hell did they know Nikolai would be away tonight, were they behind the murders between the werewolf-fae border? Had this been a calculated plan to get Nikolai away and steal his throne. “Where’s the King?
As soon I materialized in my room, I saw red. How the fuck had a wolf gotten into my room, and why was he attacking Mary. My aura lashes out, my beast wanting to destroy the wolf who had his hands all over what was ours. The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Get the fuck off my mate.” “Mmm..mmm… mate?”the wolf stuttered, finally realizing the exact amount of danger he was in. Mary raised her head and looked up at me with a questioning look. I knew she wasn’t going to let what I said go and I would have to explain it later, but right now I needed to deal with these damn mutts who thought they could take over my fucking throne and rape my mate. I let my beast loose, allowing him to attack the wolf. We tore him off of Mary, and slammed him into the wall with enough force that it cracked the wall, bits and pieces falling down, exposing some of the bathroom. The wolf let out a small whine, before retreating completely, leaving his pathetic human to finish the fight
I followed Kade quietly to the Queen's suite, my mind racing with the events that had occurred today. Nikolai had called me his mate; what did that entail, and why had the Beta wolf stated that I was a weakness to Nikolai? Would I become a target for his enemies? Was my life in more danger now than it had previously been. Would whatever relationship I had with Nikolai differ from what it was currently. When I reached the Queen's quarters, I was greeted by a shriek; my heart skipped a beat, thinking someone had been injured. "Mary," Nevaeh screamed, engulfing me in her arms. "I thought something terrible had happened to you; Kade had said something had occurred in the King's chambers and that his presence was needed, and when he dropped me off in the Queen's room, and you weren't here…" Nevaeh sobbed, "I thought, that perhaps that Nikolai had lost control of his rage, due to your obtuseness of behaving, and he'd killed you." She continued to sob, pulling me into a tight bone-crushing
I pulled away from Mary, hesitating; I wasn't sure if right now was the appropriate time to be doing this. I didn't want her to wake up tomorrow morning and regret it, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her as I pull away, staring into her eyes, looking for even the slightest trace of hesitation. Mary reached up and grabbed my neck, bringing my chest back against hers; I could feel her taut nipples through my shirt. I could smell her arousal and her ache for me. It took everything I had to wait for her confirmation that this was what she wanted. "Yes, Nikolai, I'm sure." Her voice huskily responded, "Please make love to me and help me forget." Her lip trembled slightly; I wasn't sure if it was because of tonight's events or because she was afraid I would reject her. I placed my body weight softly on top of hers, my arms beside her head to help keep me propped up a little. "You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," I whispered in her ear; I could feel the heat of he
The wolves were getting anxious. I don’t know how long my brother and I will be able to continue our false pretense of being on their territory. “Tell me dragon shifter, why is King Nikolai so interested in the mate bond.” Purred the Alpha Wolf. “I am not sure.” Draq responded with his voice and face void of emotion. “Tell me seer,” the alpha wolf sneered, standing from his chair, causing it to go flying backwards and he placed his hands roughly on the desk, leaving an impression, “does this have anything to do with the blood slave he has hiding in his chambers.” My gaze flickered to my brother’s for the briefest of moments, how did Alpha Ash know about Mary. And how did he know Nikolai kept Mary in his chambers, was there a mole in the palace. Only Nikolai’s most trust advisors were allowed on the kings floor, surely one of them wouldn’t have traded the King’s secrets. I was unable to hide my emotions quick enough at the shocking mention of Mary, the Alpha wolf smiled slyly. “So
Nikolai has been incredibly distant since the night we made love. The only time I see him is at night when it’s time for bed, and even then, it’s nothing romantic. It’s just a formality with his need to protect me. He hand’t even fed from me, and it made me curious, if not a little jealous, as I began to wonder where he was getting his blood from. I tried not to let his distance bother me. It was better this way. I wouldn’t be tied to him and I could still avenge my family’s murders, as soon as I was able to get out of this prison. It seems like a strong word, but since the attacks, that is what the palace feels like. I’m only allowed to leave the confines on the King’s quarters to attend meals. I was no longer allowed to go to the village or even walk around the gardens. The only visitor I was allowed was Nevaeh, and she seemed to be coming around less frequently as if she didn’t want to be associated with me, a nobody. Nikolai had ordered guards to escort me and wait for me outside
What is so damn important that you had to interrupt me?” I ask Kade scowling at him, I had been in a foul mood ever since I became fully aware of the fact that Mary was indeed my mate. It’s not that I didn’t want her to be my mate. She was absolutely perfect for me. She was the light to my darkness, she was willing to challenge me when no one else dared. She was my divine gift and I wasn’t willing to give her up, but it terrified me that she was human. Mary was my ultimate weakness. Once the supernatural world learned that I had taken a human as my mate, they’d do anything and everything in the power to take her from me, they’d use her as a bargaining chip against me, some may even kill her just to spite me, or torture her for information. I couldn’t protect Mary at every turn and that’s what terrified me. My mate was at risk because of me and my status in the world. “We have information.” Kade responded, his tone short and clipped. Kade was pissed at me that I wouldn’t confirm if Ma
As I sit in my chair looking outside, I recall the past. It's been over a year since my Phoenix cleansed the Earth, and to hear the way others told it, it had been quite a spectacle. Nevaeh told me she'd felt herself dying and then saw a bright light so pure that she couldn't help but walk to it. She thought it was the entrance to the Heavens, but when she reached for the light, she felt herself being pulled through a fiery inferno, and when she came to, Kade was cradling her head, murmuring to her softly over and over again how much he loved her. Kade had told me he was mourning the loss of Nevaeh when he felt a darkness sweep over the Earth. The darkness that surrounded him was ice-cold, and its touches felt like the grim reaper had come to collect the souls promised to him. Kade said he felt the darkness engulfing him, but then a pure voice called to him, beckoning him to jump off a ledge away from the darkness. Kade told me he almost didn't listen to the voice; having lost Neva
When Ash tossed me aside, I expected to feel something, anything but the emptiness I was feeling inside of me. How could I feel the intensity of Mary's throat being slashed and then feel nothing but sorrow? How could a mate survive their other half's tragic death? I'd watch my mom destroy herself from the inside out over my father's death, but looking at her physically, no one could tell that she had died on the inside. That's exactly how I felt; I felt dead inside. I could hear people screaming, swords clashing, and the smell of fresh blood spilling onto the ground, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't move from the spot where I had landed. I could hear the Alpha laughing and taunting me, jesting over Mary's unnecessary death, but I was too weak to stop him. I was too weak to put my sword through his back and silence him. I had failed my friends and my country, but more important than both of those combined, I had failed her. Mary trusted me to keep her safe, she truste
Ambrose's magic exploded, throwing Nevaeh and I in the opposite direction of Nikolai; while I was still pissed that Nevaeh hadn't listened to me and sought safety, I couldn't focus on that right now. I needed to focus on the tasks at hand, keeping Nevaeh and myself safe while cutting through our enemies and helping Nikolai rescue Mary. I glanced around, taking note of the mayhem surrounding me; there wasn't an easy path to take getting to Ash's home; we would have to head directly into the center of the war. I looked from where Ambrose's magic had tossed us, ensuring he was okay. He was battling head-on with the witch Befana. He seemed evenly matched with the high witch, battling her spell for spell, but I wondered how long he would be able to keep up with this; Nikolai had fed from him earlier, and he'd held the protective shield over us for nearly half the battle. Looking quickly over Ambrose's features, it didn't seem like the fae was weakening in the slightest bit. The longer he
Lucious is flying above us, burning everything his fire can touch; he doesn't care if the people he harms are on his side or ours. "Draq, Dru," I yell out to the twins, hoping to be heard over the screams of those being burned alive. "Lucious must be stopped. If he continues on this way, nothing will be left." The twins both give each other a knowing look, communicating in a way that only twins can before they acknowledge me. "We will do our best to make you proud, your highness," Draq replies, bowing his head before shifting into his massive beast. "If anything happens to us, just know that we fell with honor," Dru states, bowing his head as a sign of respect before shifting into his great beast. Anya gasps in astonishment, this more than likely was her first time seeing a dragon up close, reminding me that she'd come along with us. "Marques," I commanded the merman, "I need you to take Anya somewhere safe." "You need me in this battle," Marques states urgently, glancing over
"Alpha!" My scout calls to me, rushing through the doors of my home, "The King's army has been spotted; what would you like us to do." "Prepare the troops," I growl out before storming into the room and heading toward spWhen I discovered her in her room this morning, I immediately sent for the three witches; Befana, Baba Yaba, and Circe. "Are there any changes?" I asked when I stormed through the room, looking at Mary's seemingly dead body."None that we've noticed yet," Circe responded, her hands "waving over Mary's body. "THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" I yell, my arms sprouting fur, my wolf trying to escape having felt anger. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BEAT THE ROYAL ARMY WITHOUT A PHOENIX ON MY SIDE!" "You still have the magic of all but the Sprites and the merpeople inside you. You're still as powerful as his highness." Befana spoke, trying to soothe my anger. "And if his mate is this bad, Nikolai won't stand a chance against you." Crooned Baba Yaga. Yes, but if the mate bond a
To my surprise, all four of the princes are at the door when they open it to greet Delphine. "We've been expecting you." The blond hair prince, who appears to be the oldest, states, welcoming Delphine and me into their home. There are already six cups of steaming tea waiting for us on the coffee table. "I wouldn't expect any less from Tobias," Delphine states nodding her head toward the brown-haired brother as she sits on one of the six pillows sitting around the coffee table. "Please sit." The black-haired brother indicates to me, "It isn't every day we have visiting royals here in the Sprite kingdom, King Nikolai." He smiles, although it doesn't quite reach his eye. "Enough pleasantries," Spits the red-headed brother, his fire showing in his eyes, "Anya isn't going with you." "Jed," Delphine chides, "Please hear Nikolai out. Also, Tobias, I hadn't realized your ability to see the future had grown so strong. Your mother would be proud of you." Delphine states, praising the brown
You're wondering why Stetson is the way he is," Delphine hums, her voice vibrating through me, "He was cursed as a child by the witch Belinda. He was cursed before the Princes closed the doors to the Sprite kingdom, but that is a story for another time. Right now, we should initiate the blood vow before your time has run out." She replies, her knowledge about my situation indicating she knows more than she's letting on.I go to ask another question, but she holds her hand up to silence me, "I can only see a brief glimpse of your future. You've chosen the correct path, Nikolai, but your fate will change if you come home empty-handed." She states cryptically, "Now take my hand and repeat after me." No longer hesitant about making a blood vow, I place my hand in hers, her magical energy rushing into my body as our hands become one. "A gift for later. You'll know when to use it." She whispers before raising the dagger and stabbing deeply into our joined hands, stabbing a hole directly t
It's been four days since Kade and I left the castle and were transported to the woods beside the sprite land. Kade's inside man still hasn't made contact with us, and I've grown irritated sitting around here waiting. I could be doing other things with my time, like plotting out how to kill Ash, but instead, I've been pacing a river bed. I've managed to locate the end of the bed and the pond it feeds into, but I am met with resistance when I try to find where the river begins. The river leads to Sprite lands. The river is deep enough to swim in, and last night when I suggested to Kade that we could try to swim the river into spite lands, he agreed to it on one condition. We would give whoever this S person is until tomorrow night to show up and lead us inside; if he isn't here by then, we'll act out my plan. Kade doesn't know it yet, but I plan to kill everyone and anyone who gets in my way. I'm ravenous with hunger. I haven't fed on anyone or drank a blood bag since Mary was taken.
I etch out another notch into the side of the bedpost. According to the notches, it's been five days since Ash marked me as his and four days since I felt my bond with Nikolai slip away. In my heart, I knew that Nikolai was okay, but I could wash away the sense of dread I was feeling.During the day, Ash lets me wander the halls of the mansion. The house is always empty; the only residents here are Ash, myself, and a couple of servants. I've tried to win the servants over to my side, but they ignore me; they continue with their chores and act like nothing is amiss. But perhaps to them, nothing has changed. When I first came here, there was another younger female who'd been taken. She was long gone now, but what if Ash made a habit of kidnapping women, and the servants were desensitized from the matter. On the first day, Ash let me wander the halls; I tried to make a break for it. The moment my foot crossed the front door threshold, I was met with unbearable pain as an electrical curr