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
My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to slow my breathing. The hunter was near; I knew he'd be able to sense my fear. "Shh... Anya." I whispered to my little sister, who was sniffling right beside me. "If you don't stop crying, we will never be able to find mom and dad.""I'm trying, Mary." My sister clung tighter to me. The wind shifted, and I felt the breeze blowing in my hair. A low howl sounded. I knew then the hunter had caught onto our scent. "Run, Anya!" I screamed at my little sister, "Run to the river. Quickly Now." "What about you, Mary?" Anya asked, a worried look on her face. "I will make a false trail; I'll circle back and meet you at Silver Stone Lake. Float the river to the lake Anya. Don't get out until you make it to the bottom.""Mary, I'm scared," Anya whispered to me, clinging tighter. I knew the hunter would be on us in a matter of minutes. If we had any chance of freedom and finding mom and dad, we had to leave now. I grabbed Anya's head, holding h
When I woke, my eyes were heavy and swollen. The events of the night before came flooding back to me. "No, Anya." I whimpered, clutching my knees to my chest. A loud bang startled me, pulling me from my memories. I took in my surroundings and noticed I had been locked in a small cage. There were ten other small cages in the room, each filled with a human woman, more exotic than the last. I'd heard enough about it to learn that I had landed in the slave trade. I was to be auctioned to a vampire. I would be his walking blood bank. I felt a shiver run down my spine; I wish they would have killed me; I wish they would have ended my life the same as they ended Anya's. No, I'm glad the hunters left me alive. It would give me the chance to avenge Anya. I would make them pay. I swear to you, Anya, that I will avenge you. I thought to myself as I watched the women in the other cages. The woman closest to me had tanned olive skin, and her hair was pitch black and curly; she must've felt me sta
Nevaeh looked at me oddly, as Beta Daniels put me into my cage. I knew she wanted to know why I was in a robe. My face flushed red with embarrassment. I didn’t want her to know that the wolves found me sexually appealing, and viewed me as a conquest. It was bad enough seeing Nevaeh get groped by Diego, I didn’t want her to think I was getting special treatment. Beta Daniels locked my cage, and walked out towards the front of the office. The auction was about to begin. I could hear him speaking to a crowd over a microphone. Nevaeh looked at me questioningly again.“I’m too big for my bikini.” I whispered to her, opting into telling her a half truth. “Oh.” She mouthed. I reached down into the corner, where I had hidden my locket, and put it back around my neck.“I promise you Anya, I will get chosen today, and. I will avenge you.” I whispered to my self bringing the locket to my lips.There was a loud banging noise and I knew the auction had begun. The capture had grabbed the first
"I have already told you, time and time again, that I do not need a Queen. Having a woman by my side will not make me stronger," I growled out at my council, feeling my anger rise. "If anything, it will make me weaker; my enemies will have something to target. "But Nikolai," One of the Elders said, "You need an heir." I could feel my anger rising with every mumbled agreement from the council. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "I am a vampire, not just any Vampire. I am King of the Vampires. I have been around for a Millennia now; I do not plan on dying anytime soon." I stared down at my council, letting my eyes flash red as my aura surrounded them, "Unless one of you is planning on taking me out and becoming the next King, I suggest you heed my words right now. I will not be forced to take a Mate by anyone."The council stayed quiet. No one dared to speak; they knew better when my mood was like this carnage followed if anyone dared to speak against me. I turned and walke
I opened the doors to my bedchamber and beckoned the two guards waiting outside into the room. ‘Sire.” They both bowed in unison. They were twin seers from the Dragon troupe. I had rescued them when they were just hatchlings from human hunters and they swore their fealty to me as my protectors. I brought them back home to my kingdom and had them trained by my strongest warriors. They were now my personal guards, and I trusted them almost as much as I trusted Kade. “Take Martha’s body and bury it in the gardens. Near the Willow tree.” Martha always loved the willow tree, it reminded her of her daughter, Willow, who was killed in the first war. The twins didn’t need to know that part though. The both bowed at me, before going to Martha, Draq, the taller twin, picked her gently and carried her bridal style in his arms. Dru, the smaller twin, looked around seeing if anything else needed to be removed from my room, before he followed Draq out, closing my door behind them. I sat on my
“Did you just roll your eyes at me.” I growled feeling my beast rise once again. This infuriating woman knew how to provoke me. I could hear the quickening speed of her heartbeat as I approached her. The closer I got to her the more enticing her smell became. What was it about her, that intrigued me so. As stopped right in front of her, reaching out, grabbing her chin in my hand tilting it up towards me. “Human, I asked you a question.” “My name is Mary damnit.” She said her eyes filling with unshed tears. Mary, the name was fitting for her. “I did not ask your name,” I sneered. “ I asked if you rolled your eyes at me.” I added a little pressure to my grip on her chin.“Yes.” She said her tears now rolling down her face. “I rolled my eyes at you.” “Ive already given you your one and only warning.” I growled.She gulped. “Im sorry. It wont happen again.” She responded through teary eyes. I leaned in closer to her, her scent calling to me. H
My heart was pounding in my chest as I ran towards the bathroom. I can’t believe I had almost thrown up on a Vampire, and not just any Vampire, the Vampire King. I reached my hand out and grabbed the door to the bathroom, swinging it wide open and slamming it shut behind me. I dived for the toilet, thanking the Heavens the seat had been left up, and emptied my stomach of its contents. I continued to drive heave, not knowing if I had a case of severe motion sickness, or anxiety, probably a little bit of both. Once I felt safe to get up, I slowly picked myself up off the bathroom floor, and made my way to the sink, to wash my face off. I turned the water on cold, and ducked my head under the faucet, gathering water in my mouth so I could swish it around, cleaning out my mouth. Afterwards I gulped down some water from the faucet, hoping to ease my stomach, Once I finished cleansing myself up, I peaked around at the bathroom. It was amazing. The bathtub looked like a lap pool, and
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