Nikita’s POVShe warned me. All day she has been telling me something doesn’t feel right, but I chose not to listen. I was too angry at her for not letting me shift. The pain washes over me in relentless waves making me tremble in fear. This is pain like I have never felt and my primal cry of anguish and desperation pierces through the veil at the caves entrance. I look up to the ceiling of the cave and see the moon’s pale light as it filters through the crack in the ceiling. Each contraction rips through me without a break between them form me to regain my breath. The intensity of the pain is mind boggling, I feel like I’m being torn apart from the inside. Celeste squeezes my hand and her lips move fast. I don’t know what she is saying. My screams overshadow every other noise in the cave. My wolf cowers in the corner. Her ears are flat against her head and her body trembles along with mine, she can feel my pain and it tears at her with the same intensity. I feel Celes
Ebony’s POVJermiah talks non stop as we race through the deep dark forest. I love the fact I can’t respond to his incessant chatting, even if I wanted to. He isn’t a pack member so I’m unable to mind link with him. I might stay as a wolf the whole time. My mind isn’t here. It is back with Blake and Bleiz. I’m pretty sure Bleiz would have killed me if it hadn’t been for Blake. The whole scene keeps playing through my head, over and over again. Guilt consumes my inner self and I cry silently in my mind, where no one can see or hear the weakness in me. I love Blake but I am mated to them both. Bleiz and I just don’t have the connection I have with Blake. Maybe that is because we have been fucking without him. Is that why Blake pursued me alone, does he want me for himself. At least with me gone for a few days it will give them a chance to work through whatever this is. My wolf is worried but the freedom to have such a long, unbroken run is something she hasn’t enjoyed in
Ebony’s POVThe balls of fire stop but don’t leave us for even a second. I can feel the weight of his intense stare on me as I stay rooted in gut wrenching fear to the spot. I have never felt fear like it in my life. I am used to being the one that instil fear in other beings, not the other way around. It’s all I can do not to whimper, tuck my tail between my legs and make a run for it. I might be scared but I am not a coward so I take a deep inhale of musty swamp air into my lungs and take my eyes from the beast in the water and look for the source of the voice. I hadn’t even noticed the majestic tree that rises above the tangled overgrowth and towers above all the surrounding vegetation. It’s colossal trunk is at least twice as wide as the redwood trees of the North and its huge thick branches start from just above the ground and sprawl out wide and far. The twisted limbs have moss and ivy draped across them helping to blend and hide the tree in darkness that the thi
Celeste’s POVThe barrier is the only thing keeping us safe. I have searched the cave and found another entrance to the cave and sealed that for now. I don’t know what we are going to do. I had hope getting rid of the smell of blood quickly would be enough to not bring him straight to our door, but I was wrong. He was here within an hour of the babies being born and has stood at the front entrance to the cave all night growling. Nikita fell asleep after being bathed with Freya and Finn and feeding them her milk. I however have watched the beast through the impenetrable force field I created. I dread to think what would have transpired if I hadn’t had the foresight to cast the spell. We would have been slaughter like sheep. He paces now, side to side across the wide entrance to the cave. His body is bigger than a horse and his fur is a mix of midnight black and silver grey. One he must have been a mighty wolf in high standing within a pack, but now his coat is ragged an
Nikita’s POVI manage to push his huge, heavy body off from on top of me. Blood spills in a river from his mouth over me and sinks into my fur. More blood leaks from the wound in his side, but the sword stems the flow. The silver working its way through his body, destroying him from the inside out. I manage to slip from under him and make my way quickly over to Celeste who is on the floor in a heap. My breath catches in my throat with concern. Finn and Freya start bawling, their cries are loud in the silence of the forest. At least they are ok. As I reach where they lay together Celeste slips away, her body is broken and her face has a deep gash across it from where she face planted the floor to save the babies from being hurt. I quickly take untie them from her back and put them together in a nest of pillows that I’ve pulled from Celeste’s backpack. They are hungry but I don’t have time to feed them right now. I need to check Celeste first. Their cries elicit an unex
Ebony’s POV It doesn’t take long for Jermiah to fall asleep. His snores make the windows rattle and the air smell of his stale, smelly breath. He still hasn’t snapped back to his normal self. Elara was very chatty over dinner, possibly due to the four hundred years of having only a monstrous crocodile for company. I can’t imagine he is very good for a conversation. The weight of solving the riddle rests with me, the hopes of saving our race from the slavery that has plagued our kind for centuries is in my hands. My ancestors and my brethren deserve to see our people raise, above the footsteps od the people who wish to oppress us and use us against our will to their own ends. I felt I would look a bit ignorant and nonchalant if I asked Elara to repeat the riddle, instead I opted to ask for a pen and paper to write down what I could remember and see if I can somehow unpick it to get the answer she is looking for. I didn’t realise my memory was so bad before now. What th
Channon’s POV ‘What do you mean, She left Jermiah in the swamp?’ She looks at me like I just told her I ate the last slice of lemon meringue pie. ‘Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m only telling you what she said to me. The good news is she has the Tears of Dawna and will be back here tonight with them.’ At least she calms down a bit with that news. Everyone is so highly strung, which isn’t surprising really. The camp where the witches has set up seems to have grown over night, their numbers have swelled far beyond our own. Our only real hope of winning this war is by breaking the curse and setting witches slaves free. If we set our people free my hope is they will turn on those that have enslaved them and rip them to pieces. I know I would in their shoes. I would want to kill them all. My intention isn’t to destroy the race of witches. No, simply to make them leave us alone, forever. Keeva on the other hand, or more Selina, would be quite happy to see them wiped clean from the face
Keeva’s POV‘You smell funny.’ I move in closer to Channon and sniff him all over, up and down. ‘Have you wet yourself?’ I blurt out and he steps back. I wrinkle my nose at the pungent odour and feel a bit sick. ‘He stinks of fear.’ Selina moves forwards and our consciousness combines, I feel her sense of smell over take my own. It’s not just his fear he reeks of, it’s the other Alpha’s fear scent that has stuck to him too. Selina moves back in to my mind and curls up, absorbed in her own thoughts on the situation. ‘Why are you all so scared?’ He looks at me and I can see his is genuinely worried. ‘The vampires have joined forces with the witches Keeva, I don’t know how we are going to win this thing.’ His eyes fill and her turns away. ‘I’m going for a shower.’ I let him go. At least he can get rid of the awful smells that cling to him and then I will go help relieve him of some of his frustration and anger. ‘Keeva.’ I turn to the door and see Ebony. She looks so tired