Chapter Eleven: In The BloodA small moan of fear escaped her as a tall man with craggy features, tanned skin, and golden eyes entered the room. He had long white hair that hung down to the middle of his back and took each step as though he carefully measured doing so ahead of time, weighing his options and deciding on the most beneficial course. He radiated wisdom, but no warmth. She shivered again.“You’ve enlightened her, Eli?” asked the man.“I have, Caius.”Those golden eyes focused on her, but his expression gave away nothing. “What do you think of what you’ve heard, young Trueblood?”Her back stiffened, and she had to swallow before she could answer. “I think you’re all crazy.”Caius surprised her by giving a small chuckle, and the temperature in the room seemed to warm infinitesimally. “I’m certain you wish we were, but I believe you know in your heart we’re telling you the truth, North. No doubt, it resonates within you, awakening knowledge you’ve possessed all along, but rem
Chapter Twelve: Eamon’s DeliveryRather than napping, she spent the time pacing and trying to discern the best course of action. She was no closer to an answer when there was a tap on her door around six-thirty. She thought about ignoring it for a moment, but knew they wouldn’t leave her alone forever. With a sigh, she stopped pacing and crossed the room to open the door, sticking out her head cautiously.Eamon stood in the hallway, and he held a garment bag in his hands. “Caius sends this with his regards and requests you wear it tonight for the gathering.”She frowned at him, not taking the bag. “What gathering?”“The Council and other dignitaries here on Earth would like to meet you. You’re a bit like a princess now, North. You’re in danger, and there are those who would hurt you, but there are just as many who will marvel at your existence and be humbled by your presence. You should become accustomed to being the center of attention from now on.”She shook her head, starting to ta
Chapter Thirteen: Fae’dThey followed her. Of course they did, and North wasn’t surprised that they had done so. When she stopped fleeing in a panic and had a chance to calm down and think, it was no surprise to see the six of them emerge from the shadows to surround her in a semi-circle. She leaned against a nearby cement retainer wall, uncaring about any damage it might do to the dress. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them for a long moment without speaking. “This isn’t fair.”“What exactly isn’t fair?” asked Marek.North gave him a look full of disbelief. “All of this. Caius just expects me to step into a role he’s designated for me, and I had no idea about any of this until two days ago. That’s hardly enough time to process anything, let alone run headlong into what you all expect from me. I haven’t even had a chance to explore this realm, since I’ve been living with my father all these years in the cabin, and you expect me to just hop into the next one? That’s n
Chapter Fourteen: DancingThey exited the shop the way they had come after Orin assured her there was no need to pay, and it would be on his tab automatically. They returned to the sidewalk, but didn’t get back in the van. Instead, they walked two blocks through rough areas to emerge onto a main street with several clubs and a string of food trucks. She marveled at how quickly things changed, morphing from the decaying neighborhood to one showing obvious signs of rejuvenation. “Where do we start?”“Everywhere,” said Eamon with a laugh.That sounded like a fine plan to her, and they split into smaller groups, each intending to order enough to share. She was between Ryland and Marek as they waited for falafel on a stick.Soon enough the seven of them met back in the middle of the street, and she enjoyed new flavors she’d never tried before as she stuffed herself silly sharing various treats they had purchased from the vendors.When she couldn’t eat another bite, North put up her hands w
Chapter Fifteen: AmbushThey’d almost reached the van when a large group appeared from the shadows, all clad in black, and all silent. They were varying heights, with the shortest one likely no more than four feet tall, and the tallest one somewhere around seven-and-a-half feet. She froze in fear, but the six men around her reacted seamlessly, immediately switching from relaxed to ready.“Hand over the Trueblood, and this doesn’t have to be unpleasant.” It was the tallest one who spoke, and he had a gravelly, rough voice. In a way, it was a bit like Eli’s, but without the sexy smoothness to balance out the roughness.“I think it’s going to get very ugly, especially when we remove your mask,” said Kriss. His wings extended, and he reached between them to pull out a sword. She assumed the scabbard was hidden by his plumage, but there had to be some magic involved. The sword was too long and sharp for him to wear comfortably between his wings, especially when they were usually out of sig
Chapter Sixteen: Fire & IceNorth hadn’t slept well, which wasn’t that surprising. She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning, and she dreaded her first trip through the portal as much as her destination of Fire & Ice. Someone had thoughtfully left a binder of information for her on the bed she was using, and she’d spent an hour combing through all the data. It was enough to make her head spin, but she hoped she’d gleaned enough to have a basic understanding of their world, and the beings who shared it.The six of them came for her early in the morning, and she was ready to go. North carried the shopping bag of clothing from the mall, but wore the fae fabric. She’d envisioned carefree and comfortable, and that’s what it had given her as leggings and an oversized T-shirt. She paired them with the sneakers Carol bought her the day before—had it really been just yesterday that everything happened, that she discovered she was a Trueblood and wanted by her parents’ group, so they co
Chapter Seventeen: Water and KissesA light tap on her door woke North the next morning. She was snuggled in her covers and wanted to ignore it, but it came again and more insistently, making it impossible to do so. Smothering a yawn, she rolled out of bed and reached for a fur robe hanging there. She’d left her fae fabric out for one of the maids to collect last night for washing, and with it gone, she wore nothing besides the robe.When she reached the door, she half-expected it to be one of the staff returning her fabric, but it was Marek instead. He looked disgustingly awake and seemed raring to go. “What do you want?” The question came out grumpier than she’d intended, and she yawned again.Though his eyes twinkled, he had the good sense not to smile at her morning grumpiness. “We’re going to work on your powers, princess. Get dressed.”“You could try asking,” she muttered.He rolled his eyes. “Will you please get dressed so we can practice water magic?” The question dripped with
Chapter Eighteen: WishesFeeling melancholy, she wandered from the water room and made her way down several flights of stairs, until she was on the bottom floor. She had no idea where the others were, except their rooms were all on the same floor as her, but she hadn’t run into any of them yet. She caught sight of a familiar silver-blond from the corner of her eye and assumed it was Marek. He might not want to talk to her, but she felt the need to approach him and discuss the situation.She stepped through the double doors that led to an elaborate patio with stairs that wound down to a garden below. She hurried down the stairs and through the vegetation, which seemed to be in varying shades of silver and blue. It was icy out here, and yet the plants thrived. It had to be some kind of magic, unless they had simply adapted to their environment.She caught the flash of silver again and called out, “Marek, wait.” The person froze, and she crossed the distance while moving between the rows
Chapter Fifty-Three: ReunionIt was over, and relief swept through her. Her spine stiffened, and she managed to stand upright again. “We’ll do our best.” Persephone nodded and disappeared into the crowd of people who were triaging survivors or stacking the dead to be jettisoned into Noirvald. North turned away from all the chaos, no longer wanting in part of it. Other people could clean up, but she needed the reassurance of her mates. “I need to be alone with you. All of you.”“Of course.” Eamon took the lead, and they ended up back in the bedroom she first used at her arrival at headquarters. North waited until the door closed before she started undressing.“North, maybe you shouldn’t…” Ryland looked uncertain.She managed a small smile. “I should. I definitely need to. I was denied contact with you for the last two weeks, and I need to renew our bonds. This is what I need right now. Trust me.”At her words, their resistance evaporated, and they started undressing too.Orin was the f
Chapter Fifty-Two: Find Your WayNorth stared around, vaguely aware the place was familiar. When Pytor moved from her side, she felt nothing but a wave of relief. Even that was a dull sense, and emotions barely penetrated her. Her mind was thick and heavy, like it was shrouded in fog.She remembered opening the portal, and how it had drained her for several minutes. She’d had to regain her strength before Pytor could lead her through it. She remembered thinking she should resist, but hadn’t been able to do so.She remembered the moment when the portal had torn open, though it hadn’t been a neat hole. Even now, the edges were ripped, and the energy felt wrong to her. She still had her physical senses intact, even if she couldn’t really access her emotions. Her arm remained hanging, and she willed it to fall at her side, but couldn’t without his permission.Anger stirred in her that she needed his authorization for such a mundane task, and she glared at his back. It was easier to think
Chapter Fifty-One: AttackOrin paced around the cell, sick to death of the confines of the small room. They’d been trapped in there for two weeks, let out only on a one-by-one basis in order to shower and see to hygiene needs three times per day. He was amazed they still let them do that after the last couple of escape attempts, but perhaps Caius had some remaining compassion.Just not enough to risk weakening the Council to a level that made them uncomfortable even if it meant rescuing North from Pytor. He didn’t understand how Caius could justify that decision, even though the Council had little love for North. They should realize that the longer North was with Pytor, the more vulnerable she was to falling under his command. Apparently, that wasn’t worth risking their control.Before he could stop himself, he paused, rammed a fist against the bar, and cursed. The curse was a combination of frustration and pain from colliding with the bar. There were wards placed all around them, plu
Chapter Fifty: FrenemyTwo weeks. Two miserable weeks had passed, and North was no closer to recovering her memory. Each time she had a flash of something important, Pytor seemed to realize it and ordered Kira to adjust her dose of the “solution.” She still had no idea what that was, but each dose made it harder to think and harder to resist his horrible orders.“Do it.” He raged at her, waving at the body crumpled on the floor. “Kill the yaogui.”She closed her eyes, her body trembling from the torture he’d already forced her to inflict on the small creature huddling on the floor before her. “Why?”“Don’t question. Never question me. You do as I say. Now kill it. Show me the range of your power.” His temples throbbed with the force of his anger.North looked down at the pitiful creature, which had been broken for at least an hour. She wished she could say it was the first time he’d made her use her magic to hurt others, but it wasn’t. This was the first time he’d told her to kill for
Chapter Forty-Nine: Memories (Lack Thereof)North woke with a throbbing headache. It hurt so badly that she couldn’t think clearly. The pain centered in a spot on top of her head, so she lifted a hand to touch it and flinched when she encountered something metallic in nature. She whimpered and started to thrash.“Enough, Nara. You must be calm.” The male voice was authoritative, but it didn’t make her want to listen.Instead, she wanted to run away. Panic filled her as she opened her eyes, unable to see anything. “What’s happening? Who are you? Where am I?” Who am I? That question echoed around in her head. He’d called her Nara, but that didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt wrong on so many levels that she rejected the name immediately.If she wasn’t Nara, who was she? She tried to think, but couldn’t remember anything beyond being certain her name was North.“Calm please.” The soothing female voice had a gentle touch to match. “Let me make some adjustments.”North froze as those hands
Chapter Forty-Eight: BetrayedKriss was the one to knock on the Allises’ door, since there was a chance they didn’t know him. He was taking no chances of them recognizing Eli and trying to keep them out. They wouldn’t be denied entry, but he’d like to make things as quick and neat as possible.Carol was the one to open the door, and she left the chain on. “What is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?”“It’s time for you to tell us what you know.” Eli burst past Kriss, ripping the chain from its plate as he collided for the door.So much for subtlety. With a shrug, Kriss entered behind him and closed the door as the sound of bare feet running down the hall reached them. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Jim to join them.Eli held Carol by the back of her shirt, ignoring her ineffectual struggles. When Jim burst into the kitchen, he nodded at Kriss.Kriss moved quickly, intercepting Jim and twisting his arm behind his back before forcing him to stand wi
Chapter Forty-Seven: OpeningThe fighting was brutal, with an overwhelming number of soldiers. If it hadn’t been for Eli’s brethren joining them, they would have been wiped out by the sheer numbers that poured through the portal in the short time it was opened before it closed. Marek fought as hard as the others until all he could see was a pile of fallen and smell the coppery tang of blood in the air.“We have to get back to the Council.” Eli looked wary, but seemed determined to ignore the reality of exhaustion.Marek could relate. It was finally safe, so he returned his fire sword to the scabbard hidden by his wings. “What about all this?” He gestured at the pile of bodies.Eileen approached, looking grim. Blood smeared her face, but it didn’t seem to be her own, since there were no visible injuries. “You go after North. We’ll sort out our dead from theirs for a proper burial and then burn the rest.”“Thanks, Ma.” Eli leaned forward to hug her. “I’m sorry to run.”Eileen nodded. “I
Chapter Forty-Six: ImpossibleThe next night was a full moon, which meant a gathering for the wolf-shifters. She had the fae fabric become a comfortable outfit, in case they ran. She had no idea what to expect as they all followed Eli to the square of the village. Someone had started a huge bonfire, and there were several naked shifters cavorting around it. Others had already shifted.“Try this.” Eli handed her a glass of something pale purple.She sniffed it. “What is it?”“Pink yarrow wine. It’s good for you.”She took a cautious sip and gasped. “I didn’t expect it to be so strong.”Eli laughed as he handed glasses of the wine to the other men. “It has a kick, but it tastes great.”North wasn’t entirely sure she’d use the word great, but it wasn’t bad. She ended up finishing the glass over the next twenty minutes as they all mingled. She interacted more with Eli’s family and saw her other husbands were getting along with the wolves too. It was important to her that they all get alon
Chapter Forty-Five: UntamedThey entered a thickly forested area. This wasn’t the same kind of almost-tamed forest that had been on Bael. It was dark and primeval, with the fecund scent of soil, and everything looked rough around the edges. Even the buildings visible in the distance were on the primitive side.They moved closer to the settlement as they walked carefully through the wild forest. Most huts were clearly fashioned from material provided by the forest, and someone appeared to have carved the bare niche of land forming the space for the buildings from sheer brute force. Everywhere she looked, she could see signs of the forest trying to encroach again and reclaim its territory.The smell of soil gradually faded from her nostrils to be replaced by a less pleasant scent—wet fur and shifter bodies, combined with the unique musk that she had never noticed on Eli, but could only assume emitted from each of the shifters and joined together to create a strange musk.Ryland sneezed