Sasha blinked rapidly. I didn't know if she had orchestrated this or if it was only the supernatural acting on its own, but I didn't care. I hated her, and I hated Paul for this bit of domestic reality that I had witnessed. But I didn't hate their baby or their clan. However, I never wanted to be witness to any of this again. Come hell or high water, I was going to wipe these people out of my life."What do you want to talk about?" I asked.He glanced at Sasha in unease. "I need to know if you are willing to work things out between us. I want to know if you still love me, Kim."Sasha looked as if he had punched her in her stomach. Good, bitch. You fucked a married man, and this is the way you're supposed to feel, like someone was sucking the life out of you, like there was no up or down and everything was mixed up. She needed to feel that because that's the way I felt since finding out they had fucked—twice."Stop pretending," I whispered. "You have already moved on. It began when
I screeched in pain and anger, and suddenly my skin began to split and I grew bigger and stronger than I ever had before—even bigger than when I had attacked Tony and bigger than when I was in Poland fighting the Rogues. I was a monster that dwarfed the two Werewolves. With one push, I effortlessly sent Paul flying across the room where he crashed into a wall.Sasha circled me with gnashing teeth, and I swung at her but missed.Eight vicious Werewolves were on me, biting and tearing at me, but the pain helped me to think. I remembered being in my bedroom and waking up to the feel of a Werewolf gnawing at my belly, consuming me while I was completely aware. Now I knew I was about to die in the room being torn apart by a pack of Werewolves.Terror filled me as the pain of gnawing teeth ripped through my flesh. I could do nothing because while in my creature's form I couldn't flash myself way. As I fell close to unconsciousness, I heard the shattering of bones and howls of pain. I blin
I saw that I was nearly nude. Ribbons of flesh hung from portions of my body. My stomach began to turn. I had chunks of flesh ripped from my body…I heard a strange keening sound and realized that it was coming from me. They had eaten me…Alexis sniffed me. "You will heal." His voice was thick due to his partial change. "I will heal you, but I cannot yet return to my true body. It is not yet strong enough to kill the Werewolves that hurt you.""No." That simple word was hard to manage. "I need you here. With me." I had survived Werewolf attacks, and I knew that one man could not take on an entire Wolfpack. Although my current wounds would not kill me, I knew being ripped limb from limb would. I couldn't risk the unthinkable happening to Alexis because of me.I could feel him trembling in rage, but there was a calmness in the way that he held me. Even in his silence, I could feel how dangerous he was as the calm before the storm.Ran's brow was gathered and his expression was somet
"How long have I been out?" My voice felt raw and hoarse."A few days. I do not want to risk returning to my true form to heal you rapidly because while in this Werewolf body I am linked to the Pack. Paul does not know that I am in possession of this Wolf body and does not know that I read his plans for the Pack.""What plans?" I asked."His plans are to locate you and your child." He sat up, his hair tousled and his eyes puffy from sleep. "You will need to rest. There is a Council meeting tonight, and there will be questions that will need to be answered honestly. You will be excused from this meeting."I nodded in gratitude. I had too many other things to think about without worrying about facing a Council who once again had come to my rescue."Everyone is okay?" I asked. "No one got hurt, did they?""There were no casualties on either side," Alexis answered."And what about Monica?""What about her?" he replied."You ripped her throat out in order to feed me.""I did not k
I swallowed, uncomfortable about discussing this with a man who loved me and wanted me. "Removing the bond will stop the pain. I can deal with the rest, but feeling a physical withdrawal because he's not with me is fucking disgusting when I'm so pissed at him, when I want to hate him, when I never want to see him again!""I am happy that you have never said those words about me."I laughed a little. "You never threatened to take my baby from me."His eyes darkened. "The Wolf will not take your child. This I vow."I reached out and gripped his hand. I knew that come hell or high water, Alexis would make sure that never happened."How do you intend to end your bond?" he asked. "They take time to fade on their own, sometimes decades.""There is an old Vampire by the name of Bernard who can sever Vampire bonds instantly. It's one of his Vampire talents, like how you can hijack someone's body and the way we can pull the Succubus out of ourselves and push them into others."He rubbed
He nodded. "Not too many should know. We will include your First Lieutenant as well as Monica.""Why do you think the Elders won't handle this appropriately? You and I know that we don't want a worldwide war. They have to know the same.""The Neratomay do not care about human life," Alexis said. "Before you, I did not either. Through you I have learned to care about much more. But not all of us have a human filter to think through."I hugged him. "Thank you for everything you've done and are doing."He stroked my hair and held me for a few moments before releasing me. "In this day and age, it would be impossible to conceal our battles and keep our identity secret. In the past, we have been able to hide our casualties by creating natural disasters and pandemic epidemics. But with videos and modern technology there will be no secreting our actions. People will see us for what we truly are. Especially if this is a war including all of the Supernaturals.""It wouldn't just be a war be
I shuddered as I thought about Alexis removing my mating mark and how I wanted to fight against it from happening. My neck still hurt, but so did ninety percent of my body. I nodded. "Let's do it." No use talking about it. I wanted it over with.Bernard placed his index finger against my temple.I prepared myself, tensing at the contact.Ran sat on the opposite side of the bed, preparing to hold me if needed. I felt good that he was there. I trusted that he wouldn't do something crazy if things went bad, like ripping out someone's throat to feed me…I felt a familiar buzz in my head. Oh no! It was the same insane bee buzzing sensation that the Elders gave me when they infiltrated my thoughts! It felt like a million flies in my ears. It made me want to run while slapping my head.I whimpered and remembered what I had learned from Paul. He had taught me to build a wall. It was with sadness that I built a mental wall, this time to separate myself from him.I imagined the wall going
When I returned from the bathroom, Bernard was gone and Ran was holding BJ, who was sucking on her binky and clutching him. He was walking around the room talking to her quietly, trying to comfort her. He was her protector, her Rannie, the reason that he hadn't killed himself after he had lost his one true love. They shared a special relationship. Ran knew more than most the pain of a severed bond.BJ's face was puffy from crying, but when she saw me, the binky fell from her mouth and she reached for me desperately. "Mommy!" She kicked and squirmed to get to me.I picked her up and held her to me, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me. I should have never listened to anyone tell me that I was too beat up for her to see. There had been too many changes in my daughter's life for her to be without both her Dad and me."It's okay, baby girl," I crooned. Feeling her weight in my arms and the smell of her baby shampoo soothed the shredded bits of my soul. I walked her ar