Valeria’s POV“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt anymore?”Celine is kneeling by my feet, inspecting my ankle with a keen eye and a worried expression. She keeps looking at me to gauge my expression and I just keep staring back at her to communicate that I’m okay. But it seems that she really wants to h
I curtsy, and I see that she raises and approving brow. “You are Valeria?” “Yes, Madame Anna,” I say. “I wish to be a maid.”She nods, watching me. “And what do know? Do you have any experience?”Behind her, Celine is wincing. I can tell she wants me to tell the truth, so I do just that. “Not being
Valeria’s POVGianna Sinclair. Silver Crescent Pack.At first the names just swirl in my mind like flying dust gathering around unused furniture, but then it finally makes contact. It finally makes sense.The woman in front of me is none other than Ares’s betrothed. She stares at me and smiles, wai
She wanted to be a maid. I merely took the opportunity and took her in as my handmaiden.Not to do anything bad. Not to make her suffer. I just wanted to meet the woman who was deemed better than me.Now, I just watch as Valeria gets up and smiles at me thankfully, like she’s relieved that I am not
Valeria’s POVI take a deep breath in an attempt to steady my heart. Ares’s blue eyes are burning into me with their coldness, his chest rising and falling rapidly as though he’s running. I know he’s angry. It’s emanating from him like some sort of perfume. I can feel it in my skin, making it prick
I close my eyes, the feel of his lips on my skin making me feel almost drunk. Desire spikes in my chest and I find myself urging him to kiss me more, to kiss me somewhere else….And Ares heeds my secret wish.His kisses trail up my arm, every touch of his lips sending my body ablaze with passion. He
Valeria’s POVMy heart starts to beat fast in my chest. I can barely breathe because of the sheer desire flowing in my veins. Ares’s weight is a welcome sensation pressing on me, and as he takes my lips in a kiss again, I find myself getting lost.But not lost enough to know that this isn’t right.I
“Of course! What is it, Valeria?”I take a deep breath.“Well, remember what I said before I left?” I start carefully. “About me knowing who you’re betrothed to?” When she nods, I sigh. “Well, the only reason I know that is because… I’m the one who the King chose.”Silence hangs in the air. Gianna j
“We’ll see,” is all I manage to say, then I promptly end the mind-link with Heather.Before I can even tell Frank to go, he already takes initiative. He starts to drive into the neighborhood, stopping in front of the lab and getting out of the car at the same time that I climb out. His fists are cle
“You don’t have to come forward and be public about your existence like we are,” I declare. I have to admit, I had no idea about that clause in the treaty. But then again, Nikolai and Ares should have known. If we were indeed doing something we shouldn’t then they should have spoken up about it. “We
Valeria’s POVI’m rooted in my spot, staring at the man in front of me. But at this point I suppose I should stop calling him a man, because he’s so far from that.Everything about him screams something else. Even though my heart rate has slowed down I still feel like I can’t move. I just watch as h
“No, mommy.” Edith shakes her head. “He just looked at me. And when I stopped playing, he left. I’m just scared that he’s there watching me again. I really want to play but I’m worried about him. What if I go out there and he’s watching me again? What do I do?”I can’t stand to see her this scared w
Valeria’s POV“Mommy, can I stay with you for a while?” Edith asks as I drop her and Emmett back to school. She holds my hand as we approach the building, and even though I hold her back reassuringly, I have to admit that I’m curious about this sudden shy behavior.“What’s going on?” Emmett asks. “D
My vice mayor has conducted some meetings with the delegates of important groups in the city while I was gone, and he compiled everything into papers. I read the papers all morning and finally come up with laws that bind the Lycan and Human world together.The new laws are similar to the initial one
Ares’s POV“I don't know what happened,” Vincent says as soon as we're gathered in my study, including Heather and Valeria. “I don't know how he managed to do it. But his hearing is next week and I heard that the judge is considering setting him free on a bail.”I stare at the back wall, still tryin
“It’s not like that, Ares,” I say, but he just turns away from me. I feel guilty for shooting down his feelings but I have no choice. It just feels too absurd for me. I recognize that I might be in denial, but I don’t think Gianna has enough power to sway the Vampire Kingdom into doing her bidding.
Valeria’s POVI whip around to face Lavinia. But of course, she just rolls her eyes like this is some senseless babble. “You better keep your mate in check. I can’t have him wreaking havoc like this.”“What did you do?” I demand at her, but she just waves her hand airily.“You should ask him what he