Valeria’s POV“Is she up yet?”“Well, she isn’t now, but if you talk any louder, then she would be--”“Emmett, that’s not a good way to talk to your sister.”The voices building around me are starting to pierce through my consciousness, alerting me of where I am right now. At first, there’s just… li
“We get new reception from the human world now,” she explains, then she plays the clip.“Ford Preston, the alleged head of the crime syndicate responsible for the rigged and broken electoral campaign in the city, is now arrested,” the reporter announces, the image of her in the studio cutting to cli
Ares’s POVIt’s a strange thing, to be in between being alive and being dead. All I can remember was trying to escape the cage, passing out in the process because of how much energy it took. So much energy, and I still didn’t manage to do it.I don’t remember anything after that, and I don’t know wh
A small smile appears on my face, but then the dream comes back to me. My face falls as I swallow hard. “How about… Valeria?”“She’s here,” Nikolai says with a grin. “We will let her in once we make sure you’re not going to fall over and die.”He beckons Benjamin to get close, and he starts to inspe
Valeria’s POVTwo days pass since the first time I saw my own reflection in the mirror. Two days, and yet I still see it every time I close my eyes. There’s not a single second where it’s not burned into the back of my mind like a reminder.I haven’t left my room since then. I haven’t eaten. The onl
Those words start to break me. Tears leak out of my eyes, but I’m too afraid to wipe them off. I weep silently there, thinking about what they looked like when I last saw them. The shock on their faces. The fear in their eyes….But whatever it is, whatever happens, I just need to see my children.I
Ares’s POVWatching my brother kiss his Beta is both a strange and touching experience. On one hand, I feel happy that he found love after so many years of rejecting even the idea of it. But on the other hand, I really wish he’d stop doing it in front of my kids, who are screaming and covering their
Nikolai narrows his eyes in consideration. "How are you planning to do that?"Valeria and Vincent look over at me, waiting for my answer. I've been thinking about this for the past two days, but I know perfectly how ambitious and possibly absurd the idea is, so I hesitate. Still, to me, there's no
“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