What will Luke do with old Otis?? Next update is Saturday.
~Harlow’s Point of View~~Two Weeks Later~I grin as I watch several kids struggling to roll a snowman with barely three inches on the ground. Since playing in the snow was free, it was one of the few luxuries I could have while in foster care. One constant I could count on that wouldn’t be taken away from me. A mere glimpse into having a normal childhood.My personal favorite was just eating it. Not like many places I lived had freezers, some might have had a small refrigerator but getting ice was a rare treat. One of the puppies nudges at my boot and I quickly bend to pick it up. I think they named him Bark but I can’t be too sure.“Who’s a good boy! Ohhhh look at your widdle ears,” I coo, nuzzling my nose into his face. He licks me and wags his little tail for all he’s worth. I wish I had a treat to give him, and briefly think about going inside for--“Here you go boy,” Luke says, from just over my shoulder as he holds out a large piece of breakfast sausage. I lean back into his wa
~Rowan’s Point of View~“Dark Thunder huh, you have many undercovers living there,” I question. Not that I know shit about shifter packs, but it shouldn't be hard to find if I have the name. Something just tells me that Luke is a Shadow, he has to be. They’d never allow one such as him to roam free, unchecked. The fact that he didn’t attack or try to drain me, that he was trying to take Otis alive… it all adds up. If he’s a thousand years old there’s no way they don’t know about him. How many like that could there even possibly be?“Yes, there are several living under the guise as a family, even two posing as high school students,” Councilor Quinn says, blowing a puff of smoke in my face. My dad grunts next to him on the large leather sofa, also sucking on a cigar as well.I rub my chin, realizing that if not for seeing this “Luke” fly, if not for seeing his red eyes, I never would have known he was a hybrid. They have his vampire side virtually hidden, so it isn’t surprising some cou
~Luke’s Point of View~*I can’t let it go, I swear she smelled like another male yesterday,* Dante whines. I shrug him off as I watch our sunflower dancing by the fire with Anna and some other females. The fire that Anna conjured up out of thin air, and no one seemed to think it was even the slightest bit weird. It still baffles me that all these different creatures can truly co-exist. Can be open about who they are, but I can’t. Even if it was okay, I don’t know that I could do it. Handle the looks, the stares. People constantly thinking I’ll flip out at any given moment and be the monster their fear tells them I am. If I wasn’t feeding directly from a human at least twice a day, I might very well be. In my younger years I lived for the looks, the stares. The fear and terror I elicited. How wrong I was, and how utterly foolish.*Let’s get her inside and naked. We’ll make sure she remembers who she belongs to,* Dante says, wagging his tail. I know she sees so many different males wh
~Luke’s Point of View~When the sounds of feet pattering picks up, everything in me says it's her. Dante agrees to shift, and when we’re on two feet, we dash through the woods. Within seconds, I see her. My heart thuds in my ears, and Dante growls through me. I’m not sure I even remember a time I was THIS angry.She’s carrying a small flashlight, and probably nothing else. No sort of weapon certainly.“Harlow, you are getting spanked until you can’t stand up. Do I have to lock you in a damn room,” I say, as I walk out from behind a tree about twenty feet ahead of her. She stops running and sighs when she sees me. Lowering the flashlight, she leans forward and puts her hands on her knees for a minute, and I let her collect herself as I stalk forward.“What the fuck are you doing? Were you outside the borders, do you not have any fucking idea how dangerous that is right now?? Do you get it?? The threats are literally all over,” I shout, my anger getting the better of me.She has to get
~Rowan’s Point of View~“What do you mean he’s gone,” I question, annoyed with the female standing in front of me. “I don’t know, his entire family left earlier today. Like their house is empty. Nobody at Dark Thunder knows anything,” she says, shrugging. I make a face, but pass her the wad of cash in my hand anyhow. I can’t take my anger out on some random she-wolf but right now my temper doesn’t understand that.I quickly teleport back to the bar, not knowing where else to go. I’ve lost Otis and now Luke. It isn’t acceptable. When I catch a floral scent near one of the doors that’s barely still attached to the ruined building, I follow it. It hadn’t been there the other night, but then again there were a hundred scents. Once inside I find there’s a table still in good shape, virtually untouched from the fire. It sits right in the middle of the rubble and it’s got a sheet of paper on it.“You can’t have me Caden, not now, not ever. Go fuck yourself.”I burst out laughing at the word
~Harlow’s Point of View~I nod at Jett as he again follows me to class. French class, no less. I stop in the doorway and see Luke’s seat empty, and it just hurts all over again. The note of my nightmares still sits on the floor, half under my bed. I peeked at it poking out last night a hundred times but I couldn’t bring myself to read it. Finally, I cried myself to sleep and today my face more than shows it. “Awe lover boy left you finally? He didn’t want a fat beached whale knocked up by someone else huh? You look like shit. Good luck getting a male now,” Gigi states, passing me as she stares up and down my body.I have no energy for her today, and the fact that she still doesn’t know who the father of my baby is. It absolutely pisses her off not to know, and that gives me a small bit of satisfaction. No one outside of the Shadows, Skip, Caden and Luke knows I was assaulted. I can only pray it stays that way. For all anyone else knows I had a one night stand.“You look like a $2 who
~Tate’s Point of View~“I don’t know if he ever saw me. All I know is I never met anyone matching Anna’s description of Caden,” I say, running my hand over my chin with great irritation.“We need someone undercover at this auction. Last count we’ve got over two dozen dead or missing males and a dozen missing females. That’s just what’s been reported… rogues rarely are unfortunately. I’m going to bet that’s where the females will be, the rest is still up in the air. At least I’ve never seen males in these types of things,” Shane snaps, falling into the large chair behind his desk.“You need a fairy, someone to match their power. Get one of my uncles. Rich, powerful, arrogant as fuck. They’d fit the bill to a T,” I offer, dropping my hands on the desk and leaning in.My wolf stirs, hating the idea there are so many young girls being sold off. Even remotely imaging what kind of sick bastard buys a human being. “It has to be a Shadow, someone who’ll fully get the gravity of the situation
~Harlow’s Point of View~“I want … to see Caden now,” I grit through my clenched teeth for the tenth time. The male tasked with babysitting me and the half dozen other terrified females barely spares me a glance.“Nobody cares what you want brat,” he finally grunts.I pull my knees up to my chin, disgusted by the threadbare dirty mattress beneath me, but grateful to at least have my heavy winter coat since the basement I'm in isn't exactly heated. Some of the girls have little clothing. It's impossible not to nag this male for answers but it's obvious he doesn't know much, and that's being generous.“I'm pregnant too, only a month along though,” one of the girls whispers, making my eyes go wide. She's just in a thin nightgown, likely snatched out of her bed. She has to be at least a year younger than me, and quite malnourished.I quickly take off my gloves and offer them to her, though I'm definitely keeping my coat. Two girls on the other side of the room loudly cough, and it makes
~Rowan’s Point of View~“What’s wrong,” a male asks, as Harlow winces and touches her belly. She breathes through it.“I’ll get the doctor,” another male says. My entire world spins out of control and I nearly snarl, pushing down the intense need to bat them all away as my beast wants to do. People are touching our mate, putting their scent on her and it’s only me that should be caring for her.“She’s fine and stubborn, she insists on staying,” I say, and snake my arm around my little acushla, pulling her away from those gawking at her.“Rowan, this is Lilly and her mates River, Hunter and Skylar. They’ve helped me so much with my pregnancy and helping to find out about my family. They’re really the absolute best,” Harlow says, standing up straight once her pain subsides and waving her hands.My defenses immediately go up, sensing the magic of a very strong witch nearby, though it's been doing that since we got here. It’s making me nuts. There are far too many in a concentrated area.“
~The day of the charity ball~~Harlow’s Point of View~“Rowan, we don’t have time,” I giggle, as my mate licks my clit in the most torturous way. He knows damn well neither of us cares about time. When we get going, there’s no stopping things. Everyday with him has just been better than the next and I’ve never been more convinced I’ve absolutely found my true fated mate. Of course Hope in my head constantly panting and drooling is also making it all the more apparent.*Just relax,* Hope insists, lost in the feeling, the warmth and comfort of our mate. Each moment is too precious, especially when he goes out so much at night, and I have no idea where he’s going. I know so little about his “work” and while it feels like it isn’t my place to ask… it's killing me.But then he comes back and holds me, kisses me then more. And I forget I’m angry, I lose myself to him each and every time. “There’s time,” he breathes, and I gasp realizing he came inside me earlier this morning and I haven’t s
~Luc’s Point of View~“Fuck I had no idea there were so many. They look like a damn bee hive of dumb blood suckers,” Tate whispers.I roll my eyes and scrub my face, holding my position in the clouds. I can’t argue with his words, knowing this was once me. Leading the charge of mindless newborns at that. You couldn’t have told me a damn thing, I was absolutely convinced I was invincible in those days. Really… most of my days. We whisper to each other and try to identify a leader, but can’t manage it. None seem capable of flying, which is a damn huge positive. Though it took me many years to perfect it and manage to stay up for more than a few minutes at a time.Tate’s hot breath is just in my ear, his weight on my back is a lot… the male has certainly never missed a meal. Though having a vampire side to me makes my body almost stay a certain way I hate. I can lift weights, do whatever exercises I want, I can’t build muscle and keep it the way a normal human can and that’s always pisse
~Rowan’s Point of View~“Uhm…what are these,” I hear, from just in the bathroom. I move to the door to find it open, and Harlow is gaping at the sink counter. I rub my chin and admonish myself for being in such a hurry.“I uhm… they’re piercings. I took them out because I didn’t want to scare you our first time,” I explain and quickly gauge her reaction. She looks beyond confused and it's completely adorable. She’s just in one of my muscle t-shirts, and it stretches over her little belly perfectly. We slept in half the day, and I guess we both really needed it.“For … where,” she asks, her face totally blank. I rub the back of my neck, feeling embarrassed. I’m never embarrassed, it's completely against everything a McGrath stands for. But this teenage girl who holds my heart in her hands…well her opinion means everything to me.“I got it done on a whim. If I leave them out another day or so the holes will probably heal. I’ve probably already left them out longer than I should’ve,” I sa
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Hmmm, more, more…” I mumble, rubbing between my legs. *Yes! Ohh this is so good, SO good,* Hope cries out. I work my clit and move between it and my wet center, desperately wishing for something to really fill me up. Remembering the feel of Rowan yesterday, how damn masterful he was with me. Luke was certainly good but Rowan went down on me like a starved bear needing honey. The sound of a foot step shakes my entire body and I grab for the blanket, knowing that I’m in bed completely naked. With Hope’s help I can see my way around the dark now, though I know it’ll be sharperr after our first shift. “Just me macushia,” a deep voice says. Then a warm hand cups my cheek. I look up into Rowan’s eyes, and he’s clearly hungry…*Starved! Ohhh let’s do it,* Hope squeals. *Isn’t it too dangerous? What if he bites us,* I warn, as the bed dips and I move a bit to give him room. “What does that mean,” I ask, knowing it's something Irish. He gives me a warm smile and
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Rowan sent you to get me,” I question, checking out his brother. One of Rowan’s guards stands next to him and nods. “He’s had a rough night and well, his body needs a bit of time to recover,” Declan explains. I make a face, wondering what that really means.The idea of leaving the safety of Olivia’s house to sit in the cottage alone with a family that hates me for murdering their son makes me absolutely sick. I’d have no way whatsoever of defending or protecting myself.“Why can’t I just stay here,” I insist, frustrated. Also, if my mate is in distress, he needs me!“They’re predicting tonight may be another almost full moon, sometimes it can last more than one twilight,” Declan insists. I’m terrified knowing if he wants me to go, I’m going. He could take me like Mikey did.He reaches for my hand and I jerk it away. I quickly realize Hope did that, not me. I relish the feeling, but I’ll need to get used to not always controlling my body.“All the more reason
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Oh I couldn’t,” I say, covering my face from embarrassment. “Come on!! This is a hot thing a lot of females do! A pregnancy boudoir shoot. It’s normal,” Olivia says, trying to pull my hands from my face.I gape at the see-through blue scrap of lace fabric she’s holding up, and shake my head again. Sure, her mate is upstairs with her babies, and won’t exactly see but… a photo anyone could see. Goddess what would Luke think of me in this? Or Tate?*Get those other males OUT of your head! I know you had crushes on them but we have a real male and our true fated mate,* Hope insists. I sigh, knowing she’s right but there’s just some reason I can’t shake them. Even though Luke hurt me, even though Tate should hate me… I still care about them. I care about their opinions of me.“It’s just for Rowan. You know he’d probably take another male’s eyes for looking at what’s his,” Olivia gushes, like that’s something to be proud of. Sure enough, Hope nods in approval.O
~Luc’s Point of View~“You again. The witch is a lot prettier,” Otis whines, falling to sit in the sand. Well he’d certainly love the Greek paradise that has welcomed me to stay. Tempting, but no one is her. Not even close. The women there did nothing for me.I drop beside him and sigh, then rub my face. I literally feel as if I’m going through physical withdrawals from Harlow. Then there’s that damn male from a few nights ago that I can’t get out of my head.*We must find our sunflower! She has to be terrified,* Dante whines, curling into a ball.The Shadows epically failed to get her and protect her. Now that the McGraths have her, there’s no telling what they’ll do. Blessedly, they let her doctor visit, and confirm she’s all right. She even said she’s in good spirits, though I don’t see how. She’s so close to giving birth, she doesn’t need this stress. She should be at the packhouse, safe and relaxed. I have so much damn anger surrounding how she got taken, and all that’s followed
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Hey…” I hear, making me smack my lips and sigh. My body feels absolutely limp and relaxed. Almost like I’d had sex all night. But I didn’t. I pop one eye open to see Rowan looking down at me with great amusement. I like seeing him relaxed too, it’s been quite tense since I met him.And ya know, killed his brother. Well, I’m not losing any sleep over that.“It’s probably pretty common for people to fall asleep during a massage,” he says, with a small grin. I gasp and sit upright, seeing that the room is empty except for us.“Aw damn. I really was enjoying it, I didn’t mean to pass out,” I claim, realizing my boobs are practically heaving out of the towel that’s wrapped around me. I quickly try to fix it, but he certainly gets an eyeful. I can’t help but look down at his … yup, he’s hard. I grin and tuck the material back in my cleavage. He clears his throat.It was impossibly nice to fall asleep in his arms and wake up in them. Though he was gone when I’d gott