Tyler leaned closer to me, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered. “Complete the bond.”My breath hitched and I pulled away from him. The bond was there, taunting me, tempting me, connecting me to the male standing in front of me. It would be so easy to let fate win, to surrender. Fighting back was harder. My mind felt fuzzy and for a moment, I wondered why I was pushing back. A mating bond was a gift, wasn’t it? I deserved to be happy. That’s what a mate was supposed to bring: happiness.That isn’t what Tyler will bring.My inner wolf was the one who brought me back to my senses. If she was fighting the bond, I knew we could do it.I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember the hurt Tyler had caused me. My wolf stirred within me.Is this what you want?She seemed to want to make sure I was ready to break the bond. To live with the consequences of my actions. It was rare to find a true mate. It could bring power and strength and happiness. But that wasn’t what Tyler would br

She’d been at camp for years and knew everyone. She told me about Mario and how he’d won his first classic car in a poker game with a goblin. He’d been a chef in a major city and while she didn’t know exactly why he’d gone feral, she was pretty sure the goblin mafia was involved.“I didn’t even know there was a goblin mafia,” I admitted.“There’s a seedy underworld for every species,” she said. “But out of all of them, the vampires are by far the worst. Nobody crosses them.”“I always thought the witches were the worst,” I said.“They’re awful, but they are a bit more straightforward. Vampires will spend decades waiting for the perfect revenge. That whole immortal thing works in their favor, I suppose,” she said.I’d never met a vampire. Or a goblin. Or even a human, to be honest. I’d been so sheltered where I grew up that all I knew about the outside world was from books and lectures in school. I’d ignored more than I should have because I didn’t think I’d need to use it since I was

After making sure he was breathing and had a pulse, I set my palm on his forehead. He was burning up. I looked up at Malcom, who was holding Alec like a bride. His expression changed as he read mine.“What is it?” Malcom asked.“He’s got a fever,” I said.“She’s ready for us,” Sheila called.I turned away from Malcom and looked toward the house. Sheila was standing in the doorway, waiting for us.Malcom walked ahead, cradling Alec in his arms. I lingered behind, waiting for him to get through. Kyle moved next to me. “He’s going to get the help he needs now.”“I hope so,” I said.“He’s tough, he’ll fight through,” he assured me.I reached for Kyle’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you, for everything.”“It’s my job,” he said.“It’s more than that,” I said.He smiled, then walked forward toward the house. I followed him, steeling myself for whatever would happen next.The interior of the home took the exterior up a notch. It was like walking into a palace. The outside was fairy tale cottage,

I knew it was probably still too early to know for sure if it worked but even this small amount of good news was enough to ease some of the knots in my stomach.Star walked past me and I took her place at Alec’s side. Sheila joined me. “This is going to work.”“I think so, too,” I said as I gently removed one of the bandages. With all the dried blood and dirt, it was impossible to tell if it was healing. I looked back at Star. “Do you have any antiseptic or something we can clean these wounds with?”She grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some washcloths and walked them over to me. “I’m not used to having to clean wounds on shifters. This’ll sting, but it’s the best I’ve got.”I accepted the items from her. “Thanks.”Sheila got to work removing all the makeshift bandages and I poured alcohol onto the cloth. Carefully, I started to clean each wound, checking for any signs that they were healing faster. It was difficult to tell if there was any change in them. It was either too smal

I had to agree with Malcom, it didn’t sound good. But I wasn’t going to press the issue after her warning. A subject change seemed best. “So, what’s next?”Star lifted her arms dramatically and black ribbons shot from her fingertips. They widened and grew until they were like long swaths of fabric.My jaw dropped open as I watched this happen too quickly to realize what was going on. By the time I processed that she was enclosing us in, it was too late.Everything was dark.I heard muffled screams outside the gazebo and I knew Malcom was calling for me. My pulse raced and my senses went into overdrive. The air felt still and the fresh scent of the forest was lacking. Instead, I swore I could smell something spicy, like cinnamon. Without the breeze, it felt too warm. I resisted the urge to panic, forcing myself to take slow, steady breaths.I couldn’t see anything in the pitch black of the gazebo. My eyes widened as if I could see better that way. Realizing what I was doing, I blinked