Novelas de Keri Bures

The morning sun had barely climbed above the trees when I drove another nail into the fence.The post settled into place."Hold it there."Joren shifted his grip."Like this?""A little straighter."He adjusted it."There."I swung the hammer twice.Solid.It would hold."Morning, Alpha."I didn't even look up. "James.""What?""We've had this conversation.""We have.""There is no Alpha here."James folded his arms against the fence. "I know.""Then stop calling me one."He smiled. "I can't.""Why not?""Because 'First Elder' makes you sound older than I am."Laughter rippled down the fence line.I sighed."I walked into that one.""You always do."Joren grinned. "So... am I done?"I examined the section he'd built.The rails leaned noticeably to one side.I looked back at him."No."He groaned. "It isn't that bad.""If we let you finish the rest, this fence will be horizontal by winter.""It would not."I nodded thoughtfully. "You're right."Hope flickered across his face."It'll pr

I heard the rope snap before I saw her.The crack split through the storm like a whip.I looked toward the docks.Lyra was running."No!"The word tore from my throat before I realized I'd shouted it.She never heard me.Rain hammered the dock, turning the weathered boards slick beneath her boots.She caught the loose rope.Good.Tie it.Come back.Another gust slammed across the shoreline.The boat surged.The dock lurched beneath her.Her feet disappeared.For one impossible heartbeat she seemed suspended in the air.Then she was gone.The ocean swallowed her without a sound.Everything inside me stopped.Then everything moved at once."Talia!"She looked up immediately."Get everyone off the docks!"I was already running."Rope!" I shouted."Now!"Someone threw one toward me.I caught it without breaking stride."Darian—""Move!"They did.No one questioned me.No one hesitated.The mate bond slammed through me like a blade.Not pain.Absence.A terrifying emptiness where she shoul

Rain hit the water before we reached shore.Not a drizzle.Not a shower.Great heavy drops that exploded against the ocean and darkened the sand in seconds.The cheerful afternoon vanished almost instantly.The wind howled.The boat rocked harder beneath us."Easy," Darian called over the growing roar as he guided us toward the dock. "Almost there."Lightning flashed somewhere over the ocean.This time the thunder answered almost immediately.The moment the hull scraped against the dock, Darian jumped out, tying us off with practiced speed while Talia hauled the buckets of fish onto the pier.The rain intensified.Within moments my clothes clung to my skin.The marketplace that had been bustling only an hour ago erupted into controlled chaos.Canvas awnings snapped violently in the wind.Merchants hurried to gather baskets of fruit, crates of dried herbs, and woven blankets before they could blow away.Children squealed as mothers hurried them toward the safety of Moonshadow House.Da

The knock came just after sunrise.I opened the door to find Darian balancing three fishing poles over one shoulder and a wooden tackle box in the other.He smiled."Ready?"I blinked. "For... what?""Fishing."I looked at him hesitantly, "I've never been fishing.""Perfect." His grin widened. "I get to teach you."A voice behind him sighed dramatically. Talia stepped into view carrying a woven basket over one arm."If he says 'it's easy,' don't believe him."Darian looked offended. "I know how to fish.""You know how to chase fish.""Same thing.""It really isn't."The walk to the beach was short. A small wooden fishing boat waited where the tide lapped gently against the dock.Moments later, Darian pushed us away from shore.The village grew smaller with every stroke of the oars until Moonshadow became little more than a scattering of rooftops against the trees.I looked over the side.The water seemed impossibly deep.I swallowed.Darian looked over. “Nervous?” I stared at the wat

Dreams meant nothing.I repeated that to myself as I opened my eyes.My room was quiet.Cold.Orderly.No forge.No fire.No silver-eyed woman asking questions I didn't want to answer.I sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed a hand over my face.The dream lingered longer than it should have.The smell of smoke.The sound of her voice.The way she'd looked at the daggers.None of it mattered.A sleeping mind wandered.Mine had wandered somewhere inconvenient.That was all.I dressed quickly and stepped outside.The morning air was cool enough to clear my head.Good.The training grounds were already filling with recruits.They straightened the moment they saw me."Begin."Steel rang.Boots struck packed earth.I walked between the lines with my hands behind my back, watching.A sword drifted too high."Lower."It corrected immediately.Another recruit planted his feet too narrowly."Wider."He adjusted without a word.No shouting.No speeches.Correction.Repetition.Discipline.That w

The first thing I noticed was the heat.Not warmth.Heat.It pressed against my skin in heavy waves, thick with the scent of smoke, iron, and burning coal.I opened my eyes.Stone walls surrounded me.Dark.Severe.The only light came from a forge blazing at the center of the room.Kael stood beside it.His back was to me, bare this time—shirtless, his skin slick with sweat that caught the firelight and turned it molten. Every line of him was lean muscle, carved and defined, strength honed rather than bulky. Hard strands of dark hair had fallen loose into his face, damp from the heat, clinging to his forehead. Power radiated from him in quiet, controlled waves, and everything about him—his stance, his stillness, the way he held himself—screamed dangerous.My gaze dragged over the planes of his back, the flex of muscle beneath skin, the slow rise and fall of his breath.A strange, sudden urge hit me—sharp and completely uninvited.I wanted to step closer.To brush my fingertips across