The sounds of battle could be heard from miles away, and although Lucy ached to go back and help her pack, she pushed on with her team determinedly. The Alpha and Luna had tasked her with finding their daughter, and she would bring Maria home no matter what.
The Cerberus fanned out as soon as they snuck behind the Vampire army, picking off stragglers, swiftly clearing the area for the Beta and her extraction team to move quickly across the terrain in human form, looking for any sign that might lead to Maria. As they passed a shaded area with shallow trenches and gentle nolls, Lucy realized that everything had gone strangely quiet.
'Gabrielle?' She called for her Gamma through the pack link. But only silence greeted her. She looked over to where Warren was supposed to be, but the delta was gone as well. Feeling uneasy now, she opened the link to her entire team, feeling it spread out through the pack bond, trying to locate any of the twenty members she had started with.
Shadow stalked towards Santos, his fury a physical entity as all other sounds of battle faded. With a roar that thundered over the plains, Malik burst free while he closed the distance between himself and the man who had caused his family so much misery. Santos laughed and spread his arms wide even though the wolf raced towards him, and then his face changed, as his eyes glowed bright red and the muscles of his body contorted and transformed into a hideous beast with wings. Santos and Shadow met in the middle, clashing like titans, while Santos reigned lightning-fast punches down on the Alpha. Before Shadow could gain any momentum, Santos picked him up and threw him with superhuman force onto the ground before kicking him in his soft underbelly. Malik grunted but shook off the pain as he scrambled to his feet, snarling ferociously at the dhampir. Santos spread his membranous wings to fly a short distance to regroup, but Malik leaped fiercely into the air, grabbing onto his body and
Jarvis returned home with the bodies of his family after promising Lucy that he would take the time to visit. It was a heavy burden to bear as the rest of the Marcioni pride met him at the airport, their solemn faces reflecting shared grief as coffin after coffin was slowly lowered onto the tarmac. He made a single phone call to the prison, and Emilio, his wife, and their newborn son waited on the doorstep as he exited the limo awhile later, striding up the path towards them."Your debt is cleared," Jarvis said to his son before entering his home and heading up the stairs. He liked to grieve alone, and as the door to his bedroom closed, that's exactly what the lion shifter did.2.One year later...Quinley Barrett sat at her desk, going over paperwork and assessing student papers, when the call came through. The high priestess was relieved to hear that Valenar and Raeann had finally regained control of their kingdom with help from the Desdeyos dr
"My birthday?"Down Adrastus plummeted, a vision of jagged rocks tormenting his mind as he struggled to comprehend why his cousins would do this; why did they want him dead? It was a keen sense of betrayal that curled its way through his body as his closest friends watched from above, and liquid fire ran so hotly through his veinsit itched.Suddenly his skin felt too tight on his body, and Adrastus wondered if everyone's last moments were like the
The jukebox seemed to stop the moment Aimee entered the bar, several heads turned towards the door, and she could hear some poorly covered gasps. Yes, ladies and gents, the wild child has returned,she thought to herself, proudly raising her head and looking at each member daring to stare at her directly in the eyes.Her presence crackled with violence and confidence as she sauntered up to the bar, raising an eyebrow at the rotter sitting on her barstool; the middle-aged woman quickly vacated her seat, clearly not willing to get into things with a
Long ago, when this world was young, ancient beings roamed freely, living off the land and their skills, survival a natural way of life, as deeply ingrained as the desire to breathe.Within this world, two young lovers gave birth to a special little girl, whom they called Villanelle; and she was a symbol of the best parts of every living thing wrapped up in one tiny form.As Villanelle grew older, her beauty became legendary, and her parents, worried for her safety, pleaded with the Gods, begging them to send her a protector.One that knew right from wrong, with the strength of a hundred wolves and the magic to pass judg
The roar of a motorcycle rumbled down the quiet street, a bulky figure clad in black leathers sitting astride his iron horse, the helmet visor blacked out so no one could see who was behind the mask. Slowly the bike and its rider gathered stares as they passed, some from children playing in their front yards, others from parents wondering who was in their midst. All wary of the power radiating from the stranger riding his Harley, there was another Alpha in Howling Warrior territory.Up Ghost mountain, the motorcycle went, its
Her cabin was small but pleasant enough. And situated in the beautiful forests just below the Alpha couples home. Lenora made sure she was hardly ever seen, which seemed to work well for Shadow and Isabella's pack. She had friends, which was odd. She even had family, though things were still awkward between Morgana and herself, even after five years. But the reason for her smile and why she continued to get up every morning was currently talking her ear off as they licked their ice creams and walked along Main Street.Maria Romano Stalker.Somehow this pint-sized ball of energy had worn down the Vampyre Queens strongest barriers and ensconced herself firmly in Lenora's black heart. Every afternoon, she would stop by the cabin on her way home to tell Lenora about Ravenclaw's latest scandal or show the Vampyre her latest magical accomplishment. However, this afternoon Maria talked about something else entirely.Uncle Lucien.According to the f
" I will not chase that woman," Lucien vowed as his would-be mate and his niece both disappeared from view. 'This place is crazier than a snake's armpit,' he thought, deciding to go back to the garage. He put the range rover in gear and continued driving, all the while shaking his head at the sheer insanity of his brother's daily life.Eventually, he pulled up in familiar territory, and Braxton met him at the door, "Forget something?" The henchman drawled. "Only my goddamn mind," Lucien retorted, "Got anything you need doing in the shop? I need to get out of my head for a while.""Damn, I know that feeling," Brax said with a grin, "And it's almost always because of the fairer sex, yeah I've got a few bikes that need tuning up, and I'm sure more will come in. Aimee's taking the club on a practice run today-we always get work after that." Lucien followed the giant man into the garage, heading straight for the bikes in the corner. "Hey, pretty girl," he crooned, stroking