I sat up and screamed, “What do you want from me?”“You have nothing of value to offer me,” Ian replied, his voice echoing through the hallway. “I simply want you to think.”“That doesn’t make any sense! You’re always calling me stupid and acting like I know all of these things, but I don’t! I’m not a vampire! I’m a werewolf! I’m not one of you! I want to go home! I want Candido.”He sighed again then seemed to walk through the wall and stood in front of me. He was fully dressed and looking down at me with a sneer.“Must you continue to whine?”“You’re just playing with my emotions,” I sniffled. “I’m never getting out of here. You’re doing this one purpose!”He tutted. “Don’t be ridiculous, as if I’m deriving pleasure for watching you mope about. I have better far more interesting things to be doing. The only one prolonging your time here is you.”He crouched in front of me.“Think you, idiot,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Your mother died giving you a blessing of blood.”“What does
Nearby I saw the glint of a dagger or a sword, and I lunged for it as it rushed across the room with heavy lumbering steps. The ground shook as it grew closer. I could feel its intent to kill like a hot gaze on me. I dodged the swipe of its claws and tried to stab it, but the blade trembled and snapped as it turned back and flung me across the room. I lost my grip on the weapon and it slid out of my hands.Pain shocked and rattled me. My vision was blurry from it, but I tried to focus on the creature as it ran towards me. Then it was on me, tearing through me with its claws. I barely got out of the way before it gutted me. Blood was everywhere. I felt so cold.“Hedy!” I heard Candido calling for me. “Where are you?”I had to be crazy, but I found some strength hearing his voice. He was near. Was he in pain? Had he missed me? Was he coming to save me?I rolled out of the way as the creature swung at me again, turning the stone beneath me to rubble. I scrambled for another glint of meta
I slammed my fist into its oncoming paw, but the force of it made my arm buckle and sent me flying away from it. I landed with a hard thud, and doubt started to fill me. I didn’t understand. I had been so much weaker then. It had been before Candido gave me his blood, before all the working out I had done and all the healing over the years, but I couldn’t muster up the strength from then. Was it because I was hungry and dizzy?It wasn’t like I was in perfect shape back then! I should be able to do this now of all times. I was going to die if I couldn’t. I was going to die and never see Candido again and I didn’t want that.I was going to live. I had to live. No matter what I had to do, I had to live.I tried again, but before I could even throw a punch, it swatted me out of the air. I landed hard and tumbled. Rocks and twigs cut and scraped me, but I lifted my body. Everything in me shook. The world seemed to go in and out of focus, but I pushed myself up. I had to do this. Maybe I ju
I pulled back with a gasp, shuddering at the taste of blood rolling down my throat: a little sweet, a little coppery. I felt my strength returning quicker. I felt steady and empowered. It made me think of that drug that Damian had dropped in the fountain at the mall. I lifted my head with a soft sigh of delight, of pleasure, of something that I couldn’t name. A moan escaped me. I could almost feel it vibrating in the air and shaking the ground. The strength that was surging through me was unreal, yet I felt like a huge weight had been taken off my chest.It felt like I was taking my first breath after being underwater for too long.And I was starving.I leaped from the ground, tackling the creature closest to me, and slamming my fist into its face. Before another could leap at me, I sunk my teeth into its neck and drained it. I twisted and took the next creature out with a sharp kick, slamming it to the ground.Then, I was on it, draining it the way I had drained the other.This creat
My head was pounding. The world was spinning. I felt exhausted, but the one thing I could note I wasn’t in a bed. I wasn’t in a warm room full of familiar scents and comforts. The floor was hard and cold beneath me. I smell stale water and stone much like the cell I had been held in. Was I back there?My eyes burned. Had I gone through all of that with nothing to show for it?Then, a familiar scent hit my nose: warm, a little musky and bright with just a tinge of the scent of whiskey.It was Candido. Was he here?I craned my head left and then right, hoping to see him, but I couldn’t focus. The world kept going in and out like my eyes couldn’t adjust to the light. I turned again, but all I saw were two wooden chairs that looked like they were better off as firewood, a cold fireplace, and a few other random things. This looked more like a storage room than a bedroom or a holding cell.I lifted my head. Had Ian just moved me to torture me some more?“You’re awake.”Candido’s voice was r
There was nothing but anger in his eyes. I was struck silent and frozen in place. Never had I imagined that Candido would really look at me like that. I thought back to Raven’s warning and shuddered. She’d been right about how he would react, but maybe… Maybe if I’d told him when I found out, he wouldn’t be so angry with me.He still smelled so good. I still wanted to… I still wanted to bit him, to drink from him and—I shuddered and turned away from him, closing my eyes and trying to resist, but it was so hard.“I… I wanted to tell you—”“But you didn’t,” Candido said. “Were you ever going to tell me? Hm? Before we were mated? Or was I just going to find out when you caved and bit me one day?”I shook my head and met his gaze. “I… Raven—”“Who the hell is that?”“My sister.”He scoffed. “Is there anything I know about you that’s true?”“Of course, there is!” I cried. “I only found out recently, and so much has happened, I just—I just didn’t want you to hate me. I love you, isn’t that
I couldn’t remember much. I felt hot thought, like my blood had turned to fire while I was unconscious and I was adrift in an ocean of fire. I turned reaching out, trying to get my bearings but I couldn’t.Candido.Where was Candido?I didn’t know.I remembered that I had seen him recently.An image of him bound and glaring at me flashed through my mind, but I couldn’t hold onto it.Slowly, the world seemed to come back to me. I smelled stone, but the air was warmer. I could smell Candido near me. Someone’s hand was on my head, stroking my head softly.I grunted, trying to speak, but all I heard was a low growl. The hand stopped briefly and pressed firmly before I could try to lift my head.“Sleep,” Candido said, his voice soft and low. “You’re too weak to try to get up right now.”I tried to speak, but all I heard was a low whine. An animal whine. Then I realiz
I growled, but I couldn’t do much else. Candido grunted, putting the shirt on, and standing. He wrapped me up in a blanket and lifted me. His arms trembled. I could see the sweat breaking out on his forehead.The man laughed. “Pride before the fall, I guess. Don’t fall down the stairs. I’m not saving you.”Candido grunted. I whined, wanting him to do something. To get rid of this man. I knew he had the power to do it. Why wasn’t he doing anything? He hadn’t even looked like he cared that Troy had hit me.Candido carried me downstairs slowly. By the time we reached the bottom, the man looked irritated.“Would have been faster to make her walk, honestly.” He rolled his eyes and pushed the heavy door open. I expected the darkness of the caves and the cold, but there was none of that.The light of the silver moon made the sky glow like it was day time. In the distance, there was a dark sky that looked like a regular night. In the other direction, the sky melted into the familiar blue of t