He just gives me a patient smile, “How are you feeling?”I blink, stretching my neck a little, "Just a bump on the head but nothing serious. What are you-?”My question trails off when I see the bodies lying on the ground around me. They seem to be almost sleeping except for how pale and waxy their skin is.“Ah,” I move back from the one closest to me. “Did you-?”“I was a little peckish,” Malcolm shrugs. “I knocked them out before I fed from them. But I sadly had to kill them. They weren't very good people.”“I see,” I mutter, feeling dazed. “What are you doing here?” He shrugs, “Passing by. I've been hearing whispers so I was curious about this village. This seems to have been an odd infestation in the surrounding villages.”He seems almost amused and a little bit intrigued.“But you seem different from the last time we met, little one.”Now that I look at him, there is no hiding the age in his eyes.He is the first vampire, the original Sire. “Yes, w
“I know it sounds hard to believe," Malcolm says after a brief moment. "How do I not witnessed it myself, I would not have believed it either. But I watched that half-breed feed one of the mated pair the blood, and I watched as a transformation came over him. He went from threatening them for daring to touch his woman, to threatening her.”It would be so easy to believe him, to think that Lucas has just been under some spell, but I can't shake everything that has happened to me at his hands recently. Each and every incident is like a separate slash against my heart.I just want this whole nightmare to be over but even if something is done about it, the relationship between Lucas and I has been altered forever. The kind of scabs he has turn off from my previous wounds and the damage that he has wrought upon my heart, I don't think I'm capable of recovering from that again. A part of me has become broken forever.It is the girl that I locked in the cage that begs me to save him.
Kayla steps out of the woods and I freeze when I see that both her eyes and her hair are fire.Before I can say anything, her words register on me and a slow horror builds inside of me, “What? What is she saying?”“Aife,” Malcolm breathes. “You’ve awoken.”“Not entirely,” The Phoenix speaks, her voice so melodious and cruel that it makes me wince. “I felt your presence. I warned you, didn’t I? I told you what would happen with your greed and ambition for power. You left the world in shambles. Did you finally find what you were seeking? You even imprisoned me. You used me, your oldest companion, the one I once called mine.”There is a burning energy in the clearing and I can hear the wealth of pain and anger in the Phoenix’s voice. When I look at Malcolm, his face is pale and filled with a deep regret, “I was foolish, Aife. Ever since - ever since you fell, I have wandered this earth, my own punishment.”I want to say something about there's no room for me in this con
“How sure are you?”Sandy, Clara’s mate, is a senior soldier in the pack and he looks tense. The whole room is filled with people. Aside from the people of the Midnight Wolves pack, everyone is here. Lucas is silent, standing at the back, his eyes burning. He’s looking at me but he’s not once uttered a word since he came in.I’m trying not to look at him because every time I do, I think back to Malcolm’s words.Now that I know what’s going on, I thought it would ease some of the pain but the wounds his actions have left inside of me are showing no signs of easing. “Here,” I hand over the torn part of the uniform which holds the insignia. “I took this off one of the bodies. All of them had a similar one one on their arms.”“So, they’re watching you,” Wyatt says, warily. “Why?”“They’ve attacked me three times so far,” I say, tightly. “This is no longer coincidence. They’re definitely not the Hunters we are looking for. These people are different. I've asked ar
The look on my face is blank.Never again will I make myself vulnerable to someone else.“Is that so?” I ask, softly.He just arches an arrogant brow.“Alright,” I turn my attention away from him to the two wolves from the Midnight Wolves Pack, “Since my mate is so incompetent, I am putting you two on that duty. Two days. You have two days to figure out the patterns and look for any holes in their defence.”The two shifters look almost stunned at my cool dismissal of Lucas and they bob their heads up and down in quick agreement.“Wyatt, I would like two of your soldiers to assist them. And, since it seems that you are more than welcome by the townspeople because you’re a healer, maybe you can find out more information about this Taskforce.” I can see Lucas bristling near the door but I ignore him, “Sandy, Clara, I want to talk to you in private. Come to my room later.”Everybody begins to file out of the room but I see that Lucas hasn't moved.Readying mysel
I was already aware that they had been an attempt to poison my child.But that had happened back at the den.And then it had been both Kayla and Samantha who had told me that I had been poisoned again. So I'm not really surprised. Angry? Yes. Surprised? Not really.I already have a strong suspicion as to who it could be. But right now, Carmine is very well protected. However, it does confuse me because she Clara makes sure she brings me my food herself. Nobody goes near my food but her. She prepares her plate with mine so that no one gets suspicious. So how is the poison being given to me?The only other times I’ve eaten or drank something has been… I freeze.It’s been in Samantha’s home.Despite my sudden suspicion, I try not to reveal it. Why would Samantha try to poison me? And if she did poison me, why would she try to save me? It doesn't make sense. I am the only friend she has right now. And she has no reason to bear any animosity towards me.
The next meeting does not include Lucas.It is a deliberate choice and while I can sense the wariness in my own people, I can also see the relief in their eyes. Lucas's behavior has flummoxed all of them. He’s gone from a loving and devoted Alpha mate to this cold, arrogant man who is ignoring his pregnant mate and shacking up with the woman who has threatened to destroy our pack.“Rock, Phil, what do you have?”Both men have pale faces, “An underground room. Filled with people. The Bores brothers are holding people hostage. We didn't get to see much because I think they noticed our presence. There are a lot of people and I don't think all of them how are from this town. There were children in there as well.”My mind goes to the large crates I saw being wheeled into the mayors mansion, where I had seen a human arm poke out, desperately.We've seen no signs of the hunters that we are looking for and at this point, I am inclined to believe that they're working with the may
Childbirth is not an easy process.Despite my suspicions of Samantha, she and Clara get me through it.The pain is horrendous but five hours later, my body battered and sweaty, I’m holding a small infant in my arms, wrapped in a blue cloth. Samantha’s eyes are filled with tears. Seeing the tears in the eyes of the hardened woman makes me feel a little emotional.However, we leave soon enough.I don’t wait for time to recover from the birth. A part of the reason is selfish. There’s a flicker of hope inside of me that maybe if Lucas sees his son, he will somehow snap out of whatever spell he is under. However that doesn’t happen.He is waiting for me when I walk in, carrying the small bundle.“What happened to you?” He demands but I’m too worn out to reply. “Where have you been?”It’s Clara who says instead, “She went into early labor last evening.”At Lucas’s stunned look, Clara gestures towards the child I’m holding and Lucas staggers forward.I see him l