She ignored him and kept walking leaving the room with as much grace as she could muster after her shocking loss of temper. Liam was going away and for the first time in her life she had nobody to rely on her. The vampire was taking away the one person who truly needed her and she was battling a hatred towards him that threatened to consume her.She was battling fear too because if she wasn't needed to help Liam, if she had to admit that she had hurt her cousin more than helped him over the years as Karn had accused her, then she didn't know how to deal with it or what else she had in her life. Everything had always been about Liam. If he was gone then she was all alone and that thought was more frightening than anything else.Kallum broke the continuing silence with a bark of laughter. "Now I know why you're single, Karn. Your chat up lines suck.""Truth hurts sometimes," the vampire snorted, stifling down a groan. The witch had snapped a couple of ribs which would hurt like a bitch
Elina's mouth dropped open at his dismissive tone. She had to work hard to keep her emotions in check, something she hadn't had to do for a very long time. "Where Liam goes, I go," she managed to answer evenly, while battling the unfamiliar emotion of hate which was quickly forming towards the vampire in front of her. His arrogance was outrageous, the way he towered over her unacceptable."Not in my compound you don't, Missy," he shot back instantly, his eyes hard, and his smile never wavering as the delightful creature matched wits with him and tried to stare him down.He knew despite her cold aloofness, that her emotions were whirling deep inside her. He could tell because Liam's stress levels were starting to escalate despite his expression never wavering. It was a little known fact that Karn shared one of the Vârcolac's abilities. He could sense emotions, which was why he was so good at what he did, why he was Mac's second-in-command."You're part of the problem so you need to be
He paused as if struggling with the next words, as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth. "She's found her mate."Loretta wrapped her arms around Andrei's waist knowing how hard it was for him to admit this to everyone. When he'd told her earlier of his talk with their daughter there had been such guilt in his eyes. Convincing him that it wasn't his fault had been hard but there was nothing he could have done to interfere with genetics. It was just a part of life they all had to live with.Of all of them, Alexei was probably the one who could most understand the agony his brother was experiencing, having lived with it for so long. He laid a comforting hand on his twin's shoulder, silently adding his strength to that which his mate was giving him."That changes things," Rafe finally sighed, though his eyes promised Rhianna they'd be having a chat later about just what was acceptable to keep hidden from him. She shot him a rueful smile, but her lavender eyes couldn't conceal the dist
"The decision was made a long time ago to keep the Praetorians a secret," Rafe answered calmly. "You were all so young when the first attack was made on the pack, the first attempt to reach you and cause you harm. Some of you weren't even born." He smiled at Elina for a moment and then looked at Kothari briefly."You shouldn't be angry with your parents or Rafe," Rhianna added. "I needed to protect the pack, to protect you. The Praetorians seemed the best way of doing so at the time. We wanted you to have normal childhoods, as normal as possible considering your heritage."Elina shifted beside Liam, leaned into him slightly and rested a hand against his arm as though picking up a rise in his distress levels. He smiled briefly closing his eyes and rubbing his cheek against her hair."So not all vampires were accepting of hybrid children coming into the world?" Elina guessed correctly as she soothed her cousin unconsciously, strengthening her shields within his mind not realising her ex
He indulged himself, rubbing her mouth with his to ground himself and ease more of the tension which was making his muscles ache. "This is Annie we're talking about," he breathed against her mouth. "Lily is God knows where. Kallum appears to have joined her and once again Kothari has disobeyed a direct order to attend a meeting." His displeasure was evident as he finished speaking.The final hybrid child, the only issue of a mating between an Ancient vampire and the very first Vârcolac, tested Rafe's patience to his limits. Not only did he drive Rafe to insanity but also Aaron, the most pack orientated Beta and second-in-command of the Armand-Hanlon pack.Aaron took on all the troubled pack members, worked diligently to integrate them and help them through any issues they had, but even he struggled to get Kothari to meet him halfway. Which was probably why it was lucky Aaron was over at the Hanlon pack with his family and also Lacey and Rafe's sons.Rafe would fill them in later on wh
Rafe looked around the room stifling down a need to sigh. A summons from his sister usually always spelled trouble of some kind and when she asked for various people to be in attendance, namely the ones who were now spread out in the closed off community centre, it set his warning radar off big time.The mated vampire couples were there, Ash and Nors sitting with their heads together as always, his arm looped loosely over the back of her chair. Their body language screamed of intimacy, Ashleigh's face radiant as she smiled up at her mate. There was no sign of the lost young girl who had suffered a weight of heartbreak at such a tender age. Happiness seemed to waft from the little blonde, contentment in the way she leaned into her mate's body.There wasn't a day that went by that Rafe didn't feel thankful to Nors, the biggest vampire in the room, so scary and intimidating to look at and yet so loving and protective of not only his own family but also the pack. Without his devotion, the