CallaSharp pain tore through me like lightning as my consciousness snapped back into my body. The dreamscape connection with Axel shattered, leaving me gasping on the medical bed.Blake stood beside me with a syringe in his hand, the needle still wet with my blood. His features were twisted with anger as he filled another tube with the dark red liquid."Fuck," I breathed, pain shooting through my arm where he'd drawn blood. "What are you doing?""Well....research," Blake said coldly, capping the vial. "Your Moonkeeper blood just became exponentially more valuable after that little display."Behind him, Dante held a metal case filled with syringes. Each one contained liquid that glowed faintly blue-green in the harsh laboratory lights. I recognized that glow from my connection to Axel - it was the same compound they'd been using to keep him in feral state.My stomach dropped. "You're making more of those drugs."Blake cursed under his breath, kicking at Raven's lifeless head in frustr
AxelThe safe house walls felt like they were closing in on me. A whole week. Seven fucking days since Calla had vanished, and we had nothing to show for it.I slammed my fist into the wooden table, sending maps and photos flying across the room. "This is bullshit," I growled, my voice rough from not sleeping. "We've contacted every source, checked every lead, searched every goddamn place we can think of."Jace looked up from his laptop, dark circles under his eyes matching mine. "Axel, we've been over this. Blake's got resources we can't compete with. Military connections, vampire backing—""I don't care!" The words tore from my throat. "She's out there somewhere, scared, maybe hurt, and we're sitting here doing nothing."Malachai shifted in his chair by the window, his massive frame tense with barely controlled anger. "We're not doing nothing man. Marcus's team hit three potential sites yesterday. Thomas checked those warehouse locations you marked. We've followed up on every damn t
CallaI stared at Raven with pure shock as the truth hit me like ice water. They wanted to free the binding on my wolf - but she had no idea what I really was. She really thought I was just some ordinary werewolf whose transformation had been blocked by trauma or maybe something as simple as simple magic.Blake and Dante were using her expertise while keeping her completely in the dark about my true heritage. Just like they'd used everyone else.Raven stepped back from the bed, studying the blood symbols she'd drawn across my exposed skin. Her completely red eyes held satisfaction as she prepared for the next phase."This should break whatever simple binding is blocking your wolf," she said, rolling her shoulders. "Most trauma-based suppressions respond well to blood magic.""Raven, you don't understand what you're doing," I whispered, terror flooding through me.She laughed harshly. "I understand perfectly. Your husband wants to see your wolf form, probably to torture you in new and
CallaA slow smirk spread across Dante's pale features as his eyes met mine. The vampire moved toward me with that liquid grace that made my skin crawl, each step calculated and predatory."Well, hello again, old friend," he said, his voice carrying false warmth that made my stomach twist. "You really are going to change things, aren't you? Be part of something truly magnificent."I shuddered as his cold gaze traveled over me. The casual way he spoke about our past encounters made me remember how Blake could even think to work with such an old, manipulative creature. Dante radiated the rough kind of patient evil that came from centuries of experience destroying people.My mind drifted to that Lord Virex, wondering why he hadn't suspected these rogue vampires working their own agenda. During one of my dreamwalks, I'd sensed Virex's immense power when he'd almost detected my presence. Was he really as powerful as he seemed, or were Dante and Blake better at deception than I'd thought?B
CallaThe metallic taste of fear coated my mouth as Blake placed a kiss on my forehead. His touch still felt irritatingly possessive, like a snake claiming its territory. My skin crawled everywhere he made contact."Everything is going according to plan," he said in a sing-song voice, stepping back with that smug expression that made me want to tear his throat out. "It's just so perfect."He hummed something off-key as he walked toward the laboratory door, his new vampire grace making each step look choreographed. The sight of him moving with such unnatural fluidity reminded me that he was no longer fully human."I'll be back soon with a little surprise for you, my dear," Blake called over his shoulder. "We have so much to celebrate tonight."The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the three figures suspended across the room. The silence stretched for several heartbeats before Lucien's bitter laughter cut through the air."Well, well," he said, his voice dripping with
CallaThe shadows shifted as my eyes adjusted, and my breath caught in my throat. Four figures hung suspended in metal harnesses along the far wall, their bodies showing signs of extended captivity. But what made my blood run cold wasn't just seeing them there - it was recognizing who they were.Lucien Vale hung loosely, his usually perfect appearance disheveled and bloody. Beside him, Vera's pale hair was matted with dried blood, her face twisted with barely contained rage. Michael looked smaller somehow, diminished by whatever Blake had done to him during his captivity.But it was Marcus Kane who made me gasp aloud. The man hung unconscious, his head lolled forward while thin tubes snaked from his arms into collection bags that slowly filled with dark fluid. Whatever Blake was extracting from him, it was clearly more than just blood.Blake clapped his hands together like he was unveiling a prize at a carnival. The sound echoed through the laboratory as he pressed another button on h