I was dreaming about that steak dinner I'd promised Calla. We were sitting across from each other at a small table by the window, candlelight making her skin glow golden. She was wearing that blue dress she'd bought during our trip to town, the one that hugged her curves perfectly."You're staring," she said with that shy smile that made my chest tight."Can't help it. You're beautiful."She reached across the table to take my hand. "I'm glad we're here. Just us, no pack drama, no supernatural politics.""Just you and me," I agreed, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with mischief. "What do you say we skip dessert and go home? I have something else in mind for tonight."The way she looked at me made me gulp in anticipation. "What did you have in mind?""Well," she said, voice dropping to that tone that made me crazy, "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About trying new things."My dick twitched at the promise in her voice. "Yeah?""M
The compound's medical room had never felt so tense. Eden worked over Axel's unconscious form while the rest of us crowded around, watching her every move like our lives depended on it.Maybe they did."The silver is spreading through his bloodstream," Eden said, her hands glowing with that soft light that meant she was using her healing abilities. "It's like poison. His body can't process it fast enough."I sat beside the bed, holding Axel's hand and trying not to look at the blood-soaked bandages covering his chest and arms. His skin was pale and clammy, his breathing shallow."Will he be okay?" I whispered."I don't know," Eden admitted. "This much silver exposure... it could kill him."The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. After everything we'd been through, after finally finding each other, I couldn't lose him now."Someone set him up," Jordan said from where he stood against the wall. His clothes were still bloody from the fight, his face twisted with rage. "Those vampir
The dreamwalk slammed into me like a physical blow.One second I was napping worriedly while waiting for Axel beside his empty side of the bed. The next, I was standing in the middle of a brutal fight.Axel's face was clear as day, twisted in pain and fury as he fought for his life. Blood ran down his neck from attacks which clearly looked like fangs. His shirt was shredded, deep claw marks across his chest and back.Five vampires surrounded him like predators playing with their prey. Their faces were blurry, shifting shadows that my dream-vision couldn't focus on. But I could see every detail of Axel's desperate struggle.He grabbed one vampire by the throat and slammed him into a tree. The crack of breaking bones echoed through the forest. But another vampire's claws raked across his back, opening fresh wounds.Silver gleamed in the fading light. A blade sliced across Axel's shoulder, and he roared in agony.For a moment I just stared dully until the full weight of it all crashed in
The eastern perimeter felt peaceful as I started my route. Dense forest stretched out in all directions, the setting sun filtering through the canopy in golden streams. For the first time in weeks, patrol felt normal instead of like preparing for war.I found myself whistling as I jogged along the familiar path. My mind wandered to Calla and the promise of tonight after patrol. The way she'd looked at me this morning when I left. Like she was already planning what she wanted to do to me when I got back.God, the things that woman did to my self-control.I could picture her waiting in our bed when I returned. Maybe wearing that little black thing I'd bought her in town during our little date. Or better yet, wearing nothing at all.I imagined pushing her back against the mattress, taking my time to taste every inch of her skin. The way she'd arch under my mouth when I worked my way down her body. How she'd gasp my name when I settled between her thighs.Maybe tonight I'd try that thing
The morning briefing felt like any other day. Pack members filtered into the main room with coffee and casual conversation. After weeks of tension, everyone seemed lighter and more relaxed.But something was off with Calla.She sat beside me at the table, but the energy between us felt different. Usually she'd sometimes wake me up with those soft touches that drove me crazy. This morning she'd been quiet and distant.I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday morning. The way she'd slipped under the covers while I was still half-asleep. Her warm mouth working me slowly until I was rock hard and desperate."Fuck," I'd groaned when I realized what she was doing.The memory of her hand stroking me, her lips on my neck, made my dick twitch even now. The way she'd jerked me off with that perfect rhythm until I came all over her face.The shocked look on her face when it happened. Like she hadn't expected real life to be different from movies."Real life, baby. No magical aim," I'd told her,
Sleep had never felt so peaceful. Axel's warmth pressed against my back, his arm draped protectively over my waist. For once, my mind wasn't racing with worry or fear. Just quiet darkness and the steady rhythm of his breathing. Then everything changed. One moment I was drifting in that comfortable space between sleep and dreams. The next, I was standing in a place I'd never seen before. Cold concrete stretched out around me. The air smelled like rust and motor oil. High windows let in strips of moonlight that barely cut through the darkness. A warehouse. But not one I recognized. My bare feet made no sound on the floor as I moved forward. The strange floating sensation told me this was another dreamwalk, but it felt different somehow. More urgent and very real. Voices echoed from somewhere in the shadows ahead. "Tomorrow night, then." The speaker's voice was smooth and cold. Definitely not human. "You're certain about the timing?" "Positive." A second voice answered. This one I