Rhiannon’s POVHyacinth and Stephen were waiting for me on the damned doorstep when I got back. They crowded around me like penguins desperate to huddle for body heat and started braying like donkeys with inane question after inane question.“What happened?”“What did they say?”“Did they think you did it, Rhi?”“Was he nice to you?”“Did you argue?”I put a hand up and halted just past the doorway. “Stop.”They both froze. Then they started clamouring around me again.“Did something happen?”“Why do you look so shaken?”“Did he shout?”“Did he ask you questions you couldn’t answer?”A growl built in my throat. I just wanted to be alone for five minutes to process everything that had just happened – but I wouldn’t get it. I had to sort myself out right here, right now, because I was the only one that could hold this family together now.Without Dad, I was the closest thing to a leader we had. Even though Cin wasn’t my younger sibling, it had always felt to us both like she was. I coul
Rhiannon’s POVI shoved my hands deeper into my pockets and huddled down into my coat. Snow tumbled through the air, a thousand infinitesimal ballerinas dancing in the dark; everything felt eerie, as though the world itself was leaning in closer to watch whatever was about to unfold. I couldn’t know what was to come, but the intensity of the very air around me made me think the earth beneath my feet and the trees surrounding me could.‘Maybe this isn’t a good idea,’ I muttered to Tiger, but I knew I didn’t mean it even as I said it. I’d never had a single sliver of doubt in my mind that I was going to find Caleb. I couldn’t refuse his call, not after we’d been forced apart for so long. Goddess, it was ridiculous, really – I’d spent longer apart from Stephen before, the man I was actually in love with, and though I’d missed him I’d just made the most of our time apart and then been happy to see him when we were reunited. This, though? This was like I was going out of my head with des
Rhiannon’s POVCaleb’s touches were everywhere. His mouth was on my throat, carving along the sharp edge of my jaw, brushing softly, so softly, over my parted lips. And yet I wanted, needed, more of him. We slid off the wall. Caleb backed me up until I hit the oak tree, which trembled behind me as wantonly as my thighs were. I tipped my head back, a moan building in my chest. When I let myself go, he became my everything. My everything – but I ached to know the parts of him I didn’t yet. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted from him and exactly when to stop just short of giving it to me, making my core throb with desire and my thighs clench together. It seemed crazy to me that he knew me so well, while barely knowing me at all.His fingers carded through my hair, pulling my braids free. He sighed contentedly as my hair came loose and he could at last run his hands through it.“Perfect,” he breathed, and then he kissed me.I gasped as he kissed me. Actually gasped.He laughed into
Stephen’s POVIt had all been going so well.By that, of course, I meant that I’d been avoiding Rhiannon like the coward I was and spending far too much time with Hyacinth. Moving in here had meant to push me closer to Rhi. In reality, it had done the opposite.Not that she seemed to mind. She spent all of her time with her new pet, Foxy Spangles, walking alone and brooding, or sitting with her father’s plaque in the woods. I’d gone with her to The Endpoint once, where she’d stared blankly at her dad’s name where it had been carved into the wall. That had been the last time I’d insisted on coming with her.I didn’t know what it was, but I felt half a step out of stride with my mate. That wasn’t supposed to happen – was it?‘It’s because you’re a scoundrel, young man!’ cried Brian. ‘Hyacinth is the bee’s knees, that I cannot argue with, my boy, but it does not justify your behaviour. You and Rhiannon need to have a jolly good chinwag about the whole thing. You are just chockablock with
Stephen’s POV“Hyacinth?” I murmured, going to reach for her but thinking better of it and stopping myself short.“Come on,” she said again, her tone unnaturally steely. “We need those herbs. I’ve drawn a map of our territory and set it by the candle. We should have everything we need now.”I swallowed down further attempts to make whatever I’d done wrong right and sat down opposite her, with the yellow candle between us. There was a carefully drawn map of the Night Wind pack’s territory beneath it, too, as well as a small glass bowl to the right of the candle, and a box of matches to its left.Hyacinth didn’t say anything until I started to lift the herbs. “Tip them into the glass bowl,” she muttered, refusing to look at me. What the heck had I done? Brian’s voice was unusually sympathetic. ‘Marcella said you needed good intentions for this spell to work, did she not, my boy? It might be best to put your disagreement, whatever it was, to one side and focus on bringing spring back to
Amelia’s POVCaleb was gone. Again.I reached for his side of the bed. It was cold. I shivered as my palm pressed into the mattress. Even with the fire crackling in the hearth I felt the night’s chill – but I thought it had more to do with the fact that my mate had never come up to bed than the bitter middle-of-the-night air.He’d been distant since we’d been back in Night Wind. Okay, to be fair, he’d been distant with me for a lot longer than that, but he’d been particularly unaware since our return.I missed home. I missed home and, more than anything, I missed Kieran. Leaving him behind had carved an entirely new hole out of my heart. It was for the best, I knew that, and I’d made this choice a long time ago… regardless, that didn’t make it hurt any less.He was my soulmate. Making a decision in my head didn't change the way my heart felt.And now I was back here, in the place where somebody had poisoned me, and the one person I relied on more than anyone else was leaving me alone
Amelia’s POVThe blood left my face in a rush.That bastard.Not only had he kept on fooling around with the Omega, the absolute idiot had done it carelessly enough that he’d been caught red-handed. Or red-dicked might be the more accurate description…He was a cheat. He was a liar. And, worse still than all of that, Caleb had jeopardised everything we’d worked for – everything Kieran and I had sacrificed our love for – all for a shag. My whole body burned with rage. My blood was boiling; I couldn’t see past the haze of red clouding my vision.‘Breathe,’ Maeve said. ‘You can’t lose it in front of this Omega. You know how fast word spreads in a pack, Amelia. You also know how much is riding on this. I know it hurts; I know you want to kill him right now. I do, too. But you’re angry that he’s risked the peace for this. Don’t let him win. Don’t let everything fall apart, not after everything you – everything we – have given up to get to this point.’‘You’re right.’ I picked up my own cu
Caleb’s POVI raced upstairs to tell Amelia everything, desperate to share the news that the Eternal Winter seemed to be ending, though I’d left my heart back in the gardens with Rhiannon. Separating myself from her, for now, was painful but necessary. I was so hopped up on passion and joy and the swirling highs of the mate bond that I was prepared to tell Amelia the truth about everything. It was the only way to get us through this. She could be with Kieran and I could be with Rhiannon – no harm done.I swung the door open. I’d seen the lights were on from outside, so I knew she was awake. “Ames?” I called, smoothing a hand over my sex-ruffled hair. Oh, to hell with it. She was going to find out soon enough.She lunged at me with her teeth bared. Her hand balled into a fist at my collar, digging into my throat. “You,” she spat, her upper lip curling as she glared at me. “You bastard, Caleb!”She shoved me back against the door. I stumbled, taken by surprise. “What?” I winced, rubbin