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Ventura’s fingers tightened around my neck, and I struggled to breathe. “There goes that defiant hiss again. You’re becoming quite the little vampire. You sound just like one,” he said with a growing hatred. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve been giving me? You killed my small human army of hunters who would do my future bidding. I had a chance at a surprise attack on the Harringtons, but you blew it! You were unsuccessful at making more of yourself and serving me. Why shouldn’t I just snap your pretty neck and be done with it? All my troubles would die along with you.” My hands instinctively circled around his forearm to remove some of the pressure. When I saw black spots everywhere, my grip on him lessened. I couldn’t break free, and I thought this was the end. Surprisingly, Ventura let go and grabbed the front of my vest, dragging me on my back to where Lukas and Jace were. “Pathetic girl,” Ventura spat as he dropped me beside my mates. “It doesn’t matter. Everything I need to
The wait was killing me. My leg impatiently shook when I sat on the waiting chair. The lobby under the justice court building was brightly lit and warm. I had never been in that section before. If I didn’t have Moe guiding me through the separate hallway that brought us here, in the basement, I would have never suspected there was a place specifically designed for vampire laws. The fact that I was meeting the congregation was the least of my problems. My mind was on Lukas, whom I had not seen since the fight with Ventura. Jace didn’t want me to see him and had given me very few updates on his health, but the one news that kept bothering me was that the broken ribs were more important than we initially thought. Some had pierced his lungs and had caused damages that Jace feared Lukas would have issues healing correctly. I felt terrible because it was my fault Lukas got hurt. If I hadn’t jumped in the fight, maybe things would have ended differently for all of us, and maybe Lukas woul
Two months laterMy finger pressed the intercom button of the police precinct.“Yes?” The robotic-sounding voice asked.“It’s Max. I have a Talulah Townsend for processing.”“Someone will be down shortly.”Talulah had broken parole and hadn’t attended her mandatory drug test. She had been my easiest catch of the week. I only had to drive down the drug strip to find her with a needle stabbed in her arm, half passed out from the shot. She was younger than me, and it broke my heart to see her like this. Oh, the joys of getting back into the trenches, I thought. I was doing my best to return to my everyday life.The back door of the station opened, and Officer Dan and a colleague walked out to take the skip. When the woman was in custody, Dan removed her cuffs to return them to me.“I heard you were back on the job. Christ, Max. You really scared the shit out of me when you stopped showing up here! They told me you probably took a vacation, but I know you. Your job’s your life.” Dan said
I was high from meeting the director at the children’s home. My discussion with the director yielded interesting facts about the home and its desperate need for funds. The government provided what it could, but the man running the establishment informed me it wasn’t enough. It didn't surprise me. More and more children came into their custody, and they had difficulty finding foster homes. I elatedly accepted the director's promise to inform the board members and send me the paperwork in the coming weeks after discussing my plans to donate money and what I would like to help them with. My interest in funding couldn’t have come at a better time. I barely saw the car ride pass; I was already pulling up the small dirt road leading to Lukas’s cabin in the woods. Lexie stayed there for the moment while Lukas crashed either at his house or at my place. We had taken the habit of coming over there for dinner every two or three days to keep Lex company and to unwind. I was the first to arri
It was a moonless sky on the night Lady Ravenwood lay in her bed, riddled with aches and pains from labour. She looked at the heavens and pleaded her child would not be born this night—it was a bad omen, she thought, even more so with everything currently happening. She could feel the child trying to get out of her womb, and she clenched her lower body to prevent the birth. “Has my husband returned yet, Agatha?” Lady Ravenwood called her servant maid. The maid—Agatha, came over to the bed and changed the soiled sheet under her mistress. “I’m afraid not, my lady. I’ll ask William when he comes up. The master should be back soon. Please hold on.” Lady Ravenwood sighed and scrunched the sheets under her fists. Her toes curled from the pain, and sweat poured down her neck and back, soaking the bedsheets. Lady Ravenwood was in hiding and stayed in a safe house outside the city limits. It looked like a small country house, far away from prying eyes. She knew her husband had spared no e
I flipped the corner of the book’s page I was quietly reading on the small café’s exterior terrace. The last rays of the sun shone brightly on what was a perfectly normal day for me. I had ordered my usual—ordering was an exaggeration because I came here every day for the last month, and the server didn’t even have to ask me what I wanted since I always got the same thing. The young man brought my coffee with a smile and quickly dashed to another table to take a customer’s order. Without taking my eyes off the book, I searched for the handle of my mug, and when I found it, I brought the cup to my lips and sipped on the delicious hot liquid. I hummed in delight, then set it back on the table and raised my eyes to survey the terrace. I was technically on duty, but my target had not arrived yet. The sun was setting, and I didn’t care to stay here longer than necessary. If the target didn’t come, I would try again tomorrow. I returned to my paperback book, ignoring the stares of men g
“Evening, gentlemen. The clubs are a little lower on that street. I’m sure they’ll notice all their bouncers took their breaks at the same time.” I snickered. I had said this as a joke, but they looked like bouncers in front of high-end bars and clubs. For some funny reason, the song “I wear my sunglasses at night” by Corey Hart popped into my mind and made me chuckle. I turned to open my car door, but the man behind me pressed his hand on my car’s side, preventing me from following through with my action. This irritated me. “We’re here for Umbridge.” The man’s voice was calm but menacing. I froze. The bouncer-type men could be competition. I mean, Mike was worth a substantial amount. I got him first, so I was not inclined to give him to them. I could see Mike’s once beautiful face through the window. His hair was a mess from my tackle, and he still had gravel stuck on the blood-crusted scratches on his cheek. What surprised me the most were his eyes. They were wide with fear, alm
Jace POV They had ordered me to attend an urgent meeting on the president’s floor. I held my head high when I paced myself to get there in time. I did not want to wrinkle my suit or arouse suspicion from the hard-working staff of my floor. We rarely got called into impromptu meetings, so this must have been serious. When I entered the boardroom, most directors were already there, patiently waiting for the man who called the session. I pulled a chair near the far end and waited for the hostess to bring me something to drink. She left as quickly as she came, never looking me straight in the face. I slowly sipped the content of my glass and purred with satisfaction while swirling the thick red liquid. It was eerily silent in the room. No one understood why we had been called to this impromptu conference. The spacious boardroom could hold all twenty Harrington and Leigh Corporation directors. At least the seats were comfortable. They were made of black leather and cushioned to perfe