LOGINWhile he lavished my neck in kisses, I pushed a hand under his shirt and used the other to play with his belt buckle, unzipping his jeans and fondling the erection hidden in his boxers. He groaned against my neck and bucked against my hand, asking for more. As I took the length of his cock in my palm, he ensnared my lips and pushed me down onto the desk, knocking everything off of it in the process. Colt’s breathing grew harder and heavier as he thrust into my hand, only to slip his fingers between my plush labia, rubbing me outside of my leggings. Excitement spiked through my body as I craved to feel more. “Take off my leggings,” I murmured between kisses.Colt obediently pulled my leggings off, taking my thong with them. I sat up and pulled off my blouse while he stripped off his jeans and t-shirt, then he stopped me from removing my bra, electing to do it himself while he planted kisses on the side of my neck. Within seconds, we were both naked and sprawled across his father’s de
Kiara POV)In the weeks following the ritual, the Gunnison area fell into the sleepy tranquility of recovery. The aftermath left all three packs in tatters, their numbers halved and a sense of security broken. Even with Lothair and the dragons gone, uncertainty in the fates of the packs left many wolves questioning whether it was worth staying in the home they’d always known when home had become tainted by so much death and loss.The Mythguard cleaned up the mess that David left behind. We were fortunate that he hadn’t made it into the town and attacked any humans, but there were still so many shifters whose deaths had to be explained to their human friends and family. A service was held for Sebastian Hicks and the other human operatives who had perished in the extermination attempts, and then each pack held its own funeral for those who were slain over the past couple of months. With the onset of October, cool autumn weather turned the atmosphere miserable and grey, the solemn mood s
Colt POV)Lothair was right. My father had gone back to the mine, intending to make an example of him. But it wasn’t going to prove anything, only bring both of them to their deaths. And if I weren’t fast enough, then Kiara would join them.While the Mythguard retreated to their vehicles, Gavin, Everett, Billie, Aislin, and I shifted into our wolves and followed my father’s trail. We told the Mythguard to send half of them into town and the other half to the mine, operating off an educated guess of where David would go. As it turned out, my father led us right back to the mine nestled in the mountains, and we ran as quickly as possible after him. He had some distance due to us stalling to transform, but we were only a few minutes behind. His scent vanished as we approached the mine, while the deformed footprints of his massive feet in the dust promised he was there.I transformed back, reclaiming my human form and dressing myself in the clothes I had carried in my teeth here. Aislin,
Kiara POV)The entire situation unfolded like a nightmare. I was barely conscious anymore and couldn’t even find my feet when the Mythguard burst onto the scene. The fighting bewildered me, and then suddenly, Colt was by my side, helping to set me free. For a fleeting few seconds, I thought I would finally be safe. My fated mate had come back for me as he promised. He was going to save me. I barely managed to smile—then I was stolen right out of his arms.But not before grabbing any part of Colt I could, hooking my finger into his pocket, somehow managing to snag a dart and hold onto it.The monster clutching me was the very same that had tortured me in the hours before. I had watched David’s body change into unfamiliar construction. Halfway between human and wolf, he stood on two legs and hunched over, fur rippling down his spine, his gangly arms tipped in long, razor-sharp nails. He hoisted me over his shoulder and ran, alternating between a two-legged gallop and a three-footed ambl
Colt POV)For seven hours, we had deliberated where my father and the dragons would be hiding. The manor was among the last places we checked, simply because it seemed too obvious that they would go back there, but around 4 PM, the recon team confirmed the heavy presence of wolves and dragons. Then we conceived a new plan, and at the risk of rushing in unprepared, we took an hour to thoroughly consider our approach and every possible outcome. Part of our team returned to the mine, confirming that Lothair was still there. We had given his daughter to Everett and Aislin’s mothers to watch over. Then by 7 PM, we were finally ready to go to the manor, but knowing that we were approaching nightfall, we chose to wait until the Lycan transformations were underway. We would strike when their bodies were shifting—when they were most vulnerable. And the entire time, I was in so much agony I could barely think.Kiara was still alive. I would have sensed it if she died. But she was still alive a
David sneered and stood back. “May as well bring her to the atrium now. We have seven hours yet before the ritual can begin, but I’d like to get an early start on her suffering.”As David turned away, Kipling hesitated, his hand over the deep wound I’d made in his abdomen. I tilted my head to leer up at the dragon guard. He caught my eye, mouth taut with displeasure, and I wondered if he was second-guessing, pledging himself to David, who didn’t seem to care that Kipling had been so heavily wounded. Kipling yanked me to my feet, and we trudged after David. I continued to shiver, the cold sinking right down to my bones, while Kipling bled profusely up the stairs.We went through the manor to a corridor off the parlor opposite the hallway with the office and staircase leading to the second floor. This corridor ventured into the eastern wing of the manor, which, based on the layer of dust accumulated in the corners and on the walls, I gleaned, was rarely visited. At the end of the corr







