In This Chapter: Azrael: God of the Wolves.
Blakely “You do know what that is, don’t you?” Amusement filled his words with an addictive warmth. My mouth went dry. There was no way—no, he was just toying with me. Clearly, that’s what this was. Just another attempt at messing with the silly mortal. Yeah, well not this time. I steeled my voice, and prayed it revealed no hint of weakness. “Of course I know what a kiss is, but you’re not getting one.” He sighed dramatically, and I felt his presence retreat across the cavern. I didn’t dare turn and reveal how red my face had become, or the way my eyes flared with desire, because fuck—I wanted to kiss him. Goddess, I was going insane. That had to be it. “Very well. I suppose desperate times calls for desperate measures, yes?” I spun around and found him sitting on one of the smooth stones. His elbows were propped up on his thighs as he watched me without abandon. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I’d like to call in the favor that you owe me, little wolf.” “The favor…” I repe
Blakely Azrael’s a God. He couldn’t die from a Wendigo, right? Right? I held onto that thought as I plunged deeper into the forest, down the weathered path until I exploded into the clearing once more. Silver blood coated the ground, forming a trail to where Azrael stood. One arm was slung over his stomach where it continued to flow freely, while the other wielded a blade. Dark liquid oozed from several gashes on the Wendigo’s body, but it didn’t seem to feel them. Giving myself no time to think, I raised the dagger above my head and charged at the creature. Azrael’s eyes widened as they locked on me. The Wendigo turned my way, and just as I shoved the dagger into its chest, it slashed with its massive claw. Its arm slammed into my midsection, sending me flying backwards. A different sort of roar exploded from Azrael’s chest. I hit the trunk of a tree hard, my spine bowing around its shape. The pain was so intense I nearly blacked out. Blood coated the inside of my mouth from whe
Orion “GO!” I bellowed at the poisonous mortal, ignoring the flash of pain in her eyes. Azrael groaned as I wrapped an arm around his waist and shouldered his weight, dragging him down the corridor. “Enough, Orion.” Enough? No, I was only getting started. The mortal should feel guilty. I had no doubt in my mind that the Wendigo, whose scent still clung to Azrael’s bleeding body, had been after her. Their kind lived deep within the mountains, only ever traveling as far as the Forest of Ruin. The creature had been coaxed here by someone. Whoever they were must’ve truly wanted the mortal dead, which meant we needed to know why. Entering my study, I sent a gust of magic to close the door behind us, then deposited Azrael into the armchair I kept by the windows. When I couldn’t sleep, which was more often than not, I’d sit there watching the moon come and go. Quickly turning on my heel, I raced over to the bookcase where I kept most of my healing tonics. I paid no attention to the pres
Blakely Apparently getting an eyeful of naked God was what the twisted mansion wanted, because instead of screwing with me further, it led me back to my own bedroom. Getting a shower was now the last thing on my mind. With every step, the shards of stone embedded in my heels began to burn. They needed to come out, and since I couldn’t count on Orion’s magic to help me, I had to help myself. As-fucking-usual. The door opened half an hour later, but I was long gone by that point. Blood coated the floor, forming a crimson river around my hunched over body. I wielded Azrael’s dagger like a scalpel, slicing into the bottoms of my feet to then pry the chunks of stone loose. Sweat coated me from how close I sat to the fireplace, using the flames to sterilize the blade. Each slash, each cut, was met with a strange numbness that flooded through my limbs and left me in a haze. Pretty sure I was going into shock. Draco padded into the room and froze. I didn’t look up from my work, but that
Blakely As a single bead of blood oozed from my fingertip, trailing down the point of the crystal, there was a flash of cerulean light. It spread down the length of the door, shaped like the bars of a prison cell. They sputtered, emitting a low crackle, before fading entirely. All that was left was the slab of wood Orion had slammed in my face after shoving me down into the basement. The memory of his sneering face had me gritting my teeth. It washed away the small fragments of guilt I’d carried in my belly. This was his fault, not mine. If he hadn’t locked me in that basement, then I would’ve never met Ozul. Besides, why wouldn’t I help the first creature that showed me kindness in this chaotic realm? A sonic boom sounded from somewhere in the house, so loud that the walls trembled. Shit, I guess someone was awake. Not giving myself the chance to chicken out, I yanked open the basement door and sucked in a deep breath of stale, musty air. It wasn’t the unpleasant scent that had
Blakely After Azrael all but dragged sparky from the room, insisting they needed to talk, I set my sights on finding some answers of my own. Ozul, the shadow demon I’d befriended in the basement, wasn’t a damn demon at all. He was a God, an actual God. What was even more troubling was the fact that the mansion aided me in releasing him. Did he and Lunette know one another? Part of me understood why Orion was so pissed at me for letting him go, not that I’d ever admit that aloud. Still, if they hadn’t managed to get any information out of him this long, then I highly doubted he was ever going to talk. Rather than focus on the pale-haired God haunting my lady parts, I began to scour the library in search of information. “Give me everything you’ve got on the Gods.” Books slid off their shelves, their pages flapping wildly as they took to the air. A tornado of them surrounded me, rustling my hair around my shoulders. One at a time, they fluttered down onto the tables, landing in a n
Draco Fools, I was surrounded by fools. Azrael with his obsession and lack of self-control, Orion with his paranoia and trust issues, and the girl. The sharp-tongued girl with secrets in her eyes. Who couldn’t even manage to take care of herself when it mattered most. Watching her cut into her flesh with no regard tore away the melancholy that long ago seeped into my mind. It was as though she couldn’t even be bothered to be gentle. At the time, the rage had been so strong that I had no choice but to leave. Following several paces back, I watched Azrael and the girl as they walked down the corridor. More than once their hands neared one another’s. So close, yet they never touched. The girl didn’t even notice the way she gravitated towards him. Had it truly been that long for the mortal wolves that they’d forgotten what a mate-bond felt like? Azrael’s frustration sharpened his scent. He wanted to explain to the girl the truth behind his and Orion’s conversation, but he couldn’t
Blakely “I am so not wearing that.” The scrap of fabric clinging to Azrael’s hand was just that, a scrap. It didn’t matter that it was the most beautiful piece of clothing I’d ever seen with my two eyes. I was positive it would barely cover my backside, let alone everything else. With his raven hair tumbling messily over his forehead he smirked, “Oh, yes you are. We must blend in, little wolf. Your hair and mortal features will already attract attention. The last thing we need is to announce where you’ve come from. Entering the city in your current attire would do just that.” I glanced down at my jean shorts and t-shirt combo, then released a sigh. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to wear that outfit, but there was also no use in arguing with him. “Fine. Get out so I can change.” The moment he glided from the room (reluctantly, I might add), I tossed the garment onto my bed and waltzed over to the closet in search of something else to wear. Every one of my hopes and drea