~~~ Justin Morgan (Landon’s father) ~~~
I watch how my best friend’s eyes are filled with terror. Austin is like a brother to me, that is why our sons call themselves cousins. Though he’s hiding his eyes from me, his face looks like he suddenly aged 10 years, his mind is no doubt trapped in dark places.
The news that our sons are in the Council’s custody has spread like wildfire through the forest in the magical world, and there are just a few days until the Alpha King Ceremony, the ritual that should appoint Hayden as the new leader, the King.
And not only has the news that they are to be trialed propagated, but also that Hayden’s mate might be a human, I’ve heard whispers while walking by the camp earlier that my nephew might even be deprived of his status.
Loose lips sink ships, and it’s not difficult to imagine who started the rumor. It was Morrigan, not personally, sure, but through one of his minions and my
~~~ Allaya ~~~I rest my head on my hands, pulling at my hair in frustration.‘How do I know?’ Their question is legit, yet providing an answer is the real challenge.How am I supposed to put into words that for the last months I had nightmares starring his father and the vampire woman?That their emotions traveled all the way to my core.That I’ve seen it.I’ve seen the devastating moment of her death.Reluctantly, I came to the decision to answer their inquiry. I can sense the eagerness growing inside them, both of them piercing my skin with their scrutinizing eyes.“I’ve seen a picture of the vampire woman and your father.” I watch as they devour every word coming out my mouth. “In the room I was hosted last night.”It’s all lies, it was in the tree house from the forest, but that peculiar detail would be harder to digest. And for what it co
~~~ Xander ~~~It seemed like an eternity passed, but they were finally brought to the courtroom where we were waiting.I keep my eyes on my daughter, she looks different, something has changed. It’s not just something physical, though her stance displays a new found self-confidence and her eyes are flashing a rather unique type of shine, it’s the abnormal powerful energy that comes in waves from her, blocking me from reading if the spell my sister Faith placed on her when she was born is still solid.Tomorrow is Allaya’s birthday and the spell is bound to break anyway, but it’s crucial to escape unharmed today. My powers are weakened in the Council’s territories so getting out of this place in one piece is a tricky challenge.“The accused are to take their designated seats.” Morrigan’s overflowing with power voice thundered all four corners of the room, making our children flinch in consternation, bef
~~~ Hayden ~~~There is not a single soul in the magical world that did not hear about Morrigan Waldgrave, the Head of the Council.Countless stories about his fucking atrocious acts had spread over the years, he is also the most powerful of the Originals, though nobody knows for sure what his real strength is because nobody lived to tell.Since we entered the courtroom, my beast part feels dormant or this is how I explain the fact that I cannot communicate with Maddox. Not even mind links are working, I tried to mind link my father when we set foot in this place to assure him that I’m fine as he looked so worried, but the connection didn’t go through.So if something horrible happens, I can’t even shape-shift to defend the people I love.In fact, nobody will be able to use their powers, not even Allaya’s father.This is a disaster, the trial is a mere formality, we are fucking doomed.“Your eyes look con
~~~ Hayden ~~~“You can’t do this! I will never allow it!” I snapped, my voice of life-threatening tone.The devil’s eyes darkened a shade, his fierce glare mirroring the wrath within.Rage is pumping in my bones as I hear the fucking piece of shit speaking about my mate as if she were a worthless object with no feelings or identity, something he can take and have at his own craving.As long as my heart is beating in my chest and I still have blood in my veins, no one will ever lay a finger on her, fucking no one, I will protect her at any cost.Even if I cannot fucking shape-shift in this enchanted room, I’ve trained all my life, I can still fight this monster without letting my wolf take the lead.We all can, my father, my uncle and my cousin, we are all trained in battle, we have at least a thin chance against the two blood suckers and we will take it.A glimpse at Landon confirms my suspicion, he too
~~~ Gabriel ~~~ I have waited for this moment since the first time I’ve encountered her, there was something about her that got stuck in my brain. I could not point exactly what, it was like a puzzle that was driving me crazy making me eager to solve it. A part of me knew the truth, but did not want to accept it. How did this happen? Or more exactly, who made this possible? What made her unrecognizable in my eyes? In Morrigan’s eyes, in Justin’s eyes? It must have been a powerful spell. The wizard surely knew the truth, he protected it and he protected her, but even if he is powerful, he is not powerful enough for this type of spell. Maybe more than one witch or wizard casted the magic formula. The girl is standing here before me in all her glory, clueless of her true nature, of her abilities, of her family inheritance. But she’s wearing the family necklace. An icy bitter chill is traveling down
~~~ Allaya ~~~I don’t have the words to describe what is happening inside me. Broken images are hurting my mind and soul, while distant recollections are stirring to life.Tons of them.One thousand years of emotional memories are invading my body, and they are not mine. They are her memories, the memories of the woman from my nightmares, my mother.My mother!The woman I saw being chased by horrendous monsters and later executed without a bit of mercy while being pregnant with me.My mother!If someone were to pour acid into my soul, it would feel less atrocious than what I experience now.Those heartbreaking feelings I’ve sensed each and every time the dream replayed in my mind like a horror movie were hers.The terrifying fear buried in every inch of her body, the fear of being separated from her loved ones, the fear of dying.All those excruciating sensations were hers.The Orig
~~~ Allaya ~~~“You are the best example of what is wrong with this world, you are the personification of evil!” I roar, images of him killing my mother are flashing vividly in my mind.I hate this monster, I hate him with raw passion!He is staring at me with a devious grin plastered on his face, making me feel uneasy. He is up to something and whatever he is planning, it’s bad news for us.Not letting me out of his sight, the sick bastard must be feeding with my rage, my hate, but I’m not going to lose this fight, my loved ones’ lives depend on this.I have to protect them, I need to protect everyone.I will not lose anyone, it’s dreadful enough that I’ve lost my mother to him, I don’t know how I had the strength not to finish off the devil.‘If you’ll let him live, you’ll pay the price later!’ The voice in my head warns.‘Who are you?’ I fina
~~~ Xander ~~~I knew for a fact that this day would eventually come.In practical terms, I have been preparing for it for a while, ever since Aria has desperately knocked at my door in the middle of one night twenty-one years ago. She was choking on her tears, mumbling about being chased and pleading to protect her unborn child and the love of her life, the Alpha King, Justin Morgan.My sister, Faith, took her in. To tell the truth, it was as if my sister was waiting for her to appear, she was pacing at the door minutes, if not hours before Aria arrived.It was not until later that I found out about Faith’s premonition regarding the child, the child with both vampire and werewolf blood, it was written in her secret diary.“Aria came to us the night before her execution.” I broke the tense sound of silence.All their attention is directed to me, and as much as I hate to remember what happened, they deserve to know eve