MasukI walked through the dark house, my footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors. "Mom? Dad?" I called out, but only silence answered me. I noticed a small note on the kitchen counter. “Gone to that new steakhouse in town for a late dinner. Don’t wait up! Love, Mom.” I sighed and leaned against the counter. A date night. Of course, they would pick the one night I felt like the world was ending to go out for romance. I looked over at Katherine, who was snoring softly on the sofa. At least she was safe. I went to the sink to splash some cold water on my face, trying to wash away the smell of beer and the memory of Ezekiel’s cold, beautiful touch. Suddenly, a low, rumbling growl vibrated through the floorboards. It didn't sound like a dog. It sounded like a heavy engine filled with teeth. My heart leaped into my throat. I looked toward the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard. At first, I saw nothing but the silver moonlight on the grass. Then, several pairs of glowing
Lysandra's pov I sat in the middle of the truck, squeezed between a sleeping Katherine and a very quiet Ezekiel. The silence in the woods felt heavy, like the air right before a big thunderstorm. I looked out the window at the dark trees, feeling a strange shiver crawl up my arms. Even though the heater was humming, I couldn't get warm. Ezekiel’s hand was still resting near mine on the seat. I looked down at his knuckles. They looked a little red, like he had bumped them against something hard. "Are you sure you’re okay?" I whispered, trying not to wake Katherine. "You were gone for a while. I thought I heard a loud noise, like a gunshot or a branch breaking." Ezekiel didn't look at me right away. He kept his eyes on the dark road ahead. "I’m fine, Lysandra. Just a few wild animals making noise in the brush. It’s a busy night for the forest." His voice sounded a little different. It was still deep and smooth, but there was a hardness to it that wasn't there when we wer
The air in the forest became very cold as my anger grew. The vampires didn't know who they were dealing with. They saw a young man in a leather jacket, but I was a monster much older and stronger than all of them put together. My red eyes cut through the darkness like two burning coals. "You should have stayed in the shadows," I hissed. My voice didn't sound human anymore. It sounded like the earth cracking open. The leader laughed, but it was a nervous sound. "Kill him!" he screamed to his men. "Bring me his head!" Three vampires jumped at me at once from different sides. To a human, they would have looked like blurs. To me, they were moving in slow motion. I reached out and caught the first vampire by his throat. I didn't even have to try. I squeezed my hand, and the sound of his neck breaking was like a dry branch snapping in the wind then I tossed his body aside like it was made of paper. The second one tried to claw at my chest. I grabbed his arm and pulled. I
Ezekiel's pov I caught the scent before they even fired a shot. It was a cold, sharp smell that I knew all too well. Vampires. To be honest, it was a bitter smell, because these were the very kind of creatures I had created hundreds of years ago. I wasn't sure why they were hunting us tonight, but my best guess was that it had everything to do with Lysandra. Shit! I felt a surge of anger toward her friend. Why the hell did Lysandra have to go to that party? I had blended in the shadows of that party when I caught her scent, listening. I had overheard some of the vampires whispering that she would be very important to their plans, but I couldn't understand why. To me, she just seemed like a sweet, simple girl who had moved into town. She was beautiful, and I knew she was searching for me just as much as I was thinking of her. A small smile crossed my lips for a second when I thought about her. She was so adorable, trying to act like she wasn't looking for me. It was
"Trust me," Ezekiel cut in, his voice low and serious. "You really don't want that guy's phone number." "Yes, I do," Katherine answered, tossing her hair back. She didn't seem to care about the warning. "He is way too dangerous," Ezekiel warned her. He looked her straight in the eyes. "A bad boy, huh? I like that," she joked. She was still acting like this was a game. "Not a bad boy. He is a bad man. A real bad man," Ezekiel said. He wasn't smiling. "Like many of the guys back at that party, he is nothing but trouble. You two had no business being there. That house was in the middle of the woods, filled with older strangers. It wasn't safe for you." Katherine turned toward him and softened her voice. "Yeah? Well, I guess we were lucky you were looking out for us." "If I hadn't been there..." His voice trailed off. He looked out at the dark trees as if he saw something they couldn't see. "So, what can we do about the flat tire?" she asked, changing the subject. Ezekiel
I scrambled toward my friend, my heart hammering against my ribs. I looked down at her neck, feeling a wave of nausea at the sight of the deep red spilling onto the floor. I assumed that the jagged shards of the shattered vase must have sliced her during the fall. My mind raced with worry I really hoped she wouldn't need surgery or a dozen stitches, because she was bleeding quite a bit. "Someone get me a towel! Fast!" I shouted. A guy nearby handed me a clean kitchen towel. I folded it quickly and pressed it against the wound on her neck. As the bright red blood began to soak through the thick white fabric almost instantly, panic started to set in. I realized she needed professional medical attention right away. "We have to get her to a hospital," I said, my voice shaking. "She needs a doctor or stitches or something—" "No!" a woman's voice barked. She was suddenly standing right over me, looking down at Katherine with a cold, analytical gaze. "It's just a shallow
Warning this chapters contains very gory, abusive sexual contents, readers discretion is strongly advised. Please skip if necessary "NOO!!" A gut wrenching scream echoed through the room, it was Lyra going on her knees and begging Zayn."Please....please, I will do anything.. anything you ask of m
The air in the dungeon turned to ice the moment those words my lips. My heart wasn’t just racing, it was hammering against my ribs like a trapped deer."Za-zayn..." I choked out.Before I could even blink, the world blurred. A cold, iron-like grip clamped around my throat, lifting me off my feet.
Ezekiel's pov I stood outside the heavy iron doors, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped animal. I knew, with every fiber of my being, that I shouldn't be here. This went against every code of honor I had ever lived by. I was a man of my word, a loyal member of the pack, and I cert
Ariana's povThe next morning, the heavy iron door of the dungeon creaked open. The sound was so loud it felt like a knife cutting through the silence.I sat up in the dirt, my body stiff and aching from the cold. I expected a guard with a bowl of thin porridge but Instead, I saw a flash of brigh







