The other lycans began to pay attention, calling out to her. She coated fur in ice, and slid frozen weapons in the direction of any lycan in human form who could wield one. The high body temperature of the lycans meant they quickly burned through their frosty axes and swords. Vanessa was working overtime. She began to feel drained and depleted. Her arms were heavy and her body began to feel cold within. Nick ’s wolf watched her intently. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He darted away and into the entrance of the complex, and just as Vanessa was beginning to think she had used up her powers completely, a wave of warmth and energy surged through her. She turned to see Laurie, her blonde brow furrowed in deep concentration. She gave Vanessa a small smile and nod. Lance’s wolf circled Laurie protectively. He did not look one bit happy about this arrangement. Nick returned to Vanessa’s side, ready for another round of ice. She called upon her powers and this time they returned. T
“Aria!” Vanessa yelled. Where had they gone? Where had he taken her? Magic flooded her veins. Without another thought, she hurled a wave of ice toward the disgusting bald man. It hit him with such force that his body flew up and straight through one of the glass walls that made up the complex’s entryway. He hit the stone steps outside with an audible crash and did not move again. As Vanessa turned her gaze she caught sight of Nick . His eyes met with hers and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could warn him, the air around them crackled. An army of Collectors appeared. A large group surrounded the outer lobby while a small group appeared within the lobby itself. Fear struck Vanessa so strongly she could barely think. The lycans reacted in an instant. Some chose to shift into their wolves, while others remained in human form and used the weapons they had in hand. Leah dove at the Collector nearest to Vanessa, shifting into her lean black wolf in midair. The man screeched as s
Vanessa felt so helpless up here. She understood their reasoning, but still wanted to do more. For now she would have to wait, pray, and hope everyone was safe down below. T he lycans worked efficiently. They had been able to assemble their teams and lock down the complex within half an hour. It was a reminder to Nick of why they trained so hard and how important it was to do so. After securing the inside perimeter, they went outdoors. The scene that met the lycan teams looked like something out of a horror film. The second Nick exited the complex his senses were assaulted by the smell of blood and decaying flesh. The victims were scattered all around the property. The first girl he saw was a small, young brunette. She had long dark hair and large blue eyes that stared up at him accusingly. Her body was so badly mangled that he couldn’t have guessed the original color of clothes she was currently wearing. Deep crimson covered her broken form. The lifeless woman lay at an unnatural an
“Don’t worry about Aria.” He spoke in a gentle tone. “We have plenty of time before we need to think about kids. Let’s just enjoy tonight and worry about all of that later.” His breath was coming out in frosty puffs now. “I can’t do it,” Vanessa said. “Can’t do what?” She finally turned from the window to look at him. “I can’t have kids with you. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.” Nick looked stunned. “Why are you saying this?” Tears streamed down Vanessa’s cheeks. “Do you think I want to have little monsters? To bring them into this world?” “Monsters?” echoed Nick , his jaw tensing. “Yes, monsters! What do you think would happen if we have kids?” Nick was quiet. His eyes burned into hers. “I didn’t realize having lycan children would be so unappealing to you.” Vanessa stared at him, his words catching her off guard. “I guess lycans are good enough to save you, train you, and fuck you. God forbid you have a lycan ‘monster’ child of your own.” There was so much venom in his tone
He gave her a mischievous smirk. “You’ll see.” Vanessa let out a small sound of protest. “First, you need to take a shower and get ready for dinner.” “Dinner?” she asked. He nodded. “Dinner, at Alpha Marcus ’s place.” Vanessa couldn’t hide her surprise. “In the penthouse? But why?” Instead of answering, Nick bent down to capture Vanessa’s lips in a deep kiss. She felt dizzy as he pulled away. “No more questions. I’ll pick you up at seven thirty,” he said as he dropped her off at her door. He bent to give Vanessa one last kiss. “You’re not coming in?” She frowned. “I’ve got to meet with Aria. She’s been bombarding me with party planning all day.” Vanessa laughed. “She can be very persistent.” “Yes she can be.” Nick rubbed his temples. “I’ll be back at seven thirty.” “See you then.” She watched him head down the hallway, his tall frame moving with long purposeful strides. Damn he looked good from behind, from the front, in a suit, in his sweats, in nothing at all. Nick stopped
Vanessa shook her head. “The Collectors are looking for me. We can’t leave the complex. We can’t go outside Matlena’s wards.” “We’re not leaving the complex. Lucky for us there is a gorgeous unused banquet hall right here in the building!” “What? Why is there a banquet hall at Ulric?” Nick was the one who answered this time. “There are often times when Alpha Marcus is forced to entertain other large partners, businesses, and even other Alphas visiting the territory.” He grimaced. “Not to mention a surprise visit from the Infernal Council.” Aria clapped her hands together excitedly. “Exactly. All we need to do is give it a few decorations and voila!” Vanessa could tell by the way Aria said ‘a few’ decorations that it would be anything but a small amount of decor. Aria had a flair for the dramatic, and Vanessa could only imagine what kind of over-the-top antics were in store. Nick put up a hand to stop Aria from saying more. “We can’t just let a bunch of florists and caterers into