Viviane’s POVI dig in my heels, but it doesn’t do any good. Caspian pulls me along as if I weigh nothing, oblivious to my resistance. He’s almost feral, his wolf so close to the surface that his temperature rises noticeably. His body scorches mine, even through our clothes.I can’t go to a doctor. They’ll take one look at me and know I’m not a shifter. I have to stop him.“Caspian wait.” I beg once we’re outside. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll tell you.” I put as much mermaid song into my voice as is possible without actually breaking into a melody.I might not be able to spellbind people, but all myths begin with a seed of truth. My voice was made to put men at ease, to soothe and enrapture, lure and beguile. The effects don’t linger after the sound dissipates, but the allure can be very powerful so long as the notes hang in the air.Caspian pauses, his jaw working in frustration. “Alright.” His musclebound arm tightens around my waist, “Tell me.”I adopt a placating tone, flatten
Viviane’s POVI can’t recall my mother ever truly lecturing me. Certainly we’ve had our arguments a few times over the years, after all, what teenager gets along with their parents all the time? However this is the first time in my memory she’s been genuinely angry with me, angry enough to raise her voice.My head is buried in my hands, a horrible ache searing through my temples as she circles the kitchen table, swaying on her feet as admonishments pour from her mouth.“Mom, please sit down.” I implore.“What’s the point in sitting?!” She cries, throwing her hands in the air. “We’ll probably be dead in a week.”Caspian’s visit had not gone over well. While it had successfully distracted the future Alpha from his efforts to sniff out my identity, his announcement had opened an entirely different can of worms.Mom held it together while he explained our meeting at the talent competition and expressed his affection for me, as well as his desire to help improve our situation. However the
Caspian’s POVOnly Viviane’s voice stops me from racing down the concourse and ripping Ryan away from her like human Velcro. “You’re a good man, you know.”A good man.Exactly the opposite of me.My wolf whines, still wanting to attack the man for putting his hands on our mate. He does not deserve to breathe the same air she does, let alone touch her. Even if Viviane is right, “good” doesn’t mean worthy.I can’t prevent the shift; I’m too far gone. My body fractures and folds: bones snapping, muscles tearing, skin morphing. In seconds a huge gray wolf stands in my spot, eyes glowing in the reflective glass of the dark windows.With every ounce of strength I possess, I turn away from Viviane and Ryan, sprinting away in the opposite direction. Even with my wolf in control, I know engaging Ryan would be a mistake. Viviane already thinks there is no good in me, killing her lover probably wouldn’t help change her mind.I burst from the stadium doors and take off into the woods, pushing my
Caspian’s POVPearls.Pearls scatter the floor around my feet, bouncing onto the hard wood and rolling off in every direction. I pull away from Viviane only far enough to see the horrified expression on her beautiful face, and suddenly everything falls into place.Every sign, every clue, every hint that’s appeared since we met lurches to the forefront of my mind, puzzle pieces locking themself into place of their own accord.“Viviane.” She won’t look at me, stubbornly clamping her stunning eyes shut. “When those girls trapped you in the classroom, why didn’t you shift?” I ask, voicing the questions I previously spared her. Shifters are not shy about nudity, so why had Viviane been so upset over having her clothes stolen, why hadn’t she covered herself by shifting? “Why didn’t you break down the door yourself or go out the window? You were only on the second floor.”Viviane cracks her eyes open, her features twisted into a forlorn grimace. “You know why.”I drop my forehead to hers, wi
Kiera’s POV“What’s going on with you?”Viviane is lost in thought again, her expression dazed and vacant. “It’s just been a crazy couple of weeks.” She answers simply, her lovely voice hushed.“Safe to say that’s the understatement of the year.” I quip. Viviane’s stock has skyrocketed at school ever since she won the scholars tournament and stopped wearing her glasses. We used to be ignored and overlooked, but now that everyone knows how smart and beautiful she is, we’ve become surprisingly popular.Of course it also helps that she’s dating the heir to the pack. I knew Caspian had been pursuing Viviane, but it still shocked me when she agreed to go out with him officially. Despite his bad reputation, the Alpha’s son is still extremely powerful and our peers won’t soon forget it.To top it all off, it sounds like Viviane’s home life has been a roller coaster as well. Though I don’t know all the details, apparently Marina decided they needed to leave the Nightshade pack last week, and
Viviane’s POV“How is this possible?”Caspian is still standing over Mordred in wolf form, his fangs dripping with blood. His paws are planted on my attacker’s chest, pinning him to the ground with bruising force, but Caspian’s attention is fixed solely on me.At first it hadn’t even occurred to me that he couldn’t speak when shifted, I simply heard his voice and responded reflexively. Now it seems all too surreal, can I really be hearing Caspian speak in my mind?“You’re mates.” Chase explains evenly, still trying to balance Caspian’s out-of-control emotions with his unfailing calm. “It’s right for you to be linked this way.”My eyes swing back and forth between the men. “Does it work both ways?”Chase is watching his friend closely, seeming to notice the way Caspian’s focus lingers on my ripped clothing. Before answering he pulls off his jacket, moving forward to offer me the garment.I leap backward out of Chase’s reach, my mind registering nothing but the fact that a man is approa
Viviane’s POV“I have a surprise for you.”Caspian hasn’t let me out of his sight since Mordred attacked me at the stadium. If he can’t be with me himself, he assigns enforcers to guard me. He won’t admit it, but I’ve caught one too many suspiciously mature looking teenager wearing an earpiece roaming the halls of my school.I know in my heart Caspian would never endanger me, but “surprise” has always sounded like another word for “trap” to me. “What kind of surprise?” I hedge warily.Caspian huffs out a laugh, reading my mind. “A good one.” He pledges, planting a soft kiss on the tip of my nose.Still I hesitate. “I don’t know Caspian, surprises are… couldn’t you just tell me what it is? I’ll appreciate it just as much, I swear.”“You have to start trusting me sometime, Viviane.” The words could have sounded harsh, but he says them without a hint of judgment or annoyance.“I know.” I whisper, bashfully fiddling with the buttons of his shirt.Powerful hands knead my lower back and a h
Viviane’s POV“It’s not that simple, Caspian.” I exclaim, shrinking away from him. “Mermaids don’t have mates the way shifters do – this is all new to me.” Seeming to hold himself in check, the future Alpha watches me retreat. “I don’t know what to think.”Caspian squares his shoulders. “It’s not about what you think. It’s about what you feel.”“Is it really that easy for you?” I counter, “you just know, unconditionally? You never feel unsure, you never feel overwhelmed by it all?”“Yes.” He replies curtly. “It’s that easy. One whiff of your smell, one look at you, and I know.”“But you’re also experienced, you know what it’s felt like with other women,” I remind him, “you have a very large frame of reference whereas I have nothing.”“Nothing?” His wolfish eyes sharpen with possessive pride.“Is that so surprising?” I inquire defensively, “Secret identities and dating don’t go very well together.”“Then why have you risked it with me?” He prods, stalking me across the beach.“Because