The convoy slowed to a halt in front of the modest apartment building. I stepped out of the lead car, the night air biting against my skin, though the chill that settled in me came from elsewhere. My eyes found her immediately as the van doors slid open.Elizabeth.She looked pale, exhausted, but very much alive thanks to the same wolves she now recoiled from. I moved toward her, intent on helping her down, but the instant she saw me walking towards her she flinched away, her eyes flashing with the same raw fear she had shown in the van.I stopped,her fear cut sharper than any knife, but I would not push her for I understood why she was scared of me.“Very well,” I murmured, stepping back. “I’ll keep my distance.”With Isla at her side, Elizabeth made her slow way to the entrance. I followed several paces behind, every part of me taut with the need to bridge the gap, but respect chained me in place. She didn’t want me near her and though it twisted in my chest like a blade, I would
I woke to the low hum of an engine and the steady sway of motion. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming, that some half nightmare where blood and twisted steel still pressed down on me. But the sting in my arm, the dull ache in my ribs, and the steady beep of a machine close by told me this was real.My eyes flew open.I wasn’t in my bed, I wasn’t even in a hospital. The walls around me were metal, the air was thick with antiseptic and the smell of leather. Red lights bathed everything in a sick glow as I lay strapped to a stretcher, wires trailing from my chest, a drip feeding into my arm.Panic surged in me like fire.“No!” I gasped, ripping the wires free, yanking the needle out before the thought even registered. The monitor beside me screeched, its beeping frantic. I forced myself upright, ignoring the way my body screamed in protest. “Let me out! Where are you taking me?”Every face in the van turned toward me. All strangers. None looked like emergency personnel. I saw no doc
I stood frozen, my eyes narrowing as Elizabeth’s words cut through the night air sharper than any blade.“Come again?” I asked, my voice low.“You heard me,” she said, her tone cold despite the tremor in her voice.For a moment, the world stilled around us. The smell of burning rubber and blood lingered in the air, the wreck groaning where it leaned against the tree. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, oblivious to the storm rising here.“You know what I am?” I pressed, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her eyes refusing to meet mine. “I’ve encountered your kind before. You only bring me bad luck and misery.”I stepped toward her without thinking, but she flinched asstopping me in my tracks. She was afraid of me.“Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking between exhaustion and fear. “Just leave me alone. Is this some sick joke from Alex?”That name stopped me cold. My head tilted. “Alex?”“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talkin
I woke with a start, my head pressed against the side of the car door. Pain shot through me, and I realized I couldn’t move. The door beside me was jammed against the tree. My hands scrabbled uselessly at the door, panic surged and my heart raced like a drum.Outside, the night was alive with growls and the metallic sound of heavy blows and something tearing flesh. I pressed myself closer to the door, trying to shrink into the seat.Then I saw him. Lucien.He was facing two people, I couldn't see who they were but his stance was low, eyes locked onto them with his back to me.Every movement he made was deliberate and calculated like a seasoned fighter and I could see the tension in his shoulders. But who was he fighting and why but that's when I noticed their glowing red eyes and the unnaturally long teeth they had.VampiresDeja vu hit me hard. The way he moved, the way the vampires circled him, it reminded me of the night Alex had fought William. I had buried that memory, but it
The male vampire stepped forward, his grin widening, fangs glinting under the moonlight. “Then we take her.”I shifted my stance, putting myself directly between them and the wrecked car where Elizabeth still lay slumped.My wolf clawed at the inside of my chest, snarling, demanding release. Every instinct screamed at me to tear them apart, to shred their smug faces until they were nothing but ash. But the moment I lost control, if Elizabeth saw what I truly was, everything would change.“Try it,” I said, my voice low, steady, but every muscle coiled and ready to strike.The female tilted her head, studying me like a predator sizing up prey. “You reek of restraint, Prince. How curious, one would almost think you’re hiding something.”I ignored her taunt, keeping my eyes on the male as he moved closer, step by deliberate step. I could hear Elizabeth stir faintly behind me, a small groan escaping her lips. My heart lurched. If she woke and saw this, saw me, it would all be over. But if
Elizabeth’s hand rested lightly on the edge of the seat, the warmth from our dinner still lingering between us, but my mind was elsewhere. I was lost in thought, trying to piece together the events of the night, why tonight of all nights, everything had gone wrong. My guards, who never left her side, had vanished. Taken out first, which meant I had been the target and Elizabeth by being with me, was now in danger too.I tried to push down the surge of panic, the wolf in my chest snarling at the very idea of harm coming to her. My grip on the wheel tightened until my knuckles whitened. Every muscle in my body wanted to lunge, attack, tear through anything that threatened her. But I had to remain calm. I had to project composure. She was beside me, unaware, or trying to act like it,but I could hear her heartbeat as loud as a drum. She was scared and rightfully so. Her nerves were frayed. She was scared, and that made me feel exposed, vulnerable in a way I hadn’t felt in decades.“P