LOGINLila POV “I can’t believe you went on a mission on your own and you clearly got yourself knocked out! You could have been killed, you complete idiot! This is why demon hunters have partners! I don’t want to see you die!”“You seemed like you were busy,” he answers coldly to my rant like I’m insane and have no reason to be mad. “And I was fine until you came here and told all the demons where I hid.”“That’s bullshit and you know it!” I snap.The walls around us shake, and more demon energy leaks in, likely from the steam that is making the cavern warm. The steam demon things will be here soon, and he is still being an ass.“Why did you come here? What are they?” I ask, needing to put our personal problems aside for a moment before we both get killed.“Fine,” he snaps with a sour tone. “Late last night I heard about this mission that qualified demon hunters had turned down because these demons had killed an entire village nearby. These are called Lullaby Demons because they use steam
Lila POV I pat my arm a few times, putting out the flames that the dragon spit up on me moments ago. My coat is burnt, but it’s not as bad as the couch. I enter the living room where it sits with a massive burnt patch on it, and Dragon has dug himself a bed in the gap overnight. Caleb is going to be mad if he comes back.No—when he’s back.I leave the apartment after feeding Knight and Dragon, heading upstairs. I lift my hand and knock on Dove’s door a few times before it swings open. Standing in the doorway is Dove herself, wrapped in a white towel, her hair dripping water onto the floor.“Hey, bestie! What’s up?”My stomach gives a twist again when she calls me her bestie. “Have you seen Caleb this morning or last night?”She shakes her head. “No, why?”“He’s been missing since I got back from training with the Prince and he was out all night,” I explain, but I smile so she doesn’t see how much I’m freaking out. “I’m sure he just got drunk at a bar, but I can’t help but be worried.
Lila POV I’ve seen the same markings on the medallion around the Stormfire Alpha’s neck. Oh my goddess! He branded his own son with it. Just when I thought I couldn’t hate victor anymore than I already do.Levi doesn’t look back, but he must know I’ve seen it. I try to blank my expression just in case he does glance over at me. Any sorrow I feel for Levi would just embarrass him, I know it. He’s a proud wolf of royal descent.His father’s cruelty may have branded his flesh, but it doesn’t mark his soul.A whistle goes off somewhere, and I watch Levi run towards the first rock wall and jump halfway up it in one single leap. Damn, son. The Prince has got some moves. He grabs the hinges carved into the rocks and throws himself up each one like a damn monkey before climbing over the top. He hurdles effortlessly off the top of the rock tower onto the next one, not pausing. He climbs the rest of the way to the top of that one next. My mouth pops open as he makes quick and sexy work of the
Lila POV “Levi.”Levi’s shadow hangs over me as I obey his command and slam my fists into the gut of the rubber dummy. The burn from my muscles aches in my arms all the way to my stomach. I don’t know how long I punch the damn thing until Levi places his hand on my shoulder, signalling for me to stop.Breathlessly, I turn around. “What… what’s next on your torture list?”“An assault course,” he replies, and my stomach drops.Levi walks away and curls his hand, another signal, this time for me to follow.I ask, once I’ve jogged to his side. “Nope.”Damn, this dude is on a serious mission to break my body. I’m just worried he has no intention of putting me back together.We head through the courtyard, past two pillars, and then down a stone path. We pass the Crescent Mother statue, and I naturally look her way. Two candles are held in her hands, both of them lit with a red flame. The Crescent Mother is always a woman in a cloak, her face hidden, but I imagine she is beautiful.“I remem
Lila POV Slowly, I turn the door handle and enter the dimly lit room. Forest music plays softly in the background. Candles flicker around a massage bed covered in a white blanket, and right by the front of it there’s a sign that reads in Japanese, then English: Please remove all clothing and lie under the blanket. Ring the bell once you are ready for your masseuse.I do as instructed and remove my robe and slippers. Once I’ve draped the robe over a wooden chair, I ring the bell and quickly lie face down on the bed underneath the soft blanket. I wait for the masseuse.It occurs to me that for the past hour or so, I haven’t thought about the demon market or my parents or anything that’s weighed me down lately. It’s as if from the moment Adrian dragged me from my apartment, I could see the sun again, feel its warmth on my skin.I can’t keep hiding from reality. My parents are dead, my species are being hunted and trafficked illegally, and the Stormfire alpha is after my head. These are
Lila POV Slowly, I turn the door handle and enter the dimly lit room. Forest music plays softly in the background. Candles flicker around a massage bed covered in a white blanket, and right by the front of it there’s a sign that reads in Japanese, then English: Please remove all clothing and lie under the blanket. Ring the bell once you are ready for your masseuse.I do as instructed and remove my robe and slippers. Once I’ve draped the robe over a wooden chair, I ring the bell and quickly lie face down on the bed underneath the soft blanket.I wait for the masseuse. It occurs to me that for the past hour or so, I haven’t thought about the demon market or my parents or anything that’s weighed me down lately. It’s as if from the moment Adrian dragged me from my apartment, I could see the sun again, feel its warmth on my skin.I can’t keep hiding from reality. My parents are dead, my species is being hunted and trafficked illegally, and the Stormfire alpha is after my head. These are t
Lila POV I stumble through the light, my stomach feeling like a thousand bees are bouncing around in it, and smack hard into the stairs on the other side. I stand, my wolf shaking our head, just as the edge of the old, cracked steps to the portal gives way under my feet.My wolf whines as we fall
I swallow the nervous lump in my throat and watch my mother drape her free hand over the alpha’s knife. Her glancing at the front door was a signal for me to run. But I can’t just run while she’s chained to the table. However, before I can protest, she throws the wine glass onto the table. The gla
It's clearly a rhetorical question, one that sends my heart shooting to the pit of my stomach. Did he just say what I think he did? My pulse skyrockets, and I clench my hands underneath the table. For the first time since entering the dining room, my mother isn’t looking at me. It’s as if she can’t
The sharp bite of burning leaves hits me the second I step out from the treeline ringing my childhood home. It clings to my snow-dusted fur like some cursed cologne, thick and smoky, wrapping around the frozen night air. I halt at the forest’s edge, tilt my muzzle skyward, and let the wind rake ove







