- Kate “You don’t know how to control your power yet, but I bet it will be useful.” A groan escapes me as my eyes flutter open. The aged wood of the cabin’s ceiling rests above me. I blink, and inhale, fully expanding my lungs. What the hell? I shake my head and gnash my teeth together as I pull myself into a sitting position. I relax the muscles in my jaw, and my mouth hangs open as the bitter taste of medicinal herbs settles on my tongue. Memories sail into the front of my mind. Riven, the silver tipped blade, and Payna’s soft smile as she blotted a towel against the sweat-slicked, cold skin on my forehead. Marcel. “Power…” I glance at the fingernails on my right hand. They’re perfectly normal, deceptively human-looking fingers. There are no remnants of the long claws that rested there before. I open my mouth and slip a finger against my canines. The sharp points are gone. What’s happening to me? My head snaps toward the door as it creaks open. Payna steps inside
Kate Why is it that every time I see him, I’m reminded of exactly how much I want him? It’s especially bad because I can’t want him. The pack leaders have pretty much made it clear that I am not to be treated like a true member of this pack. Because I’m dangerous. But what’s more dangerous is what I’m capable of when I’m left alone with Riven. Riven grins and steps to the side. “You’re okay.” I nod and step inside the cabin. I press my back against the door, and I say, “I’m fine.” “I haven’t seen you all day.” He frowns. “I thought that you might still be with Payna.” “I’m fine.” He steps toward me and sets his hand on my shoulder. “Kate, what’s wrong?” The tears from earlier start to sting my eyes again, and I know that I can’t let him really see what’s wrong. But I also can’t let this go, I can’t leave without talking to him about it. “How much have the pack leaders shared with you?” Riven frowns and says, “What do you mean? They’ve shared just about everything
- Kate “What the fuck was that?” My head snaps toward the sound of a branch being crushed under a heavy boot. I picture a solid, black boot attached to someone that’s been watching me from the darkness. My heartbeat quickens and my muscles tighten as I narrow my eyes and scan the darkness. A doe looks at me curiously, her round, black eyes are also searching for threats as we look at each other. She cautiously lifts one leg, waiting for me to move, then she takes off. I exhale and shake my head. If I had been thinking straight, I could have gotten dinner for the night. Riven wouldn’t have hesitated to kill that deer and have it served. Him being so proactive is part of why they made him a pack leader for now. I let a long sigh that I’d been holding onto since I left squeeze past my lips. Riven. Every time I stop moving my feet, an image of him rises to the front of my mind. I picture the set way his jaw sits, and his eyes as he soaks me in. When will someone look at me like
- Kate As people walk past me, giving me the occasional curious glance, I start to feel like I’m going to be swallowed up by the night. My eyes fly around before they land on the brightly lit windows of Joe’s bar. I wonder if Joe will let me stay there again. I don’t have any money, but I’m still a “friend” of Arnold’s. As I walk across the street to the bar, I’m reminded of how desperate Arnold was when we spoke to him a few weeks ago. He’d been looking for Marcel for weeks, and we were his last glimmer of hope. I think that any human that’s pursuing him is in over their head. This is between wolves, and even if my pack doesn’t think I’m the wolf that can handle it, we’re going to take Marcel down. And figure out what to do with all of those women. Country music floats out of the bar, and a group of women stumble out. They’re teetering in high heels and falling against each other. “Oh my God, Cynthia, I have to get out of here.” One of the women turns her hazy eyed ga
- Kate His smell is strong here. I’ve been walking for a while, but the smell of Marcel’s scent comes and goes. Ever since the sun rose higher in the sky, my sense of smell has waned to what it normally was. Damn it. I can’t help but feel a little discouraged as I make my way through the woods. I’ve never been here before, and as I get swallowed up by all of the green around me, I can’t help but feel a sense of dread that has glued itself to my skin. The hairs on the back of my neck practically stand up as I walk further into the woods. My eyes fall on a family of rabbits. My stomach trembles. The bagel that I had earlier feels like a lifetime ago, because I’m starving. I sigh as I slowly lower myself to the ground. I snatch one rabbit off the ground, careful and quick like Riven would have, and I snap its neck. The other rabbits scatter, and I go to a fallen tree trunk. “I just need something to skin this with,” I mumble. “Do you need a knife?” “What?!” I jump n
- Kate Her wolf is quick, and she’s obviously had time to heal since our first run in. She doesn’t limp, or waver as I slam my body into hers. She jumps up onto her feet and snarls as she snaps her jaws at me. The feeling, the feeling that I now know is the great wolf, returns and I feel like I’m floating on air. Her blood is calling out to me, and I want nothing more than to taste it as I rip her open. I duck underneath her, which confuses her as she steps back. I swing back around and sink my canines into her back leg. She squeals and rips her leg out from between my teeth. Her blood covers my tongue, and its just like before. Everything feels brighter, faster, stronger. Better. Brea limps around me, her eyes trained on me as I stand in the center. She’s already lost this fight, and she’s just trying to buy herself some time so that she doesn’t get killed. I almost want to transform and tell her that she can go, but Marcel needs to know that I’m coming for him. I can’t
He was 25, and this was his first time going to a brothel. Kai Reeves cursed himself for the sweat pouring down his face. He was both burning with lust and chilling with terror. He tried to avoid this for many years until finally his needs overcame his lust. The urge to combine was ultimately stronger than fear.Forcing himself to keep moving forward, Kai stepped up the steps of Mrs. Bradshaw, where services are reserved for wealthy guests. It is common knowledge that a night with Bradshaw's girls has the price of luck, for they appear to be the most professionally trained prostitutes in London.Kai can easily shell out whatever price is asked. He made a lot of money as a thief, and above all, he had a fortune from his dealings in the underworld.He also gained a lot of notoriety in the process. Although he was well known to the common people, he was feared by the underworld and hated by the Bow Street cops, who saw him as a rogue colleague. From the police point of view it was true –
Kai followed her from the gallery, ignoring the glances that followed them. She led him through the entrance hall and up the winding stairs to a private suite.Mrs Bradshaw's suite was elaborate but comfortable, with sturdy upholstered furniture, walls decorated with French wallpaper, a blazing fire dancing in the fireplace. The cupboard in the living room is overflowing with a collection of dazzling crystal glassware. Mrs Bradshaw lifted a small wineglass from the silver tray and glanced at him with a questioning look. "Brandy?"Kai nodded immediately.She poured a red-yellow liquid into the glass. Skillfully, she struck a match and lit a candle on the cupboard. Holding the base of the cup, she lightly heated the wine glass over the fire. When she felt the wine was warm enough, she gave it to him.He had never had a woman do this to him before.Brandy was rich and nut-flavored, a scent that gently brushed his nose as he drank. Looking around the living room, Kai saw rows of bookshelv