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Chapter Seven
William led her to the spare room, trying to keep his mind clear of the images it seemed determined to show him.
Emily followed him around the space, politely nodding while he familiarized her with the room and attached bathroom in the corner.
He was not picturing her within the shower; naked and soapy.
He was not.
A sudden dry lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. With more speed than courtesy, he indicated fresh shirts in the drawer and left the room as quickly as possible. Being alone in a bedroom while not touching her was torture, and he didn't want to push his shaky control too far.
He closed the door behind him and found Paoli waiting in the hall, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "We need to talk," he said solemnly.
A glance toward Amber's room showed a wind chime on the knob of the closed door. It was low-tech but they'd hear the sound in a dead sleep. Satisfied, William followed Paoli silently down th
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Shadow Pact Chapter Eight
Emily woke much earlier than usual, feeling trapped and claustrophobic. She made her way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, then noticed her reflection looked as exhausted as she felt. Her eyes were bleary with dark patches beneath them and her skin was much paler than normal, which gave her an unpleasant pause.How sure was she that no one was feeding on her? She leaned forward, checking her throat carefully in the mirror. There didn't appear to be any bite marks, and the cross was still protectively around her neck, which made her feel better.Somewhat.Cautiously satisfied she was simply suffering from sleeplessness, she got dressed in last night's clothes. What she needed was some space and fresh air to settle herself. Her nerves weren't about to let her get more sleep, and she felt like a caged animal in her room. After a long moment's indecision, she
Shadow Pact Chapter Nine
“What have you done!?" screamed a shrill, angry voice.The blood-curdling sound woke everyone at once, followed by the loud jangle of wind chimes as the bedroom door was jerked open.Emily leapt from her bed—instantly wide awake, and rushed toward Amber's room, her heart in her throat. She hadn't made it two steps when she heard a dangerous growl. William stepped out from the doorway of his own room to block her path. Before she could open her mouth to demand he move, Paoli was lifting a kicking and fighting Amber into his arms further down the corridor.Paoli carried her back into the room and left Emily alone in the hall with William.William's feet and chest were bare again. His eyes were sparkling a predatory gold as they fixed on her, unblinking.She took a step away from him, uncertain.William noticed her unease. It did nothing to cool his mood. He'd fallen asleep with his body on fire after spending the day in a car with
Shadow Pact Chapter Ten
A mere two hours later, Emily found herself standing, unarmed, on an airplane runway between a vampire and a 'complicated' man who could turn into the world's biggest wolf. She was feeling slightly dazed and unreal. Everything was happening so fast.Behind them, a small white hanger stood in shadows. In front of them, a small plane taxied to a halt like a weird cab. The hatch opened to show a man she'd never seen.His hair was long; similar to Paoli's shoulder length.She wondered absently if that meant they were from the same time period. She eyed Paoli critically. She turned to look at William, wondering about his age, and found he was scowling at her for some reason. She scowled back in response and returned her attention to the pilot, who made his way quickly to them.Once he stopped and exchanged greetings with Paoli, his attention turned to her in a way that was just unnerving. His body didn't seem to move, but his head looked like it was rotating o
Shadow Pact Chapter Eleven
Emily didn't feel remotely safe until the door to her room closed behind her and she was alone. She leaned against the door in relief and slid down to her butt right there on the floor.With nervous fingers, she touched the silver cross in her front pocket, thankful Paoli had returned it. A thousand panicked ideas flashed through her head.At the top of the list was RUN.But run where?She was now in a strange country with no passport or even identification to prove who she was. Besides, the entire world of monsters was either already aware or soon would be, that she knew about them.There wasn't a place on earth she would be safe.She silently cursed both Amber and her own stupidity. She should have refused to come here. Or even better, as soon as she learned her sister had gotten involved with actual werewolves, she should have left Amber to figure it out on her own and been done, once and for all.Eventually, she pulled herse
Shadow Pact Chapter Twelve
"Yes," William admitted quietly. "And like Paoli said, it came with a very high price."Her brows knit together in confusion. "You were condemned as a kid? But how did you continue to age if you were immortal as a child?" she asked."It's-" he began."Don't even say it's complicated," she interrupted shortly. “This looks like a good time for explanations.” She crossed the room to sit down at the table, made an elaborate point of settling back in her chair and gestured to the one across from her.While she was waiting for him to join her, she lifted the lid on the tray and found a delightful dinner of roast beef and carrots.She didn't hesitate to start eating.The food was surprisingly delicious. A sweet glaze on the carrots made them melt in her mouth.William took the seat across from her and leaned back, watching her in a thoughtful silence. Only once she'd finished eating and pushed her plate away did he take a deep, r
Shadow Pact Chapter Thirteen
The following evening came far too soon. It seemed they had all just settled in their respective places to rest; Emily in the bed, Paoli on the couch, and William on one of the chairs, when it was time to start getting ready for their meeting.William shook Emily awake.She sat up, grumbling complaints, and looked at him bleary-eyed. Her hair that was normally bouncing in rich, dark waves around her stood out in all directions, as if she'd tossed and turned all night.“You should put this on. It's almost time,” William said, holding up the white robe.She groaned and swung her legs over the side of the bed, stifling a wide yawn.When Paoli looked up at her, he jumped back in overly dramatic horror, grabbing at his chest as though the look of her had given him a real fright.Emily made a face at him and turned her attention to the robe in William's hand. She took it and eyed it with doubt. The garment was a white robe with a
Shadow Pact Chapter Fourteen
Emily couldn't stifle her gasp of horror.William's arm tightened on her side, almost to the point of pain. His eyes glittered gold and his chest rumbled with a low growl.“It would be a waste, don't you think?” Paoli said quickly, his voice flat and matter of fact. He sounded calm, almost conversational. After her initial gasp, Emily held a blank expression and refused to show fear in the face of someone obviously accustomed to terrifying others. She wouldn't go to her death humiliating herself by screaming and begging. She would face her fate with dignity. No one needed to know it took all of her will to keep her knees from giving out."Lycaon knows; as do I; if you push this issue, Emily will not be the only life lost here today. William and I will die with her. It's doubtful we'll be the only ones,” Paoli said. It was a subtle threat, but a threat, n
Shadow Pact Chapter Fifteen
Emily was in a daze when Paoli guided her through the castle and back to her room in silence. A thousand questions swirled in her head, but the foremost on her mind was simple.Were they killing William?She held herself together until the door to her room clicked behind them. Then she turned to Paoli and grabbed his shoulders. "Okay, we're safe. Now tell me. What is a bleeding?" She could hear the desperation in her own voice, but she didn't care.Paoli met her eyes with a hooded look. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's an ancient form of torture," he said, his voice barely more steady than hers.Emily felt like she'd been kicked in the chest.Torture?"Are they going to kill him?" she whispered, not sure she could stand the answer."No" Paoli said. His voice was soft and flat.Almost an echo.A wave of relief washed over
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