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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
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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
Shadow Pact Chapter Sixteen
Emily was sleep walking.She had to be.One minute, she was sleeping fitfully in the bed in her room. The next thing she knew, she was padding silently on bare feet past Paoli who was sleeping on the couch. She wanted to cry out for help. But, as with many dreams, she couldn't seem to get her body to work quite right.She walked through the door and around the castle. Her mind screamed at her to stop and get back to the safety of Paoli and her room, but her feet continued on. She was convinced her certain death would step out from any corner in the castle halls, but still she kept moving, despite her fear. Her body seemed to be under someone else's control, and she was powerless to stop herself.It was daytime, and the castle was thankfully empty this time of day. Room after room she went, through the halls, past the crested doors, and into the throne room where the Coven heads held court. Eventually, she found herself in an ancient hallway. It s
Shadow Pact Chapter Seventeen
“I don't know,” Paoli's worried voice carried loudly through the stone. “But his time is up, and he can find her anywhere.” The heavy door slid open and torchlight spilled in. “William?” Paoli's voice sounded uncertain and wary.He peered into the small cell.“Emily,” he gasped in surprise and rushed to her side. “How did you get in here?”Emily tried to open her eyes at the familiar voice. “Paoli?” she asked, too confused and weak to be sure it was him.“What happened? How did you get in here?” Paoli asked. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet but gasped when her knees gave way and she nearly collapsed. “You're so pale," he murmured, catching her around the waist to steady her. "Are you all right?”William's emaciated-looking wolf stood and growled a warning. His heavy side pressed against Emily's hip and he bared his teeth warningly at Paoli.
Shadow Pact Chapter Eighteen
For the next two days, William stayed with Paoli while Emily recovered from their ordeal in her own room. William spent more time asleep than awake to allow his body to fully heal. Every time he woke, he went directly to Emily's side, only to find her asleep and still pale.Her breathing was deep and even. He allowed it to reassure him. Still, each time he saw her like that, he was gripped with another wave of guilt.He'd done that to her.Paoli's attempts to bolster him only managed to make him feel worse."You're looking at it all wrong," Paoli informed him when he returned from Emily's bedside on the second evening.William gave him a questioning look; one brow raised quizzically."You've never left a victim alive, before," Paoli pointed out with a nod of approval. "That's a huge accomplishment for you, especially under the circumstances."Victim.William felt the word all the way to his soul.He'd made Emily
Shadow Pact Chapter Nineteen
Emily eased the heavy wooden door to her room open slowly and peered down the hall in both directions. She breathed a sigh of relief at finding it empty. With her heart in her throat, she slipped from the relative safety of her room and into the empty corridor.She'd awakened feeling almost back to normal, but one look in the mirror made her realize the gravity of her situation and spurred her into action.Her reflection showed her skin was nearly gray.Her eyes were sunken, as if she hadn't slept in days.But what really scared her wasn't any of that, or even the two puncture marks left behind by William's fangs. It was the bite mark that covered her shoulder; as if a huge dog had tried to take a chunk of her.She knew perfectly well what those marks were from, and it brought Lilith's decree to her mind, crystal clear. If she didn't escape this castle now, she wouldn't leave it at all.Not alive, anyway.No matter how connected she f
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty
William woke the next evening to find Emily coated in a fine film of sweat. Confusion set in momentarily, and he sat up to notice there was enough sweat to soak the sheets around them.His heart began to hammer almost violently when the realization took hold of him.She was beginning the change.Guilt seized his gut like a physical thing.He should have told her.He'd intended to explain it all last night and clear the air between them, but he'd gotten distracted.He had no regrets about sealing his claim on her, but something nagged at his conscience, just the same.By not telling her what he'd done, he hadn't properly prepared her for what was happening now. It was his job as her mate to keep her safe and protected.Another thought clenched in his gut. If he'd told her last night, would she have rejected him?He pushed the idea away.It didn't matter.She couldn't reject him now.Not with the bond
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty One
Emily opened her eyes and immediately closed them again with a slight groan. Light seemed to be everywhere. It was far too bright, though it wasn't sunlight. The bedrooms in the castle were all blocked against sunlight, Paoli had told her.She lay there a moment, taking in her surroundings without opening her eyes again. Sounds were everywhere. She found if she focused on too many of them, they became a dull roar in her head that seemed to press against her mind. It didn't take much effort to block them out, though.Eyes still closed, she took stock of her own body. She decided everything seemed to be in working order once she wiggled her toes, legs, and arms.A smell wafted across her nose and slowly seemed to saturate her. It was vaguely familiar and comforting. Warm and slightly musky, with just a hint of something…Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head to find William sitting beside her bed. She opened her mouth to tell him to get
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