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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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Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Two
The following evening went just as well. The committee was well pleased with Emily's transformation, and permission was granted for them to leave. William couldn't wait to have the island and the Coven with all its problems behind him.Mere hours before they were to depart for home, he and Paoli returned from making flight arrangements to find Emily missing. On the table was a simple note which read:Gone with Amber to meet Lycaon.Back soon,EmilyWilliam froze in place, his mind running to the meeting with Sekhmet and Empusa.Amber.Amber had taken sides.She'd come while he was gone and taken Emily right to Lycaon; into the hands of the man who was running a secret agenda.“Oh no,” Paoli whispered when he read the note.“How are we on weapons?” William's voice was low and menacing. He felt for Emily through their blood bond and found
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Three
They went straight for the plane at full speed ahead. They needed to get the hell away from the Coven.Immediately.If Lycaon had time to gather his guards, they wouldn't get away at all.A few miles separated them from the runway, but they never slowed. They hit the front door of the castle and just kept running.Emily was worn out enough when they neared the plane, she stumbled and almost went head over tail when her body began to regain human form of its own volition.William looked behind them and saw no one in pursuit, so he motioned for Paoli to halt.A quick glance told Paoli what was happening. He stood with his back to them; clearly on the lookout for enemies while one of their party was so vulnerable in the midst of a shift.It took just a few minutes for the wolf to basically melt away. Emily was left too exhausted to stand.William pulled his shirt off and threw it around her naked form. He swung her into his
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Four
Paoli made several calls over the next few days, trying to reach anyone in the committee, but to no avail. The only thing remotely close to helpful he learned was the committee was aware of the situation and were actively taking steps to thwart the plan. The steps did not include removing Lycaon from the Coven, and things would continue as they always had. Which translated to mean everyone was too afraid of Lycaon to stand up and do anything to stop him. Ergo, no help could be found there.William expected as much, but Paoli had really put his faith in them and was livid with their lack of action.“I cannot believe,” he complained one day. “They intend to do nothing.”Emily rolled her eyes at William in an overly dramatic, exasperated expression. They'd been cooped up in the house together for days; everyone in agreement she needed plenty of time to recuperate from her first transition; and they'd heard Paoli's 'I can't believe it'
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Five
“Brace yourself,” William whispered, one hand on the car's door handle.When she looked at him questioningly, he pointed through the windshield at a couple in the distance. "You're about to get your first scent of a human. Be ready," he cautioned.She rolled her eyes dramatically in response.He didn't reply.As soon as his door opened, the distant scent of humans wafted into the car and saturated them both with the sweet, siren scent of fresh blood.“Emily,” William said questioningly, watching her reaction closely.Her lip curled up to display fangs that were suddenly prominent, and her eyes became unfocused. His mind went back to the first few days after her change. Days she thankfully had no memory of. It had taken all four of them; he, Paoli, Sekhmet, and Empusa to keep her under control. Could he restrain her alone if it became necessary?"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Six
“All right,” William said encouragingly a few days later.He and Emily were in the woods surrounding the house. It was a beautiful evening; much warmer than it had been, though there was still a small bite to the air.The pair didn't even notice.They were working together in a small clearing, surrounded completely by the dense forest. The beautiful mixture of purple and gray across the sky signaled dusk and long shadows were starting to form from the trees.“Focus all your energy on reaching into the pit of your stomach and make yourself stretch," William instructed.“Okay,” Emily agreed enthusiastically. She stood with her feet apart and knees bent like a miniature sumo wrestler. “I can do this," she said, more to herself than him.Her weight shifted back and forth in nervous excitement. Her face crinkled in concentration. She tried to focus on the way the wolf had felt at the Coven; during her one and o
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Seven
Over the next few weeks, Emily and William spent days at a time in animal form while she became comfortable with her wolf. She spent much of her time flying just over his head as he loped lazily through the trees, going nowhere in particular.It was amazing to watch her become more comfortable in her giant shape. On several occasions, they included Paoli in her training; having him hide in various places in the woods for her to track.William took Paoli's advice and they spent most of one hilarious afternoon on shifting natural fibers so she could be dressed when she regained human form. It was hysterical to see a wolf in a blouse and jeans. She did eventually start to get the hang of it, though she panicked when she shifted her jeans over her face and had her head stuck in the pant leg. William's levity with the situation was not appreciated.Some days they went back into town for brief trips to give Emily more exposure to humans. She was growing more
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Eight
A cool numbness spread over Emily at his words. She braced herself for the pain of her sister's hatred, but it never came. After so many years of dealing with the pain, it was almost alarming that it was simply gone.She looked around the room carefully; taking in William's carefully controlled expression, and to Paoli; who had a very animated face beneath his long, dark blond hair that was almost always tied at the back of his neck, and even to Sekhmet.It dawned on her at last. As dark and just plain weird as her life may have become, this was where she belonged. She was loved and protected and accepted, just as she was. Flawed and weak though she may be at times; these men would stand with her eternally. It was a humbling certainty.Amber had long ago walked away from her; despising her ability to move on after their mother's death, she thought. Over the years, it had slowly become something stronger and more destructive. Hate. It wasn't until the day in Lyca
Shadow Pact Chapter Twenty Nine
With Emily safely settled away from the house, the men prepared for battle. They packed the blood mobile and made plans. Then they each took up a post to wait. Dawn was only a couple of hours away. If the attack came tonight, it needed to come before then. As Paoli said, it was possible they planned to wait until tomorrow during the day. If so, they'd be long gone because William wasn't waiting around after dawn. He was good in battle, but not take-on-twenty-werewolves-single-handed good.While it hurt Paoli to leave his little bookstore again, he'd reopen in a new location when things got a little more back to normal.For William, the situation was much more dangerous. His wolf was a natural hunter. Even though he made sure to run at least once during the week of the full moon to chase rabbits and deer, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as tearing apart a humanoid creature. He had a long history of losing control and going on what Paoli referred to as 'benders', though h
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