When she nodded but her expression remained doubtful, he considered trying to convince her some more, and then decided against it. His feet itched to begin the ascent into the mountains, the tantalising scent of his parents becoming a beacon drawing him to them."Dara, the pull I feel is great," he said quietly, taking a half step forward. "I need you to watch our backs just in case whatever overcame my parents comes looking for me and I don't recognise the danger until it is too late."Though his tone was solemn, the blonde Vârcolac laughed, amusement dancing across her face. "I have never known you to overlook anything, whether you call yourself Agony or Kothari. I will be on alert anyway because I don't know how to do anything else, however you will know of any danger at the same time I do, Agony."For the barest of moments something alien assaulted him, a sharp gnawing feeling, an instant of doubt. Never in his existence could he remember ever feeling uncertain, and he didn't like
Rafe took an involuntary step forward, but Thereasa intervened first. She quickly scooped the child out of the woman's grasp, handing her expertly to Liam who had moved at the same time. Ava screeched out aloud, lashing out at the vampire, who deftly caught the raised arm, and gripped the woman's neck to keep her immobile."Be easy, Ava," Thereasa said, both mentally and out aloud. "You are unwell at the moment, and don't understand what you do. This is no fault of yours. Shifters are genetically programmed this way. However, it doesn't need to be this way. We can work together to help you become well again so that you can take care of the child. You wouldn't wish to accidentally hurt the young one, when you are unwell."The shock of hearing someone inside her head as well as speaking out loud was sufficient to still Ava's struggles, her eyes going wide. Thereasa used that shock to delve a little deeper into the tortured wolf's mind, ruthlessly shutting out the overwhelming grief that
Pietro nodded, his near death experience and mating with Cassia giving him an even stronger zest for an immortal life. He had always secretly admired Thereasa's will to live even when he had hated her. He hadn't been so sure he would have been that strong had their roles been reversed."It turned out that Reasa was Liam's mate, and the only one here that could save his sanity. He was quietly going insane with his high-level empathy. Elina held it at bay as best she could, but he needed someone with the skills of Reasa, someone who could teach him how to protect himself. She not only taught him how to protect himself, but together they managed to rebuild a dozen shattered vampire minds that Liam had inadvertently damaged when Reasa was stripped of her immortality."Joshua couldn't contain his shock. It had been astounding to learn that the Vampire Queen could strip a vampire's immortality. It was even more astonishing to learn that Liam and Reasa were strong enough to repair destroyed
Joshua nodded, his gaze flashing with outrage. "Yes, I agree. I think they wanted someone senior to come to Europe. They wanted to watch how you interact, who your power players are, how you would defend yourselves. Everything has been one big fact finding mission to discover where you are vulnerable. I believe taking Gard and Rayne was strategic too. They haven't been killed because that would bring everyone to Europe and whoever is out there isn't ready for that yet."Pietro rose and took their glasses back to the drinks cabinet. He refilled them, returning to take up his previous position. "I agree with you, Joshua. When Freya and Nors found Michael his mind had been totally wiped. Even Liam wouldn't have been able to recover anything from the husk that was left behind. Our enemy is intelligent and resourceful. What we've learned recently shows that. Now I fear for Kothari and Dara being alone in Europe. If they are lost too, we've lost four of our strongest players here."It was a
Rhianna Armand stepped into her brother's home deep in the heart of the forest, a sense of coming home settling over her. It didn't matter how much her life had changed over the last three decades, she always felt a sense of home when she was close to Rafe. For a long time it had just been the two of them, their familial bond becoming closer than most siblings after the death of their parents when she was only three and Rafe had just turned eighteen. Life had been so much less complicated then, two human siblings oblivious to the supernatural world that existed all around them. Even when her best friend Millie joined their tight family group, it had all still been so simple. Until the day Rafe had died at the hands of a wild animal and everything had changed.At the time she had thought life wasn't worth living, and then she'd met Caleb, learned of the world of vampires and werewolves, and that her beloved brother wasn't really dead but was in fact now a wolf shifter. A poignant smile
"Demetri will not submit to anyone other than himself leading," she sighed though a fond smile crossed her face as she thought of the volatile vampire. "I think it's a no brainer that he will lead the stateside part of the team. Joshua will be his backup though. He knows Europe better than any of us, and has vital contacts over there we may need."The blond vampire nodded his head, having sat silent until this point. "I think that's wise," he concurred. "No offence Freya but your reputation from your time in Europe precedes you. We need a cooler head in charge for this mission. In addition, anyone who is mated and produced hybrid offspring will immediately be looked on with suspicion by European Supernaturals, so that basically rules out, Freya and Nors.""A wolf will not be entertained either." He nodded his head sympathetically at Dayton who didn't appear the least offended. It was now common knowledge that European shifters were second-class citizen's according to vampires over the
"We will stop here for a rest."Agony's declaration whispered through the trees surrounding them, and Natalia knew she was the reason they were pausing for a rest. The vampires and Vârcolac could have carried on for days without stopping, but she was only human, and despite being extremely fit due to being raised in a wolf pack, there was a limit to her stamina, and she was almost at breaking point.She didn't view it as a weakness though. Some might have, seeing physical power as being strong. Natalia had learned over her reasonably short life that strength came in many different forms, so she wasn't offended that the others paused for her benefit only. She saw the stop as a chance to talk with Mila. She'd been noticing some subtle changes in her gifts as they made their way up the huge Carpathian Mountains and the Seer was probably the best person to talk to about it as she shared a similar gift."Mila, can we have a moment to talk please?"The stunning dark-haired vampire turned si
Movement caught her eye once again, and she made her way towards it quietly, her flight or fight instincts remaining subdued as she grew closer. Whoever or whatever was up ahead wasn't a danger to her. In fact, a sense of ease wafted over her and she acknowledged reluctantly that it had to be Agony. That sense of ease around him had been steadily growing as they made their way up the Carpathian Mountains. The longer she remained in the volatile Vârcolac's presence the stronger the feeling became. It irritated her as much as it intrigued her. She had to admit to herself that Agony fascinated her in a way no person ever had. She didn't like it, but she was honest enough to admit the truth.With a small sigh, she broke cover of the trees into a clearing that contained a small lake of water, her breath catching as she watched the naked back of the dark-haired male before her, muscles bunching and flexing as he worked through flowing motions of arms and legs in a rhythmic pattern. For a mo