Demetri switched off his phone not bothering to hide his disquiet. The news Rafe had just imparted was cause for concern so it was churlish not to let the others know there had been a development."What?" Nors asked.They had just alighted the train at Brașov, and though they were a couple of days behind Dara and Kothi, they hadn't been particularly concerned about it as they could move much faster than the others as they didn't have to cater to a human in their group. Still, the news Rafe had imparted now had Demetri feeling a sense of urgency that hadn't been there before.Sighing, he ran a hand through his black hair. "Dara checked in with Rafe. It appears our enemy knows they're on their way to find Gard and Rayne. One of the vampires with them was mentally compromised. It appears that the human girl has developed an ability like aura viewing, but not quite the same. She can see when someone's mind has been compromised. The group dealt with the issue, and they've implemented a che
Gard sighed, relaxing a little and sending soothing thoughts her way. "I guess we would have been surprised if the boy hadn't taken matters into his own hands," he said ruefully. "It's exactly what he would do if someone he loved needed help. We must trust that he has some kind of plan in mind, and he isn't alone. Our boy can take care of himself, Rayne. You know he can."His confidence did soothe her to a certain extent, but her maternal instincts were stronger. "I know how fierce he is, Gard. I also know that when he takes on his Agony persona he doesn't think logically, he just reacts. What happens if they capture him too? He won't submit, and there's nothing to say whatever drug they used on us will work on him. They may kill him if they can't subdue him."She couldn't hide the fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She had to know their son was safe. The only way to do that was to reach out to him. Taking a deep breath she called out to their son, part of her desperate for a resp
"The drug potency has almost failed," she mentally projected to Agony. "If it's been less than half an hour since they last dosed us and we're awake already then we should be able to assist in our rescue. Thank goodness we're so ancient that we can survive without nourishment for longer than others. Our captors will probably expect us to be weak due to lack of food.""What about the wolf they've just brought in?" Gard asked. "They said he was part of the human girl's pack. We can't leave him behind." It went against everything in him to leave a captive behind even if he didn't personally know the wolf.Agony interjected, his tone becoming alert. "They brought a wolf and said he was part of a human girl's pack? They must be talking about Natalia. Why else would they bother with a wolf unless it was something to do with her?"The way he said the girl's name piqued both his parents' interest. They'd never heard him speak a girl's name with that tone before, not even Dara, and he was part
He was about to continue ahead when he slowed and turned back to them."Have you seen anything untoward?" he asked tersely. If anyone was watching, there would be no indication of who he was asking the question. All three shook their heads in the negative, recognising what he was really asking, and ensuring that no one would be any the wiser that it was to Natalia his hidden gaze was fixated."We will stop at the next clearing," Agony announced, keeping his voice low. "Mila, please stay close to Natalia when we do. I will need confirmation all is well with Louis. Once you are all sure, Dante and Louis will meet with Dara and I away from the main group. I will provide an update then." He didn't wait for confirmation, heading forward once more to catch up with Dara."He's such a charmer."He heard Natalia's droll words and his lip twitched at her aggrieved tone. She thought he was being misogynist having Mila and her stay behind. While there was an element of wanting to protect her beca
Natalia watched the others disappear from the clearing and smothered down an irritated sigh. Agony's excluding her from whatever was being discussed annoyed her, and she was confused about the level of irritation she was experiencing. It shouldn't matter to her one way or the other being left out of the loop, but for some reason it did. Pulling a bottle of water out of her backpack she took a long drink and then nibbled on a packet of chips. She was hungry and there wasn't much to eat. She guessed she should have been thankful that someone had at least thought to pick up water and snacks for her, but it wasn't exactly proper food."You're not happy," Mila commented, her ebony hair swaying as her head turned towards her.Her silver gaze should have been disconcerting, however Natalia found it comforting. Her eyes reminded her of Agony's, without the red band around the irises. "How do you put up with Alpha males' overprotectiveness?"Mila laughed, a sweet tinkling sound that soothed th
Her friend nodded; her expression solemn. "When he was first turned, when the guilt was most raw, Dante destroyed the order he used to be a part of. He killed every single member of the order and destroyed the Amort poison...or so we thought until we found out that it had been discovered again recently. He carries guilt over that too. These were men and a handful of women who he'd fought beside for years. They hadn't realised he'd been turned until it was too late. He used the trust they had in him as a weapon and ended the order forever. Sometimes something happens and it reminds him of one of his former friends and a shadow passes over him. It can take days for the guilt to recede enough for him to get back to normal. It's heart-breaking to watch."It was too much for Natalia and she wrapped her arms around the petite vampire, giving her the tightest hug she could. No one should feel such pain, should sound so hopeless, especially not the vampire who had quickly become one of her cl
It was painful for Natalia to remember what had happened and she had to struggle not to allow those memories to overwhelm her. Mila was helping her understand something important. She knew there was something she was still missing. "That still doesn't explain why I am the one in the Visions, why I am the one that needs to or can convince Agony not to slaughter everything in his path."She waited for her friend to put the final pieces into place, but she remained silent, watching her expectantly. When neither of them had spoken for a couple of minutes, Mila finally broke the silence."What is the one thing in the supernatural world that trumps everything, Tali? What is that one thing that cannot be denied, cannot be broken, with the exception of death?"Immediately her mother's face came to mind, the utter devastation in her eyes, the heart-breaking screams as her mate died protecting them. Sorrow welled up in an instant, so severe that Natalia doubled over, her arms wrapping around he
Natalia stared off into the trees, and he could almost see the thoughts in her mind whirling around her pretty head. It was as if she was considering what she was going to tell him, and for some reason that threw fuel onto the slow burning fire that was simmering in his gut. He didn't want half truths or lies by omission. He would only ever tolerate the whole truth from his mate."Why were you upset, Natalia? I can see you've been crying, and then you had a panic attack. Do not hold anything back from me. It will only irritate me, and I think we can both agree that it isn't wise to irritate me right now.""Everything got on top of me," she whispered, dropping her gaze to the ground. "Mila and I were talking and as we talked the magnitude of everything that's happens reared up and I couldn't push the emotions back down." She looked back at him, her big brown eyes glistening with fresh tears."I know you see emotions as a weakness, and I've tried so hard to keep mine at bay, but I am on