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
**********************DOWN MEMORY LANE**********************Caleb stared down at Rhianna, seeing confusion in her eyes but unable to separate the actions of the vampire queen from his mate. What she had done...it would rock their society to its very core and more importantly, it would place them all in danger and played right into the hands of the paranoia surrounding the European vampires. She had stripped a vampire of their immortality! Dear God, the repercussions of that one act would change everything.The noise had receded within the room until the only sound was Reasa's weeping, but even that had faded to a subdued moan. Caleb tried to gather his thoughts, tried to look past the events and think of how to start trying to repair the damage that had been done. He had to put his personal feelings to the side until he had time to think about it."Caleb?" Rhianna whispered his name once more and he couldn't answer her. Inside, everything was locked down and despite the plea in her
**********************DOWN MEMORY LANE**********************Caleb stared down at Rhianna, seeing confusion in her eyes but unable to separate the actions of the vampire queen from his mate. What she had done...it would rock their society to its very core and more importantly, it would place them all in danger and played right into the hands of the paranoia surrounding the European vampires. She had stripped a vampire of their immortality! Dear God, the repercussions of that one act would change everything.The noise had receded within the room until the only sound was Reasa's weeping, but even that had faded to a subdued moan. Caleb tried to gather his thoughts, tried to look past the events and think of how to start trying to repair the damage that had been done. He had to put his personal feelings to the side until he had time to think about it."Caleb?" Rhianna whispered his name once more and he couldn't answer her. Inside, everything was locked down and despite the plea in her
"She has three souls to heal, Rafe. Guard her well and find forgiveness in your heart. I know you can do it, I have faith in you. I have always had faith in you."The big man moved, coming to stand before his sister, concern on his face. "Where will you go? Will you be okay? You can come to the pack any time you need to, Annie. You know that, don't you?" He was afraid for her, his natural protective instincts kicking in even though he feared the repercussions of the day's events.The smile she gave him was a little stronger than the last one as she moved to give him a hug. His arms pinned her tightly to him in a crushing embrace. "I know, brother mine," she whispered. "Don't worry, I'll be in touch soon. Just guard her, Rafe. Please, do that for me or all of this will have been for nothing and hearts will have been broken needlessly."There was so much emotion in her words, so much pain leaking through her tough mask. Rafe tightened his hold, feeling every ounce of misery she was expe
They stood together by the water until Rhianna finally quietened, a few hiccups echoing around them as she slowly calmed. When he was sure the worst of this moment of grief was over, he began to speak, telling her of a time long past that he had never shared before."You are not the first to perform that spell, Annie. When you were but a babe in arms, our mother was put in a similar position when one of her own broke a law so taboo it could not be left unpunished." He paused, his mind sliding into the past. "The funny thing is, I couldn't tell you what that law was, but I can remember the punishment clearly. I knew what you planned to do at the compound and felt the same sense of foreboding as I did when our mother exacted her justice."His words captured her attention and Rhianna pulled herself up a bit straighter. Her heart felt as if it was in a million pieces and she missed Caleb's touch so much. Their bond was still closed to her, though it was open on her side. It was he who did
She nodded her agreement though she wasn't thrilled they would be going. It was necessary though, so they knew what they were dealing with. Testing her link with Caleb, she found it still closed. "Do you think Caleb is right, that I've changed so much that Anakatrine will take over for good?"Gard stopped walking, frowning at the question. He chose his words carefully. Despite being livid with Caleb, he respected him as his King, and loved him as his Sire. "I can never be sorry to see Anakatrine. For so long she was the only thing in my life, mine to protect and love like the very air I breathed. I knew her better than Callain ever did, and I know that while there may be times she's required, she knows this is your life, Annie.He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She only wants to help you when things become too difficult for your compassionate nature. The problem isn't with Anakatrine, it's with Caleb and Callain. You were right when you accused him of lacking bala