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
Demetri's words broke the fragile control he still possessed. Caleb spun around, picked up a chair and tossed it across the room to crash into the fireplace. He let out a loud roar, his fury finally erupting, as he picked up another and it joined the broken pieces in a pile. How could she do this to him? How could she defy him, and throw everything they had away? Rhianna was the other half of his soul. She made him who he was, tempered the monster within, soothed the beast on the rare moments he surfaced. Now she was gone and the monster ruled because the man couldn't face the fact that he may have just lost the most precious thing in his life. The rage within was everything, blinding hot fury flowing like molten lava in his veins.Caleb gave vent to his fury, his talons shredding fabric as he systematically took the room apart. He wasn't aware that he was crying as he carved chunks out of the wall with a broken lamp. He wasn't aware of the animal sounds issuing from his throat as he
The air was subdued as they arrived back at the Armand-Hanlon Pack. Rafe drove into the main compound first, his mate, Lacey, at his side, with Liam and Reasa in the back seat. As the trees parted to open up into a wide, circular enclosure, the Alpha had a split second to decide where he was going to stop.His large three-storey house was set a bit higher and off to the right of the compound, but he continued forward until he stopped at the two-storey dwelling that belonged to Nors and Ashleigh. It was Liam's home and from the way the redheaded Vârcolac was holding onto the woman in his arms, it was clear that he wasn't going to be willing to part from her. The man in Rafe could understand that because he would never allow anyone to come between him and his mate. For the Alpha -- he didn't need the additional headache.Rafe was concerned on so many different levels. He was bringing a woman into his pack who had come here with the intent to murder the Vârcolac. His wolf wanted her gone