"Almera said Elfy failed in his duty to the council and that he needed to be punished." "That’s not all she said, is it?" Rhye unexpectedly asserted. "She might have mentioned using him as bait." "To trick Livia?" Garnald hesitated at the ice edge of the werewolf’s voice. "She didn’t say I’m not specifically her confidant. More like her prey. Besides, I'm not the only one. " "What do you mean?" "Well, my men saw her talking to Jasmine. I guess that she was behind Jasmine's plans. If I'm not mistaken, she was the one telling Jasmine what to do next, to lure Francisco, the bait Elfy, for Livia to come out of hiding. After all, Livia had been missing for many years since Francisco took hold of her. She vanished and just recently came back... " He added and smirked at Alpha Rhye. "I didn't know he was your mate, ironic huh? Being betrayed by your own council.” Rhye ignored his taunt. "Do you know the reason why Almera needed Livia?" "I don't know… Maybe she wanted what Dimitri wan
Rhye despised both elf and demon magic. He'd grown accustomed to being at the top of the food chain as an alpha werewolf. He was the jolt in the darkness that frightened the other creatures. Yet, for all his power, he had no resistance against Garnald's plunge through the portal, and he was enveloped by the persistent sting of the odd mist that seemed to cut into his skin with cruel pleasure. He had a brief opportunity to bask in the fact that he'd kept the demons' dirty hands off Lily before being propelled out of the portal with enough force to bash his skull into a cement wall. He was temporarily disoriented and didn't comprehend that magic wasn't the only risk. Not until he heard the bang of a thick door and turned to find himself in a jail designed specifically for demons. Anything supernatural. Werewolves are included. He gently turned, allowing his senses to flow forth while furiously wiping the blood from his brow. The fact that they were deep underground, which meant no e
Jasmine grumbled and smirked at the foolish demon, "Saved by the bell, jackass." Ignoring the useless demon cowering on the ground, Jasmine pulled out the mobile phone and lifted her brows as she read the name flashing across the screen. She snapped the phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Garnarld, tell me you have good news." He didn’t. Her already strained temper threatened to combust as she listened to his stumbling, bumbling confession of capturing Rhye by mistake."God, I’m surrounded by morons," she gritted, her mind already sifting through the implications of this latest mess. "Where are you?"He offered hesitant directions, clearly not overly anxious about their impending meeting. Which proved he wasn’t entirely stupid. "You'd better hope I can use this to my advantage, fool, or I'll eat your heart for breakfast," she warned before disconnecting the call and shoving the phone back into her pocket. Reaching down, she grasped the cringing demon by the hair and yanked him to
She saw a woman in a white power suit got into her sports vehicle and sped down the street. A senior citizen swept his front porch. A curious child put his face to the window. There wasn't a beastie to be found among them. Lily stood up straight and sprinted across the street, knowing it was now or never. Skirting the shop, she let her nose guide her to the kitchen window, pushing up the sash a few inches to breathe in the many scents. She frowned at the enticing aromas. Oh my God. Rhye hadn’t been wrong when he accused Garnarld of hexing his food. Even with her immunity to the magic, she could feel her mouth watering in response. Damn demons. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on sorting through the various teas, bread, pastries, and candies. At last, she caught and held the scent of chocolate butter fudge. As she had hoped, the smell was distinctive. Rich, creamy chocolate butter with a hefty dose of demon magic. Which meant that she wouldn’t mistake it for any other fudge that se
"Milady, please... Help me. I didn't betray you." Elfy grumbled under his breath. "You took my amulet," Lily replied. Stupid elf, he had her amulet, the reason she hadn’t sensed the bastard when she’d first approached the cabin. "Milady," he rasped, struggling against the heavy chains that held him. "Surprise, Elfy? I told you I'd find you and that you couldn't get away from me. Reaching out, Lily ripped the amulet from the leather thong around Elfy’s neck and tucked it into her pocket. Immediately, the cabin was filled with the overpowering smell of elves, while her scent disappeared. "Go now! Milady, save yourself." “And leave you behind again and let you sell my head to my enemy?" "No, Madam. They will kill you." Elfy shook his head. Wasn’t that convenient? Her smile widened with wicked pleasure. "Of course, at the time, I didn’t expect Francisco to be so rude as to steal my pet and hide him from me. I hope they didn’t break you, Elfy. I thought I could trust you." Sweat bl
"Garnarld took him. I need to know where he went." Lily muttered with annoyance. "How would I know? I was here, chained to death." The elf smirked but screamed when she pushed the dagger a little deeper. "Worthless, elf. You think I'm kidding here?" she muttered, abruptly realizing that was the perfect word to describe this sorry excuse for a pet. Elfy was a weak, greedy fool who offered nothing to the world. He didn’t even make a decent pet. Her grip tightened on the handle of the dagger, her bitter, choking thirst for revenge somehow lessened by the thought. It was as if she’d just hauled the boogeyman out of the closet and discovered he was nothing more than a spineless slug. Elfy quivered as she unwittingly dug the knife deeper. "Shit that hurts. Watch that thing. Damn it! Stop!" In answer, Lily leaned forward, her expression ruthless. She’d pressed her luck far enough. It was time to get the information she’d come for. "Again…This is my last question. And believe me when I
The sun was painting the horizon with its last fading rays when Lily struggled to shake the painful cobwebs out of her head. Freaking hell. She felt as if she’d been hit by a cement truck. At last, ignoring the bursts of agony in the back of her head, she forced open her reluctant eyes. Well, sh*t. She should have kept them closed.Not that pretending this was all a horrible nightmare would change the fact that she was currently tied to a tree with chains that held enough silver to sap her strength and leave raw burns on her skin. Or that she’d been moved from the cabin to one of the small islands covered in trees and underbrush that dotted the middle of the river. Still fuzzy, Lily watched as Francisco stepped out of the canvas tent stuck in the center of the small clearing.She swallowed her instinctive growl. Damn the bastard. It was bad enough he’d given her a headache from hell and tied her to a tree like some sort of animal, but she’d been in la-la land the entire afternoon. She
"A deal? But why and for what, Francisco?" Lily asked. The demon just smirked and threw his hands in the air dismissively. He may not be so powerful now, but Lily could see the resignation and chase away the brittle arrogance, offering the first genuine glimpse of the weak demon. She should remember how cunning and smart the man was. He knew how to play his cards so well that he managed to convince her before. "Oh, believe me, Livia, I’m weary of this suicide mission. I mean, I got tired of recreating myself from the way it was before. I'm exhausted from running. Not to mention being Jasmine’s whipping boy," he confessed, his voice harsh. "My men no longer respect me, as they did before because I am not strong enough to fight one." Or maybe I just want to go back to my realm. The underworld is my place, but for now, I know I can't go back there. So, I need a truce. I need Dimitri and his council." Lily thought the man surely knew how to make himself believable. He was so dramatic th