LOGINSydney
Kenna’s anguished screams slows time to a halt the moment my powers finally break through the manacles on my ankles and wrists.
It’s too late.
I’m too late.
Evander falls face first, unable to save himself from hitting the floor.
I feel like everyone is moving in slow motion. Kenna sprints forward, her shadows billowing out around her as her face twists with despair. Guards move in, blades drawn in her direction.
And Gabriel is grinning like a madman as he turns back to Brie.
Fuck, no.
My body screams in pain as I lurch forward, shouting in rage, agony, and desperation as I collide with the nearest guard. The man falls to the ground with a crunch. I leap off his body, his ribs cracking beneath my feet as I jump, begging the Goddess to help me gather enough power to shift.
We’re all so weak right now. Gabriel knew exactly how to enact t
Aris“Why didn’t you tell me Posey can’t shift?”Roman squints into the midmorning sunlight, his tan skin going rosy along his cheekbones. The dock off the back of the house is empty save for the two of us taking up residence in wicker chairs, watching the fog roll off the lake. A loon floats by, diving under the water.Everyone else is still in the house sleeping off their hangovers. I couldn’t sleep. Haven’t slept. Probably won’t until I get this cleared up. Roman exhales deeply, scrubbing his forehead like he can swipe his hangover away. “It’s not something she likes people to know.”“Obviously.”“She never came into it, never showed any signs of developing gifts in that realm. My parents said she just needed more time, but Posey produced a report from the healers in Sapphire Ridge that confirmed she didn’t possess any lupine powers, and that was that. Mom’s in pieces about it, worried about Posey’s marriage prospects.”I shake my head, bringing my steaming mug of coffee to my li
ArisWillow is exactly the type of girl Miles, our friend from our early warrior training days, would fall for. It’s a damn shame she’s all over Roman at the moment. Miles tilts his pint of beer back and sighs, shaking his head while Roman and Willow stand at the bar across the room. Tate raises a brow, his close cropped black hair catching the dim, flickering neon lights plastered across the wall to our backs. “What?” Miles gripes, running his fingers through his dark, equally short, hair. Both men are in the Ghost forces, low ranking, low enough that taking several weeks of leave wasn’t that big of a deal. “Roman’s not interested in her, man. He’d love someone to save him right now.” Tate shrugs, hazel eyes glistening. “Just go talk to her.”Miles grumbles something incoherent and twists his empty glass in a circle. I roll my eyes to Tate, who shrugs again before sipping his beer. “She’s staying for a while, according to Roman,” Tate offers. Miles glares. “She doesn’t seem lik
Book 17Posey“Oh, my Goddess.” Willow’s sleek dark brown hair fans around her face as she pulls her baby blue convertible to a screeching halt, the smell of burning rubber scorching my nostrils. She pushes her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and gasps as the shadow of a massive, three-story stone house from a begotten era swallows us whole, stained glass windows glaring down at us, four spires twisting to the clouds and nearly blocking the sun. “This is where we’re staying? How old is this place?”“That’s a very good question. Probably ancient. Everything this size in Veiled Valley is–” Her door slams shut. She’s already out of the car and falling into the shadow of the–well, I suppose it’s a castle. A miniature castle, probably the home of some long-dead aristocrat or Alpha that built it during the time of the original Firestone Witches. Two wings branch off the center of the structure with perfectly trimmed hedges juxtaposed against a remarkably modern and meticulously land
ArisThe Next SummerVeiled Valley bakes under the glare of early summer sunlight. It’s around noon, I think, as I stumble up the stairs to my room, fumbling with the suitcase I haven’t even seen in probably five years, let alone used in that time. It’s been a while since I’ve gone anywhere for an extended amount of time–just to be somewhere else. Normally, all I need are my ghost-issued gloves that turn into a full suit of armor and the clothes on my back. It’s not like I can’t just, I don’t know, snap my fingers and be somewhere else whenever I want to. I’m giving that a rest this summer. This summer, I’m just Aris. Not the Shadowsynger heir. Not the Prince of Veiled Valley. Not an Alpha in the making. Just me.My bedroom door opens on a phantom wind, thanks to the ever lingering spirit of the house, and my room expands around me–a wash of deep blues, silver, purples, and blacks. It’s a lair of masculine darkness–every Shadowsyngers’ dream. A four-poster bed with a satin bedspread
LexaSpringKaleb’s hand is a solid, warm presence on my lower back as we move through Aunt Sarah’s rose garden. Most of the flowers are in bloom, which is the doing of her powers, or someone’s powers, seeing as the air still feels crisp, and the grass is a sharp, neon green–fresh and slightly crunchy. The deep emerald green satin of my gown stretches to its limits over the swell of my belly. My skin aches and itches, and it’s taking all of my strength not to scratch. I fill my lungs, letting a breath out slow. We move through the haze of spring greens surrounded by the soft scent of roses, but Kaleb’s fingers curl into a fist against my lower spine, pressing just enough to relieve some of the pressure there. “I’m going to find you somewhere to sit down,” he whispers through the hum of conversation taking place all around us. “I’m okay, really,” I insist, glancing around at familiar, and not so familiar, faces. There’re a lot of people here. More strangers than I’ve seen since the T
KalebA Few Weeks Later“Has anyone seen my wife?” Logan asks as he parts a small crowd gathered around one of the many open fires scattered across the festival grounds. The tall, dark-haired man with eyes so similar to mine it’s almost like looking in a mirror has his son, Kieran, on his shoulders, as he sidesteps to where Lexa is perched on my thigh while I rest on a bale of hay. He sinks down beside us, unceremoniously dumping his son onto the hay bales stacked behind us, and Kieran shrieks with laughter, scrambling and begging to do it again. I’m not used to this yet. This many people just milling about for fun. I recognize so many of the faces, even if they weren’t in the Glade with us because we’re… one people. We always have been, just separated by an ocean, by magic and invisible chains. “I think Brie’s hiding from him.” Lexa smirks, jabbing a thumb in Kieran’s direction. Her hair is loose and falling down her back in spiraling curls beneath a hat of pure white rabbit fur. A







