*Isla*It’s the middle of the night when we arrive at the docks. Earlier in the day, Antony had abandoned the car, thinking we were being followed, and we’d all gotten on a train to Port Westerly. It hadn’t seemed like a good idea to me because in a car we could change courses. A train was kind of stuck in one path, no matter what.But like most things on this trip, I’d left it up to my cousin to decide what he thought was best.Now, we were making what he described as a short walk to the dock from the train station.Two hours after we’d left the station, I finally saw water and smelled the breeze coming off of the sea.Yeah… short walk.“It’s dark,” Poppy points out, as if we were not aware. “Aren’t we going to have to find a place to sleep for the night and catch a boat out in the morning?”Antony scoffs. “Yeah, sure if you’re going away on holiday or to visit family in a regular port of call. That’s not how things work when you’re going to Maatua, dummy.”“Dummy?” Poppy is ready to
*Maddox*“Seth, do you know where Isla is?”I burst into my office and demand that my Beta answer me immediately. He is sitting at my desk, the telephone in his hand, and when I march in, he tells whoever is on the line that he will call them back. “What’s going on?” He looks from me to Trinity and then back again.“Isla!” I demand. “Do you know where she is? She’s not in her room. And I found this!” I drop the suspicious book on my desk. It’s heavy enough that the whole desk shakes.“I don’t know.” Seth shakes his head, his eye wide, but something in them tells me that he’s not being completely truthful with me.But why would he lie?“Check the cameras. See if she left. Have any vehicles left the castle in the last twenty-four hours?” How long had it been since I left the castle? I know she was here when I left. I try the mind-link again. Nothing. I pull out my cell phone, but it’s of no use to me. If she has a cell phone with her, I don’t know the number. I have no missed calls from
*Isla*“Land ho!”The words echo through my mind as my eyes stay focused on the sliver of green in the distance. We are almost there, back at Maatua, where I will face my past and hopefully secure a future for the man I love and my unborn child.“Once we get there,” Antony is saying from his spot near the railing, “we’ll need to figure out accommodations for the night. Then, we’ll move out into the jungle first thing in the morning so we’ll have all day to find my mother.”“What about the treasure?” Poppy blurts out. “That’s what we really need to find.”“We will need my mother to find the treasure.” Antony glares at her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people more at odds than those two. “Besides, she knows exactly where it is. Why the hell would we want to wander around the Goddessdamn jungle looking for shit when she can take us right there?”Poppy has a smart remark at the ready. “Because we don’t trust her. You said that she wanted to kill Isla.”“Look, my mother made it sound l
*Isla*Green eyes shine out from the darkness in the corner of the room. I hold my breath. I’d seen Antony lock the door. But we aren’t alone down here.Then, I hear a meow and see the eyes blink and shoot toward me. Before I realize what is happening, a cat is rubbing against my leg.But it isn’t just any cat. I know this cat!Stooping to scoop her up, I look at her little face. “Ginger,” I mutter. “So you are still alive.”“That’s your cat?” Antony asks me. “She’s been hanging around here for ages. I tried to run her off, but she wouldn’t go.”“She’s my cat,” I tell him. Apparently, she has nine full lives now. She couldn’t possibly still be alive now if it wasn’t for the fact that my tears had brought her back to life as a child, right?Ginger wiggles free, and I go over to see that she has a huge amount of food and water on the floor in dishes set out for her. “Who did this?” I ask my cousin.He shrugs. “A few of us use this place as a shelter. I guess someone’s been feeding her.”
*Isla*What the hell?When I first hear the voice in my head, I freeze. How is this possible? We haven’t even been gone all that long, and I was so careful when I left the castle not to leave any clues, to make sure the people in charge knew not to give away my location.Yet, there he is, that demanding voice in my head, wanting to know where I am.I feel compelled to answer him. After all, he is the Alpha King. Even in my own lands, I am bound to reply.“Maddox? What’s going on?”I have stopped walking, and the other members of my party have noticed. “Isla, are you okay?” Ben asks, coming back to me.I can’t even acknowledge the question since I am waiting for Maddox to respond in my head.“Where are you?” Maddox asks again. “We have to get off of this Goddess-forsaken island now before something happens to you and the baby!”So he does know where I am! And he’s here, too?“What the fuck is happening?” Antony demands. In the background, I hear more howls, and the wolves sound closer
*Isla*The howling is getting closer. Panic wells up inside of me. I don’t even have a weapon. Antony begins to strip, preparing to shift. We are all in trouble.“Fuck,” Poppy mutters, turning away from him. The next thing I know, she’s disappearing into the nearby trees.“Poppy? What are you doing?” I shout to her.“She’s probably hiding,” Antony says behind me. I don’t particularly want to see my cousin naked, so I don’t turn to look at him. “Coward.”It’s the last word he mutters before I hear his voice in my head. “I’ve shifted.”Turning around, I see that he is now a large gray wolf. My eyes widen in shock. I wasn’t expecting him to be so big. Ben gathers up Antony’s clothing and shoves it into his backpack, picking that up off the ground, too.The howls are closing in on us. “Poppy!” I shout, thinking there’s no way she just left, but I have no idea where she’s at either.A moment later, a wolf emerges from the trees. Antony turns toward it, rearing up on his hind legs, ready to
*Isla*Aunt Mary glides toward me, her hair and dress billowing around her. She looks like some sort of a spirit or a witch or something. Perhaps that’s because she is one. People from her island of KiloKilo are said to have magical powers. I guess I’m seeing that firsthand now.An ominous feeling bubbles up inside of me. Is she coming at me to harm me or just because she is happy to see me?Behind me, I hear another wave of howls throughout the forest. Thunder echoes through the trees as well. Whatever is going on back there, it can’t be good. I hope that Maddox is all right.Aunt Mary stops before me. “Hello, Princess Tropicana.”Taking a deep breath, I put a brave face on. Now is not the time to back down from this quest I’ve embarked on. “Hello, Aunt Mary.”Her arms fly out, and suddenly she is upon me, squeezing me tightly—in a warm embrace. Laughing a rich chuckle, she rocks me back and forth. “I’m so glad you’re finally here to help me break the curse. And just in time as well.
*Maddox*My head is ringing as I open my eyes and try to remember where I am and what’s going on. The last thing I remember is a bright light shining in my face and then being thrown. Judging by the pain in the back of my neck and my shoulders, I must’ve hit something hard.Turning around, I see I’m still in my wolf form, and the object behind me is a tree—a palm tree.I’m in the jungle, that’s right. Trying to find Isla and my unborn child.We’d been running through the woods toward the blue light in the distance when suddenly, there’d been another light, a brighter light, right in front of us. Then, some crazy-looking woman had appeared in front of us.I had no idea who she was or even what she was. But then she’d flashed some bright blue wave of light at us, and all of my men had crumpled to the ground.Now, I can see that I’m about the only one getting up. The forest around us is eerily quiet. I wonder if that woman hit the animals with her bolt of light as well. Did she even kill
BrieI wake up the next morning curled in Logan’s arms. I doubt we got more than a few hours of sleep, but my mind won’t shut off, and I doubt his has either. We lay there in silence for several minutes. Logan draws lazy circles on my arm while staring up at the ceiling. I want to ask him what he’s feeling right now. I’ve never seen him this quiet, this at a loss for words. So, I’m the one who talks instead. “Do you remember me as a kid?” I ask, and he nods, then shrugs one shoulder. “I suppose. You’re seven years younger than me, though. You would have been playing with dolls while I was out hunting or training to be a warrior.”“Maeve mentioned last night, when I told her I could speak your language, that I spent a summer in Silverhide while Aviva was teaching you how to read and write. Apparently, I picked up your language back then, and just… forgot about it.”His fingers stop moving for a moment, but then he chuckles low in his throat, rolling over to face me. “I actually rem
BrieThe castle glows like liquid gold from the light of what must be hundreds of tallow candles. The gathered crowd shuffles to find a spot to sit or stand in the wide, toppled ballroom of sorts. I’m not sure what it used to be, but only so many rooms are still fully enclosed. The weather in Emberfyll is mild. I imagine when the forest grows back, it’ll be borderline tropical. A feast of fish is laid out on makeshift tables or on long strips of fabric where people are seated on the floor, passing pewter plates down the line into hungry hands. Others break bread or pour tea and mead into mugs. I watch from the front of the room where I’m seated against a backdrop of the ocean and the clear, star filled sky. Maeve’s still asleep. She’s been sleeping all day, since the moment she arrived, but I imagine that won’t change for a while. I’m worried about her–have been checking on her all day while also juggling creating a plan of action with Logan and Seamus for when my father’s warriors
BrieI wake in the early hours of the morning to soft sunlight brushing over my cheeks. I’m sure I cried myself to sleep last night. I forgot where I was, but only briefly, reality rushing in, reminding me that I made it to Emberfyll alone. I roll in the furs, letting the warm, morning sunlight play over my face, but then I hear a commotion coming from outside. Yips and barks dance through the air. I rise, clutching the windowsill for support as I squint into the sun and see a dozen wolves racing through the flattened, charred space that used to be the front garden. Smoke rises in the forest from chimneys, the villagers waking for the day, but I can’t see past the trees and their thick summer canopies. The wolves are racing into the forest. I whirl to heavy footsteps running into the room I was given to use as my own last night. Seamus braces himself in the doorway, panting like he ran all the way here from the depths of the castle. I wait for him to tell me we’re under attack, or
Logan“BRIE!” I shout toward the trees. My voice carries through the night but doesn’t bounce back to me. It just keeps going, and going, and I’m at a complete loss as to where we are or where my mate could be. Maeve murmurs at my feet where she’s lying flat on her back. I woke up five, maybe ten minutes ago in so much pain I could barely breathe, let alone stand. Now, I’m stumbling from spindly tree to spindly tree, using them to steady myself as I scream my mate’s name into the night, but she doesn’t answer. Through the trees, I can just see the ocean, the storm raging in the distance. Lightning in shades of crimson and deep violet split the clouds as wind rushes toward the mainland. I can feel the electricity in the air, even from miles away. I can taste the thick, metallic stain of magic on my tongue. That storm… Maeve created it. It’s her powers drifting away from us, stirring up the sea. But Maeve is currently unable to even speak as it stands, and she’s cold to the touch whe
BrieI open my eyes as I’m falling through thin air. I don’t even have time to scream before my body drops into water. Deep, rough water that drags me under the second I suck in a salty breath. I flail against the waves, trying to find the surface, but the undercurrent drags me down again, pulling me by my dress and tossing me upside down. My head hits something hard, and I screech, but the sound is empty. I suck in water, choking, and realize quite suddenly that I’m drowning. I go as still as possible, using the last of my energy to start moving with the current instead of against it, which turns out to be the best idea I’ve ever had, especially under duress. I open my eyes underwater, staring down at the shallows. It’s sunny. Daytime. And below, seaweed waves between large, gray rocks. Pockets of sunshine dance through the water, illuminating seashells in shades I’ve never seen before. Another wave crashes over the top of me, sending me rolling into even shallower water, and fina
MaeveCole and Misty have a beautiful suburban home in Shadowcrest. It’s always the same–always smells like freshly baked cookies and the flowers she keeps in vases all over the house. Tonight, as my toes brush the ground, and my powers funnel back into my body, it smells like… popcorn. “You pig! You’re not going to eat all of that.” Josie’s voice, so similar to her mother’s, drifts down the hallway. I landed in the foyer, which is dark, soft moonlight drifting in through the windows and casting the stairs and framed photos of the family in silver shadows. “If you wanted more, you should have added it to the order,” Adrian argues then yelps after a smacking sound reverberates toward me in the gloom. “Give me one of your tacos–”“Or what?”“I’ll tell Mom.”“She’s in Eastonia, dumbass. Hey!” A scuffle ensures. I have two seconds to jump into the shadow of Misty’s study just off the foyer when Cole walks down the stairs, still wearing his hospital scrubs. The sound of a shower running
LoganRyatt and Evander walk out of sight across the bridge connecting the barracks to the main streets of the city. I look out of my old bedroom window at the sunny glare casting shadows over the valley. The shadows move as the clouds dart across the sky toward the castle, toward my wife, who I’d much rather be with right now than here. I… I don’t have anything to pack. Anything that meant anything to me–my laptop, my fucking glasses–were lost in the shipwreck. I have the clothes on my back, and even those were borrowed from who-knows-where, left on the dresser in Brie’s bedroom by the ghost that haunts her house. She’s all I have, and it’s not like I can pack her in my duffle bag and take her with me. I crank open the window to let in some fresh air to cut through the overwhelmingly male smell of the barracks. I turn to my empty duffle bag with a sigh, bracing my hands on either side of it on the bed, and hang my head, but a whoosh of air rushes out behind me, and I turn in time
BrieThe moment my bedroom door closes behind us, Logan’s mouth is on mine. The lock slides into place with a soft click, and an even softer groan leaves his mouth when I reach up to run my fingers through his damp curls. He smells like rain and leather. Like the promise of warmth and comfort through another stormy night. And now this man–this loud, obnoxious, opinionated man… he’s mine. He presses a kiss to the ring he bought today on a whim. It’s a simple band of gold–that’s it. “I'll give you a better one when I return,” he promises, kissing the palm of my hand before his lips find mine again. “A ring with a diamond the old gods can see from the heavens.”“I don’t care about that.” I giggle as his hands glide down my sides, pulling me close. Outside, thunder booms, the room lighting in ribbons of blue as lightning splits the clouds, but in here, it’s warm. It’s private. It’s just us. He removes my cloak. It falls to the ground in a heap at my feet. He’s careful with the dress,
MaeveBrie is… radiant. She glows in her simple white dress of lace and satin, her hair falling loose over her back and shoulders as Logan slowly, tenderly, lowers the hood of her dark blue cloak. The temple is quiet and dim, moonlight flooding the altar. Logan knits his fingers in Brie’s and brings her knuckles to his lips, pressing a kiss against them. They’re bathed in silver, the windows behind them dancing in starlight. It’s beautiful, really. It’s what I envisioned for her, one day, what I thought would be… years from now. I watch my sister–the person I love the most in all of the world–intertwine her soul with someone else, forcing myself to unravel the ribbons binding my heart to hers. She doesn’t belong to me anymore. Logan looks at her as they kneel before the priestess in her silver robes. They lean into each other like being inches away is too far apart. And the look on his face as he brushes his lips over her temple… he loves her. He’s devoted–body, and soul. My heart