LOGINAviva
Alpha Ryan shifts back to his human form, cloaked in shadows. He’s breathing heavily as he lumbers through the camp, crouching to rip into a clothing cache.
I watch his shadow in silence, my heart beating out of rhythm. I only look away when the wind parts the treetops and allows moonlight to spread over the clearing again, illuminating the hellhound lying broken and in pieces at the very edge of the tree line.
It takes two shallow breaths before it starts to fall in on itself, turning to ash that’s carried away by the wind.
I slowly turn my gaze back to Alpha Ryan who is standing now, wearing a pair of pants that don’t fit him at all, the button holding them in place undone. Moonlight ghosts over his frame. Instead of tight, wiry muscles, he’s just… huge. There’s nothing lean about him. I can see the outline of his abdominals as he turns slightly to face me. The muscles in his che
Aris“We should have spent more time here growing up,” Roman quips, sprawled on the smooth wooden deck of the sailboat, the sun relentlessly beating down on him, but he smiles under the shade of his hand. “Neither of us had access to our wealth until recently. Even just visiting Gem Lake is expensive.” I gently bank the boat to the left, gliding just close enough to shore to see the houses peeking out over the treeline. We’re one of a few boats on the water this morning navigating the wider areas of the interconnected lake systems and narrow passageways. Small towns and villages rest along the shore every couple of miles, but private homes and pack communities are abundant. Veiled Valley has thrived when other kingdoms have not. That’s clear as I scan the shore, watching ancient architecture blur against a wash of modern homes and businesses. Magnolia trees hang heavy with blooms over the water, their white petals dappling the shore. The air is heavy, humid, and stifling hot, and I
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







