[Madison]
A shuddering sigh pulled me from my thoughts. I opened my eyes and looked at Drayce and Anders. Drayce was clinging to Anders tightly. The Vasili was rubbing circles into his mate’s back and cooing tenderly to him.
“Are you okay, Drayce?” I asked softly, walking toward them.
“I thought he was going to kill you, Maddie. How were you able to look him in the eye and laugh? No one can do that. How can you be okay with going to Nettleston’s care, knowing our father will be there?” Drayce said breathily.
[Madison]When I got down to the girls’ room, Landry and Trista were by the closed bathroom door, pleading. Poppy was waiting near the stairs, and Gail was reading a magazine on their bed. I couldn’t see Aria, but I knew where she was.“Come out, please. He won’t get you. Madison won’t let him, Aria. Trust us.” Trista begged softly.I went to the door and put my hands gently on Trista and Landry’s shoulders. They moved aside to let me near the door. I needed to get my a
[Ford]I wanted them all to understand. They all underestimated my baby. The harem knew she was the Phantom, but not what that really meant. Maybe Winston did, but he seemed pretty surprised when I told them she’d killed Tybalt. At least the dragon confirmed it for them. Now, they had to believe.The room was silent. Will, Rafe, and Winston turned to look at me. I glanced over and winked. I was proud. Nothing scared her because nothing was more frightening than the threat of her.&ldquo
[Madison]I turned and took in the sight of my beautiful mate. Exactly everything I expected from a gorgeous woman like Aria. I returned to the bedroom door and caressed the sweet, nervous, angelic face of the woman I loved.“See you all in the morning. We still have much to do, so don’t stay up late.” I called back as I guided Aria into the room.Once we were in the guest room, I began to actually worry. I had the confidence, the love, and the desire to be with Aria, but I
I slid my arms around Aria, then wrapped my wings around her. It was the most intimate hold among our people. Cocooning Aria in my grasp and breathing in her scent, I felt more relaxed.It was delicate and slightly salty, like the breeze off the ocean. She smelled of a mixture of my soap, conditioner, and the beach. It was soothing and calmed the fury I felt. I still hated the men who’d hurt Aria, but it wasn’t a fresh anger anymore.“You don’t have to be a killer. I don’t need another person like me in my life. At least, not like the hard, cruel part of me. Never think I need you to be what I am. I need you to be you. You may have to accept that I won’t chang
[Ford]I was laying in my bed back home. I’d stayed and talked to the other alphas in the house. The dragon still pissed me off, but I knew I had to deal with it.Madison needed the entire plan to go off properly and, for some reason, getting the dragon and the Vasili out of the state were important. I thought she was planning to kill the men who killed my family, but I would trust her. She wouldn’t let me down.The awe her harem now felt was helpful. It calmed Bryant’s shit
[Madison]I woke early and moved out of the bed. Aria had rolled onto her side and away in the night. I looked down at my sleeping angel. It was nice to wake up next to someone who made me feel complete again. I still missed Ford, but Aria made it hurt less.After heading into my room to collect clothing and bathing items, I went to the laundry room for Aria’s clothes. Getting ready was important. Anders needed to believe I was serious, the succubae needed to think it as well. If nothing else, it showed my commitment to following through.
[Madison]The test was successful! I created a recording I would share with Tommy while I was at the camp. I made sure I had everything I would want for a week in the camp and reiterated my instructions to everyone in the house before getting into the car with Anders and Aria.Aria snuggled close to me for the entire ride. She was confused and upset. Maybe she was nervous about the camp, but I was certain about Nettleston’s death.The shapeshifters seemed to be wary of her through the entire morning. They were polite, but d
[Madison]After the men seated themselves, I looked over at Anders and took his hand, placing our joined hands on the table while I held Aria’s below. We were the representatives of our people and we would present a united front against anything.Anders looked at the men. One of the trackers was an incubus and one was a shapeshifter, a tiger. I wondered if he was working on identifying the species. He had a lot of trouble with it. A concubus was more sensitive than an incubus, he should be able to tell.