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The Forsaken 48|Waiting
The silence in the basement was deafening.They'd gone over their plan at least a dozen times while waiting for Ethan to make contact, and now they'd run out of things to talk about. Everyone in the room hated each other's guts. If circumstances permitted, they would have ripped out each other's throats. But for Cadence, they had to work together.From his position high on the crates in the corner of the cellar, Luca glanced across the room at Rachel, a relieved smile forming on his lips when he caught her chatting with Rudolf. She almost looked like her old self again, and the bite wounds all over her neck and arms had begun to heal thanks to Sonja's concoction of herbs and ointments.Rudolf had also eased up on his snarling and growling, and looked somewhat relaxed. But Luca figured the young wolf's guard was still up where his clan was concerned, and anything would set him off. So he, April and Andrew played as far away as possible from Rachel.Tired of waiting for the call, Luca s
The Forsaken 49|Without Cadence
Luca retreated to the crates in the corner again, the tension between him and Andrew still simmering out of control. For twenty years, the cousins had held it together. Not once did they ever threaten or blame each other. They'd given each other strength in their most hopeless moments, so for April and Rosalie to see them fall apart at the very end was heartbreaking.Rachel and Rudolf watched the chaos with mild intrigue from their spot, refusing to be drawn into the madness. Sonja suggested they should go home and get some rest. But they politely declined. They wanted to be there for her and help in any way they could.April's phone rang again, and Andrew exhaled a huge sigh of relief when she mouthed, "it's Ethan".He'd known all along he'd call again. After all, he knew Ethan and the games he liked to play better than anyone. They were the best of friends a lifetime ago.But if Andrew was honest, for a second there, he'd had his doubts and would never have forgiven himself if it tu
The Forsaken 50|Help Wanted-Part 1
It was early dawn, but still dark outside. Rachel stuck as close to Rudolf as possible, gripping his big warm hand tightly in her small one. But despite his steady presence, even the slightest rustle in the brush sent her pulse soaring and left her anxious as they hurried through the woods."It's okay; I'm here," he assured her with a comforting smile."I'm all right," his mate smiled back. But he could see right through the pain hidden behind her eyes. Once again, he was overcome by feelings of helplessness and shame, his mind swirling with 'if onlys' and 'what ifs'.He was easily one of the strongest, fiercest warriors in his pack, and could handle one vampire any day. But there were six of them, and as valiantly as he'd tried to take them on and hold them off from harming Rachel and April, Ethan and his clan had overpowered him with very little effort.'It's no excuse. You should have done a better job protecting her,' Rudolf, suddenly furious with himself for not being able to kee
The Forsaken 51|Help Wanted-Part 2
Sonja said a small prayer of thanks, tiny spasms of immense relief and gratitude rocking through her body.Emme turned to Rachel. "Take him home, and calm him down. He can't go into battle in the state he's in.""Thank you." Rachel smiled while Rudolf mumbled something that sounded like an apology. Emme accepted it with a quick nod of her head as she ushered them away and closed the door behind them."Where were we?" she asked as she stepped into the kitchen to get the kettle going on the stove."He's young and impulsive. He didn't mean any disrespect." Emme had forgiven Rudolf if their parting was any indication, but Sonja felt she still needed to apologise and clear the air anyway."He has a temper, like his father. It will get him in trouble someday." There was a wistful look in Emme's eyes and a longing in her voice that was hard to miss as she led Sonja back to the living room.Carrying on, she said, "I'm not angry with him for what he said. I just had to get him out of here."So
The Forsaken 52|Frenzy
They'd just entered the woods on their way to see Ethan, when Luca, Andrew and Rudolf suddenly stopped in their tracks. All three were instantly on alert, and Sonja gave them a quizzical frown. Before they could explain, though, Luann, followed by the rest of the coven, emerged from one side of the woods. Romulus and his pack appeared from the other."Why am I not surprised?" Sonja laughed, her throat burning with bitterness when she realised they were surrounded. There would be no avoiding this confrontation."We know what you're planning to do." Luann was the first to break the silence. Sonja didn't have to ask how they'd figured it out. Carmella, the coven's seer, must have had a vision."Then you already know there's no point in trying to stop us," Sonja replied. She took a step forward and tried to move past her sister, but Carmella and Dana blocked her path. Standing off on one side, Stella didn't seem comfortable with the confrontation."This is unforgivable, Sonja!" Romulus ba
The Forsaken 53|Decisions
The mood in the basement was euphoric, bordering on hysteria. Everyone was thrilled to have Cadence back. Rosalie and Rachel smothered her with hugs and kisses. Even April, the ice maiden, seemed happy to see her."For a pesky cat, you're full of surprises," she teased as she hugged her."And for a vampire, you're not as scary as you pretend," Cadence returned her embrace.Once the excitement had died down, Cadence wanted to get to work. But Sonja insisted she should get cleaned up first and have a small nap."But Mom—" She was about to argue when Warwick's voice stopped her."We've waited twenty years, Sweetheart, what's a few more hours?"Hearing her father address her for the first time filled Cadence with an overwhelming love she'd never felt before. It wasn't like the profound adoration she had for Luca or the protective fondness she felt for Sonja. This was different. New. But just as intense."But I want to stay and talk to you," she said, stepping closer to the door."We'll ha
The Forsaken 54|Tricked
Hours after he'd left Luca, Ethan was still fuming. He couldn't believe how Sonja's daughter had messed up his plan at the last minute. He should have accounted for the fact that she might change back, but the thought had never crossed his mind, in all honesty.He'd had no intention of returning Cadence. In fact, he would have killed her right there, while in her spectral form, and hung her on that same tree where Luca had hung his father. Yes, he had planned to make Luca watch him take away what was most precious to him."Damn that fucking cat!" He slammed his fist on the glass tabletop. The untouched goblet toppled over. Surprisingly, it didn't break, but the liquid inside made a mess all over the cracked surface.Eugénie was a picture of calmness. She'd been with him long enough to get used to his fits of rage. They no longer disturbed her."We'll get him soon enough." She purred as she got up from her seat and draped her arms over his shoulders. Ethan grunted his displeasure, an
The Forsaken 55|Ethan's Lair
By the time Rachel reached the manor, she was hysterical and almost breathless from running. It took some time for Sonja to calm her down and get the whole story from her."I told you it wouldn't work! Ethan's figured out the star we gave him is a fake." April was the first to fall apart. And it wasn't long before everyone had something to say, and the tension in the room reached an unbearable point.April wanted to open the door urgently, get the hell out of Shadowbrooke, and leave the pack and Sonja's coven to deal with Ethan's wrath.Luca and Andrew refused to entertain her. They couldn't sit back and watch the town go up in flames. They had an obligation to help. After all, Ethan's retaliation was solely on them this time around."Did they fucking help us twenty years ago?" April couldn't keep a lid on her emotions as she and Luca went head to head, exchanging heated words. The tension brewing between them for years now had finally bubbled over, and their verbal war was devastatin
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