I would give anything to get inside Laney’s head right now as we settle down to camp for the night. She sends me a glance, looking away when our eyes lock, her hair cascading down over her face, hiding the blush I know is back. It was idiotic but unavoidable to not only say those things but kiss her back. Obviously, I knew I would eventually give in. The magic that surrounds us, binds us together like a damn bungee cord, is too much to fight. Yet this time, it felt like it was more on my terms rather than the whispered chants of a witch in the wind. Laney is everything I told her she was. And for once, I firmly believe that I think that of my accord. Though I will never really know, which makes being absolute about what I am doing all that much harder. Monty and Laney have been laughing and chatting nonstop the whole way. After the embarrassment of being caught kissing me, she moved back into being the cheerful girl with a positive outlook, no matter the shit that has tried to bring
***Laney POV***I lay with my face toward the darkness, the fire dancing behind me, casting shadows on the trees and forest life. The owls are out, hooting at the night sky and no doubt looking for their prey. Such sounds used to make me uneasy. It always made me think of the predators that might end me. Now that I know there is something worse than coyotes or wild animals, it’s almost serene. Almost. I can feel Falcon’s gaze on me like I always can like he is tuned into the very fiber of my existence. What I hate more is that I swear I can feel Rome and her anger, her hatred. It makes my gut pinch painfully and my chest feels tight. She was supposed to be programmed to love me no matter what. That’s what I told myself from the moment I knew she existed. I was so damn excited to think I wasn’t all alone in the world that I assumed she would feel the same way. I wrap my arms around myself tight, the cool breeze of the night air trickling through my clothing.“Are you cold?” Falcon a
The moment I sense movement, I growl and leap toward it, Rome right on my heels as I land on a large man with a grunt. He tosses me to the side, my spine cracking against a tree trunk as I whimper, trying to stand. Rome snarls in anger, burying her teeth deep in his arm as he transforms into a dark brown wolf, whining as he tries to shake her. As I take a wavering step forward, a hand clamps onto my neck, the cold from his touch noticeable even through my thick fur. Vampire. I let my body fall limp, trying to play dead, before whipping my head around and trying to latch onto his wrist. My teeth graze his skin but find nothing to grasp onto as he raises me higher. He holds me just far enough away that my short wolf's legs can not touch him, so in an instant I shift back to human form, his icy fingers losing grip on the fur that is now just my sweaty neck and he drops me. He has no time to think as I jump up to standing and throw my palm into his perfect nose. A gross crunch vibrates
***Falcon POV***Laney watches me carefully as she prepares to unleash her questions. Even my wolf is unsettled by the intensity in her eyes. She opens her mouth to start her inquisition, but Rome moves over to us, her hand reaching out and resting on Laney’s forearm. “We have to keep moving.” She says softly. “He can answer your questions as we walk.”“I think we should head into a human town and look for a vehicle,” I announce, looking around Laney to Monty who grabs his bag and Laney’s.“Probably a good idea.” He agrees.“I don’t want to steal anything,” Laney says, her eyes pleading with me as I furrow my brows.“You steal all the time. What difference does it make now?” I ask her and her mouth drops open. “I stole only when I had no option, and I always felt horribly guilty.” Laney protests. She turns to look at Rome, her cheeks red in embarrassment, before turning back to face me. “You are a billionaire! You could just buy a car.”I nod in agreement. “Yes, I could, but then pe
By the time we make it to the human town, Laney and Rome both look exhausted, and the sun is fully up. The heat of it hammering down on us, though Monty looks completely unbothered by not only the heat but the rays that seem to have no effect on his vampire skin. For the second time, I wonder how he can withstand the sun when it so clearly affected his brothers. Though we are all classified as supernatural–werewolves, vampires, and witches–There are many differences to each of us. Werewolves, of course, include the few other shifters that do indeed exist, but witches are an array of beings. They can be humans, vampires, or even a select few who are werewolves. It’s for that reason that witches are the mediator between the rest of us, though it doesn’t always work out if Abbie or Annika are any indications. Two witches spinning spells and lie to the two other races, pitting us against each other. Some idiots trust too easily, and I used to be one of those idiots. But vampires? They k
***Laney POV***No one has been permitted to ask Falcon a single question the entire ride. Ok, that’s not completely true. We could ask. But after about fifteen minutes of zero answered questions, we quickly learned that Falcon, over thousands of years, has perfected selective hearing. After eating his pink waffles, which I ordered him as a joke, he completely shut down. In the now four–maybe five? Days I have known him, I’ve seen all sorts of his moods. Silence, however, is new, and it seems to bother me the most. When we walked out of the restaurant, there had been a damn nice forest-green Range Rover sitting out front. He climbed in as if it was waiting for us and started the car with a set of keys. There was no way he had just stolen the keys from someone in the diner because we were the only customers. So where did the damn thing come from?I asked. He stared at me, then he revved the engine. We all climbed in, Rome and Monty much less annoyed than me, but the two of them claime
***Falcon POV***I raise my eyes and watch Laney as she runs her hands through her hair. Her wet red strands tangle as she grips her hair tightly and her face contorts in grief. A feeling I remember all too well being here right now. Standing where she laid all those years ago, her blood on my hands as I sobbed over her body.“Laney…” I try to calm her, but it feels so wrong to be the one holding her here, comforting her as she grieves all the lives I have actually stolen from her.“I need–I just need some time.” She whispers as she turns and runs away. I lurch out to follow, but Rome steps in front of me with a look of defiance on her face.“No!” she hisses, shoving a finger into my chest. “No! You’ve done enough.”“Me?” I laugh bitterly. “I knew what her lives held and how she would handle it, so I kept it from her. Yet the second you remember something horrific, you had to share your pain with her, huh? Did you even think about how she would respond?”“Of course, I told her. We are
As night falls, I set Monty and the girls up in one of the partially dismantled houses left. It’s not much of a place to camp, but with the emotional strain of the day and my needing to still search the area, it will work for now. If not for Rome’s angry eyes, I might have stayed with Laney a little longer. This may be the only time I am grateful for Rome keeping me from trying to get closer to Laney. I have already lost my senses and kissed her on two separate occasions and in those whimsical moments, I couldn’t care less about my mission or my mate. I can’t afford to have those thoughts. This is no longer just about me and my future mate. This is about the werewolf world I have helped to keep afloat since the beginning. The people, the packs that have relied on me and my guidance.In trying to find something to occupy my time whilst waiting for the next reincarnation, I have found a genuine reason to exist. Do we really need The Luna reincarnate to unite us if she is equally just a