MasukWe went into the bathroom as Damon turned on the water, I got undressed. Slipping into the shower, I sighed as the warm water soothed my sore muscles. Damon stepped in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back against his chest, closing my eyes and allowing myself a moment to simply be with him, taking comfort in his presence.He moved me slightly and grabbed the shampoo, lathering my hair before washing his own. I laughed softly while rinsing it out. He repeated the process with the conditioner before picking up a loofah and washing my body. His hands moved along my skin in rhythm with the loofah.Slowly, he let his fingertips trail the length of my body. I shuddered beneath his touch, leaning back against him even more. I could feel his hard cock pressed against the small of my back. He reached around me, gently caressing my breasts while nibbling at my shoulder. I shivered, resting my head against his chest. His lips trailed kisses along my neck before capturing m
Author’s POVThe witch studied Rick carefully. She had spent months manipulating him. Months feeding his hatred. Months encouraging his obsession with revenge. Until now it had worked perfectly. But something had changed. The child. That was the problem. Rick had looked into the eyes of his enemy’s daughter. And instead of seeing a weapon… He had seen a baby. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Hatred thrived on distance. On dehumanization. On seeing enemies as monsters. Thea had complicated things. The witch could not allow that. Not now. Not when they were so close. Not when centuries of planning were finally nearing completion. “You are doubting.” Rick’s jaw tightened. “No.” “You are.” The witch stepped closer. “Do not forget what Damon and Aurora took from you.” Anger flickered briefly in his eyes.Good. She needed that anger. Needed that hatred. Needed him exactly where he was. Because Rick served a purpose. Nothing more. Nothing less. A vessel. A sacrifice. A key. The ultimate evil sleep
Aurora’s POV The journey back to the castle was quiet. Too quiet. No one celebrated. No one spoke much. Not after what had almost happened. Thea slept peacefully in my arms as Damon and I rode in the front of the transport. Her tiny silver fingers were curled against my shirt, completely unaware that her entire world had nearly changed forever. I couldn’t stop looking at her. Every few seconds I found myself checking that she was breathing. Touching her cheek. Running my fingers through her soft silver hair. Holding her a little tighter. Damon noticed. Of course he did. His hand found mine. Neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. The fear still lingered between us. The memory of seeing Thea missing from her cradle would haunt me for the rest of my life. When the castle finally appeared on the horizon, relief swept through me. Home. Safe. Protected. Or at least it was supposed to be. As we entered the castle grounds, warriors lined the courtyard. Every one of them looked furious. Wo
The scream shattered the peaceful morning.One second I was sitting in our chambers brushing my fingers through Thea’s soft silver hair while she rested in her cradle. The next, a terrified cry echoed through the castle halls. My heart stopped. Every instinct inside me screamed. Something was wrong. Very, Very wrong. I was already moving before I consciously realized it. “Thea!” Her name tore from my throat as I sprinted from our chambers. The hallway blurred around me. Servants jumped out of my way as I ran full speed towards her nursery. The Guards called after me “Luna! “Your majesty!” “My queen!”. None of it mattered.All I could hear was the panic rising inside my chest. All I could think about was my daughter. I reached the nursery in seconds. The door had been blown off its hinges and hung partially off. My blood turned to ice. “No…” I burst through the entrance. The pure Chaos greeted me. Furniture had been overturned the wooden furniture had gauge marks lacing it. One of th
Aurora's POVThree months. Three beautiful months. That was how old Thea was now. Three months of tiny smiles. Three months of sleepy cuddles. Three months of discovering every little thing that made our daughter uniquely her. And Goddess help me… She was my twin. I sat in a rocking chair beside the large window in our chambers overlooking Veiled Valley. The morning sunlight spilled across the floor as Thea lay against my chest.Her tiny silver fingers wrapped around one of mine. The sight made my heart melt every single time. She had my silver hair. My silver-blue eyes. My nose. Even her expressions were beginning to resemble mine. Damon claimed she had my attitude too. Though I wasn't entirely convinced. Thea yawned. A tiny adorable sound escaped her. Then she immediately buried her face against me.I laughed softly. "You are such a little drama queen." Thea responded by making a grumpy noise. The bedroom door opened. Damon entered carrying a stack of reports. His expression immedia
Damon's POVRick's eyes darted frantically across the battlefield. Only moments ago, he had stood tall beside Corey, believing himself to be one of the most powerful men in the supernatural realm. Now he looked like a frightened animal searching desperately for an escape route. The battlefield was silent. Not completely silent. The distant cries of the wounded still echoed through the valley. Medics rushed between warriors. Somewhere a horse whinnied nervously. But compared to the chaos that had consumed the valley only minutes before, the silence felt deafening. Thousands of warriors remained kneeling.Wolf shifters. Vampires. Witches. Warriors from every allied kingdom. All of them had chosen. And none of them had chosen Rick. His face twisted with fury. "This isn't over!" he screamed. His voice echoed across the valley. "You think killing Corey changes anything?" No one answered. No one moved. The army that had once obeyed Corey now looked at Rick with complete indifference. For th
"Well..." She said, "Why can't Thomas help you study? I bet he could help you relax too?" she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes. "He says he is fine waiting until I get into college. He says sex is not the most important thing to him. "He says that, but he's been waiting almost 3 years for you. E
My Name is Aurora Grayson. I'm your average 17-year-old girl with big goals and even bigger dreams. I live with my parents in a modest two-bedroom home off the outskirts of town and life has been hectic and chaotic and really busy if I am being honest with myself. Between studying and trying to get
Damon's POV: I looked at this silver-eyed beauty. My head clouded. I wasn't sure what I must have drunk to make me feel this way. I'd had a single whiskey. It occurred to me, I may have been drugged. My eyes went wide with the realization. Before I could stand up and go speak with my beta abou
We danced together, after refilling my glass. We laughed and jumped to the beat. I could feel wandering eyes on me, so I looked around. I did not see anyone. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. It was not unpleasant but made me hyper-aware of being watched by someone. I glanced aroun







