Everything North Campbell believes about her life is a lie. She doesn't discover that until the night her father dies, and she learns he wasn't her father. He kidnapped her as a baby from her birth parents, Jim and Carol Allis. They seem ecstatic to find her, but she quickly learns they, along with their powerful dragon-shifter ally Pytor Douglas, have nefarious plans for her. She runs straight into the arms of another mysterious group, and they tell her she's a Trueblood—descended from all the mythic races and capable of great power. She's at risk, but the Council assigns her six bodyguards, and the Oracle has seen her future husband is among the six. North is dragged from realm to realm to learn how to use her powers. That task seems impossible—almost as impossible as choosing just one man from among the six mythics entrusted with her protection. How can she choose between a vampire, an angel, a demon, a witch, a dark elf, and a wolf-shifter when each of the men is perfect for her in different ways? Dare she risk everything and choose them all? Will she have a chance to make the decision, or will Pytor's group get her first?
View MoreNorth was chopping wood when she heard a crash from the small cabin she shared with her father, Sam. He’d been feeling under the weather for the last few days, and she muttered to herself as she stopped chopping to scoop up the few pieces of wood she’d split. He needed to take better care of himself and also let her take care of him too. He was so stubborn, and he’d probably decided to spare her the trouble of looking after him by fixing his own soup. She just hoped he hadn’t fallen, because she wasn’t certain how she would get him up on her own.
“Are you up when you’re not supposed to be?” She called the question as she stopped by the bin in the mudroom to dump the wood and strip off her stocking cap. When he didn’t answer, her concern grew, and she rushed into the kitchen.
He was passed out in the middle of the floor, and his lips were blue. North rushed to his side, falling to the floor with a sharp jar to her knees that barely registered in her frantic rush to reach him. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t think you were actually hurt. I should have come right away.”
His eyes flicked open, fluttering for a moment before closing again. “It’s okay, baby. You couldn’t have helped this.” The words were little more than a rough rasp, and he was clearly having trouble breathing.
She placed her fingers against his carotid artery to check for a pulse. “What’s going on? What do I do?” Her dad seemed to be on the verge of death, but she wasn’t certain if that was a proper diagnosis. “Dad, open your eyes and tell me what to do.” He was a healer, having once been a doctor in the city before moving her out to the remote cabin to protect her.
“Nothing you can do.” His eyes opened briefly again, and it seemed to cost him a great deal to speak. “I’ve known this was coming for a while, North. You need to let me go.”
She shook her head as tears started to stream from her eyes. “I can’t do that. I have to get you help. We’ll go to the hospital in the city.” She trembled at the thought, gruesome stories of the fall of civilization rushing through her brain. Her dad had painted a grim picture of the remnants of humanity, but she would have to face them to see if she could find a hospital. Of course she’d read about them in her books, but her father didn’t seem to think they even existed any longer. She wasn’t willing to give up though.
Sam shook his head just faintly. “Just let me die, my dear, and stay here where you’re safe.” His lips curved into the ghost of a smile. “Know you won’t, but wish you would.”
She sat with him for another moment until his breathing became less raspy, though deeper than she would’ve liked when he seemed to slip into a state of unconsciousness. She couldn’t just sit there and watch her father die without trying to do something, and the first-aid kit and medicinal plants they kept on hand wouldn’t do anything to help if she didn’t know what was wrong with him.
Squaring her shoulders, she made the difficult decision to defy her father. It was the only firmly held rule that he had for her now that she was an adult—never leave the safety of their property high in the mountains. There would be predators wanting to prey on her, and she wouldn’t be safe.
She’d just have to risk it for his sake, and if he survived, he could be angry with her later. Resolved, she stood up and walked into her father’s study. It took her a few moments to search his items before she finally turned up the keys to the SUV he kept parked in the pole barn. Fortunately, she knew how to drive it, because she’d helped him gather logs and other supplies from the forest on their huge property for many years. She’d never driven it anywhere besides the woods, but it had to be basically the same. Right?
She rushed from the house, grabbing her stocking cap on the way, and used it to cover the brown curls trying to blow around her face in the whipping wind. Snow crunched under her boots, but at least it wasn’t actively snowing at the moment.
She ran as fast as she could to the pole barn and threw open the doors, so she could retrieve the vehicle. She had it back at the front of the house as soon as she could, lined up as close as possible to the porch. Now she just had to get her father in there.
That presented a dilemma for which she didn’t have an answer yet, but she slid out of the SUV and headed back into the house, going straight to her father on the kitchen floor, where he still lay. She shook his shoulder lightly and stroked a finger down his cheek. “Dad, can you hear me?”
There was no response, which made him completely passive. Perhaps that would make it easier to get him into the vehicle in the long run, because if he realized her intentions, he might try to fight and make it even worse for himself. And for her.
Almost experimentally, she tried lifting him, hoping perhaps to prop him up enough to wedge something under him, like the nearby rug, so she could drag him. To her amazement, she was able to lift him into her arms as she focused hard on doing so. It must have been the surge of adrenaline that came from knowing she had to act quickly, or he would die. She’d read stories of people lifting cars off loved ones in a panic, and that had to be what she was managing to do.
She grunted and strained under the effort of carrying him, but managed to half-carry, half-drag her father out of the house to the front porch. She wished she’d had the forethought to leave the door open as she laid him down carefully and opened it before going back to him.
North was afraid she wouldn’t have that same surge of adrenaline that would allow her to lift him, but it came easily, as though her muscles had already learned what they needed to do. She was just thankful that the adrenaline hadn’t yet faded and hoped it wouldn’t leave her fatigued and unable to help him when it did.
She propped him as carefully as possible in the front seat, though he still rested awkwardly. After snapping on his seatbelt, she rushed around to the cab and put on her own as well. Then she took a deep breath and started driving down the gravel road that served as their driveway. In a few minutes’ time, she moved past the farthest point she’d ever been before, and she was thankful the roads were clear enough for her to find and follow when she reached the edge of the property.
The road started out rough, but gradually grew smoother and better maintained the farther she drove. More than an hour after finding her father on the floor, she started to encounter heavy traffic. As North moved with the flow of traffic, she looked around for signs of devastation.
Her father had painted an awful picture of how humanity had ended up, but she wasn’t seeing ruins and rubble. What she saw looked like images she had seen in the books she’d used for her education. She was completely confused by the lack of chaos and briefly wondered if perhaps humanity had rebuilt faster than her father had anticipated.
As they got closer to the city, her dread increased, even as her confusion deepened. Sam’s breathing was raspy again, and she wasn’t certain if they were going to make it to anything called a hospital in time.
Confusion sprang from the fact that the city was much better designed and maintained than she’d expected. Dad told her people had ruined their environment and wrought destruction, turning humans against humans. He’d taken her into the mountains to keep her safe and sheltered from the chaos, to protect her from the predators people had become.
She didn’t see any evidence of that as she drove. She was afraid to look away from the road for too long, since she’d never driven in such conditions, but what she saw both intrigued and frightened her. It was nothing like she’d anticipated, and she found herself questioning the stories her father had told her for the first time in her life.
A blue sign with an “H” caught her attention, and she thought that was the symbol for a hospital, if she remembered correctly from the books she’d read. She merged to the correct lane and followed the signs until a large building came into sight. It was white and steel, with huge windows. Ambulances were parked around the area marked “Emergency,” and she found a spot to park the SUV, uncaring if it was okay.
North hurried from the vehicle and ran into the entrance of the Emergency Department. She stood for a moment, searching for someone to help. It was an overwhelming, almost disorienting, experience to be surrounded by people. She had literally only seen the occasional person from a distance. Had she even talked to anyone who wasn’t her father for years and years? Not since that time someone had taken a wrong turn down their driveway. She had said hello to the two men in the car, but when her father came out with his rifle, they’d driven off.
She recalled Sam being on heightened security for a time after that, even wondering if they should move. When no one else appeared, he’d finally dismissed it as someone genuinely taking a wrong turn.
Her voice refused to escape her for a moment as she stood in the middle of the room. Sick and injured people surrounded her, along with others milling about. They wore the same light-blue uniform. Scrubs was the word, right? She wasn’t certain, but did know it identified them as medical staff.
Feeling almost paralyzed by shyness and uncertainty, but prodded to move by the knowledge her father might be dying at that moment, she moved to the desk. The first one to look at her was a tall man with long brown hair, neatly confined at his neck, and vivid brown eyes that flared with heat. For just a second, gold rings appeared around the irises, but then were gone—leaving her to doubt the veracity of her senses.
He stared at her for a long second, and there was an intense expression on his face that she wasn’t sure how to interpret. He seemed…hungry.
When he flashed her a smile full of white teeth, that seemed to confirm her supposition. She shivered, but not entirely from fear. His look made her feel a myriad range of emotions she didn’t have time to identify.
“What’s wrong, miss?”
“My father.” Her voice was a timid whisper.
He frowned, leaning closer. That brought his musky masculine scent to her nostrils, which made her already-thumping heart race. “What, precious?”
“My father is sick. Maybe dying. He’s in the SUV.” Thinking about her father, and the urgency of the situation, helped her conquer her momentary timidity. “Please help him.”
He looked solemn. “I’ll do anything I can for you, precious.”
Even under the circumstances, North found it strange that he used the endearment twice in a row. It felt more personal than a casual “hon,” like her father was prone to using in conversation. Not unpleasant. Just unusual.
“I’m going to see her father, Liz. Could you make sure the young lady is settled comfortably?”
“Yes, Dr. Scott.” As the man now identified as Dr. Scott disappeared through the back, she came around the front and put a hand on North’s shoulder to lead her to the bank of chairs.
Chapter Fifty-Three: ReunionIt was over, and relief swept through her. Her spine stiffened, and she managed to stand upright again. “We’ll do our best.” Persephone nodded and disappeared into the crowd of people who were triaging survivors or stacking the dead to be jettisoned into Noirvald. North turned away from all the chaos, no longer wanting in part of it. Other people could clean up, but she needed the reassurance of her mates. “I need to be alone with you. All of you.”“Of course.” Eamon took the lead, and they ended up back in the bedroom she first used at her arrival at headquarters. North waited until the door closed before she started undressing.“North, maybe you shouldn’t…” Ryland looked uncertain.She managed a small smile. “I should. I definitely need to. I was denied contact with you for the last two weeks, and I need to renew our bonds. This is what I need right now. Trust me.”At her words, their resistance evaporated, and they started undressing too.Orin was the f
Chapter Fifty-Two: Find Your WayNorth stared around, vaguely aware the place was familiar. When Pytor moved from her side, she felt nothing but a wave of relief. Even that was a dull sense, and emotions barely penetrated her. Her mind was thick and heavy, like it was shrouded in fog.She remembered opening the portal, and how it had drained her for several minutes. She’d had to regain her strength before Pytor could lead her through it. She remembered thinking she should resist, but hadn’t been able to do so.She remembered the moment when the portal had torn open, though it hadn’t been a neat hole. Even now, the edges were ripped, and the energy felt wrong to her. She still had her physical senses intact, even if she couldn’t really access her emotions. Her arm remained hanging, and she willed it to fall at her side, but couldn’t without his permission.Anger stirred in her that she needed his authorization for such a mundane task, and she glared at his back. It was easier to think
Chapter Fifty-One: AttackOrin paced around the cell, sick to death of the confines of the small room. They’d been trapped in there for two weeks, let out only on a one-by-one basis in order to shower and see to hygiene needs three times per day. He was amazed they still let them do that after the last couple of escape attempts, but perhaps Caius had some remaining compassion.Just not enough to risk weakening the Council to a level that made them uncomfortable even if it meant rescuing North from Pytor. He didn’t understand how Caius could justify that decision, even though the Council had little love for North. They should realize that the longer North was with Pytor, the more vulnerable she was to falling under his command. Apparently, that wasn’t worth risking their control.Before he could stop himself, he paused, rammed a fist against the bar, and cursed. The curse was a combination of frustration and pain from colliding with the bar. There were wards placed all around them, plu
Chapter Fifty: FrenemyTwo weeks. Two miserable weeks had passed, and North was no closer to recovering her memory. Each time she had a flash of something important, Pytor seemed to realize it and ordered Kira to adjust her dose of the “solution.” She still had no idea what that was, but each dose made it harder to think and harder to resist his horrible orders.“Do it.” He raged at her, waving at the body crumpled on the floor. “Kill the yaogui.”She closed her eyes, her body trembling from the torture he’d already forced her to inflict on the small creature huddling on the floor before her. “Why?”“Don’t question. Never question me. You do as I say. Now kill it. Show me the range of your power.” His temples throbbed with the force of his anger.North looked down at the pitiful creature, which had been broken for at least an hour. She wished she could say it was the first time he’d made her use her magic to hurt others, but it wasn’t. This was the first time he’d told her to kill for
Chapter Forty-Nine: Memories (Lack Thereof)North woke with a throbbing headache. It hurt so badly that she couldn’t think clearly. The pain centered in a spot on top of her head, so she lifted a hand to touch it and flinched when she encountered something metallic in nature. She whimpered and started to thrash.“Enough, Nara. You must be calm.” The male voice was authoritative, but it didn’t make her want to listen.Instead, she wanted to run away. Panic filled her as she opened her eyes, unable to see anything. “What’s happening? Who are you? Where am I?” Who am I? That question echoed around in her head. He’d called her Nara, but that didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt wrong on so many levels that she rejected the name immediately.If she wasn’t Nara, who was she? She tried to think, but couldn’t remember anything beyond being certain her name was North.“Calm please.” The soothing female voice had a gentle touch to match. “Let me make some adjustments.”North froze as those hands
Chapter Forty-Eight: BetrayedKriss was the one to knock on the Allises’ door, since there was a chance they didn’t know him. He was taking no chances of them recognizing Eli and trying to keep them out. They wouldn’t be denied entry, but he’d like to make things as quick and neat as possible.Carol was the one to open the door, and she left the chain on. “What is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?”“It’s time for you to tell us what you know.” Eli burst past Kriss, ripping the chain from its plate as he collided for the door.So much for subtlety. With a shrug, Kriss entered behind him and closed the door as the sound of bare feet running down the hall reached them. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Jim to join them.Eli held Carol by the back of her shirt, ignoring her ineffectual struggles. When Jim burst into the kitchen, he nodded at Kriss.Kriss moved quickly, intercepting Jim and twisting his arm behind his back before forcing him to stand wi
Chapter Forty-Seven: OpeningThe fighting was brutal, with an overwhelming number of soldiers. If it hadn’t been for Eli’s brethren joining them, they would have been wiped out by the sheer numbers that poured through the portal in the short time it was opened before it closed. Marek fought as hard as the others until all he could see was a pile of fallen and smell the coppery tang of blood in the air.“We have to get back to the Council.” Eli looked wary, but seemed determined to ignore the reality of exhaustion.Marek could relate. It was finally safe, so he returned his fire sword to the scabbard hidden by his wings. “What about all this?” He gestured at the pile of bodies.Eileen approached, looking grim. Blood smeared her face, but it didn’t seem to be her own, since there were no visible injuries. “You go after North. We’ll sort out our dead from theirs for a proper burial and then burn the rest.”“Thanks, Ma.” Eli leaned forward to hug her. “I’m sorry to run.”Eileen nodded. “I
Chapter Forty-Six: ImpossibleThe next night was a full moon, which meant a gathering for the wolf-shifters. She had the fae fabric become a comfortable outfit, in case they ran. She had no idea what to expect as they all followed Eli to the square of the village. Someone had started a huge bonfire, and there were several naked shifters cavorting around it. Others had already shifted.“Try this.” Eli handed her a glass of something pale purple.She sniffed it. “What is it?”“Pink yarrow wine. It’s good for you.”She took a cautious sip and gasped. “I didn’t expect it to be so strong.”Eli laughed as he handed glasses of the wine to the other men. “It has a kick, but it tastes great.”North wasn’t entirely sure she’d use the word great, but it wasn’t bad. She ended up finishing the glass over the next twenty minutes as they all mingled. She interacted more with Eli’s family and saw her other husbands were getting along with the wolves too. It was important to her that they all get alon
Chapter Forty-Five: UntamedThey entered a thickly forested area. This wasn’t the same kind of almost-tamed forest that had been on Bael. It was dark and primeval, with the fecund scent of soil, and everything looked rough around the edges. Even the buildings visible in the distance were on the primitive side.They moved closer to the settlement as they walked carefully through the wild forest. Most huts were clearly fashioned from material provided by the forest, and someone appeared to have carved the bare niche of land forming the space for the buildings from sheer brute force. Everywhere she looked, she could see signs of the forest trying to encroach again and reclaim its territory.The smell of soil gradually faded from her nostrils to be replaced by a less pleasant scent—wet fur and shifter bodies, combined with the unique musk that she had never noticed on Eli, but could only assume emitted from each of the shifters and joined together to create a strange musk.Ryland sneezed
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