Three things happened simultaneously.Every window shattered, spewing glass at Shannon, Viktor and I. Masked figures jumped through each shattered window.I jumped in front of Shannon, shielding her from the spray of glass that flung in our direction.Viktor jumped in front of Shannon and I, taking most of the glass to himself.Everything in the ballroom was happening much too fast.People screamed in every direction. Some ran, while others dropped to the ground.In the midst of the chaos, I could make out some of the masked men holding guns. My eyes widened as explosion of bullets flying through the air pierced my ears. Everything was happening so fast, I hardly noticed my necklace hot against my skin."Stay close to Viktor!" I shouted at Shannon, pulling her closer to him be her trembling arm."Arabella!" I could hear my Dad's voice yelling my name."Bella.. I think you should st

ViktorAfter I had turned my back on the little princess, I spent the rest of my time desperately trying to forget her.I would not let the little green eye'd beauty cause my downfall.I had built some semblance of a life for myself after finally leaving my old one behind. It was a life filled with murder, but it was a life I excelled at.I was hours away on the outskirts of another kingdom when I had received news of the first three attacks.The Adair Kingdom had suffered an attack, leaving three bodies behind. What was unsettling was the fact that each body was located closer and closer to the Adair mansion."Someone else is hunting our mate." Hades growled in my head."We will find out what we can. Purely for her safety." I replied.I wouldn't have been able to resist if I tried. The moment her green eyes met my own and the sparks seared my nerves, I knew I would no longer be

ArabellaI had a total of five seconds to access the chaos around me.Viktor was knelt on the floor, a mere ten feet away. His full lips were turned down in an incredulous frown as he gazed at me with his obsidian eyes.The men that had surrounded him had collapsed to the floor simultaneously, each one laying in an unnerving heap on the floor.Blood splatter stained the porcelain floor in random locations, and I distantly worried there had been innocent lives lost today.The necklace that had once seared my skin, felt ice cold. My vision quickly became spotty and before I could register my legs crumbling from underneath me, my world was engulfed into darkness.I woke to the feel of a cool hand against my head, along with a familiar shrill voice. I kept my eyes shut, listening in on what the people in the room were saying."Is she gonna be alright?" Caroline's shrill voice pierced the air, f

ViktorI had made three mistakes within the last few days.One, I had let Arabella slip through my grasp as the masked men infiltrated her birthday Gala.I had never felt true fear in my life. Facing death had only strengthened my resolve. You could not truly bring someone to the precipice of death if you feared the thing itself. Death had never frightened me. I was sure someday I would meet my match, ending in the only way I knew; violently.Down on my knees and staring down the barrel of Kreslers gun, I felt no fear.The moment I locked eyes with Princess Arabella, I had felt something new. Fear, like white hot pin pricks swarmed my skin. I feared dying without ever telling her the truth. I feared what would happen to her after my last breath.Something had changed following her eighteenth birthday. Something I had not anticipated.It was as if there were another consciousness occupying m

With those final words, Bryton left me to my thoughts. While Bryton tried to make his touch appear romantic, it was anything but. I felt like a specimen on display, my beauty being analyzed under his critical gaze.I was too wrapped in my thoughts to feel the other emotions swirling through me. It seemed I could only feel my mate's emotions when my mind was clear.I knocked on the door to my Dad's office and entered at the sound of his voice. Viktor gave me a gentle nod and waited outside the door. Dad looked up from a stack of papers and sighed.I decided to get straight to the point."So, I ran into someone interesting today." I lifted my eyebrow at my Dad and saw the awareness flood into his eyes. He knew exactly what I was talking about."Who might that be, Bella?" Dad responded, humoring me instead of simply coming clean."Bryton Duboi." I pursed my lips, "If I look around will I find the other Royal's?"