Trying to sate a lifetime of questions in the course of one conversation, Livia let them fly at will. "Why do people become obsessed with me? I mean, I'm not... well, that you know...?" she asked, the question she’d been harbouring for the last decade. Sitting back in her seat, she braced for the answer, nervously playing with the hem of her sleeve while she tried to listen past the abnormally loud beat of her heart. "All humans experience that magnetism toward demons. It’s called allure. You evidently just haven't been taught to keep it in check. You are not just a witch, dear, but a demon." Rhye answered. "Oh." That it was something Livia could have controlled hit her in the chest like a ton of bricks, stealing her breath and making her head spin. How long had she tried to contain her power? To change people’s reactions to her? And all along, it was apparently an easy fix. If only she’d known what she was, she could have saved herself a lifetime of hardship. It was almost painful

Joseph didn’t think she was aware of tracing her fingertips over her upper stomach, but he was. He knew, suddenly, that there were scars under there. Murderous rage had everything inside him going quiet and still. Memories of his mother ordering the pack guards to whip him flitted around in the back of his mind like poisonous shadows just because his mother found him kissing a man. Sometimes, he still felt the sting of the iron-tipped lash flaying his flesh open, still heard the crack as it split the air.Werewolves or demons healed fast—Joseph faster than most—and they didn’t scar easily. Unless the weapon was made of magical silver.What had they used on Livia to inflict those scars she traced?A demon's allure was powerful. She hadn’t known how to control it, and the humans around her wouldn’t have been able to resist. But that wasn’t going to stop Joseph from gleaning the names of those who’d hurt her and hunting them down.Rhye watched her intently, as if reading his brother's t

Livia followed Rhye as he led them downstairs, her heart beating a little too rapidly, nerves buzzing through her like a swarm of angry bees. Part of it was the lingering shock over everything they’d told her, but part of it was good old-fashioned Leon of the unknown.She believed Rhye when he said he could contain her power if it got out of hand, which eased some of the Leon; but not all of it. The what-ifs were circling around and around in her mind. He’d said her power felt different, so what if it were broken? What if he was wrong, and he couldn’t contain it?What if he could prevent it from escaping the room to which he was leading them, but he couldn’t stop it from hurting him, Leon, or Joseph?What if they become obsessed? What if her power finally began to affect them like it did, well, humans?That's going to take some serious getting used to.Sure, she’d kind of, sort of, thought she might be an alien. She realized that after having confirmation that she definitely wasn’t hu

Cocking her head, Livia frowned at him. "I don’t understand." Her eyes went wide as it hit her. "Oh my god, I get it. So, if they make vampires popular in movies and books, demons will become stronger because more humans are glorifying them. Same for witches and werewolves and everything else, yes?""Exactly.""Holy shit. I wonder how much I affected them in my Twilight phase as a kid."Joseph growled, "Those fucking movies! The "vampire" and "werewolf" demons were out of control. The "underworld demons" were pissed. They’d been top dogs for most of what"—he glanced at Leon—"like the last thousand years?""Mm, thereabouts, yes.""Wait. Did I hear you say ‘top dogs’?" she asked, ignoring the twilight thing in favor of something more important."Yes, but now anymore," Leon nodded.“Spiteful little fuckers, really. And always hungry!” Joseph pointed to a few thin white scars crisscrossing the back of his hand, scars she’d somehow never noticed before. “They like people meat, and they are

Speechless, Livia gaped at the beautiful monster before her. Drawn like a moth to a flame, she took a step closer, wanting, needing to see him, to touch him. She managed a single step before Rhye cursed, eyes wide and dark brows furrowed, as he stared down at himself."How the fuck did you do that?" he demanded, pinning her with a stunned look.God, but his eyes were unreal. Vibrant, ocean deep blue with a sunburst of bright green around the pupils. They were the eyes of a predator. Eyes of a pureblood alpha. She wanted to get lost in them, wanted to stare into them until she’d mapped every facet."I have no idea," she admitted with a slow shake of her head. At the disbelieving expression he gave her, she tried to think past the shock of seeing him and explained, "The heat of your power was starting to get painful, and then, all of a sudden, it felt like mine got pissed off and threw yours back at you.""You shouldn’t be capable of that," Rhye muttered, but it was said almost absently