I folded my arms over my chest and stared deeply into Ventura’s eyes. Had it been his plan to bring me here all this time? I looked over at Michel with resentment. “You keep saying you want to free yourself from the commands of a vampire, yet you’ve made a deal with another? I don’t see why you need me if you have him on your side.” “Ventura must keep up appearances with his vampire dealings. That’s where you come in. I will free us of Harrington's influence if we have a powerful weapon to remove him from his seat over the biggest company in this city.” My gaze moved to both men in fearsome concern. The vampire’s eyes bored into mine with heat and cunning. Those were schemer's eyes. Ventura held no allegiance to Noctua. Why would he? Ventura would be crazy to let go of this golden opportunity for the same reasons Jace’s father kept Noctua in his fold all those years. Once Harrington fell and Ventura took control of the company, I doubted he would release my grandfather’s men just l

A young woman lay on the floor of my room, wriggling her body in pain. Her eyes were bloodshot, and I could see her temples and neck veins pop. She was dying—choking on blood.I crouched in the corner, urging my eyes to look away from the gruesome scene, but I couldn’t peel them off her. She looked pathetic, and it was all my fault.I hated myself.She had been the fifth victim they forced me to feed on to the point of death. Ventura then urged my blood down the woman’s throat and broke her neck. The vampire said they had to die with my blood in their system for their bodies to transform. All five subjects returned to life, only to die—confused, in pain, and alone.“I don’t understand why it’s partly working. The subjects came back but died soon after.” Ventura shouted with a bang of his fist on the steel table.My body jerked from the sound. I didn’t know how much more I could take. Those people died because of me. They didn’t want this, and neither did I. Michel executed five innoce

Death was all around me. I was the angel who appeared without notice and reaped the lives of everyone standing between me and the forest line.Everything had been a blur. I remembered tumbling outside a set of heavy, double doors. The fresh air hit my face, and each breath I took wasn’t quenching my thirst for it. It was nice to be out—to be free.I was standing outside a compound, and a little further ahead was the black mass of a forest.Sirens were ringing in my ears, and flashes of red lights had guards running everywhere around me. It took time before some of them noticed me, and when they did, they pulled their guns out and aimed.After that, I remembered nothing until I stumbled into the dirt and grass inside the woods. The wet medical gown clung to my body and was no longer a pale blue colour. It looked black under the moon’s glow.I dug my nails into the earth and slowly crawled until my head cleared. When I found my focus again, a river of tears pooled down my face. I was so

I stayed under the warm water for what seemed like hours. Every time I went under the stream, the water pooling under me was dark brown and disgusting from the dried blood I was furiously scrubbing off my skin. My hair was the worst. It was matted with tree twigs and dirt. “A good thing my hair is black.” I scoffed, running my fingers through the strands to untangle them. When I was satisfied, I got out and patted myself dry. I returned to the bedroom and found a pile of clothes on the foot of the bed. Lukas must have brought them up. After all, I had arrived with only the soiled medical gown. I shook my head, thinking I had run into the forest buck naked with only a thin fabric to cover myself. I inspected my feet before putting on a pair of warm socks. The soles were still sore, but fresh pink skin covered the cuts. Next, I lifted my arms to pull the loose shirt over my head, and I was happy my ribs didn’t hurt anymore. Good. It meant I was healing. When I was ready, I followed

I rolled to the ground and quickly got back on my feet. When I looked up, Lukas was standing above me. The setting sun behind him created a halo of orange, pink, and gold around his imposing black frame, making me almost squeak.After our second round of sex, we returned to the cabin, and I confessed everything to Bea and Moe, who had arrived. My compulsion ability did not surprise them, and they immediately covered me in a hug. Their action melted away the icy fear of their rejection and made me feel more at peace with whom I was becoming.I was still high on sex and adrenaline, so I asked Lukas if he wanted to brawl a little with me. I hadn’t trained in weeks, and I could feel it in my restless body that I needed a good workout—other than kicking my boots off with a hot Alpha male.“Use his height to your advantage!” Shouted Moe from the porch. “Stay low.”Moe was happy to watch and offer comments as he scrutinized our dance on the dirt path. He kept repeating that I needed to focus