"You have to make a decision soon. If you want the hunters, it has to be now!" Andrew blew out an impatient breath. He was getting increasingly frustrated with Luca. He had no idea how else to get through to him. His cousin wanted to retaliate, but he didn't want to leave Cadence, not when she was still in her spectral form."I know. But I can't leave Cade. Not like this." Luca shook his head and stared at Cadence as Rudolf and Rachel teased her with a foil boil. Judging from her meowing, her patience with them was running thin, the same way Andrew and April were getting impatient with him."Give me a few minutes, please," he turned to Andrew again. April just glared at him and tapped her phone, at the analogue clock on her lock screen blinking at them. They were running out of time. Not just with the hunters. But with Ethan too. He'd called a few minutes ago and threatened her. He wanted the star back. Their two weeks were up. In fact, they were going on the third week now. And if the

Luca and Andrew were only gone for half an hour when April's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the caller ID. She was so tempted to ignore it when she saw it was Ethan. But she knew he wouldn't take kindly to her playing hide and seek. With a weary sigh, she hit 'answer' on the screen."I was starting to think you were avoiding me," Ethan drawled on his end of the line.April ignored him, refusing to engage him, no matter how tempted she was.When Ethan didn't get the riled up response he'd hoped for, he cut to the chase. "Time is up, April. My men will be there in a few minutes. Get the star ready."April panicked, her mind scattering in a million directions as she tried to think of ways to stall him. But she'd run out of excuses and ideas a week ago already. She had nothing to hold him off with now. But his men coming to the manor wasn't an option, more so when she didn't have any backup."Ethan, please. Just a few more days. I'm begging you," April pleaded,

After the witches parted ways with the wolves, an impromptu meeting took place at Luann's house, where they made new plans to go after Samuel and his hunters.Someone—it wasn't clear who—had decided to forego the diplomatic route and unleash hell on earth. The hunters had gone too far when they went after one of their own. As much as they hated to admit it, Cadence's situation would have been far worse if it hadn't been for Luca.Sonja half-heartedly listened to the elaborate revenge plans, her mind still inside the Delacroix's manor, thinking about how she'd failed as a mother to protect her only child. Cadence was and should have been her only concern. If she wasn't obsessed with her feud with Luca and his clan, maybe she would have seen how unhinged Ava was.She had to make things right somehow and redeem herself as a mother."I have to go," Sonja whispered as she rose from her seat. It wasn't that much of a whisper, because the others turned their shocked, confused faces to her."

The silence in the basement was deafening.They'd gone over their plan at least a dozen times while waiting for Ethan to make contact, and now they'd run out of things to talk about. Everyone in the room hated each other's guts. If circumstances permitted, they would have ripped out each other's throats. But for Cadence, they had to work together.From his position high on the crates in the corner of the cellar, Luca glanced across the room at Rachel, a relieved smile forming on his lips when he caught her chatting with Rudolf. She almost looked like her old self again, and the bite wounds all over her neck and arms had begun to heal thanks to Sonja's concoction of herbs and ointments.Rudolf had also eased up on his snarling and growling, and looked somewhat relaxed. But Luca figured the young wolf's guard was still up where his clan was concerned, and anything would set him off. So he, April and Andrew played as far away as possible from Rachel.Tired of waiting for the call, Luca s

It was early dawn, but still dark outside. Rachel stuck as close to Rudolf as possible, gripping his big warm hand tightly in her small one. But despite his steady presence, even the slightest rustle in the brush sent her pulse soaring and left her anxious as they hurried through the woods."It's okay; I'm here," he assured her with a comforting smile."I'm all right," his mate smiled back. But he could see right through the pain hidden behind her eyes. Once again, he was overcome by feelings of helplessness and shame, his mind swirling with 'if onlys' and 'what ifs'.He was easily one of the strongest, fiercest warriors in his pack, and could handle one vampire any day. But there were six of them, and as valiantly as he'd tried to take them on and hold them off from harming Rachel and April, Ethan and his clan had overpowered him with very little effort.'It's no excuse. You should have done a better job protecting her,' Rudolf, suddenly furious with himself for not being able to kee