I take another day before deciding it's time to leave so I can research the area where we were going. It’s a very small town, one that I’m surprised is even on a map, although it’s possible that my grandfather actually drew it onto the map for me. What little I can find out about the town let’s me know that it’s very small, less than a thousand people. That’s it. That’s all there is about the town. No sights to see, no hotels to stay in, no restaurants advertising for travelers to stop in for a bite to eat. Nothing. I let Demetrius know that we’re leaving, and I have no idea when I’ll be back. I tell him to protect the estate and to let no one in who is aligned with my father. “We need to be careful,” I say as we pack up her car. “Aren’t we always?” she asks. “If this is a town of witches and warlocks, we’re going to be outnumbered,” I say seriously. I’m still not thrilled that she wants to fight beside me, but no matter how strong I am, or how strong she is, one thousand witches,

I come awake slowly to the sounds of snarling, growling and hissing. My body feels like it’s been hit by a truck and I have the healing capacity of a human. What happened? As I try to get my bearings, it comes back to me. I had come down here to rescue my sister. I found her, talked to her, had even gotten the door to her prison cell open, and then she had blasted me with magic, slamming me against the wall and knocking me unconscious. I shake my head, tasting Leana’s blood in my mouth and that brings my senses into sharp focus. What have I done? I open my eyes and I see Kella fighting against three vampires. The space in here is narrow and they are using her much larger size and their numbers to corral her against the wall. As I watch, they surround her, pinning her against the cell wall. All three have their fangs out and they are obviously willing to share, all three wanting to feed on my mate. I watch as she leaps at the throat of one of the vampires, tackling him against the

When I left Leana, not at all happy that she is planning to confront my father, I raced back to the last spot where I smelled my sister’s scent. Her scent is strange, cold, like a vampire’s but also with an earthy, herbal scent which must come from the witch side. Although the other witches’ scents don’t smell good to me, my sister’s does. I follow the scent to the next town, slowly making my way through, staying in the shadows. I find the remnants of humans that my sister has drained and left to rot. I quickly clean up the mess, disposing of the bodies. I realize that she was starving. I’m guessing the witches were trying to feed her human food, not feeding her human blood. I work my way through the town, stopping at the local bar, and ordering a whiskey so I can hear any rumors that are going around. There are several about Ennata, some about a beautiful girl who stopped briefly, and some about the wild animal that has been attacking people. They don’t seem to realize that they are

I follow Lady Mehira out of the hotel, much to the chagrin of the humans who see us. Mehira doesn’t hide her sex appeal and based on the conversations that I heard from the humans, they recognize that she’s from the castle on the hill. As she walks, people stop talking, standing to watch as she passes, and me as well. “You,” she says to a very attractive man whose blood smells sweet even from here. He falls in line behind us, pumping his fist to his friends. “You,” she says to a beautiful woman whose blood smells similarly to the man’s, sweet like honey, and she raises her chin and falls into line behind us. “Hey. Hey!” the guy behind me stage whispers. I turn and look at him as Mehira continues to call to the ones whose blood smells the sweetest. I’m not sure if that’s the draw, or if that’s just the draw tonight, but it’s obviously what she’s looking for. “We’re the elite man,” he says, putting his fist out toward me. I frown at him and turn back around. “Dude, don’t be a dick

“How did you know my grandfather?” I ask King Kazimir. “He and I fought many battles in our lifetime together. When you live as long as I have, you’ve been in many battles. In the beginning, we were on opposite sides. Your grandfather always believed that we were more than the monsters we are, that we could be better than what we’ve been made into. I didn’t start out that way. I loved the power and strength of being a vampire. I loved that I could take what I wanted without a care in the world. So, in the beginning, we fought. Then, one day, I was captured by humans that found out about vervain. They weakened me and were starving me, letting me die slowly. I found out later that I had killed their family members, some spouses, some children, some parents,” he says looking at me. “As I said, I didn’t care back then.” “You’re not the same person you used to be, father,” the Prince says, watching his father. His mate is now sitting on his lap, but not in a sexual way. She’s leaning agai