Francesca’s POV For the past two weeks, it’s been feeling very much like I’ve been watching myself from afar. I’ve been outside of my body, moving on autopilot. Bianca and Patrick have been on edge. They’ve been watching me like a hawk. They may be thinking I haven’t given myself enough time to process my loss and healthily deal with my emotions. To me, I’ve felt more like there were no emotions to deal with. The only thing driving me forward was anger. It was all I had and it was the only thing I needed as well. Anger built you up. It made you a stronger and more resilient person. It meant you were ruthless enough to cut your enemies down without thinking twice. There was a reason I’ve been doing so well in training. I think I’m becoming deadlier with each day that passes. Patrick never stood a chance when we sparred. Bianca has had to up her game to remain undefeated and even with that, there were times when I tore through her defenses and emerged victorious. He kept watching me

Francesca’s POVA few hours into the party and we were as fucked up as we could be. Even our supernatural metabolism couldn’t recover fast enough to allow for sober thoughts. Somehow, this suited me just fine. Bianca, Patrick and I have given up on the drinking. We were now on our third joint individually. The weed was kicking in and I was feeling deliciously mellow. There wasn’t a single bad thought to be had. Patrick was dancing in front of us. He wasn’t very good at it. He only knew a few moves and he could execute those well, I would give him that. But right now, he wasn’t sober enough for that to be the case. He was basically flailing about, a goddamn comical sight that made Bianca and I howl in laughter. “Goddess, Pat, you’re embarrassing,” I said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. My eyes closed momentarily as the high got to my head. It felt so good. I had missed the feeling that came with it.“We should denounce him,” Bianca suggested amidst a series of giggles. She was leaning heav

Louise’s POV Once I declared that I should be the witch to go undercover with Ezekiel and his rogues, everyone’s attention was directed at me. Damien and Caleb seemed slightly surprised by conviction while Philippa only was grinning from ear to ear like the cat who ate the canary. One would think she knew me well enough to predict what I was going to say. She looked smug and proud at the same time, as though, as though she had a hand in my decision. Aunt Lettie had a similar expression on her face, but it made sense where she was concerned. She’s always prepared me for a moment such as this one. The only one who seemed apprehensive was my mother. I could see the worry and anxiety in her gaze. I could also sense it in the energy of her magic. I knew she was well aware I could take care of myself but something like this wasn’t exactly child’s play. Ezekiel was as deranged as they came, and his minions were just as ruthless. They were devoid of all humanity. The only thing they cared a

Louise’s POV Kissing Philippa gave me a high I had never experienced before. Maybe, it had something to do with knowing she was a deadly killer. Yes, knowing that the alluring woman I was locking lips with was an apex predator who could suck me dry if she wanted was exciting. I’ve always had a thing for danger and taking risks. I knew I was no weakling. I was very much capable of defending myself, of throwing the first punch, and even of killing if it came to that. But the idea of being completely helpless and at the mercy of a creature more powerful than me had its appeal. Or maybe it wasn’t any of that. Maybe the only reason was that Philippa was an incredibly talented kisser. The woman knew what she was doing. I mean, she did have three hundred years' worth of experience in that department. Her expertise shouldn’t come as a surprise. I was beginning to feel dizzy, drunk on desire and pleasure as I was. There was something about the way she licked into my mouth that made me weak

Louise’s POV “Going undercover, no matter the length of time, will always be risky business,” Caleb stated as he circled me and Philippa. We were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. It has been going on for the past few hours. In the spirit of fair play, Philippa hasn’t been using her super speed and strength. I’ve not been using magic either. We were in a very secluded part of the woods, but it was very much werewolf territory in a sense. The Sangria and Crescent packs used these woods frequently for their nightly runs, even if they never came all the way to where we were. I had a feeling the rogues most likely frequented it. They also needed their nightly runs, and they very well couldn’t do that alongside the pack wolves. No, that wouldn’t go well at all. “The most important part of your preparation is the mental aspect,” Caleb said, haunching down as though he needed a better look as to what was going on between me and Philippa. Even without any powers, Philippa was still strong a