I tumble out of Adelaide’s portal and land on the floor of a warm and cozy room. I don’t have time to take in the flickering flames in the fireplace or the plush sofa and armchairs, because my body is suddenly engulfed in pain and I find myself doubled over twitching and panting, waiting for it to pass. I can sense Danika trying to calm me down, but the feeling is too much. The intensity of it overwhelms me completely. My blood feels like it's boiling in my veins, and I bite my lip to stifle a cry.“Danika, what’s happening?” I ask her desperately.“It’s your magic. The prison walls blocked it even though I was able to come forward. Just breathe. Let it flow through you,” she says soothingly.I try to do as she says, taking deep, unsteady breaths and attempting to get myself up off the floor. I’m startled by a pressure on my arm but relax when I notice Adrian is helping me to my feet. I accept his help and lean on him for stability.“Are you ok? He murmurs worriedly. “Yeah,” I breath

Since Samael Dema walked through Adelaide’s door I’ve been completely and utterly obsessed with him. His voice, his eyes, his face, even the way he holds himself, it all affects me so intensely.I knew the mate bond would be strong, but I didn’t expect to be so impassioned I would attack him like that in front of people. I was so caught up in the bliss, I would have let him take me in Adelaide’s hallway. I also never expected to let him distract me from my plans so easily and bring me back to his fucking castle.“We’re strong, so the mate bond is strong. But every wolf feels this type of euphoria when they find their mate, it’ll calm down soon,” Danika says to me, and I’m grateful I have her, because I thought I was going crazy.The only person I’ve ever consensually been with was Atwood, and that was almost three years ago. I don’t count the few nights I willingly spent with Gregory and Petra. According to the Emberi Empire’s laws, they owned me, so it's not like consent was ever eve

“Holy mother of Selene! Aurora, wake up!” My eyes fly open in panic, and I sit up, looking around frantically.“What? What’s happening!” I ask Danika in confusion. I take in my surroundings; the huge fireplace across from me is lit with a blazing fire that warms the entire room. The bed is a magnificent four-poster bed, adorned with heavy curtains which are tied back to each post. I look down and realize I’m naked, my upper half barely concealed by the blankets.“Nothing. I’ve been trying to wake you for a few minutes.” She replies, unconcerned for my lack of sleep.“Why?” I whine back at her. “I was so cozy. That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages. I didn’t even have any nightmares for once.” “Why do you think that is?” she questions, and I turn my head so fast, I almost break my neck.Fuck, there he is. The high from the mate bond might be gone, my mind might feel clear, but it doesn’t change how fucking sexy Samael is; dark, messy hair and even darker eyes, which are currently ro

Aurora’s body goes limp, and I cradle her in my arms. Fuck. This didn’t exactly go as planned. I press the sleeve of my sweater to her eye in an attempt to stop the bleeding which seems to slow now that she has lost consciousness. I wipe some of the blood from her face with my other sleeve; my immaculately white sweater now dyed crimson.I face the room with Aurora in my arms, my entire family staring at her with fear in their eyes, except my father who now looks almost excited, and I think I know why. “My apologies. She seems to have just unlocked her magic and needs some practice controlling it,” I say, defending her.“She had her magic bound to her wolf. She got them both yesterday when she turned eighteen,” Adelaide interjects and a lot of my questions for Aurora just got answered. I had intended to let her tell me everything when she was ready but holding her helpless body in my arms makes me realize, I need to know everything about her so I can keep her safe.My father doesn’t s

Samael lifts me onto his lap and holds me tightly. “Danika will be fine, Aurora. After you shift, it shouldn’t affect her like this again. Shifting will bring you both closer, sharing your strength equally, so when you use your magic, it will draw from both of you instead of just one.” His words do help calm me down, but I’m still gripped with worry for my wolf. Did she know what she was doing? Did she purposefully shield me from the pain and take it all herself? “*Danika?*” I call to her softly. Still nothing, though I can hear her faint snores, which will have to do for now. “I think this is enough for today,” Samael says to Adelaide as he strokes my hair. “Come back tomorrow morning.” I hear Addie rise from her chair and turn to face her, “Thank-you for telling me all this, I know I still have a lot to learn.” I pull myself from Samael’s lap, to wrap Addie in a hug. She takes my face in her hands and smiles at me. “You are so powerful Aurora; I know you will be a great witch, an