Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Moon Chose Me Twice: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

KalebThe gorge road is a scar cut into the side of the mountain, a ribbon of wet asphalt bordered by a sheer drop on one side and a wall of jagged granite on the other.It is the perfect kill box.I crouch behind the guardrail, the rain hammering against my tactical vest. Beside me, Charlie is pale, illuminated only by the occasional flash of lightning, but her hands are steady."Three minutes out," Mila’s voice crackles in my earpiece. She’s positioned on the ridge above with the long rifle. "Convoy is three vehicles. Lead scout, the transport, and a rear guard.""Copy," I whisper. I look at Hollen, who is huddled behind a boulder ten feet away, clutching the sidearm Charlie gave him. He looks like hell, but he nods at me. He’s ready."This is insane," Charlie murmurs, though there’s a wild, dangerous grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Hijacking a Void Stone with five people."I check my own weapon. A standard issue assault rifle we pulled from the Ranger Station cache."They

CharlieThe tactical vest hits the cave floor with a heavy, dull thud.It’s the only sound in the world besides the rasp of our breathing and the silent, screaming pressure of the Void Stone in the truck behind us.Kaleb doesn't give me time to think. He crowds me against the damp limestone wall, his body a wall of heat that sears through the chill of the cavern."I’m going to claim you," he repeats, his voice a wrecked growl against my throat. "You have no idea how thoroughly."His hands are rough, frantic, tearing at the fabric of my shirt. Buttons pop, pinging off the stone floor like hail.He shoves the material down my arms, pinning my wrists against the jagged rock. The stone bites into my skin, sharp and cold, but I barely feel it.All I feel is him.The suppression field from the Void Stone has stripped us down to the studs. The wolf instinct that usually guides us is muffled, distant static. Without it there’s just the raw, terrified animal of the human body, desperate to pro

CharlieWe move through the kitchen quickly, the smell of rising dough clashing violently with the metallic tang of blood still drying on my shirt.I push through the swing doors into the main corridor."Too quiet," Kaleb breathes, stepping over a runner rug that’s been kicked askew."The Eclipse," I whisper, tightening my grip on the stock of my weapon. "They’ll be in the Great Hall. Preparing."We bypass the main staircase. There are service stairs behind the paneling in the library. It comes out right next to the Alpha’s wing, and I doubt our uninvited guests are aware of them.We slip into the library and the smell of old paper and leather hits me, a ghost of my father. This used to be his sanctuary.I press the hidden catch on the bookshelf and the panel slides open.We ascend the narrow stairs. The air grows warmer as we climb, thick with the heat rising from the lower floors and something else. A static charge that prickles the hair on my arms.Magic.We emerge on the third flo

EvelineThe vessel feels tight.It has been years since I hollowed her out and slipped inside, wearing her skin like a silk glove, but the fit is still imperfect.She had too much love in her marrow. It resists me. It clings to the walls of her mind like stubborn mold.But today, the hunger overrides the discomfort.I stand in the shadows of the Great Hall, watching the brute, Ryker, ruin everything.He is holding a knife to Marcus’s throat. He is screaming, frothing, acting like a rabid dog when I needed a scalpel. He is trying to force the Invitation before the alignment is perfect, before the Stone is in place.Impatience, I think, the thought cold and crystalline. The hallmark of mortal flesh."Stop," I whisper.I don't need to shout. My voice travels through the shadows pooling on the floor, sliding over the polished wood like oil. It wraps around Ryker’s wrist, the one holding the blade.He freezes. He strains against the air, veins bulging in his neck, but he cannot move. The s

KalebThe heavy oak door at the top of the service stairs splinters under my boot.I don't bother with stealth. We’re past the point of hiding.The moment I ripped that iron gate off its hinges in the cellar, the clock started ticking. We have maybe three minutes before the house realizes its prisoners are loose."Kitchen," Charlie whispers, clutching her splinted wrist to her chest."Clear," I signal, sweeping the room with the rifle I took from the unconscious guard downstairs.The floor shakes. Dust rains down from the ceiling vents.Outside, the night erupts in gunfire and screams. The distinct sound of heavy caliber rounds hitting stone can be heard."Hollen," Charlie breathes, a fierce grin cutting through her pain. "He’s hitting the main gate.""He’s buying us time," I say, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the back door. "Let’s not waste it."We move past the prep tables. I can smell the freedom waiting just beyond the heavy steel door at the loading dock. Rain, pine, th