جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

SALEM CECIL AND THOREN RAN INTO THE BEDROOM, PANTING AND OUT OF BREATH. The magi had a paper rolled up in his fist, holding it up into the air like it had a significant importance. Once Cecil caught his breath, he approached the bed and collapsed beside Salem.Salem’s mate turned his head toward him and said, “The king of the Wilds is coming.”“That’s significant,” Salem replied. “Why is he coming all the way out here?”“See for yourself.” Cecil handed Salem the note. “He supposedly has some intelligence he wants to tell you about.”Salem examined the rolled parchment. Just as Cecil had said, the message was from the king of the Wilds, informing Salem of an impromptu visit. He stared at the handwriting and puzzled over the king’s admission. “I wonder what kind of intel it is.”Thoren sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I have a bad feeling about it,” the werewolf admitted.“What if it’s another one of his card readings?” Ulrich mused.“But to come all

SALEMALARMS ECHOED THROUGH THE HALLS OF THE ESTATE, LOUD AND RELENTLESS. They woke Salem from a deep slumber. The vampire yawned and looked around. He’d fallen asleep on the couch, but was now comfortably sprawled out in his own bed. Beside him, Thoren and Ulrich lay sleeping, but as the alarms continued to blare through the building, both sat up and acknowledged him.“Someone must have tripped the wards,” the werewolf said, his voice low and groggy. “Go figure.”Salem wiped his sleep crusted eyes and came to his senses slowly.Hasty footsteps echoed down the hallway outside his suite. As he stared through the open doorway, Cecil appeared moments later and hurried to Salem’s side.“There’s been an incident,” the magi explained.Salem stifled another yawn. “Did something trip the wards?”“Yes. Something powerful. Valencia is checking it out now.”“I will find out,” Ulrich announced.“I’ll go with you,” Thoren agreed. “Cecil, you stay here with Salem.”His companions rose from the matt

THORENTHOREN WATCHED SALEM’S BODY TWIST AS HE FELL AND SCREAMED HIS MATE’S NAME. From across the hall, he sensed what was about to occur a mile away. Yet even with his sharp, canine instincts, the werewolf was too slow to react.Time appeared to stop as he ran toward Salem, who hit the floor hard.The crunch Thoren heard next lit an inextinguishable fire beneath his skin.When he finally reached Salem, Thoren collapsed onto his knees beside him and leaned down to examine his mate’s condition. The twisted expression of pain that distorted the vampire’s typically calm demeanor ripped into him like a saw.Two words sizzled at the forefront of his mind: Salem’s hurt.A monsoon of questions leaked through the cracks of Thoren’s hardened mind.Why had Salem gotten up from his wheelchair without calling for someone?How badly was he hurt and what was that crunch Thoren heard?Was their unborn baby okay?Thoren had no way of knowing the answers to his questions in that harrowing moment.“Sal

SALEMSALEM WOKE WITH A START IN A PITCH BLACK ROOM.He blinked the tiredness from his eyes and rolled over. Once his sight adjusted to the dark, Salem made out the shape of bars in the distance. He felt the bedding beneath him and sat up. His wrists ached, and as he moved, something in the dark clinked against the bed’s metal frame—chains. He reached out and trailed his fingertips along the links until they touched the wall behind the bed.Salem’s heart sank.On top of being bound to the wall, the sedative Eira slipped him was still affecting his body. Salem’s strength—what was left of it, anyway— wasn’t enough to break the shackles or the chains. His eyes moved to the baby bump. Think. He squeezed his eyes shut and searched for a way to escape. I can’t let her take them.He recalled Cecil’s vision and his stomach churned. His mate had predicted Salem’s death. Back then, he had shrugged it off because he figured the future was malleable. Now he wasn’t so sure. He stared into the dark

SALEMIT HAPPENED SO FAST, SALEM COULD BARELY PROCESS WHAT TRANSPIRED. One moment, Eira walked in with a knife and tried to stab him. The next—something unexpected occurred.The tip of the knife struck the amulet hidden beneath Salem’s shirt. He heard the distinct sound of the gem shattering beneath the weight of the blade. The impact released a blast of cold air that erupted around Salem and the huntress.When he opened his eyes, Eira stood frozen in place."What did you do?" she cried.The bottom half of the huntress’ face was the only part which remained unaffected. Her eyes stared at Salem, unblinking, while her rosy lips contorted with rage. The disconnect between the beauty of the top half of her face and the ugliness of her scowl made the vampire’s stomach churn.Salem shifted the shackles on his arms and pulled the amulet out.Remnants of the sapphire gem clung to the silver band that surrounded it, which had gone unscathed. The ring glowed with incantations.“So that’s how it