Ella's P.O.V.I laid on my back on top of the examination table. Thankfully, Dr. Zosak had elevated the back of it slightly and I was able to lean back without being uncomfortably flat. My injured arm was pressed against my chest while the fingers of my other hand toyed with the conjoined oxygen tubes that ran down my chest from where they had been pressed up under my nose and tucked behind my ears.Hearing the faint murmur of conversation in the hallway stop, I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Cain walking into the room. His shirtless, muscular chest was the first thing I saw.After I managed to tear my eyes away from naked torso, I saw the blood on his face and arms.It was my blood.The sight was gruesome and it was hard to look at.I felt my heart begin to race and the neon green lead on the cardiogram that I was hooked up to begin to bounce up and down quickly, pinging its way loudly across the monitor besideme. His lavender eyes scanned me, observing both the saline dri

Unknown P.O.V."Are the final preparations for the memorial service being made?""They're being completed now, sir."He nodded in satisfaction."Will she be there?"The young man nodded, the hands that were clasped behind his back shook as he did so."Yes, sir, she will be.""And he'll be with her, I presume?""Yes, sir."The young man let out a shaky breath."Is that all you need from me, sir?"He wove his hand, dismissing the young man."Yes, Zak. That's all."Ella's P.O.V."Ouch!""Sorry, watch your head.I sat down in the plush leather seat rubbing my head."That warning came a little too late," I told Daniel, who was swinging luggage into the overhead compartment above me."Technically, I gave you one before that," he retorted, closing the compartment."I don't think shouting 'Four!' counts," Jai said, shuffling in behind him with his two duffle bags.Daniel just shrugged."Knock it off, you two," Cain said, entering the cabin of the plane."Go help everyone else load the rest of

Narrative P.O.V."Put the building in a lockdown. No one leaves and no one enters."Upon hearing the Alpha's command, the large wooden doors were closed immediately."I want this building searched from top to bottom," Cain said to Dinesh.Dinesh walked away swiftly, giving orders in Marathi through a radio hidden in the hem of his shirt sleeve."Where is the guest list?" Cain asked, pointing to Daniel."I have it," Jai said, producing a clipboard from the bag he had slung around his shoulders."What's going on?" Daniel asked, alarmed by Cain's command for outlandish security measures."We have an uninvited guest in the form of Otto Müller," Cain said, taking the list from Jai.Daniel went pale."Where's Ella?" he asked."Locked in the car." Cain said.Jai's facial expression morphed to one of confusion."You just locked her in the car?" He asked.Cain said nothing as his eyes scanned the guest list."You honestly think that he listed himself as Otto Müller?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

Unknown P.O.V.Rain poured down on the grassy plains that stretched on for miles outside the window. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed closely by a crack of thunder.The sound of the heavy rain pattering against the glass panels of the window competed with the cracking of logs that burned in the hearth of the large stone fireplace.The gloomy evening did nothing to lighten the moods of those in the castle as they observed the storm."Where are we in implementing Plan B?" the man asked in annoyance.As he spoke, his attention turned away from the window to the man who entered his study. The subordinate came to stand in front of him, shaking in fear."The teams have been dispatched, sir. They are required to check in with us once they have reached their destinations, before they complete the task."He drew in a deep breath."Have we found the plane yet?"The young man stumbled over his words as he tried to answer the question."Not exactly, sir. We have the coordinates for the

Ella's P.O.V.I woke to the smell of burning pine.I was engulfed by the large bed I laid in and the warmth surrounding me from the heavy fleece blanket that tucked me in made me want to go back to sleep.I was more comfortable in that moment than I had ever been in my life. But then I remembered that I had almost been killed by a version of Gollum that needed a dentist and an exorcism.I could still picture the carnage that was spread across the room from the attack and the putrid copper odor of that creature's blood would be something that I never forgot.I pulled myself up from the bed and sat up slightly to look around.The bedroom I was in wasn't very big, maybe twenty feet from one far corner to the other. Dark wooden paneling covered the walls and ceiling. There was a small stone fireplace embedded in the wall facing the bed. A stuffed elk's head hung over the mantle.Next to the bed on one side was a wall with a bay window.There were curtains pulled over the windows but I cou