Rayne's POVWild hunger razed through me, fanned into existence by his kiss. Like fire, it coursed through my veins, setting every single part of me ablaze. I wanted more, no, needed more. I didn't know how much I had been craving a taste of his lips until I felt them against mine.With a small moan I didn't even think myself capable of releasing, I pressed myself up against him even more tightly, bringing my arms up around his neck.The intensity of his crushing kiss had me pressed up against the door, but it was fine, since I no longer thought of leaving. The feeling of his skin sent delightful shivers up my spine. I used the opportunity to trace the muscles of his back. Indeed, he was clearly a powerful man that made his enemies shiver and yet, right here, he had reduced himself to a simple man just to kiss me. His true power sat underneath his skin, just waiting and flexing with his muscles. His hands went down to my waist, and then lower, until I practically sat on his hands. H
Rayne's POVThe festival got off to an exciting start.First off, the people didn't come to mess around. They dressed in beautiful clothes, wearing smiles on their faces and holding tightly to friends and family with an eagerness that had neither a beginning or an end. Fabrics or reds, blues, yellows and greens swirled all round, blessing the world with the magic of colors and celebration. Children ran about, chasing themselves while excited squeals flew out of their mouths. Overhead, the small tents had been set up perfectly, with waterproof material draped over them so that people could sit underneath, although most people preferred to sit outside them on the mats and watch the stars.At the center of it all rose a dancing fire that some people danced around. They changed a song as they all moved in sync, waving their hands and swinging their bodies in tune with the beating drums and harmonious flutes. I watched in blatant awe of their splendor, wanting nothing more than to kick o
Rayne's POVI placed my hands over my mouth, not wanting to believe the news I just heard. No. They couldn't have taken Sal. Why would they? “Rogues don't take people,” Savannah said, looking at both men. “Right? That's not what they do.”“Bradford,” Kaiden started calmly, “I need you to give me details of what happened. We're wasting time by just standing here doing nothing.”Bradford shook his head. “There's nothing to do right now, apart from tracking them down. They came upon us so quietly. I'd never known rogues to be able to do that. It's like they're evolving.” He sighed. “Sal and I were in the woods at the moment, and the next three of them came out of nowhere, attacked me, and just . . . took her.” He punched the ground. “I couldn't stop them. They were far more organized than I had anticipated.”Someone screamed again, this time much closer than the previous screams we had been hearing. Kaiden hastily pulled Bradford up and towards him until their foreheads touched. “Loo
Rayne's POVThe loud silence nearly deafened me. Save for the sounds of my foot trampling leaves underfoot, I couldn't hear much. The eerie atmosphere sent shivers up my spine, eliciting goosebumps along my skin.I hadn't noticed the light chill in the air that evening earlier, but now that there was no longer a large roaring fire to keep me warm, the chill no longer had any barriers. Nevertheless, I had a job to do, and I wouldn't leave until I at least found that boy's sister.I sniffed the air, not quite sure what to expect. Tinges of grass, wet earth, and leaves permeated my senses, and somehow they beckoned me closer, like invisible fingers pointing me to the way. I followed them, still cautious, but knowing that since I had taken the initial risk, I couldn't turn around and give up now.The path I followed took me further into the quiet woods with every step I took. Occasionally I would hear a sound afar off, like someone shouting or loud thudding, but it never came close enough
Kaiden's POVLuckily, from what I had seen so far, not a lot of people had been hurt this time around compared to rogue attacks in the past. Thankfully we had gotten to the scene before things got even more worse.From the look of things, they really had another target, because if they didn't, things would have been more terrible. Rogues were ruthless creatures, treating their kin like mere prey for feasting. When they struck, they didn't even care if you were once from the same pack as they were. While some rogues could still remember certain things about their past for a little while after becoming rogue, turning wild slowly made those memories degenerate, until they couldn't even remember who they once were before. At this point, it usually became increasingly difficult for them to transform into their human form, so they remained in wolf form.I didn't know how Rayne expected to catch one of them and test out her theories, no matter how smart she was. I just hoped that she hadn't
Rayne's POVThe most important thing to me after saving that little girl, was the fact that I had also been able to incapacitate the rogue I had also met.Most of the fight had been blurry, but I knew at one point, I managed to bite into its neck again, sinking my teeth deep until I finally punctured an artery. It had been the best course of action for me to take, because I didn't have the strength to actually fight it off, but I had the speed to dodge it long enough to deal another targeted bite to its neck. I came up with the idea soon after I realized that trying to fight it head on wouldn't have gotten me anywhere, and I couldn't save the little girl if I was dead.The only thing I didn't foresee was that the rogue wouldn't be weakened immediately. After the last bite I gave it, it threw me off it again, and slashed into my back. Before I blacked out from the pain, I had rushed to the little girl who had somehow dropped from the tree, and shielded her with my body for fear that
Rayne's POVI didn't think he would have agreed so easily to my prodding, but Kaiden took me down to his quarters and showed me the scroll-like paper that sat by his bedside desk.It looked like ages had passed since it had even been made, but the paper still had the strength of normal, modern ones. A red ribbon sat around its middle, securing it in the position that it had been found. Curiosity, like a bad influence, pushed against the corner of my mind. I wanted to open it up and know its contents, but I couldn't do that without first understanding more.Like Kaiden had said earlier, it didn't have a definite smell, which made it a peculiar object. From sniffing it, I couldn't tell where it had been or how long it had even been buried. I just knew that it was a piece of paper; which didn't give me any significant knowledge that would set me apart from a human’s own perception of it, and it greatly unsettled me.I turned the object over in my hands, inspecting it thoroughly. Nothing
Rayne's POVEven though the crisis had been averted from Mysticrock, an air of melancholy still remained, and it would probably be a while before it faded away. Although there had only been one casualty—the man that I had seen in the forest—meny other had still gotten injured by the rogues despite best efforts. The person I actually pitted the most was Bradford. Every Time I saw him, he looked completely forlorn and stressed out. I knew that he had something going on with Sal, but I didn't know how deep it ran until now. Every few hours he went out to search for anything that could lead him to Sal, anything at all. My heart went out to him because I also wanted to do something to help.Which was why I put in all my energy in the interrogation we prepared for the rogue. I just hoped that the beast still had an understanding of basic English because if it had already gotten to the point where it now fed on its own kin, it was probably too far gone.He had been kept in the lower cellars