A few hours after the birth, her mates disappeared all at once, leaving her alone with her precious bundle. She stroked her daughter's soft cheek, and the tears rolled anew. Bailey didn't understand the sadness tugging at her. Roderick was dead. Jaxon was safe. Her baby girl was born. She should have been smiling from ear to ear. But something felt incomplete. Wrong. I need Jaxon. Seeing him again had made that so clear. She'd not stopped thinking of him since their meeting. Cried all the time despite what her other mates did to cheer her up. She didn't even smile when Wyatt wore a pink T-shirt that said, It's a Girl! She needed Jaxon, and yet, despite the monster's death, she couldn't have him. It's not fair! A sound at the door made her lift her head. Her breath caught. Standing with shadowed eyes and a wan smile was Jaxon. She carefully cradled the baby with one arm before opening the other wide in invitation. It took him only two long strides before he hugge
The sun completed its journey across the sky and sank into the horizon, painting the asphalt in a brilliant wave of colors before giving way to twilight. Wind stirred the heavy ash pile on the ground, swirling it and yet not managing to disperse it. The parking lot remained mostly vacant, only a few vehicles remained to mark the sparse occupants. And of those who stayed, none were watching. From the shadows trotted a red-coated wolf. It paused in front of a door, where the stench of bleach had wiped a bloodstain away. But he doubted he would ever be able erase the memory of the wound. The shame. Backing away, he sidled over to the pile of dust. An urge to sniff had him lowering his nose. He inhaled and immediately sneezed, particles of ash lifting and blinding him momentarily. Shaking his head, he sought to clear his senses, but while the dust drifted away, he could do nothing for his muddled mind that still roiled with the images of what he'd done. Ears pricked, he h
The howling went on for hours, along with the frantic sounds of battle and mayhem. Bodies slammed against the door, and for once, she didn't curse the thickness of the barrier, not when it was the only thing keeping her safe. Over the next day, the chaos, or the noise of it anyway, subsided until only a chilling silence remained. A quiet that once she would have welcomed but now feared as hunger made her belly rumble. What had happened to her jailers? The vampire who brought her here? Did they all leave? One day stretched into two then three, and she grew weak with only the water from the rusted sink to sustain her. I'm going to die here. Just not in the way she'd initially assumed. Before, she'd imagined Roderick or his minions killing her. Now . . . Now the joy she'd thought she'd feel at never seeing them again paled as the horror of dying by starvation hit her. No. I can't die this way. Not without a fight or a chance, locked in a room with no way to e
Dim lighting did little for the cavernous room with its arched ceiling, which soared high overhead. The sparse illumination couldn't dispel the shadows, but it did hide the dust nestled in the folds of the floor-to-ceiling, red velvet drapes. Someone was stuck in the Dark ages and in need of an interior decorator, not to mention a better housekeeper. A good thing Thaddeus had been cured of allergies when he gave up sunlight, else he might have found it hard to sit without sneezing. As it was, an allergic reaction would have proven more exciting than the dull drone of his so-called peers. Bored with the conversation, Thaddeus drummed his fingers on the carved armrest of the overstuffed chair he sat in, listening to the sleep-inducing buzz of those around him as they endlessly argued the same thing over and over. They never tired of it. Such was the curse of eternity and having all the time in the world to ponder and make decisions. This century was known for quick decisions
The awful presence in Marc's head vanished. He could have sobbed in relief as it left, the heavy weight forcing him to do its bidding, an evil entity intent on using him to further his murderous agenda. Trapped within his own mind, Marc couldn't even scream for help. He could do nothing, nothing but watch as he betrayed his friends and bear silent witness as he destroyed a burgeoning relationship, cringe in horror as he did unspeakable things and all because of a warped being with a hard-on for revenge and power. But that had been last night, before the battle between the free wolves and the mind-controlled ones. In the end, good had prevailed. Roderick died, and the rogue wolves got back what was left of their minds, which, in many cases, amounted to not too much. Some died in those first few hours of liberty from fighting amongst themselves, others from suicide-who wanted to live with atrocities on their conscience?-and the rest scattered. Like many of those freed, his ow
One moment, the oppressive pressure constantly pushing at the barrier of Antonia's mind was there, doing its best to creep in, and the next it was gone. Vanished. Extinguished like the candle given to her days ago. But while the candle left a sign of its existence in the form of a glob of wax on the dirty stone floor, the overbearing presence that she'd grown used to in her head evaporated without a trace. Only once it disappeared did she realize just how much it had weighed on her. Stifled her. Tainted her with its vile and dark oily feel. How light she suddenly felt. She even managed a smile, the first in what seemed like forever. I'm free. Free of that bastard. Not entirely, or so she reminded herself considering her current location. Her momentary elation couldn't last when faced with reality. Mentally free didn't equal physically free, but then again, judging by the noise coming from outside her cell, that was perhaps a good thing. What's happening? S
Marc couldn't have said what led him to the farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. He'd never seen the place before, and yet something had compelled him to come here. As he stared at the sagging porch, the peeling wooden boards paneling the exterior of the house, and the curled shingles on the roof, he couldn't help a sense of dj vu. Why does this place seem so familiar? Why did he feel drawn to it? Actually he knew why. Signs of their presence and smell was everywhere. Rogues used to live here, but he doubted any did anymore. Not living ones at any rate, or so his wolf assured him. He'd yet to change back to his man form. Why would he? No clothes. No wallet. No reason. Best to stay as an animal for now. Maybe if he got lucky, a hunter would shoot him. Although, he doubted it would happen here. Death had already visited and taken its due. A few bodies littered the property, some of the mangled corpses partially hidden in the tall grass heavily speckled with weeds
During his escape from the castle, where his council of peers tried to murder him, Thaddeus had to kill two thralls and one vampire, whose head he lobbed from a window, and maimed two vampires-the arm he tore off would eventually grow back, but not the earlobe he bit and swallowed. Did he fight dirty? Damned straight. One didn't live to a ripe old age by showing courtesy to the enemy. If you're going to attack me, you'd better come prepared. A lesson they'd never learned, and so they failed. Losers. As coups went, Morpheus didn't plan very well, and he'd underestimated Thaddeus's strength. Did this mean it was over? That Thaddeus was scot-free? Of course not. Morpheus would try again, of that Thaddeus was certain, which meant returning to his home was a bad idea. A shame, Thaddeus had grown quite fond of the penthouse condo he'd bought in the city. Perhaps once he'd prevailed over his enemies, he'd return. Or buy a new one. When one was immortal, it was always best to