They all laughed at the irritated glare on Connor's face, Brody smiling reassuringly at Freya. "I'm the nice brother, just so you know," he grinned. His expression turned serious as his gaze swept over Dayton for a long moment and then turned back to her."I was late because I was making a present for you," he said quietly. "It's for both of you, kind of like a mating present but I want to give it to you, Freya. When we learned Dayton was coming back to us we all got together and tried to think of something to gift to you, for bringing him home. We came up with this and I didn't have a lot of time but I worked day and night on it so it would be ready for when you came to visit. I hope you like it." He held out the gift wrapped box to her.Freya stared at the box in complete shock, her heart starting to thump hard in her chest and a lump suddenly lodging deep in her throat. They were giving her a gift? She couldn't remember the last time anyone had gone out of their way to buy somethin
Freya's position reminded him of a time so long ago, when he'd had no clue she'd belonged to him but had been compelled to save her. It wasn't that memory which halted his angry words; it was the expression on her face as she gazed down at their child.The sheer wonder, the total adoration he witnessed on her face made his heart skip a beat and a wealth of love bubble up inside him. She had come a long way in the last year, was almost unrecognisable to the woman he'd first met.She would always be Freya, would always have her moments when she struggled to contain her more feral instincts. But she was adapting, integrating with the pack and motherhood was coming easy to her despite her initial fear of failing.Dayton rested against the doorframe watching his family in the stillness of the night. He stood as silently as possible listening to Freya talk to their daughter."Do you feel the breeze, little one?" she whispered softly. "Can you scent the night air and see the sparkling stars?
Here we go again. Buckle seatbelts, hold on tight, and have fun reading LOL!That break I was having didn't last too long again. Can't keep the stories out of my head or my fingers off the keyboard :-)This story is probably best read after reading the preceding ones.To my regular readers, welcome back. To any new ones, I hope you enjoy.Special thanks as always goes to my close support group for all their help. Also to the tweeps who I've teased mercilessly with updates on how far I've gotten in this story without posting it up yet (LOL). They've been very patient with me.***Enjoy.******************PrologueRomania -- Twenty-five years agoThe two dark-haired males travelled fast, the scent of blood strong in the air as they ascended higher into the heavily-wooded mountain range. It was well past dawn but the air was cold despite the sunshine piercing the wide canopy of the trees.Not that either of the males felt the cold. They were vampires; one so Ancient he'd existed over two
Demetri nodded silently, watching the others work. Secrecy was paramount and all remains were always burnt to ash to ensure no humans accidentally stumbled across proof of their existence. The likelihood of anyone coming across remains this high in the Romanian mountains was small but it was ingrained in all of them to cover their tracks."We are aware of the issues," he finally said. "Alexei had to sort things out in Ecuador a number of years ago. But we've had our own issues to deal with too. We only just managed to stop a civil war not so long ago."Mac snorted, tossing his blond victim onto the gathered wood as Pietro tossed the other two on top of him. "I love the way you prevent a civil war," he laughed. "Dissolve a Council and set up another to your own liking. Isn't there something a little autocratic about that, my friend?"Demetri shrugged, and a smile lit up his handsome face. "Times are changing, Mac. You know how resistant to change our people can be. Sometimes the ends j
Mac took the news the way he did everything, in stride. He knew it had to be true because it was Demetri who was regaling him with the knowledge. His faith in his friend was absolute. It was the only thing he could be totally sure of in his life. "Do they wish to reinstate this ancient royal hierarchy?" he asked curiously.Demetri laughed. "Quite the opposite, my friend. They wish to live their lives on the sidelines, enjoying the peace they craved so badly long ago. But to do that they must nudge our people in the right direction. The first steps have been taken and change is coming, but they need good people to help create the world they envision.""Fuck me!" Pietro exclaimed loudly jumping up from his perch, his hazel eyes going wide with shock. "It's Caleb and Annie, isn't it?"Demetri's complete loyalty to the other Ancient and his mate was renowned. There was no one else in their world the Ancient respected more, no one else he would follow. Putting two and two together had turn
"I'm in," he smiled at Demetri. "Just point me where you want me and I'll get all the intelligence you need."Demetri nodded turning his gaze to meet Mac's. He wondered if he would need to use his ace card to convince the other Elder to take up the reins of The Praetorians. He didn't want to but the children were at risk. If he had to bring up the past to secure their future then he would."So you want me to run this elite guard, train up loyal vampires and protect a wolf pack without being seen by them or our charges?" Mac finally asked staring into the dying embers of the funeral pyre. "Just how is that supposed to work, Demetri, if we have to stay hidden from the very people we're meant to protect?"Demetri smiled, relaxing completely as he watched his friend. The tone of Mac's voice told him everything; his request for more information a clear indicator that he would accept the task given to him."By scent," he answered. "The children are extraordinarily talented, Mac. They can ma
He had pledged himself wholeheartedly to his task, and to date he had been worthy of his queen's trust. Not one hair on the children had been harmed since they came under his care. They'd seldom left the compound as they grew up and were zealously protected by their parents when they did. The Praetorians had followed discreetly on those occasions, close enough to be available if required but always far enough to escape the children's notice.Not one Praetorian had ever sighted one of the Vârcolac even though they knew where they were every second of every day. Their charges had been able to grow up happy and carefree.Mac was proud that he'd achieved what was asked of him. For some unknown reason, no new children had been conceived in the last twenty-five years. Rhianna had told him once that it was a puzzle to everyone why this was the case.The current train of thought was it had something to do with the hybrid nature of the parents. With both being effectively immortal there was ta
When she'd made the decision to join the Praetorians, she'd researched its leader carefully and had been intrigued by what she'd discovered. He was an Elder just past fifteen hundred years old and he was the perfect vampire. Unlike most of their kind who had some affiliation to at least one or more people, Mac appeared to have none.There was no family lurking in the background, no friends or acquaintances he aligned himself with. He appeared completely alone though she wasn't fooled by the knowledge she'd unearthed about him.Yes, the man was cold and remote, ruthless in his dealings with everyone but she'd managed to ferret out that he classed Demetri as his friend. As her adopted uncle had impeccable taste and didn't give his friendship lightly, that spoke volumes about just what kind of man Mac was.That information earned him her respect and she'd delved deeper, loving everything she'd managed to uncover about Mackenzie. She was very good at ferreting out things, which was how sh