"You came back to me," Kalista whispered as she threw herself into Jade's arms, her eyes filled with fresh tears.Jade said nothing as he relished the feel of his mate in his embrace, the sparks of the mate bond tingling his skin. How he had missed those sparks. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. He had missed her.Orion moved closer to Salem and lightly touched her hand."Let's give them some privacy," he whispered to her.Salem nodded and quietly left the temple, with Orion and Mathius behind her. Seeing how Jade held Kalista like his life depended on it made her remember memories with her late husband.It had been so long since she felt a man's sincere touch. Her eyes fell on Orion and she quickly looked away before he could catch her staring. She knew Orion would never be hers, so she tried as much as she could to suppress her feelings."How is the Alpha, mistress Salem?" one of the young witches asked the question that was burning a hole in e
You have a lot of explaining to do, Soren Tobias," Salem said in a hard voice.Roland, whose real name was Soren took a deep breath and spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "After all these years," Mathius shook his head. "I never thought I would see the ancient elf return to this village.""Salem, I know I owe you an apology." Soren began."You damn well do," Salem snapped. "You leave this village without a word to anyone, not even me, and you think you can just waltz back in and everyone will receive you with open arms?"Soren sighed. "Hear me out first," he pleaded. "And if you still feel I'm not welcomed here, I'll leave peacefully."His words silenced Salem and she folded her arms before her."Start talking," she said....Jade stared at his mate as she lay asleep in his arms. He gently tucked in the damp strands of hair behind her ear and leaned forward slightly, placing a soft kiss on her lips. On the side of her neck, a magnificent golden mark sat prominently. It was a be
"Tell me Salem," Jade snapped at her. "What is the curse? What will happen to my mate?"Salem shut her eyes so she wouldn't see the fear in Jade's eyes. If Jade knew what would happen to Kalista, it would break him. "Jade think about this," she tried to discourage him, but Jade was adamant."If you don't tell me, I will find out myself."Salem took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "Taking a unicorn's horn at first will kill it, because the horn is the source of their magic. It is like their life force. When cut off, it unbalances a unicorn's life. And after a while, the creature would die."Salem paused, trying to find ways to soften her words. But there was no other way. No matter how she put it, it would sound terrible."Well?" Jade prodded her when she remained silent."The unicorn would live for a few weeks trying to heal itself with its magic," Salem continued. "But in the end when it dies, whoever took its horn would die with it."It took Jade a moment to understand what
In a cave beneath the magnificent palace of the lycanthropes, an unknown man wearing a black cloak moved under the cover of darkness and crept stealthily down the tunnel, towards the warriors at the far end.The warriors were obviously guarding something because a bright blue glow emitted from the cave behind them.The unknown man crept further, using the darkness of the cave as a perfect cover to shield his movements.The warriors conversed in low tones, oblivious to the man creeping silently towards them.When he was close enough, the unknown man brought out a set of tiny needles and a hollow pipe. He inserted the needles into the pipe and quietly raised it to his mouth.One by one, he blew sharply through the pipe, sending the needles flying through the air until it found its mark. Twelve lycan warriors all fell down unconscious as the needle sunk into their skins. They wouldn't die though, but they would be unconscious for about an hour. He had to move quickly.The man slipped i
The mating ceremony of the lycans was in full swing that particular hour. As if honouring the celebration, there was a full moon brightening the night sky, sending its silver rays down to the earth.The kingdom of Hayden was in a festive mood as lycans from all over the realm turned up for the special ceremony.The mating ceremony was a festive occasion where lycans gathered at the kingdom of Hayden to meet their destined mates, the mates the moon goddess had chosen for them. It was a tradition in honour of the moon goddess who was mated to the god of the earth.Every one hundred years, shifters attended this celebration, bearing gifts to the Supreme Alpha and Luna of Hayden as a way of paying homage to them.As the celebrations continued, Luna Izabelle suddenly felt a change in the air. She sat upright on her throne, cocking her head to the side, trying to figure out what was out of place.Her sharp golden eyes scanned the crowd of shifters that were all in a festive mood, eating an
Alpha Xerxes stared at his son, then at the dagger Jade showed him."Who?",he grounded out."Someone from the kingdom of Northville",Jade said. "It has the symbol of Northville""An arrow in the sky",Apollo noticed the symbol. "A mere human had the guts to break into Hayden, kill my mate and steal the Gem?",Alpha Xerxes voiced out in an eerie cold voice. There was an underlying tone of rage in his voice."I don't think a human did this, father",Jade said in anger. "Yes, it has the symbol of the humans but I think someone used it to cover their tracks""What do you mean?",Apollo frowned."I mean, we have a traitor in our midst",Jade broke the news. "Only the shifters know of this powerful Gem and where to find it. The humans do not know of our existence, and they do not know of the Soul Gem""You are right",Apollo agreed, finally understanding what Jade was trying to explain. "Whoever committed this atrocity has a connection with Northville. We must find him and make him pay for his c
Jade had been traveling in his wolf form since the sun crawled out of the horizon. He travelled during the night and camped during the day, taking short naps in secluded areas before continuing his journey.He had arrived at Northville that morning and was looking for a place to camp in the forest when he heard her scream for help.The moment he heard it, memories of his mother's murder flashed in his mind. He hadn't been able to save his mother from being killed with the poisoned dagger. He hadn't been there to protect her.Now was an opportunity for him to allay a bit of the guilt he was feeling. With a vicious snarl, he shifted smoothly into his human form and raced through the trees, following the sound of the female's screams. Suddenly her scent hit him and almost made him lose concentration. It was the smell of the wild forest. Not the forest around him, but something richer and sweeter. Something that called to the beast within him.It couldn't be, he thought.With renewed v
Kalista felt her face turn hot with a blush at his words. She carefully released his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, keeping her eyes averted.Jade who didn't like the sudden distance between them moved closer to her and slipped his arm around her waist.Kalista stared up at him in surprise and was about to push him away when he backed her up against a large oak tree. The weirdest thing was, she didn't feel cornered or repulsed. She wanted his arms around her. She wanted to feel the texture of his lips.Jade watched as her eyes trailed to his lips and he knew she could feel the pull he felt. She didn't just understand it yet."I mean it, Kalista",he whispered to her. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever come across"And you're my mate.He said the remaining words in his mind. He wished he could tell her what he was, and what she meant to him. But it wasn't the right time yet."But... you just met me",Kalista whispered and she closed her eyes when she felt his arm tighte