[Arissa’s POV]I felt myself being yanked back deep into my consciousness, allowing my vampiric side to begin to take over. From where I remained, I could only watch as if it wasn’t my own body doing the fighting as she faced off with a shocked looking elder Gregory.‘Serves him right.’ I growled, spurring her on. ‘Kill him.’At my words, a feeling of pure bloodlust began to take over, spurring her forward at superhuman speed while the bastard elder attempted to evade her.‘How?’ He growled in my head, sending waves of disgust through me. ‘How are you so fast?’‘Surprised?’ I purred. ‘You weren’t the only one with a secret.’"Say good bye now, bastard elder." My vampiric self purred, leaping into the air and landing on his back.A loud roar escaped elder Gregory as she bit the side of his neck, filling his veins with venom that would soon paralyze him so she could make his death a slow one.Letting out a giggle of excitement, she jumped off his back, landing on her feet while his body
[Ivan’s POV]Was she dead? That was a damn good question. If she was here, then that was the most obvious answer. However, it was the one answer I absolutely refused to believe. There was no way in hell that she was dead. I wouldn’t fucking allow it."Ivan," Arissa whispered, "please answer my question."Something about how her voice shook as her pleading eyes met mine broke my heart. Seeing her this vulnerable was still rare and unnerved me to the very core. Especially since there was no one to kill to make her feel better. This time, it was due to a situation that neither she nor I knew how to get out of.Sucking in a breath, I prepared myself for what I was about to say. Even if she was considered dead at this point, she wouldn’t remain this way. If there was a way for me to escape, then there was a way for her to do the same."Do you trust me?" I asked, wanting to calm her before I answered."Unconditionally." She responded instantly."Then despite what I’m about to say, know that
[Arissa’s POV]"About damn time." I beamed, extending my claws. "You’re in luck, old man. I’ve been meaning to file these. "A look of confusion crossed Ivan’s face as he took in my claws. Something about the expression made it seem like he hadn’t seen me do this before. What the hell?"You can shift?" He asked, grabbing my wrist and lifting my hand to eye level."Uh, yeah?" What the hell was wrong with him? "You’ve known this for how long now?""Interesting." "What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped, pressing a hand against his forehead. "Have you lost your mine in the two months you’ve been here?""Two?" Ivan gasped, his eyes growing wide. "What do you mean, two? It has been maybe a week at most. "Now it was my turn to be confused. Did this mean that time in this realm was different from time in the human world? Shit, how much time had already passed since I arrived here?"Ivan," I said slowly, bracing myself for his reaction when I told him that not only was he already gone f
[Arissa’s POV]"Come along." I growled, motioning for Stefan and Catori to bring the bastard elder along. "This isn’t the proper place for this."Nodding, the two men followed. Neither bothered asking me what I was up to as we made our way down the hall. Granted, I was pretty sure that they knew what I was up to anyway.Feeling my blood begin to pump, I beelined for the torture chamber that Ivan had reserved for the war criminals. In my opinion elder Theodore was no better than them."Do you know what you’re doing?" Elder Theodore demanded when I began to clamp cuffs around his wrists and ankles. "I’m an elder!""You could be the fucking moon goddess herself and I wouldn’t care." I smirked. "It won’t save you from receiving your retribution.""Close the door!" I called over my shoulder. "I don’t want anyone to overhear what is about to happen here.""No, you can’t!""I can," I countered, pulling a pair of clamps out of the tool drawer Ivan had set up. "And I will." I beamed. "You, eld
[Arissa’s POV]"Can you take care of the old man?" I asked, clenching my fists. "I’ve got a date with an old friend.""Are you sure you’ll be okay alone, Luna?" Hans asked, seeming unsure."I’m positive." I insisted. "But if you’re really concerned, I can bring Stefan and Nazhoni with me."At my words, the weirdo duo seemed to perk up. Of course, they would be interested in coming along."We’ve got her." Nazhoni beamed, "You don’t have to worry.""That’s right, lover." Stefan agreed, causing a ferocious blush to spread across Hans’ face. "We’ll make sure no harm comes to her."Biting back the laugh that wanted to escape, I watched Hans while he tried to recollect himself. If I had more time, I would definitely pick on him about what Stefan just said, but I just didn’t right now. My children were waiting for me."Enough standing around." I said, "Time to move. Hans, Igor, and the rest of you take care of Elder Theodore. Nazhoni and Stefan, come with me to get Apollo and Conall back. "
[Arissa’s POV]"Come on, beta’s daughter."Keeping my smile in place, I began to move towards Giselle as she remained unmoving. Would she attack or would she give in? I guess we were going to find out right here and now.Surging forward, I attempted to attack, causing Giselle to move to the side, but not quickly enough to avoid my claws grazing her arm. A hiss of shock escaped her and her eyes flashed with anger."Oh, looks like you’re angry.""You won’t be so cocky much longer."Letting a growl escape her, Giselle moved to attack as I dodged and twisted, slamming my elbow into her so that she stumbled forward."Uh oh." I laughed, attacking again. "Seems daddy didn’t teach you well enough. Such a shame.""You talk too much!"Excitement flared through me as Giselle attempted to attack once more. However, despite her using all her abilities, she was still no match for me. Easily dodging, I began to deal blow after blow, tearing away at her porcelain skin.With each blow, I could feel he
[Ivan’s POV]Time continued to pass after Arissa’s departure. There was too much time and it was damn near exhausting having to wait day in and out for the day to come when I would actually be able to finally make my way back to my mate and pups."How long has it been?" I sighed, scratching the beard that was growing freely by this point. "Too long.""Time is irrelevant here." The damn voice that continued to haunt me chuckled."No shit."Slowly getting to my feet, I looked for the celestial being that had just spoken. Why was it here now? Was it to taunt, or was it to actually deliver something useful?The need to beat the shit out of something began to consume me as I continued to search."Why are you here now?" I asked, narrowing my gaze. "If it isn’t to announce that the trials have begun, I’m not...""Ivy."The voice drifted towards me like sweet honey, and I found my frustration suddenly turning to confusion. Why was she here again? Did that mean something else happened on earth
[Arissa’s POV]I stood aside and listened as Giselle recounted what she had told me to the others. With each new detail, elder Theodore’s face grew redder and redder. It seemed that the ridiculous elder didn’t expect her to not hold anything back."And that’s why." I announced once she was finished. "We need to go pay the Rose Woods pack in the north a visit. It seems that they don’t think much of the Fulgur or Tonitru packs. It is our responsibility to remind them. ""Here, here!" Nazhoni announced."Sounds like fun." Stefan added."Ivan would really love this." Igor grumbled.Flinching, I tried to ignore the pain that was shooting through me at the mention of my mate. Even if I knew he was okay, that didn’t make it any less painful to not have him here beside me. However, right now I needed to fix things so that when he returned, we could begin where we left off."You sure about that?"My eyes grew wide as Ivan’s voice drifted through the air. Whirling around, I found him, but not h