Asher The flight back took more than a few hours, and I used a fraction of the time to contact Jace for a brief update, knowing I would be able to make up for the energy expended somewhere along the way. Even so, I stalled, not reaching out to my beta until after Mari had fallen into a deep slumber, but I didn’t dare put off the task for another time as much as the thought tempted me. Rias’s fear about any tricks Mari’s father might try to pull was at the forefront of my mind as I spoke directly into Jace’s head a while later, hoping nothing had happened in our absence. {Hey, man. Do you have any updates for me? Any signs of trouble?} {Everything has been quiet from outside threats if that’s what you mean. Hazel on the other hand…} Jace’s immediate reply soothed some of my nerves about the safety of our pack, but the latter half of his monologue was not looking promising based on the little he’d begun with before trail

Marigold I could feel my shoulders creeping higher until they were practically covering my ears, my anxiety through the roof as we ventured forth to deal with my mother. Yay me. Rias’s presence helped me keep putting one foot in front of the other until we were standing outside the room that had been assigned to her. Wincing as her shrill voice carried through the air, I hurried in when I realized she was inside berating some poor soul. I registered Rias following right behind me, but my eyes were already scanning the room, assessing what kind of damage my mother had caused this time. The pair of healers my eyes alighted on looked harried, as if they’d been engaged with my mother for a while, and I noticed them promptly skittering out of the room with the distraction our entrance provided, the scissors I eyed clutched in the female’s hands as they went telling me everything I needed to know. “I really wish you wouldn’t yell at

Zacharias My dragon roared to life within me, slashing to be set free with the impending danger heading our way, and I was already ripping my clothes off as I left Mari, racing towards the clearing so that I could take to the air. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind, there was no coincidence about the timing of the stray rogues’ and Keith’s assault, and there was nothing that was going to convince me otherwise. As I flew over the land, scanning my surroundings for any signs of intruders, my sharp eyes picked up on movement towards the north. Utilizing my shrewd senses, I zeroed in on the figures winding their way through the trees, realizing these were the rogues who were trying to infiltrate our territory after another minute of observation. I took note of their activity, making sure I didn’t miss anything. Honestly, there didn’t seem to be many of them, but I shot out a warning with the intel to Asher anyway while keeping the ma

Marigold My mind was a million miles away as I went through the motions of getting ready for our flight the next morning, every waking thought reminding me that I’d failed to keep Iris safe. Rias and Asher had taken care of packing any supplies we might need, so I’d only been responsible for making sure I dressed appropriately for the trek to the Western Province. More than once, my mates tried to pull me out of my own head, their delectable fragrances and compelling personalities enough to give me a fleeting reprieve from the recurring thoughts, but I was left with an abundance of free time while they ran around, tying up loose ends before we set off. Annie and Ruby joined us for breakfast, but no one was in a talkative mood with the daunting next couple of days ahead of us. Hence, it was a quiet affair before we said our goodbyes. Nevertheless, Annie hurried forward before I could follow my mates out the door a while later, stopping me in my tracks as she wrapped a heavy coat ar

Asher One second, I was sprinting for cover as we came closer to saving Iris, my gaze pinned on a nearby building, but then Nicolai was roaring in alarm, his body crashing into me and bringing me down face first into the concrete sidewalk in front of me. The nasty collision set a chorus of bells off in my brain as my senses picked up on several things simultaneously, time seeming to slow to a crawl as anguish exploded from my head down. Heat was rapidly spreading from behind me until it became equally as unbearable as the ringing in my mind, yet I didn’t miss the agonized howl piercing the air above it all before darkness reigned, my body shutting down to protect itself. When I came too, it was by increments with pain radiating out from multiple points, but it was the ache from my face that commanded the bulk of my notice. It took me a minute to comprehend that someone else was moving my body, flipping me over so that I could see the smoke darkening the sky, and it took another on