KADENI banged my fist on the door for the third time, my anger rolling off in waves, not minding that Kim was right behind me. I knew because her scent was unique to her. The smell of lilies.“Kaden, are you okay? You have been…I don’t know…acting all frustrated since you returned from meeting Storm. Did something happen? Have the police manage to apprehend her? If that is so, it wouldn’t be much tussle to get her released, would it?” She asked the series of questions without pausing for one second, her vice tainted with worry. I knew that Liam must have filled her in on who Storm is, and my mild obsession with her. Was it mild now? I was acting like a raving maniac because of a girl that keeps giving me mixed signals. But I couldn’t help it. I don’t blame her either. She doesn’t know what she is to me. My mate. A fated mate. Lycans rarely had that.“Yeah I am fine. And no, nothing happened. Storm is okay.” I replied, turning around, a faux smile on my lips. But of course, Kim saw

Elina stared out the window, counting the minutes until the sun set. It had been the longest day of her life. The worst. She had tried to sleep, but she couldn’t keep her mind still. Over and over her brain insisted on tricking her, telling her that Damonq was dead. He lay in the earth, the soil over him, covering his terrible wounds, wounds he hadn’t fully taken care of because of her. He’d spent so much time trying to save her, in the end he’d sacrificed his life.She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She’d never paid serious attention to any man. Now she couldn’t think about anything or anyone else. She’d spent a good deal of time pacing. Then she showered and washed her hair. She was weak enough that she had to sit twice, but she was determined that when next she saw him, her hair wouldn’t be a tangled, horrible mess. It was a little shocking to run a comb through her hair after washing it and have not one tangle snag the wide teeth. Damonq. He had done that for her.Thr

Elina dropped her head into her hand and took a deep breath, wishing Damonq was there with her now. Wishing she really was his lifemate. But she knew better. People like her didn’t get the gorgeous, courageous man, the sweet one, the one who would take on a baby along with its mother. No, they got the villain, the monster. And she got the worst monster on earth.“But not you, baby,” she whispered aloud. “You’re going to be loved. Very, very loved.”Damonq read her thoughts, because now that he was in her mind, he couldn’t quite let go. He wanted to go to Elina and reassure her, to find a way to make her see that he was her lifemate, that he would never leave her, but there was too little time. He switched from his intimate path with his lifemate to the more common path of the ancient people. Tensel, I must meet with you immediately. I am hunting for sustenance, but will return in a few minutes.Come to the house. Tensel said.Damonq left the compound. Sandu, Ferro and Andor fell in

Damonq sent his spirit to examine Elina’s brain first. There were no parasites, which gave him a measure of reassurance. Darkness wasn’t taking the chance of damaging her. Of course, once he knew for certain he was losing her, he would likely turn on her and do everything in his power to kill her. To help protect her from that possibility, Damonq built a heavy shield around her brain, one he was certain the parasites couldn’t penetrate. He did the same with her heart and lungs, then her ovaries and womb. Gary was doing the same for the baby, once he pushed the parasites from her little body, back into Elina’s.It is time, Gary said, when they had completed building their shields.Healer? Darkness made the name sound like a curse. Do you think you possibly can take on a devil and win?Gary made no reply. Damonq admired him even more for ignoring the master monster as if he were a mere nuisance, far beneath his notice. The two withdrew from Elina’s body and each returned to his own.“I’

Sandu leapt out of the way of the whip of lightning. More crashed through the crack, swinging around in the air like sizzling snakes seeking a target. Gary threw his body over Elina’s, taking her to the ground, while the ancients scattered in every direction. Each took a corner, ducking as the lashes bit into the ground, slamming all around Damonq.In the midst of the chaos, the parasites had to be watched so that none slipped into the ground. They all knew that the microbes could infect the soil and cause miscarriages in the women. They couldn’t risk that taint spreading here.Elina’s cries nearly drove Damonq mad. Every instinct he had – ancient and lifemate – pressed him to get to her at any cost. To protect her, ease her transition into her new life and protect their child. As he turned toward her, lightning whips lashed all around him, striking the ground, shaking the entire house and healing grounds as they sought him.Elina needed his blood. He felt the first pain blossoming in