AldrichAva is looking at me, her eyes shining with excitement. Despite the worry twisting my stomach into knots, I can't help taking a moment to appreciate how incredibly stunning she looks with the warm glow from the fire kissing her pale skin. I know without a shred of doubt that I'll give my life to protect her. The realization stuns me. I didn't know her two days ago, but today, I'm ready to die for her, to kill for her. I can't afford to dwell on the depth and the intensity of my feelings for her, nor can I afford to let guilt over the lies I have told to be with her overwhelm me. If she has indeed come up with a way to protect this hut from outsiders, it will give her enough time to heal. And once she's healed, I'll actually track Connor down like I promised Alpha Tam. That is the excuse I used to make Alpha Tam relieve me of my duties.When I laid my reasons down for wanting an indefinite leave of absence, Alpha Tam wasn't very pleased. If the circumstances had been diff

Avalea I stare into the fire, mulling over the situation we are in as I do at least a hundred times a day. There are so many emotions I'm dealing with at any given time: heartbreak over Father's death, fear over Ann's safety, my attraction for Aldrich that is rapidly turning into something more than mere attraction, and the guilt that goes almost hand in hand with the attraction. At any given point, one of the emotions typically overrides the others. Like a moment ago, my desire, my lust for Aldrich was topmost on my mind. Now, it's the guilt. However, I know there will come a time when the guilt completely fades away. Not too far away in the future, I know that my feelings for Aldrich will catch up with the lust. When that happens, no power in any of the worlds will be able to stop me from giving myself completely to Aldrich. "So Skycharts," I repeat, looking at him with a smile. "The Blood Ritual needs to be performed when both the moons are at their brightest. The brightnes

AvaleaI’m lost in my own head plotting the Skycharts when Aldrich shifts back into his human form. I’m about to yelp when his hand covers my mouth. He puts his finger to his lips, telling me to remain quiet. My eyes are wide and my breathing ragged. He doesn’t have to tell me he has sensed danger. I can see it in every taut line on his face, every hard angle of his body.He leans down until his lips are touching my ear.“We need that Cloak. Now.”I begin to object. Not enough time has elapsed before I can even attempt to tap into the Darkness inside me.“Now,” he says in a tone that doesn’t leave any scope for argument.I nod, conveying I understand.It’s difficult to focus with my heart hammering. I look into his eyes and force myself to be calm as I shift my focus from one form of magic to another that’s drastically different. My power gathers around my heart. I send tendrils of it down the blood in my veins, seeking the Darkness within. It’s there, but it’s depleted.I send a pray

AvaleaWhat did I just experience? The dry, factual description of an orgasm I’d read in the Council-approved scientific books can’t even be compared to what I just felt at Aldrich’s hands.I was born with magical blood, I practice magic every day, but this… this goes beyond magic. He incinerated me, annihilated me, destroyed me in the best possible way. I don’t have the energy to even lift a finger, but at the same time, I’m feeling so alive.Underneath all that, there’s also a tiny tinge of embarrassment. Aldrich’s hands were on my… I close my eyes and hide my face in the crook of his neck. I can’t help the smile from blossoming on my lips, however. His finger is still buried inside me.By the Goddess, this is what heaven must feel like. He pulls out his finger slowly, then pulls up my breeches and fastens them in place. Holding me close, he drops a kiss on my forehead.I peek at him through my lashes. His eyes are blazing with naked, unbridled lust. How can something that feels

AldrichLast night after our little chat, we slept in each others’ arms, just holding each other.I woke up earlier than Ava, before sunrise. It feels wonderful to wake up next to her, without having to worry about rushing back to the pack. I could get used to this. With a silent sigh, I force myself to move past this feeling. Ava and I are worlds apart. It’s never going to work between us. I need to keep reminding myself that.I have been given the privilege of keeping her safe—for a short duration of time. A very short duration. No long-term plans. We just need to focus on getting through the day unharmed.For now, I need to get us food and water. There are some essentials that I brought with me yesterday: dried meat and hard flour biscuits. Both of those things taste only a little better than dirt, but they’ll help us survive if going out becomes impossible. With so many enemies after us, that time might come sooner than I expected. We are under threat from three different fronts