Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
How foolish of her to feel sorry for them. The moment they sensed a tremor of weakness, they attacked.
She shivered, recalling the burn of claws slicing through her skin the moment the spell broke. “I saw him.”
“Who?”
“Cerber—”
“Shh.” Soft fingers covered her lips. “Do not speak his name. Tell me what you know.”
“He was there. Last night. The house was on fire. I could tell him apart from the others.” She frowned, wondering what gave him away. “He wasn’t dressed in Amish clothes.”
“You’re just remembering this now?”
“I…something happened to me. I don’t know. I was running, and then… I was on the ground. There was a woman. She was hurt.”
“You’re not making sense.”
“I know.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. Maybe I blacked out. I was panicking, you know?”
“What do you remember?”
She remembered unleashing her magick and then… She twisted out of Adriel’s arms.
“What is it?” Adriel stood, her eyes pinched with concern.
Juniper’s hand went to her back, searching for an open wound or torn flesh, but she found nothing. Had it been a dream? It seemed too real and detailed to merely be a figment of her imagination.
“Juniper?”
“It’s…nothing.”
The vision of Adriel ripping into that man’s throat was still fresh in her mind. She might look young with her pixie red hair, youthful ivory skin, and those big, green, innocent eyes, but she was centuries old and could be as vicious as the rest of them.
“Did you give me blood?”
“No.”
“You swear?”
“Juniper, you were there. I tried, and you refused.”
“Maybe you used compulsion—”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t do that when you so adamantly said no. Besides, you blocked me, remember?”
Juniper inspected her reflection in the mirror. Her bruises were fading fast. And where were the claw marks on her back?
“Juniper, what aren’t you telling me?”
She was like them—half witch, half… Her eyes closed, refusing to admit the truth. She had questions, questions maybe Adriel could answer, but she suddenly wasn’t sure if she could trust her.
Tightening the towel around her body, she faced Adriel. “I’m better now. Sorry about…scaring you. Sometimes you just gotta scream, you know?”
Adriel frowned.
She was a witch. But she was also half-immortal. How the hell did that add up to some small, four-footed, catlike creature with claws? Maybe she hallucinated that part.
“Juniper, you’re white as a ghost.”
Aunt Venus warned her that she would experience “growing pains” once she reached adulthood. Was that what this was? She met Adriel’s stare but didn’t know where to begin, so she lied, “I think I’m just cold. I need to find clothes and get dressed.”
Adriel studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “All right. But if you want to talk about what’s bothering you, I’m here.”
CHAPTER 11
“The visions are making me insane!” Darius paced about the cavernous room lit only by the flames of the crackling fire and candles scattered throughout. Lumira’s lithe body, ensconced in snowy silks, stretched across the chaise as she watched him.
“Darling, stop prowling. You’re worrying for nothing. If she’s immortal, you’ll have plenty of time to claim her.” The Luna trailed an inviting hand over the ancient furs that draped to the floor. “Come sit with me. Let me distract you from your doubts.”
Darius studied the beloved Luna, her beauty as familiar and comforting as her scent. Her nurturing nature called to him but was not enough to distract him from more pressing preoccupations like finding his mate.
The visions had him confused and restless, crawling out of his skin with a sense of urgency, while an order from his infuriating brother demanded he stay put. Lumira, understanding more than anyone how bullheaded their Alpha could be, desired to put Darius at ease, but he didn’t want distractions. He wanted to find his mate and claim her so his life could get back to normal.
“Darius, darling, your frustration comes at an unnecessary cost. Come here.”
Lumira was not simply a female of the pack. She was also the mate of his eldest brother, Evander. As mate to the Alpha, she served as Evander’s equal. There could only be one alpha and only one luna.
Despite his body’s urges, his mind was divided, torn between the desire to please the Luna and the need to claim his mate. Drawn by her enchanting invitation, he drifted closer to the chaise. Her white blonde hair draped over the fur temptingly, and his fingers itched to wrap the silken weight around his hands.
Lumira lifted an arm, her dainty nails delicately curling through the air as she beckoned him closer. “Sit with me. I’ll tell you a story, and you can comfort me while your brother’s away on the hunt.”
He should have gone with his pack brothers, but he was too angry to bear Evander’s arrogance. Their infuriating stubbornness had sentenced him to yet another winter without his mate.
“My mate is out there and she’s upset. I sense her fear and worry, but I can’t reach her. She’s distraught, and for what purpose? I’m here and prepared to go to her. If she’s in danger, I could protect her. But the others—”