by Sara Snow
“That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.” He sighed. “I also had a speech planned.”
“Sorry,” I chuckled. “I’m listening.”
He kissed me quickly and pulled away, his eyes changing back to blue again. “I’m not the fiend I used to be, that I can assure you, but maybe one day you’ll hear of the things I’ve done. I need you to know why I did them.” He sighed. “I am in the unenviable position of being a vampire and a human. Unfortunately, neither species accepts me. So, many years ago, I terrorized the people of Earth because I was trying to prove to my kind that I was one of them, that I could be more ruthless than any other vampire. I was a legend.”
“But I eventually grew tired of living like that. I stopped caring if my kind saw me as an equal. And for that, those who had once loved me turned on me and eventually ostracized me. It was a lonely life at first, wandering between both worlds, but I got used to it over time.”
He looked away. “Life became very predictable. This is what leads many vampires to plague and terrorize other beings. They’ve lived for too long, and they grow bored with endless nights of death and sex.”
“It sounds like torture.”
“It is.” He looked down at me and cupped my chin. “At least the killing part. Not the—”
“Yeah, I get it.” The words left my lips in a rush, and Will chuckled at my embarrassment.
His eyes began to roam my face, as if he was looking for something. “Then, I met you. A little wolf who didn’t scorn me or try to kill the vampire the moment she met me. That . . . was something that had never happened to me before.”
“We’re taught from an early age to either stay away from vampires or kill them. Only I didn’t feel like doing either. There was no reason to.” I smiled. “But I would have kicked your ass if you had attacked me.”
His lips curved with a smirk. “I noticed that. It made me want to.”
I frowned at that. “Y-You wanted to feed on me that first night, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered bluntly. “For a while, I fought against the desire to taste you, telling myself I should leave you alone. But I couldn’t. You were the first person to show me any semblance of acceptance in . . . well, forever. But I also couldn’t feed on you, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I should have expected as much. He was a vampire, after all. “Okay, so, what about your mother, the Queen?”
He shook his head and turned to face the door. “She eventually wants me to take her place, to be King. I suspect she’s also waiting to see if I’m able to have children. She’s forced human women on me in the past.”
“Yeah, you can skip the gory details of your past sex life. But kids?” I made a face. “How can you have kids? You’re a vampire.”
“You’re right. Most vampires are sterile . . . except for those with royal blood. My mother is the last royal alive, but for whatever reason, she’s never been able to have a child the way her parents had her. So, when the time comes, she has to pass on her throne to a vampire she’s created, a general.”
“Oh,” I spoke slowly with understanding. “So she’s not your mother by birth. She’s just the one that turned you.” My eyes widened. “She thinks you can create a new race if you have kids, right?”
“Yes, a race of vampires who’ll be able to walk in the sun. I still have everything a human does. It’s not far-fetched that I might be able to impregnate a human or any other supernatural.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the balcony’s railing. “Even so, she has said none of this to me. It’s just a feeling I’ve had for some time. But I’m no longer an active general. I don’t live at my mother’s palace or among my kind.”
I tapped a finger against my thigh thoughtfully. I didn’t want to imagine a world with vampires who were capable of hunting night and day. We already had an issue on our hands.
“I’ve tried to stay away from them all.” Will’s voice grew dark with anger. “But my mother wants me to revert to being the vampire I used to be, and I was almost ready to give in to her demands. I’ve spent decades alone, Elinor. So, that’s why I was . . . that’s why I was in your little town.”
“And now?” I asked hesitantly, and he turned to me, took me by the waist, and pulled me to him.
“I want nothing to do with the vampire throne.”
“Would it be so bad?” I inquired.
He pinned me with a blank stare. “Yes. Yes, it would be. As the King of the vampires, I’d gain nothing but a kingdom of creatures who hate me. Yes, I’d have authority over them all, I’d rule, but that never enticed me. It still doesn’t.”
He looked up at the sky, and I found myself doing the same. “For a time, I lived almost like a king, ruling by my mother’s side. At the time, having that level of ultimate power over others was intoxicating.” He looked down at me. “But that kind of life can be restricting.” He took a deep breath and continued, “What I want now is you, Elinor. And while I’ll always be the Queen’s son and have a connection to her, there are ways to hide from her, in this world or others.”
He moved a strand of my hair behind my ear as the wind blew it across my face. “No matter how they hated me, I never had enough of a reason to truly be done with my kind—not until now, until I had you.”
My swollen heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. “Do you mean that? You’d make that sacrifice for me?”
“Would it be any different from killing those Skins to protect you or revealing my secret to you? Tell me what else I need to do to prove to you that I love you, and I’ll do it.”
Did he . . . did he just say he loves me?
I waited to see if he’d looked shocked by his rushed words, but he only kept staring at me intently.
“Did you . . .? You just said you loved me, Will.”
“I know,” he answered as he reached out to pull me to his chest again. He placed his large hand over mine and squeezed gently. “I do love you, Elinor. For all the centuries I’ve walked this earth, I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I’ve never craved anyone like this. I’ve always thought I was better off alone.”
He looked me up and down, and my stomach knotted at the uncensored emotion in his eyes.
“You, a werewolf and a pureblood, didn’t care that I was a vampire. You accepted me.” He shook his head as he laughed. “You kissed me just now because I showed you my vampire form. So, yes, my feelings are genuine, and I’ve had enough of not having all of you.”
My heart melted and tears began to sting the back of my eyes. I didn’t know what to say. Will had broken through my walls so easily and chased away my fear of being vulnerable.
I looked down at my hands. All my life, my father had smothered me and made me feel that if I didn’t have a mate by my side, I wouldn’t be safe or protected. That was one reason I’d hated the thought of settling down so much. Until Will.
I looked up at him, my green eyes turning to black as I grew emotional. Will never belittled my strength, but he also never seemed to care that I was a firstborn female or worry about what was required of me.
He just felt honored that I cared about him.
He said I had accepted him, but he had accepted me as well. And it meant a lot.
“I love you,” I breathed out, the words sounding a little foreign on my lips. “I do.”
I exhaled as if I’d been holding my breath my entire life. Expressing my feelings and hearing him do the same had left me feeling weightless. I wasn’t sure if this was what it was like to find one’s mate, to feel loved, but I didn’t care. Mate or not, I knew Will was telling the truth, and I knew what I felt for him was real, too.
I placed a finger against his lips as his head dipped to mine.
“I’m not going to marry Elijah.”
“Of course not. You’re mine now,” he replied confidently. I rolled my eyes and my hand fell to his chest.
I could feel his
heartbeat and the warmth from his body. “Okay, Slick, calm down. We have few things to take care of before you and I can go riding off into the sunset together, in case you haven’t noticed. For one thing, we have to find the monster behind these reanimated supernaturals, along with the one who . . . murdered Ms. Clementine.” I paused as I swallowed the lump that was growing in my throat.
His hands cupped my cheeks, and I closed my eyes. I could see Ms. Clementine’s face in the darkness behind my lids, and my wolf stirred angrily. Will had only just confessed his feelings for me, so I decided to wait to tell him about my plans to leave the pack. For now, I’d just enjoy this moment with him.
I tipped my head back and gazed into his eyes. But the moment our lips touched, we pulled away as the sound of a commotion inside caught our attention. We looked at each other before moving at the same time.
What the hell is happening now?
Will
I couldn’t remember my life before my mother turned me when I was twenty-eight years old. Even my memories from a decade ago were growing fuzzy, but I did know one thing for certain: the moment Elinor told me she loved me, I experienced a euphoria unlike any I’d ever felt before in my long life.
There was a time when I’d forced myself to be as soulless as other vampires. I’d strained myself to feel nothing but a thirst for blood. Now I couldn’t help wondering what the hell I’d been thinking.
Elinor and I rushed back to the bar and found six Werewolf Guards waiting for us. Cyrus and Theanos stood ready for a battle, their eyes black. The Guards had certainly taken their sweet time finding us, but I was curious to know how they’d even made it this far. The Werewolf Guard wasn’t well-liked in the Black Souls Market. All I could guess was that they’d bribed someone into telling them if they’d seen Elinor and Cyrus.
A man with red wings was hard to miss.
Two out of the six Guards had transformed into their first form, each facing off with a demon brother. Their growls echoed through the bar, and Elinor rushed forward, stepping in front of Saleem and Scarlet.
“Enough!” she yelled. The wolves stopped growling immediately. “What are you doing here?”
“You need to come with us, Elinor,” one of the Guards answered, his black eyes returning to blue. “Your father wants you to return home. We don’t intend to leave without you.”
“Are you giving me an order, Jonathon? Are you sure that's something you want to do?” Pride burned through my chest. Elinor definitely wasn’t ordinary. “I’m not leaving, but you are. And you can tell my father that we found both Skye and information about what’s going on.”
Jonathon looked at the Guard by his side before turning to Elinor once more. “Elinor, we can’t return without you.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to. But you can take Skye back with you,” Cyrus said, stepping forward. “We’ve learned of another location where we might find other abducted supernaturals. We’re heading there soon.”
“You’ll need our help. Then we can return to the pack together.” Jonathon didn’t look like he was going to take no for an answer. Maybe he wasn’t aware of Elinor’s stubbornness.
“I’m not going back home until this is done,” she said, squaring her shoulders.
“We have our orders, Elinor. Don’t make us force you.”
Growls rolled through the bar like a wave, and animosity sizzled in the air as Elinor’s claws appeared. I readied myself to act, my eyes followed the Guards’ every move. I just prayed I wouldn’t be forced to get involved.
Elinor turned to Cyrus and held up her hand. He stepped back, as did Theanos, Saleem, and Scarlet. She growled low, but the sound was so deep, the dishes on the nearby tables shook with the vibration.
“I wouldn’t force my hand if I were you, Jonathon.”
Not heeding Elinor’s warning, Jonathon charged at her. As I moved forward to help, Saleem placed her hand on my chest and shook her head. I clenched my jaw and exhaled as Elinor and Jonathon collided. In seconds, she had thrown him across the room, hitting multiple tables on the way. Then one of the transformed wolves also attacked Elinor . . . only to hit the ground hard when her fist connected with his face.
Elinor shifted into her second form, white fur bursting from her skin. She held her head back as a thundering howl exploded from her.
The Guards stood frozen, their eyes averted in respect. My hands fell to my side, and I fell for her just a little harder. After a moment, she began to shift back into her human form, and Jonathon slowly got to his feet, his eyes still averted.
“You’ll return with Skye,” Elinor told him. “She’s healing, but she’s still weak. It’s not safe for her here. Ms. . . . Ms. Clementine was killed.” Jonathon looked Elinor’s way, regret morphing his features. “I’m not coming home until this is over.”
“I’ll take her.” Theanos stepped forward. “I’ll fly ahead with Skye. I can make it back here faster, and I can fill your father in on what’s happened.”
Jonathan combed his honey-blond hair back and stood up straight. He was utterly submissive to Elinor. “Okay.”
She nodded and stepped aside, allowing the Guard to follow Cyrus and Theanos into the back to get Skye. Jonathon’s eyes fell on me with surprise when he walked by, but he said nothing. I remained to the side, a silent onlooker as Elinor said goodbye to Skye. The poor girl was thin, but her eyes were bright and filled with something I knew all too well—a thirst for vengeance.
“Here.” Saleem approached me and held out a small vile. “You’ll need this.”
We were alone now, except for Scarlet. Cyrus and Elinor had already gone outside to see the wolves and Theanos off. I narrowed my eyes at the old woman’s cunning smile before taking the vial from her. I turned it over in my hand, its clear liquid shifting around inside it.
“This is a potion to mask my scent.”
“You know your potions.” Her smirk grew wider as her eyes narrowed. “I doubt there will ever be another like you.”
I decided to ignore that comment. She was a black magic user, and it would be better for someone like me not to be on her radar. I pocketed the vial. “Thank you.”
Then the door opened, and Elinor and Cyrus returned. Saleem took Elinor’s hand in hers. “Elinor, I had no idea you were a white wolf.”
“Well, yeah, I’m guessing you’ve heard the rumors. But it’s not important.”
Saleem’s expression became grim. “I’m not so sure about that.”
7
Elinor
I combed my fingers through the grass beneath me and closed my eyes. The wind on my skin felt amazing, and I inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp, clean air as animals called to each other in the forest behind me. That was when I realized I must be dreaming. I wasn’t enjoying some solitude by the cliff back home. No, I was still in my room at Saleem’s bar in the Black Souls Market.
Nevertheless, I decided to enjoy this moment of bliss.
Theanos had left with Skye a few hours ago, and Saleem had strongly suggested I get some rest. And I had definitely needed it.
Before me, the sea was calm, the waves small and gentle, and I lost myself in the soft sounds of them crashing against the cliff. I felt at peace, more than I had in a long time. My eyes opened as I tilted my head back to gaze up at the brightly colored sky. The picturesque sunset looked as if someone had splashed buckets of orange, red, and purple paint across it.
I sighed.
I wish the world was always this peaceful.
I knew death was a necessary part of living, but it could be painful and cruel. Skye was pretty tough, but losing her mom had left her reeling. I shook my head. None of them—Skye, her mother, or the other supernaturals we’d encountered—deserved what had happened to them.
I went over the information we’d gained from Arden in my mind repeatedly, but it offered no hints as to who was behind this mess. Considering that humans, werewolves, witches, and elves were all among the victims, it would be barbaric if someone f
rom one of those species was behind what was happening. That, however, left thousands of other species to consider—dark creatures and otherwise.
I frowned. While we were fighting Arden, there’d been no humans there at all—only supernaturals with heightened abilities. So what were the humans used for? I pinched the bridge of my nose—speculating always gave me a headache. But for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine the motivation of the person behind all this death. What was their goal?
Nothing in my eyes justified this kind of suffering. I didn't want to imagine the agony the supernaturals who were branded with that strange symbol had gone through. And the ones still missing would likely endure the same.
One thing I knew was that I wouldn’t stop searching for the person responsible, and I knew Cyrus felt the same. Neither one of us would rest until the person behind Ms. Clementine's death—and the master themself—was found. Whatever Arden’s master’s plans were, I wouldn’t just sit by and let them happen. I wasn't going to lose anyone else.
My lips twitched with a smile, and I brushed a finger against my lips as I thought of Will. My cheeks heated, and I chuckled to myself as I shook my head. Will was, indeed, an anomaly. I never thought I'd ever meet someone like him. I knew our future would be messy once I left my pack and he cut ties with his mother. But I was still looking forward to that life. So what did that make me?
Foolish maybe, but I loved him. I wanted the life I’d always dreamed of—with him.
Then my smile faltered. Could we have a family, though? Was it possible? After all the centuries he’d been alive, surely, he should have gotten someone pregnant by now—even accidentally. Having children always seemed like a distant priority before, but the possibility of having a child with Will made me realize just how much having a family really did matter to me.
I shook my head, needing to think of something else to calm myself.
The sound of grass crunching caught my attention, and I jumped to my feet and spun around. I relaxed when I saw Ione drifting towards me.