by Lexi C. Foss
“Come, mate,” I said to Willow, holding my hand out for her.
Her eyes smiled at my chosen nickname. I still intended to call her my pet as well, but in this room right now, I needed her title known so they understood she was my partner and equal.
Rather than sit, she stood beside me, allowing me to wrap my arm around her lower back. “Rae mentioned you needed me.” She spoke softly and only to me, not to the room.
“We want to dress you up as Lilith,” Kylan drawled. “For some photo ops.”
Her eyes grew. “What?” She looked at him, then back to me.
“Only from behind,” I told her. Then I elaborated on Luna’s plan—in a far better way than Kylan had—and included why we wanted her to pretend to be Lilith. By the end of my explanation, Willow seemed a little more comfortable.
“Oh. That makes sense,” she agreed, nodding. “I can try, yes.”
“Then we have the beginning of a plan,” Jace announced, seemingly satisfied.
“There’s one small issue to discuss,” Damien interjected, his focus shifting to Luka. I knew what he was going to say because he’d given me the detail earlier. It hadn’t surprised me, considering what Lilith had said last night. “You have a spy in your clan feeding information to Lilith. I have the name and information saved for your review. The culprit was feeding details to Lilith about my sister.”
Luka’s eyebrow shot up. “Lilith knew about Izzy?”
“Yes,” I replied. “She told me last night that she uses the information to taunt Cam.”
Silence fell again.
Darius and Jace shared a long look, their mutual concern evident.
“He won’t be the same man you knew,” I warned them. “I can’t properly explain to you the sensation of having her in your head like that. Just… expect him to be violent when you release him from the technology.”
They both nodded, saying nothing more.
“I think we’re done for now,” Kylan said.
“Yes,” several others agreed.
“Walk with me to my office,” Damien told Luka. “We’ll talk.”
I didn’t recognize the name of the culprit in his clan, but I imagined it would be a difficult discussion. No one enjoyed identifying a traitor. Case in point, Benita. She was still very much alive in Damien’s freezer, keeping Lilith’s corpse company. Seemed appropriate enough to me.
“It wasn’t Mikael, was it?” Kylan asked suddenly.
Damien frowned at him. “Who?”
“The traitor in Majestic Clan,” Kylan clarified.
“Oh, no,” Damien replied. “Why?”
“Just ensuring I didn’t make a grievous error in judgment,” Kylan replied.
“He’s acclimating quite well,” Luka said, giving Kylan a gentle grin. “I’ll update you on him later, if you like.”
“I might, yes,” Kylan said, his attention shifting to Rae. She smiled at him and reached out to squeeze his hand. They were talking to each other in their minds, making me envious all over again.
Yet as I looked down at Willow, I realized that it wasn’t really needed at all. Because we read each other in different ways. Through our eyes and our bodies. Like now, I could tell she wanted me to pull her closer and kiss her, so I did. And her resulting sigh told me it was exactly the right thing to do.
“Thank you for my surprise,” she murmured.
“You’re welcome.” I cupped her face between my palms, staring deep into her pretty blue gaze. “My shoulder still stings from your bite.”
She grinned. “Good.”
“I thought you might feel that way.” My feisty little mate and her possessive wolf seemed to enjoy marking me. Fortunately, my inner beast liked it, too. “Did you find a hammer?” I asked her.
“Not yet.”
“Hmm, that’s too bad,” I drawled. “I think I might be getting bored after all.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Do I need to bite your other shoulder?”
“How about something a little lower? But not too harshly.”
Blue fire danced in her gaze. “I might like that.”
“Me, too.”
The clearing of a throat reminded me that we had an audience. But I couldn’t give two fucks that they’d overheard. We all had our kinks. Mine just happened to involve drawing blood.
“I told you the danger is intoxicating,” Jace murmured, a wicked glint in his gaze.
“It certainly makes me feel alive,” I returned, recalling his comment. “Come on, mate. I think we’re done here for now.”
We’d keep the charade alive for the time being. Allow the world to think Lilith still lived.
Then it would be on Jace to inform them all of the truth.
I paused at the door, glancing at him over my shoulder. “ ‘King Jace’ has a nice ring to it. Or will you prefer ‘God’ when you take over the council?”
“Don’t even joke about that,” he returned, not at all amused.
“Who said I was joking?”
He scowled.
I grinned.
King Jace.
Yeah, I could respect that.
“Good luck,” I told him. “You’re going to need it.”
The Blood Alliance World Continues with Kingly Bitten…
You may have guessed this already, but Jace is up next in Kingly Bitten. His future love interest isn’t someone you’ve met yet. You can learn about her and Kingly Bitten here.
Are you thirsty for more Damien? Curious to know what happened between him, Jace, and Tracey? Find out with Viciously Bitten, a sexy little bonus bite that I wrote for fun. It’s MFM and free for my newsletter subscribers.
Are you all caught up on the Blood Alliance world? If not, I suggest jumping back to Royally Bitten to learn more about Kylan and Rae. Their relationship has similar elements to the one Ryder and Willow share. Probably because Kylan and Ryder are so much alike, and yet so very different.
If you’re looking for another dark, dystopian world to sink your teeth into, consider picking up Andorra Sector. It’s an Omegaverse world featuring Alpha wolves and their precious Omega mates. Just be warned—it’s really dark with dubious consent, harsh elements, and Alphas who are unapologetic in their claims.
Once upon a time, humankind ruled the world while lycans and vampires lived in secret.
This is no longer that time.
Calina
I have thirty-six hours to live.
Thirty-six hours to find a solution.
Thirty-six hours to kill them all.
My friends. My family. My subjects.
It’s a cruel fate, one my maker subjected me to over a century ago when she placed me in this hell. I learned then that freedom is a falsehood. Escape doesn’t exist. I’m a ticking time bomb, slated to erupt.
Until he appears from above. A vampire. A walking god with icy blue eyes. He claims to be our salvation, but I see him for who he really is—the devil in disguise.
Jace
I don’t want to be king, but I’ll become one if it means I can have her—the gorgeous ice queen I found waiting for me inside Lilith’s labs. She feigns indifference, claiming I do nothing for her, but I see the embers stirring in her stunning hazel eyes.
Only there’s more to her than a pretty little face.
She’s neither vampire nor lycan.
An immortal without a classification.
A secret I must now contain in a world collapsing in chaos.
Welcome to the new beginning.
My name’s King Jace. Allow me to be your guide…
Available on Amazon
Viciously Bitten
A Side of Bitten Short Story
Sometimes the voices in my head force me to write extra scenes that just don’t fit anywhere within the book. That was the case with Damien and several of his moments with Tracey.
The threesome between him, Tracey, and Jace, was too hot to keep to myself. So I put a fancy cover on it and decided to give it away as a gift to my
newsletter subscribers.
Just be advised that this hot tidbit features Jace before meeting his heroine, so if seeing him with someone other than Calina will bother you, I recommend skipping the bonus scene.
Happy Reading <3
Music Playlist
Rebel Bitten
“Sandstorm” — Darude
“Kings and Queens and Vagabonds” — Ellem
“Gravity of Love” — Enigma
“Don’t Speak” — Hidden Citizens (featuring Tim Halperin)
“Hold On To Me” — Hidden Citizens (featuring Svrcina)
“Paint It Black” — Hidden Citizens (featuring Rånya)
“Shattered Dreams” — Hidden Citizens (featuring VĒ)
“This Is Our Time” — Hidden Citizens (featuring Rånya)
“Counting on Hearts” — Icon for Hire
“One of Us” — Ivan Torrent (featuring Julie Elven)
“Closer” — J2
“Dark Star” — Jaymes Young
“Dreamweaver”— J2
“All the King’s Horses” — Karmina
“Strom der Welt” — Klangkuenstler
“Sacrifice” — Mars Lasar
“Come As You Are” — Masha
“Hard for Me” — Michele Morrone
“The Sound of Silence” — Nouela
Acknowledgments
Wow, where do I even start?
This book nearly killed me.
That sounds like a joke, but it’s probably not.
In full disclosure, this was not an easy experience, but Ryder really pulled me through. His voice is probably one of my favorites. I just want to talk to him all day. Maybe that makes me a little crazy? Ryder says it’s fine, though, and I tend to do whatever that man tells me.
I’ll summarize with this: deadlines suck.
I would not have survived this one without the help of Katie and Jean and their alpha-reading eyes. They helped me keep Ryder in line—actually, that’s a lie; there’s no keeping that man in line—but they tried to help!
And then Bethany, my editor extraordinaire, helped edit this in pieces… again. Sorry. I firmly blame Ryder. Have I mentioned how chatty that man is? We tossed out whole pieces of his outline. There was an entire sequence I had to delete because he would not stop talking! And he still wants anal. The damn man. Maybe I’ll write a bonus scene.
Ryder: Correction. You will write a bonus scene.
Me: Shh. This is quiet time now, Ryder. Your book is done.
Ryder: Oh, human. Have you learned nothing?
Do you see what I’m dealing with here? I mean, my God, that man is something else.
Anyway…
Thank you, Katie, Jean, and Bethany, for helping me pull this together. A special thank-you to Joy for beta-reading and helping me feel better about the content. A HUGE thank-you to Louise, Diane, Kathy, and Chas for keeping my brand and name alive while I disappeared for weeks on end.
Thank you to my readers for being there for me, sending me positive notes, reviewing, commenting, and providing me with daily encouragement to continue. I love you all and really enjoy chatting in Foss’s Night Owls!
Thank you, Tracey, for letting me use your name. Jace sends his love. And apparently, so does Damien. Your friendship means the world to me. Sorry Meghan whipped you. Also sorry Benita tried to kill you. I’m starting to think I might not be a very good friend. Um, oops? Sorry!
Thank you to my ARC team for being patient with me and my last-minute ARCs.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you, Matt, for putting up with this crazy dream of mine. I love you. You’re my forever mate. <3
Until next time, y’all…
Who’s ready for Jace?
About Lexi C. Foss
USA Today Bestselling Author Lexi C. Foss loves to play in dark worlds, especially the ones that bite. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and their furry children. When not writing, she’s busy crossing items off her travel bucket list or chasing eclipses around the globe. She’s quirky, consumes way too much coffee, and loves to swim.
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Where To Find Lexi:
www.LexiCFoss.com
Also by Lexi C. Foss
Blood Alliance Series - Dystopian Paranormal
Chastely Bitten
Royally Bitten
Regally Bitten
Rebel Bitten
Kingly Bitten
Dark Provenance Series - Paranormal Romance
Heiress of Bael (FREE!)
Daughter of Death
Son of Chaos
Paramour of Sin
Elemental Fae Academy - Reverse Harem
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Elemental Fae Holiday
Immortal Curse Series - Paranormal Romance
Book One: Blood Laws
Book Two: Forbidden Bonds
Book Three: Blood Heart
Book Four: Elder Bonds
Book Five: Blood Bonds
Book Six: Angel Bonds
Book Seven: Blood Seeker
Mershano Empire Series - Contemporary Romance
Book One: The Prince’s Game
Book Two: The Charmer’s Gambit
Book Three: The Rebel’s Redemption
Midnight Fae Academy - Reverse Harem
Ella’s Masquerade
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Noir Reformatory - Ménage Paranormal Romance
The Beginning
First Offense
Royal Fae Wars - Omegaverse Paranormal
Wicked Games
Underworld Royals Series - Dark Paranormal Romance
Happily Ever Crowned
Happily Ever Bitten
X-Clan Series - Dystopian Paranormal
Andorra Sector
X-Clan: The Experiment
Winter’s Arrow
Bariloche Sector
Other Books
Scarlet Mark - Standalone Romantic Suspense