“Hold on. I’m coming.” Dabbing at her hair with a fluffy, white towel, Stella answered the front door. “Come on in.”
Closing the door behind them, Jacob’s eyes darted across the living room in search of Teddy. “Is he ready to go?”
As she glanced over her shoulder at the bedroom door, she nodded. “Yeah, he’s getting dressed. You guys want some coffee?”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Logan kissed her temple. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
When
The click, click, click of the metal fan that was beating itself to death in the window blew the cool night air across Tessa’s face as it chased away the last of her fever. Blue eyes blinked up to it, and a puff of amusement shot from Haldir’s nose that even in a building full of witches, they couldn’t make it work right.Pushing back the stray hairs from her cheek, he tucked them behind her ear before he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Do you need anything before I go?”Faint clicks of breaths echoed around her throat until her dry lips parted enough to answer. “I’m okay.”With nothing but doubts in his mind, he pressed his head to hers and hoped he would see more hopeful things in her future. “I’ll be back tomorrow. You be a good girl until I come home, and we’ll go visit Father Michael if you want.”The only sound escaping her mouth was the clucking, halted breaths that came
The crushing silence pushed on Haldir’s ears, and the piercing whistle it made lifted the little hairs on his arms when he noticed the sounds of Tessa humming and chattering to herself didn’t resonate in the hall this morning. Finding something else to occupy her time with should have made him happy, but whenever she had a second of peace like that, it sent a shiver through him because it was usually just the pause before a storm that left her bathed in blood. The pads of his fingertips pulsed with a rush of fear when he gripped the doorway, and he closed his eyes before he made the corner. Twice he found her near death right there on her floor, and he swore to himself that the third time, he wouldn&
The ticking of the Grandfather clock synced up perfectly to the tapping of Jasper’s shoe against the black-and-white checkered floor until he finally shifted his eyes to the stairs. “Hurry up, Sugar!”After he tousled the dark curls on his head in the mirror, his eyes dropped to Teddy’s reflection. “Will you go drag your sister down here, please? She’s going to be late for her own goddamn birthday party.”From the warm, burgundy wall he leaned on, Teddy pulled his hand from his pocket and pointed his finger gun at his father. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Daddy; I’m on it.”The ting of his fingers bouncing off the cast-iron spindles of the staircase kept time with his shoes sliding across the Oriental runner that led him to Tessa’s room.Her lips made a perfect pout as she slathered on her red lip gloss and shook out her dark, curly hair. “Hell’s Bells! I’ll be dow
A pageant Queen’s toothy smile appeared on Tessa’s face, and her eyes danced joyfully under her widow’s peak. While she waved and winked at the guests like her father taught her as she crossed the ballroom, she cursed them through her teeth. “I hope you all choke.”Like a strong wind gust on the calmest day, some unseen force pulled at her face and compelled her to look to her left. The Fate’s can be cruel, and when she refused their command, the scorned masters of her universe sent a dull ache to her chest as punishment.With hands balled into fists as she sat down, she tried to resist the whispers from her demon that begged to claim what belonged to her until her father’s voice overrode them. He chuckled against her cheek as he kissed it. “That was fantastic. You’re better than one of those human politicians.”She shuddered with an icy splash of nerves as the pounding in her chest grew stronger. The p
The humid night air in Savannah offered little relief for Tessa as she stood in the dark corner of the balcony.Held hostage in Rafik’s arms for three songs, her hands still wiggled with a life of their own as she drew a drag of one of her father’s Marlboro’s.A familiar raspy, Norwegian voice came to her ears as he snatched the cigarette from her fingers. “Don’t you know those things will kill you, Tess?”The handsome, blonde man took a puff and handed it back to her as he blew out smoke from the side of his mouth.His ridiculous warning made her roll her eyes as she took another drag. They were both immortal creatures, and the only thing that would ever kill her was a hefty dose of bloody violence. “You first, you old bastard.”A throaty cackle echoed through the street below as she glanced back over and laughed at him while she took in the spectacle of a thousand-year-old Viking in a well-tailored
The incoming arrival’s whistle pierced through the wobbly reality of the mansion, making way for the brilliant spark to punch through. A foul blast of brimstone swept from the portal then through the calm, checkered foyer, warning all who dwelled there that the fiery twins had returned.A wicked, squealing wind wailed in their ears as the house built up around them again, block by block. When the black-and-white floor rose to meet the slick bottom of her shoes, the breath of life rushed into Tessa’s lungs again. “Move!”She pushed away from Teddy’s grasp, and the clicks of her heels were like a hundred tiny horses galloping across the foyer as she raced to the mirror.While he shook the moist remains of his mist away from his hands, Teddy pointed his finger at his sister. “You know, our parents spent the evening planning your future with that boy, Tessa. For a girl who doesn’t believe in being fated to someone, you sure
The smoke-filled parlor was sticky with the smell of Haldir’s cigar and more than a few beer bottles littering the card table. Staring down the greatest poker player he ever met, he threw in his stack of money. “So, tell me about Mr. Lover Boy, Tess. He seemed like a sweet kid. What’s his name?”While she examined her hand of cards, she glanced up over them to the blue-eyed immortal. “Well, if you must know, you damn busy body, it’s Rafik Idrissi.”“Idrissi? You got to be shitting me.” While Jasper drew two more and gave them to her, Haldir glared at him. “How in the fuck did this come about?”His disapproving eyes narrowed and warned Haldir to hold his tongue. “Those days are behind us. All those ancient rivalries need to end. It’s in all our best interest to negotiate this thing in good faith.”Her suspicious eyes glanced back and forth between the two of them as Teddy l
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” With her hand on her belly, Isabelle rubbed at the little one trying to get her attention while they strolled down Jones Street.The waning moon glowed red in the sky above her as the thunder started in the distance, setting her psychic tendencies abuzz in prickly alarms that rose from her arms.As he peeked behind him to make sure the children were out of earshot, Jasper agreed. “No, I don’t like any of this either, but I don’t believe he would hurt his son’s mate, especially not in his own home.”With the brick mansion of her ancient enemy coming up before them, she rolled her teary eyes away. “She’s too young.”He slid his arm around her and pulled her into his side. “She’s not getting hitched anytime soon, baby. We’re stuck with that smart mouth for at least another decade. Shit! That boy may change his mind about the whole thi