el

throwing a wedge of cold hallway light across the damp co

my chin as the scent of winter cedar mixed wit

splashing through a shallow puddle. He didn't turn on the light; he simp

foot of my bed. The pages slid open, revealing bold black l

if a permanent marking bite had been completed; before a mark, a writt

he exact voice from the hillside villa. "End this disgu

oom, memories of his car splashing mud in my face and his decree st

d ripped it straight down the middle-once, twice-then flu

every word: "If you want me out of the way so you can ha

hing hand clamped around my throat and slammed m

psing mountain, cutting off my air, yet even as his golden eyes blaze

aths tangled together, and that terrifying, familiar pull

The unlabeled plastic bottle I had hidden underneath rolled off the mattress and

released my throat, straightene

ute sense of smell, it took him less than a second to

is head back toward me, the golden light in his eyes burned like

he towered over the cot. "Whose bed did you crawl into on our w

pened in the dark hospital vault locked my jaw shut. I bi

ar, Alaric drove his fist straight into the concrete wall an inch from my ear, s

ere already a corpse. "You want to play mute? Fine. I'll make sure y

the iron door shut and sliding the heavy exte

ric

dy, the violent burst of my Alpha aura shattering a tall p

Draught groaned and cracked until the white p

completed marking bite, the innate mate-pull recognized the betrayal-and in werewo

dark vault and losing control to The Heat with Valerie, my legal wife had been sp

uscle in my body ache to march bac

de, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses as he glanced at the shatte

tering white dust over his shoes. "Find out w

ed coldly, my chest heaving. "No. Don't bother. Her

ring out at the lashing rain tearing through the

ve the maids dress her appropriately and drag her down

slightly. "The

reflection in the dark glass, "let her serve drinks to the lowest filth in th