Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 129268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
“You had your reasons.” Devin’s words are spoken with compassion and it eases my discomfort marginally. She nods slightly at Devin as a loud, melodic chime echoes in the room.
Devin inclines his head in silence and remains seated. At his nod, Jude stands up to answer the door. I watch as Dom positions Lizzie on his lap and Caleb angles his body so he’s directly in front of her with his chest toward the entrance after giving her a small kiss on the cheek. He’s still smiling faintly, but his silver eyes have a lethal look to them. Their defensive act puts me on edge. Devin pulls my chair closer to him and kisses my forehead before nuzzling his nose in my hair. “Everything is fine, sweetheart. They will not touch you.”
“Promise me.”
“Everything I tell you is a promise. My entire existence is a promise to you,” he tells me and his confession is a balm, a drug. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.
I close my eyes, enjoying his tender touch and when I open them the Authority, comprised of three foreboding figures, is staring back at me. My body tenses and my lungs still. The bit of soothing from Devin is powerless when I take in the intimidating trio.
There are two men and a woman, all three in black cloaks like the ones from the offering. The woman is obviously a vampire. She radiates seduction and power just as Veronica does. But her eyes are a shade darker than bloodred and there’s no hint of the mischievousness that twinkles in Veronica’s brown eyes. Only wickedness exists in her gaze. Her thin lips curl up at one end, revealing a sharp fang. Her pale skin and sunken cheeks make her appear older than Veronica. Much, much older. The sight of her sends an unwanted chill down my spine.
The men are both large, similar to Devin, but not as bulky or muscular. The man on the right, carrying a large black duffle bag, has silver eyes and the crooked smile of a man not to be trusted. The one on the left is devilishly handsome with a smile that seems charming and inviting, plus the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. The skin around his eyes wrinkles when he smiles, giving away his older age. But his dimples pull you in with a boyish charm. His presence is instantly calming, negating the fear the other two instill.
“Good afternoon.” Devin is short, but cordial. His hard voice snaps me out of my daze.
“I suppose the blood on the driveway doesn’t belong to your mates?” The silver-eyed man speaks first.
Every bit of me feels cold from his words. It’s not a traveling chill; it happens all at once.
A low growl rumbles from Dom’s chest, but Devin remains unaffected, merely cocking a brow. “We would not harm our mates. I’m sure you could smell that it’s shifter blood.”
“So they do in fact belong to you?” His choice of words makes me snort. They may be intimidating as all hell, but I can’t help my reaction. It doesn’t go unnoticed. When the cloaked fucker eyes me, I just smirk. It’s slightly forced, but still. With Devin’s possessive hold on me growing tighter, a sense of confidence spreads through me.
“Grace and Lizzie, meet Natalia, Remy and Alec.” They each nod in turn and I give them a tight smile while they take seats at the far end of the table. It’s quiet as the legs of the chairs drag across the floor. Alec and Devin seem to engage in a quiet conversation before Alec’s eyes settle on Dom and his lips press into a firm, hard line.
“I see. We’ll need them to give a statement. The humans want it to be done live,” Natalia speaks with annoyance thick in her tone. “I’m so glad they rightfully belong to you. It would’ve been a shame to start off on such poor terms.”
A nervousness pricks at my skin and the thinly veiled admission of violence brings an anger out of me, one that seems intensified. Every emotion seems to swing back and forth like a wild pendulum.
“We have an issue that needs to be attended to. Also, as you know, we’ve just met our mates and the claiming is only two days away. So the sooner we can get this over with, the better.”
“Eager to throw us out, old friend?” Alec smiles with a light dancing in his eyes.
“I’d like to tend to my mate’s needs. I’d throw out my mother if she were still alive.” Caleb’s humorous response gains a laugh from Alec and a huff of humor from Lev. Dom is still obviously on edge, but then again, his hard glare and scowl never seem to leave him.
“We’ve all had a long night getting acquainted with our mates, and familiarizing them with their new lives. We’d like to continue getting them settled as soon as possible.”