sorry about the ridiculously long wait for this. hope it meets your standards. enjoy.
------------------
------------------
I smile sadly as she gasps for air. Death, how it comes quickly. I would have my man draw it out and have fun with her, make a show for the men, but she told me all she knew and I was in a bit of a mood.
This chase was getting on my nerves. And now what do I hear? He's found his mate, oh great. He finds happiness while I'm stuck here to finish what my grandfather couldn't. Where's my happiness? Where's my life mate? Fuck.
"Master Mikhail?" I turn to face Greg then back down at the girl. She's dead. Good. She drops to the ground with a thud and I turn away. "What are your orders, sir?"
Ah Greg... my second in command. He thinks he's so handsome. Well, he'll have to ruin that perfect body of his tonight. He may have captured the female and she had useful information but he failed to capture the other one. She escaped and now I'm sure she's off to save them. Warn them that we're coming. Let them get ready, let them hide, I'm still coming for them whether they like it or not.
Do I want to punish Greg? No. He's always been good and loyal but if I don't the men will think I'm weak and they'll no longer follow me. That can't happen. Even for him.
So who's on my death list now? Let's see... #1. Ryan, then his stupid Mate Loki. Man I'm screwed up, why'd he have to let my mom die? I might actually be able to like him, let him live. Too bad. I guess he'll just have to die.
So my death list, right, Ivy, Victor, Rogue, his new mate, Cassy, and her new mate. So many people, so little time.
"Sir?" Greg, again.
"Let the men rest, we know where they are." I look at him and let the red fill my eyes. I know he sees the feral look in them when he flinches and looks away. My lust for blood and anger fills the room.
"Yes sir. I'll inform the men then wait for you in your tent." Ah, good boy. Maybe I won't hurt him quite so much, just a little blood.
--------------------------------
Shit shit shit shit shit. They got her, they got her. She's dead. Shit.
The tears stain my cheeks as I run. I've got to warn them, or they're going to die as well. But that can't happen. They're all each of them too important. But me, I'm just a pawn in all of this.
I trip and fall. Shit, I need to change; I'm not as clumsy as a wolf. I'm so tired. Too tired to change. But I must warn them. I must...
Darkness consumes me.
I dream of him. As I have many nights. He comes to me veiled in darkness. His silver hair cut to his shoulders, his long bangs covering his eyes. A cruel smile plays across his lips. That smile makes me shiver; it's so cruel, so full of hatred.
I reach out and push away some of his hair from his face. Exposing his eyes. Unlike his smile, his eyes are full of hurt, chaos, fear. Those eyes that are as black as midnight.
He's vulnerable, but only to me; I can see it in his eyes. He closes them and rubs his cheek into the palm of my hand. So like an animal, so gentle, so needy.
I sigh, "Please... tell me your name." He slowly moves away from me.
"Oh, Josephine. I can't, you would hate me. Reject me for who I am, what I can't change." He turns to me and takes my hand in his, kissing the palms. "You wouldn't be able to love me."
I gasp. Love? A man I didn't even know the name of?
Yes. He has to be real. Not just a figment of my imagination. This man, this beast is going to change my life some way. I just hope for the better. A tear slides down my cheek.
He spots it and leans in and kisses it from my cheek. I breathe in. He smells wonderful, like chocolate and pure sex.
I push my body against his. It's lean but hard with muscle. We both moan and I feel him harden against my hip. Roughly he takes possession of my mouth with his. We kiss like our lives depend on it. Taking and giving, our tongues dueling, when someone grabs me from behind and pulls.
--------------------
"Josephine!" I scream into the dark but she's gone. God, why do I keep having these dreams? And why do they seem so real?
To punish me. That must be it. To show me the perfect woman I can never have.
-Sigh- She's beautiful. Eyes as green as the forest, eyes full of love and lust for me, though I won't tell her my name. Her hair is as soft as silk and the same color as wood, with all the different shades of brown and blonde you could ever imagine.
Her lips are soft and gentle, tentative, new, until you awaken her desire and she is like a starved animal lusting for the meal that is my body.
Her body fits perfectly into mine. She is tall for our kind, still shorter than I. Her head only coming up to my chin. She has the perfect amount of curves, just enough for them to spill from my hands but not overwhelm me. Not thin like most of our kind due to our extremely overactive metabolisms. Thank god, I like a woman I can hold and not feel like I will break her any second if I lose myself in the passion of being with her. She's perfect.
Her soul just glows with kindness and purity, something I lack greatly in.
Some women would like the power and cruelty I show and possess but this one. Josephine would recoil from me. She must never know me. Which in turn I must never know her.
That thought makes me cringe. I thought the gods were denying me love, no; it is I and the expectancy to take revenge against those who killed my grandfather.
They all must die.
--------------------------
"Miss? Miss, wake up. Are you alright?" I groan and swat at the hand that so cruelly took me from my prince, my prince of darkness.
I hear whispering. Shit. There's more than just one annoying person standing over me.
Wait. I'm on the run, there are people after me, I could die. I need to warn them!
My eyes fly open and I scramble back away from the group of people who had surrounded me while I slept.
There were too many. There was no way I was getting away without them letting me go. I closed up into myself, I was doomed, why not just give up now?
"Miss? Are you alright?" The same persistent female voice I heard before. I look up and stare into the face of a very small blonde woman with dark golden eyes. She had a kind face and her soul was pure, that I could see right away, if not marred by a few bumps along her long life. She was a mother of three. Happiness from them each finding a mate had her glowing brightly. Though what seemed to be on the foreground of her thoughts were me and why I looked like shit.
I looked down. I did look like shit. I was covered in leaves and dirt. I shifted through Ivy's mind until I saw myself. I had mud on my face, and in my hair. I looked like a wild beast.
I looked back up at Ivy and turned to look at the others with her. She was with two girls who looked like they could be sisters, her daughter-in-laws, April and Annabelle. Both were tiny little things with black hair, one cut short with green eyes and the other long with grey eyes.
I shifted through their thoughts. They were both worried about their new mother in law. Through their eyes it seemed as if Ivy was standing over a deranged lunatic that would attack them at any moment.
Their second thoughts consisted of wondering when their mates would return. Then they would feel safer around me.
I sniffed the air and found out why. April was only half 'Were' and didn't know how to shift...yet. And Annabelle, she had no way to protect herself, that she knew about...
What was I sensing? I listened harder and looked closer. There, in her belly, she was pregnant. I see now. That's where the power was coming from. To protect her child she would now be granted with the ability to take on anything that came her way.
I laughed, and they backed away, Ivy the only one remaining by my side to see if I was alright.
"I'm fine. I just..." I had almost forgotten again. What I needed to do. "... Oh god! I need to find The Prince! I must warn him!"
They all gave me a strange look. "The Prince?"
"Yes!" Why didn't these people understand? "The Prince! Ryan! I must find Prince Ryan!"
"Ryan?" They exchanged a strange look amongst each other. "What does Ryan look like?"
"I don't know! All I know is that he's in mortal danger! His Mate Loki and he need to get to hiding soon. His nephew Mikhail captured one of my comrades and I'm sure she told him everything. She was never very strong willed."
Both girls gasped. Why? Ivy just closed her eyes.
"I thought so." She spoke and looked at me. "Come. We can take you to him."
My mouth gaped open. "What?"
Her eyes twinkled. "After all, he is my new son-in-law." She winked then whispered in my ear. "It's nice to know I can still keep some thoughts locked away to myself."
"What? I..." She knew! Only extremely powerful beings could detect my shuffling. Who was this woman?
"Don't worry, just be careful, oh and we'll keep this little secret to ourselves. No use frightening my children, you see."
I nodded, thankful my secret was safe with her.
She took my arm and basically lifted me up into a standing position. She was small but man was she strong. Well, I guess that would be expected since she was a Were after all, but still...
"Come, we will bring you to my home, the others are there."
I nod and follow.
---
When we reach her home I'm overwhelmed by the pure love and emotion that surrounds the place. Who would think that the home of werewolves would have such a strong love aura?
I shook myself. I had been into the mind and heart of Ivy, and if her children were anything like her, they were pretty decent people.
The front door opened and out stepped the perfect image of a highlander... a house broken highlander... I laughed to myself. He was tall and broad shouldered, long red hair flowing down his back, glowing golden eyes taking in the four of us. His eyes sparkled and his smile broadened when he saw his wife. I looked to Ivy and knew they were deeply in love by the way she glowed.
He stepped forward and embraced Ivy. When they separated Ivy was flushed and clinging to his arm. "Victor, honey, this is..." She looked expectantly back at me.
