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Lorcan
Moonlight bathes the landscape in an ethereal glow, and despite the fact that I’m in enemy territory, a peaceful stillness hangs in the air. I take a deep breath and take stock of my surroundings, but no sound reaches my highly sensitive ears. Not the flap of an owl’s wings nor the scurry of a rat’s tiny paws amongst the foliage. Pity. While crossing the shifter boundary line is suicide for any other vampire, as Vampire King… I can handle myself. It is as if the forest holds its breath, waiting for me to be discovered, but that is precisely my intention.
I weave between the trees, my gaze repeatedly drawn to the pristine, almost mirror-smooth, shimmering lake. So pure, yet so out of place, cast upon a land of depraved, savage beasts whose base needs overpower all rational thought. If I could transport the lake back to my castle, it would be a courtyard centerpiece, complete with shrubs and the glow of the moon, which I would find a way never to let fade.
Careful not to crunch leaves beneath my glossy dress shoes, I circle the body of water in search of my prey. I know she’s out there, lurking within the shadows. She may be a hunter by nature, but I’m a natural-born predator, hundreds of years older, ten times faster, and ruthless to the bone.
I drink blood from the vein, giving me strength that mere naturals can’t comprehend. The expensive suit clinging to my frame tonight only adds to the power exuding from my very being. But she won’t be afraid. Whether that makes her naïve or vain, I’m yet to decide.
A rustling to my right announces her arrival, and my lips slide over my fangs, a smile stretching across my face at the sight of the magnificent beast bursting from the forest. Her enormous frame, covered in speckled gray fur that ripples over her muscular body, sets her at a level height with me for a change. This is the only night her wolf can be set free, which also means it’s my monthly chance to challenge her with my morals intact. Beating her in human form isn’t a true win. I may be a living demon, but a King must have integrity, no matter the species.
The wolf circles me, her hazelnut eyes reflecting the light of the moon as her body moves across the grass. Taking her time to size me up. A snap of her teeth punctures the air as her gaze captures mine, and I grin. A black raven lands on an overhead branch in my peripheral vision, watching the scene intently, and my grin morphs into a rare chuckle that reverberates from deep within my chest. I turn my focus to the wolf in front of me, bracing myself on the muddy embankment as anticipation slithers down my spine for the attack I see coming long before she lunges. I did always enjoy toying with my food.
She snarls, lunging at me with a speed and ferocity that would make a lesser being cower. But I’m faster, more ruthless. Almost effortlessly, I evade her attack, and with a feral grin, I pivot, wrapping my arm around her muscular neck as she soars past me, and I use her momentum to bring us both crashing to the ground.
My once-immaculate suit and her sleek fur are now caked with mud, yet my smile grows impossibly wider as her muzzle snaps, and she fights against my hold with primal desperation, her powerful laws snapping in my face. The slick mud clinging to her coat allows her to slip from my hold, and she seizes the opportunity. Her claw slashes across my bicep, but the wound knits together almost instantly. Not even a drop of blood marring my pale skin.
Still, I savor the fleeting pain, feasting on it just as I feast on the lifeblood that sings through my body from the bite of a vein. Except in this case, the agony feeds my soul, and I bask in the rare moment that allows me to mark this moment of my existence. A moment where I am able to feel… something. Anything.
Without looking back, the wolf darts into the forest’s tree line for the shadows to envelope her once more. It’s been too long since I gave in to the thrill of the hunt, and the notion pulls me after her now. Although a King shouldn’t chase -- he only needs to wait for his target to come close enough and then unleash his attack -- this is different. Tonight, I’m different.
I could catch her in a heartbeat at full speed, but that would be too easy. I want to play this game. To ensure it lasts until sunrise. And with that in mind, I find myself using my acute eyesight to follow the fluffy, gray tail up ahead. We circle the lake through the woodlands before she turns sharply and leaps into the middle of a large weeping willow hanging over the water. Big mistake. Right behind, I tackle her bulk to the ground, dirtying her fur and my suit jacket even more. We roll dangerously close to the water's edge together, a mess of limbs and muscles battling for the upper hand.
I hook my legs around her middle, throwing my weight sideways, but the momentum takes me too far, and the wolf’s weight lands over me, drool dripping from her bared teeth to my previously white shirt and pebble gray tie. Ironically, the same shade as her. Shoving my shoulder's further into the earth with massive paws, she glares at me with the hint of a canine’s smile. My hands lock in her scruff, ready to throw her into the lake, when her snout drops to my neck, and the razor-sharp edges of her teeth graze my throat, her warm breath covering my skin. It would take her barely any effort to slice my carotid artery open and keep it exposed until the life drained from my body. Perhaps she should.
Many in my own ranks are preparing to challenge me for the crown. The wolf wars are on the rise, as are their camps. While our population dwindles, they thrive. It’s only so long until strength no longer plays a part, but the simple fact of being purely outnumbered will see our ultimate defeat. It’ll take a true, callous vampire to do what’s necessary—one who can sacrifice in order to gain. Except, with the lack of females being born, it’s not a risk I’m prepared to take, and eventually, that will be my biggest downfall.
A snarl is torn from the creature above. I vaguely realize I’m not even trying to fight anymore. My hands have loosened, and my body sags into the soil. With one snap of her teeth and carefully placed claw to the heart, I could simply no longer exist. Did I want that? I am not exactly sure. Suddenly, the rough pad of her tongue drags across my jaw and up my cheek, drawing a hearty laugh from me and temporarily clearing my thoughts. The sound leaving my throat is unfamiliar to my own sensitive ears. Her snout nuzzles me like one of her own, which I’d give anything to be right now. Fuck, I have armies of vampires that would have my head for just thinking it, but at least if I were a werewolf, I would have a chance. A real chance.
My hands travel, stroking the soft fur between her ears until she leaps off and dives into the water. A chilled spray covers me, but I enjoy the coolness of it. Rolling onto my knees, I use my hands to wash the mud from my jet-black hair and remove my filthy jacket. Dragging the tie looser, I toss it aside and strip out of my shirt. I’ve never grown accustomed to modern fashions, but being hundreds of miles from vampire territory, I have no inhibitions out here.
A cleaner version of the speckled wolf jumps onto the small island, shaking the remaining droplets from her body and soaking me through. I pull her to me, rubbing against me as if she is a living towel, but really, I just want the excuse to have her closer. I’ve waited too long, too caught up in another turf war with her people. If only they knew how often I’ve been on their land, fraternizing with one of their own.
We eventually resume our usual position, cuddled up against the thick willow trunk. The moon brightens the area from outside, spears of light piercing the dense foliage surrounding us. A breeze finds its way through the hanging vines, softly dancing through her marbled fur. I run my long fingers through the drying, velvety mane spread across my lap, marveling at the softness I’m still not accustomed to. The emotions I can’t understand or ignore, no matter how hard I’ve tried. No matter how often I’ve reminded myself of my title or commitment to my people, I always end up right back here.
A purr vibrates from the divine creature while I continue my leisurely strokes up and down her spine. The contentedness I experience in her presence isn’t strange or unnerving. Since our first off-chance meeting, it’s been nothing but the most natural feeling in the world. My soul is at ease when she is nearby, the constant tightness in my chest finally loosening so I can breathe easier. She fills my mind with possibilities that can never be, but I am prepared to move the earth and moon to try. Glimpses of a future pass through my mind. Of her and I together, just like this, for the rest of our existence.
So many challenges are in our way. Obstacles that will refuse to move. Chances are we won’t succeed. But I’ll be damned if my own failures are for lack of trying.
Chapter1
Aspen
Crack.
I squeeze my eyes tight,breathing through the agonizing internal pain. Yet, every day, I return. Resuming this very position as my knees slot into the dips of earth molded around my torn jeans. And every day, I hear the crack. It coils within my ears as another broken fixture splinters through my heart. It shouldn’t still hurt this much. The grief should have passed by now, but repeating those words to myself does nothing to ease the mourning my soul might never recover from.
Bending forward, intent on straightening the clusters of white dead nettles, I catch myself clinging onto the rounded slab of granite instead. My breathing is drawn out, weak. A state I can’t allow myself to show in any other instance, but up on this hilltop, I have a moment of solace. No one would dare disturb me while I mourn the Alpha’s mate. Or, more specifically, my mom.
We used to visit this hillside together—the picture-perfect family.
Images flash behind the safety of my eyelids, a smaller version of myself running across the grass, desperately trying to hold onto the kite string pulling me along. A flimsy linen summer dress whips around my thighs, a rope belt tied at the waist. Leather sandals cover my dainty feet, the straps cross-crossing up my legs to a bow at the back of each calf.
A beautiful woman chases me, her arms outstretched. Grabbing the string, she tugs the kite back into control against the strong wind with ease. Securing the string to my belt, a wide smile stretches across her face, and her brown eyes sparkle. Her hair is a unique shade of pebble gray to reflect her wolf, set in curls that swirl around her face. It was almost like the curls had a life force of their own, dancing to the aura she radiates, so full of vitality and life. Compassion and love. I lean into her side, my fingers brushing against her fur cloak as a figure approaches us.
“Papa!” I shout, and that’s when my eyes snap open. Tears spill down my cheeks in thick valleys and my throat is clogged with emotion. No matter how many times the memory assaults me, I can never make it past there. It’s too much, too fresh, even all these years later. A caw sounds in the distance, dragging me back to the present. I nod, aggressively wiping my cheeks on dirty sleeves.
Remnants of yesterday’s storm whisp through my white hair, a bitter chill slipping into the worn-out hoodie that clings to my slim yet muscular frame. Blades of grass scratch at the tears in my black jeans, those slits long past fashionable. My clothing provides an exact visual representation of my life right now – tattered and holding on by barely a thread.
