Putting the mysterious potion into Nikjin’s food turned out to be more challenging than Erin had envisaged. With Rowana safely tucked away in the bleeding hut, that left she, Mizzah, and Timah to oversee the preparation of their lord’s meal.There was so much care and attention that went into the cooking and laying out of the food, that one would think that the women were preparing a feast for a respectable leader, instead of a bully who delighted in hurting everyone around him. Erin was amazed that it had never occurred to any of the other women to poison their captor’s food and end their misery. Was it Stockholm’s syndrome that kept them hooked and loyal to him or was it just plain fear?They fussed and primped over the meal until Erin was sure that she was going to lose her mind if she has to keep watching them go at it for one more second.“Is Lord Nikjin having guests over at his place tonight or is all this food for him alone?” Erin asked dryly.“You know our lord loves variety,
Erin felt out of sorts after that barbaric scene she had witnessed at Nikjin’s longhouse. Mizzah’s body has since been buried and some servants had cleaned up the place and restored some sense of normalcy to the environment.Timah had been inconsolable and even blamed Erin for Mizzah’s death because she was sure that the other woman wouldn’t have accused her of poisoning their lord’s food if she hadn’t witnessed it.Rowana was still cooped up in the bleeding hut, pretending to be having her period. Nikjin was nowhere to be found after he walked away from his lair.Meanwhile, Erin was consumed with thoughts of how she would wring Zokman’s scrawny neck if she ever got near him again, but she couldn’t go to his hut just yet and risk getting caught by Timah or worst of all, Nikjin.Tomorrow night was the apocalyptic battle between Nikjin and Vak Smallchief, and Erin was determined to play an important role in it. She was not going to just sit back in this hut and let a bunch of male werew
Both Erin and Timah barely slept a wink all night as they schemed and plotted together, trying to come up with the best escape plan. When morning came, they were the first to get up and go outside to see what was happening.The handful of werewolves on Nikjin’s side was in high spirits because they thought that they were about to become the elite warriors once their master became the Alpha King. The humans among them scurried about getting ready to start making preparations for the victory feast, as Nikjin had called it.“Nothing significant will happen until in the night when the moon rises,” said Timah.“I know, but let us still keep our eyes open,” replied Erin. “Go back into the hut. I shall go to the bleeding hut to fetch Rowana. We cannot leave her behind.”Timah obeyed Erin immediately and returned to their hut. As Erin strode toward the bleeding hut, Zokman showed up in front of her looking smug.“You made it to the final day, I see,” he said. “You are one resilient female and
To her relief, she saw through the shed bars as Rowana approached with a bear fur cloak draped over one arm. She looked frightened, yet determined as she followed the guard that had gone to fetch her.“Walk fast, woman!” The guard at the entrance of the shed barked at Rowana. “Drop off the cloak and get back.”Rowana hurried her steps and stopped when she got to the front of the shed. “Will you not open the door so that I can give her the cloak?” She asked.“No. Squeeze it through the bars,” said the guard. “Do it now and go away.”Erin did not appreciate the guard’s rude tone and she made a mental note to teach him a lesson when she got out of the shed.“Are you well?” Rowana whispered to her as she stuffed the cloak between the narrow bars of the shed.“Yes,” Erin whispered back. “Remain in the hut with Timah and wait for my signal.”“Your signal? What – ““Get away from the prisoner!” The guard barked at Rowana, frightening her. She backed away from the shed immediately and took to
At this point, Erin was convinced that she was a cat with nine lives because she escaped death once more as her father-in-law came to her rescue, knocking his brother off of her just when he was about to sink his fangs into her face. Although she was badly wounded, she knew her injuries weren’t fatal, so he got to her feet and stood beside a tree to catch her breath.“You killed my son?” Vak screamed at his brother.“Yes, and I shall kill you too!” Shouted an unrepentant Nikjin. “It is my turn to become the Alpha King of werewolves!”The brothers began to wrestle ferociously, swiping and snarling at each other. It was more than just a fight for survival – it was a fight for respect and honor. The fight was so brutal that within minutes, they were both covered in blood and seriously wounded. As the fight intensified, Erin became worried and wondered if she should jump in and target Nikjin who was attacking his brother wildly like a wolf on drugs.Without warning, Vak knocked his oppone
The Full Moon Feast of werewolves was one of Erin’s least favorite events to attend, but unfortunately for her, she has never had the best excuse to avoid going since she became eligible to participate seven years ago. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why the clan Chief and his ancestors made the event mandatory for all adult werewolves; why didn’t they just restrict attendance to married werewolves only? Or to werewolves who enjoyed boring speeches about who was doing great in their human lives and which werewolf had finally found a mate in the slim pickings available in the clan? Why did she have to be involved in all of that, especially the “networking” sessions?“Erin! What are you doing up there? You’re going to be late!” Her mother called out to her from downstairs.“Ugh!” Erin groaned and quickly applied a dash of pale pink lipstick to her luscious lips before dropping it into her heavy handb
“I beg your pardon!” Erin said haughtily. She didn’t know which one annoyed her the most – that this strange man had the audacity to call her his mate or that she felt he might be telling the truth.“Erin, there you are!” Farida said and waltzed into the back room in her flowing chiffon kimono with beautiful Aztec prints. Her chocolate skin glistened with health and her full Afro hair looked like a dark halo around her head.“I see you’ve finally met our boss, Mr. Devon Grey,” Farida continued cheerfully, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. “Devon, let me officially introduce you to our new intern, Erin Brown.”Erin couldn’t believe her ears – this weirdo was the owner of the gallery? Great!“This is the Devon Grey?” She asked incredulously.“The one and only!” Replied Farida proudly.While Devon may not be a known face due to h
Six hours later, it was time for Erin to pack up her stuff and go home after a busy day of work. Who would’ve thought there was much work to do in an art gallery? Farida had been such a great supervisor; patiently taking her through the gallery inventory, showing her the basics of curating remarkable pieces of art, guiding her through intricacies for displaying the right pieces on the main floor, and which spots were best for different paintings depending on their sizes and visuals. It had been such a wholesome experience for Erin that she couldn’t wait to come back to work again tomorrow.She couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t get another glimpse of Devon after their awkward meeting in the morning. As she backed out of the parking space in front of the gallery, she thought she saw someone stepping away from a window upstairs just as she looked up. She suspected the person might be Devon and she wondered why he had acted so strangely with her ear