The resident on-again-off-again so-called couple of Silverdale University were unbearable to stomach at the best of times, but today Angel was feeling exceptionally sensitive and so she ducked into the nearest restroom with the intention of giving herself a moment to breathe. What she didn’t intend was to find somebody crying inside. Cringing at how loudly she had entered the restroom, she thought for a moment of turning right back around and heading out again. Maybe whoever was having a full-on snot session inside the farthest stall wouldn’t hear them come in over their own crying. Yet the moment the door clicked shut behind Angel, the crying stopped. She held her breath, waiting, listening. “Who’s there?” the voice sounded almost immediately, breaking up on a sniffle before it came again, “Angel, is that you?” Angel cringed all over again. Why did it have to be a werewolf? Super hearing, super sense of smell, always alert even when sobbing their heart out. Yet Angel’s own hea
Training didn't go well. After having bumped into Angel on his way to the men's restroom, he found he couldn't get her off his mind. It was almostimpossible to concentrate and he found that Jason was able to put him on his ass way too many times, more than he'd have cared to admit."Hey man, what's going on?" Jason demanded even as he helped Layon back to his feet for the hundredth time, slapping him on the back in an attempt to dust him off. Layon quickly shook his head and swiped blood fromhis nose where Jason had caught him with a nasty right hook. "Don't tell me it's nothing because I've only ever put you on your ass a handful of times before today and now we're at a dozen!"Layon gritted his teeth in order to stop himself from snapping at his second. It's not his fault I'm off my game, he quickly reminded himself, it'shers."I'm sorry. There's something I've gotta do," Layon said, and with that he darted from the training field, dodging past the runners who were racing t
She wasn't sure how long she lay there in the cocooned sanctuary of the willow tree branches, but the truth was it didn't really matter. Nobodycared about the traitor's daughter enough to come looking for her and make sure she wasn't skipping out on class. So long as she kept up her work and her grades and turned up for the exams, nobody cared.And so she tried not to think of anything, not university or work or even all that had happened that morning. Instead, she merely lay there against the tree trunk where the moss grew thickest. She closed her eyes and breatheddeeply the scents of the tree, the lake, the wildflowers. Nothing could calm her like this place did.Yet it seemed today that it wouldn't remain that way for long. The sound of footsteps approaching caused Angel to sit bolt upright. The sprites who had been dancing about the surface of the lake, zipping through thetrailing willow branches and sometimes Layoning sprays of water at her, now hurried away as though the n
For just a few moments, Layon allowed himself to believe that this was how things were meant to be. Lying in the moss with Angel snuggled upagainst his chest, his arm wrapped affectionately around her, he could almostbelieve he was right where he was meant to be. With eyes closed, he imagined what their lives might have been like if her father hadn't tried to kill his. Reebah had been adamant right up until then that he and Angel would eventually lead their pack. And although Layon had laughed at his sister, too full of male bravado to admit that she might be right, he had imagined it multiple times. Now it seemed closer than ever, and yet the possibility couldn't have been further away. If he were even caught like this with her now, his acceptance into the alpha challenges might be revoked. Although his father was the current alpha, he couldn't imagine that would hold enoughweight if all the senior members of the pack learned he had been fraternizing with the traitor's daughte
Three days. That was how long it had been since Angel had seen Layon since they had slept together beneath the hanging branches of the willow tree with the sprites frolicking just beyond the bank. Though she hadn't picked up on them at the time, she remembered them now, creating magical music with their feet upon the lake's surface as Layon made love to her. Urgh, Angel! Stop it! she snarled at herself as she sat in the back of a lecture hall, tapping her notepad absentmindedly with her pen. It was increasingly difficult to concentrate on university or work or anything else for that matter when all Angel could do was think of him. And the worst thing was, he hadn't even bothered to call her. She did her best to remember that it likely had more to do with the fact that his sister was still missing and far less to do with her or her performance, but with each passing day, it was growing more and more difficult not to read into it. Her need to speak to him and her desire to make sens
"This place is disgusting," Jason grumbled even as they walked down the high street of the human town nearest to Silverdale's locked community. It was just like any other human community in the world, at least those Layon had experienced in his relatively short supernatural life. On the surface, it was quite pretty, with its mixture of old and new architecture, but beneath that surface, there was a place stinging with crime and pain, and the foul human stench rotted in the air. Though Layon didn't hold the same utter disdain for humans as many of his pack members did, he had to admit that even he was finding the stench of so many of them in close proximity hard to handle. "No wonder most supernaturals only see them as prey," Jason continued, "though I've yet to find one that smells good enough to eat." Even as he spoke those last few words, he flashed his fangs and allowed his eyes to spark amber in the direction of a passing human, who sidestepped so quickly that they almost
Two more days had passed and Angel found herself growing angrier and more frustrated by the hour. There had been no word from Layon, not even a text to let her know he'd gotten her voicemail and that he'd call her when he got the chance. Standing in the corridor close to the hall where she'd had her last lecture of the day, Angel found herself checking her cell phone for the hundredth time that day. And again she thought of giving him another call. Part of her, especially her wolf, wanted to call and call and call until she finally annoyed him enough to pick up. Yet she was even angrier with herself for being so desperate and so with even more growing frustration, she shoved her phone aggressively back into her pocket. Just as she was about to turn and head down the corridor in the direction of the front of the school, headed for home, she heard a commotion coming from around the corner. Hackles rising instantly at the sound of rushing feet headed toward her, she braced herself inst
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, his ears still ringing with the pain in Angel’s voice, but by the time he finally moved at the sound of hisvoice being called, every muscle in his body was aching with tension. The sound of Lara’s voice grated against his eardrums and he fought the urge to punch the pillar that was the only thing holding the bleachers up above his head.She slipped under the bleachers to join him and began to act like a cat in heat, practically rubbing herself up against him as she placed her hands upon his chest and played with the small amount of hair her fingers found there.“I was wondering where you’d gotten to,” she purred, smiling up at him, her face getting so close that he was almost certain she was going to try and kiss him. Her changing moods had always given him whiplash but today he was in no mood at all and so he lashed out, grabbing hold of her wrists tobshove her away from him.“What are you doing here, Lara?” he snarled at her, glaring deep