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Chapter Thirty Five
William and Emily stood side by side before the committee. Paoli stood on William's other side, and Sekhmet and Empusa flanked the group. They presented a united front of strength and power.
William was proud to stand, surrounded by his people.
No matter that some of them had come to him at the behest of the committee itself. They were his now, with blood bonds to unite them, and that was all that really mattered in the end.
Unconsciously, he felt for the people connected to him and found some comfort in his ability to do so. He could feel the nervousness and turmoil of each person. Without giving it a thought, he sent them strength.
It was amazing the satisfaction he felt as the posture of each of his people relax almost imperceptibly. It was only seen as the set of their shoulders relaxed the slightest bit.
It was enough.
He'd done what he co
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Shadow Pact Chapter Thirty Six
"What do you suppose is the significance of what we've just done?" Empusa asked when the group gathered in Paoli's room. Empusa was lounging casually on the bed with his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands folded behind his head, looking for all the world like a man without a care."You're the expert on blood binding around here. You tell us," Paoli returned. "My only experience with blood bonds had proven to be questionable at best. Maybe I did it wrong." He shrugged carelessly, but his face suddenly looked concerned.Empusa gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise. "I'm a wolf with understanding of pack ties. Here in the Coven, I was a spy to watch Lycaon and report to the committee. I don’t know anything about parchment agreements and blood contracts. That's more in your wheelhouse, being a vampire and all," he said.Sekhmet came into the room with a rosy glow on his cheeks.Paoli narrowed his eyes at him.Sekhmet grinned in return. "Don
Shadow Pact Chapter One
Emily sat in her car outside of the warehouse and clasped her hands together to steady them. She was terrified but determined. It was a chilly autumn day, and the small trees that lined the road had lost most of their leaves as they prepared for winter, giving them a somewhat skeletal aura. Above, gray skies stretched out, blotting the sun in a heavy weight of dreariness. It mirrored her mood nicely.At another time, what seemed like a lifetime ago, she’d loved the fall. Colors, crunchy leaves, and the hint of warm apple cider in the air had always filled her with a sense of happiness. Of contentment.Now, in this place so far from home, it was just a cold reminder of hard months ahead.Any minute the warehouse employees would be leaving the building, and she was going to confront him. She'd never seen him in person, but the passenger seat of her car was littered with pictures and documents from a private investigator she'd hired six months ago when
Shadow Pact Chapter Two
William sat at the butcher-block table in the small kitchen of the house he shared with Paoli. He stared at the paper before him—scripted in Paoli’s neat handwriting—with open surprise. On the page was a single name and species along with location.“Are you sure this is right?” William frowned at the paper.“It’s right,” Paoli confirmed without even glancing at him on his way past.“When was the last time we had a female werewolf?” William raised a skeptical brow and his gaze followed Paoli around the table.“It’s rare they’re marked," Paoli agreed. "But it happens.”He took the chair across from William and propped his bare feet on the edge of the table for no reason other than it bugged William.Paoli was one of the oldest vampires William had ever met, and by far the least conspicuous. He stood only about an inch shorter than William was himself, whi
Shadow Pact Chapter Three
Emily was doomed. She was aware of the fact with a quiet acceptance, and surprisingly enough, it left her with no fear. The man who'd grabbed her when she managed to get into the room with Amber was named Brian. He was the one she'd followed here, to her place of doom.He was also the one who held her now, and had pulled her so close to his face, the acrid stench of his unwashed body and bacteria-laden breath assaulted her nose. She met his turbulent gaze levelly, refusing to be cowed by him. If she was to die at his hands, she'd do it with a brave face.If she had just a pinch more courage, she would have spit at him. But evidently, her courage tapped out after one yell of 'let me go'. Now the best she could manage was a level stare.Oh well, she decided. At least he wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing her crumble at his feet in terror. It may have been a minor victory, but
Shadow Pact Chapter Four
Emily gripped with her knees and buried one hand deep into the thick pelt to keep herself from falling off. Her other hand was clamped around Amber's ever-changing waist in a desperate effort to keep her upright so Emily could use her body as a brace. It was sort of like the world's most dangerous juggling act, with the threat of certain death if any of her body parts gave out too soon.Her thighs began to shake with the effort of holding on, but the sound of howls closing in as the wolves gave chase seemed to lend her exhausted muscles the strength she needed. When the massive wolf came to a sudden halt, she nearly flipped over his head. She was only saved by the appearance of strong hands on her waist. She jerked away in surprise and turned to find the blond man standing beside her, a man again.With reluctance and a wary look, she allowed him to pull Amber down. It was only when she saw him move toward it that she realized they were stan
Shadow Pact Chapter Five
Emily had read everything she could get her hands on about the world her sister disappeared into in the months she'd been missing. While perhaps not a full-blown expert, not a lot of people knew as much about the legendary creatures of the night as she did. Therefore, as soon as her mind cleared, she knew exactly what had been done to her.She'd been enthralled.By a vampire.They were the only creatures capable of such an act.She'd been right about Paoli.He was an honest-to-God blood sucking vampire.Not really alive, but not dead.He was undead.There was no telling how many innocent people he'd killed.Well, she wasn’t about to be added to his numbers. She jerked the gaudy silver cross from her pocket and shoved it against his forehead.Paoli let out a howl of shock and pain. His face contorted demonically; his features twisting into a horrifying mask. He was no longer remotely handsome. Instea
Shadow Pact Chapter Six
William leaned against the door with his head near the partially open window for the last part of the drive. His body hadn't fully cooled from having Emily in his arms and the wind helped to dilute her scent somewhat.He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally pulled into the garage and got out of the car.Emily got out, looked around, and gave him a look of surprise from across the car roof.For the briefest of seconds, her surprise puzzled him. Then it dawned on him and he gave her knowing smile as he closed his door. "Were you expecting something else?" He quirked one teasing brow.Emily froze.She didn't want to offend them.Again.But she hadn't covered her surprise well enough, and it was too late to deny it. "Yes, actually," she admitted. "Like castles and moat
Shadow Pact Chapter Seven
William led her to the spare room, trying to keep his mind clear of the images it seemed determined to show him.Emily followed him around the space, politely nodding while he familiarized her with the room and attached bathroom in the corner.He was not picturing her within the shower; naked and soapy.He was not.A sudden dry lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. With more speed than courtesy, he indicated fresh shirts in the drawer and left the room as quickly as possible. Being alone in a bedroom while not touching her was torture, and he didn't want to push his shaky control too far.He closed the door behind him and found Paoli waiting in the hall, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "We need to talk," he said solemnly.A glance toward Amber's room showed a wind chime on the knob of the closed door. It was low-tech but they'd hear the sound in a dead sleep. Satisfied, William followed Paoli silently down th
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