Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Adres was still staring at where the white wolf had been when he spoke with emotion and confusion clouding his mind. “The attack was made in the middle of the night, using poisonous darts. The assassins came for the shifters… not for me or the king.” Adres held up a handful of darts and faced the captain, his smooth skin and shiny black eyes revealing his youth. “Select two of your finest soldiers, Captain.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Captain Balan said sharply, then quickly motioned for two older vampires—a male and female who looked so much alike it would’ve taken a seer to tell them apart—to come towards him. “At your request, I give you Omor and Daciana Dalca. They have been soldiers in the king’s guard since maturity.”
The two blonds stood waiting dutifully, and Adres could feel their strength and also their excitement to be called to his attention. He glanced over their lithe, strong bodies, nodding his head in approval. “I have an important assignment for you both.”
The woman was the first to speak. She wore a black pantsuit similar to her comrades, but her collar held three gold bars while the other men wore two. She was a general. “I am Daciana. It is an honor to serve you, my Lord. Our maker would tell us stories of you and your brothers’ battles when my twin, Omor, and I were still in training.”
Adres remained silent, never one to hold general conversation or talk pleasantries. “The Volkov alpha that was just here…”
“Mac.” Omor cocked his head. “Sure. We know him well. He accompanied Wrath to the tombs in the Yorkshire Dales when Belleron was captured. He has a fearless wolf.”
“Guard him with your lives.” Adres’s vision went hazy. “If he is harmed… it will be your heads in a shallow grave next.”
Omor and Daciana gave a stiff bow before they flashed in the direction Macauley had gone.
“Set up a perimeter around the territory,” Adres ordered the captain. “I will have the AZ’s enforcers relieve our guards before the sun rises.”
“Consider it done, my Lord.”
Once the captain and remaining soldiers were gone, Belleron stood leaning casually against the tree as he watched him silently with a knowing expression crossing his handsome face. A gust of cold wind blew the long strands of his silky waist-length black hair over his shoulder, and Adres caught a glimpse of his mating marks just over his jugular. A bite from his wolf, and a branded kiss from Wrath. It made Adres wonder if Belleron—a leader—was truly happy submitting to another alpha, multiple ones.
“Every order you issue does not need to be followed by a threat, my Lord,” Belleron said snidely.
“Your grace.” Adres ignored the shot and began to walk towards the AZ’s home. “You should not be out here without your protection, Belleron. Where is your beloved?”
“Beloveds,” Belleron corrected. “I have three mates in one man. And do you really think Wrath is not near me?”
A shiver of unease ran down Adres’s spine.
“So, I think it is time you be honest, eldest Cavalerie. Your scent changes when Macauley is not around, and your aggression regarding him is bewildering since he is not your cherished. So, out with it. What else are you hiding… besides your magic?”
Adres kept his speed to a minimum, not wanting to show off any more of his abilities than he already had, as he and Belleron flashed towards the main compound. He was disappointed to see quite a few shifters and their families standing outside with curious frowns on their faces while the vampire guards got into a five-line formation. Ramon stood in front of them, his dark brows scrunched into a tight scowl.
Adres immediately got to the point. “Why are these people outside of their homes, Lord Protector? We are not sure that the threat has been fully eliminated.”
“I have already assigned one hundred men to secure the perimeter. But the pack is concerned about the explosions, and they want answers,” Ramon said tightly. “They want to hear from one of their alphas, my Lords… not me.”
Adres saw a curvy woman with shoulder-length hair the color of roasted almonds addressing the pack. She had a striking resemblance to Macauley. Adres knew there was a female Volkov alpha, but he had yet to make her acquaintance. The pack members hung on her every gentle word as she assured them that everything was okay and that her brothers were going to have some information for them very soon. She bent and hugged a couple of children to her hip before shooing them back into their parents’ arms. It didn’t take long before she had everyone feeling calm enough to return to their cabins.
Light still filtered from many of the cottages littering the vast lands, some that were embedded in cliffs, some two-story, others flat level. There were even some beautiful log homes built into the trees. Adres had never inhabited such a place, and he wasn’t sure it was an environment that he would stay in for long, but one thing was certain… he did not want to see it destroyed.