Chapter 1 One

Extract

“Look at me,” he said, voice low and dangerous. It wasn’t a request. I obeyed instantly, captivated by the authority in every syllable. My breath hitched when he stepped closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the warmth radiating off his body. He smelled like leather and something else, something intoxicating that made my knees weak.

His hand lifted, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. His thumb grazed my cheek and sent shivers down my spine. “You can’t hide from me,” he murmured, lips dangerously close to mine.

I tried to speak, but my voice failed me. He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine in a teasing, possessive touch. My body reacted before my mind could catch up. Every nerve screamed, every thought vanished, and I realized just how utterly under his control I had become.

He smiled against my lips, a predator and a promise all at once.

CHAPTER ONE:

Lilith

The throne room was suffocating. Every candle flickered against the stone walls like it was afraid to burn too brightly. My father sat rigid on the throne, his crown slipping slightly as sweat gathered on his brow.

I could not recognize the man that I was staring at right in this moment. The man that I used to be so proud of.

Where did he go?

My father wasn’t a weak man by any means, but tonight was very different. Tonight, he looked… small.

And it was all because of them.

“We’ve come to collect our tribute as it’s been done for centuries,” the one with the tattoos said, his voice low and commanding.

His name was Travis Radae. Even the way he stood made the room shrink around him.

That was how much power oozed off him.

He was broad-shouldered, dark ink covering almost every inch of his entire body, crawling across his arms and up his throat, and those ice-blue eyes… they were so cold that I swear they could freeze the blood in my veins.

My father’s voice trembled as he stammered. “I-It has been f-four decades… and w-we haven’t h-heard even a word from your k-kingdom.”

Travis tilted his head, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. “Seems your pack is threatening me.”

He wasn’t shouting. He didn’t need to.

His calm was so much worse than fury, because every single word that came out of his mouth in that level-headed tone dripped with the promise of something violent.

There was no getting out of this.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of doing,” he continued.

Knox, one of the council members, actually stumbled backward at the sound of that.

I’d never seen these grown men scramble around like prey before, but now, in this moment, that was exactly what they were doing.

Knox of all people was never silent. The man always had something to say and was always using that loud mouth of his to argue about something, complain, contribute, and now, as it seems, he was speechless.

I strained my ears thinking that they were all just conversing in hushed tones, but no, they were all silent.

And that was when I was fully aware of how bad this situation was.

My nails dug into the wood of the shelf that I was hiding behind. Every part of me screamed to stay silent, to keep breathing shallow so no one would hear.

My father told me to hide, to protect my little sister and to make sure that no one caught us.

Now more than ever, I needed to be obedient.

I peeked out my head slightly, and I saw him clearly.

The other twin leaned lazily against a pillar, arms crossed.

Ryan Radae.

He looked… detached, like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. Still, there was no mistaking the danger in the way he carried himself. It was obvious in his eyes.

And somehow I felt like he was much more dangerous.

He didn’t need to posture like his brother. Ryan’s silence said enough. He was the kind of man who could slit your throat without blinking and would still look bored.

I was lost in my thoughts looking at his dangerously beautiful face.

And that’s when it happened.

His head turned suddenly. Green eyes, sharp and unsettling, met mine. My heart lurched into my throat.

I was going to be sick.

Paige pulled at my hand with panicked eyes.

I ducked my head instantly, pressing back against the shelf, praying to whatever god existed that he hadn’t really seen me. The last thing I wanted was to anger the Radae twins more than they already were.

“Do you want to get us caught, Lilith?” she asked.

“Shhhhh.”

But deep in my heart I hoped and prayed that was not the case.

“Please,” my father said, voice cracking. “We… we aren’t doing well. Our pack is barely even holding out.”

Travis stepped forward, and the air in the room felt like it thickened. “Well, that is a pity,” he said, almost casually, like my father’s pleas meant nothing to him. “I wouldn’t leave here without leverage. We have come this far after all. Anything here would do.”

My breath caught.

And for a moment my vision turned dark.

Then his eyes glittered, something evil sparkling in them. “Where are your two daughters?”

The room froze.

I held my breath and tried to calm down my erratic heartbeat.

“Bring them here!” Travis snapped at one of the guards.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out. The guards obeyed instantly, their boots pounding against the marble floor as they tore through the corridors, searching.

My father rose halfway from the throne. “No, no, please you can’t do this, they are just children….”

“Children?” Travis echoed with a dangerous smile. “Well, not for long.”

The guards began kicking doors open. My sister Paige clutched my arm, her small fingers trembling.

“What do we do?” she whispered, panic flooding her voice. Tears were rolling down her eyes.

Paige heaved so much that I thought we were going to get caught. She opened her mouth to scream but I quickly covered it.

“Don’t do it,” I whispered.

If she did, they’d sense us instantly.

“We just have to stay quiet,” I mouthed back. “Don’t move.”

I heard footsteps heading toward our direction and I just took my sister’s hand in mine.

It would all be alright. All we had to do was stay still and they would get tired of searching eventually…

Oh no.

Our whispered plan was cut short when the shelf that we were hiding behind was kicked away, exposing us to everyone.

The wood cracked against the wall as a guard’s boot sent it flying.

Paige screamed.

And my world stilled.

As I looked at the evil look in the guard’s eyes, I knew that this was over. We were caught and there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.

We were done for.

This was bad.

This was really bad.