Chapter

123

The take jalali ume

nit fiercely loyal

besults of the

Fore: Wipers sprees the ghost cut troops and

quizes best hand and wanted to protect their own Carolees from that ame

picsoms exterampant thingher the engin in matter of hours

a

mei no denber, merely wanted

Everriding was playing in the compm Tem and them plat became dearer and clearer as the upheaval spread

"All at theur attacks, they were planned.

thur kept, burn minor) kisi, aiddirsing mily tie and mom, jetes walked in ealier ide of her "Johan- That Lake He i working with The vampires II 12 mm) 4 blond sin Timoell. They plated

to make the Belle Tooli help

the

and br

mably cold.

something Yoel geme horribly whing

(D) was beatdral reliefat preling surprise to replace that seemingly no lielke shifters who had stayed behind were harmed. Hyldes all what had feel the night before cher

Eserin we questioned had the same account The last thing they could remember was the Bielle solders setting off the i on Whatever dads they hail been in they sinily emerged a few hours liecbure we returned Nub*dy had been hamed But something was indeed deeply seating

my throat when I thought of P

ma. Turmbadto get home. I wouldn't be able to hemathe

Thall abandoned my (at just munade of Bedde territory

hint along with the rest at the soldier.

Tenatis and The Ange in charge rustig home m Cadman's chechildren.

treat them be Mugla

and transpor

cartey hospital that would be able to

than 1 cold My egy was spent luld hurther healing without sending myself into a comatose

wake up from

Aururls hd pode face fustier than I and to real

Hur i had shed off a few years

had sted i had taken too much out of me, bu ny alevaly dug late as the pcess Even after borzongengy Thats des de made a Back in the ten fingul juba had wind the hard de eory

WWW

اعتدال استاما

Fri Jan 26

Chapter 123

But we had waited and watched long after their hearts had stopped beating. They would not rise again.

587

"Plato's photte is dead. Ignatius interrupted my thoughts. His piercing gaze caught mine in the rearview mirror. I turned mutely to look at my mate.

Ignatius drove recklessly, pressing his foot to the gas pedal with herce urgency, one hand gripping the wheel, the other relentlessly dialing Plato's number agam.

We swerved outside our house and I leapt out of my seat before the car load even stopped moving My heart damping wildly in my chest, I threw open the front door, calling for my children with barely concealed panic.

"Elias Amelie" The house was silent and my heart seizes up. "Plato"

Renatras sudestepped from behind me. launching himself up the stairs to check the bedrooms with a fearsome primal drive

I made my way through the downstairs area, checking all of the twins favorite hide-and-seek spots. The cupboard under the sink was empty. As was the broom closet and the trunk at the foot of the stairs. "Ehas, Amelie!" I threw open the door to my studio, fear bubbling up my throat when my cries echoed back, unanswered. Where are you!"

"Dorothy"" fignatius's yell had me barreling up the staircase, bursting into the children's playroom behind him.

Inside. I saw Plato. He sat in the center of the room, his knees curled to his chest. The shutter donned a black eye and a bleeding hip and he refused to lift has eyes to face us. "You're too line" What are you talking about. Plato? Ignatius stooped to shake the stricken man by the shoulders aggressive in his fear and fury. "Where are the twins?

Plate looked up suddenly and his eyes rolled back in his head. I swallowed a shriek at the sight of the bloodshot white that filled his sockets

"A message for Ignatius Armoundt. it was Plato speaking, but the words sounded jarring and monotonous, like the robotic voice of an answering machine. It was as if someone was using his b*dy like a vessel, a living megaphone. "If you'il like to get your children back intact, give up your post as Bielke Alpha'

Ilutched a hand to my chest, unable to swallow the audible gasp of pain that escaped my lips Ignatius's shoulder twitched at the sound of it. He grabbed Plato by the neck of his shirt, lifting him off his feet in a violent rage born from a father's tear and love

"Where are they Plato? What have you door with our children?”

Seemingly undeterred by the rough handling, Plato the pupper continued speaking in the same, droning tone. It was a sound that made my skin crawl, hearing a friend who was usually so expressive sounding like a pull-string doll

But it was what he was saying that terrified me the most

"Announce your resignation and your children will be delivered back into your care. You and your family will then be hanshed from Bielle territory along with all who remain loyal to you."

Ignatius was shaking in outrage, for pricking through his skin as he grew more monstrous in form. Plato's shirt began to tear. and his legs swayed in the air, stiff like a hanged man.

"Refusal is not advised" Plato croaked like a mechanical tin man "Failure to comply with these demands will result in the

ately death of your children You have until midnight"

My guttural cry of anguish shook the rafters and I pressed a list to my teeth, shaking my head frantically My deepest fears were being realued, the same fear that had chatched my heart in a cold fist the moment I had felt our children move inside

My children were vulnerable, born into a world that 1 danperujs

or on any Vampi

that i

rotect them from 1 getteil ever condemning them to this

Fri, Jan 26

Chapter 123

For a brief moment, at the sound of my outburst. Plato's eyes seemed to focus again and he locked onto me. "Oh god, Dorothy, you were right. The dreams. I should have realized: I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" But just as suddenly as he had taken back control, it was wrenched from him again by some unseen force, and he spasmed and jerked in Ignatius's grasp.

"Your children will be bitten." Plato cackled mercilessly, his pupils swimming in sockets full of blood as the vessels in his eyes burst. "By now you have seen the fate of those bitten by House Lethia! A torturous slow death-

Plato's rambling was cut short with a sickening thump as Ignatius punched him hard and he dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

"Don't. Ignatius" I rushed forward to clutch his forearm as he braced his knuckles to shatter Plato's jaw. "Can't you see? He's under some kind of mind control."

"Our children are gone Dorothy!" He turned his rage on me, flinging his arm from my grasp and unraveling before my eyes, "They have Elias! Amelie.."

He sank to his knees at the thought of our daughter, his voice cracking as he said her name I caught him as he dropped. cupping my arms around him as he unleashed a violent sob over my shoulder. His hands fisted at my hack, gripping the Jabric of my shirt with shaking fingers.

have to do it," he whispered incredulously, clutching me to his chest so rightly, I feared Imight break a few ribs

"I have to step down?

SEND GIFT

COMMENT

E

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report