their hand around her pounding heart, and squeezing while pulling at the same time. Just when she was sure she would pass out from the pain, there was a final sharp tug and then nothing. She felt absolutely nothing.
Up until that point, she hadn’t been able to feel or communicate with Dalton. But somehow she’d known that he still there. While Volcan had held her under his spell, maintaining the illusion that Dalton was cut off from her, she’d felt him out there, like a candle in the darkness, just out of her reach. But this was no illusion. The candle was gone, snuffed out in an instant. Now, all she could feel was darkness.
Jewel felt the cold stone beneath her knees and that was when she realized she’d fallen to the ground. Her hands clenched into fists so tightly that she felt her fingers leaving impressions in her palms. She slammed them again and again against the stone floor. Tears welled up in her eyes until they overflowed, pouring down her cheeks. Leaning forward, a silent scream welled up in her throat, but there was no air for sound. For a short time, Jewel had experienced a small glimpse of what the characters in her books felt. She’d literally felt Dalton’s emotions for her ― felt his adoration, his respect, his admiration, his passion, and love. She could have had that for a very, very long time, but now it was gone and it would never be hers again. It’s not that her life was horribly unbearable before Dalton, but to have experienced a supernatural bond to a man who was designed just for her and her for him and then lose him was a level of disappointment she’d yet to experience, and one she never wanted to endure again. Jewel had finally felt as though she had a purpose and someone to share it with. But like smoke being blown away from a snuffed out flame, dispersing until it was no longer visible, that future and all that would have come with it was gone.
Chapter 3
“She’s gone. I am alone. There is nothing left.” ~Dalton
A s if in a trance, seemingly oblivious to the threats all around them, vampire after vampire marched forward to the middle of the room, each carrying a small body, and deposited the lifeless form of a human boy or girl onto an ever growing pile. Once the reality of the scene had set, Dalton had let his wolf take over. The man lost all conscious thought as he phased. He only knew rage. The atrocity of their actions would be the last they would commit. They might have information on his mate’s whereabouts, but even that vital information would not save them. From what little he already knew about his mate, he was sure that she would not want him to let those creatures continue to exist. That had been the first reason he’d unleashed his fury, giving in to the wolf’s need to serve justice for the little ones. Children were to be cherished and the vampires had destroyed them.
The second reason was even more overwhelming. It was so overwhelming that he probably couldn’t have stopped himself from phasing, even if he’d wanted to. Just as Peri removed the barrier and ordered the wolves to attack, Dalton felt an explosion of pressure in his chest. As he lunged, he felt that his abdomen was being torn apart, like raw meat being shredded. The breath was momentarily pulled from his lungs and, as suddenly as it had hit, the pain was gone. She was gone. He knew immediately. There was no mistaking the feeling. There was no connection, no pull, not even the kind he felt toward her before he’d performed the Blood Rites. It was as if Jewel Stone had never been his mate. But she had been; she was his. She was his and he didn’t know if she had been killed or what had been done to destroy their bond so completely. His wolf seethed at the loss and decided that the vampires would pay for more than just the lives of the precious little ones. They would experience a wolf who had nothing to lose.
Teeth met flesh and blood sprayed over his muzzle, coating his fur. There was no
Up until that point, she hadn’t been able to feel or communicate with Dalton. But somehow she’d known that he still there. While Volcan had held her under his spell, maintaining the illusion that Dalton was cut off from her, she’d felt him out there, like a candle in the darkness, just out of her reach. But this was no illusion. The candle was gone, snuffed out in an instant. Now, all she could feel was darkness.
Jewel felt the cold stone beneath her knees and that was when she realized she’d fallen to the ground. Her hands clenched into fists so tightly that she felt her fingers leaving impressions in her palms. She slammed them again and again against the stone floor. Tears welled up in her eyes until they overflowed, pouring down her cheeks. Leaning forward, a silent scream welled up in her throat, but there was no air for sound. For a short time, Jewel had experienced a small glimpse of what the characters in her books felt. She’d literally felt Dalton’s emotions for her ― felt his adoration, his respect, his admiration, his passion, and love. She could have had that for a very, very long time, but now it was gone and it would never be hers again. It’s not that her life was horribly unbearable before Dalton, but to have experienced a supernatural bond to a man who was designed just for her and her for him and then lose him was a level of disappointment she’d yet to experience, and one she never wanted to endure again. Jewel had finally felt as though she had a purpose and someone to share it with. But like smoke being blown away from a snuffed out flame, dispersing until it was no longer visible, that future and all that would have come with it was gone.
Chapter 3
“She’s gone. I am alone. There is nothing left.” ~Dalton
A s if in a trance, seemingly oblivious to the threats all around them, vampire after vampire marched forward to the middle of the room, each carrying a small body, and deposited the lifeless form of a human boy or girl onto an ever growing pile. Once the reality of the scene had set, Dalton had let his wolf take over. The man lost all conscious thought as he phased. He only knew rage. The atrocity of their actions would be the last they would commit. They might have information on his mate’s whereabouts, but even that vital information would not save them. From what little he already knew about his mate, he was sure that she would not want him to let those creatures continue to exist. That had been the first reason he’d unleashed his fury, giving in to the wolf’s need to serve justice for the little ones. Children were to be cherished and the vampires had destroyed them.
The second reason was even more overwhelming. It was so overwhelming that he probably couldn’t have stopped himself from phasing, even if he’d wanted to. Just as Peri removed the barrier and ordered the wolves to attack, Dalton felt an explosion of pressure in his chest. As he lunged, he felt that his abdomen was being torn apart, like raw meat being shredded. The breath was momentarily pulled from his lungs and, as suddenly as it had hit, the pain was gone. She was gone. He knew immediately. There was no mistaking the feeling. There was no connection, no pull, not even the kind he felt toward her before he’d performed the Blood Rites. It was as if Jewel Stone had never been his mate. But she had been; she was his. She was his and he didn’t know if she had been killed or what had been done to destroy their bond so completely. His wolf seethed at the loss and decided that the vampires would pay for more than just the lives of the precious little ones. They would experience a wolf who had nothing to lose.
Teeth met flesh and blood sprayed over his muzzle, coating his fur. There was no
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