Five
Logan and I are standing in the cemetery, alone and silent, as we stare down at the casket that holds my second mate and Logan’s brother, Eric. We are here to say goodbye, to mourn his passing, and to grieve for what could have been.
The orange sun is beating down on us through the canopies, and the air is cold, each breath vaporizing outside my mouth. I’m freezing and take Logan’s hand, squeezing it for warmth and comfort.
Logan looks down at me, eyelids swollen from having cried the entire night away. “I don’t know what to do,” he says, his voice breaking. “He left without warning and is never coming back to us, Five. He was taken from us too soon.”
I squeeze his hand harder and speak softly. “I will miss him too. I never had a chance to get to know him. It’s unfair. I see everyone else happy with their mate, but mine…” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, sobbing before the next sentence leaves my lips. “Mine just died.”
ulls me into his arms, holding me tightly as I cry. “I’
mth, in his scent, and in the mate bond. Even without Eric, I still have one mate left and pray
nd a red velvet dress. It hugs her features perfectly and makes it even more strange that she came out of the woods. She looks like she belongs in a fashion magazine, not in the woods.
here is a way to bring him back from the dead.”
im down.
yone knows vampires are evil.”
be not this one,” I say without releasing the vampire with my gaze. She is st
er to bring him back as a hybrid, of course. I can’t return him to what he was, but with my blood, I can help him become something new.”
ven if you feel like you’re indebted to Eric, we wouldn’t have found out about it unless you told us.”
bringing back your beloved Eric. You see, by bringing him back as a hybrid, he can serve as a bridge between us, the vampires, and you, the werewolves. He can help us negotiate a truce, and if we succeed, we can both gain something from it. The Claw Howler pack won’t stand a chance against us. And you want revenge, right? They killed Eric for no reason.”
sky to trust a vampire, but if there’s any chance we can bring Eric back, it’s worth it. Plus, the idea
back to Margare
“First, you have to give me Eric’s body. Then we will perform a ritual with my blood and the moon’s power. It won’t be easy, and there’s a chance he won’t come back the same, but I promise to do everything in my power to make sure he is still Eric…oh,
sed to be obsessed with them before her passing.”
ck, whatever the cost.
.”
rins, revealing her fangs. “Excellent. We’ll need to move quickly before the Claw Howlers find out what we’re planning. How about you meet me in the forest tonight? Pack up Eric in a car and bring him to the moonlight cliff. The rays of the moon hit it perfectly for the r
through. Margaret disappears into the darkness, leaving us alone with our thoughts.
ith grief.
eady waiting for us, her eyes glowing in the moonlight.
says, taking the basket of Soulweep Roses from us. “Now, let’s begin.”
onto the ground, muttering an incantation under her breath. The air around us grows cold, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
s to glow.
d the wind begins to howl.
he clearing around us.
o chant, and the magic around us intensifie
kisses my head. “I hope so.”
ises her arms to the sky, and the magic stops flowing. The air around us goes quiet, and the wind stops blowing.
en I also need to bite him.”
ody. She is still chanting, and then she leans in, brushing her teeth over his neck before sinking them into his skin.
, she cuts her arm and presses it to Eric’s mouth so that her blood enters his system.
s are wide with wonder, but there is also fear there.
ng?” I ask him.
just seems… too good to be true. What if Eric comes back as a murderous hybrid? What if he won’t be himself at all?”
ur brother will still r
be consequences. Eric is going to need blood to survive from now on. Without it, he will lose to the darkness that comes with being a vampire.”
ve him mine if I have to.”
ic will appreciate it.”
ting for Eric’s transformation to be complete. The minutes tick by slowly, and the tension in the
watching as Eric sits up, taking in his surroundings.
s, his voice hoarse.
smile on her face. “Welcome back, Eric. You were dead, but we brought y
d. “I’m a…hybrid?”
nger, but with time and practice, it’ll become second nature.”
“Thank you,” he says finally, his voice filled with gratitude but also confusion. “I’m…happy to be
he whispers.
e says firmly.
o it.
mate bond between us, but the fear in my heart also seems to bring out Eric’s hunger. I can see Eric zeroing in on my pulse, his tongue darting out to lick his lips before he hisses again.
n’t know what is happening,” he says quietly. “But I really, REALLY want to eat you.”
