I scrubbed Snow’s hands in the white porcelain sink of the powder room downstairs. Red water swirled down the drain.
I kept my hands from shaking by sheer force of will.
Maybe Reyna was right. Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Death and violence were in my DNA.
Was it really so crazy that my daughter might be a killer, too?
She was a special kind of hybrid—vampire, werewolf, and sorcerer.
Combine that with being held captive for five hundred years by a maniacal Deity?
When Snow’s hands were finally clean, I kneeled down and spoke to her carefully. “Snow, did you…did you hurt someone?”
“No kill!” she responded, vehemently shaking her head.
I held Snow’s face with both my hands and leaned forward, kissing her forehead.
It was my job to protect her.
But could I protect the world from my daughter?
“You have to promise me. If you feel the urge to hurt someone again, you come to me first. I can help you control your powers,” I said seriously, looking into her eyes. They were filled with hurt as she shook her head again.
“No kill!” she said louder. I felt a rumbling in the room, and the sink cracked, leaking water onto the marble tiles.
She wrapped her arms around me and nestled her head into my shoulder.
I didn’t know what was going on with my daughter, but I did know one thing.
Killer or not…
I would never give up on her.
In horror movies, full moons always meant something strange was afoot.
Not in Lumen, thankfully.
A full moon in Lumen meant only one thing…
Another excuse to party.
But I didn’t have time to party. I had finals to study for.
People were getting murdered.
The Haze seemed to be back.
And it felt like everyone was ignoring it except for me.
“No,” I said sternly. “With everything that’s been going on lately, it’s a bad idea.”
“We’re only this young and popular once!” she replied, exasperated. “It’s like a rite of passage.”
“Anya, we’re not having a—”
“Shhhh, here he comes!” Anya said, cutting me off as our dad walked into the living room.
“Alright, girls, I’m all packed. My taxi will be here in just a minute,” he said cheerily. “What are you two talking about?”
“How much we’re going to miss you!” Anya shouted quickly, shooting me a glare that warned me to stay quiet.
Dad was yet another person in Lumen content with ignoring everything that was going on.
He’d decided to go on a singles cruise, leaving his two teenage daughters unsupervised in the mansion that we’d moved into following the fire that destroyed our previous home.
“Eve will be around if you need anything, but I’ve also left you a credit card in case of emergencies,” Dad said as he lifted up his suitcase. Anya’s eyes twinkled at the words “credit card.”
He kissed us both on the cheek and lugged his suitcase to the door. “Love you and see you soon. I’m off to the Caribbean!”
“Yo ho ho!” Anya grunted, imitating a pirate. As soon as the front door shut, she looked at me with a smirk. “And a bottle of rum. Let’s raid the liquor cabinet.”
I smacked my forehead with my palm. “Anya, for the last time…I’m not going along with this. We can’t throw a party.”
“What about the curfew that Raphael is enforcing? Even Jed is out patrolling and making sure that no one breaks it.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was starting to wear me down. I still thought this was a terrible idea, but I was beginning to feel like such a square, and that was the last thing that I wanted.
“We’d need to make sure that the house is safety proofed,” I said, against my better judgment.
Anya’s face lit up as she sensed me starting to give in. “Come on, Reyna. What’s safer than all of Lumen High under one roof?”
It was ten p.m. when I checked on Snow for the third time in under fifteen minutes.
She was sleeping soundly in her bed. Her breath was soft and calm.
I couldn’t let Snow out of my sight, but at the same time, I couldn’t watch her for every waking second.
Which was why I was relieved that she seemed to be in a deep sleep.
I’d tortured myself all day with thoughts of Snow’s possible penchant for murder.
It was even harder avoiding Raphael, who was investigating the very murders that our daughter may have committed.
Inside our bedroom, I shut the door behind me and saw Raphael eyeing me hungrily.
“Any leads on the murders?” I asked, trying to keep my tone even as I sat on the bed.
“None,” he said, sounding frustrated. “It’s nothing but dead ends.”
My heart sank. I was hoping that he’d have discovered something that would prove there was no way it could’ve been Snow.
And speaking of Snow, I should check on her again.
As I stood up, Raphael grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me onto his lap. “Where are you going?” he asked with a growl that made me wet.
Suddenly, he roughly turned me around so that my back was pressed against his chest. He held me with one arm around my waist and grabbed my crotch through my open robe with his other hand.
“Today has been stressful. I need a release,” he said, whispering in my ear.
I bent my head back to reach his lips and we kissed long and deep. His other hand pulled my panties away so he could plunge his fingers inside me, his body supporting me as my knees weakened.
“Bend over,” he commanded.
My entire body tingled at his touch, and a familiar feeling washed over me.
I wanted him more than anything.
There was a fire inside of me.
And only my mate could extinguish it.
Was this…
The Haze?
That was impossible. Haze season was already over.
I didn’t have time to work through the logic as I felt Raphael’s cock slip underneath the robe. I shuddered as it teased my lips.
I wanted him to soothe my heat.
I wanted him to sate my desires.
I wanted him to fuck the hell out of me.
Gently, slowly, he entered me. I pressed into him, and he pushed in so deep my eyes watered.
Up and down he thrust, over and over, fucking every rational thought out of my head.
All I felt was the Haze.
As Raphael filled me up, it felt like I would never be satisfied.
I wanted more.
He grunted as I placed my hands on his legs and started pumping my body fast and hard.
“Holy shit! That’s fucking amazing,” he said, his voice dripping with ecstasy.
He wasn’t wrong. The pleasure was nearly unbearable.
It was so good that I’d forgotten that anything else existed.
I’d forgotten that there was something important I was supposed to do…
Someone I was supposed to watch…
Anya wasn’t kidding about all of Lumen High being under our roof. I pushed through the crowded kitchen, trying to reach Anya on the other side.
“Hey, sis! I made you a drink,” she shouted, slightly tipsy.
When I managed to reach her, I took the drink and downed it in one gulp. “Thanks, I needed that.”
I noticed a tall, lean boy with wavy blond hair eyeing me from across the kitchen island. He gave me a wink as he flashed a perfect set of teeth.
“Pour me another,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Go talk to him,” Anya said, nudging me. Nothing escaped her eagle eyes. She may not have the vampire gene like me, but she definitely had her own powers.
“He’s like our star basketball player,” Anya said to me as I chugged my second drink.
Anya stared at me blankly. “Sometimes I think you’re beyond help, Rey.”
I glanced back at the boy. I had to admit…he was fucking hot.
I squinted my eyes as I noticed something outside the window behind him.
I hurried over to the window and peered outside at the front doorstep, but it was empty.
Was I seeing things?
Or was that…
