Essex glanced down the hallway where Haven was. She’d been in her room all day. He wanted to go to her and soothe away her sorrows, but he also knew that she needed space. He could respect that.

He’d been old enough to know what he was and what had happened to his family when they’d been killed. Haven hadn’t been. She’d been just an infant, only a few weeks old. She had no idea who her parents were or what her family was like.

He couldn’t begin to imagine how hard all of this was on her. She was finding out horrible things for the first time. Even if she didn’t remember her family, he knew what it felt like to know that every last cousin, aunt, and uncle related to you had been brutally murdered. The only thing she didn’t know was why The Hags were still after her. They were after Essex, too.

Hopefully, Emerick’s wards would keep them safe and off whatever radar The Hags had. The wards had kept him safe for over two decades; surely they’d continue to hold up.

Of course, he was a prisoner, too. Emerick was nice enough, but part of him craved the opportunity to see the world outside the mountains he now called home. He couldn’t leave, though.

The second he left the city’s protection, The Hags would know. In order for the group to get total power, they had to kill the entire bloodline. Once he and Haven were dead, The Hags could tap into their bloodlines’ magic and use it for themselves. No one should be able to have that kind of magic. It was dangerous and could mean the destruction of all supernaturals on the planet.

He and Haven weren’t like normal shifters and witches. They were considered royalty. Both of them were born from original bloodlines. Their families dated back to the early seventh century, well before witchcraft became common knowledge. Twenty-four families had been blessed with extraordinary gifts: ten shifter families of varying beasts, six witch families, four vampire families, and four demon families.

Of the twenty-four original families, only eighteen remained. Three of them had died out on their own. Many people found love or had children outside of their families, creating a whole new group of people – half human and half supernatural.

The sound of Haven’s bedroom door creaking open drew him from his thoughts. She marched out of her room wearing the same outfit she’d had on earlier, but this time she had on sneakers.

“I’m going for a walk,” she said as she passed by him.

“Would you like some company?” he asked falling into step next to her.

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“Just be sure to stay in Emerick. You can go anywhere the path leads and be safe. Don’t go too far, okay?” he said. Worry filled him. Sure, he hadn’t seen her all day, but he’d known she was safe in the house. While the pack would protect her, and the land was safe, he wouldn’t know exactly where she was.

“Don’t stray off the path. Got it.” She gave him a thumbs up and then headed out the front door, closing it behind her.

Essex let out a breath and ran a hand over his jaw. He shook his head and went to the kitchen, ready to make dinner. Halfway to the kitchen, the front door flew open.

Haven jumped over the threshold and slammed the door shut behind her. She put her back on the door and met his gaze with wide, wild eyes. “There are baby wolf pups out there,” she said.

Shit! He hadn’t even thought about that. He was so used to seeing wolves walking through the town, that he hadn’t even thought to warn her. At least she hadn’t seen someone prancing around town naked. Most humans who came here were kept out of town in more private residences, where they wouldn’t run into a wolf so easily.

“Yeah. We share the land with wolves.” It was lame, and even he knew it. Wolves were truly wild animals and would never just share land with humans like that.

Her gaze darted to the wolves on the wall. She took a few steps, stopping several feet away from the photos on the wall.

He drew in a breath and let it out. Maybe now was the time to tell her the truth. “Haven,” he started, trying to figure out the best way to tell her. “There’s something I think you need to know. Something that will help you make sense of a few things.”

“Like why there are wolves across the street?” she asked, spinning around to look at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her head to the side as if she were waiting for him to answer her.

“Well, yeah,” he said. “There is no easy way to say it, so I’m just going to say it.”

Her brows rose.

“Emerick is a town full of werewolf shifters.”

“Werewolves?” She frowned, then clucked her tongue and went to the window. She shoved the curtains aside and stared outside. “Those wolf pups are... are people?”

She turned around. The panic and fear he’d expected weren’t there. If anything, she seemed intrigued.

“They are.”

She took a step closer to him. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “And you, you are a werewolf, aren’t you?”

He nodded his head. She sucked in a breath and looked back out the window.

“You don’t seem surprised,” he said.

She shook her head and turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a habit she seemed to do when she was angry or nervous.

Haven shrugged, then sagged against the window. “It makes sense. The people who attacked me... the way they moved... the way they made the chain on my door move... it wasn’t normal. I’ve questioned the supernatural for a long time now. You’ve just confirmed that it’s real.”

“So you’ve sensed that the supernatural is real?” he asked. All supernatural beings drew their power from within themselves. Even with her powers bound, it made sense that she would still sense things around her.

“Yeah. You could say that.” Her eyes widened, and he knew what she was thinking before the words left her mouth. “That’s why they came after me, isn’t it?”

“You are a witch. We’re both part of royal bloodlines. If The Hags kill us, then our bloodline will die, and our family’s power will flow through to them. They’ve found a way to harness it.” Ironically, it was her family who’d inadvertently introduced the idea to The Hags. They’d sent them after Essex’s family to try to convince the Bakers into continuing with Essex’s and Haven’s arranged marriage, but instead of warning the Baker family, they’d murdered every single one of them. Then they’d turned their attention to the Goode family and to several others. The other royal families had found ways to protect themselves thanks to MYTHS. But being the only remaining members of their families definitely put a big target on both of their backs.

****

Haven's mind ran a mile a minute. The supernatural was real. She was a witch. Essex was a werewolf. Both their families had been murdered by power-hungry supernaturals that fed off their power. It was too much.

She needed to go on that walk after all, and clear her mind.

Haven put her hands up. “I’m going for my walk now. I need some time to think.” Her entire life was a lie. Was Stephen a supernatural, too? Of course he was. He’d known what she was the whole time, yet had kept her in the dark. The very thought made her blood boil. She pumped her fists at her side.

“I understand.” Essex held up his hands, his accent thicker and sexier, if that was even possible. “Just promise me you’ll stay on the trails.”

She nodded. There were crazy people who wanted to kill her. She wasn’t leaving the city.

Haven pulled the tie off her wrist and combed her fingers through her hair, tying it up in a messy bun before heading out the door.

The warm, sticky air sucked her breath away. It was hot here. She blew out a breath and closed the door behind her.

The wolf pups still played across the street. They were cute – adorable. Part of her wondered if that was how her and Essex’s pups would look. The thought caught her off guard. Where did it even come from?

She didn’t know anything about him. Sure, he was nice to look at, but she knew next to nothing about him other than that the same group of crazies wanted them both dead.

Why would she even think about him—about them—like that? It didn’t make sense. Nothing seemed to make sense. Everything was a jumbled mess, and it seemed the more she found out, the more questions she had. Maybe one day she would know everything, and she wouldn’t be in the dark anymore.

She blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. Marching along the trail, she left the last few houses behind. She looked over her shoulder and up ahead. Essex had said to stay on the trail. She was still fine.

The houses gave way to steep mountainsides on one side and thick trees on the other, but the trail continued to wind up the side of the mountain. It was quite pretty, now that she was taking the time to look at it. How long was she going to be here? Sure she wouldn’t mind staying a while, but would she want to stay in Emerick’s walls forever? No. She liked the ocean. Her apartment was only a few short miles from the beach.

She already missed the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The sounds here were different. Birds were chirping, the leaves of the trees rustled in the breeze, someone was crying. Wait! What? Someone was crying?

Haven strained to hear the sound. It was unmistakable. Someone was crying in the trees. She took a few steps off the path toward the sound. What if one of those wolf pups was hurt?

Her heart ached at the thought of one of those babies being injured.

“Hello? Where are you?” she called out hoping they’d hear her voice and help lead her in the right direction.

The crying grew louder. She sidestepped around a large boulder and down a little hill. A shiver raced through her as a man came into view. The crying stopped, and a smile slipped over his face.

“Why, hello there,” the man said, taking a step forward.

Haven took a step back, but the man’s hand whipped out faster than she could see and latched onto her wrist. His nails dug into her skin so hard, she was sure she’d have bruises. “Shhh, everything’s going to be okay.”

Haven tried to wring her wrist free, but the man’s grip was iron. The man’s other hand whipped up and reached out for her. She screamed as loud as she could, but she had no idea if it was loud enough. Had she gone too far? Would Essex hear her – would anyone hear her? She prayed they would, or she was dead.