LPH

x: A Guest Wh

thing that could happen to her was discoverin

pect that the truth coul

ly grown with every passing second. Across from her sat Xander Sanguinara, the infuriatingly handsome heir to

something

il we arrive, or are you eventually going t

m the window to her face.

bli

use

ew who y

as thinking they simply

unchanged, but somethi

rous situations is either impr

I've been

os

her name made he

For the first time since he'd dragged her away from the place where the attac

as a

oved when they appeared, the frightening speed wi

nara was afraid o

as, it had someth

" Rose ask

es met

ought he might final

he look

uld never have b

settled be

ng for the rest of the ex

ghed once, w

what? Forg

os

xplain what's happening, and expect me to sit here politely

ing to pr

m wh

dn't

amily? From whatever strange society you belong

her his fu

elt it before she understood it. His eyes darkened, and for one br

meta

magin

hing

eath c

r not

se he n

that," h

ly straightene

rd slightly. "D

king ridiculo

moved i

dea what you'r

plain it

rom her before sh

seconds, n

She hated the unanswered questions, the strange reactions people had to her presence, and

ous part of herself that wanted him to mov

n't tru

't even

the attack, she had felt something inside her resp

t of her had recognized him long

r sat

hat I can when we

n. "And if I decide

t have th

uth fe

ously just sa

es

unbeli

been

bably wanted to pu

ral t

ared a

ared

ll, a tiny lau

expression shifted. It was gone almost immediately, repla

ooked as though her laugh

carriag

ived," he

d toward t

sarcastic respons

ient trees and gardens that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. Silver lanterns lined the

and more like a kingdom that had d

d closer to

lives

fami

ed to hi

ily lives

es

ou roy

er p

ing lik

osed he

uld anything about

stopped befor

le, Xander opened the door and stepp

tared

at

ck at h

an w

uggested o

you holding

e and the entrance, and you appear determined to

am

you count the time y

out without t

t irritating ma

u keep talk

won't answer

ved into the

how much sh

more that he

s swung open before the

arranged neatly at the back of her head, and her expression carried the quiet au

ved from Xa

ent comple

nt, she looked as thou

," she said, b

a brief nod.

eyes retur

disbelief cro

is

e Lu

tightened around th

not

notic

a problem?

our Hi

r came to

but not before Rose caught

gnit

on the strangers had wor

hen they encountered something th

tomach t

et before?

looked at h

N

you staring at

ander int

rned t

t this point, I'm beginning to th

ill show you

ro

es

I need

ou're stay

tared

she s

t a pleas

lutel

hardened. "This is

we agree.

toward th

stepped int

sto

ked over her sh

e th

N

e. T

not safe outsid

people who won't tell me anything

e was answ

d at the g

, but neither showed any

w a slo

in

rs relaxed almos

oo

d that I think you're a

terrupted, "please show

sure, Your

as she followed th

ersation i

dream of assu

closed b

uinara found himself fighting a smile for a rea

angerous d

ntended

*

n the apartment she had on

e that could probably accommodate the entire contents of her former bedroom without difficulty. P

s bea

also a

this when she

tood at the end of the corridor. When she walked

ghness has instructed us not

tared

also instruct you

sely chose n

oom, shut the door, a

lieva

window and pulled

et. Beyond the gardens stood a stone wall, and beyond that, a forest

died the

here simply because Xande

d find a

she neede

at the answers were some

*

er anything resembling an

d with a tray of food and found Rose sitting cross-le

ing it to colla

ring all pos

et the tray

shoul

ain why your prince

touched Marc

r been accused of poss

way to des

d the dishes with

hed her c

sk you s

cour

act like that w

woman's ha

or a s

tinued arran

surpr

my f

ur arr

hy

ne looke

ught she might finally

matters within this household that a

gro

s. It's a fa

ing lik

dnapped by a family of pro

softened, but the sadn

now something

sat

ha

e been told about your family, do not assume that ever

room grow st

oes tha

glanced tow

ready said

y part of the tray, le

oor, she

more

wai

ng your name after midnigh

assed thr

hy

xpression beca

ng that recognizes yo

she

onless for se

oked toward the

t-keepers," she mut

d not touc

had checked

*

d Rose in t

hour attempting to convince himself that bringing h

ad f

ery time he moved too far away from her, an inexplicable tension settled benea

n was becomi

all wooden ladder, reaching f

dder is

didn'

our pers

d at the

r get tired

get tired of

N

pose we're

ed the b

dder w

strides and caught her around the wai

e f

en the shelf and his chest, one hand gripping

firm aroun

ch closer than

his

o longer en

rimson glowed ar

got how

at her, equa

kin, responding to her nearness wi

in

ndered throu

ed her im

clutching the boo

was

thi

es were

magine

lutely

turne

ded di

ded co

cient Mating Fate ritual had recognized a gir

ped in fr

e what

ed down

erew

blin

she l

she thought

ely believed he wa

f course

ser

ughter

e for any hint of a

ng me werewol

es

amily knows

ily rul

tared

the guards outside the doors, and the s

on dynasty,"

expressio

heard

s about an ancient wolf kingdom.

were

ed her grip

what

uck him harder t

at had appeared where no name should have been. About the anci

Mating Fate ritual had ch

cognized her as

consider her existence a threat if

uldn't te

t

re correct, the truth would

own the Blood Mo

know," he

hat evening, Rose se

d the book

ing about

es

yes w

t you ad

ie about e

gener

st smil

d down at the bo

crescent moon surrounded by intricate symbols. She

fingers touched its spine, she had felt

ymbols we

went

id you g

the

it t

it closer

hy

ive me t

his voice mad

ook opened

as no wind in the room. The glowing symbols

sta

't read th

ow, she unders

R BLOODLINE SHA

ntence, anothe

SEALED MOON HAS RETURN

ingers w

ter of the

the book, but the

message

HEIR SHALL A

ary fell

ds, his face stripped of

had recog

Register ha

seal had beg

ed the one possibility he ha

istered girl who had somehow been

e that the werewolf world belie

ful enough to thr

raised her

nde

ldn't

happenin

k snapp

in the libr

ep within the estate, a

ace went d

seen him look

the world had just anno

that?" she

ok he

Whatever happens next,

led her

you tell me

for once, there was no

y f

as discovered

art began

t does t

rary doors as hurried footste

f they learn who you really are, the

eps stoppe

struck

ed in fron

you become powerful eno

oor o

silver eyes fixed on Rose. Behind him stood four guards

ropped to the closed

-not to Xande

made Xander's

with something dangerously close to reverence. "T

rom the old m

e w

lowly lifte

ancient laws of the Blood Moon, y

old man added the words that turned

bloodline awakened, it nea