Page 1 of Silverproof Damsel

Chapter One

Aviolentlightningboltcrashed through the sky, bathing the room’s interior in violet light as a deafening crash of thunder rang in my ears. The lights inside the house flickered before failing, leaving the dilapidated abode in utter darkness.

Rising from the secondhand rocking chair Nyx had brought home last week, I turned on the flashlight on my borrowed phone. Inching my way to the kitchen, I searched through the junk drawer, grabbing a match to light candles with.

The wind shrieked beyond the thin outer walls as it ripped through the surrounding valley. The late summer squall was predicted to last more than a few hours tonight. A disturbing scraping noise grated on my nerves as branches scratched against the glass windows like fingernails against a chalkboard.

Returning to the front room, I lit the candles lining the fireplace mantel. A flash of light lit through the window, directing my attention back to the storm. Ambling toward the scene unfolding outside, I glanced down at my phone, noting it was past midnight.

The witching hour had always soothed me before returning home months ago. Now, it left me on edge. Every night since Rhys’ rejection of his claim over both me and his unborn child, I awoke every night at precisely midnight, gasping for air. I’d usually wake up to the sensation of being starved for oxygen, like hands were wrapped tightly around my throat. I’d always struggled to recall what occurred during the nightmare, but whatever happened in my sleep remained elusive.

Nyx and Nyota, both brushed it off as if it were only a nightmare. I, on the other hand, couldn’t ignore what I felt upon waking. Maybe it was because it never felt like a regular nightmare to me. It felt real, as did the handprints left around my throat.

It didn’t ease my fears knowing Rhys held the ability to walk within my dreams. Shit, I’d figured that out as I’d awoken several times in rather troublesome sexual positions. Nothing screamed what theactualfuck like waking up with painful remnants of a cock shoved balls deep in your throat. Even if I’d been more than willing inside the dreamscape. If it had been mere fantasies, I wouldn’t have been hoarse for days after I’d dreamed of him.

At the large picture window in the front room, I drew back the thin, gauzy olive-green curtain, scanning the cool, hushed night. Outside, the moon’s opalescent glow enveloped the world in a soft light. Trees cast eerie obscurities over the landscape, straining the eye to see beyond the shadows to find any concealed threat looming within the dark corners.

A forewarning shiver trickled down my spine as if someone was watching me through the obscured darkness. My stomach somersaulted as goosebumps spread along my arms and then moved up the back of my neck.

“We’re protected here.” Reminding myself of the runes safeguarding the property didn’t ease the sensation of someonewatching me, though. Slowly exhaling the air from my lungs, I combated the fear crawling up my chest, gripping around my throat.

At Raven’s behest, Conrad had strategically positioned each shrubbery and flower in the yard. Raven had been a welcome surprise, for which I was grateful. She’d hand delivered shielding rune stones, along with painting protection runes on the walls of the house.

After the frosty welcome of townsfolk, I’d begun looking for ways to protect both me and Bullet from harm. The way they’d welcomed me in was rather chilly and with a volley of cruel words. We have had more bricks than I could count thrown through the front windows of this place. It was why we’d removed all the furniture away from them a few weeks ago.

Nyota had confirmed my fears. Rhys’ decree turned everyone in this town against me. It hadn’t mattered that I wasn’t a threat or part of what had occurred in the past. I was his enemy. A rejectedex-lover he’d thrown out.

They proved their loyalty to the almighty Van Helsing by refusing to be civilized toward me or Nyx. Of course, Winchester hadn’t found the townsfolk warm or fuzzy, either. No one was pleased that Silversmiths had returned from the dead only to refuse afterward to leave town.

I’d found very few people who hadn’t slammed their door in my face. Others had reminded me vocally that I didn’t belong in this place. Rhys made damn sure I knew this wasn’t my home and he didn’t want me here. Hell, Rhys’ declaration of rejection had been frontpage news. It had pushed us to get creative with how we procured things, but I eventually made a few friends in town, like Raven Thorne.

Raven was a powerful witch, as well as being a powerhouse herself. She’d arrived in town after the drama between Rhys and me had died down. Unlike the other witches, she wasn’tbeholden to any house. Luckily for me, it meant she hadn’t been forced to shun me by Rhys as the others were.

I’d met Raven when she’d gone door-to-door searching for a witch from a coven that resided in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Unlike other folks in town, I’d invited her inside to discuss the members of her coven who’d come here only to vanish the one they’d come here to find. She’d had a few questions, which were mostly about Talia or the notoriously dark and sinister demon twins, Enzo and Ezekiel.

Talia, head alpha of the House of Witches, was currently housing Raven. Xavier, who ran the hunters’ guild, demanded that every creature register upon entering town. Raven hadn’t registered, causing a flurry of rumors to fly around town.

Movement outside caught my eye, forcing the hair on my nape to rise. Deeply inhaling lemon and lavender perfume from the candles, I struggled to calm my fervid mind. Peering at the location across the street, I watched as the shadows danced beneath the moonlight.

A moment before I intended to abandon my vigil, a flash of silver caught my attention. Ignoring the unease in my chest, I caught sight of numerous men moving from the cover of darkness into view under the moon’s soft, pale light.

The moonlight revealed midnight-colored armor as it shimmered then reflected from the smooth surface. What appeared to be knights pushing closer to my home forced my heart to skip a beat, only to return with a forceful thud as it restarted. As I stepped back, intending to spin on my heel, a glimpse of glowing red eyes beneath their helmets made sweat trickle down my nape. Goosebumps spread over my arms with each step they took, confirming deadly intent as they closed around me.

Dragging my finger on the screen, I dialed the first entry on my contact list: Nyota, who was always closest when trouble arose.This time, though, my call was sent straight to voicemail. It created a sickening sensation in my stomach. Nyx was supposed to be at Forged Desires tonight. It was the gentlemen’s club we’d built with an armory and a forge in the basement.

I called the club, then Nyx, and felt a certain hopelessness when both numbers went straight to voicemail.

“What the hell?” I whispered, barely loud enough to be perceived by my ears. With shaking hands, I shoved the phone into the pocket of my lounge pants, then inched along the wall, desperate to remain out of sight.

Nyota was my rock. One I’d clung to for both protection and support. Especially since I’d been blacklisted within town. She’d secure whatever we needed without question or had until Rhys had canceled her credit cards.

It had been months since I’d left the house or even stepped outside to feel the sun warming my flesh. Each day, if there wasn’t an incident, we considered it a win. The downside was that it had lulled us into a false sense of security.

In the past month, I’d sensed impending doom closing around me. I hadn’t been able to identify a threat, or why it felt like there’d been a ticking time bomb counting down to some unseen disaster. Raven and Nyx claimed it was the pregnancy making me antsy, that it was just the jitters that came from cooking a tiny human.

I didn’t share their glass half-full bullshit. Since Rhys discarded me, it seemed like something was approaching. Something I couldn’t see, or stop was aimed directly at me. Yet no one had listened. Not even the girls or alphas who’d taken it upon themselves to ensure I survived.

Of course, the moment everyone had left me alone for the first time, shit was happening. I hated that I needed protection, let alone protection from the father of my unborn child. It was utterbullshit, but here we were. The girls weren’t answering, and the alphas were unreachable as well.

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