Page 14 of Heal Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #5)

A week later, the bell over the apothecary door chimed as I stepped inside, the familiar scents of herbs and oils wrapping around me like a balm. This place should’ve felt ordinary again by now, but it didn’t. Not since the last time I’d walked in and found him here.

That time, I’d bolted.

This time, I knew better.

I was halfway to the shelf of tinctures when the bond hummed, low and insistent. My wolf pricked her ears a split second before the door chimed a second time.

“ Mi reina .”

Of course. I didn’t even have to look to know he’d followed me. Gideon leaned against the counter like he owned the place, shirt collar open, sleeves rolled, every inch of him smug and deliberate.

And yet, instead of dread, warmth bloomed low in my chest. That bond that once felt like a chain now hummed like a tether I wanted to hold onto forever. He wasn’t just in my veins anymore—he was in every heartbeat, every breath, every choice I made.

I groaned, if only to cover the way my lips wanted to curve. “Do you ever shop here for yourself?”

He arched a brow. “Once. But you ran before I could introduce myself properly.”

I shot him a flat look, plucking a vial of feverfew from the shelf. “I recognized a vampire and a mate bond. Excuse me for exercising basic survival skills.”

“And now?” He prowled closer, picking up a jar he clearly had no interest in reading. “You see the same vampire, the same mate bond. Yet you stay.”

My cheeks heated despite myself, my wolf stretching toward him like she couldn’t help herself. “Maybe I’ve lost my survival skills.”

“Or maybe,” he said softly, that sharp smile curving like sin, “you’ve realized I’m the best decision you’ll ever make.”

I arched a brow, pretending to examine a jar of valerian. “Best decision? That’s a little arrogant.”

His eyes gleamed. “Not arrogance, mi reina . Fact.”

I rolled mine, but the bond thrummed warm in my chest, giving me away. “Fine. Then maybe it’s the first reckless decision I’ll never regret.”

It wasn’t exactly rare for a vampire and a wolf to be mated, but it wasn’t common, either. So far, we’d gotten a few looks, but I wasn’t worried.

His gaze softened, the edges of his smile turning tender as he leaned down, close enough that I felt his breath stir the hair at my temple, his words for me alone. “Let them talk, mi reina . You chose me—and I’ll never let them forget it.”

A pointed throat-clear interrupted us. “Fates save me,” Natalia muttered from behind the counter, setting down a crate of glass vials with a thump . “If I’d known you two were going to turn my shop into a romance ballad, I would’ve brewed a gagging draught in advance.”

Heat flared in my cheeks. Gideon, of course, only looked more pleased, his smirk sharp as a blade.

“Don’t encourage him,” Natalia warned, wagging a finger at me. “He’ll start bringing you flowers and reciting poetry in the aisles.”

“Already considered it,” Gideon said smoothly.

I shoved the vial into his chest, scowling to cover my laugh. “At least pretend you came here for a purpose.”

His hand closed over mine, the bond sparking between us like a secret. “Gladly,” he murmured, eyes locked on me instead of the shelves.

The apothecary’s bell chimed again as another customer entered, but I didn’t move, didn’t even glance away. The first time I’d seen him here, I couldn’t get out fast enough.

Now? I wanted the whole world to see I stayed. That I chose him—and that I’d keep choosing him, again and again.

Thank you for reading HEAL ME! I can’t express just how much I love Penny & Gideon and their crazy, mixed-up family.

The following is a list of characters we saw in HEAL ME and their books.

Corvin & Styx is SHADOW ME .

Kasha & Natalia is MAKE ME .

Cira Dragomir is BURY ME .

I’m thrilled to offer a sneak peek of Corvin & Styx’s book, SHADOW ME.

Once upon a time, I killed a god and stole his power. I’ve been paying for it ever since.

After my banishment, I promised myself three things.

One: I would never take a mate.

Two: I would find a way to get rid of the power I stole.

Three: I would punish the gods who banished me.

Not necessarily in that order.

There’s just one teeny, tiny little problem.

That power I hate? It’s a siren call to the ones who banished me, letting them know I’ve broken out of their prison.

And that mate I don’t want? Well, he found me first, and he has no intention of letting me go anytime soon–even with his life on the line.

Trusting him breaks every one of my rules, but it might be the only way to save us both.

**Shadow Me is a spicy standalone romantasy set in the Immortal Vices and Virtues Universe. Every book is a guaranteed happily ever after with a satisfying ending and no cliffhangers. Perfect for fans of Immortals After Dark, Black Dagger Brotherhood, and the Demonica series.**

Sneak Peek of SHADOW ME

STYX

“Can’t you just kill me?” I asked, rubbing my temple. “That would be way more efficient.”

Staring at my king with his bride on his lap, I wondered just what I’d done to deserve this level of punishment.

I did not need a mate—hadn’t in thousands of years—and yet, I’d been bombarded with mate business since I’d returned to Tartarus.

Caius had somehow found out about the man from the portal, and now I was being hounded to go back.

To find him .

And as soon as I found out who had spilled my secret, I would eviscerate them until there was nothing left.

Caius stared up at Reagan, a softness to his expression easing my bitterness a bit.

He’d fallen head over heels for that woman, convinced her to be his queen, and they were on their way to their happily ever after.

My friends were damn near blissful—so much it almost hurt to look at them, and yet, I could not fathom wanting that for myself.

Mates made you vulnerable.

All it would take was one twist of Fate, and everything would be gone.

Dead.

Lost.

And yet… I was still here, letting one of my oldest friends try to convince me to return to a world that had the one thing I didn’t want in it. Him.

“Sorry,” he said, not taking his eyes off his bride, “can’t. Would love to help you and all but…”

He wasn’t sorry. He’d never been less sorry in his life, while I was fighting bile racing up my throat. They were so perfect for each other it made my heart squeeze and stomach churn all at the same time. Mostly because there hadn’t been a moment of peace in the weeks since I’d come back.

Assassination attempts, power grabs, betrayal. There had been more bullshit in the last ten weeks than in the last thousand years combined.

Hell, this morning there had already been a bombing of the castle wall to try and get to the portal.

I’d been stretched thin, and yet, through it all, steel-blue eyes haunted me.

It didn’t matter that I was busy or working or anything else.

Every single night I dreamed of them—the way they were so open, so trusting, so…

A flicker of blue sparks flared from my fingertips as thunder rumbled outside, betraying my unease. I had spent two weeks on Earth feeling eyes on me, and as soon as I met his, I’d finally understood why.

It had been him .

Now that they were gone, I missed them, which unnerved me enough to make me want to put my head through a wall.

Piercing.

Soul-stealing.

Even with the mother of all hangovers needling my brain after a night of too much Tartarean alcohol, I still couldn’t get those damn eyes out of my head.

But the man they were attached to always followed suit. Covered in blood, bare-chested, he’d strode toward me like he wasn’t a walking nightmare. Not even deterred by my lightning, he’d still tried to reach me, the single rough word he’d spoken like a brand.

Wait.

I’d done just the opposite. I’d taken Nog and Ben’s trespassing—and my failure—as a gift, an escape, a way to flee to the safety of Tartarus like a coward. I’d always seen it as a prison, and yet, when it came to realizing I had a mate, it was the safest place I could be.

“But nothing,” I grumped, rubbing at my temple, praying that the hangover from hell would just go away.

This was what I got when I asked Legion to help me drown my sorrows.

I should have known it would turn into hangovers and bar brawls.

“You just want me to be happy and loved up like you are. No offense, but… gross. I think I’d prefer death.

Or a stint in the dungeons. Or shoving lombass skewers under my fingernails. ”

Reagan’s laugh mingled with Caius’ as he squeezed her thigh possessively. He’d laughed more in ten weeks than he had in all the time I’d known him. I couldn’t begrudge him that, but… gag .

Yes, death would be preferable to this… guilt .

I’d left him behind, ran at the first chance, but I hadn’t missed the way his eyes tightened at my rejection.

I couldn’t escape the way his shoulders bunched, the way his lips thinned.

I didn’t even know the man, and yet, it tore me up that I’d dismissed him.

That was the real kicker. I’d taken something pure into my hands and crushed it like I’d done so many times before, but this time…

“I was like you, you know,” Reagan said, climbing from Caius’ lap. “I swore I’d never have a mate. Promised myself that that kind of life wasn’t for me. You see where that got me, right?”

Five thousand years old and you’re getting schooled by an infant. How does that feel?

Like shit. Like absolute shit.

“Where are you going?” Caius asked, his gaze not leaving Reagan for a second, his shadows reaching for her, even though she was only a few feet away.

A secret smile crossed her lips, and I wondered if I’d ever looked at anyone like that. If I ever would. “You two need to talk about this, and if I’m around, Styx won’t get that disgusted look off her face. Don’t worry. I won’t go far.”

I used to be so hard to read, and now literal children could call me out. Fantastic. Honestly, killing me would be so much easier. I’d lived long enough, right?