Novels by MaybeManhattan

You can do this, you can do this.My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.Sweat dripped from every pore, making my hands sweaty as they reached out for the next bar in front of me.You can do this.As my feet landed on the wooden platform, I lowered shaking arms to look at the timer on my wrist.Four and a half minutes left.Chest heaving for air, I reached out and grabbed the salmon ladder bar and shifted my body weight to thrust it into the divider above it-continuing this movement until I was four feet higher and could reach the platform above it.I pulled myself onto the platform, trying not to think about how high I was in the trees.Swallowing my fear, I grabbed the rope in front of me and swung to the next platform that was a few yards away.When I landed, I saw Luca standing on the ground a little more than a hundred feet away.'"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled enthusiastically, hands pumping in the air.I smiled."Let's go! Move it! Hurry!" Fallon screamed next to him,

Luca and I arrived back home later that evening after a long day of meetings, calls, and wellness check-ins with those who had been injured.Even though I was physically drained, it had been good to get out of the house for the first time in two weeks.It had forced me to shower and put on clean clothes that morning, something that I hadn't realized would mentally help me as much as it had. I made a promise to myself I would do those two things every morning moving forward.As we walked through the door, I noticed Luca was carrying the laptop Lincoln had brought to him earlier that day."What's that for?" I asked him.He looked down at the laptop before sighing."There's something we need to talk about and I've been avoiding it for the past few days," he admitted.I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he placed the laptop on the counter, feeling my stomach twist."What's wrong?" I asked."Nothing's wrong," he clarified."It's just heavy stuff."Luca opened the laptop and I sa

The meeting room was cold.The air conditioning was on full blast as the summer had officially begun a week prior with high temperatures virtually unknown by northwestern Montana.That room was the last place I wanted to be, but it wasn't because of the chilled air that came through the vents overhead.I could still see where the pool of blood had blemished the concrete floor where an unconscious Bates had laid two weeks earlier. It looked like someone had tried to scrub it with bleach, but a deep maroon stain was still visible.Bates sat silently in the chair beside me, Dr. Witt standing behind him sterilizing the tool she was about to use to remove the medical staples from his scalp.There were five of the small, silver staples running vertically up the back of his head where it had split into a deep gash.He stared at the table as she gently pushed his head forward."You should just feel a little tug," she warned him.He closed his eyes tight, wincing as she wiggled the first one l

The doorbell startled me awake.My arms immediately reached out to find Luca's empty side of the bed.I sat up quickly, seeing the late morning sunshine streaming into the room through the cracks in the curtains covering the window behind his bed.Hearing the murmuring of voices in the living room, I got off the bed and walked over to the ajar door to listen.I heard Luca's mother's voice as she spoke to him, her gentle tone carrying down the hallway."How is she?" Ana asked."Traumatized." Luca answered.She hummed."Poor girl," she said, her voice laced with genuine sympathy."I can't imagine what's going through her head.""Death," Luca told her."She said something last night about wanting to die. It made me so nauseous I could've puked.""After what she witnessed, I'm sure she's confused as to how she's still alive," Ana said."Just give her some time and assurance.""It worries me." he admitted."It's enough to be concerned, but trust the mourning process," she encouraged him.T

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, bringing tears to my eyes I'd thought about him frequently in the past two days. Knowing he was okay eased the heartache slightly."That's good," I whispered.Luca looked at me solemnly."It wasn't your fault," he told me, moving a hand up to my jaw to tilt it towards him.I swallowed the massive knot in the back of my throat as I felt more tears rush to my eyes, blurring my vision. Shaking my head slowly, I began to back away from him but he stepped forward, preventing me from getting too far outside his reach."This was not your fault," he repeated, his voice firmer this time.I felt my bottom lip begin to quiver as a tear rolled down my cheek."He came looking for me," I whispered."If Bates hadn't been there, he wouldn't have gotten hurt-""You don't know that," Luca said."Bates could have easily been caught in the crossfire at the gate if he weren't with you."The intensity behind his eyes made me press back into the doorframe."With everyon

The first conscious thought I remember having was in the upstairs loft.It was dark outside.The moon was hidden by storm clouds, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room briefly. I could hear the strong gusts of wind, the rumbling of thunder, and the sheets of rain that pounded into the roof above me.I smelt like paint and misery.The canvas I'd dedicated months to laid in front of me, it's frame mangled and bent. The once carefully detailed collage of colors making up a portrait had been smeared haphazardly with black paint that also coated my hands.Sitting with my back in a corner, knees pulled into my chest, I felt a like a shell of a human.All the emotional energy I owned had been completely spent. I had cried until I couldn't cry anymore. My throat felt like l'd swallowed acid, raw with the screaming that came alongside mourning two traumatic deaths.The only thing I had left was a broken, beating heart.And all I could do was sleep.I didn't want to be awake.

Exactly two years and five days after the death of my father, Cain Alexander Deveraux was born.He had my brown hair and Adam's brilliant blue eyes. That, however, was where the similarities ended.Cain was born a Vampire, yet he was also still a Lycanthrope; a hybrid, as Dr. Zosak had called him.He was the first of his kind.Although he was certainly one of a kind, Adam and I raised him normally. We didn't know how else to. As he grew, he began to turn into one of the most temperamental people I had ever met.Cain was smart, cunning even. He was strong and healthy. But, when watching him closely, I could see the fire within him.It scared me.One day, I heard he and Adam talking to each other as I walked past Adam's office. Adam was attempting to explain to the four-year-old the duties that he had as Alpha. Cain couldn't seem to understand why his father worked with other Alphas instead of working by himself."Well." Adam explained, "we all work as a team. I can't rule the whole wor

Unknown P.O.V."This wasn't part of the deal," he snarled.The woman's eyebrow rose as she looked on at the two men arguing."My demands have changed," the second man said, crossing his arms."If I get what I want, I will give you access to the castle. If you can't make that work, you can find someone else."The first man growled."Do you realize what this means we have to do? What we'll have to risk to get you what you want?""Of course I do."The woman stood to her feet as she saw patience running thin between the two men."We'll do it. But we want inside that castle sooner than next month, or no deal," she bargained.A smirk rose on the face of the second man."Done."Evelyn's P.O.V."I don't want to look at them."I sat on the bed, pulling my knees in tight against my chest. Liu took the vase of flowers and put them in the bathroom, closing the door as she left them on top of the vanity.I could see outside the open bedroom door as five burly men picked up the lifeless body of the

Diedrick smiled."I'm glad you're happy to see me."I'm not."I thought you would be gone for a few days," I said gulping.He waved his hand dismissively as he strolled closer to where I stood."My father and brother have been laid at rest, so I came back. There was no time to waste mourning."I took a shallow breath."I'm sure Adam would have wanted you to tell him," I said."He and Jace have just left for Utah."Diedrick nodded."Yes, so l heard."His eyes narrowed in on my hands."You're bleeding," he commented, walking over to where I stood.I looked down to see that I had indeed been stuck by the pin in my hand, probably in fright after Diedrick scared me. I huffed and held my hand away from my body to ensure I didn't get any blood on the white dress.Diedrick carefully took my hand in his and led me off of the platform. He instructed me to sit down on the high-back chair and I did so, warily.He kneeled in front of me and took a handkerchief out of his pocket. Diedrick began to

When we arrived back at the castle, we were immediately met at the door by Jace."You'll want to see this," he said, gesturing for Adam to follow him.Adam gave me an unsure look before he and I began to follow Jace inside the castle. He led us down into the hospital ward and I felt my heart drop.Did something happen to Mr. Chandler while we were gone?My question was answered as I walked into his room and saw him lying on the cot, asleep."What happened?" I asked Jace, not seeing anything visibly wrong with him.Jace walked around me and threw back the covers off of Mr. Chandler, who remained in a deep sleep."The nurse noticed it yesterday as she was helping Mrs. Chandler wash him," he said, pulling up the hospital gown to expose Mr. Chandler's thigh.I gasped when I saw the gash that was oozing with infection."What happened?" I asked him.Jace's eyes narrowed on me before Adam spoke up."He was bitten.""Bitten?"I saw Jace and Adam exchange a wary look between them."We can't ta

Adam's P.O.V.I was angrier at myself in that moment than I had ever been in my life. I couldn't believe I had let her watch me do that, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.I didn't regret it, and I knew she could see that.I would have done it all over again twenty times if it had meant protecting her.But, I saw the way she looked at me as I held her.I was something that would make her afraid of the dark, the last thing I wanted was for her to realize that.I had gotten carried away the night before. I had let my wolf take control instead of killing him quickly and the added theatrics were only going to hurt me now.Wanting desperately to explain myself and to make sure that I had not scarred her for life, I got up the nerve to ask.However, before I could mutter a syllable, I heard someone open the bedroom door. I turned quickly, pushing Evelyn behind me, both out of a protective instinct and because she was naked under a loosely tied bathrobe.Seeing Diedrick, I felt my b

Waking up with a dagger pointed at your throat is just as terrifying as one would think. When I felt the cold metal pressed against my neck, my eyes immediately opened to see the glint of the dagger in the moonlight.I froze, unsure of what to do.My eyes adjusted quickly and I was able to make out the person whose hand was holding the weapon.Barret Schneider.My eyes widened as he slowly put one a finger over his lips as a gesture for me not to speak. I felt my heart began to beat quickly and I tried my hardest tocontrol my rapid breathing.At some point in the night, Adam and I had ended up changing positions; Adam was now behind me, one arm around my waist, the other under my pillow.I gulped as Barret reached out and pulled back the covers slowly, gesturing for me to get up. With the dagger still lingering dangerously near my throat, I had no choice but to slowly remove Adam's arm from around my waist.His strong grip made this near impossible, but I managed to slide out from un

Four Months Later..."Mom, I'm home!"Pulling my purse from my shoulder, I slung it into the barstool. I tossed my keys into the bag and walked over to the refrigerator."How did the interview go?" I heard her ask, her voice echoing out from the laundry room."I think it went well, but we'll see."I pulled out the lemonade and poured a glass before sitting down on the countertop. My first real-world job interview since graduating from collegenearly a week ago hadn't gone nearly as bad as I expected it to. They didn't seem distracted by the fact that I'd been fired from my counseling internship when I never showed up after taking a week off for my grandfather's funeral.They were also interested in hiring me despite the fact that I had only been allowed to graduate after drawing up a contract with my university promising that I would make up the classes that I had withdrawn from while in Germany.While I had retaken most of them during the spring semester, I still had two left to comp

Ella's P.O.V.I fought sleep the entire ride home.While I wouldn't say I had been sleep deprived for the previous few days, I felt as though I hadn't been able to rest. Cain radiated a sense of support and protection and I realized just how exhausted I was when I felt myself finally relax in his presence.He drove home with one hand on my thigh. The intimate touch made my heart race, but I tried to put on a cool, relaxed exterior by leaning my head against the window.Still wrapped up in the flannel blanket he had given me, I was finally content.The only thing keeping me awake was the hunger rattling my stomach.Maybe that's why I felt so weak...At one point, Cain looked over after hearing my stomach growl, as it had been for the past few hours."When was the last time you ate something?"I failed to answer immediately, trying to count the hours it had been since I ate the sugary scone on the train.He took this silence as an answer and began to slow down so he could take an exit o

Ella's P.O.V.When Zak said we would leave at first light, he meant it. He woke me sometime in the very early morning and gave me little time to change into the clothes he brought me.A distasteful pair of black pants and a baggy black sweatshirt were all I had to layer under my new heavy winter coat. The combat boots paired with the wool camping socks he brought would keep me warm, and that was all I cared about.I was glad I had found my jacket when I did the night before because I was certain that I would never see it again. I could only hope that no one noticed the phone missing from its pockets.I put my cellphone in between the cups of my bra, tucked securely under the band. I figured this was the best place to hide it where I would still be able sit down and stand up without hinderance, something I couldn't do if it was in my waistband. I had considered putting it in one of my boots, but those weren't guaranteed to stay on my feet.The early morning sky was transitioning from i

Narrative P.O.V.Moonlight poured into the room through the large windows that lined each wall.Cain stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows that were cast on the ceiling of the trees outside his window as they danced in the midnight breeze.He could hear each footstep as the two guards patrolled the floor level beneath him. The sound of their footfalls echoed across the empty room.Even louder, though, was the sound of her voice in his head."Are you sure about this?"He had been so sure.So sure that sending her away was the best idea. So sure that she would leave trouble with him. So sure that she would be safe.The only thing he was sure of now was that he had made a grave, terrible decision in letting her get on that plane.He had followed them to the airport.He watched her as she went through the security lines.He even watched her get on the plane.Sanity, reason and logic fought a diligent battle against his heart and desires as he watched her disappear from sight.Run af

Narrative P.O.V.An elbow to the ribcage startled Daniel and he sat up straight in the car seat."No time to doze off," Priya said.He rubbed his eyes and groaned."Easy for you to say. You had the whole flight over here to sleep. I had to stay up and get a false warrant made so we could get surveillance footage from the airport."The phone in his backpack started to ring and he bent down to pick it up."Hello?""How are things?"He cleared his throat hearing Cain's voice."Things are good," he said."We found the cab that she took and we're in it now, heading to the house."Any leads at the airport?""No," Daniel breathed out."The only times we saw her in the surveillance videos were when she was arriving in D.C. There's no evidence that she left.""There are a million ways out of that city," Cain said."It just means that she didn't leave from that airport."Thanks, chief. That's comforting, Daniel thought."How are things there?" He asked.Cain was silent for a few moments."I hav

Ella's P.O.V.A pounding headache was the first thing I could remember.I could feel my heartbeat pulsating behind my eyes and I felt as though someone had taken my temples in their palms and squashed them together.I groaned as I reached up to put my hand on my head. Wallowing in pain, I felt my body tense as I realized I was on a bed.I sat up slowly.My eyes wouldn't focus properly because of the headache but I could see a blurry outline of where I was.The room was small, but it had ceilings so tall I felt as though I was looking into outer space.The bed I was in had a thick, velvety black canopy over it that matched the duvet I was laying on.The curtains over the large windows were drawn and blocked out all incoming sunlight.A few candles were on the nightstand that offered an eerie glow over the room, accompanied by a fire that was smoldering in the fireplace.The flames were dying and offered the small room very little warmth.I was freezing.Looking down, I saw that I was s