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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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2023-07-27 20:03:56Related chapters
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Come on!” Beth drags me. “We have to go!”I have no choice but to follow her. I can see the others in the distance, all moving away.“T-The stream,” I finally manage to say. “They’ll lose our scent.”I can hear crashing behind us as we are followed. Survival instincts kicking in, I grab Beth’s arm now and begin running, dragging her with me. I can smell the water nearby. I’m faster than all of us so, ultimately, I’m in the lead.As soon as we find the stream, I order, “Move down. Go, go!” It’s deep, but no one cares. Quill is carrying Anderson on his back as we move forward. I don’t know how long we remain in the water, but at some point, we all get out near some caves. “Inside,” I say hoarsely.Quill brings Anderson into the cave while the others follow. Once inside, I slump down onto the ground, my breathing heavy.“An ambush,” I mumble, dazed. “They knew we were coming.”“No,” Isabel is shaking as she looks at me, “That girl, Rachel, she knew you were coming. You d
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I don’t hesitate in running back to where I left our things. Quickly putting on the bags and carrying the remaining two, I make my way into the stream and rush back.My body is screaming in exhaustion, but I feel as light as a feather. Jesse is alive!However, as I reach my destination, I slow down. Even if he is alive, I still can’t save him. I can’t ask the group to go back. Considering how badly we were injured the first time around, nobody is going to try a second time. And why should they? It’s asking for a death sentence.But I can’t leave Jesse like this.At this point, I don’t know what to do. Even I know I won’t be able to take on any of the enemy. They’re strong while we’re still learning the ropes.Confused and shaken, I make my way to the cave, my legs aching.I’ve barely entered when Beth throws herself at me, her voice panicked, “Where have you been?! It’s been hours, Taylor!”That’s when she notices the bags I’m carrying.She takes a step back, paling. “No. D
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BethMy whole body is aching when I wake up. My eyes open blearily, and I realize it’s daytime. A second glance confirms that the fire is out. No wonder it’s so cold.Yawning, I pull myself into a sitting position and look around. Isabel and Anderson are asleep at the other end with Quill half sprawled out of his sleeping bag, his mouth wide open. Kathleen is buried so deep in her bag, probably feeling cold, that I can’t even see her hair. And Taylor—I freeze.Where’s Taylor?Her sleeping bag isn’t there. In fact, I don’t see her at all. I look around and force myself to calm down. She probably went to get some more fish. Feeling a little silly over my own paranoia, I nudge Quill with my foot.He groans and turns to his side, facing me, his strong arms wrapping around my foot as he cuddles with it. My face flushes, and I kick him in the face with my other foot. “Get off!”That kick wakes him up, and he makes a sound of protest, his eyes opening. “What’re you hitting me
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I don’t enjoy travelling by myself. The silence bothers me.I’m so used to Quill’s constant complaining, Beth’s laughter, and Kathleen’s random facts about plants, that walking in the silence of the forest by myself makes me feel beyond lonely. I even miss Isabel’s comments about the path we’re on or Anderson’s grunts.Sighing, I look around. I’ve been walking without a break since last night. At times, I’ve broken into a run. I’m tired but not to the point that I want to sleep just yet. My money has dwindled to very little, enough for me to be able to buy some bread at the village, but nothing more.The shortcut I’ve taken should have me at the village in another couple of hours. Or at least that’s what I anticipate. Yawning, I rub my eyes. What I wouldn’t give for a warm bed and food right now. Looking over my shoulder, I wonder how far Beth and the others have gotten. They would have to cross the village as well, but I should be in the hills by then. But first, I have to gather
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER NINETEEN
“What?” I stare at him. “But I’m telling you I saw it.”“There are only two ways you can see the sigil,” Lowenstein narrows his eyes. “Either you have fae blood in you or—”When he hesitates at that part, I press, “Or what?”He studies me. “That sigil is a magical seal. It was placed on those books to hide the content—well, on any remaining books that weren’t destroyed. After—” he pauses and regroups himself, “I stay near this village for a reason. That tree you saw the sigil on is also sealed. I am guarding that seal. The only person who can see a magical seal of this strength is one who carries the same seal. Or you have to have the blood of faes in you. And since you deny that, then it’s obvious why you were able to see those sigils.”His long-winded explanation has me gaping at him. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that someone put some magical seal on me. Like I’m some sort of inanimate object—”“Inanimate objects aren’t the only ones who get sealed,” Lowenstein r
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY
Lowenstein shrugs. “It’s a spiritual test. You have to tend to the fire for a week, cleanse your heart, and only then, do you step into the fire once you are ready.”“A week?!”“Time passes slowly in the cave where the fire is kept,” he explains. “Two hours equals one day. It should take you less than a day. But you cannot take any food and water inside with you. You are to go by yourself.”“What is this fire testing?” I ask slowly.“Resilience.” Lowenstein watches me. “Inner strength. Patience, maybe? I don’t know. It’s a spiritual test. Nobody knows exactly how you pass it. But you will know. Everybody who has passed this test, well, only two individuals, they always said they knew when it was time.”“Time for what?”“To step into the fire,” he explains. “You have to tend to the fire for a week ‘till it grows and then on the seventh day, you step inside. If you pass, it will break the manacles of magic around you.”“This is really vague,” I feel hesitant. “It doesn’t really ma
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
It hurts.This constant gnawing sensation inside of my stomach aches. I’ve not eaten in days, not even a sip of water. My healing ability has all but vanished. I can’t even heal a small cut. I’ve become so used to having my injuries healed within minutes, depending on how bad they are, that the lack of healing makes me feel weaker and more vulnerable. My fingers are all bloody from digging into the cave walls.It’s hard to walk; I feel so weak.Staring at the fire in front of me, which is roaring, I feel like I’ve been stripped of everything. The stronger it rages, the more I crumble. But I can’t leave.Jesse needs me. My friends went through hell just to have my back. They paid a painful price for their loyalty. But I couldn’t protect them.I need to be strong. I need to be able to protect the people in my life. I failed to protect my father, my sister.It’s that determination that has me getting back up each time to fill the bowl, ignoring my battered fingers, the des
Last Updated : 2023-07-27Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
JesseThe iron chains binding me are making my healing impossible. It’s been a couple of days since the ambush.I always knew that Rachel had a temper, but I had never witnessed it until I had thrown myself into the fight, trying to help Taylor get away. The vicious look in her eyes, the blood lust, is something I’ve never seen before.It made my blood curdle.When she ordered her goons to attack me, I tried to fight them off to the best of my abilities, desperate for Taylor and her friends to get away. Even once they had gotten away and some of her goons chased after them, she didn’t stop the rest from beating me. Beating is a mild word for what they did to me. All the while, she stood and watched, her composure in tatters. She looked insane, almost as if she wasn’t satisfied with the violence. Like she wanted more.For a while, I had vaguely wondered if she had intended for them to kill me. At some point, I had even stopped fighting back, only aware of the debilitating pain
Last Updated : 2023-07-27
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Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
The journey back is harder.Jesse has clearly communicated my intentions of leaving to the group, and both Beth and Quill keep looking my way. Kathleen isn’t happy with my decision. Isabel and Anderson don’t care, and I don’t expect them to.Each time we stop, I make my campsite away from theirs. By now, it is a personal preference. Beth did try to stop me.“You don’t have to do this, Taylor,” she says to me as I pick up my bag. I ignore her, walking past her like she doesn’t exist. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I hear her crying later as I try to sleep. I harden my heart even when a part of me wants to go to her. It’s the same part of me that screwed me over the first time.It’s a couple of hours until dawn when I wake up with a jerk.Someone is here!I jump to my feet, ready to fight, when I hear a rough voice speak up, “It’s me.”Quill steps out of the shadows with a bunch of sticks in his hand. “It’s a cold night. Thought your fire might go out.”I don’t say an
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
I never thought that Lowenstein would say anything to them. Was that why they had been trying to keep me out of the plan to rescue Jesse?However, even if he had, they should have said something to me.“We have to focus on what to do now,” Beth says, and I look in the direction where everyone is sitting. “Taylor is our friend. I don’t want her to feel like this. We’re already hurting her. But I just—I keep remembering how she just killed everyone.”Quill comforts her, “It’ll take some time for us to come to terms with what she did. That doesn’t mean we hate her. She’ll understand.” I don’t want to hear anymore. Slumping back against a tree, I sink to the ground, tears spilling down my face.Understand?They can’t even look at me.All those words to placate me, to tell me that they will always be my side, were they ever true? If this had been Quill or Beth, I would have stuck by them. To know that they couldn’t do the same is a painful revelation.I lean my head back against
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
“What is this?” My fingers touch the edge of my eyes as fear begins to finally seep in. As my emotions get the better of me, I feel the coldness inside of me begin to recede. I turn around, looking at the carnage before me. Aside from a few of Rachel’s people, everyone is dead. I killed them.But instead of guilt, I feel nothing. They had it coming. There’s a small part of me that whispers that I should be more concerned that I took so many lives. But I don’t feel remorse. Instead, when I turn to my friends, I feel satisfied. I approach Beth, and when she flinches, I take a step back. “I’m not going to hurt you.”She must have heard the hurt in my voice because she hesitates. “I didn’t say that.”I look around at the rest. Everyone is in pretty bad shape. I doubt they can even move or be moved at this point. Jesse is in the worst condition, so I step towards him. When he tries to move away, I grit my jaw, holding back the pain of his open rejection, and lean down and break his
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
“They’ve not moved since we got here,” Anderson breathes. “It’s been hours. What do we do now?”Quill has a troubled look on his face. “They’re more organized this time around. It’s almost as if—”“—as if they’re expecting us,” I hiss. “They probably are.”From the moment we reached the campsite, we’ve been hiding out, waiting for the enemy to retire to bed, but the soldiers are taking shifts. Jesse is leaning against a tree, his body limp and bloodied. My heart is racing at the sight of him, fear for him making me nauseous. He hasn’t even stirred once!“We can’t delay this any longer,” I say tightly. “They’re clearly waiting for us. I told you we needed to come up with another plan.”“We can still grab him,” Quill argues, pointing towards where Jesse is half leaning against a tree. “If we stay out of sight, we can bring him to us. Nobody is paying attention to him.”A bad feeling is forming in my gut. “I don’t know. I don’t think that’s going to work.”But Quill and Beth exchan
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
“So, we’re decided then?” Quill says sharply as we walk. “Stick to the plan. Let’s minimize the violence and the confrontation. We wait until their guard is down. Taylor, you’re certain that he was unattended?”“I saw Jesse,” I insist. “He was alone. They were ignoring him. This is a solid plan. And even if we have to fight, I can handle it.”Quill shoots me a wary look. “I have to agree with Isabel from before, Taylor. You don’t know these powers yet. This could backfire.”I look down at my hands. I can’t explain it to them. I can feel this energy moving within me, all this power at my disposal. My energy is at an all-time high. I can do this!Beth voices her agreement, “Using your powers should be a last-ditch effort. Just in case anything goes wrong, and we need help.”“Wait,” I turn to look at my friends, suddenly taken aback, “are you saying I’m not taking part in this rescue mission?”Quill and Beth exchange a look, and it’s Beth who steps forward. “That’s not it. Look, Tay
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
JesseThe iron chains binding me are making my healing impossible. It’s been a couple of days since the ambush.I always knew that Rachel had a temper, but I had never witnessed it until I had thrown myself into the fight, trying to help Taylor get away. The vicious look in her eyes, the blood lust, is something I’ve never seen before.It made my blood curdle.When she ordered her goons to attack me, I tried to fight them off to the best of my abilities, desperate for Taylor and her friends to get away. Even once they had gotten away and some of her goons chased after them, she didn’t stop the rest from beating me. Beating is a mild word for what they did to me. All the while, she stood and watched, her composure in tatters. She looked insane, almost as if she wasn’t satisfied with the violence. Like she wanted more.For a while, I had vaguely wondered if she had intended for them to kill me. At some point, I had even stopped fighting back, only aware of the debilitating pain
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
It hurts.This constant gnawing sensation inside of my stomach aches. I’ve not eaten in days, not even a sip of water. My healing ability has all but vanished. I can’t even heal a small cut. I’ve become so used to having my injuries healed within minutes, depending on how bad they are, that the lack of healing makes me feel weaker and more vulnerable. My fingers are all bloody from digging into the cave walls.It’s hard to walk; I feel so weak.Staring at the fire in front of me, which is roaring, I feel like I’ve been stripped of everything. The stronger it rages, the more I crumble. But I can’t leave.Jesse needs me. My friends went through hell just to have my back. They paid a painful price for their loyalty. But I couldn’t protect them.I need to be strong. I need to be able to protect the people in my life. I failed to protect my father, my sister.It’s that determination that has me getting back up each time to fill the bowl, ignoring my battered fingers, the des
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER TWENTY
Lowenstein shrugs. “It’s a spiritual test. You have to tend to the fire for a week, cleanse your heart, and only then, do you step into the fire once you are ready.”“A week?!”“Time passes slowly in the cave where the fire is kept,” he explains. “Two hours equals one day. It should take you less than a day. But you cannot take any food and water inside with you. You are to go by yourself.”“What is this fire testing?” I ask slowly.“Resilience.” Lowenstein watches me. “Inner strength. Patience, maybe? I don’t know. It’s a spiritual test. Nobody knows exactly how you pass it. But you will know. Everybody who has passed this test, well, only two individuals, they always said they knew when it was time.”“Time for what?”“To step into the fire,” he explains. “You have to tend to the fire for a week ‘till it grows and then on the seventh day, you step inside. If you pass, it will break the manacles of magic around you.”“This is really vague,” I feel hesitant. “It doesn’t really ma
Adore (Wish, Book Three) CHAPTER NINETEEN
“What?” I stare at him. “But I’m telling you I saw it.”“There are only two ways you can see the sigil,” Lowenstein narrows his eyes. “Either you have fae blood in you or—”When he hesitates at that part, I press, “Or what?”He studies me. “That sigil is a magical seal. It was placed on those books to hide the content—well, on any remaining books that weren’t destroyed. After—” he pauses and regroups himself, “I stay near this village for a reason. That tree you saw the sigil on is also sealed. I am guarding that seal. The only person who can see a magical seal of this strength is one who carries the same seal. Or you have to have the blood of faes in you. And since you deny that, then it’s obvious why you were able to see those sigils.”His long-winded explanation has me gaping at him. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that someone put some magical seal on me. Like I’m some sort of inanimate object—”“Inanimate objects aren’t the only ones who get sealed,” Lowenstein r
