"You're not going to tell me what that was about, are you?" Tyra chuckled dryly, raising her eyebrow in my direction.
"Not at the moment, no." I shook my head.
I wasn't sure what to make of it myself, and the last thing I wanted to do was jump to conclusions. Michelle and Atlas could have easily broken up, or maybe she found her mate and left him. That thought sent a wave of sickening approval through me. It wasn't uncommon for mates to start families early. The other option was one I didn't want to think about, that the child she carried might belong to Atlas. It took a minute to force the thoughts from my mind, bottling them down tightly.
I gave Liam a call that night, giving him a rundown of everything that happened this week. I could've had Dustin make the call, but I felt like Liam and I were growing distant. Things had been strained since he lied and sent Atlas away, but I was beginning to no longer blame him. I conveniently l
The words had hardly left my mouth before my world shifted. I was slammed against the rough bark of a tree, and grimaced as it scratched my back. The pain was replaced by sparks, and the thick scent of Atlas. Pine needles and male musk, rich and earthy as it invaded my senses. Atlas's face was inches from my own, one of his large hands placed over my open mouth. I had never been close enough to see the depth of Atlas's eyes before, but stifled a ragged breath as I lost myself in them. Light shades of blue mixed with white tones, reminding me of clear sheets of ice."Don't say those words, kitten." Atlas spoke lowly, those captivating eyes burning into my own. His large chest moved against my own, his breathing heavy as the mate-bond between us pulsed like a living thing. As quickly as I was sucked into his eyes and his warm chest, anger flared to life in my stomach. The sparks that danced along my skin reminded me of the fire that once pulsed in my veins. I wasn't
The cool nighttime breeze was replaced with warm gusts of spring wind, carrying the scent of flowers and something sweet. The speckling of stars that danced across the sky vanished, leaving a bright sun and two faded moons in its wake. Sunlight danced through the clearing I stood in, peering through the trees that seemed much larger in this world. The trees were full of leaves, all varying shapes and sizes. The leaves were a bright emerald that drew my full attention. These trees were nothing like the ones back home. All of the colors here were brighter, like someone placed a filter over the world.The tugging in my stomach had finally stopped, and it took me a minute to realize what I had done. Portals were tricky, never staying in one place for too long. Liam had tracked portal openings all over the country by pinpointing the random attacks, each one more different than the next. One would open on the East coast, only to close and end up in Alaska three years later. There w
I stumbled to my feet and pushed myself forward, running through the woods as fast as I could manage. The sound of birds chirping helped calm my ragged nerves. I looked at the trees and their big leaves, noting how the color seemed dull compared to the Fae realm. At least nothing here would try to eat me, I told myself. Breathing against the burning in my legs, I called out to Tyra and Dustin.'You there guys?' I reached out to the two of them, sighing in relief when I felt the mind-link connect.'Rae?' Tyra's voice filled my mind, followed by a frantic Dustin. 'Where the fuck have you been?''It's been two days, Rae.' Dustin snapped, worry clear in his voice. 'You couldn't just let us know you were okay?''Get Atlas and Duke, meet me at the house. I'll explain then.' I hissed through the mind-link, ending it as I continued running.My mind was in shambles, trying to process how I had been gone for two days. Two entire days. That would make it Mond
By the time I emerged from my bedroom, both Duke and Atlas had left. Even though it was the middle of the day, exhaustion was beginning to creep up on me. I blamed it on my sudden disappearance, and the fact that I had lost nearly two days in the span of half an hour. The bout of exhaustion could've also been caused by the horrifying creature that had chased me far from the Fae realm. Either way, my heavy eyelids were begging for a break and I was more than happy to oblige.After letting Tyra and Dustin know about Liam's immediate visit, I grabbed a quick snack and headed back upstairs. While I knew Liam visiting would add more tension to the situation, I couldn't help but hope Nicki would tag along with him. Kris had been busy learning the duties of Beta from his Dad, but I still hoped he would tag along as well. I chuckled to myself as I imagined Liam trying to refuse her. Nicki would blow a gasket if she found out Liam ran off to Atlas's pack without her. Dustin seemed ela
My head was splitting. Cracked open, exposed like a nerve as I desperately wracked my damaged memory for something familiar, for something that made sense.It felt like I was scanning old photographs, some blurry and unfocused while others were crisp. Some had a strange film over them, too shiny--to accurate.I still remembered the night I lost my memory, the night I hit my head. Dad and I had gone camping, as we had many times before. I could remember the taste of smoke wafting from the campfire, the sharp scent of damp leaves and dirt. I could even remember the brilliant moon, just a small sliver in the sky. I remembered the scent of a wet animal as the large grizzly bear stepped into the small clearing with my Dad and I. I remembered how it stood on its hind legs, its beady little eyes staring us down. How silly the bear must have felt, I remembered thinking countless times. It had thought we were the prey, that we were weak, defenseless humans. It didn't know my Da
It was then my legs allowed me to move, but instead of walking deeper into the forest like I planned, I stepped into Atlas's backyard. I figured it was the least I could do to give him a good chase, to lead him in circles for half the night before finally retiring back to bed, but my legs had other plans. I hoped the lingering darkness would shield the horrendous blush that stained my face.Atlas was down the stairs before I could blink, standing in front of me with those unwavering crystal-clear eyes of his. I couldn't name another time I had seen those eyes, had seen eyes so blue and so light. They were completely unique to him, an oddity that no one else seemed to possess."Eavesdropping doesn't seem like your style." Atlas smirked, his full lips lifting at the corners."It's not, and I wasn't eavesdropping." I found my voice, and nearly growled at the lack of hostility in it. My head knew how I felt about Atlas, but my heart seemed slow on the update. "It's
I stood inside of my old house, years before we had ever decided to leave. It was a year after my Dad had died, making me nine years old. The deep navy sofa was still old and lumpy, but newer than I remembered seeing it. There were no lipstick stains from Alyssa and I, or small tears from the time I brought a stray kitten home. My nine-year-old self sat on the couch, bare toes almost reaching the floor. I had a bowl of popcorn in my hands, smiling at the television as some colorful movie played. Dim light from the moon peered through the sheer curtains in the living room. While I recognized this as one of mine and Mom's frequent movie nights, I had no recollection of this particular memory.Mom came downstairs, and my breath hitched as I ran my eyes over her smiling face. She was so close, close enough to touch and yet I couldn't bring myself to move. I traced every line and curve with my eyes, committing her face to memory. Her kind eyes and wide smile, the way she'd always
"Good morning, kitten." Atlas spoke from where he stood across the room. Leaning against the wall with his muscular arms crossed, Atlas stared at me with those unwavering crystal eyes. "Now, would you like to tell me what the hell happened to you?"I had just a few seconds to decide if I wanted to say anything. I wasn't exactly sure what happened to me. All I knew was I was being haunted by memories I had somehow forgotten. None of it made sense. Not the memories, nor the snippets of information I learned from them.I ran my eyes over Atlas's form, and noticed the dark circles that lined his eyes. His hair was a mess, platinum blonde strands sticking up around his head. His clothes were crumpled and messy. Judging from the light pouring in through the window, I had missed another day of training. Atlas's scent, thick and alluring, lingered in every corner of the room. I stiffened on sight as I realized whose bed, I had slept in. Atlas had brought me inside his house, p