Both Caius and Knight said nothing. The two stared at me as though they’d never seen me before. It felt good to remind them how little they knew about me, and how wrong they had been in their assumptions.Knight lit another cigarette and began scribbling something on his clipboard. “Well that explai
My gaze fell to the armrest. I picked at a stray thread, wrapping it around the point of my nail. “My ex had a vision of the life he wanted. That life required a specific type of woman with specific qualities. Obviously, I didn’t fit the bill. Instead of forcing myself to be something I wasn’t, I di
AnastasiaThe next four weeks were a slew of dates, public outings, and horrendous “therapy sessions” with Knight.Caius and I still didn’t fully trust one another, but at least now we knew we were on the same team and wanted the same thing. He’d even begun to touch me more during our excursions. Fo
“Well, so are you. That means you’re perfect for one another,” she teased.“Hah! We fight almost constantly. I wouldn’t call that perfect. He’d probably have a stroke if he heard you say that. The vein on his forehead would pop out for sure.”“Who doesn’t love a little hate sex?” Her and Nyla’s sult
AnastasiaMy heartbeat did this funky little stutter as Caius began removing his suit jacket. His strong hands moved over each button, those thick fingers oddly graceful despite their size. I may or may not have licked my lips when he slipped the jacket off, revealing those broad, muscled shoulders.
The mere thought of potentially seeing Jayden there had a cold sweat licking down my spine.Over the past three years I had trained, learned to defend myself in ways I hadn’t known before. I knew I no longer had any reason to fear Jayden, but trauma was a fickle thing, branding itself into the deepe
Caius“You look awful morose for someone who’s going to be getting married in a few months.” Knight pointed out. “I, for one, am excited to play the role of best man. I already have your bachelor party planned. I’m bringing in the best strippers in the state.” He paused, “Although, you’re in this si
The shock in her eyes, followed by lust and just a glimmer of fear, wasn’t faked or forced. And fuck if it didn’t drive me mad.Each time I started to think of her I’d force myself to stop. I’d grab a drink and let the whiskey numb me from the inside out, but its effectiveness was waning.I turned m
The healer arrived then, knocking softly on the door. I didn’t pay them any mind as they entered, or as they touched around my forehead with cold fingers. My mind was lost, replaying Caius’s words.Once the healer left, taking with them my throbbing headache, I took a slow, steady breath and looked
AnastasiaCaius’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing dangerously. A crack of thunder sounded from outside. “I should have torn them apart,” he growled, his voice low and menacing.I shrugged, trying to maintain my nonchalant facade. Caius’s rage was like being swept away in a storm. “You didn’t know. B
I watched in utter bewilderment as his face slowly transformed into a grin.“You steal my shirt, interrupt my hangover, and now you’re making jokes?”At some point we must’ve made it to his office, because he nudged open the door and stepped inside all without jostling my coffee. The retort died in
AnastasiaI had done an excellent job of avoiding Caius all morning. Or so I thought.Once Evangeline went home, I froze time long enough to make a mad dash downstairs. The throbbing in my head was relentless. Every werewolf knew magic and alcohol did not mix, but most of us were too stubborn to lis
“I’m doing this because I’m a good person,” I announced, purely because I was becoming more and more intoxicated, and I needed to remind myself why I shouldn’t go through with Evangeline’s revenge plot. This felt like the simplest reason. “Hype me up before I do something I’ll regret, and we both kn
AnastasiaEvangeline’s eyes shimmered with mischief. “I have a fun fact for you. The Windsor family spent upwards of 1.4 million dollars in PR firms, cybersecurity experts, and legal teams. They staged a scrub that spanned the globe, Ana. That takes money and power. It’s like CIA level shit. I’m tal
“Blackwell adventures.” As we descended into laughter, neither of us commented on the undertone of sadness in our voices, or how it fell upon the room like a dark shroud.I leaned back against the headboard and searched through the snippets of my memory. “There was something else. At one point the h
Anastasia“I’m a coward, aren’t I?” I brought my knees up to my chest with a huff. The bruises peppered along my body had healed long ago, but still I felt the phantom ache, the incessant reminder, of what had happened between Caius and I in that forest.I swore it was the mark playing tricks on me,
“This entire thing is incredibly barbaric,” I whisper-hissed. “They didn’t let me clean myself, as I’m sure you and everyone else know.”Radiating an air of pure smugness, Caius leaned down and murmured in my ear. “Because I ordered them not to.”As if on cue, an upbeat melody drifted through the ai