Valerie:I knew it had to be done.If I wanted him to be honest, then I knew that I was going to need to be honest with him. I knew that he was going to need to hear this from me if he found out from someone else or if he found out in another way or different method, he was going to flip. And I knew
Caspian:The truth had a way of settling in like a slow burn, beneath the surface, buried in the muscle and marrow, waiting for the right moment to catch fire.Waiting for the right moment to burn everything that was around it, to ruin all that I believed that was true. To break me on the inside and
Valerie:The knock on the door was soft, but assertive.His scent hit me first and I knew that he came. I found out that it was a little too early for him to be coming to the villa. Especially after last night. I expected him to want his time alone, that he did not want me to approach him, that he m
A few minutes later, I sat with Adrian at the long dining table in Caspian’s private wing. It felt strange being here again, in this part of the estate—like a ghost brushing against the edge of her former life. But Adrian seemed unfazed. He munched happily on toast while watching the cartoon Caspian
Eva:The room was cold.Everyone and everything within this house was cold. It was colder than I would want to admit. It was not what I was used to. I had lived in peace for a while and now for me to be living in such hostility and such fear was not something that I wanted to find myself growing acc
Giovanni:The board was almost set.Each piece had been placed with careful precision. The pawns moved slowly, unaware of how close they were to the edge. But it wasn’t the pawns I was concerned with now. It was time for the kings to start bleeding.And the knights…It was time for me to be playing
His jaw tightened. “What exactly do you want from me? Speak clearly. You do not need to play games on me, and I believe that you know for a fact that you do not need to pretend something does exist when it does not.”I smiled.“You’ve been watching, haven’t you?” I said. “Waiting. Calculating. Alway
Elias:The silence in my room felt suffocating. Not quiet. Not peaceful. Suffocating.I was now a guest at the Giovanni estate. I knew that I could not just leave in sunlight if anyone saw me, and I knew that others would be spying around, would be looking to find me. I knew better than to give t
Elias:Eva's words kept playing in my head as I got out of my car.I have been ignoring my phone, my mother has been calling my mate even, but I did not want to respond to them right now. I had a lot more important things to be taken care of. And I knew that eventually they would understand what I w
Valerie:The fire crackled softly in the hearth, the only sound accompanying the quiet tension that sat between us like a third presence. I sat in one of the leather chairs across from Caspian’s desk, arms folded, eyes fixed on the papers sprawled in front of him. His jaw was set in that way it alwa
She stepped in slowly, cautious, like someone approaching a wild animal. I didn't speak. I didn’t move. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at her feet for a moment before she shook her head as she allowed herself to voice out whatever it was that she was here to say.“You met him
Elias:The silence in my room felt suffocating. Not quiet. Not peaceful. Suffocating.I was now a guest at the Giovanni estate. I knew that I could not just leave in sunlight if anyone saw me, and I knew that others would be spying around, would be looking to find me. I knew better than to give t
His jaw tightened. “What exactly do you want from me? Speak clearly. You do not need to play games on me, and I believe that you know for a fact that you do not need to pretend something does exist when it does not.”I smiled.“You’ve been watching, haven’t you?” I said. “Waiting. Calculating. Alway
Giovanni:The board was almost set.Each piece had been placed with careful precision. The pawns moved slowly, unaware of how close they were to the edge. But it wasn’t the pawns I was concerned with now. It was time for the kings to start bleeding.And the knights…It was time for me to be playing
Eva:The room was cold.Everyone and everything within this house was cold. It was colder than I would want to admit. It was not what I was used to. I had lived in peace for a while and now for me to be living in such hostility and such fear was not something that I wanted to find myself growing acc
A few minutes later, I sat with Adrian at the long dining table in Caspian’s private wing. It felt strange being here again, in this part of the estate—like a ghost brushing against the edge of her former life. But Adrian seemed unfazed. He munched happily on toast while watching the cartoon Caspian
Valerie:The knock on the door was soft, but assertive.His scent hit me first and I knew that he came. I found out that it was a little too early for him to be coming to the villa. Especially after last night. I expected him to want his time alone, that he did not want me to approach him, that he m