Enzo’s POVI tapped my foot. I chewed the inside of my cheek. I sighed.Waiting, I decided, was its own special brand of torture. I’d told Scar two things: that I trusted her, and that I didn’t trust Samael. The problem was, even though Scar could now hold her own, her powers were largely unknown and entirely unpredictable. If she needed to use them, would she be able to?I started to pace, the warm tones of the hallway and the wintry light spilling in through the windows contrasting starkly. I checked my watch. Tick, tock. I scratched at my stubble. How long had she been in there? Five minutes, ten, twenty?I should’ve checked the time when she’d gone in. I could still feel where she’d squeezed my hand, my palm tingling from the long-gone contact. She’d slipped back into my heart effortlessly, but I knew removing her from it now would be impossible. Even if the mate bond didn’t exist, I knew that I would have found her and loved her. Scarlett was woven into my very soul. A jolt of s
Scarlett’s POVI stared at up Enzo. Terror locked my joints and froze my muscles. He didn’t look like himself; his lips were pulled back from his teeth in a snarl, one so animalistic that I could barely find the sweet, human nature that I knew so well. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t my mate.“No,” wheezed Samael. I blinked up at him, confused and scared in equal measure. “I’d die before I’d tell you.”What the fuck was going on? One minute, I’d been in the library. The next, I was here – wherever here was – lying in the snow, dazed and foggy. And Enzo…Enzo wasn’t here. Not him. Not really.He shrugged, his eyes cold as frosted coal. They glinted with something dark, something nasty, as he said, “That’s fine with me.” I struggled to get my body under control. But when Samael’s eyes started to roll back into his head, my soul slammed back into my chest and I found that I could move. I gasped. “Enzo.” My voice was rough and raspy, and I could barely manage a whisper. “Don’t.”Samael’s he
Enzo’s POVWhat. The. Fuck.I ground my teeth together, staring at the coarse tree trunk. Scar’s air magic had pushed back a knot of thistles that had previously been covering it – pure chance, pure coincidence – and yet somehow, some way that was totally scrambling my brain, that random blast of magic that she couldn’t even control had revealed another fucking message. Staring at the words unseeingly, I felt nothing but the pounding of blood against my skull.Scarlett’s gasp was the sweet version of all my swearwords. “What does it say?” she muttered, pushing in close to me. It was maddening that even that small, thoughtless touch had my heart pounding. After what I’d done, I didn’t deserve her. Sure, it wasn’t the first time I’d killed someone, and sure, she’d killed someone, too, but she’d done it by accident, using a newfound power she had no control over. I’d wanted to hurt Samael. I’d wanted to see the light leave his eyes. That made a monster. Didn’t it?I didn’t feel like a m
Scarlett’s POVEven though he’d been trying to kidnap me, I couldn’t get Samael’s death out of my head or heart. In a roundabout way, he’d died because of my air magic. I refused to believe Bennett, to accept that I had to do things his way or lose control. I’d been taking care of myself and my business for long enough that I was pretty sure I could learn to command air all by myself, thank you very much.I’d not told anyone about this. Not yet. So far, I’d only snuck out to practise once, and that had gone… poorly. And, of course, by poorly I meant I’d not been able to get my palms to tingle even once. To be honest, I’d expected the complete opposite – a windstorm billowing out of my hands and uprooting trees left right and centre. As I shoved on a gilet and bundled my hands into woolly gloves, I found myself wondering if that would’ve been better than the reality. At least I would’ve been doing something. Enzo was asleep still. The dawn was yet to break. He snored, a tiny, little s
Enzo’s POVI hated watching Scarlett use her air magic. Well – to be honest, it wasn’t the magic part that I hated so much. That bit was actually kind of cool: watching her hands glow and her face break into a grin as she commanded the winter wind to coil up her arms and billow through her hair. She was beautiful like that, full of confidence and pride. I was proud of her, too. Her determination alone was enough to bring me to my knees and pledge myself to her, all over again.It was what came after that made me so upset. I couldn’t bear watching her collapse every time; seeing it ate away at me, but I knew that not being with her while she grappled with her newfound powers would only hurt more. The more she used her magic, the more intense her fainting spells became. “Scar!” I raced out into the clearing, blood pounding through my veins, heart thundering in my chest. I couldn’t feel any of her pain when she collapsed, but seeing her slack face and unseeing eyes told me all I needed
Scarlett’s POV“You’re acting weird,” I remarked casually, reaching for the jam. Glancing over at Enzo, I added, “weirder than your normal, dorky self, that is.”He huffed and rolled his eyes. “Thanks. I think.”I smiled wryly. “You’re welcome. But no, seriously – what’s up?”He dropped his toast and scratched at his jaw. A crumb stuck to his stubble. My smile grew. “This Ryker business. It’s like a cloud looming over us, you know? I was just starting to feel like things were going smoothly for us.”“Yeah.” I smoothed the jam over my buttery toast. God, eating like this was still such a luxury to me. My layers of butter and jam were easily twice as thick as Enzo’s, and I went back to add a little more. “But we’re ready for whatever happens.”“It’s not that. It’s – well, what if Bennett’s right?”“Is that why you’ve been staring at the ceiling at night?” I put down my knife and levelled my gaze at him.“The first time I could’ve sworn I saw a snake up there.”“A snake. In your bedroom.
Enzo’s POVI felt permanently on edge after Bennett’s latest intrusive message. It became impossible to distract myself, because every time I opened a book in the library or ran past a tree at training, I expected to see the words ‘I told you so’ inked or carved there. He’d effectively managed to infiltrate our lives – and my blooming paranoia wasn’t even the worst problem Scar and I had to deal with.So much for our peaceful paradise. Even now, with Scarlett’s head resting sleepily on my chest and the first rays of dawn spilling in through the open curtains, my brow was furrowed and stress pounded at my temples. Lifting a hand, I pressed my fingertips into my temples and started to rub. Hard.Scar lifted her head, her eyelids still closed, her lashes forming a dark crescent over her freckled skin. “Whassmatter?”Despite it all, I huffed out a laugh. “In English, please?”She yawned widely and snuggled back in. “What. Is. The.” She paused, yawning again, before she finished. “Matter?”
Scarlett’s POV“So,” I said, leaning forward on Enzo’s bed, frowning at the television, “he’s an alien?”“Yeah.” Enzo rubbed my knee, but his gaze didn’t once falter from the screen. “From the planet Gallifrey. And he travels around in a blue box that he stole…”“No, go on.” My lips twitched. “And the plastic?”“Is alive.” He grinned and, at last, turned to face me. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to watch it.”“No, I’m enjoying it. I’m confused, but happy.”“Well, that’s all I can ask.” He kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you’re happy.”“Me, too. Your parents are so nice.”They really were. We’d chatted easily, amicably, once I’d settled into myself – and got past the fact that Enzo had snickered at me for saying ‘Most welcome.’ Geno and Resme were warm people in a warm home, and with the mulled wine sinking into my flesh I’d found that our conversations had flowed as easily as drink into my cup.And, if I’d caught them sharing sad, almost pitying, looks whenever my past came up, no matter how q