"Please backup," I whisper as the need to flee grows stronger and stronger."No," Aera huffs. "I won’t let you run away.""Why?" I demand.He was acting like a jealous boyfriend right now, and it didn’t make any fucking sense! Since the beginning, he has been hot and cold with me; why is he like thi
[Ayla’s POV]I don’t wait for Aera to say anything about what I’ve told him before I dial Uncle Silas’ number and place my phone against my ear."Ayla," he hisses after the first ring. "Where the hell are you?""Fun Zone, the amusement park by the sea," I respond. "What the hell was that about Evie?
[Aera's POV]With each passing minute, my anger grows more and more. Was this what Ayla had to endure up until now? False accusations, slander, distrust, and hatred were everywhere she turned.'You joined in on them,' Rayze points out, waking up. 'Aren't you being a hypocrite?''I...' I begin, but s
[Ayla’s POV]"You can sit wherever," I announce, eyeing Aera. "I’m going to shower."I don’t wait for him to respond before I’m heading toward the bathroom and disappearing inside so that I can finally be alone with my raging thoughts.Sighing, I begin to yank my clothes off and then step into the s
[Ayla's POV]I watch in horror as Uncle Silas slams Aera against the wall and pins him there with his forearm."Why are you sleeping on my niece's bed?" He growls while Aera remains irritatingly calm given the circumstances. "As a matter of fact, Why are you even in her room?""Because she brought m
"That’s right," Uncle Silas confirms, but there’s one more thing you need to know, and now that things are beginning to happen in Crimson Tides territory, this may actually be for the best."At his words, I feel my heart drop to my stomach. Whatever was to come out of his mouth next wasn’t going to
[Ayla's POV]I continue to stare in the direction that Aera left, stunned by his proclamation. He was coming to the capitol with me… What the hell was this man actually thinking? Was this another one of his schemes, or was he really being sincere?There was no way to tell, and I needed to keep my gu
[Ayla's POV]"Why do you keep haunting me?" I demand, eyeing Barren. "Are you here to feed me even more lies?"I didn't know why he kept appearing after I made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with him, but I was beginning to get fed up with it. And right now, I had more important things t
Nodding, I take a deep breath and rush to Ayla’s side while Gwen begins the operation, and after a few minutes have passed, I hear a shriek fill the air before she is lifting a tiny creature into the air and handing it over to Brian to clean while she cuts the bloody cord attached.Once she is finis
[Aera’s POV]9 months Late"Mmm, Aera, right there."Ayla’s voice echoes around me, spurring my movements even more. Knowing she was enjoying what I was doing to her was all the encouragement I needed."Ah!" she gasps, leaning more into the chair in front of her. "Not so hard."Chuckling, I lean for
When I reach my parents, their faces fill with relief, and I feel my heart squeeze. Even though they hadn’t spoken a word about everything that happened, I was sure that they were now expecting me to snap at any given second. I still had a lot of making up to do in order to gain everyone’s trust an
[Celia’s POV] I stare up into Alphonze’s dark, unreadable eyes while trying to figure out exactly what I was feeling. Was I just caught by surprise because he suddenly appeared, and that was why I suddenly felt jittery and my heart was racing? Right, that had to be it; there couldn’t be anything e
This had been proof to me that we were intended to be together since we didn’t meet just once by chance but twice.After that, I approached her and began to woo her since I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. It was a love that I never imagined could exist, let alone for me, but she made me so
[Alphonze’s POV]I stand to the side, watching as everyone present for the evening enjoys themselves, laughing, dancing, and being merry. It had been a while since I had attended something like this, so it was taking a bit to get used to it again.The last time I came to a full moon ball was when I
"It seems that your date for this evening has arrived," Alphonze announces, clapping me on the shoulder. "I wouldn’t distract you any longer."Nodding, I give him a look and don’t miss the sorrow that flashes in his eyes as he looks from Ayla to me."Hold on as tight as you can because you never kno
[Aera's POV]Soft music drifts toward me as I stand to the side of the large ballroom, waiting for my date to arrive.Despite all the chaos that had been happening in our world, Silas and Alphonze insisted that we have a small, intimate gathering for the full moon as a way to relax and unwind after
[Ayla's POV]The next day, I sit in the passenger seat of Aera's car, staring at Crimsone Tides Estate while fighting the urge to run away. When I entered that building, I'd be making the toughest decision of my life, and I wasn't exactly sure if I was ready.Beside me, Aera remains silent while hol