"No," Ayla says quickly, looking from me to the elder. "There’s nothing more to discuss. Thank you for attempting to help me. I’ll be leaving."She doesn’t wait for a response, and she doesn’t dare look my way again before she is moving, but I didn’t plan on letting her escape that easily.Giving th
[Aera's POV]The next day, I woke up early to wait for Alphonze's arrival, even though I had barely slept the night before.When he arrives, he is accompanied by Christian, Silas' beta, and Trixie. They busied themselves setting up his wheelchair and then helping him out.As they begin to roll him f
"She…" I begin, but stop as I find myself wondering if Alphonze is aware of what her blood can do. As Silas’ best friend, he most certainly would have been told, right? "Is special.""Yes, she is," he agrees. "But I’ve known that for some time."For a moment, I don’t speak as I wrestle with whether
[Aera’s POV]Once I’m out of the room, I extend my senses until I can feel Ayla. Although I had noticed that something was off about her the day before, just how weak her aura felt confirmed that there was something serious going on.Unable to stop the worry that suddenly flares, I move, heading in
"I’m sorry for this," she whispers, letting out another scream just as the door behind us opens. "But it's better you stay away from her.""Get off of me!" Celia shrieks as tears spring to her eyes. "NO!"For a moment, I can’t process what exactly is happening, but when I turn and see Christian and
[Ayla's POV]When I woke up this morning, I decided I would sit down and have a long chat with Aera. I knew that I had overreacted a little too much the night before, and I figured since we both had time to cool down and collect our thoughts, we would be able to discuss things like actual adults.At
"There’s just too much about me that...""Did you bring me out here just to tell me to keep my distance?" Aera asks. "Because if that is the case, I absolutely won’t do it. I know that I fucked up last night, but I was just taken by surprise and didn’t stop to truly consider, but after having the ch
[Ayla's POV]I stare down at the hand that is held out to me and find myself wondering if it would truly be okay to take it. If I said that I didn't feel a pull toward Aera, I'd be lying, but the fear of him turning on me remains.Would it be alright for me to trust this man in front of me, or would
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