I considered lying to Andrew, telling him that Noah meant nothing to me, but something about him made me want to keep our relationship honest. At least, this part of it. “I’ve been dating Noah off and on,” I admitted, “but I don’t think I’m in love with him.” “You don’t think? How certain are yo
I paled. Of course, Lisa and Bob would be at the most expensive restaurant in the city—why wouldn’t they go to the same restaurant that they took me to—but did they have to be there the one night that Andrew was treating me to dinner? They looked like they could kill me just for being in the same ro
When I left for work the next day, I saw no sign of Jeffrey. However, I was sure that he had to be around somewhere. I had the feeling that someone was following me all the way to Ever After Weddings, but I convinced myself that it was only Jeffrey and tried to not let it bother me. As I pulled
My jaw dropped open. How could the tabloid have even gotten this picture? Andrew and I were completely alone— Then I remembered my neighbor, the supposed “Alpha King fan” who had spied on us with his phone out just before Andrew called him out. The man must have gotten a picture of us hugging an
Andrew sat in his home office, preparing for an emergency meeting. Human terrorist attacks and vampiric intrusions were on the rise. It was up to Andrew and his advisors to come up with plans to address these problems and present them to their human counterparts, before the issues could get out of h
The next morning, I woke up to find a text from Lily telling me to check out a link that she had sent me. I groaned, figuring that it was something about some new celebrity wedding trend. Still, I decided that it was best not to ignore her if she thought that it was important enough to text me so ea
I awoke, cramped, in what turned out to be the trunk of a car. Even before my captors opened it up, I could smell pine, grass, and fresh forest air. The only woods that I knew of near the city were a few hours to the north—in vampire territory. My body stiffened as my captors opened the trunk. O
With every step, my heart beat loudly. I could smell the distinct scent of death and earth associated with vampires all around me, but I had not heard or seen any sign of them. This made my heart race even faster. From everything that I had ever heard and read about vampires, they could surround
That night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
Sensing the urgency in Noah’s voice, I leaned in closer. “What is it?” I asked, trying to suppress the anticipation in my voice. Noah’s grip on my hands tightened. “I’m going to study financial law in the human world.” I froze. My heart thumped hard against my ribs, so hard that I thought th
The nightmares did not stop. In fact, they got worse. By the end of that week, I was having at least one every night, and it was showing in behavior during the day. I could scarcely stay awake. At my new branch of Ever After Weddings, I had to sneak off into the breakroom whenever there were no cu
I dreamt of the Lunar Festival. Noah and I walked hand-in-hand through the stalls, enjoying the sparkling lights and the company of our new pack mates. Yet something was off. I could feel a chill in the air, a foreboding that I could not quite shake off. “We should get out of here,” I said, tryi