Mads pulled away from him slightly to look into his eyes, about as curious concerning Sean’s destination as I was. “And why are you going to the palace?” “I bet your brother is trying to get your other brother out of a really shitty situation. And my dad wants his pound of flesh too. Your dad’s ho
CHARLOTTE I crept down the stairs and to the basement, pausing to listen to the sound of screws tightening the closer I got. I landed on the floor and immediately fixed my eyes on the person I had come here to see. Taide, bent over a dismantled, vintage-looking car as he toyed with something un
CHARLOTTETaide had his hands cinched around my waist, and as much as I loved the contact, I was desperate to jump down from the table and bolt out of the room. Reigh’s expression, for some reason, lacked all the amusement I’d initially expected to find once I turned to look at him. My cheeks were
What exactly was I really waiting for? I wanted to give in; I wanted to let go and enjoy this, enjoy him. “What if I want to take it as far as we can go?” My voice came out smaller than I wanted it to. Taide leaned down until his eyes met mine in the darkness. His gaze was heavy, forcing me to me
I moaned out, my hips lifting off the mattress. He kissed along my chest as he moved lower. The heat of his mouth scorched my sensitive skin, heightening the sensations I was already feeling. His head lifted, eyes meeting mine as he captured my nipple gently between his teeth. He held my gaze as he
CHARLOTTE“You knew how seriously I took my sales!” Madeline said, walking into the kitchen. “If you made us wait one more second, I probably wasn’t going to get my hands on anything good that day.”I looked up briefly with my mouth still full of food and held up my hand to stop her from rambling ev
We started driving, and Madeline turned on the radio and sang along off-key to the music. I did too and laughed at Madeline’s singing. After a few minutes, the car slowed to a stop, and with a scowl, Madeline realized that we had run out of gas.“Weird,” she muttered as she turned off the ignition.
CHARLOTTEMadeline and I stayed huddled together and watched the smoke rise and darken."Madeline!" Taide yelled, loudly and clearly panicked.He rounded the chaos of the wreckage and came into view a few seconds later, with a frantic look on his face that quickly shifted into relief when he saw us.
CHARLOTTE I watched as Taide stepped away from Sean, smoothly sidestepping him without another glance. Sean looked after him for a moment, but Taide didn’t seem to care. I caught Madeline’s eyes, and she grinned before doing a subtle little happy dance. Her excitement was almost contagious. Taid
CHARLOTTE The seamstress stepped back, letting out a satisfied hum. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the dress I was wearing. It fit perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline and shoulder-less design gave it an elegance
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEThe morning light streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, illuminating the grand breakfast spread that covered the long table.I could hardly believe how much food there was—it seemed like enough to feed ten people, if not more. The table was piled high with plates of fresh f
CHARLOTTEThe palace was something out of a dream.No, more than that—something out of a world I didn’t belong to.The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured gardens, each bush and flowerbed so precise it looked as though someone had sculpted them by hand. Towering trees stood around, thei
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but
CHARLOTTE The silence didn’t dissipate for a long while after Caeson left. I used those moments of quiet to try to piece together what I had heard from their conversation into something that made sense. Taking a few seconds of thought, I looked up and my eyes darted between Reigh and Taide. Th
CHARLOTTE A loud, booming “No!” echoed through the house, shaking the air and making my heart jump.The sound of Caeson’s voice was unmistakable, filled with anger that could probably make the walls tremble if it got any louder. I glanced at Madeline, who was standing as still as a statue beside