King Auric smiled, but it was was cold and filled with absolutely no warmth.When Sarah and I stepped away from behind Reigh, his attention immediately locked on me, scrutinizing, judging and scanning me from head to toe. It wasn’t in a lecherous way, more like he was picking apart every bit of me a
CHARLOTTE The moment I slipped into the kitchen, my gaze clashed with Taide’s. I saw him leaning against the counter with a troubled look on his face. His hands were folded across his chest and his fingers drummed against his bicep, his gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, but that didn’t make
CHARLOTTEI didn’t linger in school after my exams.I had one more paper that I had to read up for before tomorrow, and then the most stressful week of my life would finally be over.I had to say, it was much easier getting through my midterms with the piles of books and the expensive ass laptop in
CHARLOTTE“Charlotte!” Madeline screeched, charging towards me from a few feet away. “We’re finally done!”I smiled at my friend, and let her excitedly wrap her arms around me.Yeah yeah, we finally were done with our midterms and now spring break was just on the horizon.I patted her back gently and
CHARLOTTEI didn’t know King Auric had a club. But that just kicked off the long list of other things I had absolutely no clue of.Like, for example, how Sean and Taide used to be best friends—until Sean started a fling with Madeline, and Taide broke it off for good. That was interesting.Mads fell
I shrugged, and watched him take the drink, then down it in one go without flinching in the slightest. I frowned at that.I guess I was just terrible at handling my liquor.Reigh leaned forward to speak to the bartender, I assumed he was ordering more drinks. I was proven right when she returned wit
Our bodies ground against each other, and even with our clothes in place, there was this unmistakable heat that burnt from the inside of both of us. I swayed my hip against him and he matched my movements perfectly, seemingly in sync with my every motion.I didn’t understand it, the feeling or why I
CHARLOTTEMy thoughts still weren’t all in one place and the room seemed to be slightly tilted to the side, but even the buzz and warmth of alcohol couldn’t stop the feeling of fear and dread that filled my stomach at the sight of King Auric. I didn’t hear him come into the room, nor had I seen him
Like we didn’t matter.My nails dug into my palms as memories slammed into me. I could still see it—the nights he reeked of alcohol, his head lolling to the side, completely oblivious to the fact that he had two daughters who needed him to pick himself up and be… more than the person he was choosing
CHARLOTTEThe car ride was too quiet.Too damn suffocating.The weight of everything that had happened in the span of a few hours pressed down on me—Madeline, the triplets, my father. My hands trembled against my lap, and I clenched them into fists for the umpteenth time, trying to force myself to f
It was only after the shock of silence that followed that I realized I’d spoken those words out loud. Dot gasped, reaching for me instantly, pulling me into an embrace. I didn’t expect it to be as comforting as it was. And so I didn’t fight her. She guided me to the steps outside the hospital, sitt
CHARLOTTE It felt like a slap to the face. The doctor’s words hit me so hard that I lost my footing. My knees wobbled, and before I could steady myself, the plastic cup in my hand slipped through my fingers and crashed onto the tiled floor. Water splashed across my shoes, soaking into the hem of m
CHARLOTTE The reality of the situation hit me with frightening clarity. Madeline was dying. I moved before I could think, panic exploding through my chest as I ran forward and fell to my knees beside her. My hands hovered uselessly, trembling as I tried to find something, anything, to hold o
Emma folded her hands across her chest, her mouth pulling up into a wicked smile, “Charlotte the Harlot.” Bitch. “Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, shouldering past her, she wasn’t worth the energy engaging with her would require. “I thought you dropped out,” She said to my retreating back, “Thought maybe
At first, she texted me every day. Then, as weeks passed, the messages became less frequent, less ecstatic. I knew she and Sean had been working through their issues, but based on some of her recent updates—the ones I still hadn’t replied to—they had hit a wall. They had broken up. Madeline thought
FOUR MONTHS LATER CHARLOTTE Running laps had never come easy to me, and today was no different. My lungs burned as I pushed through the last lap, my sneakers slapping against the pavement in a rhythm that didn’t feel natural no matter how many times I did this. My breath came in short bursts,
He hadn’t even raised his voice, yet despite the distance, his words carried like he had just whispered them in my ear. Seductive and bitter. My damnation. “But you made it too easy, Harlot. You almost ruined the fun.” Harlot. It was the first time I had heard him call me that in months. All