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Chapter 19
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2023-01-25 03:20:13Related chapters
CARNAL Chapter 20
Ella's P.O.V.What have I done?I watched the flames dance in the hearth of the fireplace. They climbed the brick walls, only to be pulled back down into the coals that glowed beneath the logs. That's how I felt, like I'd been floating on the highs of my daydreams and suddenly yanked back down into reality.I couldn't believe I had been naive enough to believe that Cain had liked me. It was a hasty assumption that I made based on one action he'd later admitted that he regretted making. I couldn't believe that Zak was right. I shouldn't have followed those men in the car that night and I never should have left my home and family to chase ghosts.It'd gotten me nothing but a concussion and false hopes. There was only one reason that I still sat in Cain's dark bedroom on the couch staring into the fire. That was to assure myself that I wasn't lousy enough to bail on something just because myemotional investment in it had backfired.Taking interest in Cain was a stupid move. I was there
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 21
Narrative P.O.V."You can't stay down here forever."Jai was standing in the doorway to the small office where Cain had been for the past few days. Cain brought his work with him in the mornings to the small office before Ella would wake up and he would only return late in the night when he knew she had left.Sometimes he would return to his office and her scent still lingered in the air, torturing him. When Cain said nothing in response to Jai's comment, Jaiventured further into the small office and sat down in front of Cain."I don't understand why you can't just be a man and deal with it." he said.Cain looked up from his paper to glare at Jai."So you're equating my desire to protect and care for the well being of the love of my life with being a coward?" Cain asked him.When Jai said nothing, Cain's glance returned to the folder in his hands."I don't need to put her in harm's way just to prove my masculinity," Cain said.Jai crossed his arms against his chest. "Explain to me ex
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 22
Ella's P.O.V.I stepped out of the shower that night feeling productive. That day Daniel and I had discovered some interesting connections between the hospital and a few local funeral homes. I hoped this was an important new lead.Wrapping a towel around my body, I wiped the steamy mirror and brushed my damp hair. I grabbed a robe from behind the bathroom door and put it on.It was likely Cain's seeing as it was nearly four sizes too big for me. Nonetheless, I tied the rope around my waist tightly and opened the bathroom door.The sun had set a few hours earlier so the room was dark.I walked over to the fireplace and lit a match to light a fire. The flame spread quickly and I added a log to the hearth. I watched as the fire grew and I was relieved the feel the heat that it provided.I felt the need to remind Daniel and whomever else it concerned that it was the dead of winter. The temperature in Cain's home was freezing which was why I lit a fire every night to keep myself warm.I ru
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 23
Narrative P.O.V."Daniel, you didn't do that..." Jai was in total disbelief."What?" Daniel asked. "You wanted her to meet Cain's parents, right? I knew Ella would be in his office this morning so when Evelyn asked me where Cain was, I told her he was in his office."Jai shook his head."You should've let Cain introduce them," Jai said. "He's going to be so mad at you."Daniel shrugged."He'll get over it.""Evelyn doesn't know they're mates, though," Jai said. "Don't you think she's confused as to why there is a human girl in Cain's office?""Evelyn's not an idiot," Daniel said. "She won't say anything to Ella that she doesn't need to know."The door to the kitchen opened and Cain strolled in."Have you seen Mom?" He asked. "Someone told me they got here about an hour ago and I've been looking for her everywhere."When Daniel laughed nervously, Jai groaned."What?" Cain asked."She's upstairs..."Cain's jaw clenched."...with Ella," Daniel said slowly. Cain turned around and st
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 24
Narrative P.O.V.Cain walked around for a few minutes before finally finding his mother. She was in the office he had been using since Ella had been in his.As he walked in, she turned her attention from the map on the wall to look at him. Evelyn smiled brightly as she walked over and threw her armsaround his neck. She hated how she had to be up on her tiptoes to hug her own son, but she was excited to finally see him after so long. "I missed you," she said."Missed you too, Mom," Cain said, hugging her briefly. "How was Australia?"She nodded as she backed away."It was a lot of fun. Lui and Jace really miss Jai. I told him when I saw him this morning that he needed to go home more often."Evelyn stared at Cain for a moment before sighing."So, what's your excuse for not coming to see us more often?" She asked."Well, since you moved back to Canada, you're not exactly close enough to visit often," he said.Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that sass," she said. "I know you d
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 23
Ella's P.O.V.Later that day, I met Daniel and Jai for dinner.Daniel cooked a delicious pot of mac and cheese, per my request, and Jai and myself made sandwiches to go along with It."You know something," I said eating a spoonful of the mac and cheese, "as big as this place is, I'm surprised there aren't more people in the kitchen around dinner time."It was prime eating time for most people, yet we were the only ones in the kitchen that evening."There are six kitchens in this castle," Daniel said. "I'm sure we're not the only ones eating right now.""Six?!" I asked. "Why the hell does Cain need six kitchens?"Jai chimed in."The castle is really old. Back in the day, there had to be a lot of kitchens throughout the castle for a few of reasons. One of them was because of the volume of people that lived here. But, the other reason was because there wasn't any electricity to reheatthings, so the cooks had to make the food and then take it to whoever it was for in as little time as
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 24
"Ella, let me explain."Cain took a step towards me and I took two steps backwards. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jai reach out to place his hand on my shoulder."Don't touch me!" I said, backing away from them both. I looked at Jai."Are you one too?" I asked him."One what?" He asked.I scoffed in disbelief. "Don't play me like an idiot," I told him firmly.I looked to Cain, who had slowly been moving towards me. I backed away and went around the couch, putting more space between myself and the two men, if one could even call them that."I heard what your dad said," I told Cain.Leaning down, I picked the book up off the couch and held it in one hand."You're a Lycanthrope," I said.Saying it out loud made it all click inside my headThe whole bit about Cain telling me they were their own undercover organization; that had to be what the book referenced when it said that Lycans all lived together in secret.And the sub-human strength the book talked about would explain why Cain wa
Last Updated : 2023-01-25CARNAL Chapter 25
Narrative P.O.V.A crystal glass flew across the room and shattered against the wall beside Daniel's face as he entered the room."I take it she found out," Daniel said, looking nervously at Jai. Jai nodded, his arms crossed.Cain stormed across his office and grabbed Daniel by the shirt collar. Picking him up, he slammed him against the wall. Daniel's feet dangled as he made direct eye contact with Cain."You told her about the tunnels, didn't you?" Cain asked, his eyes darkening."She was bound to find out about you sooner or later," Daniel said slowly. "You can't blame me for this.""I was the one who was supposed to tell her," Cain growled, squeezing Daniel's neck tighter."When did you plan on doing that?" Daniel breathed out, struggling for air."Cain, you're going to kill him," Jai said.Cain let go of Daniel's neck and watched him slide down the wall onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air."You can't take it back," Jai said to Cain. "What's done is done. We're taking h
Last Updated : 2023-01-25
Latest chapter
CARNAL FINALE
Four Months Later..."Mom, I'm home!"Pulling my purse from my shoulder, I slung it into the barstool. I tossed my keys into the bag and walked over to the refrigerator."How did the interview go?" I heard her ask, her voice echoing out from the laundry room."I think it went well, but we'll see."I pulled out the lemonade and poured a glass before sitting down on the countertop. My first real-world job interview since graduating from collegenearly a week ago hadn't gone nearly as bad as I expected it to. They didn't seem distracted by the fact that I'd been fired from my counseling internship when I never showed up after taking a week off for my grandfather's funeral.They were also interested in hiring me despite the fact that I had only been allowed to graduate after drawing up a contract with my university promising that I would make up the classes that I had withdrawn from while in Germany.While I had retaken most of them during the spring semester, I still had two left to comp
CARNAL Chapter 56
Ella's P.O.V.I fought sleep the entire ride home.While I wouldn't say I had been sleep deprived for the previous few days, I felt as though I hadn't been able to rest. Cain radiated a sense of support and protection and I realized just how exhausted I was when I felt myself finally relax in his presence.He drove home with one hand on my thigh. The intimate touch made my heart race, but I tried to put on a cool, relaxed exterior by leaning my head against the window.Still wrapped up in the flannel blanket he had given me, I was finally content.The only thing keeping me awake was the hunger rattling my stomach.Maybe that's why I felt so weak...At one point, Cain looked over after hearing my stomach growl, as it had been for the past few hours."When was the last time you ate something?"I failed to answer immediately, trying to count the hours it had been since I ate the sugary scone on the train.He took this silence as an answer and began to slow down so he could take an exit o
CARNAL Chapter 55
Ella's P.O.V.When Zak said we would leave at first light, he meant it. He woke me sometime in the very early morning and gave me little time to change into the clothes he brought me.A distasteful pair of black pants and a baggy black sweatshirt were all I had to layer under my new heavy winter coat. The combat boots paired with the wool camping socks he brought would keep me warm, and that was all I cared about.I was glad I had found my jacket when I did the night before because I was certain that I would never see it again. I could only hope that no one noticed the phone missing from its pockets.I put my cellphone in between the cups of my bra, tucked securely under the band. I figured this was the best place to hide it where I would still be able sit down and stand up without hinderance, something I couldn't do if it was in my waistband. I had considered putting it in one of my boots, but those weren't guaranteed to stay on my feet.The early morning sky was transitioning from i
CARNAL Chapter 54
Narrative P.O.V.Moonlight poured into the room through the large windows that lined each wall.Cain stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows that were cast on the ceiling of the trees outside his window as they danced in the midnight breeze.He could hear each footstep as the two guards patrolled the floor level beneath him. The sound of their footfalls echoed across the empty room.Even louder, though, was the sound of her voice in his head."Are you sure about this?"He had been so sure.So sure that sending her away was the best idea. So sure that she would leave trouble with him. So sure that she would be safe.The only thing he was sure of now was that he had made a grave, terrible decision in letting her get on that plane.He had followed them to the airport.He watched her as she went through the security lines.He even watched her get on the plane.Sanity, reason and logic fought a diligent battle against his heart and desires as he watched her disappear from sight.Run af
CARNAL Chapter 53
Narrative P.O.V.An elbow to the ribcage startled Daniel and he sat up straight in the car seat."No time to doze off," Priya said.He rubbed his eyes and groaned."Easy for you to say. You had the whole flight over here to sleep. I had to stay up and get a false warrant made so we could get surveillance footage from the airport."The phone in his backpack started to ring and he bent down to pick it up."Hello?""How are things?"He cleared his throat hearing Cain's voice."Things are good," he said."We found the cab that she took and we're in it now, heading to the house."Any leads at the airport?""No," Daniel breathed out."The only times we saw her in the surveillance videos were when she was arriving in D.C. There's no evidence that she left.""There are a million ways out of that city," Cain said."It just means that she didn't leave from that airport."Thanks, chief. That's comforting, Daniel thought."How are things there?" He asked.Cain was silent for a few moments."I hav
CARNAL Chapter 52
Ella's P.O.V.A pounding headache was the first thing I could remember.I could feel my heartbeat pulsating behind my eyes and I felt as though someone had taken my temples in their palms and squashed them together.I groaned as I reached up to put my hand on my head. Wallowing in pain, I felt my body tense as I realized I was on a bed.I sat up slowly.My eyes wouldn't focus properly because of the headache but I could see a blurry outline of where I was.The room was small, but it had ceilings so tall I felt as though I was looking into outer space.The bed I was in had a thick, velvety black canopy over it that matched the duvet I was laying on.The curtains over the large windows were drawn and blocked out all incoming sunlight.A few candles were on the nightstand that offered an eerie glow over the room, accompanied by a fire that was smoldering in the fireplace.The flames were dying and offered the small room very little warmth.I was freezing.Looking down, I saw that I was s
CARNAL Chapter 51
Narrative P.O.V.News of the Chinese Beta's death arrived at the cabin with Jai.Although he anticipated Cain would be angry with him for withholding such pertinent information, Jai refrained from telling him until he got back from the airport.He knew Cain would use the exigency of the circumstances to delay sending Ella away. Jai knew this because it was exactly what Cain had done after the death of the Indian Beta.As much as Jai believed Cain was doing the wrong thing by sending Ella away, he wasn't going to manipulate their decisions with strategically revealed information just so the two of them could continue to pretend they didn't know right from wrong.Besides, the investigations of the deaths of two high-ranking officials weren't exactly conducive to the type of environment that mended and fostered healthy relationships.He wasn't going to play puppeteer, Cain would realize his mistake sooner or later.They left Kashmir in a rush, as Jai had expected them to.The plane ride
CARNAL Chapter 50
Unknown P.O.V."You lied to us."Otto Müller was on his knees, literally, begging for forgiveness."I don't know. I swear," he cried."You do know!" The man bellowed, eyes burning.Otto Müller said nothing, his hands trembling in the shackles that held them behind his back."You only had two jobs," he continued."You were supposed to kill the damn Beta and then kill him."Otto's eyes shot up to glare at Zak, who was standing in the corner of the room."You sent him to kill Cain as well and he couldn't do it either," he said to the man."Why is he not in chains too?"Zak crossed his arms."Zak was only supposed to gather information," the man snarled."His attempt at the life of the Alpha Sovereign was unplanned and opportunistic. Besides, he was able to track their location, which proved much more helpful in the long run than anything you've contributed thus far and he's delivered the girlafter you were unable to."Otto Müller exhaled a shaky breath."I couldn't kill my own granddaug
CARNAL Chapter 49
I landed in D.C. sometime in the early morning.I was as jetlagged as I could be, especially given that Kashmir was around five and a half hours ahead of the east coast.Hailing a taxi, I gave the driver the address and he was off. Ignoring the monuments that whirled past the cab window, I looked down at the number on the sheet of crinkled paper for the thousandth time.I had long since memorized it.The driver knocked me out of my daze, informing me that we had arrived.I looked out the window to see the familiar ranch-style home and leaned forward to pay him for the drive.The cab was gone as soon as I stepped out with my luggage, leaving me standing on the sidewalk of a dark street.I walked up to the porch, my suitcase trialing behind me. I lifted up the vinyl cap on top of the porch railing where Zak left his spare key, exactly the same spot it had been hidden in our childhood home.I unlocked the front door and walked inside the dark house.A light came on in the kitchen as I sh
