"Cain, stop! What are you doing?"I frantically followed Cain down the hallway as he pulled my nearly unconscious brother behind him by the collar of his shirt.Zak's bruised and bloodied face was a gruesome sight but seeing him dragged along like a suitcase was even more terrifying."Cain, he's hurt! Would you let go of him? Where are you taking him?"Hearing my rapid-fire questions, Cain stopped walking and turned around before letting go of Zak's shirt collar and letting him slump to the ground.I gasped as Zak's head hit the marble floor, the sound echoing off the walls of the long, empty hallway.Before I could sink to my knees to help him, Cain came to stand between Zak and I.I looked up at him with a bewildered expressions."What on God's green earth are you doing?" I asked."He's not allowed to be here and he knows it,'' Cain said sternly."What-"Before I could finish my next question, Cain interrupted me."The skill with which he snuck into this castle suggests that he's be
"Ella.."I looked up from the soup that was on the table in front of me to see Daniel staring at me intently as he hovered over his own bowl."Why are you not eating?" He asked.I looked down at the untouched bowl in front of me that was no longer steaming and the clean spoon that laid next to it."I guess I'm not hungry," I told him.He sighed, dipping his spoon back into his own bowl"What's wrong?" He asked, giving me his full attention.I looked around us at our audience, the busy kitchen where the chef and a few others were bustling their way around to prepare dinner for everyone else."Listen," Daniel said, "I understand that you're having a hard time.."My head snapped back to face him and I leveled a glare."You understand? “I asked him. "You understand what it's like to be exposed to another dimension of reality that goes against every presuppositional belief you hold? You understand what it's like to find out that you have a predetermined soulmate, the likes of whom childre
Narrative P.O.V.Cain's knee bounced up and down rapidly as he sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair, impatiently waiting on Dr. Zosak to return.Footsteps echoed down the long hallway and he looked up expectantly, only to see it was just Daniel walking towards him. Daniel sat down in the chair next to Cain and handed him the steel cup.It was the sixth time in two hours that he had refilled that cup. While he knew that Cain's body was just going into overdrive to compensate for what it had been starved from, Daniel knew that the more that Cain drank, the harder it would be for him to back off of it.He watched with wary eyes as Cain lifted the cup to his lips. Cain could feel Daniel's eyes baring into him. He knew he was a sight to behold.Ella's blood still stained the sides of his face and neck. It coated his hands and fingers and, although it had dried, he could imagine that it painted a gruesome image against his skin. He was still shirtless, despite the freezing temperature of
Ella's P.O.V.I laid on my back on top of the examination table. Thankfully, Dr. Zosak had elevated the back of it slightly and I was able to lean back without being uncomfortably flat. My injured arm was pressed against my chest while the fingers of my other hand toyed with the conjoined oxygen tubes that ran down my chest from where they had been pressed up under my nose and tucked behind my ears.Hearing the faint murmur of conversation in the hallway stop, I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Cain walking into the room. His shirtless, muscular chest was the first thing I saw.After I managed to tear my eyes away from naked torso, I saw the blood on his face and arms.It was my blood.The sight was gruesome and it was hard to look at.I felt my heart begin to race and the neon green lead on the cardiogram that I was hooked up to begin to bounce up and down quickly, pinging its way loudly across the monitor besideme. His lavender eyes scanned me, observing both the saline dri
Ella's POV"Ella.."The sound of my name split my unconscious mind in half."Ella, I need you to wake up."l opened my eyes to see Dr. Zosak standing over me."We need you awake for this," he told me.I felt the bed begin to tilt upwards, a mechanical whirring noise filling the room as it did so.Turning to my right, I saw Zak as he helped me sit up straight."What's happening?" I asked."We're going to test a theory," Dr. Zosak said.I looked over to see him standing beside a cart that had been pushed beside the bed. He was unraveling tubing and various other phlebotomist tools."What are you going to do?""Your brother's blood type isn't a match for you," Dr. Zosak said."We can't transfuse his blood with yours."So, who else are you going to try and match me with?" I asked.Dr. Zosak looked up from his tools and made unflinching eye contact with me."You."My eyebrows furrowed."Me?"Just as I said this, Cain entered the room."He drank your blood," Dr. Zosak said."All we have to
Unknown P.O.V."Are the final preparations for the memorial service being made?""They're being completed now, sir."He nodded in satisfaction."Will she be there?"The young man nodded, the hands that were clasped behind his back shook as he did so."Yes, sir, she will be.""And he'll be with her, I presume?""Yes, sir."The young man let out a shaky breath."Is that all you need from me, sir?"He wove his hand, dismissing the young man."Yes, Zak. That's all."Ella's P.O.V."Ouch!""Sorry, watch your head.I sat down in the plush leather seat rubbing my head."That warning came a little too late," I told Daniel, who was swinging luggage into the overhead compartment above me."Technically, I gave you one before that," he retorted, closing the compartment."I don't think shouting 'Four!' counts," Jai said, shuffling in behind him with his two duffle bags.Daniel just shrugged."Knock it off, you two," Cain said, entering the cabin of the plane."Go help everyone else load the rest of
My grip on Cain's hand loosened as I fought for oxygen.The weight of shock in seeing my grandfather made me feel like I had an elephant on my chest.I felt like I was seeing a ghost.Do I run to him? Do I run away?My grandfather was supposed to be dead, but there he was. After nearly two months of searching, my answers were only about a hundred feet away. I began to take a step in his direction, but Cain tugged me back with the hand that still held mine."Don't," he said as I turned to look at him."But Cain..." I said softly, still somewhat dazed.He shook his head slowly, his sharp eyes still trained on my grandfather."Something isn't right," he said. "You're not staying here.Cain began to pull me away and I tried to resist, turning to look at my grandfather.He was gone."Where did he go?"My voice was drowned in the sea of conversations that were going on in multiple dialects around us. An overwhelming sense of dread began to wash over me as I frantically scanned the crowd for
Narrative P.O.V."Put the building in a lockdown. No one leaves and no one enters."Upon hearing the Alpha's command, the large wooden doors were closed immediately."I want this building searched from top to bottom," Cain said to Dinesh.Dinesh walked away swiftly, giving orders in Marathi through a radio hidden in the hem of his shirt sleeve."Where is the guest list?" Cain asked, pointing to Daniel."I have it," Jai said, producing a clipboard from the bag he had slung around his shoulders."What's going on?" Daniel asked, alarmed by Cain's command for outlandish security measures."We have an uninvited guest in the form of Otto Müller," Cain said, taking the list from Jai.Daniel went pale."Where's Ella?" he asked."Locked in the car." Cain said.Jai's facial expression morphed to one of confusion."You just locked her in the car?" He asked.Cain said nothing as his eyes scanned the guest list."You honestly think that he listed himself as Otto Müller?" Daniel asked in disbelief.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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