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Chapter 56
Last Updated:
2023-03-03 19:12:05Related chapters
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to graduate after drawing up a contract with my university promising that I would make up the classes that I had withdrawn from while in Germany.While I had retaken most of them during the spring semester, I still had two left to comp
Last Updated : 2023-03-03CARNAL Chapter 1
Proudly did I sit upon my throne, a seat forged from blood and bone.My skin marred with evidence of war, I was scared and bruised. I was wounded and battered but it was a war I would never lose. The taste of blood on my lips, my fangs were sharpened by flesh. Eyes flashing with moonlight, a wolf howled inside my chest.They made me a ruler and a King, I made them suffer and bleed. Feared more than fear itself, I was born to lead.The moment I saw her, my eyes filled with fear. She scared me more than my demons, for them I learned to bear. Her eyes were wild with hope, although I knew it wouldn't be long until she knew me for the monster I was. Fate had finally done wrong.She could never know, I would hide it well. For how could she learn to love a monster that could never love himself?Ella's P.O.V."Your grandfather is dead."Those were words I never wanted to hear, but had been anticipating for too long.Those words were the reason that I sat on a plane flying above German farmla
Last Updated : 2022-11-14CARNAL Chapter 2
Jesus Christ.I took a few startled steps backwards as I heard everyone around me gasp in horror. The man in the casket began to sit up, causing everyone to scatter.He was in his mid-thirties, significantly younger than my grandfather. He had black, shoulder-length hair and skin so pale he could have passed for dead if he had kept his eyes closed.The moment his dark eyes locked on mine, I felt a hard body run into the back of me and I fell into someone who was running past me.I looked over my shoulder to see the men I had previously noticed fighting against the crowd to get closer to the casket. Their haste meant they knew something about it, and it was because of that that I watched them intently as the room around us panicked.One of them, an Eastern Asian guy with dark, coiffed hair and black stud earrings, pushed his way to the front.I saw a momentary flash of fear in the beady eyes of the man in the casket before he swung his legs over the side and tried to run.The Asian m
Last Updated : 2022-11-14CARNAL Chapter 3
"Come inside, I'm sure you're cold."I was freezing, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go inside the cabin. I didn't know whether I would come back out. There was a piece of me that wanted to trust him, oddly enough, and I couldn't shake it.I followed him around the house, staring at his back as he led me up the stairs to the side door. He was almost a foot taller than me and I guessed almost a hundred pounds heavier unless he had several layers under his coat.I turned to look at him as he did so. I gulped.He was a lot better looking in the light than I had expected him to be. As he took off his coat I came to the conclusion he hadn'tblayered and he was indeed built like a brick house. I could seebthe outline of his chest and arm muscles under the gray, form-fitting Henley he wore.He brushed the snow flurries from his short, chestnut-colored hair and I let out a long breath.We looked at each other and the world stopped for a moment. He had the oddest eyes I'd ever looked into. They w
Last Updated : 2022-11-14CARNAL Chapter 4
Ella's P.O.V.I'm an idiot.I couldn't believe that I had made arrangements to go across Germany with men I didn't know to hunt ghosts. Zak made it abundantly clear how he felt about this by staring at me blankly after I had finished explaining myself."You're supposed to be the smart one between the two of us, he signed. ''Where is your common sense?''I just shrugged. I didn't have a defense for myself. What I had done was stupid but I didn't want to back out of it.As much as the situation made no sense to me, there was a nagging tug in the pit of my stomach that urged me to commit to going with the strangers and find my grandfather."What are you going to do about school?'' Zak asked me.''Then my grandfather's dead." Excuse will only work for so long until you start to get behind on your work.I sighed. He had a point.''Thanksgiving break is about to start,'' I signed. ''That will at least buy me a week."Zak just shook his head''You don't know these men.'' he reminded me fo
Last Updated : 2022-11-14CARNAL Chapter 5
"That's impossible."I reached forward and took the sheet of paper from Cain's hands and examined it. There was very little light in the train due to the drawn shades, but I squinted enough that I could read the contents of thepaper.I looked through the dates of his hospital visits and I shook my head in disbelief.Cain was right. My grandfather hadn't been seen at any hospital for the past seven years. He didn't have so much as a prescription filled. This didn't add up seeing as I'd been led to believe he'd had a serious, life-threatening heart condition for a number of years."I don't understand," I said, my eyebrows furrowing. I laid the paper down on my lap and looked up at Cain as he stared at me intently."Are there any other medical records there?" I asked him,nreferring to the folder in his hands. Maybe he had them out of order and read the wrong thing.Cain shook his head. "There isn't a medical examiner's report here or a certificate ofdeath," he said."He wouldn't have
Last Updated : 2023-01-12CARNAL Chapter 6
Ella's P.O.V.I jumped as I came face to face with Cain."What are you doing?" He asked, pulling me out of the hallway and into the car. I felt my heart stop when his hand touched my upper arm. He closed the door behind me and I looked around him to seenthat Jai and Daniel were nowhere to be found."I was looking for a bathroom," I lied.The stoic look on his face made me believe he wasn't convinced. He knew I had been looking for a way off the train. The glances that I had seen between the three strange men were unsettling, like I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle.The enigma behind who they were, why they cared about my grandfather, and why I was allowed to tag along was dizzying.I had a crazy theory that they worked for the German government. How else could someone order an autopsy?But I was still conflicted.If they worked for the German government, why did they need me to get his medical records and financial statements? Why was I invited? And why the hell was it worth no
Last Updated : 2023-01-12CARNAL Chapter 7
Ella's P.O.V."Here's where you'll be staying."Jai opened the bedroom door and pulled my suitcase inside the room for me. I followed him inside and cringed The room was huge, just like the rest of the place. The ceiling was at least fifty feet tall. The dark paneling on the walls made the olive-colored curtains stand out, which hung beside a ginormous bay window that was in the center of the far wall.One of the biggest beds I'd ever laid eyes on sat against the wall to my left. It had a four post bed frame that was a dark oak just like the paneling on the walls and the flooring.The black duvet matched the pillows on the bed and the two black couches that were on the other side of the room.The Victorian-style couches sat across from each other in front of a fireplace that was big enough for three grown men to stand beside each other inside it."Over there is your bathroom," Jai said, pointing to a door that was on the same wall as the fireplace.We heard someone walk into the room
Last Updated : 2023-01-12
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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
