Kayla & Nicholas Kayla The morning sun seeped through the canopy of trees as I jogged along the forest trail, golden shafts spilling across the ground. Leaves crunched under my feet, and the cold morning air filled my lungs. I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the satisfying pull of muscl
I dodged another punch, noting the almost feral look in her eyes. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but not from exertion—it was as if she was burning up from the inside. But I barely had time to notice this, let alone duck before she came at me again, her attacks lacking finesse but strangely packed
Kayla I was still riding the high of the morning’s fight when Nicholas approached me near the training grounds. Most of the spectators had already dispersed, a few lingering behind to chatter excitedly about Nora’s humiliation and my unexpected victory. “Just so you know, we’re expected at a bir
But this felt different. Jade and Emma seemed to genuinely enjoy my company, and I enjoyed theirs. Looking back, the interactions between Vanessa and myself had always felt a little forced, although I didn’t notice it at the time. This didn’t feel like that at all. As Emma stepped back to admire
Kayla Nicholas and I made our way into the banquet hall, pausing briefly in the entryway to take in the space. It was a large but cozy venue, with round tables scattered throughout and a stage at the far end of the room. A band was playing covers of popular songs, and people were dancing and laugh
My smile faltered for a split second before I quickly forced it back into place. “How do you know Nicholas?” I asked lightly, just wanting to steer the conversation away from myself more than anything. “Oh, we had a bit of a fling a while back,” the brunette said breezily, tossing a lock of long,
Kayla I froze, looking at the stunned faces around the table. The cupcake was hovering halfway to my mouth, uneaten. Everyone at the table seemed to be looking at me like I’d just committed a sin for trying to eat my dessert. Most of all, I caught sight of Nicholas out of the corner of my eye. H
“Excuse me,” I muttered, not bothering to look at Nicholas. My chair scraped against the floor as I stood, the sound somehow louder than all the laughter. Nicholas turned, his eyes widening slightly, but I didn’t wait for his or anyone else’s reaction. I just needed to escape. Without another word
Nicholas & KaylaNicholasNora stared at me, her eyes wider than before. I stared back in shock, but when I turned to see where Kayla had gone, she was no longer there. I glanced back at Nora, who was still gawking at me like she’d just seen a ghost.“Is there something you needed to talk about?” I
I nodded, suddenly feeling my legs go weak. Three days walking nonstop in the forest, living on berries and squirrels, finally seemed to be catching up to me. I sank down into a nearby chair, slumping slightly.Nicholas glanced at me, then walked out of the room without a word, leaving me and Jade a
KaylaI didn’t hesitate. “Take me there,” I said, turning abruptly toward Nicholas.Nicholas furrowed his brow slightly, as did Emma. I knew they were both surprised at my sudden interest in Nora, who had been nothing but a thorn in my side since we’d met. And frankly, I didn’t blame them. Maybe a f
At that, Nicholas released me, taking a step back. He furrowed his brow. “You look surprised.”“Because I thought you had no intention of going on a honeymoon,” I blurted out, smoothing down the front of my jacket. “I thought…”My voice trailed off, and I couldn’t find it in me to say it out loud. I
KaylaI looked up to see Nicholas approaching, his face pale. “Are you alright?” he asked, stopping a little ways away from where I was standing.I quickly turned away, hoping he couldn’t see the tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m fine.”“Kayla.” Nicholas stepped in my way. “Talk to me. Did something
Was it true that Nicholas had laughed in her face when she confessed her feelings? Was he truly that heartless, even back then? Was it true that Nora thought she was doing me a favor by trying to break us up, by showing me that audio clip?I didn’t think Nora could ever be my friend, not by a long s
KaylaI stared at the deer turning on the spit, its skin turned red and glistening with fat as the fire cooked it from beneath. The air smelled like roasting meat, mingling with the scent of fresh bread and mulled cider.I was starving and surrounded by food that looked utterly delicious, and yet my
Before I could protest further, Nicholas whisked me off my feet, gathering me in his arms like I was as light as a feather. He strode quickly toward the edge of the forest—I was surprised to find that we weren’t nearly as far as I thought we were this whole time—and then veered toward the house.“I’
KaylaI stared wide-eyed down at Nora’s unmoving body, at the pool of blood forming around her abdomen. She coughed and sputtered, eyes glazed over, already worlds away from this place by the time I found her.The warrior said that he had accidentally pushed her too hard during a spar, and she fell