“Huh,” I muttered, sitting down on an overturned crate. “Didn’t think you could cook.” She snorted, picking up the wrench I’d tossed earlier and turning it over in her hands. “Don’t get used to it. This is a one-time thing.” I smirked, scooping up a bite of casserole and letting the flavors sett
Kayla I caught the helmet Nicholas tossed me, fumbling with it for a moment. He tugged his own helmet on with ease and climbed on the bike before I had a chance to make sense of the invitation. “Are you getting on, or do you need a formal invitation?” he asked, his voice muffled by the visor.
With a contented sigh, I rested my head on his sturdy back and watched the trees rush by. We rode like that for some time, just weaving down the empty roads. Towering pine trees flanked us on either side, their tall peaks stretching toward the fading sunlight. The forest around us started to grow
Kayla Big, fat snowflakes tumbled lazily from the darkening sky. They melted the second they touched my cheeks, but were rapidly beginning to accumulate on the ground. I shivered and wrapped my arms tighter around myself, my thin leather jacket doing little—if anything at all—to fight off the bi
We kept walking, and my stomach sank further and further as the snow steadily piled up on either side of the road. My fingers were numb despite being stuffed into my pockets, and my breath was coming out in visible white puffs. Soon enough, the cold had seeped into my bones, as if my jacket weren’
Kayla The forest was darker than I had anticipated, the heavy branches and pitch black sky turning it into a wall of inky darkness. The snow wasn’t falling as heavily here, but the icy wind still slithered through the trees, biting at every inch of exposed skin on my body. My fingers were numb d
“Stay here,” Nicholas said, disappearing back outside before I could protest. He returned a moment later with an armful of sticks and branches, dropping them in a pile near the center of the cave. “You think we can make a fire?” I asked, my voice trembling from the way I was shivering.. “We can
Kayla The first thing I noticed, even before the pain in my body, was the sound of voices. They were distant at first, muffled like they were coming from underwater, but they grew sharper and clearer as I slowly returned to consciousness. My eyes fluttered open to find sunlight spilling into the
The sensation was indescribable—like finding a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.I grinned up at Nicholas, feeling almost impish with the secret I’d kept for so long.His mouth hung open, shock written across his features. “You knew,” he said
Kayla“One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!”Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain,
There was Emma, fierce and loyal despite everything she’d been through, slowly healing from her injuries with her brother’s unwavering support. Marcus, who’d practically raised his sister from childhood and would do anything to protect those he cared about, including us.Noah, with his gentle demean
Kayla“She’s going to get what she deserves. Today,” Emma said, drumming her fingers against the armrest of her wheelchair. It was the third time she’d said it in the last half hour, but none of us called her on it. We were all tense.We stood outside the guild hall in a loose circle, our faces grim
“What did you do with her?”“She’s locked up in Nightshade’s prison for now,” Nicholas said grimly. “I’m going to speak to the guild to decide her fate.”I shivered. I couldn’t believe it, and yet… Somehow, I could. Because Isabella had done so much worse. This was just the cherry on top.My thought
KaylaLight filtered through my eyelids, hazy and blurred. Everything felt heavy. Sore. But alive.The first thing I saw was Nicholas hunched over me, clutching me so tightly I could barely breathe.“Kayla,” he murmured against my throat. “Kayla, please come back…”My shaky hand came up, my fingers
Across the room, Noah let out a roar of grief and anger, his fist punching through the wall with enough force to crack the plaster all the way to the ceiling. Marcus’s hands tore at his hair as he cursed violently. Emma shook in her wheelchair, silent tears streaming down her face. Grace simply star
Nicholas“Detain her!” I snarled at the nearest warriors, who were tangled with their new mates in various states of undress beneath the trees. They scrambled to their feet at my command, eyes widening as they took in Isabella writhing on the ground beneath me, her glamour spell completely faded now
“I’m here, Kayla,” she whispered. “I’ve always been here. It’s going to be okay…”Sobs tore from my throat. “I’m miscarrying, aren’t I?” I choked out, clutching her tighter. “I’m going to lose my baby.” I pulled back just enough to look into those luminous green eyes. “Please emerge before that happ