Nicholas hadn’t said a word, of course. Neither had I. Now, the house was blissfully quiet, save for the faint sound of voices outside. I sank down onto the couch, kicking off my shoes and curling my legs up beneath me. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered. “We can’t leave the house without being bo
Kayla The first thing I felt when I woke up was warmth under my cheek. The second thing I felt was a slow, steady heartbeat thudding just beneath my ear. A heartbeat that was not my own. I shifted slightly, half-asleep, and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks—my head wasn’t resting aga
Kayla The TV flickered in the corner of the room, but I wasn’t really watching it anymore. I hadn’t been paying attention for some time. I was too busy staring down at the chipped edge of my coffee mug, running my thumb absently over the rim. My mind was whirling, caught somewhere between hopele
But, just as Emma had warned us, the damage was already done. Half of this side of the territories had seen the picture, and combined with everything else going on, it had turned into a feeding frenzy. To my surprise, though, Nicholas shifted closer, resting his arm along the back of the couch jus
Kayla The bed creaked as Nicholas sat down on the opposite side, his movements slow and controlled. I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling, pretending I didn’t feel the weight of him sinking into the mattress, or the faint shift of the blankets as he pulled them over his waist. He was keeping his d
Kayla & Nicholas Kayla Isabella was the last person I expected to see standing at the gates of the Bluemoon estate, and she was also the last person I wanted to see standing there. I pulled my shoulders back as we approached, opening my mouth to tell her to get off my land before I had her forcibl
But I kept my tears at bay as I took a seat next to his bed. Because no matter how much I had grown to trust Nicholas over the past months, I still couldn’t bring myself to cry in front of him. Not over this, at least. … Nicholas I could tell that Kayla was hiding her tears. I couldn’t hear wh
Kayla Sure enough, Isabella wasted no time in retaliating the next day. I curled my fingers around the remote to the TV, feeling my blood pressure go up just from watching that interview. “They even kicked us out of our own home,” Isabella said, dabbing at her eyes with a dainty little handkerchi
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
And although it was bitterly cold out today, with the feast being held outside no less, all of the torches and fire pits scattered around the gathering area kept me warm enough that I’d even removed my jacket some time ago.Jade shook her head and took a seat next to me, perching on the edge of the