Kayla By the time I burst in the front door of the estate that evening, the sun was beginning its descent over the horizon and a light snow had begun to fall outside. I expected to find Nicholas lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed at the ankles and his feet up on the coffee table in that la
It almost felt like, before now, both pack sigils had been… incomplete. But that was ridiculous. Without further ado, we got to work on the cards. Emma carefully cut and folded the paper while I stamped the border and the text on, ink staining my fingers and sweatpants. Jade then carefully sketc
Kayla Nicholas stood in the doorway for a long moment, not saying a word. I must have looked utterly stupid as I stared up at him, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. Did he hear everything I had just said? If he did, then what did he think of it? Hell, what did I
With that, the four of us got to work remaking the cards in the new style. With Nicholas’s help as well as a few more snacks and two more bottles of wine, we managed to finish all of the cards that night. When we were finally finished, we stacked all of the cards neatly and bundled them together.
Kayla The next morning, I found Nicholas in the kitchen bright and early, stirring cream into a cup of coffee. He turned when I entered, and his face was as calm and collected as ever, utterly ignorant of the butterflies in my stomach. He’d said that there was going to be a party this weekend, c
But I couldn’t fault him for the idea. I would have done the same, if I had been the one to think of it first. A public engagement party wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was a great way to make the public happy. There were bound to be tons of cameras there, plenty of chances for sweet moments and phot
Kayla I laid on the couch that evening, reading the last pages of my book—the same fantasy romance that Nicholas had recommended. I was finally almost finished with it, and admittedly, I was sad that it was nearly over. No matter how annoyed I was with Nicholas, I had to hand it to him: he had g
So, despite my better judgment, I picked the book up again and flipped to my last page. As I read, I told myself that I was just curious about the plot and that the sex scenes were just a bonus. But the more scenes I read, the more marks I saw on the page, the more I pictured… him performing those
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