AgnesI stared down at the sketchbook in my lap, tapping the end of my pencil against the blank page until even the sounds of the soft thuds were starting to irritate me. No matter how long I sat there, no matter how hard I tried to force inspiration to come, nothing was coming to me.No designs, no
“Sketching?” Gertrude eventually asked, nodding toward the closed book on the table.“Trying to,” I admitted with a wry chuckle. “But it’s not going as well as I’d like.”The librarian hummed thoughtfully, glancing down at the pages scattered beside me. Her eyes caught on one of Ava’s sketches that
Agnes & ElijahAgnesElijah’s breath was warm against my neck, the faint scent of whiskey and pine curling through the small, dark space between us. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against my body, and I didn’t know what to make of it.To make matters worse, my own pulse was entirely unh
Truthfully, I wondered if I could tell Elijah the truth—that I thought Thea might be my missing daughter and that I was the one who sent the samples in. But I couldn’t get the words out. I was too afraid—afraid that if I told him the truth, he might become overprotective and accuse me of trying to t
AgnesThe afternoon sun slanted through the office window, casting long shadows across the wood as I sat at my desk with my pencil in hand. For the first time in the past few days, the sketchbook in front of me wasn’t empty. I’d managed to scrawl a few decent designs across the pages; they were roug
A few murmurs rippled through the room, but no one spoke up.“Maybe someone just didn’t finish in time,” one of the designers suggested with a shrug.I nodded slowly, figuring that was probably the case. But something didn’t sit right with me about that, although I didn’t know why. Still, I let it g
AgnesThe moment Elijah said those words, Thea darted behind my legs and gripped my skirt as if Olivia might whisk her away if she didn’t hold onto me. I didn’t know what to say or do, but feeling her body tense against me made my heart constrict painfully in my chest.Behind her, Olivia stood in th
The very thought made me wince and look away. I didn’t want to think that Elijah could be shallow enough to fall for something like that, but the fact of the matter was, she was his mate. They still bore the mating marks and nothing was tying him to me except for a contract.She could manipulate him
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “No,” she said after a moment. “There is only one fated mate for each person. But…”“But?”She tilted her head, considering for a moment, and then pulled one card from the deck. “I sense something strange about your bond. A tangle somewhere in the invisible red thread tha
ElijahLast night was a mistake.At least, that was what I kept telling myself as I sat in my study, staring blankly at the paperwork spread across my desk. The words blurred together, the numbers meaningless as my mind repeatedly wandered back to Agnes—her scent, her touch, the way she’d felt benea
I watched as she stepped inside, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. She set the basket on the table, carefully arranging its contents: some pink tulips, chocolates, assorted tea bags, and a stuffed animal.I knew that Thea wouldn’t eat the chocolates with her stomach upset, and she’d bee
AgnesElijah had some matters to attend to at work that day—although I had a sinking feeling that he was just avoiding the awkwardness of what had happened last night, and I couldn’t even blame him—and Thea was still resting in her room with a stomach ache, so I had the house to myself for most of t
Elijah blinked at me in surprise. I expected him to be disappointed, to scold me for taking a book from the restricted section of the library—especially one with such volatile information inside.But instead, a slow smile spread across his face, his eyes lighting up with something that looked almost
AgnesI woke to the sensation of Elijah’s arm around me. For a moment, I forgot where I was, the events of the previous night a hazy blur in my mind. All I felt was cozy familiarity.But then it all came rushing back—the cab, the kiss, the way we’d stumbled into the house, so desperate for each othe
He feasted on me like that, right there on the floor, holding me upright with one arm. I dug my fingers into his scalp, yanking at his hair, which only elicited low, guttural moans from him that rumbled into my pelvis. “Agnes,” he murmured into me, the word sending a shudder of pleasure through my b
AgnesThe cab driver practically dumped us off in front of the estate, hardly giving Elijah time to hand him a wad of cash before he was speeding away. My cheeks were flushed, my skirt rumpled around my thighs and my lipstick smeared.We’d hardly been the pristine picture of an elegant Alpha and Lun
Agnes & ElijahAgnesGertrude’s grin was nothing short of impish as she shoved me and Elijah together. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I had ever seen the often meek librarian’s eyes flare with such mischief behind those glasses.My heart pounded as I glanced up at Elijah, his warm body pressed agai