With trembling fingers—shaking partly from the aphrodisiac still coursing through my veins and partly from nerves—I fumbled with the clasp. It took three tries before the little door swung open.A delicate silver ring tumbled out, landing in my palm. It caught the light from the few remaining candle
AgnesThe force of my kiss sent us tumbling backward, Elijah’s solid frame catching me as we fell against the bed. My skirts billowed around us, tangling in a swirl of fabric that trapped our legs together.Our mouths locked desperately, lips bruising against each other as I pressed myself closer, m
Elijah’s hands gripped my hips, steadying me as I adjusted to his size. “You feel so good,” he rasped out. “Do you know that? How amazing you feel, every time I’m inside you? It’s like a drug.”His words made me begin to move instinctively, rocking against him with slow, deliberate rolls of my hips.
I worked 15-hour shifts every day at the restaurant, barely enough time to catch my breath. Parties and banquets? They felt like they belonged to a different world—one I’d never be a part of. I was just a waitress who was hip-deep in debt, a nobody in the eyes of most people. Therefore, when the A
My heart pounded as I held his steely gaze. I’d never seen him before in person. Still, he embodied every physical descriptor I had heard customers give him at the diner: extremely fit, tall, dark, and handsome--with ice-blue eyes.The type of eyes a girl could get lost in. Those eyes narrowed.“Ye
Alpha Elijah had once again firmly sent me back to my rooms while he went to console his daughter, probably to ask her what had happened without any onlookers. Now in my room, my mind still whirled as I thought of the encounter. Not with Elijah or Ava, but with her.Thea.She must have been a clever
The night of the ball had arrived. My heart thundered as I stood at the front of the line of Mate Trial girls outside the large ornate doors of the ballroom, waiting to be let in. I could hear Ava’s loud laughter from her place near the back of the line, obviously wanting to be the last girl in beca
Alpha Elijah led Thea and me out of the ballroom as Thea clung tightly to both of our hands. My mind swirled around the events of the night, continuing to land back on the birthmark on Thea’s neck.It sent shivers down my spine, the prospect that it really could be her—my daughter, the child that I
Elijah’s hands gripped my hips, steadying me as I adjusted to his size. “You feel so good,” he rasped out. “Do you know that? How amazing you feel, every time I’m inside you? It’s like a drug.”His words made me begin to move instinctively, rocking against him with slow, deliberate rolls of my hips.
AgnesThe force of my kiss sent us tumbling backward, Elijah’s solid frame catching me as we fell against the bed. My skirts billowed around us, tangling in a swirl of fabric that trapped our legs together.Our mouths locked desperately, lips bruising against each other as I pressed myself closer, m
With trembling fingers—shaking partly from the aphrodisiac still coursing through my veins and partly from nerves—I fumbled with the clasp. It took three tries before the little door swung open.A delicate silver ring tumbled out, landing in my palm. It caught the light from the few remaining candle
Agnes“Because I love you.”The words hung in the air between us, simple and profound all at once. I stared up at Elijah, my mind struggling to process what I’d just heard.He… loves me?My heart seemed to expand in my chest, swelling with an unexpected emotion that I could barely contain. The fog f
When had he promised me anything? I couldn’t remember. Couldn’t think clearly.He turned me to face him, his hands cupping my face, and for a moment—just a moment—I thought I saw Elijah’s face instead of his. Elijah’s dark eyes looking into mine. Elijah’s hands gentle against my skin.Elijah.The na
Elijah & AgnesElijahI watched them go, my vision tunneling until all I could see was Agnes’s hand in Mason’s as they disappeared around the corner. Her champagne dress trailing behind her like liquid gold, heading to the honeymoon suite I’d prepared for us.For our wedding night.Our wedding night
And if Olivia tried to cause trouble tonight, if she had another meltdown or tried to manipulate the situation… Well, I would do what I should have done years ago. I would unmark her, even if it meant risking her life. I didn’t want it to come to that, but I couldn’t let her hold me or Thea or Agnes
Agnes & ElijahAgnesThe cool champagne slid down my throat as Mason tilted the glass against my lips. The alcohol warmed my chest almost immediately, and my nausea ebbed away like a receding tide.“Better?” Mason asked, lowering the glass.I nodded, trying to process what I’d just seen. Olivia in a
“Of course. The flowers, the lighting, even the table settings—it’s all beautiful.” I tilted my head, studying his expression. “Why do you look so pleased with yourself? Did you have something to do with this?”Before he could answer, Thea tugged on my dress, pointing excitedly to a group of childre