ElijahAfter two months in prison, Olivia looked… different. I’d expected her to be haggard and half-insane by now, but the person I saw was nothing at all like that.If anything, she looked better than she had on the outside. Her hair, no longer that fake bleached blonde but back to its natural lig
For months, that threat had been my trump card. The mate mark on my neck gave me the power to end her life if I chose to. All I had to do was concentrate on breaking the bond, and she would die.Agnes had begged me not to, insisting that we find another way, but right now, with Olivia playing games
AgnesElijah had been gone all day, still at the prison with Olivia, and my anxiety was getting worse by the minute. I knew if I didn’t distract myself soon, I’d drive myself crazy. Or maybe even burn the hotel down; in fact, my palms had been itching all afternoon, warmth sparking through me like f
“I…” I hesitated, unsure of what to say. My inner monologue had been so cruel that I wasn’t used to hearing someone actually be… excited about my powers. “I don’t know about being a superhero, but maybe I’ll be able to light a candle without a match.”“Or make a campfire without matches! Or keep us
AgnesMy knees buckled. The hallway seemed to sway around me, and for a moment, I thought I might collapse right there on the hotel carpet.“What?” The word came out as a choked whisper.Elijah reached out, steadying me with his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s sit down,” he murmured, guiding me to the
I was silent, motionless. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like I was hearing the plot of a movie, not real life.“Olivia gave birth in that cave where the bones were found. But the baby was stillborn.”My hand flew to my mouth. Despite everything Olivia had done, the thought of her losing her child w
Agnes“What do you think of this couch?”I pointed at a plush sectional sofa on my laptop screen. It had been two and a half weeks since Elijah’s bombshell about Thea, and we’d fallen into an unspoken agreement—act normal on the outside, freak out on the inside.Elijah peered over my shoulder, his c
Inside, painters were finishing up the walls, and electricians were installing the last of the light fixtures.“The master bedroom is done,” the foreman told us as we walked through. “Just need to move in your furniture. Same with the kid’s room. We’re putting the finishing touches on the bathrooms
“Elijah, wait.”I froze, expecting to feel the tug of the mate bond, that infuriating compulsion she’d used so many times to force me to listen to her, to stay when I wanted to go. But it never came. For the first time, she hadn’t used the bond to control me. Today was full of surprises, wasn’t it?
ElijahThat morning, I made yet another trip to the prison. I’d hoped to never set foot in this place again, because frankly it was cold and uncomfortable and unsettling, but here I was. I just hoped that Olivia would keep true to her word and that this conversation would be worth it—and that it wou
I hated that he was making sense. And even more than that, I hated that a part of me—a much bigger part of me than I wanted to admit—was actually considering it.“What if it’s a trap?” I asked quietly. “What if he’s involved with Elemental Enterprises somehow? He could be trying to get to Thea.”“Th
AgnesI stared at the letter in my hands the entire night, reading and rereading the words until they were practically burned into my brain. By morning, the paper had taken on a slightly crumpled appearance from how many times I had folded and unfolded it.By the time the sun rose, I wasn’t sure if
Elijah, noticing the tension leaving my shoulders, offered me a soft smile. “And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t sexy as hell when you get like that.”I blushed and looked away. “Stop it…”“But I mean it,” he murmured, his voice growing husky as he leaned closer to me. His lips brushed mine ever so
AgnesElijah gently pulled me out of the banquet hall before I could say another word.We reached the nearest bathroom—a small powder room off the main hallway—and Elijah ushered me inside, locking the door behind us. Without a word, he turned on the faucet and soaked a washcloth in cold water.“Her
My hand tightened around my wine glass, and I felt a flicker of heat race through my veins, which I quickly pushed down with a big gulp of wine. It wasn’t enough, though. “Water, please,” I said abruptly to the bartender. “Extra ice.”The bartender nodded and handed me my glass. I chugged half of it
Agnes“Hold still,” I muttered around the pins that were pinched between my lips. “I’m almost done.”“But it tickles,” Thea whined.I sighed, sitting back on my heels to survey my work. The pink dress had turned out even better than I’d imagined—the fabric caught the light just so, and the purple em
Thea was already back from day camp when I arrived, sprawled on the living room floor with a coloring book and a horde of new crayons—which we’d certainly be finding under the couch for years to come. She looked up as I entered.“Mommy!” She jumped up and ran to hug me. “How was work?”“It was good,