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
AgnesI covered my eyes with my hands, feeling a bit silly but deciding to play along. Elijah’s warm palm pressed against the small of my back, guiding me forward through what must have been the doorway. The air felt different immediately—cooler, with a slight mineral scent that reminded me of a spa
I pulled out one of the volumes, a thick leather-bound tome with gilded lettering on the spine that read Principles of Elemental Control. The pages were old and brittle, filled with diagrams and cramped handwriting in faded ink.“Where did you find these?” I asked, carefully returning the book to it
AgnesWe broke apart from our kiss breathlessly, my body humming with a different kind of heat now. Elijah’s eyes darkened as he stared at me.“Want to test the space out?” he asked huskily, glancing toward the pool.I bit my lip, instantly catching his meaning. “Right now?”“Why not?” His hands sli
“I need you,” he groaned, positioning himself between my legs.“Yes,” I agreed, wrapping my legs around his waist once more. “Please.”He entered me in one slow thrust, both of us groaning at the sensation. After my orgasm, I was sensitive and hyper-aware of every movement, every inch of him stretch
AgnesOnce we looked at least somewhat presentable, we headed upstairs, Elijah locking the door behind us with the security code. A few workers were still bustling around the house, putting finishing touches on various rooms.James wasn’t inside. We found him waiting in the garden, standing beneath
“We have to tell her,” I said, pulling back to look at Elijah. “On her birthday, like we planned.”“Two more days,” he agreed, wiping a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “Goddess, Agnes, I can’t believe it. All this time...”Pure joy bubbled up inside of me, and suddenly I was laughing through my t
“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,