“Tell me, then—what kind of man would I have to be to make you fall in love with me?” My mouth went dry as our gazes met. Something in his gaze held me captive. His tone was tinged with something fragile and vulnerable. I’d never heard him sound like that before, and it pulled at my heart. “Am I
Violet I looked down at the document, Lucas’s words staring back at me in dark ink and pulling at every bit of my self-control. I felt the lawyers’ tension, felt the air heating around me with anger. I took a deep breath and kept reading. Lucas painting himself in the right wasn’t surprising. Th
I smiled. “I love ruthlessness… I’d like you to keep your investigation and your main arguments as quiet as possible. Knowing Lucas, he’s bound to start slipping up. He feels like he has the upper hand right now, he’ll act like it.” “How do you want to approach his claims about Nora and your suppo
Violet I waited for him to open the message. His face didn’t give much away, but there was something about the stillness in his posture that told me plenty. Owen was trying to pull out of the deal he’d struck. “Well?” “He’ll consider Shelter after you officially become luna of Midnight.” My
“Violet, stop, and talk to me.” I looked back at him. “I have nothing to say. It’s your pack, your legacy, your network, not mine.” “And yet you look like you want to punch me.” I gave him a thin smile. “It hasn’t crossed my mind yet.” He licked his lips. Something dark and hungry filled his
Theodore The icy cold of the lake shocked me out of my shift, dousing the heat that had been driving me closer and closer to madness all night. I stroked up towards the weak light of dawn and climbed out. The scent of blood filled the air. My skin prickling in the cold. The buck lay nearby along w
When auction day arrived, I was keyed up, waiting in my office with Lily and Kincaid on the line, ready to oversee everything remotely. The auction began as scheduled, my eyes fixed on the screen as each plot of land came up. But as the minutes ticked by, my heart began to sink. The strip of land
Violet The day of the trial came sooner than I expected. The grand courtroom was cold, its marble walls reflecting the light filtering in through the large stained glass windows. The judgment panel sat in their elevated positions, with Owen at the center, his expression unreadable. Beside him, the
I dropped the trowel and frying pan next to the baseball and bat, shaking my head at this makeshift arsenal. “My baby is already too smart for its own good.”Bennett opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted when we were distracted by Theo suddenly vanishing into thin air. My cousin and I
Violet’s POV“Just try.”It didn’t matter how many times I explained to Bennett that Auntie had said the baby’s magic would sway my magic toward more innocent manifestations. He wasn’t convinced.Theo was on the other side of Marcy’s backyard, fists clenched, gaze unfocused, as he tried to complete
Theodore’s POVI was searching the archives’ computer for anything related to forehead bands when my phone rang. My phone screen showed, “Aunt Lillith”. Adding her to my contacts with the title of “aunt” was partially an affectionate and respectful decision, but mostly it was to avoid Eva’s wrath in
Violet’s POVPart of me wondered it not worrying Theo was an excuse. If the years with Lucas not being the partner I needed had subconsciously trained me to stay independent. To never lean on anyone, even temporarily, because they couldn’t be trusted to hold me up. Even still, Theo was right. So I
We pulled out of our kiss, my head dizzy with love and hope. We would find the answers we needed. We would find a future together.“You said there were answers to four questions.” I looked between the two of them, tallying the three they’d already shared. “What’s the fourth?”Violet thought for a mo
Theodore’s POV“Alari, please wake up!”I held Violet’s head in my lap, her jaw terrifyingly slack. I dared a glance at the High Priestess who had collapsed in a heap at the same time that Violet’s body had gone completely limp. “High Priestess?!”This wasn’t happening.I reached for my phone, thank
Theodore’s POVIn one breath, the love of my life laying still in the grass let out a gut-wrenching scream and the High Priestess dropped to her knees. I lunged for my wife but was thrown back by an invisible force. When I pulled myself upright, the High Priestess had a hand outstretched, clearly us
Auntie folded her hands in front of her. “Altrosis is an attempt to control magic enough to pin it down and examine it. One could more easily pin down the wind.”As if to illustrate her point, a cool breeze swept through the clearing, though not a hair on Auntie’s head swayed in its drift.“Magic is
Violet’s POVThe jungle outside the village my family lived in was beautiful. It was lush and alive, humming with magic like the air itself was breathing. I had only visited this village and its surrounding area a few times in my life, but I’d always made time to come stand among the ferns and frond