Liam arrived at my dorm right on time, his car looking polished and ready for what felt like a monumental occasion. As I climbed into the passenger seat, my nerves kicked into high gear. I smoothed my dress for the hundredth time, feeling every wrinkle like it was a glaring imperfection.“Hey,” Liam
The blood roared in my ears, drowning out the clatter of silverware and the strained conversation I could hear coming from inside the house. Mrs. Graven's vicious words echoed in my mind, each syllable a sharp blow.Seriously, how could she say all of that? Her words had cut deeper than I thought p
I couldn’t shake the memory of Ella’s tears as I pushed through the biting wind toward the rink. The disaster at Thanksgiving hung refused to leave my mind, but I swear, I had to stay focused. Aaron had drilled it into my head—hockey first. Arthur was counting on me to fuck up big time. I wouldn’t g
When Liam camp back from Camp Fang, he was a total mess. He was so distracted by the upcoming game with Arthur, that I could barely get him to focus on us. I tried to calm him down, tried to tell him everything was going to be okay, but he just stayed so tense.I decided then that what Liam needed w
The flickering candlelight danced on the cabin walls, casting long, menacing shadows. The howling wind had faded, but the silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. Then, a fist slammed against the cabin door, rattling the aged wood.Liam, his stoic facade finally cracking, sprang to his feet. A
[Ella’s POV]Those burning eyes...That horrible, taunting grin...And that disturbing, nerve-splitting voice. All that time he’d been nothing but a figment from my past. A dark shadow that hovered over me even in my dreams.I knew I could never prove it, but the awful gut-swirling feeling was enough
I was numb.Emotionally, physically, and psychologically I felt battered and bruised beyond my compatibility to withstand it. The growing uneasiness that filled me, caused my knees to finally buckle from beneath me. Suddenly, I found myself dropping to the floor as though gravity had pushed me down.
[Ella’s POV]I knew I was dreaming. I had to be. There was no way that life would be so cruel as to lock me in another situation where I was trapped in a corner, unable to escape and facing a madman with a large knife.I knew it wasn’t real. But that didn’t mean that my fear was any less prominent t
Without so much as an arguing word, the men moved. Indeed, Arthur had inherited my ability to compel. I was quick to spot Cecilia standing in the center of the large, main room. She looked anxious and eager to see her son. When she spotted Arthur, her eyes lit up with pure excitement. “I knew
[Ella’s POV] I felt like I was floating on a cloud. At first, it seemed like I was being torn to pieces. The pain that resonated within me—it was like a fire had been set to burn beneath my skin. Every nerve was spiraling and coiling beyond control. I almost begged them both to stop. But then,
But that chance was almost taken from me tonight. Had we not gone to see him, the man would have been dead. I can’t let Ella’s mother face the same fate. It needs to stop. All of it. “Alright,” I said firmly. I reached down to grasp Ella’s hand. “I know I kept saying that we needed to wait unti
The car ride back to campus was kept in complete silence. What was there to say? Aaron had been brutally attacked by his own wife and was basically left there to bleed out...That, in itself, was proof that Cecilia had truly lost her mind. What’s even scarier was that apparently, she’s lost contr
They narrowed their eyes. “Well, see about that.” “I just had a very bizarre meeting with Cecilia.” All the blood drained from their faces. Their jaws had all collectively hit the ground and I was certain one of them was going to shout. Liam growled under his breath. “...Ella.” I urged the
I had to do my best to not show fear. The very thought of my mom being put at risk over something that had nothing to do with her was enough to cause my anger and stress levels to rise. I fought to keep my voice as even as possible even though I wanted nothing more than to hurl myself over the t
It didn’t seem like Cecilia was the type to give up. Aaron had certainly warned us all enough times that the woman wasn’t to be underestimated. Yet, it seemed like she had dropped off the face of the earth. With something as big as the Winslow name and reputation at stake, there was no way that sh
[Arthur’s POV] I stared back at the man who, for the better part of my life, was never really present. I suppose in a way, Aaron was just as much absent in my life as he was for Liam. I hadn’t ever really considered that we shared something so personal in common. Something in my gut was tellin
Liam shook his head. “None whatsoever,” he stated. “I told Aaron that my true interests lie in professional hockey.” Wow. Why had I always thought that Liam wanted the title the same way I thought that I wanted it? Then again, it took me a long time to realize that I didn’t much want the positio