/-Declan-/There was just something wrong about her. I could feel it. Last night, she had been insistent on sleeping in my room but I couldn't let her. Rolfe wouldn't let me and for the first time, I agreed with him. The Raven I knew was a tease and would never admit she wanted to be in the same room with me, let alone beg to speak d the night in it. The intense pull I felt towards Raven anytime she neared me was gone. I was seriously considering Hannah's words that she was the skinwalker. But if this wasn't Raven, where was she then?This morning, before I even got the chance to open my eyes, she was at my door, knocking. She brought me breakfast and I couldn't even begin to explain how creeped out I was. “Come in,” I said dryly, stepping aside for her to enter. “I brought you food so you don't have to stress yourself out. I want us to spend the entire day together,” she said. “Spend the day together?” I repeated. That was one suggestion Raven would never make no matter how muc
She hissed in frustration. That man was just too smart for her. How could he have figured her out so soon?It took her weeks to copy Raven's voice and mannerisms, only for him to figure it out in a space of a few minutes. Pacing the room, she groaned. “I have come too far to lose him now,” she muttered under her breath.She thought hard, thinking of what she could have done wrong and then it clicked. “Fuck! I was too desperate for him! Raven literally acts like she doesn't care about his existence. Maybe I should have done that instead of throwing myself at him,” she mumbled, facepalming. How could she mess up such a perfect opportunity?But there was still a chance to make it right. Declan had no idea where Raven was and she already knew that Azaiah's men may have taken her away. All she had to do was hurt herself and let him find her, and then she would correct all the mistakes she made. Now that sounded like a very good plan. All she needed was someone to aid her with it. An
/-Declan-/I stood in front of Amelia, my heart racing. She had just asked for my blood, and I had no choice but to give it to her. I needed to find Raven, and if she could help, I would do whatever it took.“Just get it over with,” I said, my voice firm but full of frustration.Amelia didn’t hesitate. She picked up a small blade from the table and made a clean cut along my arm. I winced slightly as the blood flowed into a small cup she held out.She seemed calm, almost detached, as she watched the blood fill the cup. I didn’t know if I could trust her, but right now, she was the only lead I had.“Is that enough?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.She nodded and set the cup aside, carefully placing it on the table. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was making a grave mistake but at this point, I couldn't even say I cared. Raven was my top most priority. “Now, I will perform the incantation,” she said softly.Amelia closed her eyes, her hands moving slowly as she whispe
/-RAVEN-/Later that night, I sat by the window, staring into the sky since I wasn't allowed to go outside. The stars were so pretty tonight and it made me feel a little lonely.It stirred memories in my mind and it made my eyes watered. How long was I going to keep poisoning myself to keep from being with him?What if I ran out of poisons? What if he decided to perform the ceremony with my corpse? I was still thinking when the door opened and the maids entered my room with food. They simply bowed and dropped it, walking out before I even got the chance to say anything. Azaiah had forbidden them from talking to me because he thought I was going to manipulate them into helping me escape. I couldn't blame him because I would actually do so if I had the chance. I opened the plate and the food just made my spirit fall. I was tired of everything. This place, the food, the people, everything!I covered it back and got in bed. An hour later, they came to pack the food and we're surprised
/-Declan-/Tim and the rest of the warriors prepared for the journey to the Dragon clan. I had the Elders oversee the pack while I was gone. Raven was the most important person to me and I couldn't lose her. As we got ready to leave, Hannah ran to me with her bag. “What do you think you're doing?” I asked her. I wasn't in the mood for her antics now. “Allow me to come with you, please. I can help,” she pleaded. “No, I don't think you can help me in anyway. Stay back, I will bring her back as soon as possible,” I said. “No, please…” she pleaded. “I… I feel guilty. Every time I think about it, I blame myself for not helping her while I had the chance.”“Why should you?” I asked her. “You've never liked Raven to begin with. You should be happy she is finally out of your way. If you're going to hate someone, at least be straightforward about it. Stop trying to score yourself brownie points b pretending to care.”Hurt flashed in her eyes, “I don't care what you think about me but I a
/-Hannah-/No! No! No!This couldn't be happening to me! What the hell was he doing here? He shouldn't be here! Oh goddess, everything I planned was going to be ruined! Just when I came so close to achieving it!“Hannah?” Declan called. “Do you know this man?” I opened my mouth to deny it but Nile beat me to it. “Why wouldn't she? I should be asking who the fuck you are!” Nile stepped up, his fists clenching in anger. Declan chuckled, but it was his usual amused laugh. Nile had no idea what he was asking for. Declan would kill before he even got the chance to raise his fists. “What do you think you're doing?” Declan's tone darkened. “I asked a simple question and it wasn't even directed at you.” “You're the one with my wife and you think you get to ask questions?” Nile seethed and Declan's anger was replaced by confusion. “Your wife…” he echoed, staring at me and I wanted the ground to just open up and swallow me. Anything to save me from this moment. “Yes, my wife! We have a
/-Raven-/“Let go of me, you prick!” I struggled against Kaiz's grip as he dragged me away from the training ground. I knew he was taking me to Azaiah and the moment I got to that man, it would be a whole new level of combat. “You will shut up and let me take you to safety!” He snapped and I shot him a glare. “You are taking me to the fucking danger!” I yelled. “That man out there is my mate and if you insist on being a hero, you and your little dragon friends will be ripped to shreds and left to decay!”Something shifted in his expression but it wasn't enough to make him stop or even release his grip. “You should watch that tongue of yours, little assassin. You tend to underestimate people a lot,” he said. “At least I'm not declaring them dragons!” I huffed and the next minute, he was knocked down by Declan, of course. He released me and a smirk played on my lips. “I warned you!” He tried to get off but Rolfe tackled him down again and an intense fight began. I had to give it t
/-Raven-/I don't know how long we ran or where we were running to but somehow we ended up outside the volcano. They were coming after us fast but then Declan suddenly had a bright idea.“We need to block the entrance,” he said and I was about to ask with what when I saw the huge rolling stone.There was no time for questions as we joined hands and blocked it before they could get to us. “Once I shift, get on my back, Ramona. Tim, mind link the others to retreat immediately,” Declan instructed. He quickly shifted and I got on his back as instructed. He dashed into the woods with Tim following us closely behind. My heart was pounding as I kept looking up at the sky to see if anyone was following us. I wondered how long it was going to take for us to get to our pack and even if we got there, what was the guarantee that it was safe? I mean, these people could just fly over there and set the entire pack ablaze. What would we do then?I wondered if Rolfe could hear me and if so, give
/-Skylar-/My first thought when I arrived at the mansion was to ask Kai about the painting but thinking about Mario's words again, I decided against it. Kai was nobody but my annoying boss, nothing more. He wasn't in when I checked so I headed to my room for a long shower. After showering, my head felt clearer now and I began thinking about the events of the day. Lisa said they were two women, one of them being Amelia so who was the other one and why on earth would they be working together?I tried to think of all my possible enemies back then and my enemies now to see if they atleast shared the same qualities. I started with myself and unfortunately, I was in no way similar to Skylar. From everything Ava told me, we didn't share a single thing in common. I thought about Lisa and Sally. The were almost the same. Cunny, mischievous and very obsessed with Declan. Then I thought about Kai and Declan. Declan used to be a womaniser before I met him. He had many mistresses, and Kai w
/-Kai-/I wasn't one to start a fight.However, I didn't mind bringing down hell on anyone who dared to touch my property and in this case, that property was Skylar. There was simply no way I was just going to stand back and watch Taylor lay a hand on Skylar and get away with it. A rational part of me still insisted that I was going too far. I barely knew this woman and yet, I was here, ready to rage a war with Taylor for her sake. “Sir, are you sure about this?” Anders asked. “What happened? Are you getting cold feet already? You were the one who said you hated seeing her like that, right?” I shrugged. “So you're doing this because of what I said?” He raised a brow. I knew he was baiting me but I wasn't going to give in to his antics and actually confess that seeing her battered made my heart tug in ways I'd rather not experience. “What are you waiting for? Let's go in,” I said, opening the car door. “What are we really going in there to do? The last time he came, he said his
/-Skylar-/Ten seconds passed and I was still staring at the girl that used to be in utter shock. I looked at her in confusion and then at Mario, who didn't understand seem to understand what was going on. “How… how did you get this?” I asked her. A small smile played on her lips. “I'm guessing it finally found it's owner, huh? Selling close to a division house does have it's advantages. That would be $7.20 please.” I was even more confused. “I'm not talking about the price. How do you know her? Who are you?” I asked, taking a step closer to her. Her smile immediately vanished as she slowly stepped back. She seemed frightened like I was threatening her or something. “What are you doing, Skylar? You're scaring her,” Mario held me back but I shrugged his hand off. “I asked a question,” I said icily. “Fine! You're right. It's just my imagination. I have a very creative mind and…”“Bullshit!” I cut her short. “The details are way too accurate for it to be some imagination. Who th
/-Skylar-/I didn't know what to expect now.The artist being a woman was a whole game-changer. Now, I couldn't possibly guess who she was and I knew there was no way Declan would be reborn in a woman's body, right?But then again, I couldn't just jump to conclusions. “Can you take me to her?” I asked him. “I told you it was about a year ago. There is no guarantee that Sally will still be there,” he groaned.“Mario please…” I tried begging. “I have already told you who she is but I am not obligated to take you to her. You know her name, find her yourself,” he said. Wow! I guess we're doing this the hard way then. “Fine! Since you won't tell me, I better just head home and tell your boss that I went somewhere interesting today,” I shrugged and his expression immediately changed. “Are you threatening me?” He frowned. “Why should I? It's called accountability. I'm just going to go back home and tell Kai all about where I've been and who the tour guide was unless, of course, you ar
/-Skylar-/She sat there looking all bossy and authoritative, her legs crossed. The arrogance in her stance made me want to turn and walk right out of the door. “Ma'am, she's here,” the guard bowed. I glanced at him, wondering why I even agreed to get into the car with him in the first place. Maybe I should have questioned him properly but I desperately needed information on that artist and now, I was being forced to face a woman who believes I am sleeping with her husband. Ex-husband, to be precised. “Good job, Mario,” she nodded in approval then to me, she signalled to have a seat. I sat down just as she asked. “I assume you know who I am,” she said with an air of arrogance like she was royalty. Now I wish I hadn't met her earlier, I would have gladly told her no, just to see her reaction. “I know that you are owing my husband a huge sum of money which is why you are forced to stay by his side,” Gwendolyn went on while I stared with a blank face. “What if I told you that I wil
/-Skylar-/I groaned, burying my head in the pillow. I knew he had no control but couldn't he at least use a soundproof room, especially since he was bringing screamers. Three long hours of torture and my ears finally got a break. Just when I thought I could get some sleep for myself, a knock came to my door and I groaned inwardly. What now?I marched to the door with annoyance. It was one of the bodyguards. “The boss said you should clean up,” he informed me. “Are we going somewhere?” I asked him. He looked at me as if I was the dumbest person to ever exist. “Not that. He wants you to send the girls away,” he said and I wanted to scream. “He could make them scream down and entire building but he can't send them off himself?” I huffed. The guard's expression remained stoic. “Should I tell him that?” I shot him a glare. “No.” I walked out of them room, slamming the door shut behind me with annoyance. I marched to his room to three girls, passed out on the floor. He was by the
/-Gwendolyn-/My fingernails clinked idly against the cup as I sat there thinking about the woman I saw Kai with. Was she the one he was looking for? The reason he wouldn't give me a chance? But she introduced herself as his assistant and…“Don't be stupid, Gwen! What kind of assistant wears that kind of dress? They were most likely coming from somewhere and I was sure as hell that he bought her that dress. Even if she wasn't the one, he was definitely fucking her. And I hated it. Cheap gold-diggers trying to take away my man from me.I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long sip. He wouldn't take me back just because I was sleeping around and signed that he should be taken off life support. Anyone would have done the same. I was just trying to save money. For all I know, he could have died. What difference does it make? I would have raised the kids alone like I am doing now. The door suddenly opened, interrupting my train of thoughts. “Ma'am, you sent for me,” Mario bowed.
/-Skylar-/“Are you blind?” I blurted before even realizing it. I was pissed and tired and bleeding from every possible part of my skin and all the bastard could do was complain about how much money I made him lose?Kai's expression harden. “I will advise you watch your fucking tone when talking to me!”“You are pissed about my tone? Did you hear yourself speak to me? What kind of psycho are you? Someone walks, bleeding and all you can do is whine about your little illegal business?” I seethed. “I'll be inside!”I made to move but his words stopped me. “Don't you dare take another step forward!” He growled. The guards were alert now, caught up in the little drama. “I'd like to see you stop me!” I hissed and walked right inside. Surprisingly, the jerk didn't come after me. I headed to my room and locked the door. As much as I would love to go anywhere but here, I didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. Nowhere that Taylor wouldn't find me at least. “Taylor Macaulay,” I spat the na
/-Skylar-/The moment of advantage was fleeting. My body was running on pure adrenaline, my limbs screaming in protest, but I couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop.I yanked against the chains, trying to use the slack to my advantage. The guard with the broken nose staggered back, cursing, but another was already lunging toward me.I twisted at the last second, bringing my bound hands up like a weapon. The heavy links caught him across the face with a sharp crack, sending him sprawling onto the concrete.A deep, angry growl echoed through the basement. "Enough."Taylor.I sucked in a ragged breath, my pulse still pounding as I turned to face him. He stood just beyond the dim pool of light, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his jaw told me everything I needed to know.He hadn't expected me to fight back this hard.Good.Taylor took a slow step forward, his expensive shoes clicking against the floor. "You really don’t know when to quit, do you?"I wiped the blood from my mouth with t