“I think I’d better go with Jasper,” I told her. “He’s been patiently waiting all this time.” And we needed to talk. At Cathy’s nod, I turned away and walked with Jasper down to his car. Once we were safely inside, he started the engine, turned to me, and asked, “How in the world has Lucian not fo
Aria’s POV The next morning, as I headed into the office disguised as Dr. A, I was still no closer to deciding Caleb’s fate. There were many things to consider, pros and cons for both sides. No matter what, I couldn’t be hasty and make the wrong choice. The newspapers, somehow, already, caught w
I braced myself, but annoyance still surged through me as Sheila’s face filled the screen. This wasn’t just an interview in passing. She was on a set. This had been arranged. “Dr. A refuses to save Caleb, who has made great contributions in the war,” Sheila said. “Whether this brings Dr. A’s loyal
Aria’s POV Cathy had a good point, so, taking her advice, I started weeding through my case load. Piper made the calls, redirecting some of my patients to new Healers. No one seemed happy about it. An angry few even came to my office to shout at me. Fortunately, the security guard removed them bef
Lucian’s POV As Dr. A slouched forward, I quickly realized that she was fainting and reached out to grab her before she could hit the table or the floor. She slumped into my arms, and as I held her I continued to marvel at just how very much she reminded me of Aria. But she wasn’t Aria. She coul
Aria’s POV My unconscious mind dreamed of the past. I’d been born into a lower class family. My parents fought hard to give me the best life they could, each working two or three jobs. But that hard work led to exhaustion, and that exhaustion left them susceptible to illnesses that they might ha
Aria’s POV Forgetting about the mask entirely, I dropped my hands to my belly instead. “Also safe,” Cathy said at once. “Both of you are okay.” Closing my eyes, I reached into myself, asking my wolf for confirmation. “The baby is safe,” Luna replied. “We both shielded her when you fell. And
Aria’s POV “Hello, Jasper,” I said. “What are you doing here?” Jasper grinned as he walked closer to my bedside. “What, a guy can’t just visit a friend?” I narrowed my eyes, immediately suspicious. Jasper had proven to be a decent friend to me, keeping my secret and helping me with Caleb’s fam
Aria’s POVAt the hospital, Lucian gave me a final squeeze. “Please help him,” he said.“I’ll do my best,” I promised. Then, breaking away from him, leaving him with Julia in the waiting room, I rushed to the emergency room to see what was going on.Fortunately, one of the nurses lent me a hair-tie
“But the food hasn’t arrived yet,” he said.I couldn’t wait. Feeling like I was going to pass out, I needed out of here.I pushed my chair back and stood. “I’m sorry,” I said.Turning, I hurried away from the table, from the dining room, from the restaurant. I threw the door open and ran outside.Wh
Aria’s POVSilas’s words haunted me long after the phone conversation, and that, combined with my discussion with Cathy and Piper convinced me to at least hear Lucian out. Because of this, when he called me to talk, and asked me to go out on a date with him, I decided to say yes.Now, after dressing
Aria’s POVHow was it, even after all this time, after all this distance, after all the hurt that sat piled up between us – I still so easily fell back into Lucian’s web.I wanted to be stronger, to be harder, and keep up the walls with him, yet every time we’d been around each other, he seemed to s
Aria’s POVMaybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Lucian finally pieced this together, but the reality of it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I don’t know why I thought he would never find out. There was no reason he wouldn’t, especially with Jasper and Lucian’s own parents already in on the s
Lucian’s POV“It’s not possible,” I said.Mom pressed her lips hard together before asking me slowly, “Are you sure? The boy especially looks just like you.”“A coincidence,” I said. It had to be.Because if it wasn’t, that meant that the night of pleasure I had shared with Aria a few months before
Lucian’s POVI knocked on my parents’ door and hugged my mom after she answered. She squeezed me somewhat tighter than usual.“One of my friends told me she saw you working at the hospital,” Mom said as she led me inside.“I’ve been helping Aria,” I told her. “Her friend Cathy was very sick, and Ari
Aria’s POVI hated to break up the scene, wanting Lucian and the kids to spend as much time together as possible, so I watched from a distance for a while, before tracking down one of the nurses to discuss Cathy’s condition.I checked on her a few separate times before deciding that she was healthy
“I don’t know what you mean.”“Don’t lie.”My blush continued to burn but still I said, “Even if I do have some idea what you mean, and even if I might even agree in a way, this… thing between Lucian and I doesn’t matter in the long run.”“What are you talking about?” Cathy said. “You love him.”“My