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ZADE. Itโs late at night, and Sebastian and Zaiaโs older three kids have now gone up to bed and Iโm relieved. For some reason, the Menace refused to stop looking at me all evening. The oldest, Zion, is pretty mature for his age, and heโs grown a lot from the last time I saw him. Sia, sheโs decent
We fall silent, pondering on those words. โBut we have to try, for their loved ones, for Adriana, for Atticus, for Linette and for Hugh,โ Valerie says as Kaia now climbs onto my lap and stares up at me. Atticus looks up and nods slowly before he looks away, sighing heavily. โItโs rude to stare,โ I
If I had any doubt before that something was bothering him, itโs gone. I can almost see the pain in his face, the music, and the way heโs pouring his soul into it. I wait, as his fingers fly over the piano keys, his heart thundering louder with every touch. Somehow the music feels nostalgic, remind
VALERIE. Itโs the following day, and the tension is high, partially over what we are about to attempt with the healing and also something has gone down between Zade and Atticus. That was clear from the hostility at breakfast, with Zade simply taking his coffee and walking out when Atticus entered.
โWe wonโt succeed, will we?โ I ask Zade, my eyes fixed on Zion. โWe wonโt know until we try. Thereโs always hope,โ he replies. Our eyes meet, and I nod. Heโs right, I canโt give up before even trying. I look around the room, knowing that everyone must be feeling similar to how I am right now. The
VALERIE.Itโs been nearly two weeks since weโve returned. Since then, things have been extremely hectic. The tension has been rising, with Zade working on trying to break the code on the system that controlled the microchips.Another thing that brought great concernโฆ considering the Arkan had access
Cassian chuckles and raises his hands in surrender. โIโm sorry, I didnโt mean anything by it. I do apologise. I know things are hard Valerieโฆ but know that Iโm not against you or your people.โ He reaches out placing a hand on my shoulder giving it a squeeze, my eyes flash and I grip his wrist, insta
VALERIE.There are some men who look sexy in a suit, a few who look handsome, even a rare few who look like gods, and then thereโs Zade.I imagined him in a suit, and knew he would look so damn sexy, but what I didnโt know was that Iโd want to drop to my knees and let him do whatever he wanted to me
I hear footsteps and wipe my eyes furiously and take a deep breath, refusing to let him see how I feel. He steps into the room, hands in pocket, carrying an arrogance as he looks me over.โI have questions.โโYou kidnapped me!โ I snarl.โYouโre not a kid. Sit down.โโI donโt listen to-โThe next thi
~ MILENA ~The bullet pierces through his chest and I gasp, my heart shattering as I watch the blood drip down his white shirt. It hurts, so fucking much. Not that I shot him, not that I know he could have dodged it if he had moved, but itโs the shock in those bright blue eyes when he realised I sho
Staring back at me in photo after photo is none other than the man I love, the man I have lived with for nearly a year. The man who killed my brother.One and the very same.โNoโฆ NO!โ I scream, kicking the photos away from me. Is this a sick joke? I jump out of bed, rush to the bathroom and manage t
~ MILENA ~My eyes open, my vision blurry. I rub my eyes. I know Iโm in a bed. It feels familiar, and for a moment I wonder if Iโm back at my place butโฆ my bed isnโt this large or comfortable.I sit up and look around, my heart hammering as realisation settles in. I know why it feels soโฆ homely.Thi
โExcuse me, sir, sheโll be free to go tomorrow. But she will need to take some blood thinners and some pain relief tablets for the next two weeks.โI nod. I didnโt tell them I didnโt know herโฆ after all, my questions are pending and she has the answers.This was not how I was expecting my night to e
~ ZION ~Not this time.I raise my gun, pressing it to her forehead roughly. She stumbles backwards trying to put space between us, but with her injured leg sheโs not as slick and I almost reach out to steady her, then remind myself who she is.She is one of them.And sheโs here for a reason.Do the
My heart skips a beat.Heโs always been clever, but the conviction with how he said that one sentenceโฆ as if he was completely certain. But Iโm not going to admit that.I chuckle humourlessly. โAnd why would you think I was the one who was behind that?โโYou donโt wear a seatbelt, Milena. You were w
~ MILENA ~Irritation flashes through me as the car comes ever closer. As predicted it would.Iโm waiting for the moment Zionโs car that he no longer has control over dangerously drives down this one-way road, and Iโll be here, waiting to pull out in front of him.I have to time it just right. If he
โOh god, this is a generous treatโฆโ she murmurs as she sticks her tongue out and flicks it across the tip in a slow and tantalising manner.Pleasure shoots through me and I grip the back of her head.โNot yet,โ I mutter huskily, yanking her to her feet and turning her. I push her against the wall, u