Nan’s POVI must be dying.It must be the only explanation for feeling this bad. I’ve been sick before. But never like this.I know logically that the room is warm. My blankets are sticky and wet from sweat. There is no cold air blowing directly on me.But I can’t stop my shivering. The muscles in m
“We can’t keep doing this. Think of Dena and Kay. Dena has already been threatened with explosion for fighting.” Dena is in her room. Grounded for beating up a few older girls. Kay has been sent to her friends for the night. ‘Nobody hates Kay,’ I think glumly. Kay’s easy-going personality, friendl
Lionel’s POVThis is agonizing.I had only dozed off for a little while when the nightmares started. I had assumed I would be the one to have them after seeing Nan so close to death. I was wrong.My entire body is tuned to her. From her shallow breathing to the slight shaking of her frame. I could e
“It’s okay Nan. It’s alright. You did nothing wrong.” I whisper.“Lionel…”I sigh. “That’s right darling. I’m here.”But she is not reassured. Her weeping deepens. “Why…why won’t you believe me?”It’s a knife to my heart. That question…why, why why. I’d heard Nan use that tone before.I never wanted
Nan’s POVThis man…oh this man….A few little words and defenses shatter. He is the center of all my fears. And my desires…It was his voice that pulled me from the depth of my nightmare. A lifeboat out of the cold and dark. Saving my drowning soul as well as my physical body.He makes me want to fi
I lose count of the lazy kisses we exchange. I am more than content just breathing in the same air as him. Of letting our lips speak words we are not quite ready to speak.Each kiss is like tiny embers. Flaming the slow building heat in my chest. A spark.Then his hand drifts lower and lower…until t
Lionel’s POVI am not crazy.‘I’m not,’ I think insistently.It has been only days since Nan recovered. Things have changed between us again. But I am pleased with these changes.It is hard to pinpoint those differences outwardly. On the surface not much has changed. Only those really looking would
“That’s not…” I trail off with a sigh. Flex my hands at my side.“Lionel, what are you talking about?” She asks quizzically.I shake my head in defeat. “Never mind. The girls are waiting for you.”I head to my study to think. Irritated at my failure. Still without an answer to my predicament.I drop
Third Person POVIt had been the easiest wedding Nan had ever planned.She knew that she might have been stressed under any other circumstances. Nan had survived much worse than planning her own wedding. So this did not phase her.Scarlett and her sister had been a huge help in that regard.Nan was
He pulled out all the way and then slammed back in. Again and again. It was fast and brutal.I loved every second of it. This is what I had been craving. Lionel at his wildest and utterly crazed for me.At one point he turned me onto all fours. This new ankle only brought him deeper. Making me clenc
Nan’s POVIt should have been awkward.We were on a deserted island. The heavy weight of history of this place resting over us like a dark cloud. Exposed to the elements.It should not have been as arousing as it was.There was something about this that excited me. We were out in the open. Anyone co
I felt sick to my stomach. Everything I had uncovered had hinted at some dark origins. I could not have imagined anything like this.I could imagine it in my mind’s eye. The betrayal from the people they had led. Blood and shackles their new fate.“Only one clan remembered its original purpose. Only
Nan’s POVThis was the moment I had been waiting for.Mr. Holder had allowed us to go home and rest for a while. Correctly guessing that Lionel and I needed time to rest after that ordeal. Neither of us wanted to be far from each other that night.Mr. Holder had requested for us to meet with him at
I let the bond wash over me. Lionel pushes his emotions through. His fear, his worry, his love.I send back my own terrible fear and pain. He takes it into himself. Almost cupping it like he would a wound.There are no true words in the bond. Not really. But if there were…‘Remember…fight…remember w
Nan’s POVMy entire world was aflame.Fire filled my vision. Smoke burned my lungs. I held my breath.The fire licked at my skin. Heated my blood. Seeking to fill the hollow of my bones.The strangest thing was that I was not burning.I should have been. Any normal fire would nave incinerated me. Ye
“Yes?”“If we do this-” She begins.“Nan!” I interject sharply.I am ignored.“-and it fails…what will happen to me?” She asks tightly.He meets her gaze head on. Unflinching. “You would most likely perish.”“See?! It’s too risky!” I growl.Nan is not paying me any mind. Her attention is directed at
Lionel’s POV“Today marks your third trial.”“What is today?” I ask weakly. “Running through the forest…a treasure hunt?”Each trial had gotten progressively more difficult. I had not forgotten the man’s last words to us. Knowing that this would be the worst of all did not inspire much confidence in