The house was buzzing with conversation as I slipped through the front door. The warmth from inside wrapped around me, a stark contrast to the cooling night air outside. The evening had settled in, casting a gentle glow across the walls from the lamps scattered around the room. Harry headed upstairs, muttering something about needing a shower, while I found myself drawn toward the faint sound of Dev’s voice coming from the family room. I knew others would be there too, so I fixed my hair and taking a steady breath, I followed his voice down the hallway. I let my fingers brush over the cool, polished wooden art piece on the wall, looking at the entertainment room. Ian was in there, watching Umbrella Academy and somehow it made sense that he would be watching a show like that. Sensing my presence he turned back and looked at me in confusion. “I was just passing and saw you inside. Don't mind me,” I said, trying not to make him uncomfortable. He shook his head and gave me a l
The house felt quieter after we moved to the kitchen, the evening's events trailing behind me like the whispers of an unfinished conversation. Caspian and I found ourselves side by side, bumping our shoulders playfully as we worked. The warm lights cast a golden glow over the countertops. Dev stood at the far end, arranging ingredients for some side dishes he was preparing. I focused on chopping vegetables, the rhythmic sound of the knife against the cutting board calming my mind, but every once in a while, my gaze flickered toward Caspian. There was something about the way he moved—his confident, fluid motions as he prepared the sauce, the ease with which he commanded the space—that sent a thrill through me. I tried to shake it off, focusing instead on the task at hand, but it was hard to ignore the tension that simmered just beneath the surface. “Stop looking at me and move your hand faster,” Caspian said, breaking the silence. His voice was casual, but there was a softne
The soft hum of the elevator echoed in the quiet, steady and rhythmic, but it did nothing to calm the storm swirling inside me. My heart pounded so loud in my chest that I was sure Caspian could hear it. The tension between us had built up all night, simmering just beneath the surface, and now, as the elevator descended, I couldn’t help but start to panic. ‘Am I ready for this?’ I shifted on my feet, glancing at Caspian beside me. He stood tall, his expression unreadable but calm, like he already knew what was going to happen. Like he knew me better than I knew myself. That thought sent a thrill through me, though I couldn't differentiate if it was out of excitement or fear. “If you're not ready, we can go back and forget this,” he had said, his voice softer than I expected. The offer hung in the air like a lifeline, but I had shaken my head. ‘There is no turning back. I am the one who told him that I would tonight.’ I reminded myself and kissed his upper arms for some rea
My whole body felt like it was burning as I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Nothing much happened between us because he didn't want to overwhelm me or scare me away. He wanted to return the favour for blowing him in the kitchen earlier, and then continue from there only when he was sure that I was ready for the next step. I didn't know there were steps to BDSM. My body buzzed from his touch, but it was the emotional shift that had me on edge. He had introduced me to a side of myself I hadn’t anticipated—a side that required to put trust, and show vulnerability. It wasn’t just physical, though that part had left its mark; it was emotional and deep, and somehow, it made me want more. But there was hesitation too. I thought of explaining all of it to Lucas and asking him for his permission before doing anything else. I shifted under the covers, pulling them tighter around me as if that could block out the questions swirling in my mind. I was still trying to wrap my head
The sound of the sizzling pan in the kitchen wasn’t enough to keep my mind from the tight feeling in my chest. Caspian was so close, his hands brushing against mine as we cooked, and I couldn’t help but replay last night over and over in my head. His kiss, his touch—it was all too much to forget, but I needed to focus. I stirred the sauce as if my life depended on it, willing the tension in my body to disappear. “So, Dev is still sleeping?” I questioned to cut the deafening silence between us. I knew Caspian was thinking about something and that's why he wasn't talking to me, silently frying the vegetables. "No, Leo is having one of those days,” he answered, then quickly added when he saw my confusion. “Some days, he acts like a 5-year-old and needs someone with him all the time. Today’s one of those days, and Dev went to wake him up. Now, he is stuck with Leo for a few hours.” “I am still confused,” I admitted, smiling at the way Caspian's eyes sparkled with joy as he talk
As breakfast wrapped up, the tension in the room lingered like a dark cloud. Caspian had returned to his usual self, teasing Neel while Dev avoided looking at me altogether. But it was Lucas who had me on edge. He didn’t say much after his quiet request to talk, and now, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his head. I tried to act normal, helping Caspian finish plating the food, but my mind was racing. I glanced at Lucas again, his eyes following me with a seriousness that I wasn’t used to. Something was definitely off. Once the kitchen cleared, Lucas stepped closer, his voice low but firm. “Let’s go. We need to talk.” His tone sent a shiver down my spine. This wasn’t the playful Lucas who had always been so lighthearted with me. This was someone else—someone serious, maybe even angry. I followed him down the hallway, my stomach twisting with every step. He led me into the room before the entrance hall, the one in which I'd only seen Ian playing video games. Ho
I couldn’t breathe. Lucas’s words circled in my head, spinning faster and faster, creating a storm of confusion, pain, and anger. Caspian—the one who had shown me a side of myself I hadn’t even known existed—was using me. Using me to hurt his brother. I couldn’t process it. It was as if everything I thought I understood about my place in this family, my relationships with the brothers, had just crumbled beneath my feet. And worse? I had let it happen. My eyes blurred with tears as I sat there, sinking deeper into the beanbag. My entire body felt like it was imploding, my heart twisting and pounding in my chest, squeezing tighter with each breath. I tried to make sense of it and tried to rationalize why Caspian would do something so cruel. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. Caspian wasn't the man Lucas was trying to paint him to be. Lucas’s presence loomed over me, and I knew he was watching, waiting for me to say something—anything—but I couldn’t find the words. It wa
The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. Caspian stood just inside my room, his eyes locked on mine, unreadable. He always had that way about him—calm and composed, like nothing could touch him. But now?Now, there was something more. Something deeper, lurking beneath the surface, and I couldn’t tell if it was anger, guilt, or something else entirely.I couldn't read him yet. Things would have been much easier if I could just read him.“Kat,” he said softly, his voice breaking through the thick silence in the room. “What is going on? What did you and Lucas talk about?”The calmness in his tone was almost unsettling. I had expected him to be colder, to deny what Lucas had told me—or worse, confirm it with the kind of casual cruelty that Lucas had warned me about. But instead, Caspian just stood there, like he wasn’t sure what was going on. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my heart was pounding in my chest. I clenched my fists and decided that I couldn
I didn’t want to talk about the Salvatore family with Cami. It was too depressing to have that conversation with her. I didn't want to talk to her about Alaric, or about my mother, not about Derek lying in the hospital while his sons tried to salvage the mess he unknowingly helped create.For once, I just wanted to talk about myself.And—more specifically—I wanted to talk about Caspian.“So, let me get this straight.” Cami’s voice was clear through the speaker, cutting through the quiet of my dimly lit bedroom. “You like Caspian?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow for a second before lifting it again. “God, don’t say it like that. I didn't mean it like that. I meant there are things that have happened, and he has done things that made me feel weird.”“Like what? The true feeling you've been hiding for months?” She let out a breathless laugh. “Kat, this is huge. You’ve been dodging relationships for years, and now you’re telling me you have actual fee
Alaric knew something.That much was clear the moment he stepped into the dining room, his presence wrapped around the air like a noose, slowly tightening around all of us. His sharp, assessing gaze skimmed over the table, taking in our frozen postures and the lingering tension that none of us could shake off.Then, as if he hadn’t just walked into a room full of people on the brink of plotting his downfall, he smiled. A slow, knowing, chilling smile appeared to scare us. “Why does it look like someone just died?” he mused, his voice was light and easy, but there was something underneath it—something taunting, something dangerous.Nobody answered.I could feel the tension radiating from Caspian beside me, the way Lucas’s fingers tightened around his fork, and the barely restrained scoff from Dev.Alaric didn’t seem to mind the silence. He strolled forward with unhurried confidence, like a predator stepping into a den of prey. Pulling out the chair next to Leo, he sat down, completely
Dinner had never been that quiet. Not in the Salvatore house. The long dining table was filled with plates of steaming food—pasta, grilled chicken, and fresh bread—but no one seemed interested in eating. They were thinking about something, and while their hands moved mechanically I knew they wanted to know what was the important thing Caspian wanted to talk about. He told them that he had something important he wanted to share with them after the dinner. And I guess he shouldn't have shared that much information with the others before because the others were still thinking about it, trying to figure out what it might be. Ian already had a small idea, yet he could feel the tension in the room. As a result, he was very uncomfortable. I could see it in his eyes. The room was dimly lit, with the chandelier above us casting soft, golden light over the strained faces. Unlike other days, even Leo didn't fuss about the food or ask for dessert with the meal. And that's when I realise
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dried and felt like sandpaper when I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I wasn’t sure about my own emotions, about what to feel—relief, panic, guilt? Maybe all of them at once, or maybe none. Mom had looked at me when I was coming downstairs to help Dev with the dinner, her expression was unreadable. Yet, I knew what was going on inside her head. She must have been afraid of what kind of person wouldn't be in this situation. I asked her what happened or if she needed help with something, and she simply said, “I don’t care what happens to me. As long as you’re safe, I'm willing to do anything in the world. You might not trust me right now, but believe me, my words are true. And I'm going to show it tomorrow.” I hadn’t known how to respond when she was being that open with her thoughts. I should have said something, anything, but I didn't. I couldn't find the right words to say, and thinking about it now, I guess it wouldn't have ma
“So, when are we going to tell the other about what is going on in the family?” I asked the two brothers who still looked conflicted. “If mom confesses tomorrow, their life will be in danger too. If Alaric finds out, he will take it out on whoever he finds.” Caspian and Lucas shared a secret look but told us nothing about it. I was sitting at the kitchen island, my fingers were wrapped around the cool ceramic of my untouched water glass. While, my mind was elsewhere—spinning, twisting, trying to make sense of everything we were about to do. But worse were the fears associated with our every move. That was the reason I wasn't speaking much because I was afraid my fears and what-ifs would slip out mistakenly in normal conversations. And I knew it would only damper their mood, so I heard them instead and tried to be positive about our little mission. “She's right. At this point I think we need to tell the others,” Dev said, stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce. “This morning t
The room was much quieter after my mom had left. It had been more than an hour since she was gone. Yet, the heavy air of her decision lingered in the room that surrounded us, entering my brain through my nostrils. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it felt like an invisible force that had a huge surprise for everyone in the house. I still wasn’t sure if I believed her—if I could afford to believe her. I didn't know where I stood with her; sometimes, I had been acting like the best daughter in the world, while other times I felt as if she was my biggest enemy. I couldn't figure out how to act around her. Even though she had agreed to confess and that was ‘something not to look over’ according to Caspian, I couldn't bring myself to trust her completely. I knew I could have trusted her more when she told Derek the truth, but I couldn't help but think it was one of her other elaborate plans. “A woman can get anything if she wants it enough... anything.” Her words from years
“My brothers are crazy,” Caspian followed after when my eyes found his. “They have done some of the wildest things on the planet, and don't even let me start with Leo. He's the definition of cringe and intrusive thoughts.” “Yeah, that I know,” I agreed with him about Leo, because he had done some of the wildest things. However, after Ian disappeared on his birthday, Leo got a little serious about the things around him. “There's a lot more.” The way he said that made me think about what he meant by it. There was an undertone of some sort that I couldn't place, but it wasn't anything positive. The way he said that, it felt darker and chilling. “Well, I'd love to know more about you brothers than,” I said, hoping he would get the hint and will talk about himself then. ‘What are you trying to do?’ My brain questioned and I stopped myself from continuing, realizing that I was flirting with him. “You got time,” he said taking a seat on my bed and looked at the famed picture of me with
The air outside was cold and comforting, just walking outside through the entrance made me feel much at loose than I had been the whole day. A soft breeze carried the faint scent of the forest that surrounded the Salvatores’ estate, and moisture that brought me relief. The sky was covered with dark clouds and looked like it was going to rain soon. I was almost waiting for the rain, hoping to see the forest come to live. I was walking beside Caspian. I could feel the tension from the meeting still sitting heavily on Caspian's shoulders. Lucas was following closely behind us, his brows were still furrowed in deep thought, while Dev walked a few steps in front of us with Matthew. As we reached the driveway, Matthew paused. His shiny black Mercedes was waiting for him, the driver was inside. Matthew turned to face us, his demeanour was as calm and professional as ever. He had the same aura around him that at the beginning, I saw around Caspian. “I’ll wait for your call,” he said, his
Caspian’s office had turned into the Salvatore family's war room over the past few weeks. It was a room that once felt intimidating—lined with tall bookshelves, mahogany furniture, dark leather chairs, and the history it contained of me and Caspian. Now, it was a place where heavy discussions were taking place, to reach decisions that could alter the family’s fate. I was sitting in the corner of the room, feeling like an intruder in their world of business and law. Yet, as I watched Lucas and Caspian argue over the papers spread across the desk, I realized I wasn’t exactly an outsider anymore. I was part of the mess, whether I liked it or not.Matthew, the Salvatores’ lawyer, sat across from me. He was calm and collected despite the storm brewing in the room, trying to hear both sides. His neatly pressed suit and calm demeanour gave him an air of professionalism that felt out of place amidst the storm of words. Dev was pacing near the window, his hands were shoved deep into his po