The days blur together in a whirlwind of training, each day blending almost seamlessly into the next. Aiden and the rest of the team pour their hearts and souls into their preparation for the upcoming match. With each passing practice, I see the team improve more and more. The players’ teamwork be
The second half of the match gets off to an explosive start. As soon as the timer starts, Aiden’s team unleashes a relentless barrage of aggression. The Freeze bursts across the ice in a unified push that sends the Capital reeling. The Capital is clearly caught off guard. As the Freeze return the
With a sudden surge of energy, I hurried down to the edge of the rink. The coach and team owner have already opened the side door to join the team and their celebrations. I follow, too. Oh, I catch a glimpse of Aiden and the crowd of players. His face is flushed with figure, and his hair looks wil
Aiden sits on the sterile, paper-covered examination table, his feet dangling over the edge. I watch him with concern from the cushion chairs on the other side of the exam room. The doctor murmurs to himself as he carefully studies Aiden’s leg. It seems that the majority of his concern is focuse
“What, I can’t come to accompany my son out of the hospital?” Mr. Cruz huffs. Aiden and I exchange a glance. How does he know about the injury? I wonder. How did he already find out? Scratch that, how did he know when we’d be here? My mind is spinning. Still, I decide it’s best to stay silent. I
Sunlight spills through the windows of the cozy café, dappling the small tables and comfortable decor. Fiona and I sit across one of the small tables from one another with a few small bites between us. The conversation between us flows as easily as it always does, as we catch one another up on our
I rub my forehead. I can feel a headache coming on already. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admit. “Your life has gotten crazy,” Fiona says emphatically. “I can’t even imagine living like you. It’s like you’re in some sort of dramatic TV show or something.” “Or something,” I echo. Fiona and I s
My assailant's grip tightens around my wrist, dragging me further into the darkness of my apartment. He kicks the door shut behind us as we go. Unmitigated panic surges through my veins as I struggle desperately against the relentless force. Again and again, I attempt to rip my attacker's hand off o
I chuckled as I held back tears.“Sorry,” I murmured, trying to pull back, but she held me tighter.“I’ve missed you like crazy,” she breathed. “How’s life in the empire? I’ve been keeping tabs on you in the media. Seems you are kicking ass as the queen.”Since the inauguration ceremony last year, I
She flinched away for a moment, afraid that the darkness might hurt him, but I had faith that it wouldn’t because it was under her control now and the light in her wouldn’t be dim for the darkness.“It’s okay,” I assured her, bringing Caleb even closer into her view. She stared at him with admiratio
EpilogueAiden’s POV“She still won’t come out of her room?” Fiona asked, staring at the closed suite door with a frown. “It’s been a week since she killed her sister…”“She’s scared,” I told her, cradling Caleb in my arms. “Raelyn’s darkness is inside of her and she’s worried that she’s going to do
She was quiet for a moment while the Queen continued to bark orders in the background. The dark tendrils only seemed to grow more agitated with each passing moment.“Please, call the tendrils off and—”“I can’t,” she said quickly. “They don’t listen to me anymore… they listen to her more than they l
I wanted to believe that there was still good in Raelyn. That the darkness hadn’t taken over completely. I grabbed her arm, and I brought my gaze to meet hers; I wasn’t sure if my powers would work on her, but I had to try. I channeled her mind and when I found a connection, I realized it was weak,
Carol’s POVI used my powers to fight off the guards, using my mind manipulation to make them fight one another and using some of the spells I was taught to ward them off. I’ve practiced with mind manipulation a lot so I was able to do it quickly. I soon had some of them at least turning against the
“It’s not personal darling,” she said, waving off his concern. “It’s strictly business.”“Was any of it real?” He asked, shaking his head with disgust written all over his face. “Did you ever love me?”She let out a bitter laugh.“Love?” She scoffed. “Please… There’s no room for love when I have a n
My entire body went cold when I saw what they were running from. Clouds of darkness snaked through the ground, slithering like snakes. I could feel the cold darkness and the chilling aura that penetrated it.In the distance, I squinted at the figures standing in the center of the town.The Queen.St
Carol’s POV“You promised you’d help me buy a ring for Fiona,” Oliver said as he leaned against the doorframe of my suite. I had just finished changing Caleb’s dirty typer for the 5(th) time this hour when Oliver decided to bless me with his visit.Collectively, we’ve been in the Empire for 2 months