Carol’s POV “You’ve never skated before?” Aiden asks, his brows raised to his hairline. He didn’t sound judgmental, just confused and taken aback by my admittance. I shake my head, biting my lower lip. “No,” I tell him honestly. “I’ve never had any opportunities to learn.” “But I’ve seen you
He doesn’t bother putting his shoes back on before he removes my skates as well. Before I knew what was happening, he was lifting me back into his arms and his lips were back on mine as he carried me through the bleachers and into the locker room. I was thankful that it was Sunday, and nobody was he
Aiden’s POV When we reached my house, my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, groaning when I saw my mother’s name flash across the screen. I thought about denying her call, but I knew I would only get backlash later if I did, I reluctantly answered it while Carol we
Carol went visibly paler with each word I spoke. “It’s going ot be okay though,” I said as I quickly rushed toward her and wrapped her in my arms. “I’m not going to let her come near you.” “She’s capable of a lot of terrible things,” she whispers, worries clear in her tone. “What if she comes af
Aiden’s POV They both shared a look with one another, which was enough of an answer for me. “Yes,” they both said at the same time. “We adopted her when she was an infant,” her mother confessed, tugging at her fingers a bit nervously. “A woman came to us with Carol in her arms and begged for u
After we said goodbye, we went home and made love until I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open. I fell asleep with a wide grin on my face and a feeling more than satisfied. I woke up early the next morning and went for a job around the town. This was something I used to do often up until my brea
Carol’s POV I tried desperately to breathe but everything just felt so constricting. My lungs refused to expand, and the entire room felt as if it was closing in around me. I grabbed at my throat and gasped for air; I just needed a small inkling of air. Everything was growing blurry, and I was sec
“Yes,” I said, beaming. “I’m nervous though. What if he doesn’t want to go through with the marking ceremony?” Her brows pinched together. “Why wouldn’t he?” She asked. “Wouldn’t he have left you by now?” I give her a shrug. “I’m not sure. It’s scary to think about.” “Trust me, he’s going
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