“And why are they hiring you to come after my family?” He shrugged. “Something about blood.” “That’s it?” I growled, growing frustrated by his blase nature. “Just… blood?” “Yup.” “Ronan.” I stood again and crossed over to him, stooping so that our faces were almost aligned. “If you’re withho
Nina For a few moments, the frenetic whirling and buzzing that I had grown so used to over the past year filled all of my senses. But, after the briefest of moments, it was over—and I was met instead with the sound of birds chirping, fountains running, and the soft summer breeze blowing across m
Nina “Ouch. Shit.” Matt winced as I dabbed at his bloody nose. He must have burst a small blood vessel during the training, because he had suddenly begun gushing out of nowhere. And although he was on the mend following Enzo’s outburst the other day, he was clearly still in a good amount of pain
“Ah. A taste of your own medicine for once,” I said with a laugh. “I’m jealous, though.” “Why?” I shrugged. “I dunno. I’d like to join in on the training, at least a little bit, but… apparently being a few months pregnant and a princess means I can’t do anything.” Enzo sighed softly. “You know
Nina The morning mist settled over the lawn, cool and refreshing against my warm skin. With a yawn, I watched as the others lined up on the grass, and I listened as my father’s commanding voice called out today’s orders. “This morning, we’re going to start with circuits instead of a run,” he sai
Nina My mother pushed open the large double doors, revealing the library. With the walls lined with seemingly impossibly high bookshelves, a glass ceiling and tall stained glass windows, it almost felt as if I was walking into something out of a fairytale. “What did you want to bring me in here
Nina Matt and I stepped back to look down at our handiwork. A small picnic blanket, situated under a rustling tree, looked back up at us. On it sat a bottle of wine, some chocolates, a few flickering candles, and scattered around were pink petals that we had plucked from some of the flowers in the
Enzo I couldn’t explain it. I wasn’t much of a jealous type, especially when it came to Matt or any of the other guys in the group. But when I saw them hugging beneath that candlelit tree outside the mansion, and when I saw the way they stepped closer to each other and their fingers brushed, I f
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied