Laying in Alston’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, a flood of regret and guilt washes over me. “H-how could he be so cruel?”Alston slowly pulls the pins out of my updo and massages my scalp in that way, that makes me calm down, but this time it doesn’t work so easily and he whispers my name, “Elise,
Elise flops back down onto the grass, looking up at the sky, a content sigh escaping her lips. “Isn't it just so pretty today? Look at those clouds.”Alston lies down beside her, his eyes following hers to the sky. The clouds drift lazily, forming shapes and patterns that stirred the imagination. Bu
My eyes widen and I practically rip the bag open as I check the supplies in the streams of sunlight coming from the small, window. I gasp when I see her handy work: bandages, a needle and thread, antiseptic – everything I had begged for earlier."I couldn't just watch him die," she says, her voice w
"There," I say softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from Alston’s forehead. "All done."Alston’s eyes flutter open again, and he manages a weak smile. "Thank you," he whispers, his voice barely audible.Lucy watches from the other side of the bars, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fascinati
I stare at him in shock, my mind racing to comprehend his words. A public mistress. The humiliation, the degradation – it would be unbearable. "You can’t do this," I whisper, my voice trembling."I can and I will," Sirius replies, his tone final. "You’ve left me no choice, Elise."He signals to the
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The golden fabric hugs my curves, the fitted bodice cinching my waist and emphasizing my figure. The color brings out the warmth in my eyes and the glow in my complexion. “When you look this good, is this a battle you want to fight?”I shake my head no, and
Claudia’s eyes sweep over the scene in front of her, and she sighs. Her emerald green eyes stare at me as if I am the scum on the bottom of her shoe. “Sirius dear, if I knew we were bringing our whores, Julius would have come.”I bristle at her tone, but before I can respond, Sirius stands, his expr
I want Sirius to stop saying marriage. I want him to stop saying we in relation to him and Claudia. I want time to stop and for him never to say the phrase “rekindle our marriage”. I want to stop feeling this ache in my chest that no matter how hard I rub, it will not go away.Claudia takes a deep b
I run before my mind can catch up, my legs carrying me through the dimly lit corridors. My breath is ragged, and my heart pounds in my chest like a drum. The echo of Sirius’s chilling threat rings in my ears, spurring me to move faster:I will cut your tongue out and make you swallow it back along w
I leave Alston’s cell, with him screaming and the rattle of his chains leaving me with a heavy heart, each step feeling like I'm walking through quicksand. The air feels colder, sharper, as if it knows the weight of what I've just done. I pause at the edge of the staircase, taking a deep breath to s
He thumb stops mid caress and I can feel his gaze running over me in confusion and judgement, “Obessed? Um…no.”I feel like I am freezing, like he just said the best and worst that I have ever heard. I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “Alston, I’ve been thinking a lot about us, and
I stand at the stairs that lead to Alston’s prison cell, because Sirius said if I tell Alston the truth then he can be let free. I don’t know why but when he said that it felt like I could be set free, or caged because at this point I don’t know the difference.Sirius said he was obsessed with me. I
“Because it’s not that simple!” I cry, the tears streaming down my face. “I’m trying to do the right thing, but it’s tearing me apart. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I don’t know how to fix this.”Sirius’s hands ball into fists at his sides, his anger barely contained. “You’re wrong; it’s simple,”
Sirius draws small circles along my spine, my head laying on his chest as his other hand lazily crawls up my inner thigh sinfully close to my center before drawing back down. His breath flutters over my face in soothing waves, and I move in closer, my curves matching the firm outline of his body per
Sirius responds immediately, his lips meeting mine with a hunger that ignites a fire within me. Without warning, Sirius closes the distance between us, his hands gripping my waist firmly as he lifts me onto the polished surface of the dining table.The cold marble against my back sends a shiver thro
Sirius looks at me with a blazing fire in his eyes, tension ever growing in the click of his jaw, but I do not waver in my gaze. I stand tall with my arms folded and my eyes narrowed in on his clicking jaw. “Elise, sit down.”“No,” I snap, my hip poking out to the side, but I suck my inner cheek bet
Eight years earlierSirius stood at the edge of the old park, the twilight sky casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.He kicked a pebble, watching it skip across the ground before glancing at his watch. Claudia had asked him to meet her here, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease tha