Ava's POV There was enough tension in the air to cut. Eli stood across the room, back to me, arms crossed, staring out the window into the evening. His quiet seemed colder than the breeze blowing across the broken glass. Since Jackson had shared what he had discovered, this was the first time we had been alone."Eli," I said, keeping a calm voice and yet clenching my fists tightly. "We ought to discuss.His shoulders stiff, he turned not toward me. Ava, nothing to talk about here. Whatever Jackson shared with you—”"Is it accurate?" I stopped myself before I could stop asking. I had to have the truth. The shadows and the half-truths that appeared to float about me like smoke bored me. "Were you meeting supporters of Raven?"Eli whirled around, his face a mask of hardly controlled rage. But under that wrath, I sensed something else: dread. "What if I were?" asked. Ava, I performed what I had to. You wouldn't be able to grasp it.Test me. I moved in front of him, staring back. "You owe
Ava's POV I knew the weight of the unspoken words between us as soon as I entered the room. Eli was standing beside the old desk, his fingers following a line in the dust, yet he was staring at me. His demeanor had something raw, even vulnerable—something I had hardly encountered."Close the door," he murmured gently.I did; the faint click of the latch locked us into an unusual familiarity. The walls were closing in, the secrets whirling about us like a ghostly mist. It was time to face whatever lies beyond weeks of half-truths and tight silences.Eli, what are you concealing from me? Feeling the words come out of my mouth like a dare, I inquired. Particularly given all we had gone through together, he owed me the truth. I stayed firm for whatever he was about to say.Eli looked down, his jaw tightened as though he were battling himself, then his eyes locked with mine, sharper and more intense than I had ever seen. He said, "Ava," his voice low and nearly cracking, "there's a reason
Ava's POV Eli's comments lingered weighty in the air, like a storm just about to strike. I looked at him, trying to find any trace of the man I thought I knew, but all I found was a stranger hiding secrets."You believe you're shielding me?" I laughed, attempting to cover the anguish that had jammed itself into my chest. "Keeping me in the dark will help? In lying?Eli's expression softened but he did not dispute it. "Sometimes, Ava, the truth can do more damage than silence." His voice was little above a whisper, as though he were confining his faults to himself more than to me.My pulse sharpening, I moved forward a step. Then prove it. Share all with me, Eli. Alternatively, us—" My throat stiff, I paused and said, "ends here."I momentarily imagined he might turn away. He startled me, though, bringing out a little, battered notepad from within his jacket. He held it between us, his eyes full of unsaid warnings. "What's in here? Ava, this is scary. I had to keep you out of things f
Ava's POV Between Eli and me, the stillness is dense and heated. I stayed still, my fingers tightly holding the notepad he had handed me so I could feel its edges cutting into my palm. There were all those secrets, all those times he had avoided my inquiries or shrugged off my worries, ready to be unearthed in this little journal.I opened it, steeling myself with a long breath. Quick, nearly frantic handwriting covered the pages, as if someone had hurried to organize their ideas before they might go. Not only were names and dates involved here, though. There were specifics, rich descriptions of people I knew, others I didn't, all twisted in a web of relationships I hardly comprehended."Eli: what is all this??" My voice was hardly consistent, I asked. I was sorting names that sounded familiar from others that made me shiver down my back. He sat silent while I turned the pages, his eyes fixed on me, inscrutable.His voice low, he replied at last, "It's everything." "Everybody involve
Ava's POV Tension permeated the night air, and I could feel it as weight on my chest. Having Eli next to me caused both comfort and anxiety. Since I had opened the journal and perused the names, the faces, the secrets... The sensation that everything was about to fall apart had not been able to be overcome.Eli looked at me, his eyes sharp and seeking. "Ava, right now we have to move gently. Every stride counts.I nodded while a million questions flew through my head. And if we fail as well? My voice came out softer than I had planned."We then lose everything." And I am not just referring to each other. His comments had a weight that caused shivers. It was everyone entangled in this mess, all the individuals Eli had recorded in his notebook, not only the two of us at risk.I turned down once again and held it to my chest. "There are folks here I thought I could trust," I whispered. Eli, how long have you known? About them all?His darkening eyes followed his hand through his hair. L
AVa's POV As we raced down the lonely road, the stillness in the automobile seemed more weight than it had ever done. The gloom outside appeared to push against the windows, and I could not help but believe it was crushing on us, too—wrapping up every hidden secret, every bit of truth Eli had omitted.Eli kept his eyes on the road, his jaw closed to indicate he was grappling with what he had not uttered. Years had passed between us, and throughout all that time I had never felt so far from him. Alternatively he might have just improved at concealing."Who else knows?" My voice startled the quiet and sounded more strong than I had meant. But following what I had discovered and all the falsehoods... I had to know.He looked at me momentarily then back toward the road. "It was just me and a handful of people. Ava, you were kept out of it to guard you."To guard me?" I gave out a sour laugh. "Keeping secrets just leaves me in the dark; it does not protect me, Eli."He moaned, tightening
Ava's POV As I entered Eli's flat, which seemed to be a lonely, empty shell where memories persisted but warmth had long ago vanished. Knowing full well that anything I discovered may change everything, I came here seeking questions.Unspoken words were in the air as Eli slammed the door behind me. His eyes looked to be inscrutable, a stronghold of secrets apparently indestructible. I was not, however, backing down this time.Starting with "Ava," his voice a deep rumble, "I know what you're thinking.""Do you?” I drew back, crossing my arms. "Because I'm not even sure I know what I'm thinking now. I doubt even what is genuine since you have kept me in the dark for so long.He moved nearer, his face softening. "I never intended things to be this way. I reasoned I could hide it from you. I reasoned that would keep you secure.Shaking my head, I battled the need to yell. Eli, safe from what? You still won't give me the truth; I already live in the center of whatever this is.He simply s
Ava's POV Watching Eli pace the room, his expression locked between regret and something darker—probably fear—and I could not breathe. Since he began talking, he hadn't yet looked me in the eye; however, this time I was letting him evade me."So, you are telling me this has been going on for... exactly how long?" My voice hardly steady as I asked. "You concealed all this from me for years, and felt it was alright since it was for my protection?”"It was never that simple," he said at last, looking directly at me. His eyes reflected a mix of vulnerability I had never seen before and embarrassment. "I felt I could keep you out of it all and manage it. But things were increasingly difficult.I laughed, then clenched my hands. " Complicated? Eli, I have been in danger without even seeing it! Do you know how powerless that renders me?Thick with suspense, the room went still for a minute. Eli's face softened and his shoulders slumped as though he carried a weight too great for one person.
Turning to watch Jackson barreling into the clearing, his wolf form was magnificent and horrible. He wasted no time flinging himself at the closest renegade with a passion that astounded me.Though brief, relief washed over me. The shadows moved once again, as a fresh person entered the area.He was towering and intimidating, with nasty glistening eyes. "Well, isn't this touching?," he said in a sarcastic voice. The courageous Luna and her warriors.Marcus, I spat, venomous in my voice.He grinned and looked over the devastation. Ava, I cautioned you. One cannot run from the past. And you most definitely cannot run from me.He lifted his hand before I could reply, and a flash of black energy rushed at me. I tuned myself, but it never hit.Riley launched himself in front of me with full assault might."No!." As he sank to the ground, his wolf shape flickering before he turned back into his human nature, I shouted.Jackson hissed, blazingly angry eyes guiding him toward Marcus. Marcus w
I'm locked in. No one knows how to get out. I detect it. Panic claws at the margins of my thoughts, my pulse thuds in my ears. Here's how we got here. How rapidly did things spiral?My fingers shake at my sides, and my brain runs for any answer. But not at all. Only me, powerless here. Levi... God, Levi's blood is staining the concrete and I am unable to stop it."Please, Marcus," I say, my voice breaking with need. "Please, please do not do this. I will do anything, I promise to God. Anything your wish is for. Just try not to damage him. kindly.He tilts his head as if he is thinking about what I said, and he smiles sickeningly. His firm hold on the pistol narrows. "Everything? You believe you still have something worth offering me?Though I'm not sure what I anticipate, Marcus fires before I could respond.The gunshot had an unbearable sound.But it's not me.My heart rushing, blood hammering in my ears, I automatically lower to the ground. Turning, eyes wide, I see something that s
I cannot lose you once more, Evie. Not like this. Not once again.Levi's voice is a harsh whisper on my skin; his words pierce the shroud of uncertainty and anxiety clouding my head. His hands quiver as they draw me in, his warmth sustaining me in this whirl of anarchy.In my chest, my heart beats wild and chaologically. Though everything seems to be disintegrating, I find it difficult to distance myself from him. His words and his touch really felt so authentic and honest. The pain I went through upon believing I lost him may easily overwhelm me once more. But the danger—that of Marcus—that is all too real. Too perilous.My voice quivering, I say, "I'm not going anywhere." "But we have to—”I swivel around, heart jumping into my throat, the sharp sound of cracking glass cutting me short. Under the low light of the alley, the figure's shadow blocks the passage. Breath freezes in my throat.He's it. Marcus?"You thought you could escape me, didn't you?," said Given the circumstances, h
Though I can't concentrate on anything except the heat of Levi's fingers clutching mine, the planet is disintegrating all around me. Knowing we have limited time, my heart is racing not only from anxiety but also from the intense feeling that this may be the final time I spend with him."Levi, we have to go—now, my voice quakes with panic."With his clenched jaw, he draws me in and I can see the weight of what we have gone through in his eyes. Though he is staring at something I cannot yet see, his dark and strong eyes convey everything I need to know: danger is near. overly near."I am not leaving you," he adds, his voice a hoarse growl of will. "Not again.."I wonder whether he is speaking to himself or to me. Still, I feel it. The truth was found in his comments. Everything we have endured weighs less now than this. Marcus, the falling stone walls—the improbable chances—we have come so far; now, everything depends on this one instant.Hearing the sound of feet behind us—faint at fi
The man slanted his head slightly, as though entertained by my query. "I am the one dragging the threads straight from the darkness. The one waiting for this turning point. And about what I wish for... The person fixed cold, objective eyes on me. "You have to decide something. a decision meant to either rescue or ruin everything.With fast, shallow breaths, Evie's hand tightened in mine. "Levi," she said, her voice breaking with terror. "please. You really have to trust me. Choose not to pay attention to him."The person advanced still another step, their gaze narrowing. " Trust her?" They laughed dimly. "How can you believe someone who hardly knows her? Someone who from the beginning has been lying to you?Turning to Evie, the weight of her words etched in my chest. "Is that true? Evie... I asked, hardly sure I could keep my voice steady. "What then is happening? Not what are you not telling me?"The voice of the stranger came out once again, louder now before she could respond. Levi
Varian's smile grew wider, his eyes shining with a terrible, nasty pleasure. "To release a power outside your comprehension. She belongs to a lineage of entities designed to transform our planet. And her blood? It is the essence of everything.My heart came to a standstill. Blood, please. What was he referring to?"Don't listen to him, Levi," Evie urged, her voice cracking and desperation leaking through the gaps. "He's lying. He is controlling you. He usually has.But Varian turned her aside, staring just at me. His tone caustic, he spat, "You don't get it, do you, Levi?" She is not any ordinary person. She is the one who may bring either the birth of a new world or the end of this one. And you, he added, his eyes narrowing, "you're standing in my way."I knew nothing about what to do. What Varian was saying eluded me in terms of logic. All I knew, all I believed was real, was disintegrating.Once more I looked at Evie, but she was shaking her head and tears were running down her che
"Levi, please, just trust me!" Now she was trembling, her voice a combination of terror and something more—a plea, a warning. " This thing... it's after me."My ears could hear my pulse pound. Her comments have weight like those of a goods train. "Once you?" I asked, voice just a whisper. "Evie, you are hunting this thing?"The beast howled before she could reply, the sound splintering the air. I halted momentarily, not sure what was happening; it was like the roar of a beast and the wail of a dying man.I turned back to Evie, but her gaze had altered. Now, there was something icy about it—a resolution that froze me right down. "Levi, you have to go." At now. Before it becomes too late.I shook my head, shoved her behind me. "Not a probability. I am not bidding you farewell here.She grasped my arm, her hold overly strong. You must have. Should we not, it will wipe us both. Ask kindly.She kept me steady as I attempted to back off. Her eyes softened, only a little, as though she were
A terrible, all-consuming terror seized my chest as the world darkened. My senses went wild and I could feel everything falling down right away. My sole anchor was the firm hold on my shoulder; my breath came in short spurts. Desperate for anything, anything to grip, I reached out.Levi... Evie's voice sounded far-off, a faint whisper that accentuated the terror chewing at me. "Levi, what's happening?"I had no retort for her. The gloom seemed overly weighty, too oppressive. Something cold pushed, metallic, and sharp pressed on my flesh; I automatically withdrew attempting to get away.Riley, the woman, leaned forward grinning wickedly from her lips. "You really thought you had control, didn't you?" Her voice sent chills up my spine like ice."Let him run!" Stronger now, Evie yelled, her voice tinged with an underlying horror I couldn't ignore.Riley's hold tightened, dragging me even nearer. Though it was pointless, I battled her grasp. Her strength felt surreal, as though she drew f
The planet appeared to spin at that instant. A huge crack sounded far away, then a deep, rumbling sound shook the earth underneath. The very ground seemed to be complaining, straying under the weight of something far more potent than I could understand.The shadows moved suddenly, then the unmistakable sound of shackles rattling. From the distance, a weak glow flickering revealed a shadowy figure rising from the gloom.Her face was hidden yet her shape was silhouetted against the low light. Her motions frenetic as she twisted and tugged, I could see her trying against the chains but she was nowhere."Evie!," My heart was hammering in my chest, I yelled. "Don't—,"The man's grasp tightened on my arm, pressing till it seemed as though the bones in my wrist were about to break before I could finish. "Don't waste your breath," he remarked frigantly. She had already left.Fury blazing in my chest, I turned to confront him. "You are lying!"But another crack louder this time rang in the dis