Ava’s POV"You don't get it, do you?" Jackson rounded me in the darkly lighted room with a low, frustrated voice. Though not in a way that made me want to run, his presence seemed stifling. It was more like he ate every last bit of oxygen I might have used. His eyes blazed into mine, a tempest behind them. "I came far to lose you once more."I held the edge of the desk behind me and swallowed hard. Lost me? Jackson, you cannot lose anything you never really owned! As the words came out, my voice faltered, but I kept his eye and refused to back down.His jaw clenched. "You honestly believe that?" He went in closer, and my legs naturally pulled back from the edge of the desk. Though I was caught, the intensity in his face caused my heart to race for reasons I didn't want to acknowledge."Believe it; I realise it! I turned back, trying to ignore the chest hurt. As the air buzzed with anxiety, the space seemed smaller and the walls pressed in on us. "Jackson, you're skilled at promising
Ava’s POV"I can't believe you still don't trust me after everything we have gone through," Jackson replied, his voice quiet but tinged with irritation. He was barely a few steps away, staring at me with stiff broad shoulders."Trust isn't the issue," I answered defensively, crossing my arms. " Jackson, the secrets are here. You believe I fail to notice your avoidance of some questions? Alternatively, how would your phone beep and you leave?His mouth was constricted. Ava, it is not like that. Everything I have done has been done to guard you.I moved closer, long shadows across the room created by the weak brightness of the streetlights outdoors. " shielded from what? Alternatively is it derived from who? Victor? Your odd "contacts"? YOU?"Jackson stammered as though my remarks had touched a chord. His veneer of control broke for a brief instant to expose the struggle under. But just as fast it vanished. You misunderstand. Should I share everything with you—""Don't you dare finish t
Ava's POV "You think I don't see through you, Jackson?" I spat, my voice shaking, trapped between hope and sorrow. "You charge in here, behaving as some savior, but you only show up when the stakes are at their lowest."Jackson's jaw clenched, his emerald eyes blazing with a force I was unable to escape. "You believe I desired this? To see you try to tidy the mess I created while suffering? Ava, I have been trying to shield you—""Save me!" I stepped in to intervene, getting closer. My voice trailed to a sour whisper. "You consider pulling me into your ceaseless conflicts to be protection? Jackson, it is choking.Unspoken tension charged the space between us. His hand jerked, as if he wanted to reach out but was afraid. "I wanted you never to suffer. Everything I have done—everything I am doing—is for you.I grumbled furiously. That's the issue, Jackson. You decide without even consulting me what is best. Even what I desire is unknown to you?His quiet response was louder than words
Ava's POV "Is that all you currently possess?" Jackson's steady yet harsh voice broke through the stifling hush. His palm rested on the gushing cut on his side, yet his eyes glowed with rebellion.Victor growled, circling Jackson like a predator, "You should have stayed down." His sword shone in the low light, and I could see his hands shaking—not with fear but with wild wrath.My heart was hammering, I froze. There was charged air between them, the type of tension only released upon someone losing control.Cut this off! My voice shook, a combination of wrath and despair. "This fight isn't worth it, Victor!"Victor turned his icy stare on me and started to smile. "Oh, Ava, each drop of blood lost is worth it. And you know the reason as well? He must come to see that nothing—not even you—is untouchable.I moved forward automatically, straying between them. "You seek me, Victor? Fine. But leave him off from this."Ava, none!" Jackson yelled with both horror and rage. His eyes fixed on
Ava's POV "Do you even trust me lately?" Standing just inches away, Jackson's voice sliced through the tense quiet like a razor, his gaze searing me. His hand shook a little, as though stuck between going and staying by opening the door. Deep inside me, the genuine vulnerability in his voice touched something."Trust?!" I said coldly, my hands closing at my sides. "How can you ask me that when you have misled me at every turn? You concealed this from me since you knew what they intended. You even know what that feels like?He moved closer, his presence dominating the low light of the safe home. "Ava, I did what I had to. To keep you safe. To defend us. At the end, his voice broke, betraying the power he so valiantly sought to show.Feeling the pull of his words but reluctant to let the barriers surrounding my heart fall apart, I crossed my arms. " protect me? Making me a pawn in their warped game will help? Jackson, I do not need a rescuer. I was hungry for the truth.His jaw tensed
Ava's POV "You promised me," I said, my voice shaking as I fixed Jackson. His stormy gaze swung between shame and rebellion, the weight of his secrets choking the area between us."Ava, I didn't have a choice," he continued, his tone defensive but somewhat regretful. The only way I knew how to keep you safe was via." Safe?" My chuckle pierced through the heated air hollowly. "You deceived me! You let me know I could believe you, and now... now I find out you have been working with Victor all along?"His silence scathing, his jaw clenched."Say something!" I insisted, the tears about to flow over. Between the affection I still felt and the treachery I couldn't ignore, my heart was a warzone.Finally coming closer, he added, "It wasn't like that." I moved back automatically, the pain in his eyes reflecting mine. "Victor had clout. He made threats against your life, Ava. I did what I needed to do to guard you."Protect me!" I said, my voice cracking. "Based on what you feed him? Leadin
Ava's POV "You're lying," I snarled, my voice shaking with a mix of incredulity and rage. "Did you know this was going to happen?"Jackson's sharp eyes fixed on me, a tempest of feeling whirl under his black eyes. He shot back, his tone defensive but tinged with desperation, not knowing this would grow like this. "But if you think for one second I would let them take you"—"you already did!" Raw and sharp, the accusation sprang from me before I could stop it. "Without you taking me here, Victor wouldn't be this near. You stated, Jackson, you had a strategy. Where is that excellent idea right now?With one quick motion, he closed the space between us and had his hands firmly gripping my shoulders such that my breath stopped. "I'll watch over you, Ava. I constantly do."Safe?!" Tears blazing in my eyes, I laughed bitterly. "This is the picture of safety. Guns pointed at my head; Victor was breathing down my neck; you—" My voice faltered as his staring might fixed me in place.And what,
Ava's POV "Do you even trust me lately?" Standing just inches away, Jackson's voice sliced through the tense quiet like a razor, his gaze searing me. His hand shook a little, as though stuck between going and staying by opening the door. Deep inside me, the genuine vulnerability in his voice touched something."Trust?!" I said coldly, my hands closing at my sides. "How can you ask me that when you have misled me at every turn? You concealed this from me since you knew what they intended. You even know what that feels like?He moved closer, his presence dominating the low light of the safe home. "Ava, I did what I had to. To keep you safe. To defend us. At the end, his voice broke, betraying the power he so valiantly sought to show.Feeling the pull of his words but reluctant to let the barriers surrounding my heart fall apart, I crossed my arms. " protect me? Making me a pawn in their warped game will help? Jackson, I do not need a rescuer. I was hungry for the truth.His jaw tensed
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