Kenna
“I’m going back to Crescent Falls at the end of the week,” Sydney says over the rim of his whiskey glass, his blue eyes a stark contrast to his all black suit. “To look for Sasha.”
“Ah,” I say, giving him a hard look. “You sure?”
“Am I sure I’m looking for her? Yes. It’s my mission.”
Ryan crosses his arms, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.
Evander leans against one of the enormous black marble columns in the ballroom, his eyes sliding to mine.
There’s barely anyone in here at this point. The musicians are being fed copious amounts of champagne in thanks for their near ceaseless playing over the past four or five hours, and the once riotous crowd has dispersed.
It’s 2:00 A.M. Everyone is going home. Even our family members have retreated to the numerous guest rooms.
So, it’s just me, Evander,
SydneyFour Months LaterDad’s orrery clicks and spins, the internal gears grinding against the soft patter of winter rain on the windows. I watch the strange tangle of metal for another few minutes, tucking my hands in the pockets of my old leather jacket before taking a breath and walking toward the stairs.It’s only 8:00 A.M. The sun barely crests the snow-capped mountains in the distance when I reach the main foyer. Maids and workers rush past me with courteous bobs of their heads.The world keeps spinning and spinning.A flash of memory clouds my vision. I watch Gabriel drag his knife across Evander’s throat. Kenna’s scream sears into my mind
Beginning of Book 9Two Months Later....SarahIt’s warmer down here under the grow lights. Electricity hums through the air as I move from plant to plant, pruning, plucking, and watering. Outside the frosty windows, the Neutral Zone is every shade of silver in the unforgiving cold. Someone passes bundled against the frigid, windy air. Their red hat disappears into a rush of snow being swept by the wind down the street. I shiver despite the slight warmth in the air. I’ve been cold for weeks. Cold, hungry, and stressed beyond belief. The baby swaddled in a sling across my chest wriggles before falling back asleep, his cheek pressed against my breast. I move to the utility sink in the storage room and wrench on the pump, but the water doesn’t start. The pipes are frozen solid. “Shit,” I whisper, closing my eyes and trying to swallow past the lump in my throat. Mr. Foxglove, my landlord, was supposed to be here this morning to fix the heat to the building. My one room apartment up
SydneyCosette screams into the foyer, her apron knotted so tightly in her hands that her slim fingers are white. Her light brown hair is flaked with silver, and her dark brown eyes glow like embers in the chandelier light as they narrow into a glare. I shut the front door to my manor firmly behind me, ignoring the incessant screech of the wind howling outside, and eye my housekeeper–my life manager, honestly–as she huffs a breath and glowers at me. “Am I past curfew?” “Alpha Sydney, I thought you were dead!”“It’s just a blizzard.” I shrug out of my coat as Dalia–the only other person I employ at my house–comes up behind me to take it, gathering my coat, gloves, and hat in her tiny hands. I give the mousy, red-haired maid a gracious, silent smile before turning back to Cosette with a frown. “Don’t look at me like that, Your Grace.” She plants her hands on her hips and looks up at me as I approach her. “It’s below zero out there and blowing like hell has frozen over.”“You’re just
SydneyThe botanical garden is a thirty minute drive from the city and even longer from the castle. Juxtaposed against a sea of silver trees, the glass domed building sticks out as a bright pop of color against ribbons of pure white snow.I pull my truck to a stop, checking my watch.Someone opens the front door to the building and steps out, bundled against the biting sub-zero temperature in a pale purple sweater and gray leggings.Mom’s wine-red hair is pulled in a bun piled on the top of her head. She waves at me, motioning for me to hurry the hell up.“You said you’d be here at eight!” she says by way of greeting as I hike up the snow-covered steps.“It’s 8:15,” I reply as she motions me inside, pulling the heavy glass doors closed behind her.My thick coat and hat are suddenly suffocating inside the humid warmth of the building, but I don&
SarahI’m hallucinating.I have to be because Alpha Sydney of the Shadowcrest pack is standing in my doorway looking like he’s ready to rip someone in half.He’s handsome. Too beautiful to be real. His face has been carved from the purest marble by craftsmen who spent their entire lives dedicated to their art. Soft, slightly curly dark brown hair glints with copper as he takes a single step into my apartment.A jawline that could cut glass. A strong, stately nose. High cheekbones.But the one thing about him that haunts my dreams are those dark blue eyes that feel like I’m looking into a pool full of pure magic when I meet his gaze. Such a dark shade of navy that they edge on a stormy, blue-gray.And right now, those eyes are scanning my face with such fervor I feel my cheeks going crimson.My lips part to ask him why he’s here, but his eyes lift to scan t
SarahWe pass the main gates to the Shadowcrest territory. They fall away behind us, cloaked in frost covered vines.It’s been a silent drive. Silent–and I’m terribly sick to my stomach. Alpha Sydney was right about the uphill drive being bumpy and dangerous, but his pack lives in one of the more remote territories surrounding Crescent City.A stone wall runs alongside the truck as he continues driving uphill, turning with great effort around a sharp bend in the hillside. My view from the window gives way to a small, bustling city below, the roof tiles mingling with thick, snow covered trees, and in the distance?The castle of Crescent Falls rises like a beacon overlooking a sprawling metropolis.He turns onto a side road, and eventually, we meet a private gate that swings open for him automatically. No guards linger around the entrance to what I assume is a private driveway. A dense forest hugs the
SarahI can’t remember the last time I felt full.I look down at the plate in front of me, which Cosette is piling with food for a third time. A piece of lusciously dark chocolate cake stares up at me while she arranges a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to it.Everything is homemade.Everything is delicious and filling.I take a bite and close my eyes, fighting the urge to moan.Cosette clucks in approval, and as I finish off the cake and ice cream, I wonder what she’s going to bring me next. I couldn’t possibly eat another bite, but after weeks of the occasional bowl of oatmeal and scrambled eggs, I’ll keep eating her food if she wants me to.But she brings me a cup of tea spiked with warm milk and so much sugar it makes my teeth tingle as I take a sip. She sits across from me at the snug kitchen table, stirring her own cup as her dark eyes look over me critica
SydneyThe sun hasn’t risen yet when a peel of anguished cries thunders down the hallway. Brie’s image flashes in my mind–Brie being held to that altar while Gabriel taunts me, taunts her–and I’m out of bed in a second.My heart hammers against my ribs to the point I find it hard to fill my lungs with air. The entire room spins, and I can barely get my bearings.But then I remember where I am. The deep navy wallpaper and dark wood crown molding comes into view as gray, early morning sunlight ghosts through the silken curtains.I slowly sit on the edge of my bed and lower my face into my hands.It was just a dream. Another nightmare. Everything is fine. Brie is safe with her parents in Veiled Valley. Everyone is safe and secure.Another faint cry sounds from down the hallway, and I’m up again, sprinting through the near silent second floor toward the source of the sound