GWEN
___"That's her."Heidi's words bring a chill sweeping through the air. The crowd parts automatically, distancing from I and Umber like we're ticking bombs about to go off.Herra Eunice's face flushes red with anger and she starts to speak. I don't think, I just let my instincts take over. The pulse on her neck beats faster and her words cut off abruptly. A perplexed expression dawns on her face before a spurt of blood gushes out of her mouth and into the air.People scream, lurching back, and it's all the distraction I need. I grab Umber's hand and in seconds we're running down the sand, toward the vast sea.Above the wind, she screams, "What are you doing!?""I don't know!""We don't have a boat, Gwen! How are we going to sail through?"When we're just a foot away, I let go of her hand. Mid-run, I slice an arm through the air in a series of practiced movements, praying to god theI feel ice beneath me. The rhythmic splashing of water causes a groan to slip past my lips. I peer through blurry slits, making out the vast, blue sky. I reach up to shield my eyes from the sun, turning over to fold into myself. The action causes me roll into freezing cold water."Gwen!"I feel hands grabbing at me.When my head breaks surface, I suck in a loud breath, clawing my hair out of my face as Umber drags me onto the ice sled, pounding my back. When my spine threatens to break under her administrations, I burst, "Stop. I'm fine--I'm fine, that's enough."She relents, seating back. "Goodness. Thought I'd lost you." A nervous, high-pitched chuckle. "Imagine that, me alone out here. I know we're going to die at some point, but it's relief to not do it alone."My stomach bottoms out when I take a look around. Vast, unending blue sea. "Don't talk like that," I tell her with a stroke of determination. "We're going to pull through and t
We'd swum all the way to the tank. I come up for a breather, eyeing the hull. Sailors line the deck, tall and frightening. These are the Eld, I think, disbelieving that I could be seeing them--and still have breath in my lungs. On my lead, we swim over to the aft. The rear is empty.I brace myself. The waves ripple silently, lifting me onto the deck. Warmth immediately engulfs my feet once they make contact with the floorboards. I line up against the metal edifice, daring a peek around the hulking structure. My blood runs cold.A few feet away are Eld warriors. Some lean along the rails, chatting. While a few remain watchful, menacing expressions on stoic faces. When one of them starts to look in my direction, I draw away instantly, not daring to breathe.I remain there for God knows how long before I'm hit with a stroke of inspiration. My arms lift and I shut my eyes. I draw on some last reserve of strength I have and soon the ship rocks. The men quiet. M
I take advantage of their shock and leap out of the barrel. My footing is all wrong due to my legs staying cramped, but I weather through it, pulling a whip of water and blasting the ones nearest to us."Sphinxe!" someone yells, face white. "Get them!"Umber scampers out of the barrel and we start to make a run for it. Wind blast into our faces as we curve down to the gangplank. When more feet pound toward us, I veer right, contemplating the rails."Over there!"Sucking in a breath, I look to Umber. "On three," I rush. "One, two--"We launch over the rails with identical screams. Once we slam down on a low wooden bridge, the people lounging by the bank draw stiff. They sight the large men banding for us and pandemonium erupts. The people take to their heels. We struggle to our feet on the weirdly rocky beach (there is little sand!), then we race toward their distancing forms, hoping to get lost in the fray.But we are stopped on
"We found two of them, boss," the one behind the wheel says into the phone with an American accent. "Thin, about five feet. Looks like they've just escaped an asylum, though.""Fantastic," a deep voice rumbles from the speakerphone.The man beside me snorts, muttering, "Always liked them mad."I scowl, directing saliva to his lungs. He hunches over and chokes. Someone reaches over to pound his back.The man in front asks, "You good, Chuck?""Yeah, I'm fine," Chuck says, shrugging off the helping hand roughly. "Just trying to help, man.""Keep your hands to yourself."After what seems like an eternity, we wind into a... Mansion. Not what I was expecting. Maybe a shady warehouse or some kind of illicit, underground holding, yes, but not this soaring Mediterranean structure oozing with flashy wealth and luxury . What would they need two girls of questionable sanity for?The question is answered once we st
It took at least two weeks to settle in. As I and Umber moved things around our new apartment, I find myself looking into a mirror. I turn my face this way and that, recoiling at the hollowness of my cheeks, the circles beneath my eyes, the protruding collarbones."Hey. Move ass. We've got a king to kidnap."With the reminder, a surge of emotions fill me, anger being the most potent. I am going to get my revenge. Like it was yesterday, images of us dancing under the moonlight on the deck passes across my mind, eliciting a stab of pain. I blink back the burn in my eyes, shucking the furnitures around harder than I intended. I guess this is one of the perks of being immortal. Crazy strength.It also came with a side of alienation.When we'd landed in Manhattan--we didn't even need passports (crazy the things money could do!), I couldn't stop a rush of panick as we were pulled into a flow of bodies. People were returning en masse for Christ
MALCOLM __I wake to throbbing at the back of my head. Pain lances through my skull and I groan loudly, trying to think. After the stint with Elenora, I was heading back to my office and then--"Thought you were going to sleep forever," a female voice says.Female?I try to move. I'm bound!I struggle against the chains around my wrists. No! Gwen, I need to find her before it's too late."Rise and shine. Sorry, bad joke. Seeing as you can't stand. But you will shine when Gwen lights you up."My eyes snap open. Gwen?"Do you know her?" I stumble out to the brown-haired woman. "Please, is she who I think you're talking about? R-red hair, green eyes, about five feet four inches. Please," I breathe past a tightening chest. "I will do anything. Is it money you want?"The strange woman tilts her head at me, appearing almost confused."Please." My voice cracks. "Where is she?"
GWEN __"This might sound weird, but I think he's telling the truth."I spin to face Umber, hardly believing my ears. "What?""Look. His eyes... Gwen, he looks at you like you're his next breath. It's scary. How can someone want a person that much?""You forget he's a liar. It's all he's good at. Pretending."I turn, about to go, when her voice stops me. "What if he's right? What then?"My stomach knots. Not wanting to answer that, I continue down to the basement. Perks of staying in a house of five thousand acres means you have privacy. No one could hear a roar within several miles. When I open the door to the dark room, I see Malcolm's hunched figure. His neck is slumped and the heavy rise and fall of his chest tells me he's sleeping. I draw level with him, ransacking his pockets.I know the moment he wakes. I'm aware also of him bending forward to sniff my hair surreptitiously. When I find his phone I s
MALCOLM ___I don't know how long we stay wrapped in each other, but I feel a lightness in every pore of my being. Gwen is here. In my arms. How many nights have I stayed dreaming of this moment?She moves in my hold and I lower us to the floor. We lie on our sides, eyes locked. We don't say anything, our eyes expressing ourselves in a way our mouths can't. I reach out tenderly, slowly running a finger down her smooth skin. She lays her palm over mine and her eyes grow dewy. "Malc--""Shh," I say softly. "It's okay. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you." The moment will haunt me for the rest of my life."No. I understand now. It's just, I spent weeks...hating you. In a way, you were what kept me going, enduring."Anger expands my chest. "You shouldn't have had to endure. Shouldn't have suffe--""It's fine." She reaches out a thin arm and my wolf purrs when she runs her fingers through my hair. "It happened. I can only m
RYLANShe takes wild jabs at me, stabbing the air each time I leap away. Now I land behind her and she spins around, face red from exertion and just the littlest bit of irritation. Falling into stance again, we start a slow dance around each other. My lips twitch."You won't be laughing for much longer," she says. She lunges, focused ruthlessly on my shoulder. Last minute, I block, knocking her wrist with the heel of my palm. The dagger falls to the ground and when she makes a dash for it, I grab her, pinning her to me with just the slightest pressure on her neck.I lean down. "Always," I say against her ear, breathing hard, "have your full attention on your opponent, not on only where you aim to attack."Her elbows come down on my arms and she wrenches out of my grasp. I grin. "Impressive."She picks her blade off the ground, coming at me again. This time I attack, feinting a right just to place the tip of my dagger against the smooth line of her throat.Time suspends.When my eyes s
RYLANWhen the sound of crushed leaves sound, I look down from my high vantage point. Emmaline.Through the darkness, I watch her advance forward. Her head snaps around, looking for sign of me. Unnoticed, I use the time to look at her. She's dressed in all black, but had forgotten to hide the most important thing. Her blonde beacon of a hair. I stifle an eye roll. She really did choose the right colour.When I jump down. I hear her gasp. But she turns around and releases a loaded breath on realizing it's just me."You sacred me," she breathes."I'm sorry."I notice there are bags under her eyes and there's an air of sadness around her that I can't explain. "Are you okay?" I find myself asking."Yes. Of course."I shrug. Fine then."Come on."We walk for what seems like an eternity. The pen is located at a really remote part of the school. The gatekeeper really took his privacy serious.We walk by moss covered plants, the scent of fresh water and evergreens strong in the air. I look ba
Once I enter the dinning hall the next morning, I wish I didn't.Sophie is sitting with a group of girls. Among them is Sharlene.I grip the strap of my bag on reflex and start to walk past them, hoping I looked indifferent. But soon that is all I become consumed with. How do I make them realize that I don't give a f*ck? Do I wave at her? Act like I don't see her?Am I waking too straight?My anxiety vanishes. It's replaced with something acidic, and painful. I see Rylan.He's with Sabrina.The wall I'd erected around myself threatens to crack. When I slide into an empty table, I feel irritation at myself well. Why did I think anything between us had changed?He's only helping me out of some misguided responsibility and not because, heaven forbid, he likes me. A hysterical laugh bubbles to the surface but it morphs into a lump and lodges at the back of my throat when Sophie's table breaks out in laughter.What are they talking about?Is it me?My stomach clenches. Did she tell them wh
Without wasting any more time, I turn on my heels and rush in. The empty room stops me short. Reaching up, I absently start to untangle my hair, drawing out stubborn leaves. My hand freezes mid air when the murmur of a crowd down below becomes audible.I rake my fingers through my hair frantically, desperately hoping I've managed to remove any evidence of being in the woods. Throwing the door open, I rush down the cold halls. The stairwell is suddenly too long, every step I take sending a rush of dread snaking through me.Finally I get to the common room. Following the voices, I make my way to the dinning hall.Up to a hundred pairs of eyes turn to laser on me. I fight the urge to shrink away.The girls wear varying looks of irritation, still in their night wear. Veloria's matron is the last to notice me. The dread in her eyes gives way to shock and then concern before her eyes turn cold. I notice someone shoot up. "Emmaline!"Sophie.She pushes away from her crowded table, heading in
EMMAShit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.Shit!We leap across another tree, legs pounding down on hard gravel. Rylan still hasn't left my hand, his strong grip steering me relentlessly."Don't let them get away!" A guard yells.When I stumble over the uneven ground, Rylan catches me, wrapping a large hand around my bicep. He hauls me to my feet easily, pushing me in front of him. My breaths tear out of me and the wind whips my face punishingly, sending hair and the scent of evergreens into my nose. Gnarled branches lie low, preventing our desperate escape."Wha--" My gasp is torn when Rylan nudges me in a different direction. The sound of water slapping against boulders become evident.When we get to the raging stream, he shrugs off his bag, throwing it into the river. The practice dummy follows soon after. He spins on me, motioning for my bag. My eyes widen. "My pho--"His voice is unyielding. "Emma. Now."A stab of frustration. When figs crack in the distance, I thrust the bag into his w
RYLANUsing my boot, I kick off excess gravel and sit. "Our professor says the first step to welding is getting pretty f*cking pissed."She blinks. "Pissed, as in drunk? Or, like, angry?""Furious. Foaming at the mouth."She lifts a brow. "Well, since I don't have rabies, do I still qualify?""Tough, but we'll see."I cross my legs, putting my palms face down on either of my knee in what is known as a thinking pose. Trees sway to the chilly night air, the sound of crickets and crinkling leaves breaking the silence from time to time. Emma mirrors my actions. "So what now?""Take a deep breath."Wrong idea. When she inhales, her breasts jut forward and I feel my mouth dry. "I didn't say suck in all the air," I snap.She trains a glare on me. "I was just following your instructions.""Well, follow them without trying to be a vacuum. Watch."She watches snidely as I inhale. "There," I say quietly. "One small breath in, another one out."She copies my actions for a few minutes then just sto
RYLAN_"Quiet," I say when Emma starts to speak behind me.Absently, my brows rise in surprise when she does. I fit a key into the lock, opening the door to my room.We both walk in and I catch my gaze flitting around, wondering what she'll think about my space. I hear the quiet thud of her bag hitting the floor. She is dressed in black, her blonde hair standing out like a beacon. Her heavily-lined eyes look around and her footfalls sound as she goes to my bookcase. A finger trails along the spines of my books.When she chuckles, I scowl, feeling an odd emotion slither through me. What's so funny?She starts, "You know, I'd kind of thought that you were some kind of control freak. But seeing this..."An unfamiliar feeling whips through me. I discover it's self consciousness."Seeing what?" I ask, my skin knotting.She starts to point. "Your skate boards have the same amount of space between them, so do the trophies on your desk. I can't find even a speck of dust on your shelf, your bo
RYLANThe mock tournaments mark the wrap of another semester. It's a series of playoffs done by opposing Houses in preparation for the main sports competitions. In mock tournaments or 'mocks', each team gets to weigh the skills of the counter House by undergoing challenges--in the hopes of mapping out a way to use it to their advantage. So it goes without saying that no one goes all out during mocks.Which is why Malkar's coach wanted to rip my head off when I went at Ezra with everything I had, giving him a black eye in the process.I don't want to look into what it is about the amber-eyed fiend that gets my blood boiling. But I know that with each moment I see him and Emma engaged in unending discussions, or laughing together at something either of them said: it f*cking grew. Each time he spoke to her, I wanted to tear his tongue from his skull."Rylan, are you listening?"I bring my attention back to Cal. "What?"He laughs. "You have a thing for Elmloch boys now?"I lift an unimpr
"Okay, I can't keep quiet anymore," Soph says.She sits cross-legged on the plush cream rug, burning candles on either side of her. Sunlight spills in through the wide windows, adding a gleam to her jet-black hair. "What happened to the 'I Eat Dick For Breakfast' type gal I saw on the first day."I blow out a long-suffering breath, pulling on a pair of tailored slacks. I slip a checkered vest over my head. "The 'type gal' is right here." I cringe into the mirror once the words leave my mouth."I liked that Emma better," she says. "Now you're like some domesticated poodle."I whirl around. "You did not just call me a dog."She laughs. "Technically, you are. You're an animal shifter."A nervous laugh. "Yeah. Got me there." I go back to arranging my hair. I'd dyed it platinum blonde. I'm just in the process of sleeking the pale strands into a bun when she lets out a frustrated noise."Stupid f*cking wind!"I turn, seeing the drapes billowing. My eyes shift to her. Her candles are snuffed