DASHIELLWhat the hell have I gotten myself into? Why was I behaving so abnormally? After that night with Nova, everything changed for me. I couldn't interpret it, but it felt like she took something from me. She left behind a hole in my chest. Sex with Lilith didn't interest me as much as I did. How else do you explain how I couldn't get hard for a freaking 10 minutes? I had to imagine Nova, on her knees with her legs spread for me before I could get my dick up. This hadn't happened before. I had always prided myself on my health, and how easy it was for me to get down and dirty with anyone, anytime and any day. However, for the past two days, since I returned from the business trip, I have been battling with so much emotional stress that it has been taking a toll on me. Lilith didn't notice at all. If she did, she would have asked me about it like she normally did. “Dashiell? I want this one!” Lilith's shrill voice broke through my reverie, cutting it short as she forced me to f
NOVA “Mum!” River called out to me, grinning as he raised a chocolate bar. “Should I get this?” He pouted, his grey eyes sparkling as he watched me, knowing how much of a sucker I was for his cuteness. “Of course. Anything for you, darling.” I leaned down and ruffled his hair, smiling at my darling. “You can get as much as you want. Just know, you can't have more than a bar a day,” I added, reminding him of the rules I made. “I know.” Grinning, he threw the bar into the shopping cart and rushed back to get more, while I stood by, waiting for him. From where I was, I could hear Willow laughing as Brion carried her on his shoulder so she could reach for the snacks on the last rack. Seeing how happy my kids looked was enough to ease the disappointment I felt when Mara called and told me she had an emergency at home. She needed to return to take care of it and had to drop the kids off at our location since they were awake. At first, I wasn't pleased. I thought they would ruin our
Groaning, I turned to face him, folding my arms with my eyebrows raised as I watched him approach. He didn't look to be in a hurry. With a swagger to his step and his hands in the pockets of the black jeans he was putting on, he looked as if he had all the time in the world. There was a lazy grin on his face, and a little glint in his eyes, one that reminded me so much of Willow. That was exactly the look she always had each time she wanted to do something she perceived I wouldn't appreciate. “I knew it was you when I saw you from outside,” he said, more to himself than me. “There's no way I will ever mistake your hair. I —” “What are you doing here?” I demanded, shaking my thoughts off the lane it was going towards because it was dangerous. “What?” He tilted his head a little to the right, with a smug on his face. “Last I checked, this is a supermarket, Nova, not a private property. I have as much right as you do to be here.”He was right, and I had no response to that, which wa
“Nova —”“Dash?” At the sound of the familiar voice, I turned my back, focusing my gaze on the restroom door. “Your lying bitch is calling you,” I spat out before I walked the few steps to the door and entered, slamming it shut behind me before Lilith could come near. I wasn't running from her, and neither was I scared to meet her. I just didn't think today was the day for us to meet. When we finally clash, I want it to be on a day I deemed, not because I was speaking with Dashiell. I left the restroom a few minutes later, and hurried towards the checkpoint, knowing Brion would be waiting, and he was. He had his face pulled up in a dark frown as he stared at the exit. I didn't need to ask, to know why he looked like he was just minutes from punching a hole into someone's face. He must have seen Dashiell leaving with Lilith. “Have you been waiting for long?” I asked, grinning as I got to their side. “Mum!” River and Willow called, smiling when they saw me. To keep them from runnin
DASHIELL“Can we not use condoms tonight?” Lilith requested, looking up at me with a pout. She wrapped her hands around my neck, to bring me closer for a kiss, but I averted my face, so she could only place it on my cheek, narrowly missing my lips. “What's wrong?” She frowned, sitting back on the bed. “You have been behaving oddly for days now. Did I do something bad?” She folded her arms, looking at me like a petulant child. “Not at all.” Smiling, I reached towards her. “It's just….” I trailed off, struggling to come up with an excuse that wouldn't make her raise a brow. “I have been preoccupied with work. There are things I need to sort out," I lied through my teeth, knowing she wouldn't realize I wasn't telling the truth. She frowned, not uttering a word, just looking at me like she was trying to figure me out. Sighing after a few seconds of staring at me, she placed her head on my chest. “You can tell me whatever you need to get off your chest. I promise to lend a listening ear
NOVAI tried all I could to get Brion to speak with me, but each time, he found something else to do, so we wouldn't talk about it. Though he gave me the cold shoulder, it didn't extend to my babies. He still took care of them, like always. I was the only one he hardly spoke to unless it was necessary. It had been going on for four days now, and it was telling on me. This was the longest we had gone without speaking to each other ever since I met him five years ago. His silent treatment was hurting me more than I thought possible, but he didn't seem ready to break it. “Good morning.” Smiling, Dashiell walked over to my desk with a bouquet. He didn't bother to knock on the door. “How are you doing?”I ignored him, keeping my focus on my laptop. I had important things to do, and none of them was about him. I had gotten used to seeing him each morning and, most times, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered at the moment was to get Brion to speak to me. That was all I wanted.Sighing,
He looked shocked when I stood up, as if he was expecting me to back down, to show his superiority. Clearing my throat, I began, going through everything I had already prepared. As if I knew this was going to happen, I went through a rundown of the new design I was working on, the same that was almost crippling me with the excessive demands. For the first time since I started my career, it was the first time I was working on a given theme, not from inspiration, as I had always done. It was a challenge to me, one I wasn't ready to flunk. Dashiell and the others looked shocked as I went through everything I wrote. He was surprised, like the others, that I actually prepared for it. “That's all I have to say. Thanks for listening.” I sat back in my chair, a small smile playing on my lips at my victory. Without being told, I knew I had won the battle. “Is there anything you desire me to speak on?” I lifted an eyebrow at him, smirking. “Do you need me to speak on the colours or ….” Just
DASHIELLFuck. What the hell was I supposed to do? How do I rectify the damned situation???Biting the cap of my pen, I glanced up as my secretary walked into the office. “You said she would back down when I push her to a corner, but that wasn't what happened! There was no way for me to save her like a knight in shining armour when she was fully prepared!” I complained, my gaze fixed on her. Back when I asked Nova to give her opinion on the new project we were discussing, I figured she would be scared and unprepared. I was ready to swoop in and save the day, so she would look at me as a saviour, not an enemy. Who knows, it might have been enough to make her see me as more than the nuisance she thinks I am. However, things didn't go the way I planned it. “I'm not at fault here, sir,” Bridget said, walking over to my table. “I believe Miss Nova isn't like the others who you will easily help. I thought it would be easygoing with that approach, but that doesn't seem to work at all. I
Brion was discharged three days later. Unlike the past few days, he could stand now without being tired or helped. The doctors believe he will recover well at home. After getting discharged, I took him and the kids back home. Dashiell was still getting treatments. They would have discharged him with Brion had it not been for his legs. The doctors wanted to keep him in the hospital for a week more, to check on his recovery. I just prayed everything would work out perfectly. Two weeks later, I drove him back home. Amaya came over to stay in the hospital with him so I could return to work. We had been gone for days, and the shareholders were making snide remarks about it, so I had to return to take care of the office while he recovered. The past few weeks have been a busy one for me. There were piles of work waiting on my desk for me when I returned, and I had to also combine it with Dashiell's. Had it not been for Benita's help, I would have drowned in work. She was such a darling, h
The doctor removed the IV drip before I could visit Dashiell. Ben led me by the hand, keeping me steady as he took me over to the room. Brion and the kids hadn't been alerted yet, so they didn't know we were back. My phone was off, so I hadn't gotten a call from him — yet. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he called the police to report about me.The moment I opened the door, my eyes locked with that of a shocked man. Emerald eyes bore into mine the second I stepped into the room. "Nova?” He whispered, his voice shaky. He looked like he was imagining me because he lifted his right index and rubbed furiously on his eyes before it landed on me. “You are real?”I nodded, as tears rolled down my eyes. Dashiell was a shell of himself. Just a few days in captivity, and he had gotten so lean, I hardly recognized him. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply. I was frozen, staring at my lover, and imagining how much he had suffered to l
When I came to, I was lying on a bed. The scent of disinfectant in the room made me realize where I was. I slowly sat up, grimacing at the pain in my arm. I had a bandage wrapped around my biceps, one that was stained with blood.The monitor next to me beeped as if it could sense my discomfort. Wincing, I leaned on the bed as I looked around the empty room. From the looks of it, Ben took me to the clinic I left Brion in. Heaving out a breath, I closed my eyes as images of the last time I was awake assaulted me. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Snapping my eyes open, I looked towards it as it opened and Ben stepped in. “Thank God you are awake,” he said as he walked over to my bed and sat beside me, relief etched on his face. “Welcome back. You've been out for hours.”"Hours?" rubbed my temples, trying to clear the fog. “What of Gabriella?”“Dead. You did a pretty good number on her. The police have agreed to rule it out as self-defence. As she was an offender, it's not
“Where is Dashiell?” I asked after a few seconds, still wondering why she hadn't attacked me. I figured all it would take was a little talk before we get down to business. “Dashiell?” She made a face at that before a knowing smirk took over. Getting up, she glanced towards the stairs, which seemed like it had seen better days. The stairs didn't look like they would last for another year before caving in. Just like the rest of the house, it was dying — most times, I always believed houses were entities. She snapped her fingers and three men appeared from a door behind where she stood, their chest bare, showing off muscles that must have taken years to build. My heart skipped as I gripped the pistol in my hoodie tighter. I knew it was about time for the fight. But I doubt I could take the men on. Gabriella alone? I could. “Do you assume the gun you hid in your hoodie will help you, darling?” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the sides. "How?" I was dumbstruck by the question. “How
It looked just like the place someone as shady as Zoey would be. As I approached, I noticed the overgrown yard and weeds sprouting through cracks in the pavement. Nature had reclaimed the property, wrapping vines around the porch pillars. I slowed my pace, my senses on high alert. Something felt off. Though Ben's hidden presence reassured me, my heart continued to thud like a bass drum in my chest. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch, the wooden boards groaning beneath my feet. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and I called out, “I'm here.” My voice echoed through the empty corridor. At first, nothing happened, until I heard a rather familiar voice asking me to come forward. I looked back at the place Ben was likely hiding in before I fully stepped in and closed the falling door. I shivered as I walked forward, guided by the dim lighting in the hallway before I arrived in the sitting room. A figure sat perched on one of the sofas, the minute I walked in. “Hell
I got dressed for the operation. We didn't return to the hospital because I didn't think it was necessary. Brion would undoubtedly try to talk me out of my plans, which was why I didn't attempt a return there, not until we had gotten everything sorted. Today, I vowed, would be the day I bring Dashiell back home. He had stayed too long with Zoey. It was time for him to return, to his home, to me and the kids.“Ready?” Ben turned to me, lifting a brow, when I stepped out of the motel I checked into to change out of my clothes. I had a bulletproof vest under a hoodie.To cover my guns, I stuffed them into the pockets of my hoodie, waiting until I got an excellent location to conceal them. “Ready,” I confirmed, adjusting my hoodie to ensure the bulletproof vest wasn't visible. “Well, as ready as I can, for a dangerous mission,” I added with a smile. Though I was feeling as nervous as hell, and it felt like my heart was about to leap from my chest, I acted like I was okay. Yeah, perfectly
Suddenly, I was moving, being pulled towards a police car. Officer Maxwell's hands were still on my shoulders, guiding me into the back seat.As we sped away from the scene, I felt like my world was crashing down around me. My thoughts were all over the place. The drive to the hospital seemed like an eternity. It felt as if someone trapped me in a nightmare, one I was unable to wake up from.As we arrived at the hospital, I saw chaos. Police cars and ambulances were everywhere. People were running, shouting.I felt like I was going to throw up.After parking the car in the only space he could find, Officer Maxwell guided me out of the car. I stumbled, my legs weak. I wasn't physically weak, more like my emotions were getting the better of me. Thankfully, Brion was outside. However, my eyes were drawn to the little ones with him. The tears I didn't know I was holding back rolled down my eyes as I rushed towards them, feeling suddenly energetic. I knelt in front of my kids, hugging th
I complied, lying flat on the ground as the officers approached. They quickly subdued the third man, who was still trying to escape, and took the others away. I laid on the ground, thinking of a way out, until I looked up and saw Officer Maxwell walking over to me with a frown on his face. “Is that you, Nova?” He demanded, closing the distance between us. At his approach, the police officers standing around me made way for him, each watching him intently.He reached down and helped me up from the ground, passing a handkerchief to me so I could wipe the dirt. Smiling, I took it from him and started cleaning the dirt on my body. From hiding behind the bush to lying flat on the ground, I looked like a mess, like I barely survived. “Do you know how dangerous your moves were, Nova? You could have gotten yourself hit?!” He yelled at my face the moment I finished cleaning up. “Why are you so damned reckless??!”“I didn't get killed, did I?” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug, acting like I
“Are you really going there alone?” Brion lifted a brow, watching me get dressed for the assignment. Surely you're joking, right? Are you messing with me? I should have known that was what you were doing.”"Not in the slightest. I am heading out solo. I still have my gun with me, remember? If it turns out to be a trap, I will shoot those damned bastards right in their eyes. He must have found the promise in my gaze amusing, as he chuckled and covered his mouth with his right hand. “Though what you said right there is funny, we can't ignore the enormous elephant in the room. That is far too massive for that. You, Nova, aren't going anywhere without informing the police. I don't want to lose you, and I know the kids don't. We still need you, and —”“You are making this sound dramatic.” I rolled my eyes at him as I checked my reflection in the mirror. I didn't dress up. I just changed my style. Instead of the beautiful flowery gown I wore this morning, it was now a black shirt and blac