(Cole’s POV)“Can’t you fix this?” Lucilla asked worriedly when I got home.“I can’t,” I answered truthfully, looking at Aarush and watching him editing the video. He copied them, typed codes only he could understand.“What are you doing?” Lucilla turned her head on him.“You said you can’t erase or change her memories because of blah, blah, blah…” He squinted his eyes as he typed faster, then grinned at us. “So, I’m erasing you in the video,” he said proudly.He played the clips again, and even Lucilla gasped in surprise when she saw Brielle alone in the entire video.“Can’t we think of other ways?” Lucilla insisted again. “Think, Nicholas! Your huntress is not an idiot or stupid,” she muttered worriedly.Aarush nodded. “Your future girlfriend graduated from the top of her class,” he muttered, focusing on typing again. “She will surely come here to ask you.” His forehead creased, standing up and pointing his index finger at the screen. “Showtime!”He walked toward the wall, pushing t
(Brielle’s POV)“Do I really have to do this every time you’re hurt?” Lucilla said annoyingly after giving Aarush an ice pack. She took the cream inside their first aid box and carefully applied it to the small cut on his arm that he got from our little squabble on the floor.He grinned at her, then glanced at me. “You’re really strong,” he clucked his tongue and shook his head. “I thought I could beat you, but I couldn’t.”“You’re an idiot. You can’t beat a huntress like -” Lucilla pressed her lips tightly, glancing at Cole and then at me.My eyes squinted, turning my head at Cole and eyeing him suspiciously. Sitting on the chair, he quietly ate the dinner Aarush had prepared himself. He didn’t answer, not even look at me. I walked in his direction and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from lifting his hand to take a bite of the chicken meat.“Did grandma tell you about us?” I asked curiously as I shook my head, doubting if my grandmother had told him the secret of the Order. “How did
(Brielle’s POV)I lowered my head, releasing myself from Cole’s spellbinding gaze. He had this kind of interesting gaze that no matter how I tried to escape it, it was like I would still be bound to him. I leaned on the wall, which I was sure was a door moments ago.“It was a state-of-the-art kind of technology,” Aarush grinned as if reading my mind.I was starting to hate his friendly and cute face, but I glanced at the computer screens. We also have these at the headquarters, but I was never interested in them. I didn’t need Aarush’s state-of-the-art technology to catch an outcast creature of the night. As my father always said, I needed to hone my hunting skills and stay focused. The latter was my weakness, and Cole was my poof on that. He stood up, showing me the real recording of what had happened and watching it again as if seeing his favorite TV show. I walked toward him, pressing the pause button, studying the part where the newborn was on top of him as they grappled on the g
(Brielle’s POV)“You wanted to ask me something?” Cole asked, nibbling my bottom lip playfully while his hands grazed the skin of my neck.My mind went blank when Cole plunged his tongue into my mouth, greedily exploring and taunting me to dance with his. Not remembering anything, I accepted his challenge, letting our tongues play and sharing scorching kisses that his touch seemed to have a fire, leaving little flames on my skin as his hands grazed my neck down to the slope of my breasts. He seemed to have a habit of feeling my heartbeat.He deepened the kiss and pulled down the front zipper of my shirt, smiling to see I was wearing a lacy brassiere instead of a sports bra.“Much better…” he whispered in between our kisses.I smiled, contenting myself with his ambrosial and luscious taste. Cole was making me crazy with his mind-blowing kisses, and I could not control my heart, erratically pounding inside my chest that it might jump out of my body at any moment.He left my mouth, tilti
(Brielle’s POV)“I will pretend I did not see you, Aarush.”Grandma muttered softly but startled us when she showed up at the side of the house where I escaped a while ago. I couldn’t tell from her blank face if she was unhappy or disappointed, but I was sure it was either of the two since I had flown the coop when everyone thought I was resting in my father’s bedroom.“How did you know?” The panic in my voice gave me away.“You’re my granddaughter,” She smirked, shaking her head as she heaved a sigh. I didn’t have to guess because she sounded unhappy and disappointed altogether.Aarush grinned at my grandmother. “We’re leaving after this assignment, Gertrude,” he informed, unsure if the information was for her or me.“It was for the best,” she uttered in a hushed tone, nodding gently at him. “Good night, Aarush! Don’t fall, Gabrielle,” she turned her back on me, walking toward the main door, leaving me into thinking if I should climb up the wall or follow her. “I guess that’s your
(Cole’s POV)Xian was humming behind the top counter of the home bar, swinging her hips at the sound she could only hear from her wireless earphone. She smiled wickedly to whom she considered her customers in the early morning.“Here you go,” Xian smiled, pushing the tall glass of my drinks toward me. “AB positive for someone heartbroken,” she turned to Lucilla. “An O for my beautiful sister and a beer for us humans.” Instead of taking the beer, Aarush took Lucilla’s tall glass, smelling it. He wrinkled his nose, returning it to her and taking the beer mug Xian gave him.Xian pulled a chair and sat across from us, making her look like she was in a panel discussion. She lifted her mug and drank it like water.“Aaahh!” She moaned, closing her eyes and smiling sweetly after putting the mug down. “So?” She cleared her throat and amusingly looked at each of us. “What did I miss?”“Nothing much,” Aarush sounded displeased as he put his mug down on the table. “All I know is Ichiro’s going t
(Brielle’s POV)Aarush stood up and tapped Cole’s shoulder lightly, grinning as he asked, “Who likes eggs for breakfast?”Xian coughed, choking on the golden color liquid she was drinking. Her siblings facing her, turned around to see me.Were they drinking beer in this early morning?“I do!” I answered, making sure a Cheshire grin curved my lips as I answered.My heart was in my throat, calming myself as I followed Cole’s eyes. The way he slowly looked at the duffel bag in my hand until our eyes met, I knew he was shocked. I shrugged, half-smiling at him as I continued to pretend my presence was nothing of importance to them.“I ran away from home,” I muttered, walking toward them.“Ha! Ha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Xian faked a laugh and widened her eyes at Lucilla, taking her drinks from her before she broke the glass and immediately grabbed Cole’s glass and put them on the sink underbar.Unfortunately, I agreed with Xian because I, for one, could even say that it
(Brielle’s POV)“Enough. I’m sharing my bedroom.”The owner of the voice roared in authority in the home bar, telling everyone she was willing to share her bedroom with a hint of disappointment with the siblings and perhaps to end our meaningless conversation as she walked in our direction.The clanking of her high-heeled shoes, the fluidity of her walk, or maybe just her presence, quieted everyone. Even my heartbeat stopped for a second as I pressed my lips tightly, realizing I was gawking at her like Gen. It was hard not to stare because she was beautiful.Ah! Not beautiful, my thoughts disagreed.Beautiful was not the best word to describe her because she looked like a hot Amazonian warrior in a sexy sage green silk dress, hugging her alluring and shapely body. I stood beside Cole when I realized she was heading in his direction and suddenly felt intimidated by her power over everyone in the room.She flipped her moon-shadow black hair as she stopped before him.“Kione,” Cole murmu
(Brielle’s POV)“So?” Xian blinked curiously at Bryce.I was still in shock at what Bryce did to Lucilla. Although I could not say if what I felt was jealousy, there was a prick in my heart, remembering Cole and Levana’s union and now him kissing Lucilla. I clenched my hands, hiding my worries about what she might do to him. I couldn’t shake off the disturbing thoughts that he gave her a reason to kill him.“So… What?” Bryce asked, wiping his lips on the back of his hand as if he had something awful in his mouth.“No magic?” Xian’s eyes were wide as she asked. “Spark? Or…”Bryce scoffed. “If you think I can be her life mate, you’re wasting your time. I told you I want to kill her with irritation, thinking I was -”Ichiro burst into laughter, interrupting Bryce. “Wow! I can’t believe you fell for that,” he exclaimed.“You said…” His face turned crimson as he pursed his lips tightly.“You really believe that? God, how would we know?” Xian rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Our sister’s eight
(Brielle’s POV)“I thought they could not read our minds?” Bryce asked, followed by his surprised gasp.Lucilla smirked. “Idiot! I don’t need to read her mind to know what she’s thinking.” She rolled her eyes and continued to climb the stairs.Bryce opened his mouth to retaliate, but Xian grabbed his arm, taking his attention.“I need your blood, hunter,” she smiled and blinked her eyes adorably. When he didn’t move, she sneered. “You need me to check if your blood’s healthy or…”“No need,” he sighed, frowning at the stairs. “If she can fly, why does she have to use the stairs?”I pressed my lips to suppress a smile, but when I looked at Xian and Ichiro, I was glad a laugh did not leave my mouth. They frowned, not finding his joke funny.“Not funny?” Bryce smirked.I glared at him, warning him to stop before Xian decided to get every ounce of blood from his body.““What? I can’t joke, but she’s allowed to hurt my feelings?” Bryce smirked. “Is she always like that?”Xian rolled her ey
(Brielle’s POV)“Gen, what have you done?” I murmured in horror, gasping in disbelief and standing beside Bryce.Bryce stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes widened and his mouth agape. His hands tightly gripped the knife handle, but he seemed unable to move it. He had probably tried to pull it out, but what he had witnessed inside the luxurious log house immobilized him. Like Bryce, I was in a state of shock. We both stood there for what seemed like an eternity, trying to process what had just happened.“Brielle, help me.”Immediately, I wandered my eyes around the room, looking for Kione. She was sitting in the farthest corner of the room, almost like hiding. Her body shook as she sobbed, and when our eyes met, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart. Gen was on the couch, motionless, and her left arm was hanging limply on the floor. The blood on her wrist told us what had happened before we arrived.Gen…I could not believe Gen was dead.“Oh, dear heaven! Kione, what have you done?”
(Brielle’s POV)I parted my lips, welcoming his tongue, hoping that when it touched mine, it would bring a surging reaction inside me, but nothing melted… nothing exploded. But I could say that Bryce was not only a skilled hunter but also an expert kisser.As Bryce wrapped his arms around my waist, closing the gap in our bodies, I lifted my arms, clinging like a vine to his neck, closing my eyes, and kissing him back with the hope of pushing away the pain of remembering Cole, not wanting me in his life, andHow should I define our kiss?It was sweet and…Bryce broke the kiss before I could finish describing it and eased back. His lips turned into an amused grin. He lifted his hand and grazed my cheek.“Done analyzing?” He chuckled softly.I bet my cheeks blushed because he laughed again. “I am not analyzing, Bryce,” I denied. “If it wasn’t obvious, let me tell you… I am kissing you, and I can say you’re good.”“Good?” he smirked, his eyes on my lips.I swallowed hard, looking elsewher
(Brielle’s POV)The diamond in the engagement ring on my finger sparkled when sunlight kissed the stone. I didn’t know why I still wore it when, in my heart, I knew I would not marry Bryce. After Levana left, I decided to stay and sit under the tree, looking blankly at the woods, not caring if there was a danger ahead of me.Even if the highest official of the Order of the Orion would come and threaten to kill me, I would not care. What I had seen in the cabin and what Levana had said were enough to make my body numb, and if anyone pierced a knife to my heart, the pain was too much to feel anything.“Brielle.”He seemed distant, and his worried call made me blink in confusion as I listened to the familiar voice. “Brielle,” he called again, shaking my shoulder.When I craned my neck to see who it was, I blinked again and saw Bryce standing before me. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him from head to foot. I noticed he was dressed in full gear, with all his weapons strapped to his body.
(Brielle’s POV)A cry escaped my mouth, remembering Cole, moaning Levana’s name. It shattered my heart into a million pieces, and the pain was beyond incomparable to anything painful that I could think of. I didn’t know how I managed to move, but as soon as I could, I ran away from the cabin. My eyes were blurry because of the endless tears rolling down my face, but despite that, I didn’t stop running. I didn’t care where my feet led me; I just wanted to get out of this place… of this island. Then I stopped abruptly, pressing my hands against the rough bark of the tree trunk and gasping for air, realizing one thing. I was running in a circle and never reaching the inside of the protective sphere. My body was still shaking from running and crying, and when I looked around to gather my thoughts and steady my breathing.“Damn it!” I hissed, looking up and planning to get up on the tree to see where I was exactly.Four days ago, as I set foot on this island, I admired its beauty, but n
(Brielle’s POV)Lying on the couch in the dimly lit living room, my eyes were drawn to the old grandfather clock standing in the corner. It was five minutes before one in the morning. I didn’t have to spend eternity with the Kirkwood not to know Aarush’s pattern. At this wee hour, he would go down, walk to the kitchen alone, and have his midnight snack before going to bed.Humming, Aarush’s steps creaked on the wooden floor as he walked toward the kitchen. I leaped to the ground, landing softly in front of him.“Uh-oh!” Aarush groaned and turned around, trying to escape.I lunged forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards me. Determined to keep him under control, I maneuvered his arms behind his back quickly, pinning them in place with a firm grip. I could feel the tension in Aarush’s body as he wriggled, trying to escape, so with one hand holding onto his wrist, I used my other arm and applied pressure to his neck, making sure he could not move an inch.“Not so
(Brielle’s POV)Lucilla stood before the grand, arched window wall from the living room. In her slim but long white summer dress, she could pass like a ghost as if waiting for the return of a loved one. After getting the result from the sample I gave, Xian gave me medicine that knocked me out, and when I woke up, it was past four in the afternoon. I thought Lucilla was alone, but when I climbed down the stairs and got to the living room, Gen was on the couch, brushing Kione’s hair with her fingers as her girlfriend rested on her lap. Xian and Travis were on the floor, sitting with crossed legs and heads almost sticking together while their eyes pinned on the screen of a laptop, murmuring what seemed to be a heated discussion, while Aarush and Ichiro were in the bar area, drinking beer. Not that I was worried about Bryce, but not seeing him inside made me anxious. I didn’t trust Travis, and he could have done something terrible to him. Bryce may be a skilled hunter, but Travis be
(Brielle’s POV)“How did you know?” My eyes were wide as I asked curiously.Gen pressed her lips tightly and guffawed when she could no longer hold it. “God, I can’t believe I got you,” she said, her face red from laughing. “Brielle, you graduated at the top of your class. You’re the best hunter in your batch, and yet, you’re… you’re -”“Stupid?” I continued for her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she gasped for breath until she was able to calm down. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before turning to me.“Brielle, Levana’s family is like the Kirkwood’s protector,” she said with a look of amusement and disbelief. “Didn’t Travis tell you they’re twins, and their family has been serving the Kirkwood for a very long time? Their dad serves in their council, like your dad to the Order.”I sighed and pursed my lips, not answering her question. I knew the first one, but Travis didn’t need to tell me what they do for the Kirkwood. Levana came to rescu