(Brielle’s POV)My forehead was pressed on the window of the SUV, but I stared blankly at the road. The farther the car got, the heavier the pain I felt, and then it became hollow. Empty. My eyes were welling with tears, but I could not show everyone how weak I had become after leaving San Rafael.Gen and I sat at the last seat, both sitting at the edge, our heads leaning on the window. There may be a gap between us, but she could not deny she had been crying the entire trip. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red, and she would sniff as she whimpered in silence, but she never dared look in my direction.This was the first time I appreciated that the guys disliked me because it didn’t matter if they talked to me or not. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to sleep. Maybe in that way, I might forget the pang even for a while, or I could dream of Cole and be in his arms again.“I shouldn’t have agreed to babysit you,” Gen muttered in a hushed tone.I opened my eyes and glanced at her. There was
(Brielle’s POV)“Help!”My heart hammered in panic inside my chest, beating so fast it hurt that when I opened my eyes, I could not breathe. I got up in bed, clutching the collar of my shirt and breathing hard as I looked around. It took me a while to realize where I was, and then I recalled we arrived late at night at the headquarters, did some paperwork for our report about Monty and Raven, and separated ways. Only Giles remained in the camp since he had no family to come home to. When I arrived home, I went straight to my bedroom, curled my body in my bed, and cried in silence. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out, relaxing my heart and convincing myself it was only a dream. I squeezed my eyes tighter to remember the details, but I only got bits, and everything about it was vague. The only vivid memory of that nightmare was the tormenting screaming of voices, and I recognized one, my own.I hugged my knees for a while, and when I thought I was ready to face my parents, I clim
(Brielle’s POV)“The princess has arrived!” Adam wolf-whistled when they saw me walking in the hallway. “And in a flowery dress. What’s the occasion, Barbie? Your birthday?” he chuckled, his eyes on my behind.I clenched my fists, ignoring him as I sat on the couch, not looking at anyone.Bryce came in with a paper cup in his hand. “I thought we’re done here. They should not have told us to leave last night if they’re to question us again,” he complained, sounding troubled with the sudden call. “Oh! Here she is.”I raised my head to see whom Bryce said had arrived. The secretary of the highest Order walked in our direction and stopped, her eyes studying us before she spoke of her purpose.“Giles, Adam, please follow me,” she muttered and then smiled reluctantly at us before turning her back on us.Giles’ eyes narrowed, and his lips were pressed tightly as he leered at me before following the secretary. Adam murmured a complaint, yet like Giles, he had no choice but to move and walked
(Cole’s POV)“You’re crazy!”Lucilla snorted, jumping fluidly to the tree branch and sitting beside me, not minding that we were almost on top of a 100-foot-tall tree. We were done scanning the woods, a task we have been doing since the hunters of the Order of the Orion left while our siblings were busy clearing their things. Kione and Xian spent the entire night in the infirmary last night, placing their important documents, equipment, and medical specimen of their experiment in the boxes and bags. Aarush and Ichiro did the same thing with their computer equipment. Despite that, no one complained, just brokenhearted about our sudden plan to depart San Rafael.“You should not have let her go,” Lucilla muttered quietly when I didn’t say anything.“You confused me, Lucilla. The first time you saw her, you disliked her, and now you’re telling me I should not have let her go,” I smirked.“Yeah. It was before you stupidly completed your union,” She rolled her eyes and then her lips curved
(Cole’s POV)“Yeah,” agreed Kione. “It could be a trap, but I am not going to their stupid island to meet her there,” she announced. “Gen and I will meet at the hotel near the port, and from there, we will head to the airport. I had her new identity and passport ready.”“Smooth plan,” Lucilla hissed, but rolling her eyes, not believing it would be that easy. “You’re more stupid than Cole. Listen to yourself, Kione.”I turned my head to Aarush and Ichiro, hoping to get opinions from men more than my sisters as they tend to change their ideas and plans instantly.“As I said, your lines weren’t secure.” He raised his hands in the air when Kione glared at him. He chuckled as he continued, “I swear I didn’t listen to your conversation. I wish I had so I could have cut your conversation.” He rubbed his chin with his fingers. “I know it’s none of my business, but we’re not risking ourselves here, but Brielle and Cole.”“Then what should we do?” I asked, worried their conversation would bring
(Brielle’s POV)“Brielle!”I growled but had to stop, to turn around to face mom. “What else do you want from me?” I cried, suppressing a scream, but my heart got stuck in my throat.She looked around the hallway, then grabbed my hand as if I were a toddler running away from her.“Your dad and I want nothing-”“Stop it, mom,” I cut in. “Don’t give me those crap, telling me you want nothing but the best for me. By what? Agreeing with dad and letting me marry Bryce?”“Bryce is a good man,” She muttered in a hushed tone but looked like she was holding her patience at me. “He will take care of you.”“I don’t need someone to take care of me, mom. I’m very much capable of doing that for myself.” My nostrils flared as I breathed hard, brushing off her hand.Her eyebrows knitted, and her eyes narrowed. “Is this because of the Kirkwood?”I cringed like my mom had stabbed me with the truth. Whether it was Gen or me, I thought we would be the first in the daughters of the officials to react this
(Brielle’s POV)“Run away with me, Brielle. You won’t be happy in this place. Go with us!” Gen murmured with urgency in her voice.“Are you crazy?” I brushed her hand off my arm and looked around, making sure no one heard her.She stared grimly toward the horizon again. “Crazy? Yes.” She sighed and glanced at me. “Are you really serious about marrying my brother?”I pressed my lips to show her I won’t be answering her question.“Well, I have nothing against you and Bryce getting married. My brother’s a good person, and I’m sure he’ll take care of you, but Brielle, if I had not seen how in love you and Cole are, I wouldn’t care about you,” she explained. “It’s such a privilege to be born and be part of this society, Brielle, but it sucks when they don’t accept you as you are, so I’m running away. I choose to be happy.”“Easy for you to say, Gen.” My heart cried and screamed in pain.“Yeah, I know,” she chuckled bitterly. “Just imagine how my family would react if they knew I was encour
(Brielle’s POV)A chance of a lifetime…The waves lazily lapped on the shore, and strangely, it was like a piece of music encouraging me to run away from home. I lifted my hand, touching my neck, remembering Cole’s bites. I closed my eyes, thinking how glorious our lovemaking was that it connected not only our bodies but also our hearts and souls. I licked my lips, recalling the sweet taste of his blood.A chance of a lifetime…Sighing, I opened my eyes, thinking of what I wanted because I did not want anything, only Cole. To everyone living on this island, they thought being born as Gabriel’s daughter was a privilege. If only they knew that my birthright was a curse, already dictating my fate on my first cry to the day I die.If Bryce didn’t ask for my hand for marriage, I knew another man would pop into my father’s office to propose to me, not because they love or care for me, but because marrying me would be an opportunity to step up in the Order. What I didn’t understand was how o
(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