Garnar, for the first time, hesitates. I open my eyes in time to see him glance at Thea, still hiding her face against his shoulder. “Is it Thea that has made you so bold?” I ask. Quickly, Garnar’s gaze snaps back to me. “Do not drag your poor sister into this. All of what’s happening now is you
Garnar’s shock and fury leaves him near breathless. His voice sounds like a gravelly growl as he demands, “Who?” “What does it matter?” I reply. “He’s young and handsome. Tall, fit, and no disappointment in the bedroom. Not with what he’s carrying, I can tell you that.” Garnar’s hands curl into
I back up a step but catch my ankle wrong and start to stumble.In a flash, Miles reaches out. With his arms around my waist, he catches me and then brings me against him so that I am pressed to his chest.“So careless,” he grumbles. The words reverberate in his chest under my ear. “Have you forgott
“Will he bring you, Esther, as his wife? Or maybe he’ll bring that other woman again?” “That’s none of your business, Miles,” I snap. He’s baiting my anger, I know that, probably trying to punish me for my many lies this evening. I shouldn’t show him how easy he can hurt me with just a few simple
“You love doing things like this,” Cynthia continues. “Being out here with people, organizing things, seeing it all come together.” Cynthia smiles. “This is the happiest I’ve seen you in such a long time.” I almost feel a little guilty by her words, like I shouldn’t be happy. After all, I’m not at
Behind Miles rode a group of adoring men and women. They laugh at Garnar and Thea now, and at Miles’s wonderful takedown of the pair.“You can’t even handle a horse,” one man snickers. “God knows how he treats his wife.”“Poor woman deserves better,” says a younger woman. “True men know how to lead
The riders begin to line up. They will trek through the forest in pairs, with a five minute gap between them to keep from overlap. Each target is being observed through cameras to determine who shoots what and with what accuracy.Miles lines up in the lead. His father declined attending the event, b
I roll out of the way in the last minute, as the boar charges past.“Esther!” Cynthia calls. She’s steadied her horse somewhat, several yards down the trail. Sparkle Heart, already upset from earlier, continues to run.“Go! Keep riding!” I shout to her. “Get help!”“I can’t just leave you!” Her hors
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee