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Chapter 11: The Lesson, Part 2
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The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 12: The Kiss
NineKaden Sario is as still as stone beneath me, our mouths close to touching. Can he feel my heart? The way it's beating against his, threatening to tear through my chest at any given moment? We're not taught how to kiss. There were no kisses shared between Fortunates and Unfortunates in the slides I studied in class. In fact, a kiss between the two classes is considered unlawful if construed as romantic. "If kissing isn't hard, why do I feel so out of my depth?" I ask, losing breath the longer his brittle obsidian irises bore into mine. "Because you want to be good at it. You want to please me." Do I? My eyelids flutter. He's right. I do want to please him. Pleasing him is the key to my survival, and if he needs me to boost his family name like he claims, then I am valuable to him. "I want to please you. I'm afraid I don't know how." "Kiss me," he says, blasé, and I pull back. Has he forgotten the rules? That an Unfortunate cannot initiate physical contact with a Fortunate, in
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 13: The Birthday Party
KADENine followed closely behind him as they made their way to the exit at the back of the house. As they were about to step out of the manor, Kade slammed his hand against the doorjamb, startling his Unfortunate. He locked his elbow and blocked her way."A few rules for tonight, Unfortunate," he said, turning his head. She peered up at him, doe-eyed and innocent. Kade knew better than to fall for it. He still felt her pressure on him. Her passion seared his soul. "You don't wander, you keep your mouth shut, and you steer clear of my brother."She eyed him curiously. It was the kind of look another Fortunate wouldn't dare let her get away with, but Kade allowed it. Because he found her cute, and her personality intrigued him. The realisation turned his stomach. Grimacing, he looked out across the open yard and prayed the impending thunderstorm, brewing to the west, put him out of his misery, and washed away the party."Why don't you like your brother?" she asked, and Kade stilled.She
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 14: The Competition, Part 1
NINEWhen I return with Michael's drink, the three men circle a small table, its surface at rib height. They talk politics, mostly. It's a conversation led by the man with the most power. Michael Sario. His power terrifies me. The way he manhandled me on a whim… I shudder. I stand at Kade's side, on his left, with my hands behind my back, my fingers threaded together. I do my best to filter out their discussion, knowing better than to eavesdrop. Sugary giggles across the courtyard catch my attention. Children, an even mix of boys and girls, chase each other through the throng of adults, ducking and dodging, shrieking in playful fear. The sound of their excitement is both a familiar melody and an alien symphony. They rush past, and I twist to watch them spill onto the field in a burst of colour. The children weave together, haphazard yet delicate, threads of joyous youth that leave sharp tendrils of bittersweet longing in the pit of my gut. "Nine?" I whip my head and meet Michael's o
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 15: The Competition, Part 2
My eyelids flutter. The dress? He dips his chin, a subtle confirmation. Yes. I swallow hard and push the flimsy fabric strips off my shoulders. The dress falls with ease and pools at my feet. My skin pebbles and my nipples harden as cool air nips at my warm flesh. A zephyr blows, pushing my hair across my chest, shielding some of my nudity from prying eyes. Embarrassment scorches my face, and my vision blurs, but I keep my chin up. In a matter of seconds, shadows darken my spot as a group forms around us. Whispers and snickers, heavy breathing and wafts of alcohol. I do my best to ignore it all and remain a pillar of perfection for Kaden Sario. "What are you doing?" Elizabeth demands. "She can't be naked here. There are children around."Kade kisses his teeth. "You're right." Pushing off the table, he strolls toward me. Smoothing his palm along the underside of my breast and drags a thumb over my nipple. I clench my teeth in fear of his tender touch parting my lips and exposing the f
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 16: The Sleepover
NINEMy fingers tremble. There's a lump of dread caught in the base of my throat, preventing me from filling my lungs. I shift my weight, and my knees sink deeper into Kade's soft mattress. I've never felt a bed so soft or touched blankets that soothe the skin instead of making it itch.It's been hours since I left the party. At any moment, Kade will walk in, and I don't know how he'll react when he sees me like this, naked and scared. I keep my attention on the door, on the thin border of light that seeps through the crack around the frame. It's the only source of light in the room save for the fireplace's dying embers on the far side of the room. A cool, midnight breeze blows in from the far window and across my naked back, lifting the fine hairs on my skin.The handle rattles, and my heart races, beating erratically in my chest, threatening to smash through my ribs. I hold my breath in silent panic as his deep murmur carries through the wood and petrifies me to the core of my being.
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 17: The Warning
KADEHis eyes fluttered open. Had he fallen asleep? He attempted to lift his arm to swipe at his face, only for it to be trapped under a soft, warm body. Kade blinked and peered around his room. In the faint early morning light, his Unfortunate nestled against him, her head on his bicep, a thick lock of auburn hair across her face, her hand around his wrist. What was she doing? A warm billow of comfort spread through each limb and gathered in his chest. Kade was used to sleeping alone. Sharing a bed wasn't something he'd done before, and it was...pleasant. The warmth another body brought reduced the tight bind of loneliness he'd grown accustomed to.Holding his breath, Kade reached for the lock of hair across Nine's face and pushed it away, smoothing two fingers across her scalp, then along the pillow behind her, so her pretty hair didn't tangle. Sucking in a sharp, frustrated breath, Nine waved her arm out of her blanket as if shooing a fly and exposed her breast in the process. Kade
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 18: Breakfast, Part 1
NINEI stir from sleep with a yawn. Arching my back, I reach my arms above my head, pull my knees up, and curve my spine. I wring the sleep from my tired muscles as the blanket slips, exposing me to the cool morning air. It kisses my bare skin, reminding me that I'm naked."Sleep well?"The familiar female voice douses me like a bucket of ice water. My eyes shoot open, and I grip the seam of the blanket and yank it to my chin. I push myself onto my elbows and peer down the length of the bed. Standing at the foot of the bed, Portia stares down at me, her tight curls pulled into a stunning fluffy ball on the top of her head. I let out a rush of air. "Portia?""Your services are required in the kitchen this morning." She swallows hard and averts her gaze. "One of the kitchen hands was killed last night, and we need someone on drinks until Vincent is finished with Thirteen."It takes me a couple of seconds to unpack her sentence. An Unfortunate was killed. Vince has Thirteen. "What would
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 19: Breakfast, part 2
NINE I exhale through my nose, causing ripples in the juice. Wasteful. I clench my jaw and tilt the glass. The cold, sticky liquid hits my skin and soaks into the tunic that isn't mine. It rolls between my breasts, over my tummy and down my legs. The table erupts with laughter, suffocating me with an awful feeling I've never felt before. Whatever it is, it cuts deeper than humiliation. I lick my lips, placing the empty glass on the tray. Tears sting at my eyes, and I blink, refusing to let them pool. "Where are your manners, Unfortunate? What do you say when a friend offers you a drink?"I open my mouth to thank her, but I'm grabbed by the forearm, and I startle as the table falls quiet. I peer up at Kade, who glares, at Elizabeth, his jaw clenching and releasing, then drop my gaze to the table. I have no desire to be caught between them. "What happened here?" he demands. "Why is she covered in orange juice?""Well, she looks dehydrated running around all morning serving drinks in t
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