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Chapter 40: Vincent's Party, Part 4
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The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 41: The Aftermath
KADEKADEKade had killed before. Twice. The first time, he was eleven. He attempted to help an Unfortunate escape by sneaking up on an unsuspecting moderator and stabbing him in the throat. The moderator died, but three others were watching from a tower Kade didn't see. They shot his Unfortunate friend, Caleb, and dragged Kade, kicking and screaming, back to his father. As punishment, Michael locked Kade in a sweltering tin shed for days. No food. Not enough water. Through the speakers, the rules of society were repeated over and over, making sure it was well and truly drummed into his head—and it was. He came out hating every Unfortunate he saw. The second time, he was fifteen years old. He was coming back from a late night stroll along the lake when he ran into a pregnant Unfortunate. She was using the cover of night to escape. He was surprised she'd gotten as far as she had with a belly as big as hers. He thought about turning her in. But he couldn't. He pointed her toward some
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 42: The Father, Part 1
NINEWith sunrise on the horizon, I stare at the gilded ceiling. I lie awake in a bed too big for one person, reliving the nightmare repeatedly as the remnants of whatever he put in the drink filter through my blood. And I'm alone. My sleep was disturbed the second Kade's side of the bed cooled. I don't know where he went. To Charlotte? Elizabeth? The thought turns my stomach, so I push it from my mind. The manor creaks and groans as the wind batters it, and the shadows of Kade's belongings wreak havoc on my imagination, taking it to scary places.The locking mechanism to the door clanks. My heart leaps into my throat as a streak of fear blusters down my spine. I grip the heavy blanket, pulling it as tight to my chin as possible, and sink lower into the giant bed, not wanting to be seen. I squint in the darkness, desperate to make out the shadow. It has to be Kade, but I don't move until I'm sure. He steps into the room and closes the door without making a sound. He leans against the d
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 43: The Father, Part 2
Kade turns to stone against me, and it lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. He waits for a beat as if imagining the sound. Another round of knocks rips him from the bed. He swears and swipes a hand over his face. "Give me your shirt," he demands, and I sit up and grip the hem. "What? Why?""No time to explain."He helps the shirt over my head, and I fold my arms over my breasts, drawing my knees up. Kade grips me by my biceps and pushes me down. "Pretend to be asleep."His breath leaves him in a quick, panicked pant as he pushes my knees down and covers me with the blanket. Fear trickles through my veins. "Kade, what's happening?"He slaps his hand over my mouth and brings his lips to my ear. "This is life or death. Pretend to be asleep. Don't open your eyes, no matter what you hear. Do you understand?"Fear evolves into panic. It prickles in my eyes and tightens my lungs in my chest. I nod anyway, and I close my eyes. Twenty erratic pulses of my heart later, the door is unlocke
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 44: The Dinner
NINEKade doesn't leave me alone for days following the incident at Vince's birthday, and I can't decide if I find his hovering comforting or suffocating. He lingers at his desk, insisting he has a lot of work to do, but every so often, he'll leave his seat and engage in tidying or endless snacking. The only time I can enjoy solitude is when he orders me to the balcony on the third floor to prepare for a supposed meeting he's having over dinner at sundown. I place my palms against the stone banister and peer down at the garden. Overlooking me, the mandarin sunset paints the skyline in brilliant streaks of amaranth and blood orange. Above the display of colour, stars twinkle like diamonds nestled on a velvet cushion. Ambrosial and fresh wafts of lily and rose hit my nose on the tail end of cool evening zephyrs, and, in the distance, the silhouette of an old city carves its way across the skyline. I sigh. For a moment, I imagine I'm on the balcony of my own castle, in a dress not as s
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 45: The Mother
KADEHe had never said those would out loud before. He thought them on a daily bases. He dreamed them. He let them consume him. But he never spoke them. Weight lifted from his chest. Someone else finally knew the biggest secret he kept, and he knew she wouldn't tell a soul. If she did, it implicated her too. Nine's violet eyes watered, the first display of emotion he'd seen regarding the way Michael treated him throughout his childhood and well into adulthood. It validated him. It validated his emotions, his trauma. "How?" Nine asked, her voice barely a whisper. "How did he…" "Kill her?"He thought back to that night when the storm raged harder than ever. Horizontal rain hit the windows, thunder shook the walls, and the howling wind whipped underneath the eaves, threatening to rip the roof off. Michael wanted to take her to the city. They had never left for the city at night time before, so that struck him as odd.After his mother said goodnight and left the room, Kade stared at th
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 46: The Library, Part 1
NINEWe linger on the balcony long after the discussion ceased, neither one of us wanting to leave. It's nice to be alone in a place other than his room. If I try hard enough, I can pretend we're not at the manor altogether. I fill the silence with small talk he's more than happy to indulge. The whiskey I drank works its magic on me in no time. I'm not drunk, but I'm relaxed. Under the influence, but not inebriated. "And," I say, pointing to my chest a second too soon. "I was the best reader out of any Unfortunate in my age group." As he sits in front of me, he smiles and drags his finger across his lip. He rests his ankle on his knee and holds his whiskey over his shin by the glass's rim. "What kind of books do they read in those camps anyway?"I shrug. "A bit of everything. Although, the stories were hard to follow as most of them were missing pages. Some of them, whole chapters had been ripped out." "For what reason?""I imagine they contained ideals they didn't want us thinking
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 47: The Library, Part 2
Up ahead, a light goes out. I shriek and run away from it. I rush down another row, then turn left. Adrenaline spikes my blood. Excitement sparks in my gut. What is he doing? Another light shuts off, then another. I dig my heels in and stop. I pant into the silence, immovable, as light after light goes out until I'm in the centre of the only halo of light still on. "You cheated," I call out, twisting to face each edge of darkness."Cheated? I wasn't made aware of the rules of your game." He curses. "You look so sexy." I swallow hard as the skin behind my ears pulls tight. I press my thighs together and take a minute step back, moving toward the bookcase. I'm hyper-aware of my nakedness, of the warm, bright light showcasing every inch of me. My nipples ache, and my breasts grow heavy."Are you going to tell me what you read in your illegal sex book?"I turn my head to the left, confident I heard his voice come from the shadows over there. "It was an oral pleasure scene, I think." "Yo
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 48: The Library, Part 3
Kade snakes his hand up my spine, between my shoulder blades and into my hair. He tightens his fingers in the strands at the base of my skull and forces the kiss to break by pulling my head back. I open my eyes. Our shallow breaths clash, our stares meet, and I'm overwhelmed by a crushing wave of desire. It crashes on top of me, whipping my cells into a frenzy. "Kiss me more," I tell him, breathless. "Kiss me all over."He dives for my throat, and I grip him tightly. A moan leaves my lips as he kisses every inch of my neck with a wicked medley of his lips, his tongue, and his hot breath. With one hand in my hair, he roams the other over my hips, backside, and breast. He kneads my pliant flesh with vigour and soundful appreciation, and I close my eyes as he moves his mouth along my collarbone, then my breasts. He releases my hair to cup them with both hands. I tip my head to watch as he engulfs one nipple, then the other, with a husky groan that ripples through my body. I curse and gri
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