Victor swiped the bag from the table hurriedly, but she had already imagined what it could be. The taste of bile was strong. Crawling up her throat, she had to turn away in order to suppress it, willing herself to keep it down. "That sick b*stard masked the scent!" Victor yelled out angrily, fist hitting the counter. He turned to her after a breath, "Give me a minute, ok?" She nodded in response, watching as he pulled out his phone and entered his bedroom with a slam of the door. With a tissue, she slid the note over to avoid touching it, her other hand still over her nose and mouth. Though she knew nothing good would come of reading it, her brain had convinced her to do it despite that. The paper looked of high quality as she opened it and found it to be quite lengthy as well. My dearest Enora, my sincerest apologies for what happened. I would have written sooner, but that vile man who dared approach you had to be dealt with. May we never find ourselves in this situation again. T
Several days passed and Enora was both physically and mentally exhausted. Assimilating into this life was as strenuous as she had thought. Learning the rules, watching people come in injured at all hours of the day, and of her own foolishness, learning a lot about the gruesome history of the Lotus and Quercia. Star fishing onto the bed, she closed her eyes with a sigh, "I have to tell him, don't I?" The black wolf plush beside her seemed to give her a look of sympathy as she grabbed it, holding it above her. When Victor had given it to her after their date, she'd found it cute and funny, but after some thought, it was also eerie to have it look like him. She knew he meant well, but he clearly hadn't thought it through. Of course, she'd come to love it anyway. "I know he wants to make me feel better and he's probably used to showering girls with gifts, but I don't know. Is it wrong to feel overwhelmed by those too?" Having told Victor that she enjoyed the gifts to spare his feeling
Several eyes turned to Enora as the surrounding group got quieter. Wilson turned to usher them away, "If you're not involved, keep it moving guys! Come on!" "They must have not seen when you escorted her out days ago sir, but we didn't crack. Not even Rick," Mina finished, pulling out a tissue to wipe her nose. "I knew you wouldn't. Now take a breath, start from the beginning," Victor answered, patting her arm. "Yes, sorry. We patrolled her building and surrounding area from twelve to five pm as usual and waited for the next car to come around. Once they checked in, we made our way back here when they intercepted. They must have not been watching the building before we got there, otherwise they would have followed the two before us." "That makes sense, that area becomes more populated by noon. Make it easier for him to blend in," Gil added. "Three guys get ahold of us and start the fight. Rick and I weren't doing too badly because we managed to get one guy down, but then anoth
On their way back to the apartment, Victor had managed to ease her worry over what happened. The updates from Gil and Wilson were positive, and he assured her Mina and Rick wouldn't put blame on anyone; they weren't the type. And if that wasn't enough to convince her, he would go around asking people their honest opinions on her. She hit him again as they entered, "Stop! That would be beyond embarrassing!" "I'm joking, I'm joking. I have to get that frown off of your face somehow," Victor replied, lightly pinching the corner of her mouth with a grin. A chime on his phone interrupted his next words and hardened his expression. "I have to go take care of something, but what I was going to suggest, was that we get comfortable and stay in. I won't put this off anymore, I'm sure it's been bothering you." "Kind of. More confusing if anything, but thanks. I'll be here, so you hurry back," she answered with a smile. "You got it." There was an unusual quiet to the room when he left, and
AT THE CAFE The familiar aroma of coffee, sweets, and flowers created an instant dose of dopamine for Enora that morning as she sat in her favorite spot in the café. Having work to distract her from her messy behind-the-scenes life never failed to help her focus and solve problems. A current problem being the gnawing nagging in her gut that a dire event was on the horizon; excluding the war that Bianchi would set a day for any time now. Something was to happen that would put her in mortal danger, but she couldn't let Victor know this. He had insisted on dropping her off every morning to scope out the place even though it had been a safe haven thus far; she could only imagine how he would act with this new development. Besides, there was a chance the feeling would go away. "What are you thinking about?" Lilla asked, sliding into the seat across from her. "Nothing much, a lot on my mind. Things to do at home." "Yeah, I can't get anything done when I'm sick either. I'm glad you ac
The next morning, Enora was a bundle of nerves as she waited for Matteo at the café. It wasn't as though they had never hung out before, they had even traveled together. They were friends. So, why was she wondering if he still defined them that way? It could be because she felt guilty for not telling Victor, but it would have started an argument about why being out in the open was a bad idea–that it was too big a risk, and then there was his jealousy. He hadn't met Matteo–their schedules could never line up, so she was sure he would have an issue with him. "He's so ridiculous," she said with a chuckle. "Who's ridiculous?" Gil asked, leaning on the counter. "Hey, I didn't hear you come in. I was talking about Victor." "I'm pretty stealthy you know," he grinned. "And what did Victor do now?" "Nothing yet. I was thinking about why I didn't tell him I'll be out today. You'll be following us the whole time and I doubt we're going anywhere suspicious or abandoned." "Yeah, he does hi
To say she was shocked would be an understatement; this was beyond comprehension. Alarms were going wild inside of her while her emotions went all topsy-turvy. "I know you felt a connection with me before, which paves the way for a chance at a future. Things are looking positive." "Wait, wait, wait," she interrupted, gently pushing him away to gain breathing room. "Number one, I'm with someone and I've never mentioned being unhappy with him." "You didn't have to. I've seen a change in you lately, and his lack of acknowledgment in our conversations, points to the obvious," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "No because number two, we agreed long ago that friendship was all we had, so for you to swoop in because there are bumps in the road is a d*ck move. And I don't see you in that way. You know this." He chuckled, "Then I'll be an *sshole, makes no difference to me because I already know we're going to be together. Let's continue on our stroll," He roughly linked her arm with hi
An invisible force compressed her chest, shortening her breath and closing in. The lines of his face morphed, distorting into sharp angles and wider shapes–into a monster. Shutting her eyes, she turned away again and willed the sight to vanish. "It made me stronger–different in a way I would've never deemed possible. And if it enhances a normal shifter, then think how enhancing a rogue's blood could have more benefits. We could eradicate the fear of rogues and even their existence! Do you understand how amazing this could be?" he explained, bringing his hands up to cup her face. She could feel her body crumbling within itself as she shook her head in disbelief; he was deranged. She had to get out of here before he made any rash decisions. "I do understand, but this is... it's too much," she began, forcing herself to tear up. "Oh, shh..." he soothed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I knew this was a lot to handle. We'll have more time to talk about this over dinner." A spike in her