All Chapters of CARNAL: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Ella's P.O.V.I stepped out of the shower that night feeling productive. That day Daniel and I had discovered some interesting connections between the hospital and a few local funeral homes. I hoped this was an important new lead.Wrapping a towel around my body, I wiped the steamy mirror and brushed my damp hair. I grabbed a robe from behind the bathroom door and put it on.It was likely Cain's seeing as it was nearly four sizes too big for me. Nonetheless, I tied the rope around my waist tightly and opened the bathroom door.The sun had set a few hours earlier so the room was dark.I walked over to the fireplace and lit a match to light a fire. The flame spread quickly and I added a log to the hearth. I watched as the fire grew and I was relieved the feel the heat that it provided.I felt the need to remind Daniel and whomever else it concerned that it was the dead of winter. The temperature in Cain's home was freezing which was why I lit a fire every night to keep myself warm.I ru

Narrative P.O.V.Cain walked around for a few minutes before finally finding his mother. She was in the office he had been using since Ella had been in his.As he walked in, she turned her attention from the map on the wall to look at him. Evelyn smiled brightly as she walked over and threw her armsaround his neck. She hated how she had to be up on her tiptoes to hug her own son, but she was excited to finally see him after so long. "I missed you," she said."Missed you too, Mom," Cain said, hugging her briefly. "How was Australia?"She nodded as she backed away."It was a lot of fun. Lui and Jace really miss Jai. I told him when I saw him this morning that he needed to go home more often."Evelyn stared at Cain for a moment before sighing."So, what's your excuse for not coming to see us more often?" She asked."Well, since you moved back to Canada, you're not exactly close enough to visit often," he said.Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that sass," she said. "I know you d

"Ella, let me explain."Cain took a step towards me and I took two steps backwards. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jai reach out to place his hand on my shoulder."Don't touch me!" I said, backing away from them both. I looked at Jai."Are you one too?" I asked him."One what?" He asked.I scoffed in disbelief. "Don't play me like an idiot," I told him firmly.I looked to Cain, who had slowly been moving towards me. I backed away and went around the couch, putting more space between myself and the two men, if one could even call them that."I heard what your dad said," I told Cain.Leaning down, I picked the book up off the couch and held it in one hand."You're a Lycanthrope," I said.Saying it out loud made it all click inside my headThe whole bit about Cain telling me they were their own undercover organization; that had to be what the book referenced when it said that Lycans all lived together in secret.And the sub-human strength the book talked about would explain why Cain wa

We arrived back at the castle very late into the night.Daniel took the bag of folders and assured me he would leave it on Cain's desk for me to look over in the morning.As someone who hadn't slept the night before, I was grateful for the opportunity to rest before digging into the mess I was sure to uncover.I walked slowly back up all those flights of stairs, lugging my suitcase with me.By the time I reached my room, I was more than exhausted I opened the door to see the fireplace lit and the bathroom door open with the light on inside.Shit, I thought. I forgot this was Cain's room.He walked out of the bathroom, a towel hanging low on his hips. Clearly, he'd just gotten out of the shower."Sorry," I said quickly. "I'Il go find somewhere else to sleep." "I didn't expect to see you again," he said, stopping me as I turned to leave. I turned back around slowly, looking for a way to explain why I'd stayed.I was silent. No words would come to me.I couldn't tell if this was becau

Ella's P.O.V.I woke up the next morning feeling like a giddy high schooler. After barely getting five hours of sleep, I had expected to be sleepy the next morning but I woke up bright-eyed and ready to g.After changing and brushing my hair and teeth, I went upstairs to Cain's office.I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I walked up the staircase and heard him talking in his office. As I entered the office I noticed that things had been cleaned up and organized since I'd last been up there.All of the lamps were on, offering ample light to read and look around Cain heard me coming and turned around before ending the conversation with whoever he'd been talking to on the phone."Good morning," he said, turning his attention back to what was on his desk."You cleaned up here," I said. "It looks nice.""Perks of not sleeping," he said. "You get to stay up and do important things.""Have you been having trouble sleeping?" I asked him. I saw a corner of Cain's mouth perk up slightly i