Novels by C.E.AIHES

THE PUNISHMENTS FOR SIN SIMON The world felt softer than ever. I could hear people moving inside the compound, but I stood outside with Arsen. "Don't overthink," I said in my mind. His voice was low. “Don't overthink it, Simon”. His low, unguarded voice always calmed me the most. “You belong here, Freckles. You deserve to walk without looking down.” I laughed gently, my eyes lowered. "You always say that," I whispered. "And I'll keep saying it till the day you believe it," Arson replied, his fingers tapping gently on my arm. "You don't have to pretend or hide who you are when you're with me," he added. Badly, I wanted to tell him that those words were dangerous to say, that he was just telling me what I needed to hear. But the way he said them, he made it impossible for me to speak. "Thank you," I

WHEN SAINT FALLS ARSON Simon’s head stayed on my shoulder for a long time. His breath was shaky, still carrying the faint sound of tears from earlier. The kiss we shared hung in the air like smoke, impossible to ignore. My hand rested on his back, feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest. The grass was moist from yesterday's rain percolating through my jeans, but I didn't care. I was with the man I loved. He moved closer, his thighs sliding against mine until there was no room between us. He raised his face again, staring into my eyes for an extended second, and then he kissed me again. This time it wasn't a soft or delicate kiss. His tongue brushed past my lips, filled with hunger that made my stomach flip. I matched his pace, one hand cupping the back of his head, his fingers running through my hair. He moved without a warning, swinging a leg over my hips, grabbing my hips. The kiss didn't break. His hands gripped my shoulders, His nails digging through my shirt.

LEANING IN. CHAPTER 29 ARSON The engine’s low hum faded into silence as we pulled over. The silence was deafening. For a while, none of us said anything. Simon’s face was still half hidden, as he folded himself, still trembling from the shock of what had happened. "Hey", I said to him softly, afraid to startle him. "We're here already." He didn't look up. He just tried to breathe slowly. I wanted to touch him, I wanted to reach out, but I didn't, not yet. He wasn't ready. I drove forward, the peaceful hill stretched before us, overlooking Edavane. It was my favorite place in the world. No crowds, no noise, just wind and space. I used to come here whenever I had issues with my father, when we had fights and conversations that made me leave the house at night. In five years of my life, I spent every day coming here. But since Simon came into the picture, I haven't been here in a while. He became my ease, my peace, the home I longed for. I didn't know how to explain to him,

THE AFFERMATH Simon. The noise from the banquet blurred the moment we stepped out. I bent over, gripping my knees. My breaths were shaky, and my ribs felt too small to contain my breath. Arson’s hand found the small of my back, “Simon” he said quietly. “I’m here. You’re okay. Just…look at me.”I couldn’t, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The ground felt like it was tilting. His voice from the toilet followed me, echoing in the back of my head. I covered my ears. “Stop.” I cried. “Please stop.” Arson pulled me in, his arms wrapping me. “Breath in and out for me.” His voice was low, more like a whisper. He showed me what to do, which looked almost ridiculous. Somehow, it helped. I focused on his breathing instead of mine, slowly my hands stopped shaking. But my knees couldn't stop vibrating.When I could finally lift my head, the courtyard glowed as a result of the reflection of the lights inside the banquet hall. Arson's thumbs were drawing circles on my back, slowly easin

ARSON I hated these things. The old me wouldn’t even be here. But I had to do come—for Simon. My father said “it would look good for the family, considering your reputation.” He said we needed to show respect to Father John, now he was back. I didn’t care about their bloody respect and formalities. I was just here to see Simon. My eyes wondered about, looking for Simon. I hadn’t seen him all evening. Last I saw him, he was at the far exit, struggling to hide his trembling hands. He looked spooked. Like a single touch could shatter him. I’d caught his gaze a few times across the room, but anytime I wanted to go close, something always happened. Either my fathers wants to talk, or he wants to introduce me to people who don't know me. Yet. Then he disappeared.At first, I thought he had gone out to get air—Simon never lasted long in a crowded space. But when the speeches started and he didn’t return, I knew something had happened. My eyes still wandered about, hoping that he was back

SIMON “Simon, you’re here finally. I thought you'd never show up.” Sister Marianne joked. I could only smile. My body and spirit was weak. The only reason I’m here is because we’re hosting the Banquet. I didn’t want to bump into Arson, not after what I’d said to him. It’s been over a week and there was no Arson at my window trying to call me at night, no one sneaking around the church just to see me. Maybe he finally realized that we would never work. The banquet hall was heavily designed like heaven—but felt like hell. The golden chandeliers dangling above the table, the light flickering like halo above sinners heads. Everyone was in Awe. Some stared for too long, but it was understandable. The last time we had such an event was eight years ago, when Father John came to Edevane for the first time. Everyone smiled too wide, spoke too loud and praised too easily.I always prayed against such events happening—I hated the attention it came with. Everyone’s eyes were on me. One slip

AUGUST I tried moving around the house, avoiding the spots Levi warned me about. I cleaned, tried new Mexican dishes I saw online, danced and sang to background songs from the video, and placed them. I kept myself busy for the whole day, trying not to think about either man. The house was big, so it took me many hours to clean up. Some dishes turned out good, some burnt, some hurt my stomach, but it was worth the try. I cleaned up the entire kitchen after cooking, snapping the dishes to send to Ama. She called on video call, eager to watch my expression as I tasted the food. We laughed, talked. The most actual fun I'd had in a while. I didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment I was staring at the faint glow of my phone screen as the call ended. Next, I was on my bed, my apron still on, filled with stains of flour and cream. The air in my dream felt warm, familiar, like the way summers used to feel before everything in my life came crashing down. I stood in a very

My fingers lingered on the screen longer than I wanted to accept.It was ridiculous.Really, really stupid.Nightshade wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t even a friend. We weren't even close. He was a… glitch in my brain. Some distraction. A mistake that a part of me wanted to make again. And for someone that I'm not allowed to see his face, he had an impact on me. I wanted to text him to reach out again, so I could stop thinking about Levi.But here I was, lying on my bed like a sad orphan who’d never heard of dignity. Orphan, yes. Dignity, not so sure.I rolled on my bed, debating whether to text a man who clearly didn’t give a damn.Fine.I typed:AUGUST: Are you alive?I pressed send before I could consider. Pondering only made things worse.Three dots didn’t appear.No answer.Nothing.Wonderful. Incredible. I loved being ignored. My favorite hobby.I wonder why I bothered. The only reason why I'm always hyper when it comes to men, is because of him. I still see his face in my slee

AUGUST Levi slate left me standing there, Hard. He acted like he hadn’t just dropped the most insane, yet fucking hot confession of my life. I thought nothing would top the charts with night shade, but Levi is onto something. Goodness me. I pressed my back against the wall, slowly falling down to the floor. He made Sex poetic. And fuck, he tasted like mint and coffee, he smelled so fucking good. Good enough to make me hard again. The door clicked shut behind him. Quiet. Final. I pressed my hand against my hard on, thinking about jerking off to his taste still in my mouth, and the fiery sensation from the kiss that caused my lips to tingle. He left just like that. Like he’d decided he was done, and that was supposed to be enough for me. Fuck no. With Levi, a kiss was nothing. He moved like a greamreaper, but one that was capable of fucking like a god. I sat there for a full minute, staring at the space he’d occupied, trying to remember how to breathe. My chest felt t

Levi “I want you to fuck me.” he breathed. I knew August was audacious, but not to this extent. He said it carelessly, like they were casual words. His words shot straight to my cock, sending goosebumps all over my body. I felt the surge of heat all over my body; the air conditioning became useless. The words kept replaying like they were threats. I took two steps backward before doing something that I would regret. “Choose your words wisely.” I managed. He scoffed, closing the distance between us. “I know you want to fuck me as well, you just don’t have the balls to initiate it,” he said, his hands running a line on my chest. “This isn't happening,” I said, my voice a bit too thin but rough.I ran my hands through my hair as I walked away. “Go to your room,” I said, because it was safer than the thoughts running through my head. He walked towards me, but he didn’t walk away. He stood behind me, breathing on my neck. “You act like you don’t want this, but I can see yo

AUGUST I walked out of the room feeling refreshed. I mean who wouldn’t, i’d fucked myself to sleep. I stood at the door of my room, my bare feet against the floor as I watched Levi. I wore my smallest tops, my pajama pants hanging below my waistline, just enough to irritate Levi. The mansion was silent, Levi's breathing filling the room. I didn’t understand while I enjoyed getting him riled up. Something about this man makes me want to test his patience, waiting to see if he would crack. But he didn’t. He walked out through the back door, with the cup of coffee in his hands. He stood there, backing me as he answered his call. I rummaged through the kitchen, looking for the cold orange juice Levi had stocked up on. I popped the bottle open as he walked in, startling me. Right about time. Levi was fully dressed in a three-piece black layer suit, a different brand of shoe which I am sure is very expensive. He stared at me, his eyes scanning my clothes. His gaze l

UNKNOWN POV August Grey. He grew into a sexy man. I watched him for four years, seven months, and sixteen days. I remember the day I saw him, shortly after he turned nineteen. He sat outside of his apartment, smoking cigarettes he could barely afford, wearing nothing but denim shorts and a ripped tank top. His tattoos were on full display. I scrolled through the feed that my drone had dropped on my second monitor carefully, watching as tears rolled down his cheeks. The cigarettes trembled between his fingers. This was like a tradition to him. He always started his Thursday evening with smoking, followed by tears. He cried because his parents died on Thursday, and he had no one but himself.I saved the video to my other files. I still open it when I remember why I do what I do.I moved to my third monitor, going through his phone through my device. I hacked into his phone when he connected to the coffee shop’s Wi-Fi. I had every text, picture, video, and all the searches he tho