Romances de Gift

Daemon’s POVComing here was a mistake. I knew it the second I walked with Samantha hanging onto my arm, and caught Annie’s scent in the air. Wild honey and rain. There were a dozen other pubs scattered around the pack. Balor just had to fucking pick the one Samantha had practically forced me to drink at with her. There was something different in the air now. It hit my wolf immediately, and I felt him stir inside of me. I paused for a second, my eyes searching the dimly lit room. I knew she was here. It was now beyond her scent. I could feel it. I could taste it on my lips. Mine. I crushed the thought before it could fully form. Annie sat across the room with Balor, in the obvious and noticeable part of the pub. But that wasn’t Annie. She hated being the center of attention. There was no way on earth Balor could know that. She was in a blue dress – the one I’d gotten for her on her last birthday. It slipped off one shoulder, her ginger curls falling down her back and framing h

Annie’s POVThe words settled over the breakfast table. From the corner of my eye, Lena caught me. She shook her head softly, as if trying to stop me from bursting out. I didn’t even have it in me. I was more hurt than anything. Daemon didn’t even look at me after saying it. He just reached for his cup, his dark eyes unreadable. If I didn’t know any better, I would have been so convinced that last night didn’t happen, that he wasn’t in my room to hold me after that nightmare. Aemon bared out a laugh. “There you have it. Even Daemon agrees. And Annie, we all know you look up to Daemon. Our dear cousin can do no wrong in your eyes.”I swallowed. “That’s not true. I don’t look up to him.”But Daemon wasn’t even in the least surprised. “Balor is a respectable lad,” my father mused, nodding. “His father is my good friend and also very loyal to the pack. He has travelled, studied, seen the world…You want to visit Russia, don’t you?”I stared at Daemon. Nothing.Not even a flicker.Last

Annie“How did you sleep?” Lena asked as she got me ready, her face staring up at me from the mirror. I thought about telling her what happened. About the dream and the woman who looked like me. Or rather, who I looked like.But there was something stopping me. I didn’t know what it was. Perhaps, it had something to do with the fact that Daemon was in my room last night, and I didn’t want her to know that. “Fine,” I murmured, angling my head to take in the intricate pattern of my jewellery on my neck. She arched her brows, able to read me from a mile away. “Are you sure?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes at me. “You are oddly unchatty this morning, and that is so strange. I am usually the one trying to shut you up.”I managed a chuckle. “I’m fine, Lena. Maybe it’s one of the perks of being sixteen. Maybe you won’t have to worry about me boring you with my chatter.”“I never said that,” she mumbled under her breath. I felt bad immediately, but when I thought about how odd last nigh

AnnieI froze for a minute, listening to what I knew was happening next door. It didn’t slam a second time, and I knew what it meant. Lena did too, because she looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. Sympathy that I loathed. “Annie…”“No, Lena,” I sighed, moving away from the door. “It’s fine. It’s just like you said. He’s not mine. I have no right to…”“I never said that,” Lena muttered. “Okay, I did, but you know how important it is that you understand it. Daemon is… he can never be…”“I know.” I moved towards my bed, even if I was still fully dressed. “I’m exhausted, Lena. I’d love to go to bed.”She regarded me like she was about to say something else, but perhaps the look in my eyes stopped her. Lena nodded once, stepping out of my new room and blowing the candle on her way out.Tears burned the corners of my eyes, but I couldn’t let it drop. Instead, I buried myself deeper underneath the quilt, wide awake, waiting.I knew Daemon wouldn’t come back tonight. A huge part of me be

Annie’s POVThe smoke was still in the air, and the faint smell of the burned wood made my stomach churn. The whole pack was in a frenzy, feet running above us, voices yelling all around. I propped my feet up on the couch, my arms wrapped around my feet.I still felt his arms around me. And his deep baritone. I tried not to think about it. But the alternative was my dream. It played right in front of me. The fire, the heat, my inability to move. What would have happened if Daemon hadn’t come in then?“Annie,” Lena whispered, going to her knees beside me. “Are you alright? You’ve not said a word since.”“I’m fine,” I sighed, my body still quivering. “I can’t help but…” I moved closer to her and dropped my tone. “What if I started the fire? What if…”She laughed awkwardly, her eyes darting around the living room as if trying to ascertain no one was listening to us. My father was out with the warriors, and the few servants in here knew better than to eavesdrop. “That is practically impo

Annie’s POV“He was fun,” Lena mused as she brushed out the curls from my hair. “And he brought you flowers.”I angled my head a fraction; the taste of the wine my father had for the first time ever, permitted me to have still on my tongue. "Erm… who are we talking about again?"“Come on,” Lena laughed, her shoulders bobbing with each movement. “You know who.”I turned back to the mirror, shrugging slightly. “I mean, Balor has always been fun. We grew together years before you came to the pack. He was born four years before me, but the age gap hasn’t always been … there, I guess?”“Oh,” she drawled. “I guess it has nothing to do with the way he kept on staring at you throughout dinner.”I laughed, shaking my head. “You were not even in the room. How did you see that?”“People talk.”“Well, the servants of the Blue Moon Pack house need to spend less time talking.”“Did you like your surprise?”“I did,” I giggled like a kid. “Dad has always known I used to look up to Balor. And we were