Novel-novel oleh 🌙✨ InkAfterMidnight

The money wasn't the point. I wasn't getting rich behind this counter. But I needed to earn something of my own not because Jace asked me to, not because he kept track, but because it mattered to me that I brought something to what we had. That I wasn't only receiving.And there was something else this place gave me that the mountain for all the peace it held simply couldn't: the world, in small, manageable pieces. Other voices. Other rhythms. My therapist said it was healthy. I was beginning to think she might be right.We'd both started therapy. Virtual sessions, which made it possible. For me, it wasn't unfamiliar. I'd been in and out of it before. For Jace, it was entirely new ground, and he moved across it the way he moved across anything unknown: slowly, watching for the wrong step. He didn't fully trust his therapist yet. Probably the most honest evidence of that was the session where she had carefully suggested that our need for each other, while real and deep, shouldn't be

"I failed her. I never gave her the love she was owed. "Stop." I kept my voice level. "You were a child. None of that weight belongs to you. She knew she was loved, and none of what happened was your fault."I said it twice, because once was not going to be enough.Then I climbed into his lap.His entire body let go.His arms closed around me with the grip of someone who had decided, very firmly, that letting go was not something he was willing to practice.People used to make fun of me for crying easily. Boys at school had a whole vocabulary for it. Somewhere along the way, the world had decided that a man with visible feelings was a man with a crack in him.I had always believed the opposite. I thought it took more to feel openly than to hold everything behind your teeth and pretend. And when my tears finally came, Jace came undone right alongside me grieving the boy he'd once been, mourning what had been taken before he even knew its name. But beneath all of it, pressed quietly be

The more the years passed, the deeper his hold on you became. Children are fragile that way their minds open, their trust given freely. I was terrified that pulling you away from him would only make you despise me. But somewhere along the way, the truth became impossible to ignore: getting you out was the only thing that truly mattered.You were worth so much more than the life we were living.That realization was what pushed me to start planning our escape. Deep down, though, I think I already knew it was too late to save myself. But not you, Jace. Please hear me when I say this: it is never too late for you.I found an attorney willing to help me find a way out. Over the years, Dave had quietly built up a fortune, money poured into his hands by people desperate to be called Enlightened. We had to vanish completely. If we didn't, he would never stop hunting us.All I have ever wanted is a better life for you. I want you to see the world beyond these walls, to feel things that are r

Jace POV"Mine."One word from his lips. My word, the one I had claimed so many times and now he was giving it back to me, and the weight of it was different coming from him. Heavier. Truer.He understood what was happening. Not just the physical act of being above me, but what it cost me to allow it. What I was laying down without saying a word.Everything. Willingly. For him.His gaze never left my face. Not once. And I kept mine on his, which was new to this steady, open looking, neither of us blinking away.I pressed my thumb into the bruise at his throat, the one my mouth had made, and he shuddered hard and bore down against me, and the sound that tore out of me had nothing civilized in it.His body was heat and pressure and everything I had ever wanted to lose inside. He moved, and I moved with him, and at some point the line between giving and taking dissolved entirely, became something else, became just us."Everything," he breathed. "Give it all to me."I dragged him down t

Jace POVI wanted him in front of me. Not from memory. From life.Painting Tim from memory had become as natural to me as breathing, but there was something entirely different about having him there real and warm and present, lying still for me because he chose to.We carried the supplies inside, shed the winter layers, and made our way to the bedroom.Sharing my art room with him had cost me something. Not in a bad way. In the way that all real things cost , giving someone a piece of yourself you've kept hidden for years pulls at something internal on the way out. But Tim was mine, and I wanted him to have all of me. Every part I had spent years protecting from the outside world."Take your clothes off," I told him. "Let me see what's

Spoon by spoon, quietly, without making it into anything bigger than it was, he fed me. And when the bowl was empty, I took the medication from his palm and the cup he held out, and I swallowed them both.He curled into my side. I held him with the arm that still had some strength in it."In foster care," I started slowly, "they put things in my food. The boys."Tim's face went soft and sad. "Jace""I know you wouldn't." I cut him off before he could say it, because I needed him to know I already knew. "Dave did it too, sometimes. Sedated us. Made us sick when it served him." I paused. "When he wanted me to be with Hillary when I couldn't he gave me something to make my body cooperate."The quiet that followed was

Every fear I’d been hiding was now coming out of my best friend’s mouth.“It isn’t like that,” I said. It sounded empty even to me.“Then tell me what it’s like.” He took another step. “Because I see a guy who’s bored in Vermont and found my sister to play with. You’ll leave. Everybody knows you’ll leave. And she’s the one who’ll fall apart.”“That’s not fair!” Kira’s voice shook. I felt it through her grip on my jacket. “You don’t know anything about us.”“Really? I’ve watched you look at him, Kira. You’re in too deep, and he already has one foot out of the door.”That landed in my stomach like a fist. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. I couldn’t. I really was going back to Ashford. I’d always planned to.“That’s enough,” Marcus said, and now he sounded like the man who’d raised us. “Not here. Not tonight.”“Then when? After he’s gone and she’s in pieces? After he’s back to his real life and she was a fun side trip?”I had to speak. I had to say something strong. But my head was emp

Ten minutes later, calm on the outside, I went downstairs. The living room was a mess of torn wrapping paper. Chloe squealed over every present, Ava poured coffee, and Dad filmed it all on his phone. Chase and Leon sat on the couch, laughing about something, as at ease as they’d always been.I sat on the floor beside Chloe.“Kira!” She threw herself into my arms and shoved a doll at my face. “Look what Santa gave me!”“She’s gorgeous.” I hugged my niece and breathed in the smell of shampoo and candy canes.Over Chloe’s head, my eyes met Leon’s. He smiled, small and private, meant only for me.I smiled back.We can do this. We could act normal. We could hide this fragile, complicated thing until he left and the distance made it easier.Or ended us for good.That was a problem for another day. Today was Christmas, my family was happy, and Leon was in the room. I’d take whatever I could get.After the presents and breakfast, I slipped out onto the porch for some air. The morning was cold

“You don’t have to say it back.” I tried to smile. My face felt like plastic. “I just needed you to know.”“Kira...” His voice cracked.“It’s okay. Really.” I slid off his lap, because my legs needed to move. “I know you’re not there yet. I’m not pushing you. I only...”I didn’t know how that sentence ended.He reached for me, and I let him pull me back against his chest. But it wasn’t the same. There was an empty space where the words should have been.“I’m sorry,” he said into my hair.“Don’t be.” I made my voice light. “I meant it. It doesn&r

LeonShe didn’t leave. I’d promised myself I’d send her back to her room in a few minutes, but when the time came, I couldn’t make my arms let go. Kira’s head rested on my chest. I lay still and counted her heartbeats until they slowed to match mine.I love her. There was no doubt left. It had probably been true for days. But tonight she looked at me as if I were worth something, and that turned a feeling into a fact.Kira Rivers. And I’m in serious trouble.“Stay a bit longer,” I said into her hair.“A bit longer,” she agreed, and nestled closer.We both knew how stupid this was. Chase could come home any minute. I didn’t care. She was warm, the room was quiet, and I wanted this to last.The words were right there. Three of them. A kid could say them.My throat shut, as always.It had been this way for as long as I could remember. I’m the guy who shows up. I lift the boxes, pay the bills, and drive three hours in a snowstorm. But I won't talk about it. I watched my father do the same

Leon povMy alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but I was awake anyway. Kira lay turned toward me, her cheek on her folded hand, black hair scattered across my pillow. Gold light slid over her bare shoulder. I stayed very still so I wouldn’t wake her.Two days since the cabin, and my body had already rewritten its habits. I used to wake up bracing for pain, for the knee, for the missed games. Now I woke up thinking about her. Her vanilla shampoo was all over my sheets. Her paperback sat open on my nightstand where she’d dropped it.She opened her eyes before the alarm. She caught me staring and smiled slowly.“Morning, creep.”“You snore, by the way.”“I do not!&r

We kissed hard, then remembered ourselves and kissed softer. He guided me back until my legs hit the bed, and we fell in a heap, laughing without sound.“Quiet,” I said.“I know.”“Leon, if he”“Hey.” He put a finger on my lips. “I’ve got you.”I believed him. That was the dangerous part.I’ll keep most of that night to myself. I remember small things. His hands trembled on my buttons, and I loved that, because it meant it still mattered to him. I remember him pulling the blanket over our heads like a tent. I remember pressing my face into his shoulder so I wouldn’t make a noise, and the way he held on like he was afraid I’d vanish.Afterward we lay still, our hearts racing, listening to the house.“That was” I began.A door clicked down the hall.We both turned to stone. Footsteps padded across the floor outside. The bathroom door shut. Water ran.Chase.Leon wrapped his arm around me, hard. Neither of us breathed. The toilet flushed. The footsteps went back. A door closed.We counte

Yeahh, girls, yeah! That’s right! Do it. Kiss, kiss again! Oh, great! Enjoy yourselves! Uuuuu, cool, babes! I love you! Yes, so nice! So fucking nice!Jenya, young Russian businessman, was sitting on the broad sofa, enjoying the sight. He was fond of these 3 babes, 3 contact sluts who appeared on his first call. He was very rich; he had 5 lover girls within the city and always offered a bounty to each of them. But anyway, he had some interesting feature that characterized him most, he loved and really enjoyed watching lesbo games, seeing 3 or more babes lick, suck and fuck one another with their tongues and dildos, fingers and lubs. That was fucking terrific! He loved to see them moan and cry, tremble and pulse…And now, 3 cute sexy hotties, graced with perfect bodies, were at his service doing whatever he wanted to see, 3 of them: a sultry blonde, suntanned brunette and puffy ginger were having fun in front of him, a blon

I was at work. My colleague Megan was sitting on a leather sofa in the middle of the room. We were talking about our boss who ordered us to compile the reports at this time of the day. It was 6 p.m. and tomorrow was Saturday…Megan was wearing a light blouse and close-fitting trousers with a low waist. Her belly button was exposed and even part of the pubis could be seen. And I was wearing a snowy white translucent blouse, a short skirt, flesh-colored stockings and shoes with long stiletto heels.We had an open bottle of champagne and candies on the table. After a hot discussion we suddenly became sad. Here Megan put her hand on my thigh as if occasionally. I felt such warmth of this touch… I looked into her eyes and felt I wanted to kiss her. Our faces were so close to each other. We kissed…The kiss was not a friendly one we exchange when meeting in the morning, it was passionate… Her tongue

Now I went up another couple of gears, faster and harder, the faceplate of the strap-on making repeated wet slapping sounds as it smacked against her sweaty skin, each impact accompanied by a grunting moan from Preshy.Her breathing became rapid, and she began to give a series of high-pitched cries. I shifted my right hand from her hip to grip her hair, yanking her head back and up, arching her back to get the maximum resistance to my thrusts.This also had the effect of pulling her tits up into easy reach, and my left hand exchanged its grip on her side for something softer and more enticing – squeezing Preshy’s left breast.‘Ride me! Ride me!!’ she screamed again, and then as her climax overwhelmed her, she shouted: ‘Fuck me – oooohh! Fuck me – aaarrgh! Oh!! Yes – I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna CUM!!’I sort of lost control as well, carried away in the raw se

Finally, Preshy announced her penultimate presentation, and I was almost speechless at the sight of her slim youthful body with its flowering bust exhibited in a peephole bra.This covered most of her breasts with fine decorated purple mesh, but left fully exposed an area of about one inch in diameter around the nipples, through which her cute little titties were poking out – and I noticed at once how pert and erect they were.As the outfits became skimpier and more overtly sexual, the whole show acted like an extended form of strip-tease – and it had just such a tantalising effect on my body.My tits were stiff and almost aching, as my slightest movement rubbed my sensitised nipples against the inside of my bra cups, my heart was beating faster and I felt a little sweaty, and my cunt was positively drooling – only the remnant of my sense of dignity prevented my mouth from doing the same.Preshy was a

When I say that I’m an expert in women’s underwear, I can almost hear the giggles of my girlfriends. But I really am – after taking degrees in textiles and fashion, and working my way upwards through the purchasing department of a well-known chain of stores.I went independent and launched my own specialist and high-class lingerie mail order business. It was just at the right time, when internet sales were really taking off, and I was relatively early in the field; my company is successful, with a name for quality and service, and a good niche in the market.Whilst most of our sales are from established lines and names, I am always keen to spot rising talent and that’s how I met Preshy).The firm is not so large that I can’t take the important decisions myself – most of my staff deal with the routine business of keeping enough supply of stock, fulfilling orders and replying to customer queries,

Preshy froze with her back to Marie then slowly lowered her head. She took a deep breath before turning around to face the music. “I haven’t talked to your husband for weeks. I’ve blocked his number from my phone because he kept calling.” There was a long pause as Marie digested the information, then Preshy asked “How did you find out?”Holding up the piece of mail Marie said “I went to the kitchen to get a drink and saw this. I recognized the name. It was smart of you to use your middle name with me.” She said with a smirk.Preshy took two steps toward the bed and Marie held up her hand “Stop!” she said “Don’t come near me. I just want to know why before I leave. You owe me that.”Nodding, Preshy said “You’re right, I owe you an explanation, and I’m going to give you one. I met you husband at a club were I work as a parttime.I was on

Alex sat on the bench, pulling him down. "This is you asking.""Oral. Nothing more.""You think that's enough after all this time?" A finger hooked into his waistband. He paused, pupils blowing wide. "You went through the heat alone?"Kai studied the ceiling fan. "Tried partners a couple times. Never felt right. You're the only alpha I've let touch me.""You have no idea." Alex stripped his pants to his ankles, pulling him close. "Your alpha's hungry."The first flick of tongue had Kai gasping, hardening instantly. Precome beaded, was lapped away, beaded again. His hands tangled in Alex's hair. "Alpha. More.""Haven't even released pheromones." Alex's hand cupped him, rolling gently, and Kai's breath punched out. "This is responsive already."Alex's rut was coming first. They both knew it volatile, dangerous, and Kai had spent days turning over whether that made things better or worse. Their past encounters hadn't exactly been gentle.Fears. And, quietly, anticipated."Drown us both

"He's crying," Kai said flatly, eyes fixed on nothing. "Obviously. He just lost his kid.""There's actually something you both need to hear before this goes further," Jimmy said, glancing between them, clearly dreading it. "Doc who examined him, she flagged the tissue. Said the miscarriage pattern doesn't match blunt trauma. Said it looks more like something chemical triggered it. Something already in his system before tonight."The room went silent.Kai's head turned slowly toward Alex. "What does that mean?"Alex's jaw locked. He already knew some buried part of him, since Daisy mentioned the trial batch weeks back. "It means someone dosed him. Before the attack even happened.""With what?" Kai's voice had gone dangerously quiet."The chemist's compound. The one meant to force presentation." The words tasted like ash coming out. "It's not supposed to be live yet. It wasn't supposed to touch anyone outside the approved trial.""You knew this existed," Kai said slowly, "and you didn't

Was he actually jealous of his own sister? Surely not."Got cornered by Marco earlier," Kai told Seth, catching what might've been a low growl from behind Daisy. "Not holding it against you.""Heard it differently," Seth said."Oh?""Heard you caved.""Haven't done anything yet." A lie, and they both knew it but Kai wasn't folding until things were settled properly. That meant winning the other bet first.He could still win it. Losing one round didn't mean total surrender. Just had to hold out until Alex's rut actuallyChrist. That is not how a person should be thinking about this.They rejoined the group Daisy, Alex, Jimmy, three familiar guards."Lots of backup for a family outing," Kai observed, as a family with two small kids raced past shrieking, oblivious to the muscle standing around.Daisy slipped free and looped her arm through his. "Told him this isn't Berlin. You know how he gets it."He steered her toward check-in, where glow sticks lit the dark in scattered neon and the

"Seth's pregnancy is basically a miracle," she said, unbothered. "We were both told conception was impossible. When Alex's tests came back fertile, Mom threw a party. For his sperm." She rolled her eyes. "Birth rates have been tanking for years because of it.""If it's that broad, forcing more presentations doesn't fix the root problem."She hesitated, then went for it anyway. "The drug isn't just for Syns. It's viable on other compatible species too."Kai stared. "That's illegal. That's a treaty violation.""Which is why Altair's pulling Berlin from the Melbourne Clan entirely.""That leaves you exposed.""To protect Chad from becoming collateral, a deal was struck with your next in line. Gabriel and Felix are brokering it with Altair directly. Your planet stays protected. In exchange, the ancient family and Omar clean out the Clutch.""What?"She gave him an odd look. "The trafficking ring. Been in the news for years."Maybe he'd heard it in passing. He looked away."This reshapes m

Wet clay spun under Kai's palms, the turntable's hum swallowing the noise of students packing up. Class had ended minutes ago. Even the professor was gathering her things.He stayed locked on the lump of pale clay, shaping it toward the empty spot on the side table between Alex's two reading chairs. He'd fought the urge to make something for that space specifically. Lost, obviously.That was just how his brain worked once an idea lodged itself there, it stayed until finished.He'd booked extra studio time, anticipating this. Two other students lingered too, fewer than expected given how little time remained before the room closed for good.He had his own private studio, technically. I usually preferred the quiet there. But some part of him worried Alex might show up uninvited and a bigger part of him didn't trust himself to say no if he did.Two days since they'd last seen each other. Alex kept his word about texting, the occasional call, but nothing in person. Conversations stayed

"A what? Don't you need connections to some major syndicate for that title?" Marco laughed it off easily. "Come on, he's intense, sure, but my brother""So he never mentioned where he's really been the last four years."Had he planned to tell them himself? Had Kai just detonated something that wasn't his secret to break?Good, honestly. Let something finally catch Alex off guard for once."Talk to him," Kai said, leaning into the wall as exhaustion finally caught up with his nervous system now that he was somewhere familiar. "There's more here than either of us knew."Marco's nerves were written plainly across his face now. "Kai. What exactly did my brother pull you into?"Kai shut his eyes, unsure where to even start despite bringing it up himself."Hey." Marco didn't touch him, but his voice had gone thin with real fear. "I fought this from the start because it felt unfair to you. You've wanted him for years without ever seeing what he keeps buried. I give him hell constantly, but h