Caia Clearwood の小説

He extended his hand, before everyone important to us, to join him. I searched for Kade. Understanding what I’m asking, Kade appeared beside me, to walk me through the aisle.When I reached Raphael, he joined our hands together and turned us to the pastor. We both looked into each other’s eyes ignoring the pastor, until the time he asked Raphael, ‘do you Raphael Jacob Sinclair take Erica Anderson as your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?’Raphael said ‘I do’ while looking into my eyes.Then the pastor turned towards me and asked ‘Do you Erica Anderson, take Raphael Jacob Sinclair, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him fo

Two days have passed since I cut our ties.Despite telling him no, I was suffering from a lassitude, a vagueness, that prevented me from doing anything more energetic and profitable than wandering the streets of New York listlessly. A strenuous exercise may help, but my body was not obeying my commands. What I need is, I decided fretfully, something to take my mind off Raphael Sinclair.Remind me why are we doing this again? Asked my inner diva.Self-respect, I gritted out.It must be nice sleeping with that self-respect, my inner self said sarcasm dripping from her voice.Decide which side you are before sprouting your nonsense.Can I say, peace? My inner b queried.There was nothing dramatically changing in my life once I said no. No light pointed out whether I have done the right thing or not. No mini-Raphael’s asking, ‘Why did you leave daddy, mommy?’ In the dreams. All the same, I felt lonely. Sometimes I questi

‘That’s the point. You never considered how I may feel! Normally, when a girlfriend says she is pregnant, her boyfriend asks-how does she feel? Is she happy? Does she want this baby?... you know the basic things. But do not place surveillance on her as if she is a fugitive. Who does that? You always canter to what I may want without consulting me, yet never wait and think what I may need, Raphael?’‘You are being unreasonable Erica. I explained to you the circumstances and the delicacy the situation warranted’‘No! You had your turn, now you listen to me. This relationship’, I swallowed the lump that formed on what I was about to say, ‘this...whatever we are having is not how a relationship works. There must be a give and take. There must be dates, talking...not soulful silences, sharing each other’s feelings, emotions, fear’s, hobbies, musical tastes, not to forget the past(like have any more surprise family

‘Before I speak any further, why don’t you go change while I order something for you?’ He pointed towards his wardrobe that has his second set of clothes.‘Are you going to charge this one too?’ I joked, reminiscing his demand to pay for the clothes he bought.‘Consider this my investment’, he countered.Once I changed into his shirt and ate a sandwich that no doubt one of his possums provided, I asked relaxing on the couch, ‘so, what do you want to talk about?’‘Do you love me?’‘Just go to the jugular, why don’t you? You don’t have the right to ask that question. I’m not here to listen to this’, I tried to get up.‘Sit down Erica. Trust me, I will explain later. Just answer my question’I snorted at him demanding my trust. ‘Why?’‘Because I want to know how you feel about me before I say anything&rsquo

It didn’t help to improve my mood either when I stepped outside the subway to encounter the rain. The way my life is going I really ought to have known better than to think the weather would cooperate. A wry glance at the dense cloud-packed sky confirmed that the rain wasn't likely to let up. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. I had no alternative but to get soaked in the rain as I walked. By the time I reached my former office, I’m drenched wet to the bone, my cream shirt and black skirt, no doubt liberally splattered with dirty rainwater spots. I don’t know what I’m going to accomplish once I meet Raphael, however, in my current mindset I would probably stab him with his pen that’s always neatly placed on his desk.Once I entered his floor, my eyes landed on none other than the woman who was cast alongside Raphael in the picture. She was lounging casually on the couch outside his office, doing her touch-up. Why, oh why? Can this day get any

All I’m saying is he is human... treat him as such. Don’t condemn him without listening to his side, Raphael’s new friend aka my inner b advised me.That’s not true. We talked about what happened, I mulled.No, you dissected, and he listened patiently, my inner b was on a roll.Yet, not once did he object, I countered.At this, my inner diva started counting his virtues while pacing the imaginary floor. ‘Did you give him the chance? You were the one to build an impossible castle of dreams on an insecure foundation. You were the one to abandon a relationship that has leavening magic which lacked in this generation. You may reason yourself with whatever you think is right, but just think... he was the guy who held you when you cried. He was the guy who listened to your blabbering and didn’t blanch at your imagination. He was the guy who rescued you when you are in danger, not once but twice. He was the guy who wanted to a

Harlan POV:Trixie disappeared during the final drill. One minute, she was sitting near the lower bleachers with her arms folded over her chest, watching practice as if she were not watching me, and the next, her seat was empty.At first, I told myself she had gone to the bathroom. Then five minutes passed, then ten minutes had passed… and by the time Miller missed an easy pass because I had looked toward the bleachers for the fourth time, my patience was gone.“Captain?” he called as the puck slid uselessly toward the boards. “Is everything alright?”I blew the whistle. And everyone in the rink stopped. “Run the final drill without me.”Miller stared. “Again?”“Do you have a problem with that?” I asked, looking him in the eye, waiting for him to object.“No,” I said, looking down at his feet, avoiding my eyes.“Good,” I said as I stepped off the ice before anyone could ask where I was going.I did not like that I was worried. Actually, that was a lie, because it wasn't the fact that

Trixie pov:Watching the boys train was a special kind of torture. Not because they were bad. But because they were annoyingly good.And because watching Harlan train became extreme torture, especially knowing that I couldn't get on the rink.Harlan moved across the ice like he owned every inch of it, which, knowing him, he probably believed he did. He cut through the drills with sharp, controlled movements, his stick steady, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes always two steps ahead.He made hockey look effortless. I hated him for that, and I also hated the way my eyes kept finding him, the way I kept thinking of him in the crowd.Every time he shouted an instruction, every time he slammed a puck into the net, every time one of his teammates laughed at something he said, my attention drifted back to him before I could stop it.It was embarrassing. Because I knew what it meant, and I knew how much I hated it. I was an Omega for crying out loud. He was not going to spare me a second glance

Harlan’s POVThe first time I saw Trixie back at school, she looked like she was trying to win an argument with her own body.She came through that side entrance of the ring with one hand curled around the strap of her back and the other arm wrapped carefully around her ribs. Her steps were slower than usual; there wasn't a limp, but it was close enough for my wolf to notice.Her blonde curls were tied back in a messy bun, a few loose strands framing her face, and the bruise on her cheek had faded into a faint shadow beneath her skin. She still looked pale, tired, and stubborn as hell.For one second, I just stood by the boards. My stick was resting against my shoulder, watching as an idiot. Around me, the boys’ team kept moving through the drills, skates across the ice, pucks cracked against sticks. Someone shouted my name, asking if we were running the next play, but I barely heard them. Because my mind was focused on the one woman who was back, Trixie.She paused near the bleachers

Trixie’s POVRecovery was boring. It wasn't the peaceful kind of boring either. It was the cruel, insulting kind. The kind where my body acted as if it belonged to an eighty-year-old wolf with bad knees and drinking problems.Every time I tried to sit up quickly, my ribs screamed, and every time I turned my head too fast, the room tilted. Every breath made my chest feel like it was wrapped in pain. And I found myself hating lying in bed while the world moved around me.I hated hearing Yasmine leave for school every morning, her skates clicking against the floor as she walked through the apartment like nothing had happened. She hated me, and the two of us had not spoken since, but she was still going on with her life. Yes, she was forced to come back after school, but it did not mean that she stopped her life. Not at all, actually.And maybe the worst part was that no one knew. Well, not really.They both knew she hit me. Mom and Dad knew that she cried afterwards, sitting in the kitch

Yasmine POV:For a beat, the apartment held its breath. And I found myself freezing as I did not expect her to speak the way that she did.“She slapped me,” Trixie said calmly.The words hung in the air like smoke. And I hated how small Trixie made her voice sound. I hated the way she leaned against the wall with one hand pressed to her ribs—Harlan's jacket draped over her shoulder like some ridiculous trophy. And I hated how the red mark on her cheek made her look fragile from where my hand landed.Worse, because I made her look innocent.Mom stared at me as if she’d never seen me before. Dad’s eyes flicked from Trixie’s face to mine and hardened in a way that made my stomach drop.“Yasmine,” he said. “Is this true?”I straightened. I would not allow her to think that I was going to shrink, not after everything that she has done.“She’s making it worse than it was,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I barely touched her. My hand simply touched her cheek. She is a liar.”Trixi

Trixie pov:I should have stayed in Harlan's room, buried under the soft blanket, glaring at the ceiling, pretending that his scent didn't make my wolf twitch in a way that felt traitorous.But now I have to be stupid.Because the moment that my sister appeared with my clothes, with the perfect wounded look, I knew that I had to leave. Not because I wanted to go home, no, but because I hated the way she looked at me in Harlan's garden, like I stole something more than an invitation. In her mind, it was like I stole him from her.Which was ridiculous, by the way, given the fact that I hated the man; his mansion, his Alpha voice, his unfairly serious eyes, the stupid jacket still warm around my shoulders, the way he’d almost kissed me when the world narrowed to my mouth.So, of course, I left wearing his jacket… and I knew she was going to keep the subject going throughout the whole day.“I can have a driver take you,” Harlan said when I stepped out the door. “We have a car, I came wit

Willow puked her guts out."Don't laugh, vampire. This is all your fault. I'm not letting you touch me. Ever again," Willow said vehemently before covering her mouth and beelining to the bathroom.It has been 2 months since Lothaire restored his powers and his throne.After the ritual that bound Christopher completely, they returned to the city dragging their feet. They don't speak about their relationship. No words are needed. They both know what they feel for each other, what they are willing to do for each other. It is inevitable.Willow called Azrian, her team leader on the way to the city. She related what the mage said about the she-wolf and a spell.Azrian is shocked and thanks to her for the information. She said it is the proof she needed to help the werewolf king.Lothaire and Willow set into the routine as king and queen as if they were born for it. There were minor hiccups in the kingdom but nothing that can't be ironed out with

Lothaire opened his mouth and uttered his secret, which he never told to a soul."I can manipulate darkness. The dark does my bidding. The shadows are my slaves," he said without even showing a hint of hesitation. He trusts her that much.Willow is blown away imagining the magnitude of his power. No one walking in the dark is safe from him. And now he can walk under the sun too.Willow realized she is looking at the most powerful vampire in this world. Not just a vampire but one of the powerful beings if any. No wonder he is a king."You can turn their own shadow against them""I can do pretty much anything I want""And no one knows it?""I keep it close to the heart but my council senses some of my power. They have to if I need to be a king. Everyone only knows that I kill people with a blink. They don't know how""And only I know how it is done?""Yes""That's heavy Bones. Then how come you got captured in the f

The land soon became crowded as werewolves and vampires came out of the vehicles. The vehicles alone exceeded 40.A chill slid down her spine in apprehension. Willow has no doubt in mind that she is not coming out of this harmless. She is brave, not stupid.She took a few shallow breaths, clamped her back teeth together, straightened her spine as she held a gun in each hand, and faced the enemy staring them straight in the eyes.From her peripheral vision, she couldn't locate the impersonator nor the mage. They must be watching from one of those vehicles. Enjoying the show, no doubt.Some laughed, some snickered looking at her all alone in the field. They jabbed each other with their elbows as if they couldn't believe a woman can stand alone before an army of over 100 hard-core mercenaries.Willow blanked her mind. There is no room for panic, for error. She has to believe in herself. Lothaire is counting on her.With her powers, she made arm

The terrain they stood on was rustic and beautiful. Upon high, Willow saw green and brown mountains folding into the horizon. So beautiful that they will soon see the ugliness of their world.Lothaire and Willow sat still inside the idle truck, both deep in their thoughts.Willow doesn't know what will happen next. Whether the mage will restore him or will the imposter's army catch up to them. They don't know even if an army remains but since he is imposing as a king, anything is possible.She looked at Lothaire next. Her emotions in turmoil. She doesn't know whether she will be alive by tomorrow or not. Whether he will be. It is so final.Willow wet her lips. "Lothaire I-," she tried to tell how important he became in her life, but couldn't."This isn't over Willow. Whatever you have to say, say it after. I won't let anything happen to you. You have to believe me Tinkerbell," Lothaire professed. He is in awe of her strength. Even knowing she has t

Henrietta, the king's mage is antsy. The men she had sent to capture the real king and his aid must have returned by now. But they haven't.It means something is wrong, terribly wrong. Are they too late already? Has he regained his powers?No. If so, then she wouldn't be standing here alive. It means that they are missing something vital about the aid.No matter. She has to capture them both. Just then the vampire enters the room she is locked in."You promised a captive Henrietta. Yet you failed. Tsk... tsk... tsk. That's so bad of you. Now, what shall we do?" He asked, staggering inside the room at a leisurely pace."My... my king, it's just a minor hitch. Nothing more. We will capture them soon""Is that so? Not according to my reports Mage""Wha... what does it say?""That they are going north. Farther from here. Why do you think they are traveling on that route?""I... I...""Let me tell you. Because they are

A snarl left her lips. She then lifted herself, standing straight, her back stiff, uncaring about the wounds that are still read and hurting on her skin. Her eyes wild, her teeth clenched, she looked like an Amazon ready to go into battle.With the daggers in her hands, her feet apart, she made the tree fold back into itself, giving a feet gap for her to go through.Cold air brushed her cheeks, riffling her tangled hair. Their eyes met- his worries and hers filled with hatred.A few seconds passed before Willow asked him with no emotion in her voice,"You come here and mock me that I couldn't kill you. Is that it?""What!! No. Hear me, Willow," Lothaire scoffed, taking a step back for her to pass through.Willow took two steps to the side giving him a wide berth and never showing him her back. When he repeated the same thing, a crack appeared in her mask. Her voice rough displaying her simpering anger she said,"NOO!!! I don't want to