Novels by Neutral Ink

XAVIE I eased out of bed, stretching my tired limbs. I glanced at Kian’s empty side of the bed, knowing he wasn’t far off. Picking up the robe he had tossed carelessly last night, beside a discarded lingerie. I parted the curtains, taking in the view of the ocean. We have been on our honeymoon for the past two weeks, everyone at home has been calling, wondering when we are coming back.Kian disconnected the phone two days ago. According to him, he wants nothing to disrupt our peace. Not to mention I lost count of how many places we have visited, although the one thing I’m most excited to go home for is Hilda and Derek's mating ceremony that’s coming up. I laughed, settling down in front of the dressing mirror to brush my hair. Thinking about the new hobbies I have picked from travelling, while recalling I have a fishing contest with Derek back at home. Apparently, it was my punishment for stressing his ward. As for my parents house, I’m going to rent it out to any nice family that

XAVIE A few hours later, Kian fever had gone down and I decided to give him a tour of the house. One could imagine my surprise earlier when I walked into my bedroom to find it covered in flowers. Finding out from one of the maids that Kian brought them, had me blushing. My room looks like an orchid right now, not that I was complaining. When we arrived at the fish pond, I looked at him, wondering if he remembered. My heart skipped when I figured he wasn’t looking at the pond, his gaze was fixated on me. Nervously, I blurted out the first thing on my mind. “Aurora, how is she?” I asked, plastering a smile on my face. When the servant came to inform me about his arrival, I was in disbelief. I didn’t think he would come see me after we said our goodbyes. Filled with joy, I rushed into his arms. Thinking about it now, I could only hope I didn’t make a fool of myself, especially if he has decided to give Aurora a chance. “You didn’t take your things…” His thoughts creep into mine, for

KIAN It's been three days since Xavie left. The days are getting longer, making it seem like she left months ago. Her clothes were still untouched in her closet in their shared—bedroom. That should have given him hope, except that he knows her. He knew the reason she didn’t pack was because she felt like they never really belonged to her. He still hopes there’s a chance she might come back to claim them, to stay. He missed her laughter, her eyes, her smile… he fucking miss everything about her it makes him ache all over his body. People are still talking about Alec and Annika’s death, it’s something he doesn’t see anyone getting over anytime soon. The other victim's families are coming forward as well, he left things for Logan to handle, including settling her fake parents. Who had a nice time apparently to the extent that they decided to get married for real. Tint has been spending more time with that Asher boy. He could tell she was furious at him, she refused to say a word to h

XAVIE Home doesn’t feel like home anymore. It was empty, hollow and dusty. I ignored the feeling of emptiness that echoes through the walls of the house. Despite all that happened, I had great memories there from my earliest childhood, until everything changed. An unexpected sound startled me, causing me to twist around to inspect it. I was surprised to see an elderly lady walking toward me. “Hello…” I started, trying not to alarm her. “You must be Annika,” she responded, adding to my puzzlement. “How could you not have visited your mother? She wrote to you, and you showed up today?” “I’m sorry, but my name is Xavie. Not Annika.” However, that cleared some of my confusion whether or not Annika had been in contact with her mother. I had woken up this morning wondering how she would take the news. Not because I care, I wanted to gloat over her face as I determined what her fate would be. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been around for a while. I’m the owner of this house, where is she?” I

KIAN The following morning, the news spread like wildfire. Everyone was talking about it, the media houses were calling and writing, wanting one of them to grant them an interview. Looking at the paper should bring him some kind of joy… a glorious amount. Yet a dull ache settled over the region of his heart. He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep since last night. As desperately as he wanted to be near Xavie, he couldn’t. It hurt too much, his chest tightened with each breath he took with the knowledge that she was leaving. He almost wished he could turn back the hands of the clock, to stop her from going to Keystone Pack that morning. The truth about Alec would have remained hidden, meaning he will get to hold on to her a little longer. Composing himself as a knock came through the door, he was half-expecting it to be Xavie… or Derek even. To his surprise, Aurora strode into his study with a smile on her face. Disappointed made him relaxed back on his chair, rubbing his hand over his

XAVIE I asked one of the dungeon guards for a dagger as I was being escorted to Annika’s cell. She jolted upright immediately she saw me approached, I stepped aside for the guard to open the cell bar. She fell to her knees immediately, grabbing my legs as she pleaded for me to have mercy on her. I have waited for this day for so long, not the day she will beg for mercy, because I never thought she was capable of any human emotions. But the day I’ll have her at my mercy. “Xavie… Alec made me do it!” She cried, probably realizing her begging hasn’t moved me a bit. “I never wanted to—he threatened me, I had no choice.” “It seemed to me like you’re the one suffering from animesa now, Annika. Because this wasn’t what you told me several hours ago. I didn’t come here to listen to you moan and whine about how you were a victim in your mate’s scheme, I came here so I could listen to what I have to say.” Drawing a sharp breath into my lungs, I didn’t think I would be this emotional. But s

AVA Cade takes me to a shooting range, reserving the entire place for the afternoon. It actually takes us walking into the premises before it clicks for me. At our entrance, the employees started vacating the premises, only one safety instructor left behind on our floor. Cade’s men scattered around the perimeter, making sure the environment is secured. “Caden…” I whine, taking a step back. “I told you, I don’t like guns.” “I’m not telling you to.” He pointed out, shooting me an amused look. “The last time I held a gun, it went off. It could have hurt somebody—“ “I doubt it.” “What if it had?” I toss back, folding my arms across my chest. “Then it will be your first kill.” “First what?” I echo, my eyes going wide. “And that’s my point, Cade. I don’t want to kill anyone, hell! Thinking about it sickens me.” “You don’t have to—yet.” He looks up, striding over to my lane. “There’s a saying, Princess. The one who wields the sword, wields the power. In our world, this…” he cocks

AVA Instead of going to bed last night, I spent the majority of the night in the closet, altering my clothes. It was either that or spend the entire night tossing around in a big bed. After that, I took out my sew in. Which has been long overdue, then comb out my hair. The following morning, Cade woke me up by barking orders at someone. With my eyes half-close, I dragged myself into the bathroom. Once the water touches my body, sleep clears from my eyes in an instant. About an hour later, I’m done and wearing one of my altered clothes. The best thing about being a fashion designer, is turning two mediocre sweaters into off shoulders with long sleeves mini dresses. Smoothing my over the soft fabric, I reach for a comb to brush my hair. My stomach growls, making me drop the comb. I pause outside the door, peeking through the security hole, but I couldn’t see Cade through it. Taking that as my cue, I slipped out of the bedroom. However, my steps faltered at the sight of Cade. Hear

AVA We walk quietly into the house some minutes later. Due to how light his steps are, it takes a whole lot of self-control for me not to keep checking to see if he’s still behind me. Just as I am about to open the bedroom door, I notice him leaving in the opposite direction. He disappears through the living-room door as I look over my shoulder. The room lights are dim as usual when I stroll in after him. He approaches the wetbar, pouring himself some whisky. Raising the glass to his mouth , he looks at me above the rim. “Go to bed, Princess.” He orders, turning his back on me. Shaking my head even though he can’t see me, I cross over to join him. Having no clue what to do, except that I don’t want to leave him alone tonight. While I may not have known his Mom, I feel his sadness. A single finger swirls around the glass rim before he picks it up to take another sip. Watching him, I find my gaze lingering on his lips. A quick flashback of what happened a while ago creeps into my

AVA My hand goes up to my throat as Cade moves away from me, swiping off the items on his desk in one quick motion. As objects crash on the floor, my fingers tighten around my throat, flinching from the force of his anger. “Cade—“ My voice comes out choke and breathless. “I didn’t know Asher was going to be here, I-I-“ My voice trails off as his head snaps to mine, grey eyes so dark and hooded, I instinctively retreat. Bridging the distance between us, he pushed me against the wall. “Don’t fucking lie to me!” He sneers, fingers digging into my arms due to his tight how gripping me. “Why are you here then? You fucking had your hands all over him!” “I-I came here for you—“ “Lair!” He hisses, cutting me off. “He put his filthy hands on you, Princess. He touched what’s fucking mine, dammit!” Letting go of me abruptly, he starts towards the door. Fearing he might be going after Asher, I cut in front of him, using my body as a shield between him and the door. I reach out to him, cup

AVAI haven’t seen Cade all day after the last conversation we had. Currently eating dinner, there still isn’t any sign of him. Earlier while I was coming down for dinner, I even peek into his study. “Rosita?” I call her attention when she comes out to clear the table after I finish eating. “Have you seen Cade?” “Not since last night, ma’am.Say what? “How about Arrow? Have you seen him?” “He went into Mr. Demir’s study not long ago, I didn’t see him leave. “Thank you, Rosita.” I wipe my hands, and stand up. Pausing outside the study, I knock on the door, walking in without waiting for a reply. His surprise tells me I am probably the last person he’s expecting. “Where’s your Boss?” “At the club.” “Since last night?” “He got held up with some client, he should be back by tonight or tomorrow. You can let me know if there’s anything you need, in his absence, I’m in charge.” “How about you call someone to drive me to the club.” “I’m afraid I can’t, Mrs. Demir. The club is dang

AVA Seeing the expression on my face, his mouth twisted into a smile. That’s the second time I’ve seen him smile now. Dropping the one he previously held in his hand, he picks a new one. He comes up behind me, nudging me closer to the table before I could attempt to run away. I turn, our nose brushing in the process. Startled to see him standing so close, I darts my face forward at the target, sinking my teeth into my lower lip. “Earlier yesterday, when you picked up my pistol. Your hands were trembling, it took you too long to figure out where the trigger was. Consider this your first lesson.” I move further away, bumping into the table in an attempt to create some distance between us before I turn around. However, he leans forward, easily placing his hands on the table, trapping me between his arms. Lifting one hand above my shoulder, while looking at me. “A gun isn’t just a weapon, it’s an extension of the person who holds it.” At the end of his sentence, he fires a shot,

EVIE POV “So…” I got into the front seat, clipping on the seatbelt before turning to Jordan. He didn’t bulge, his gaze still fixed outside the window. Frowning slightly, I lean over to see what he’s looking at. However, he chooses that moment to turn, our nose brushing against each other.I smile, pulling away. “What are you staring at? Finally found something fascinating enough?” I tease, since he spent the entire time turning his nose at everything. His mouth quickened up. “It's not so bad, I agree. So, where should we go? Any place you have in mind?” “Anywhere is fine, as long as you aren’t taking me back home.” My comment piqued his attention, reminding me that only Kaden is aware of the troubles my relationship with them is wrecking havoc in my family. “What? Is everything okay?” He inquired, his tone laced with worry. “Oh, just the usual parent-child disagreement. Nothing to worry about, why don’t you take me to some place where I can forget?” I wriggle my brows at him. “

EVIE POV After the whole bizarre interaction with Fiona that still has me questioning everything still, I make my way to the gym to try out for the try-out. I love social work, and especially the whole volleyball tournament issue, I want to make up for it. And to show my parents that, I’m still the old me. Nothing about me has changed yet, and maybe finally she’d trust me enough. Only a couple of people are present at the tryout and the last one is just rounding up her routine. “Hey, you showed up.” Fiona remarks, rising to her feet. “Just at the right time, it’s your turn.” “Excuse me?” She interrupts the other girl. “You can stop now.” She paused, confused. “But I’m not done with my steps yet—“ “Trust me darling, we’ve seen enough. Evie, please go ahead and show the squad your movies.” The other girl glares at me, storming out of the gym. Feeling kind of bad for her, I drop my books on the bench then pick up the pomps she left behind. While I don’t have experience with cheer

EVIE POV “Uhm…” I clear my throat as I walk into the dinning room. My hang goes up to my face, wiping off the lingering heat. Mom emerges from the kitchen with baked cookies, on seeing me, she pauses then drops the items on the table. Unlike before, the silence wasn’t tense between us, although knowing what I have been doing for the past few minutes, I felt both guilty and nervous.“First, I want to apologize. It was wrong of me to come at you like that, and the way I spoke about you? That was mean.” She pushed the plate of cookies towards me, urging me to take one. “No, no. You have every right to be mad. I shouldn’t have lied, but I want you to trust me—to know that…” “Are you still trying to get the evidence of your brother being bullied by them? Look at me Evie. You don’t have to do that anymore, it doesn’t matter. Your brother is far away from them, and you’ve started a new school. I want to put all that behind us.” I lower my eyes, fiddling with my fingers nervously. Just

EVIE POV As much as I tried to not let their words get to me, I still felt betrayed by Ethan. The fact that he didn’t talk to me first, and just went straight to Mom, knowing things have been rocky between us lately. Given the fact that everything happened because of him. My ringing tune fills the silence of the room, snapping me out of my gloomy thoughts. Sitting up, I grab my phone from inside my backpack. By the time I’m done fishing it out, it has stopped ringing. I also lost interest and didn’t bother to check. Not wanting to be cooked up in my room all day, I message Maggie, asking if I can come hang out with her. She responds back almost immediately, letting me know she’s around. Taking my jacket with me, I dash out of the house, jogging all the way to Maggie’s house. I arrived there shortly after, and she escorted me to her room, silently waiting for me to spill the beans. We were close like that, not needing to say something before the other one figured out something was

EVIE POV “Shit! Logan hissed, seeing that Kaden disappeared from our view. He glanced at Jordan, a silent communication between them before he steps out of the vehicle, going after him. “So… Do you have any questions about the competition? Logan won, in case you’re wondering.” Said Jordan, striking up a conversation. I frown at him, folding my arms across my chest. “Are you trying to distract me from what’s going on? I know you’re a street fighter, Logan is a mad scientist, what’s Kaden deal? The thing with the rogues?” “Street fighter?” He huffs, having the nerve to sound offended. “And what do you call it then?” I gave him a look. “Not when you say it in that tone. I’m sure Kaden will tell you what the deal is, when he's ready. Especially when he’s done being mad at you for not wishing him a happy birthday.” Shit! I totally forgot about that. “Is he really mad?” Then again, it’s Kaden we are talking about here. I try to think back from when they picked me up at school, nothi

EVIE POV I wanted to believe I was imagining things, but with the way everyone is staring at me, that was enough to tell me that my beautiful nightmare is indeed standing a few feet from me.Maggie pushed me forward, separating me from the crowd. I fell forward, looking over my shoulder to glare at her. It was then I realised I wasn’t the only one glaring, a few one of the girls were glaring at me.Not that I blame them, not only did I have one hot guy pinning me with a hard stare, but three hot guys. I look shyly from one face to the other, unable to determine if they were angry or—“Get in,” Jordan growls, motioning to the open door. Yep, definitely angry. They climbed back into the car, still leaving the door ajar. I look over my shoulder once more, to let Maggie know I’ll be gone a while, only to get dragged into the vehicle. I fall on top of Logan as she reaches to shut the door. I straighten up, settling between him and Jordan in the backseat. Kaden sat in the front seat with