Novels by Aquilla

KieranThe forest swallowed us long before I realized how far we’d gone.To be honest, I had no idea how long we'd been walking or traveling, too lost in my thoughts and everything else.But I noticed the moment we stopped in a new territory.The air here was heavier, thicker… almost like the trees themselves were trying to warn me that I’d crossed a line I could never uncross.Ronan walked ahead of me, humming low under his breath. His stride was unhurried, deliberate…the kind of calm that only came from a man who thought ten steps ahead of everyone else. Every now and then, he’d glance back, the faintest curl of amusement tugging at his lips.“You’re quieter than I expected,” he said finally, slowing down so I could catch up to him.“You talk too much,” I muttered.He chuckled, not offended in the slightest. “Oh, you’ll fit right in.”While he was talking, we broke through the last line of trees, and that was when I saw it… the rogue camp.I don't know why, but I’d imagined chaos, d

KelvinThe night was too quiet.The kind of quiet that doesn’t calm you… It just presses down, heavy and watchful.The ocean outside whispered against the sand, and from the open glass doors of the beach house, I could hear it breathing.Laura was upstairs, asleep, her soft rhythm out of reach of the war in my head, oblivious to the turmoil in my head.My father’s voice hadn’t left me since that talk earlier.Old men like Ezra Aldoracco didn’t raise their voices… they didn’t need to.A simple sentence or look could slice deep enough to make you bleed for days.“You’ve my son, you've got my blood…. That I don't deny. You've just forgotten how to use what I taught you.”He said it with that half-smile of disappointment…. the one that always made me feel twelve again, trying to impress a man who didn’t believe in softness.I poured another drink, watching the amber ripple as it swirled in the dark.The reflection of the night sky in the glass looked fractured… fitting.He was hiding some

EzraThe night air off the Miami coast carried that kind of breeze that reminded me of power…. Soft enough to feel pleasant, strong enough to ruin a weak man’s footing if he wasn’t paying attention.I’d been standing outside the beach house for close to fifteen minutes, cigar burning low between my fingers, watching the waves toss themselves against the sand like they were begging for a fight.I built empires off moments like that… when something beautiful threatened to destroy itself and more often than not, I always emerged successful.Suddenly headlights appeared out of nowhere, cutting through the darkness before I heard the sharp vibration of the engine.My lips curved.Finally….they took long enough.Kelvin’s car rolled to a stop, the kind of sleek black metal that screamed money, not power.I raised an eyebrow, taking mental notes of it. The boy liked appearances but he forgot that appearances were the first thing your enemies studied before they slit your throat.He stepped ou

LauraIn the split second it took for whoever Damien's mysterious guest was to show up, I could feel tension creep into the space, making each breath one breathed in choke up with molecules.Already, too much has happened since the Gathering started yet he's throwing another unknown into the mix.As it stood, we were all wary of each other and the trust was close to fraying.From the corner of my eye, I could see some of the guards reach for their weapons, making sure it was within reach in case anything happened.I stiffened, wishing I had something to grab onto or hold to steady the avalanche of emotions pouring through me but I didn't.Kelvin, on the other hand, appeared cool and calm, apparently unruffled by whoever Damien was bringing in, but I saw his fingers drum restlessly against the armrest beside me.“Who is this person, Damien?” Anton spoke up, asking the questions that were on our minds.Damien only smiled. That slow, deliberate smile meant he’d saved the best for last.“

LauraI didn’t sleep.I tried to but nothing worked.Not really.I think I finally drifted off sometime after four in the morning, my head full of names I shouldn’t know… Nikolai Vassilev, the people I suspect might be my parents, and the lie I’ve been living.Every time I closed my eyes, the truth would crawl back in, cold and merciless and I would spiral down that dark and depressing train of thought.But everything got quiet after a while, the messy thoughts slowing down to nothing.At least that was until I woke up.The insistent knocks came at seven sharp. The sound scraped at my ears until it forced my eyes open.And as if that wasn't enough….“Laura.”I groaned, dragging the duvet over my head. My eyes burned like sandpaper and it felt like my brain was made of cotton.I didn't want to get up so a part of me is just hoping that the sound of his voice was all in my head.Except…Kelvin’s voice came again… much lower this time, but insistent. “Come on, you need to get dressed. A

LauraThe sound of Alec’s voice still echoed in my skull long after I’d run.Every word he’d said about Nikolai replayed in my head like a broken record, refusing to fade no matter how fast I moved.My heart hadn’t stopped pounding since then.It wasn’t just the running or the fear of being chased, it was the betrayal curling like smoke in my chest.The cold night air bit at my cheeks as I stumbled down the street, my vision blurry and my breath coming out in chugs.I didn’t even know where I was heading, I just needed to move, to put distance between myself and what I had overheard.Between myself and him.Alec said things he wasn’t supposed to. Things that made me doubt everything all over again, making me wonder if I could ever truly trust anyone.By the time I got back to the beach house, my legs felt like rubber and I was this close to falling to my knees.The house was quiet, too quiet… the kind of silence that runs uncomfortably against your ribs and allows the hair on the back