LOGINI don’t even know why I go to school the next morning. In every class, at every break, whenever I brush past the CrestRidge boys or girls involved in this, the only thing going through my head is the fact we are going to face off against Nester later today. It’s insane how one man can change my life so thoroughly while the rest of the people in this school don’t even have an inkling of what’s going on. The only thing that disrupts my racing thoughts is Dillon at the end of the school day, calling me into his office. “You called, Mr. West?” I ask gingerly, stepping into the council office and instantly regretting it. Alpha Rick sits in a chair to his left, while Principal Watson makes himself at home on his right. I had no idea Rick would be around today. And I had no idea that when I saw him my heart would do a triple somersault. “Please, Miss Blackwood, have a seat,” Principal Watson states. I’ve never been able to feel out what he thinks about me. But that doesn’t matter now
Where the fuck am I? I crack one eye open, expecting some sort of blinding light to sting my eyes, but I'm overwhelmed instead by what feels like never-ending darkness. That can't be a good sign. When I pry open my other eye, I catch only a thin stream of light filtering through an equally thin window. This must be inside Penbrook. I don't remember who took me, or how, but whoever kidnapped me was almost merciful: It’s like I slept stuffing my sister’s knife in my pocket, and woke up here—damp, stuffy, an acidic smell in the air, but not in any danger. Not right now anyway. There's a click, and I gulp down massive amounts of air to stop myself from yelling. The tell-tale weight of the knife still sits in my pocket, and it's the only thing that relaxes me. A door creaks open, letting in chilly air and a thousand voices. It only lasts a second. The moment the door shuts, the familiar scent of dead leaves has me trying to leap up. I'm stopped by a chain bound to my wrist. “Sudden
I'm so tired.I can still feel their eyes as I enter Talon’s room and peel off my two-day-old uniform.I don't know if their gazes make me feel special or strange. With a gasp, I take in Talon’s enormous bathroom and instantly forget about the boy’s stares. Pristine tiles and an actual bathtub fill the space. I peek at his shower items and find all sorts of fancy shampoos in glass bottles, soaps carved in flowery shapes that smell heavily of his lavender. I pick one up and decide I wouldn't mind smelling like Talon. But the thing that gets me is a small, pink heart-shaped soap bar, sitting alone under a glass soap dish. I know I probably shouldn't touch it, but I can't help peeking and taking a whiff. I gasp. Cinnamon and Strawberry. Surely he didn't… I snap the case shut, warmth spreading through me. Would he get me something I may never even use? I turn on the shower, and I'm instantly hit with a warm stream of water. It's like the shower knew exactly what I wanted. No way
By the time the plan is set in stone, night is already falling, and everyone decided it's best we go home. Before Liana gets out of the Crestridge compound, I grasp her hand. So much nonsense has gone down, and now I feel a maternal instinct to leave her out of it. “You know you don't have to come with us, right?” I pull her closer gently. She sets her lips in a hard line, “I think I owe it to Axel no matter how much of an ass he’s been. He saved my life.” She pauses, assessing me. “And I guess I owe it to you too.” My brain racks for what she could possibly owe me, “I’ve not really given you anything.” Liana shakes her head. “Don’t say that. You gave me a friend. I've never really met a girl I liked as much as you, Tiny. I'm not going to let you go now because some monster wants to lay claim to you.” “Lay claim is a very polite way of saying he wants to keep me as his own.” “Whatever the case may be. You're mine. You're ours.” She gestures to the CrestRidge House, stand
Alex stares. Axel’s flesh and blood Alex, not some fake playing a prank, but the real Parker Princess. “How did you… How are you… You want to… huh?” My words can’t even mesh together and form a coherent sentence. Maybe I really did fail that English test. She comes fully into view, her lithe frame so different from her brother’s, but still the similarities between them are uncanny. I’m not sure if I want to pull her in or find the nearest kitchen knife to defend myself. “I said maybe I can help you,” she repeats, confirming I’m not mad. “If Clarissa will not take you to Nester, I will.” My knees nearly give way again. Talon gently pulls me behind him, his hazel eyes narrowed. “You’re Axel’s sister?” “Yes, and I want to help my brother’s friends.” Which only confuses me further. Maybe I’d have preferred it if she walked in here knife in hand. At least that’d have made sense. With a lurch, Clarissa jerks toward her, as if she’s going to hit Alex, but the other girl casts her a ha
I've fiddled with my mother’s ring more times in the last 2 days than I've done in 20 years.Everything is coming apart fast. I love fast. I crave it, but this is something else entirely.“You look awful,” Clarissa says beside me.“It's nice to see you too, Clary,” I lie. I can't genuinely remember the last time I felt happy or grateful to be in the same room as her.“I didn't mean it insultingly, Ryker. I mean you look awful, sick. Since our encounter with John, you’ve seemed so… pale.”I face her, surprised to see her assessing me sincerely.The truth is, I have felt a little off, like there’s a constant cold waving through me, but it's not like after my fight with John things just went back to normal. It's been a rough few days. When all this is over, I'm sure I'll be able to take a nap, grab a burger, and do anything to get my familiar glow back.I contemplate telling her the truth, and I decide on simply saying, “I've just been a little chilly.”She looks at me a moment longer, l
I break away before their lips touch. I nearly tumble out of Ryker’s lap, but his grip on me stays firm. He’s so still that I’m not sure he’s breathing. “You’re okay. “ he whispers, as if I’m the one being coerced into having sex. Shakily, I push away a strand of beautiful hair that has fallen o
I blink at her like she just asked me to get on my knees and bark. (I mean, I’d do it, but that’s not the point.) “Let me rephrase my last statement,” I clear my throat, “did I miss the part where that doesn’t sound batshit crazy?” “Ryker,” the three of them reprimand, like I’m the one being in
I jolt awake. For a second I can still feel those flames licking my skin, still hear my mother’s voice, binding me to Axel. But then the feeling fades, and all that’s left is my creaking mattress, my small room, and the scent of Hunter on my sheets. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real, and my br
I’m dreaming. I have to be, because I’m back in that burning house, but this time, I’m there as myself. My feet dig into the warm grass, heating up faster from the flames. A soundless cry tears through me as I remember where this memory left off: Axel’s mum just lost her head. Baby Alex has been







