A cold chill swept through me, despite the warmth of the blankets. The thought of that man touching me, marking me like some kind of tool for his twisted revenge, made fresh bile rise up in my throat again.“But it didn’t work,” Elijah continued. “I destroyed his phone. None of those photos will eve
AgnesI woke up to the sensation of something small and warm nuzzled against my belly. Looking down, a small smile touched my lips.Thea.She was fast asleep, her hair a tangled mess around her face and her teddy bear squished between us. She must have crawled into bed at some point when I was recov
“Mommy, can we have waffles?” she asked by way of greeting.I chuckled, but nodded and began to pull out the ingredients. Waffles sounded good, honestly.As I worked, Thea noticed my faraway expression. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “You look like you’re thinking a lo
AgnesThe moment Elijah stepped through the doorway, his sharp gaze scanned the disaster that Thea and I had made in the living room. Fabrics were draped across the furniture, spools of thread had rolled onto the floor, and pieces of paper with Thea’s colorful designs were scattered everywhere.His
Reluctantly, I turned and let him slip it over my arms. And as soon as he did, I felt fire run through my veins. It wasn’t from the soft fabric brushing against my skin, but rather the heat of his fingers through the material. His touch was as light as a feather, and yet it sent a bolt of electricit
AgnesMaria looked like a deer in headlights as she glanced back and forth between me and Gertrude. She clutched her book so tightly to her chest that I thought she might snap the hard cover in half completely.“W-What?” she finally blurted out, an unconvincing little smile touching her lips. She sh
The designers murmured amongst themselves, wondering what the prize could be. Meanwhile, Maria stood at the back of the group, her lips pressed into a thin, slightly worried line. I shot her a meaningful look as if to say “Don’t worry,” then glanced over at where Ava was standing.She was leaning ag
AgnesTo say that I was satisfied and relieved by Ava’s absence at work would have been putting it lightly. I was far more than satisfied. Far more than relieved.For the first time in a long time, I finally felt… free. And it showed in my work; over the remainder of the week, I developed several mo
The elevator was at the far end of the lobby, requiring me to walk past the entrance to the hotel. As I approached, I noticed the guy from the bar, the one who had been with the woman, hurrying after me. He wore a blue hoodie and had a pair of glasses on.“Excuse me,” he called, “Alpha Elijah? Sir?”
ElijahHotel rooms always felt the same to me: sterile, impersonal, and far too quiet. This one was nicer than most—the pack I was visiting had surprisingly put me up in their territory’s best accommodations despite our trade disagreement—but it still felt wrong. The bed was too soft, the air condit
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Thea bounded down the stairs, racing me to the door.“I got it!” she cried, yanking it open before I could reach her. “Miss Evelyn!”Evelyn swept in like a hurricane, bringing with her the scent of expensive perfume and a veritable horde of what looked like gifts in
AgnesI was buried in sketches for the next season’s line when a knock at my office door pulled me from my concentration. I glanced up, surprised to see Elijah standing in the doorway. He hadn’t mentioned stopping by my office today.“This is unexpected,” I said, setting my pencil down. “I thought y
“What do you think it was like for her?” I said after a moment. “My mother, I mean. Living her whole life afraid that someone would find out what she was.”Elijah’s thumb traced circles on the back of my hand beneath the water. “Lonely, I imagine.”“She never told me,” I whispered. “My own mother, a
AgnesThe saltwater felt like heaven against my overheated skin. I’d been soaking in my in-ground pool for nearly an hour now, but the heat that had built in my body still hadn’t completely subsided.Honestly, I was surprised that I hadn’t burned down the entire bar earlier. My finger had certainly
“Yes,” he insisted. “Because Elemental Enterprises is owned by your stepmother’s family.”The world seemed to tilt beneath me. I gripped the edge of the table to steady myself. “What?”“I’ve been keeping your true nature from your stepmother all this time,” he continued, the words coming out of him
AgnesI fidgeted in the passenger seat as Elijah pulled into the dive bar’s parking lot. The place looked exactly as I remembered it from my past life—grimy windows with neon beer signs, chipped paint on the exterior, and a crooked sign hanging above the door.Years ago, I’d spent many nights here t
“Elijah, wait.”I froze, expecting to feel the tug of the mate bond, that infuriating compulsion she’d used so many times to force me to listen to her, to stay when I wanted to go. But it never came. For the first time, she hadn’t used the bond to control me. Today was full of surprises, wasn’t it?