“I’m not the one hurting her,” she snapped, her eyes blazing. “You are. You and that… that woman you’ve replaced me with.”I opened my mouth to say something more, but just then, Thea tugged on the lapel of my suit jacket. “I’ll go,” she whispered in my ear. “Just for half an hour. Okay?”I looked d
AgnesThe show was a success. A huge one, in fact.I knew it would be the moment the first Luna stepped onto the runway and I heard the crowd erupting into applause as the lights caught the intricate details of the designs. The outfits were stunning, even more so because they were born from chaos—fr
The after-party was at a nearby lounge bar, the kind of place that was all dim lighting and plush seating. I sat at the edge of the group, nursing a drink as I tried to push down the pain that threatened to consume me.The other Lunas were in high spirits, their laughter filling the room as they rec
AgnesThe bouquet fell to the ground, pink and white petals scattering across the floor around my feet. I stared down at them in shock for a moment, my mind racing as the fog of alcohol slowly began to lift.What had I done?I had been cruel to Elijah, snapping at him, pushing him away when all he’d
Truthfully, I’d thought about that night more times than I cared to admit. Sometimes, late at night, when the house was quiet and I couldn’t seem to sleep for various reasons, I would let myself imagine what it would be like to sleep with him.First, it started as imagining literally sleeping with h
Agnes & ElijahAgnesGertrude’s grin was nothing short of impish as she shoved me and Elijah together. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I had ever seen the often meek librarian’s eyes flare with such mischief behind those glasses.My heart pounded as I glanced up at Elijah, his warm body pressed agai
AgnesThe cab driver practically dumped us off in front of the estate, hardly giving Elijah time to hand him a wad of cash before he was speeding away. My cheeks were flushed, my skirt rumpled around my thighs and my lipstick smeared.We’d hardly been the pristine picture of an elegant Alpha and Lun
He feasted on me like that, right there on the floor, holding me upright with one arm. I dug my fingers into his scalp, yanking at his hair, which only elicited low, guttural moans from him that rumbled into my pelvis. “Agnes,” he murmured into me, the word sending a shudder of pleasure through my b
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?
ElijahThat morning, I made yet another trip to the prison. I’d hoped to never set foot in this place again, because frankly it was cold and uncomfortable and unsettling, but here I was. I just hoped that Olivia would keep true to her word and that this conversation would be worth it—and that it wou
I hated that he was making sense. And even more than that, I hated that a part of me—a much bigger part of me than I wanted to admit—was actually considering it.“What if it’s a trap?” I asked quietly. “What if he’s involved with Elemental Enterprises somehow? He could be trying to get to Thea.”“Th