AgnesThe restaurant Elijah had chosen was just a twenty-minute walk from our villa.“Here we are,” Elijah said, stopping in front of a charming little place with tables spilling out onto the sidewalk. “It’s supposed to have the best pasta and wine selection around.”“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, ta
It was indeed spicy, but in a pleasant way that bloomed across my tongue rather than burning it. I chased it with another sip of wine, feeling the tension from earlier slowly melt away.We talked about everything and nothing as we ate—Thea’s upcoming school year, my designs for a new clothing line,
AgnesThe rain came down in one big sheet, soaking us to the bone in mere seconds. Elijah’s hand locked with mine, and we bolted beneath the nearest dock, laughing.As we sought shelter beneath the dock, I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering slightly. I could feel my nipples, hard and pebbled f
The pleasure built fast, way faster than I expected, and I came with a cry, my pussy pulsing around his fingers as my legs trembled.He didn’t give me time to recover. His hands gripped my ass, angling me until I was nearly at a ninety-degree bend with my arms wrapped around the pylon for support.A
AgnesBack at the villa later that night, the double doors leading to our balcony stood open, letting in the cool night air and the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore. The storm had passed, leaving behind a clear sky sprinkled with stars. Thea had long since gone to bed after a crash
AgnesThe moment Thea screamed, Elijah’s eyes snapped open. He was out of bed in an instant, not bothering with clothes. I scrambled after him, grabbing his discarded t-shirt from the floor and yanking it over my head as I rushed to follow.My heart pounded in my chest as we raced down the hallway,
“I’m making mine with pineapple,” she announced, which sparked a good-natured debate between her and Elijah about whether pineapple belonged on pizza.I stayed out of it, content to watch them banter as I chopped vegetables and grated cheese.After dinner—the pizza was probably the best I’d ever had
AgnesThe rest of our vacation passed in a blur. We spent our days in the sun, splashing in the ocean and exploring the town, and our evenings were spent under the stars with nothing but each other for company.It was nice, and it was even more relaxing than I had hoped.But when we finally arrived
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?