Se connecter“Oh… Thank you, Damian,” I said, using the name he had given earlier. He smiled at that and fell into step beside me without crowding. The hallway opened into a quieter stretch of the house, then through a side door that led out onto a stone path. The air outside was cooler, carrying the faint scent of cut grass and whatever flowers were blooming in the beds. We walked in a comfortable enough silence until the garden came fully into view. Noah was still there, standing near the same spot I’d seen from the window, hands in his pockets, looking out over the ordered rows of green. He hadn’t moved much. Damian slowed a little when he spotted him. “Well… there he is,” he said under his breath, almost to himself. I glanced at him, then back toward Noah. “Thank you again,” I said. Damian’s smile returned. “He must have missed it.” I frowned slightly. “Missed what?” His eyes stayed on Noah for another beat before he looked back at me. “The garden,” Damian offered after a beat. “Cel
Samuel led the way up the wide staircase without saying much. The house was quieter inside than I expected and the thick carpets even muted our footsteps. Riley had already been shown to a room farther down the hall and Samuel stopped in front of a door near the end of the corridor, then opened it for me. “Your room, miss,” he said politely. “There are fresh towels in the bathroom, and the wardrobe has been aired. Dinner will be served in about an hour. Please ring if you need anything.” I stepped inside. And honestly, it was a very nice room with dark heavy curtains half-drawn against the afternoon light. A small sitting area near the window overlooked the trees at the back of the property. Everything looked carefully prepared. I couldn’t ask for anything more. “Thank you.” He nodded then lingered long enough to make sure I had everything, then gave another quiet nod and left, closing the door softly behind him. Exhaling softly, I set my bag down on the chair by the window a
“Now, how did two beautiful girls end up in the company of these hoodlums?” she asked, one eyebrow lifting as she looked between us. The question landed lightly, but it still made something in my chest tighten. I didn’t answer right away and Riley stayed quiet beside me as well. Mr. James cleared his throat softly while Noah just exhaled through his nose and glanced away, clearly used to this woman’s particular brand of commentary. She kept smiling, waiting, as if she fully expected one of us to actually answer. And since no one else was going to speak up, I let out a soft throat-clear. “Hello.” That was all it took. Her expression brightened further as she stepped down from the porch and pulled me into a brief, warm hug before I could fully brace for it. When she leaned back, she held me by the shoulders for a second and studied my face. “Oh, look at those eyes,” she said, genuine appreciation in her voice. “They’re beautiful.” “Thank you,” I managed, a little caught off gua
SARAPHINA°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・It was a quiet drive to the place Noah had told me about.Nobody spoke. The only sound in the car was the soft loop of a single song playing through the speakers—low, steady, and familiar enough that I recognized the melody after the second time it started over. Mr. James kept his eyes on the road, but every so often I caught him mouthing a few of the lyrics in the rearview mirror. It must have been one of his favorites.By the fourth or fifth loop, I knew the words too. Without really thinking about it, I started humming along under my breath, the quiet sound barely rising above the music.Riley sat in the front passenger seat, her head angled toward the window, posture still. Noah was beside me in the back, one arm resting along the door, the other loosely on his thigh. He hadn’t said much since we left the hotel. Neither had I.The trees blurred past outside and the road stretched on, quiet and empty in a way that made the silence inside the car feel even tense
“Seraphina,” I said quickly. “Are you okay? We heard there was a shooting close to where you’re staying. Baby, are you hurt? Are you safe?” There was another short pause. “Oh… yeah,” she said slowly. “That happened.” My grip on the phone tightened at how casually she said it. “That happened?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “Seraphina, are you okay? Don’t just say ‘that happened.’ Are you hurt? Where are you right now?” “I’m fine, Mom,” she replied, though her voice still sounded a little off. “Really. I was a little scared, so I left the house and slept in a hotel for the night.” I exchanged a quick, tense look with Gage. He was standing close, listening carefully, his expression blank but focused. “You left the house?” I asked. “By yourself? In the middle of all that?” “I didn’t want to stay there after everything,” she said quietly. “It was… loud. And close. I just needed to get away for a bit.” I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady the rush of emotions flo
THEA ASHFORD °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・“What did you just say?!”The words tore out of me before I could stop them. My heart slammed hard against my ribs as I stared at Gage, my phone still clutched tightly in my hand.He immediately reached for me, his hands settling firmly on my arms as he tried to keep me grounded.“Thea—breathe. Listen to me—”“No,” I cut him off, my voice rising. “Don’t tell me to breathe. What did you just say? Say it again.”Gage’s jaw tightened. He glanced briefly at Micah, who was now dressed for school, sitting at the dining table, eyes wide and confused by the sudden change in tone after a statement from his father. Then he looked back at me, his expression carefully controlled.“I heard from an informant,” he said in a low, steady voice. “Shots were fired… right outside the gates of the mansion where Seraphina is staying.”The room seemed to tilt.For a second, I couldn’t hear anything except the blood rushing in my ears. My grip on the phone tightened so hard my knuckle







