CHAPTER 27Nova Sterling Point Of View“You used to love skating with me.” Callan's voice sounds rough, like dry old sandpaper with a crack at the edge. His fingers touch my wrist as he gives me the skates. Even through my gloves, his touch feels hot.I pull my hand away fast. “You know nothing about my likes and dislikes.”“Please try to remember.” He puts his bare hand on the ice. Thin cracks split the surface apart, glowing like golden fire underwater.I don't want to remember, but when he touches me, pictures flash in my head. A vision enters my senses, and I remember three different flashback scenes.In A FlashBack—When I was two years old, Callen and I hid behind the kitchen, eating stolen chocolate. Callan smiled at me with his missing tooth. When I was fourteen, Callan's hands shook as he put special flowers in my hair. “These will protect you,” he caressed my lips and brought his mouth close to mine. But Selene appeared and screamed, ruining the moment. When I was fifteen,
CHAPTER 26Nova Sterling Point Of View“Lesson time, little wolf.” Gideon's voice sounds like gravel falling from a tipping truck. He doesn't look at Kieran or acknowledge the drones. His eyes stay locked on mine. Kieran's shout vibrates through my back, and I'm still folded against his chest. “She's mine tonight, soldier.”Gideon's lip fakes a smile while his eyes stay cold and distant. He tosses me a pistol, and the cold metal slams into my palm. “Then she'll learn to shoot left-handed.”The drones whir louder. Vaughn's voice came out through them: “Enough games.”Gideon's hand gripped my wrist. “Move.” He yanks me toward the door just as the first drone fires. He took me to a quiet arena to teach me how to handle a gun.“Eyes on your target.” Gideon's rough voice scrapes against my ear as his chest presses against my back. His big hands cover mine on the pistol, fingers making my skin tingle. The gun feels heavy and cold. I narrow my eyes at the moving targets - not paper, but me
CHAPTER 25Nova Sterling Point of View“Sit On My Lap,” Kieran's command rings in my ears like a church bell. Before I can blink, his large hand encircles my waist, yanking me down onto his hard thighs. The sudden movement shakes the poker table, sending chips dancing across the green cover. My hands fly out to steady myself, fingers digging into his muscular shoulders, “Kieran!” I hiss through tightly shut teeth. His arm wraps around me like an iron cage, pulling me firmly against his chest. I can feel every ridge of his six-pack muscles through my thin dress. And the heat of his body sears into mine. When I try to wiggle free, his grip only tightens.“Stop moving,” he growls directly into my ear, his warm breath making me shiver. “Unless you want my uncle to challenge you right now.”I freeze. Then my pulse kicks up as I notice the scratches on Kieran's knuckles.Across the dimly lit VIP lounge, Kieran's uncle sits in a soft armchair. He’s sipping amber whiskey in a crystal glas
CHAPTER 24Nova Sterling Point Of View“Hold the knife like you mean it, sweetheart.” Jace's rough hands swallow mine, forcing my fingers to curl around the cold steel. He leans in and presses his chest against my back as his hair brushes my cheek. “Time to train in knife combat.”“Like this?” I replied and stilled my shaking hand as I sliced the knife through the air.“No.” Jace lifts my arms to correct my posture; his warm breath spills across my neck. “You're too stiff, loosen up and move smoothly like water.” He slips his thigh between my legs; I breathe sharply as my body curves towards him.“Better,” he moves his hands down my back, stopping just above my waist. “Now move slowly and make your opponent guess whether you’d hurt them or let them get close.” His lips brushes the shell of my ear.Across the dim studio, Regina’s red lips curl around a champagne bottle. The glass looks innocent in her fingers, but I know it’s one of her weapons.She used to share Gideon's bed, and now
CHAPTER 23Nova Sterling Point Of View“Smile for the cameras, sweetheart.” Vaughn's echoes smooth as silk, but his fingers tremble against mine. The penthouse's rooftop garden glitters with what looks like fireflies, but it’s a Kingsley Tech drone watching our every move.His tech hands suddenly spark against my waist, sending me an electric tingling. Suddenly, his phone buzzes, and a message from Kieran enters. It reads: “I have rescued Gideon from Regina’s Lab Experiment and taken him to his military base. It's your turn to deceive your father and rescue Nova.”I gasp, and the drones immediately zoom closer to capture the moment. His father's voice crackles through hidden speakers: “Kiss her by midnight or the hybrid lab burns.”My body goes rigid, and a cold shock spreads across my muscles. The lab houses dozens of innocent kids who are far too young to carry the pain they face. Each one has a story, a loss, a wound they didn’t choose."Perfect," Vaughn murmurs. His human hand ru
CHAPTER 22Nova Sterling Point Of View“Move. Don’t stand and watch.” Kieran grabs me, his newly restored strength crushing my ribs. The first chunk of the ceiling tears apart and crashes down, almost hitting Vaughn. Plaster dust rains like snow, coating our skin in white powder.But Gideon's already carving a path through the chaos; his combat-ready body is clearing the debris. Jace loses his balance due to the missing weight of his tech arm. Then I lunge to catch him, and our bodies collide hard enough to bruise my hands. My fingers dig into the warm skin where his shirt is torn up. His breath hit my neck and seemed oddly weak without his usual jokes.Then, the second explosion hits.The force tears us apart. In the slow-motion nightmare, I see Vaughn's mouth calling my name and Kieran's golden eyes shining wolf-bright. I saw Gideon reaching through the smoke, trying to get me, and Jace's remaining hand stretching toward me.Then, nothing but darkness and the taste of blood on my