LOGINSierraThe diner was too noisy. That's the first thing I noticed. It was not the low murmur of voices or the smell of fried food or even the way the waitress looks at us as if she’s trying to figure out where to put us. It felt so uncomfortable against my skin after the chilly outdoor air as if I had stepped into something that too many people have already used. Jace exhaled out next to me. “Finally. I would have begun to doubt my life decisions if I had to go one more mile.”“ You already ask us too many questions,” I reply. “Yeah, I just think we should just leave all of this and have some little happiness.” He laughed.Asher doesn't participate. As he has been doing since we left the palace he quickly and sharply scans the room once. But not noticeable enough to attract attention but noticeable enough to me. He picked a booth close to the wall so he can see the entrance clearly. I took the seat on the other side of him and with less caution, Jace settled down next to me ext
Sierra “What should we do first?” I asked, sounding both curious and nervous. “We will relocate to the new pack and stay there for the time being.”Asher remarked simply. “After finding a place to hide and gathering our necessities we start the real work. Prioritize hockey over everything else. Sierra we do more than just survive. We succeed. And we work together on it.”I let his words sink in before slowly letting out my breath and leaned back to look at the night sky. I found it strange and even dangerous. However it was also the first time in years that neither fear nor control dictated the future. Asher got up and offered to help me up. I did not hesitate to accept it. “Are we leaving now?” Jace asked.Asher gave him a funny look. “What do you think?” He said. “Except you want to go back to Sebastian.”I and Jace laughed.Once more we made our way farther into the forest as the shadows grew thicker and extended like dark fingers. My lungs burned and my chest hurt but the
SierraThe road appeared to be able to engulf us completely as it continued forward, it felt like the best thing to ever happen to us or to me. I thought of my parents of Rebecca and if everything that has happened and sighed.The chilly wind tore at my cheeks causing my eyes to well up with tears. However I welcomed the feeling—it felt alive as if every gust was displacing my fear and dispersing it into the night behind us. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity the silence surrounding us was different. It wasn't heavy and oppressive bearing down on my chest with anticipation. No, it was open full of possibilities, a good feeling that I couldn't wait to lay my hands on.I thought about Sebastian and wondered if he knew of our plans or if he had just given up.I hated him, hated the fact that I was related to a power hungry idiot like him.Asher took the lead moving in a calm, deliberate and unwaveringly certain manner. He glided over uneven ground without making a singl
Sierra “Out said,” Asher. I nearly burst out laughing at that but I was out of breath. Two steps at a time we ascended the narrow staircase. I forced myself to keep up even though the ascent burned through my legs and into my lungs. Now was not the time to slow down. As we ascended we heard the sound of pursuit and it was getting quicker. We ran out into the open air through the top door. My head cleared in an instant as cold, clean and fresh aye struck my face. Once more we were behind the stables but this time we were farther away. Behind us the palace loomed, its windows dark and watchful rather than peaceful, its walls pale in the moonlight.Jace didn't hesitate. “Guy,” he said. “This way.”We made our way across the yard dodging low fences and piled supplies before squeezing through a small opening in the outer wall that I would not have seen on my own. “Tell me you were aware of that.”I said “I hoped,” he said. Asher remained near me so that I could sense his presence
Sierra.The silence was short. It began to thin first. I could only put it like that and as if the court itself knew what was about to happen the atmosphere itself changed. I was scared and didn't know what to do at this point.The horses in the nearby stalls stamped once, then again restlessly and before I did Jace heard it and in an instant all traces of dry humor vanished from his expression as he turned to face the passage we had just passed. “Those are not our men,” he said. The words came out clear and confident. Asher made a snap decision. He didn't waste time listening to us or seeking confirmation. I couldn't see the calculation that was going through his mind but I could tell by the way his body moved and his concentration sharpened. “Inside,” he uttered. His voice was unsuitable for debate. I and Jace turned the give each other puzzled glances.I didn't argue for once. We turned to face the passage but it was too late to slip away in silence. At the far end of the cour
SierraWith a sharp motion he lashed out at Asher, driving him off balance, after that his eyes found mine once more.He slipped up right there.His gaze landed on me like I was just a gap in the defense.A sliver of wood rested near my toes, heavy, splintered, just a chunk of box with a cracked tip. From the ground it came into my hand, almost on its own.Off he came, moving my way.The aound of Asher calling snapped through the air, yet everything else blurred into motion and reflex. Dorian charged forward, speed cutting across dirt - maybe aiming to grab hold before anyone reached us, maybe betting on using my body as a shield, maybe just eager to complete what that toxin started. No time sat between thought and action. When his shape filled the space near mine, the wooden board arced upward, driven by arms working together without asking permission.A sharp sound split the air when it hit his cheek - so loud it startled my own ears.He reeled.Up first was Jace. Smacking sideways
SIERRAMy heart was still pounding from the fight with Sebastian, but more than that, it was Asher the connection so raw, so utter, that it felt as if every nerve in my body had been reprogrammed.Asher knelt behind me. His knee was wrapped in a bandage, it was bruised, yet he moved with the same
Sierra They gave us a crummy little conference room with crummier coffee – like fluorescent light and burnt coffee beans were going to make this feel right. I sat between Asher and Dad at the long table, my bruised elbow pulsating in tune with the wall clock, while a council liaison in a navy bla
SIERRAIt had started snowing last night and the grounds were heavily covered.When I stepped out, he looked up, his eyes golden in the faint light of morning. “Are you ready?” he asked, his grin pulling at my heart as much as it ever had.“For what?” I asked, feigning confusion as to why his gaze
SIERRAThe room reeked of antiseptic and leather, the distant buzz of the ice arena out in the hallways still rattling the walls. Asher sat on the corner of Dad’s office desk, one knee iced, the other tapping out a rhythm of impatience. "I mean it," I said, my voice low. “It’s because I picked yo







