~Serena~Standing in front of two Spades in the middle of nowhere wasn’t exactly how I thought I’d spend my first day back in control of my body, but here I am.I still couldn’t believe there were two people with Spade’s face walking the earth. I might not be romantically attracted to Spade, but I have eyes. Spade is eye candy—long, brown, wavy hair; mesmerizing, deep brown eyes; razor-sharp jawline; height and physique of a football player. Any woman with a pulse would see he’s a catch. But identical twins? Why is this hot piece of meat hiding in the woods?Even their scents were almost identical. Luckily, I’d spent enough time with Spade to tell him apart from his doppelgänger.“It’s nice to meet you, Luc,” I said, genuinely happy to see a piece of Spade’s old life before he became a rogue. “Nice place you got here.” I let my gaze wander over the cabin behind them.The scent of burnt wood lingered in the air, mingling with the aroma of coffee from inside. A wraparound porch embraced
~Spade~My eyes slanted, and I almost lost sight of Spade. “You know a way to get a demon out of my mind?”Spade leaned forward, parking his elbows on the table. The morning light hit his face, and for a second, I saw something in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before—fear. He blinked it away like blowing out a candlelight. I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been gazing at him.“Technically, I know someone who knows how to deal with demons.”I blinked at Spade, still unable to catch up with what he was blabbering about. Sure, Gladia had said she was a demon more than a handful of times, but I always thought it was a figure of speech. Her attitude passed with flying colors for that category, but are demons really walking among us? Werewolves are supernatural creatures—we belong in fantasy books—but demons? They belong in hell, right?“You… you know someone who knows how to deal with demons?”A grim look crossed Spade’s brown eyes. He leaned back in his seat, composing himself. “Since whe
~Serena~There’s a smug grin on Spade’s face as he climbs up into the ring. He had just finished speaking with the gym instructor, who finally agreed to let us spar.I secure the gloves on my hands while men around the gym start abandoning their equipment and gathering near the boxing ring. The gym instructor circles the crowd, high-fiving the sweaty, excited boys as he collects their bets. The poor guy Spade punched out of the ring earlier is long forgotten.“You really want a crowd to see me wipe your ass on this ring,” I muttered. The mouthpiece muffled my words, and the headgear squeezed my head tight. The gear wasn’t for my safety—it was for the testosterone-driven audience’s peace of mind.I am a girl. I might get hurt playing a big boy’s game.Spade sneered, punching his gloves together as we met at the center of the ring. “I won’t go easy on you, Princess.”He was annoyed—still calling me Princess when he knew damn well I hated that name.One of the gym instructors stepped up
~Serena~Declan and I had been at it until dawn. If anyone heard us from the crying, moaning, and fucking we did all night, no one complained about the noise. Our honeymoon had been long overdue, I said.The bed was soaked, and Declan and I had moved to the couch sometime in the middle of round three. One of the perks of being a werewolf was our bodies’ quick recovery from a rigorous activity.Declan was sitting on the couch, buck-naked, while I had my head resting on his thigh. The room smelled of sweat, sex, and everything delicious in between. Declan was combing my hair with his fingers; he had that faraway look on his face as the sunrise bathed the room in its vivid morning glow.“What’s on your mind?” I asked, my eyelashes fluttering as I blinked at him.“Later,” he cut me off, his gaze glued to the open balcony door.“Is it Lia?” I had to know. He might be walking on thin ice since we were still bathing in the aftermath of our last round, and he didn’t want to ruin the mood. Hon
~Serena~Declan reached up, cupping my face, his eyes taking in my features as if this were the last time he’d see me. I did the same. We were locked in the moment, savoring the peace we had for now. Both of us knew it could end in a snap. A lot could happen once we stepped out of this room.Live in the moment, that’s what our eyes said to one another.“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Declan said, his voice raspy. “I’m so damn lucky you let me mark you.” He brushed my hair aside, revealing my left neck where his mark was embedded into my skin—into my soul. “You own me.”My heart swooned at his declaration. He doesn’t own me, but I own him.My throat tightened. The words I meant to say stuck somewhere inside me. All I could do was suck in air, the lump growing heavier the longer he looked at me like that—like he meant every single word.He slid his hands down my arms until they settled on my hips. “I need you,” he murmured, voice filled with longing and pleading.I let
~Serena~The next time I woke up, it was nighttime and I was alone in the room.It was quiet. Too quiet. So quiet that I feared I was back in my oblivion. My heart gained speed in a split second, drumming against my breastbone as I chased my breath like I had just run a marathon.I shot up from the bed, my gaze wildly searching for any proof that I wasn’t trapped in the oblivion again. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, my gaze sliding to the windows. the faint glow of the security light slipping through the sheer curtains. I clenched my fist; the sheets were smooth and soft against my palms. Then, I lifted a trembling hand to my chest, willing my heart to calm down.I’m at the Hawkins Mansion… the same room I’ve stayed in since the first time I set foot in this pack.I took a heavy breath, the notes of pine and rain convincing my senses that I was far from Gladia’s claws. She can’t touch me when I’m awake, I reminded myself.I was safe — for now. But someone with my kind of histor