LOGINMy mate, meanwhile, is still in the doghouse, though keeping him there is hard work. Fair or not, I'm hurt, and I'm punishing him for whatever I might have to deal with in Germany. The more I try to ignore him, the more he insists on keeping me close. Some people might call it charming. I call it annoying. Right now he's force-feeding me breakfast while explaining each dish. "Come on, open up, my love. I know you'll like this one," he says, holding a forkful of something called Sharlotka, a kind of apple cake, up to my mouth. He's already fed me blini (something between a pancake and a crepe, served with butter, sour cream, jam, and caviar) and semolina porridge, plus the usual fried egg, sausage, yogurt, and fresh fruit. It was all delicious, and I'm already full, but I can't tell him that because I'm not talking to him, see? This is all part of his plan to make me speak. This is our battle. He's so stubborn and sneaky and obnoxious. I'm tempted to punch him in the throat. If I did
By the time we step out of the shower, all our luggage has been carried downstairs by luggage fairies. Okay, not really. But it's all gone. I'm nearly ready when he emerges from the walk-in closet. Our eyes meet in the mirror, and he leans against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, watching me twist my hair into a French braid. He looks sharp and flawless... and regal. His jaw is smooth, and his golden hair gleams, swept back from his face. He's wearing a navy cable-knit V-neck over a white shirt with a blue silk tie, dark grey trousers, and polished black leather boots. "You look beautiful however you wear your hair," he says, pushing off the doorframe to stand behind me. His warm, hard body presses against my back, and he slides his long, elegant fingers through my hair, then winds the braid around his hand like a rope. "But I much prefer it down." He kisses the curve of my neck, his eyes holding mine in the mirror. "Wild, and wrapped around my fingers." "I know," I whispe
Warm, rich male scent, a soft duvet, and a hard, warm body draped over mine all feel like heaven. The shrieking alarm does not. I groan and order it to shut up. It ignores me. Stubborn thing. I wriggle one arm free and stretch toward the phone on the nightstand, but my arm falls short. My mate grumbles and hauls me back against him. Why is it going off so early? It's still dark. The sun isn't even up. Stupid alarm. Seriously, so stupid... Wait. Alarm. Holy mackerel. Airport. Germany. We have a plane waiting. "Julian!" I pull my arm out again and grab his shoulder. "Julian!" I shake him. "Wake up! We have to get up." "Mmm... shhh... sleep..." he mumbles, burying his face deeper into the hollow of my neck. My mate is not a morning person. He's the one who set that alarm last night, and somehow I'm the one stuck waking him. "Julian, get up!" I shove at his weight. It's like pushing a boulder. "Julian!" He groans, wedges a knee between my legs, and the hand curled around my breast
"Caleb!" I throw my arms around my cousin, even though I know he hates hugs... or maybe precisely because I know he hates hugs. I'm pretty sure he's fighting an eye roll at my theatrics. It's only been two days, and I'm carrying on like I haven't seen him in years. He gives me a stiff little pat while trying to slyly push me off. Oh, Caleb. He's basically Oscar the Grouch. Such a sweetheart. I'll need to work harder at annoying him. "Lilith!" I hug Lilith next, and she giggles and squeezes back. Finally, someone glad to see me. "So good to see you again, Freya!" she says. Jacob stands behind Lilith near the couch, smiling widely. "Hey, Jacob!" I barely manage a step before something jerks me back by my jacket collar. I scowl at Julian, but he isn't even looking at me. He's too busy shooting Jacob an icy glare. Jacob's grin evaporates. "Good to see you, Freya. I'm just going to... uh, go fold laundry. Bye!" In seconds he's vanished behind his bedroom door. Yep, Jacob is very
Everything looks a little different today, and I know the change is in me. I'm still changing. My senses are sharper, yes, but it goes deeper than that. Something inside has shifted how I see the world. Seated in the auditorium between Livana and Julian, the room feels both ordinary and completely foreign. Strangers with familiar faces fill the seats around us. I don't know any of them, but I've passed them so often that they've worn a groove in my memory. Right in front of us sit the three girls I privately dubbed "The Sundress Squad," though no sundresses today. We've only ever interacted once: they mocked me and my hobo hoodie on my first day, and I flipped them off. As for everyone else, we've never exchanged a word, yet I feel like I know them. There was a time I felt like one of them, or maybe I just ached to be. Now I feel distant, like a lion standing in a herd of zebras. I don't want to hurt them, but they seem so breakable. I've never felt more certain that I don't belong t
I'm itching to get back to normal today. Well… somewhat normal-ish. I want to leave the house and forget our troubles, just for a day. The weather is still a little chilly. After a shower, I put on my new red plaid miniskirt, a cream off-the-shoulder cable-knit sweater, black over-the-knee socks, and black boots. When I'm ready, I walk out of our bedroom, and my steps falter at the sight of Julian leaning against the wall beside the entertainment center in our suite, waiting for me. He looks hot in jeans that hug his legs, hips, and trim waist. The simple light blue henley stretches tight across his muscled chest, and even his grey jacket is molded to his wide shoulders and arms. Seriously hot. His gaze travels down my body, and by the time it climbs back to my eyes, he looks ready to devour me. He pushes off the wall and growls, "Are you seriously going out in that? What are you trying to do to me, woman?" "What?" "That." He gestures at my body. "I'll be murdering pricks left an







