LOGIN"Hello, my sleeping beauty. Welcome home," he says. "You've been away far too long, my dear girl." A shudder of revulsion runs through me. Old Mr. Thorne. He pushes the door wider, and a small woman shuffles in timidly, carrying a tray of food. "Even more beautiful than I remember," he says, stepping toward the bed, eyes crawling over my face and body. "Or maybe you've simply grown more beautiful since I last saw you." The woman keeps her head bowed, setting the tray on the nightstand, movements stiff and nervous. She lifts the cover off a plate, and the smell of food drifts through the room. I can't shake the fog clouding my head, but I manage to crack one eye open toward the tray. Meatloaf, potatoes, vegetables. My stomach growls loudly. Last thing I ate was a handful of Cheetos those men tossed me somewhere during the drive. Old Mr. Thorne laughs. "You must be starving," he says. "Famished," I tell him, my voice coming out way too loud and inexplicably cheerful, despite the
FREYA'S POV Sunlight filters in through the blinds when my eyes finally open. My hand stretches out searching for something before my brain even catches up. Nothing there. The emptiness hits my chest before my mind fully registers why. My eyes fly open. Julian. He's gone. I stare at the empty space beside me, touch the pillow where his head rested last night. Already cold. I roll over and bury my face in it anyway. His scent still lingers there, a hint of something expensive layered over something that's entirely just him. Nothing and no one else smells quite like him. I want to drown myself in it. Want to lie here until he's back. If I keep my eyes shut, I can almost convince myself he's still here. I stay like that for a while. Eventually, reluctantly, I roll onto my back. Two wet spots have soaked into the pillow. God, I'm being so ridiculous. A week ago I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him or his world. Now I'm crying over him after he's been gone a matter of hours. Offi
JULIAN'S POV I make my way back to her place just after midnight. Can't sleep, and I can't stay away either. I sense no one else is home. She looks wide awake when she opens the door for me. I take her hand, and she leads me silently into her room. Two beds in here. The other one's empty. Her bed is small, but we don't need much space between us. We lie there facing each other. I trace the back of my knuckles along her skin, let her hair slip through my fingers. Content, just watching her, touching her like this. Before long, her eyes start to flutter closed. I pull myself away from the warmth of Freya's body and her bed before dawn breaks. I sit on the edge of her bed, reluctant to leave. Everything else stops mattering when I'm near her. I find peace in her scent, I could listen to it endlessly. She looks so beautiful lying on her side, dark hair loose and silky, long lashes fanned out over pale pink cheekbones, her lips soft and inviting, though I don't want to disturb her res
"Excuse me, Julian..." Sienna, still in her pastel pink outfit, taps her hot pink nails against his arm. "We genuinely don't have time for interruptions right now. We need to finish this project on schedule."I try to wriggle free of his hold, but he just tightens his arm around my shoulders, pulling me flush against him. I can feel his chest rising and falling steadily against my back."Look, Sienna," he says, voice gone cold as ice. His arm tightens further around me, a silent warning not to try slipping away again. "I've already handled the research and everything else. All that's left is stitching it together and writing the conclusion. I told you we don't need another meeting.""But I really think it would turn out better if we—""I've done my part," he cuts in, looking at her with open disdain, like she's some lowly subordinate overstepping her place. "Just make sure it's submitted on time," he adds, dismissing her coldly. The look on his face makes it painfully clear he's royal
The best part of working at the cafe, besides the location, is the flexible scheduling, since most of us are still in school. I clock out at 11:15 this morning since I've got a tutorial at 11:30, followed immediately by a study group. Just as I'm gathering my things to leave, I feel him before I see him, that familiar burn settling on the back of my neck, his presence pressing into the air around me. My heart jumps, stomach dips, skin prickling everywhere at once. Unbelievable how much just his presence does to me. "Oh, Freya! I think your toy, err, I mean your lunch, has arrived," Ivy calls out, way too pleased with herself. "Hot, hot lunch." God, I like Ivy, but sometimes I could genuinely strangle that woman. I sling my bag over my shoulder and head toward Julian, who's waiting near the entrance with a puzzled look. "Lunch?" he mouths. "Ignore her. She's unhinged," I say, loud enough that Ivy definitely hears it. "Hey, Freya!" Ivy calls after me. "Don't toy with your lunch!"
We stand there staring at each other. Me, frozen in horror. The four of them, thoroughly amused. My mouth opens and words just start tumbling out. "I don't toy with boys. I don't eat boys either. I really don't. I mean, toying with them and eating them, that would be mean. Just mean. Oh, no, no, no, no, nobody should ever do that." I wince. That came out so much worse. "I mean, I was joking. That was a joke. Ha ha, see? Funny, right?" Oh my god. Somebody make me stop talking. Right now. "No, no, no, no, one should never do that." I wince harder. That sounded terrible. "I mean, I was kidding. It was a joke. Ha ha, see? Funny, right?" Oh my god! Somebody, anybody, shut me up. Immediately. A choking, wheezing sound comes from behind me, and it hits me that I should probably check whether Ivy is dying back there, right after I find a hole to crawl into. "Imma go die in a hole now." Wait, what? Shut up, brain! "Okay," says the blonde lycan, clearly one laugh away from losing i







