ELENAThe phone rang at 6:23 a.m.At first, I didnโt register the sound. I was curled under the covers, still caught in that foggy place between dream and waking, where everything is quiet and soft and nothing bad has happened yet.But the ring didnโt stop. It cut through the peace with sharp, repet
My son turned toward him. โYeah?โโWhy donโt you go tell Caroline how you want that room decorated?โAidenโs face lit up like someone had flipped a switch inside him. โI get to decorate it?!โโYou get full artistic control.โHe gasped like heโd been offered the moon on a stick. โCool! Bye, Mom!โAnd
ELENAThe fire pit was little more than a ring of scorched stones now, filled with white ash and the collapsed skeletons of logs. Charcoal dust stained the edges of the grass, a faint outline of where the flames had lived. The scent of woodsmoke still hung in the air, sharp and lingering, but it was
I froze, inhaling again, trying to find it.โElena?โ Derekโs voice was cautious behind me. I could feel him watching me, could hear the faint shift of his weight in the needles.I didnโt answer right away. My head turned slightly, following where I thought the scent had drifted. I took a step, then
MAGGIEโBastard.โIt was the first word out of my mouth as I shoved open the grimy motel room door. The air inside was staleโsweaty sheets, old coffee, the reek of damp carpet and desperation. Logan looked up from where he sat on the edge of the lopsided bed, one foot resting casually on the ratty h
I gasped against him, and his tongue slid inโdeep, claiming, desperate.I should have shoved him off. Should have screamed at him, reminded him what he was, what I was. But my body betrayed me.I kissed him back.Hard.My fingers curled into the front of his shirt, dragging him closer as his hands s
DEREKIt all slammed into me at once.The office, the old leather chair beneath me, the taste of whiskey still lingering on my tongueโand Maggieโs name reverberating like a bell that wouldnโt stop ringing in my head.Maggie. Pierceโs daughter.A rogue who had saved Elenaโs life, who had helped her e
DEREKThe room still smelled like fresh paint.The new bedding hadnโt quite lost its store scent eitherโcrisp fabric, a little too new, the faint chemical undertone of being unboxed that morning.But it didnโt matter. Aiden was already halfway under the covers, head turned toward the window, blanket
ELENAThe metronome was ticking again.That steady, deliberate rhythm that Dr. Voss insisted helped center my recallโthough half the time, I wasnโt sure if it helped or just made me hyper-aware of how fast my thoughts were spinning.I sat back in the reclined chair, palms resting against the fabric-
โA silver claw?โI nodded. โYeah. The first. The only. It seared his flesh every time he used it. Every swing hurt. But he used it anyway.โโThat soundsโฆ awful.โโIt was,โ I said. โBut he made that pain his purpose. Every battle, every fight he walked intoโhe carried the silver claw. And with it, he
DEREKThe room still smelled like fresh paint.The new bedding hadnโt quite lost its store scent eitherโcrisp fabric, a little too new, the faint chemical undertone of being unboxed that morning.But it didnโt matter. Aiden was already halfway under the covers, head turned toward the window, blanket
DEREKIt all slammed into me at once.The office, the old leather chair beneath me, the taste of whiskey still lingering on my tongueโand Maggieโs name reverberating like a bell that wouldnโt stop ringing in my head.Maggie. Pierceโs daughter.A rogue who had saved Elenaโs life, who had helped her e
I gasped against him, and his tongue slid inโdeep, claiming, desperate.I should have shoved him off. Should have screamed at him, reminded him what he was, what I was. But my body betrayed me.I kissed him back.Hard.My fingers curled into the front of his shirt, dragging him closer as his hands s
MAGGIEโBastard.โIt was the first word out of my mouth as I shoved open the grimy motel room door. The air inside was staleโsweaty sheets, old coffee, the reek of damp carpet and desperation. Logan looked up from where he sat on the edge of the lopsided bed, one foot resting casually on the ratty h
I froze, inhaling again, trying to find it.โElena?โ Derekโs voice was cautious behind me. I could feel him watching me, could hear the faint shift of his weight in the needles.I didnโt answer right away. My head turned slightly, following where I thought the scent had drifted. I took a step, then
ELENAThe fire pit was little more than a ring of scorched stones now, filled with white ash and the collapsed skeletons of logs. Charcoal dust stained the edges of the grass, a faint outline of where the flames had lived. The scent of woodsmoke still hung in the air, sharp and lingering, but it was
My son turned toward him. โYeah?โโWhy donโt you go tell Caroline how you want that room decorated?โAidenโs face lit up like someone had flipped a switch inside him. โI get to decorate it?!โโYou get full artistic control.โHe gasped like heโd been offered the moon on a stick. โCool! Bye, Mom!โAnd