OpheliaThe next morning I was abruptly woken by Lucille screeching my name so loudly that I was sure the Moon Goddess herself could hear her cries.It startled me so thoroughly that I was ripped from sleep. My mothers journal tumbled from my chest where it had laid all night and onto the floor.“OPHELIA!”I shoved it beneath my mattress, threw on what I hoped was a clean change of clothes, and rushed downstairs.The moment I spotted Lucille’s red face, her lips puckered with anger, I knew I was in for it. Kimberly stood further back, leaning against one of the pillars flanking the entrance to the lounge.I’d just reached the bottom step when she lashed out. Her hand flew from her side and cracked across my face before I could blink. Pain danced along my lower lip, followed by something wet. I reached up to touch it and found my fingers slick with blood.The familiar crackle and roar of a brewing storm began to take place in my chest. It had become easier to call on it as of late.Luc
OpheliaSand sprayed behind me as I reached the beach. It slowed me down, forcing me to pump my arms and legs harder. I could now feel Jude closing in on me, his raucous laughter filling my mind, shredding my thoughts into confetti.I swiveled my head back and forth, searching for somewhere to hide. There was the bathroom shack, along with a few changing tents. Cornering myself wasn’t ideal, but apart from running down the entire length of the beach, I wasn’t sure what else to do.Before I could make a decision, hands grabbed me from behind. A gasp ripped it’s way past my throat as I was slung over a shoulder. I landed with a grunt, my ass in the air and feet flailing.Jude’s scent of amaretto enveloped me, spiking only when I slammed my fists against his lower back.“Trying to give me a massage, little dove? Or are you trying to grab a handful of my ass?”“You’re fucking crazy!” I hissed, my cheeks quickly growing red as I thought about all the people likely to see us.“Yes, and you’
OpheliaMortified was a good word to describe how I felt as I followed Ryker out of the dressing tent and onto the beach.Jude was halfway down the beach, strolling leisurely towards where the others sat around a crackling bonfire. There was enough sunlight to make out their forms, though the shadows darkened their faces, making it impossible to tell where their eyes strayed.Before I could follow, Ryker stopped me with a hand on my arm. I stiffened and he quickly removed it, tucking it behind his back.“Did he force himself on you?” Ryker’s voice was impossibly low, thick like honey, yet dark as spilled blood. “Tell me and I will put an end to it. I’ll offer you protection in any way I can.”Such a thing shouldn’t have warmed me to Ryker, yet it did. I could see how much he cared about Jude. It was evident in the way he watched him, his brows creased and eyes clouded. He cared, and yet he knew the kind of man his brother was.He loved a monster. I couldn’t help but wonder if the mons
Ophelia“Time for the rules!”I accepted the bottle from Nova and brought it to my lips. The acrid tang of alcohol had me releasing another shudder.“There are rules?”I wasn’t a stranger to alcohol or the silly little games that came with it. Back in high school, after Kimberly chased away what little friends I had, I found an in with the outcasts. I’d never gotten particularly close to any of them, but that didn’t keep them from inviting me to their late-night get togethers hosted in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the packs borders.I quit going after Lucille opened the restaurant.Nova’s shoulders bounced as she laughed. The pale tendrils of her hair were curled. The top half was pulled into pigtails, topped with tiny ribbons that floated in the breeze.“In this coven there is! Choose Truth and you have to answer the question honestly. No loopholes or escape plans. With Dare you can either complete the dare or…” Her voice took on a sing-song quality as she thrust the bottle
OpheliaHer head whipped to the side; eyes wide as they skewered him where he sat. “I can’t do that! I’m not killing myself for your stupid ass dare. I pick truth, then.”“Truth it is.” The grin he flashed her was as beautiful as it was murderous. “Why did you lie about Ophelia ruining your marriage to Alpha Hunter?”I grabbed the bottle from Nova and brought it to my lips just as she turned her glare my way. In my drunken state, it bounced right off me. The more liquor I took in, the less I seemed to care about what she thought or how she reacted.“Ophelia’s always been jealous of me, always trying to sabotage my life because hers is shit.” She hissed, nails digging into the log. “I took necessary actions to drive Ryker away from her grubby little hands, and I’d do it all again given the chance. She ruins things. My mother can confirm it. The little leech only knows how to take and destroy.”All eyes swung to where I sat.I hiccupped. “What are we talking about?”Nova’s sudden burst
Ryker“Well, that was enlightening.”Jude sneered, “Shut the fuck up, Kimberly.”He stood and brushed the sand from his clothes, muttering something about needing to kill someone. Kimberly didn’t spare him a glance, and instead turned her wrath on me.She didn’t have to speak to let me know how she was feeling. No, I could see every drop of her fury within her muddy eyes.Snubbing her in front of Ophelia had clearly left her raging. There was something about her cousin that made her wildly insecure. It didn’t help that Ophelia was stunning. Likely one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.As it was, I gave no fucks about Kimberly’s feelings, but I did care about the trouble she infected into my life.Shrugging her dress back on, she ran her nails down my arm. “I’m going to La Stella with Trina to salvage what’s left of this night. She’s inviting the guys. You should join us.”“Later.” I grunted, my eyes on Jude.The last thing I felt like doing was playing nice with her friends.
RykerThe word rushed from her lungs on a current of magic that had the hairs along my arms lifting.“You’re not listening to me. I don’t care what he feels for me. He’s not going to treat me this w and continue fucking with my head and my—” Her lower lip wobbled. “You won’t listen to me though, will you? He’s your brother. You’re clearly on his side, no matter who he hurts. If I want you to listen, I’m going to have to make you.”There was a loud crack as the singular window above her bed shattered. The pieces were blasted inwards, raining over our heads as they clattered to the floor.Ophelia lifted a trembling hand, and the shards of glass began to quiver.It wasn’t possible for her to have this much control, and yet the pieces began to rise. They hovered around her shoulders and back, forming a wall between the two of us.One move and I’d be skewered.I lifted my hands slowly. Taking control of the shards hadn’t slipped my mind. It was an option, but it was one that would likely s
OpheliaAfter Ryker left, I was forced to face the mess I had made.Somehow, I’d shattered the entire window with my magic, and now I had no clue how to fix it.I tried again and again, for the better part of an hour, to will the shards of glass back into place or, at the very least, send them scattering off my bed.The cheap alarm clock on my bedside table read 2 a.m. by the time I managed to scoot all the pieces into a neat pile in the corner of my room.I was exhausted, embarrassed, and running on fumes. The enchanted liquor had slowly begun wearing off, leaving me even more bereft than before.Goddess, I made such a fool of myself.Well, it was never going to happen again. I wouldn’t allow it. Jude had played my body like his own personal instrument but didn’t hesitate to crush me under his boot when I stepped out of line.Fuck that and fuck him.I crawled into bed slowly, wary of any stray shards of glass I might’ve missed. The air inside was balmy, but the cool breeze rushing th