GILDEONOne hand grabbed her hip, while the other shoved her dress up, baring the smooth expanse of her thighs.“What are you…” Arah stammered, her eyes widening in shock. A deep red spread across her face.With a rough pull, he yanked her underwear down, the fabric ripping in his hands before it fell to the floor, making her gasp. The scent of her arousal hit him like a potent drug.His breath hovered over the soft blue curls above her pussy—so fucking perfect—and his fingers traced her center, finding the slick wetness already there, waiting for him.He glanced up to gauge Arah’s reaction once more, but she quickly averted her eyes, as if ashamed of just how much he had turned her on despite her protests.His mouth followed where his fingers led, his tongue swiping forcefully along the center of her folds, tasting her, savoring the slick heat. She trembled, bracing her elbows on the bar top. A loud moan escaped her as his tongue circled her clit, the pressure intensifying with each
ARAHShe woke up soaked in sweat and tears, her skull pounding as if it might split open. Was this just a hangover? What about the deep, lingering ache in her chest?The dream she’d just had was too intense—her sobbing, shaking, screaming at Gildeon in fury. Maybe it was just her subconscious replaying her grievance from last night. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her dreamed rage stemmed from something else, something she couldn’t quite remember.The last thing she could recall from that dream was her saying, “I will end you, one day!”She let out a dry laugh. Her subconscious must’ve gone too far with that, even considering how she currently felt.Her head throbbed again, and she winced as she rolled off the bed and walked out of her room. The house was quiet, except for Barky, who stirred at her footsteps and padded over to her. Heading to the kitchen, the memory of last night froze her: her daring to challenge Gildeon, him reminding her of her place in his life—a wife,
ARAHShe had no clients booked for the morning, so she took the opportunity to tidy up her studio. With earphones in, she let an audiobook play on her phone—a story about a human girl falling for an alien amidst a war between their species. The premise had sounded silly to her at first, but it quickly became a welcome escape from the unhappy thoughts and memories she was desperate to avoid.The tale drew her in, sparking her curiosity about how beings from two entirely different species could find a way to fall for each other. To mate, even.‘That would be interesting,’ she thought.As she organized her desk drawers, her gaze landed on her logbook, and the morning’s incident flashed in her mind. Instinctively, she pulled it out and flipped to the page where she’d recorded the names of all the clients she’d given the Clover Wish to.The narrator’s voice became muffled in the background as she read over Plumber Paul’s and Jessie’s information. They both had the same tattoo. They both di
ARAHShe watched as he sat up and pulled out his notebook.“I’ve spoken to Miss Jessie Greene’s friends. They mentioned she stopped by here a few weeks ago for a…” He flipped through his notes, scratching his temple. “Clover Wish tattoo. Is that correct, Mrs. Ayadi?”“Yes,” she replied.“And that’s the same tattoo Paul Hernandez had, correct?”She nodded, hesitating. As if sensing the question forming in her mind, he added, “The coroner’s office showed me the photos right before his body was stolen.”Her mouth fell open. Given the long delay for Plumber Paul’s supposed public funeral, she'd already suspected the rumor was true. But hearing it confirmed by a law enforcer made it all the more real. The image of that beastly hand in the video flickered in her mind, raising her suspicions once again. But her focus snapped back to Agent Durante as the rustling of papers grew loud from his direction.“So did Elise McKinney,
ARAHThe next morning, she wasted no time. After ensuring Gildeon was at school, she drove straight to La Calma. With each mile closer to the cabin, her heartbeat quickened, drumming louder in her chest. Agent Durante’s suspicions might just be grasping at straws, but a gnawing thought lingered: what if he truly knew more about her husband than she did?That thought terrified her. What if she uncovered something... worse? Could she face that?She had once abandoned her search for the truths and secrets surrounding her husband. But this time was different. It wasn’t just her marriage or their hidden past on the line—innocent lives were at stake. Her clients’ lives. She couldn’t turn a blind eye now.When she arrived, she circled the cabin, listening intently for any sound inside, making sure even Roselia wasn’t there. Her next move was swift and calculated. With steady hands, she picked the lock on the cabin door, finding it easier than breaking into Gildeon’s study.Inside, she search
ARAHShe stepped back quickly. “Please… don’t come any closer,” she muttered, her breath quick and anxious.Gildeon paused mid-step, but his serious expression didn’t waver.This moment took her back to the day she’d woken up after the accident, her mind a blank slate. Gildeon had been the first face she saw. She’d been terrified of him—those reptilian eyes, that stern expression, that imposing posture that made her feel so small and powerless.It felt just like that now, as if she were back in that day, knowing nothing—not a single thing—about the man who claimed to be her husband.Her hand trembled in the air. “These people…” Her voice faltered, barely holding together. “Are you the one doing this to them?”She didn’t know why she still clung to the hope that he might be innocent. Or that if he tried to talk his way out of it—just like he usually did—some part of her might choose to believe him.But Gildeon said nothing, and her heart sank. There was no denial, not even a flicker of
GILDEONHe perched on the back of the chair, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the view outside. Branches swayed, and leaves rustled in the breeze. A few dead ones drifted down, landing on the stone table. The wind had toppled the fruit picker, leaving it sprawled on the ground—a small but telling echo of the stumble in his plans.Arah’s discovery of the supernatural wasn’t something Gildeon had anticipated happening so soon.Now, there was no avoiding it.He glanced at her, still asleep on the couch. Barky lay beneath her, casting cautious looks his way as if he were a threat. He and the dog had never been fond of each other, but when it came to protecting Arah, that was one thing they could agree on.The morning light softened Arah's face. Her disheveled blue hair spilled over the cushion, a few curls stubbornly clinging to her rosy cheeks. He wanted to brush them away but couldn’t risk startling her—not when she could wake up at any second.‘You must've been in shock,’ he thought, noticin
ARAHHer hand stayed wrapped around the knife’s handle, resting on the couch’s armrest. She wanted to believe that Gildeon wouldn’t hurt her—if he had intended to, he would’ve done it already instead of bringing her home unrestrained. But she wasn’t about to lower her guard, not while she was still trying to figure out what he had used to sedate her.Was it the same golden claw from the beastly hand in the video… or from her dream?Her mind was a mess. She needed more time to make sense of it all.“The truth,” Gildeon said, shifting forward and propping his arms on his thighs. “Magic and witches are real. You don’t have to believe it yet—just listen.”This time, she didn’t dismiss the idea right away. She had asked for the truth, so she would hear him out first and decide what to do with it later. Pulling Barky closer, she tangled her fingers in his soft brown fur, thankful for his presence. Having him here made her feel a little m
ARAHShe heard the unmistakable flutter of wings in the distance—heavy, powerful. They sounded too large to belong to the owl.And then she heard something else. A loud, familiar, inhuman heartbeat.Gildeon’s.Her own heart pounding, she rushed out of the house and into the front yard—just in time to see Gildeon land in his beast form. His wings beat the air, whipping gusts of wind against her face. Then, slowly, they began to shrink—until they vanished completely from his back.She had a thousand questions, but they all slipped away the second she met his gaze.She sprinted toward him and threw her arms around his massive form. She didn’t care about the roughness of his hide or the searing steam rising off his scales.“Where did you go? Why did you disappear? I was worried,” she blurted, her voice trembling with emotion. Everything was welling up inside her, and for a moment, she thought she might cry. She only pulled away when the heat between them became too much.“I had to take car
GILDEONHe’d first crossed paths with Sharko during his and Arah’s early weeks on Caylao Island. Back then, he’d been sweeping the place—mapping the terrain, scouting escape routes, tagging danger zones. Getting a feel for the land.That had been when he saw it—a woman being assaulted by Sharko’s men.He hadn’t come to Earthland to play hero. Meddling in human filth hadn’t been part of the plan. But that scene had reminded him of what happened to Nalini. So he’d made an exception. He’d beaten the bastards and saved the girl.A day later, he’d stumbled onto one of Sharko’s operations—human trafficking, on top of drug dealing and whatever other scum-work the gang ran. That was also when he met Donny’s brother and helped free him from their clutches.Gildeon had confronted Sharko directly—broke enough bones to make him piss himself and swear he’d shut down his human trafficking ring and leave helpless women alone. Gildeon had thought the warning had landed.But after what had nearly happ
GILDEONHe still had a few days left in his hibernation. But then he heard Ghulik’s voice. Said bad men were trying to hurt Arah.Sharko’s bad men.That was all it took.He tore out of his cocoon without a second thought.In the past, he might’ve held back, avoided tapping into the rest of his abilities. Not anymore. He’d nearly lost Arah one too many times, and he’d sworn never to restrain himself again. So, he sprouted small-scale wings and flew through the night in his dragon’s mortal form—with Ghulik on his back.As long as Gildeon wasn’t in his full beast form, the island would be safe from his destruction.Not long after, he landed atop a jagged rock outcrop with a clear line of sight to Cora’s house. His dragon eyes locked onto Arah’s flickering blue-green aura in the distance. She stood with Cora, Mabel, and another woman he didn’t recognize, all being questioned by the police.Another unfamiliar woman lay on a stretcher, getting loaded into the back of an ambulance. Body bags
ARAHRoselia hadn’t been able to remove the bullet, but she managed to stop the bleeding, prevent further damage, and numb the pain. Mabel’s friend would still need to be taken to a hospital for proper treatment. Roselia explained that if she tried to heal her using supernatural methods and alter her memory at the same time, it could cause unpredictable side effects.Mabel’s friend had fallen unconscious. They bandaged her wound and gently moved her to the couch. Cora brought over a blanket and draped it over her.“W-What are we going to do with them?” Mabel’s sister asked, staring at the three corpses lying across the living room.Arah handed her a glass of water. “I think it’s better to leave them as they are. The police will take care of it.” She figured the authorities would arrive soon, especially if they believed Sharko’s gang had already finished whatever they came here to do.Thug Number Two would be a problem. He’d definitely run back to Sharko and report what happened. Then
ARAHShe had a narrow window before any sudden movement might make one of the thugs pull the trigger out of pure reflex.Or panic.Before she even realized it was possible, her wind tattoo split into two. One lash coiled tightly around the ankle of the thug who was about to assault Mabel’s sister, dragging him down. He hit the floor face-first with a grunt, arms flailing to catch himself. The other streaked across the room and smacked the gun from the hand of the man holding Cora.Arah bolted down the stairs, snatching the fallen gun mid-run, and aimed the gun at Thug Number One. She’d never held one before and had no real idea how to use it. But she’d seen enough movies to get the general idea.Still, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. To her, manmade weapons felt far more volatile than anything supernatural.She saw Cora grab a coat rack from the corner and swing it hard at the back of Thug Number One’s head. The man let out a stunned grunt, stumbling forward from the blow. He turn
ARAHThug Leader motioned to his men to let the girls go, but then pointed at Mabel, her sister, and the girl who’d offered Arah a cocktail earlier.“Those three, and of course, Cora—they all stay.”He turned back to Arah, sneering, probably waiting for her to object. But she stayed silent. He seemed like the egotistical maniac type. If she pushed him too far, he’d only make things worse.Arah settled for glancing at the girls as they whimpered, shuddered, and ran out of the house.“Don’t you dare snitch, or we’ll come after you,” one of the thugs growled, stepping aside and pointing his gun at each of them as they passed.Arah hated how calm they all looked. Like they weren’t worried at all that the girls might bring help. It said even more about the kind of power Sharko’s gang held over the island.“Now…” Thug Leader lifted her chin with the muzzle of his gun. “You said you’d give me a night I’d never forget?”“I need assurance they won’t be harmed,” she said carefully, nodding towa
ARAHShe stared at the lifeless body of the male stripper, sprawled out across the unfurled cardboard box. Blood seeped from the bullet wound in his back. He’d tried to run after the thug leader warned him not to.And they killed him. Just like that.To scare the hell out of them even more, the thugs had dragged his corpse back into the house—for everyone to see. It looked eerie under the strobe lights.The room was tense. The music was still playing, but one of the thugs had turned the volume down. All the girls were huddled together in the living room, clutching at each other like their lives depended on it. Some were curled up on the couch, the others slumped on the floor with their knees drawn to their chests. Everyone was shaking and crying. No one said a word.Their phones had been taken, so there was no way to call for help—unless, of course, Mabel’s call to the police had gone through.One of the thugs paced behind them, gun in one hand, a slice of strawberry cake in the other
ARAHShe leaned against the chair, staring out at the dark stretch of sea. The waves lapped softly at the shore. Their rhythm tangled with the thump of club music and the high-pitched laughter of girls still partying inside the house.It all felt far away now.After that embarrassing moment in the living room, Cora had pulled her out. She was grateful for the breather.Mate. Bride. Little Rabbit—these words looped in her head like some bad joke.Had she imagined the whole thing? Maybe there was something weird in the cocktail she drank. Or maybe it was Barky’s bite, twisting her thoughts most strangely.Why Zephyr, though? Had she personally known him before? Back in Shamibar?Arah slid her hands down her face and let out a heavy exhale. She couldn’t picture herself ever being close to someone like him. Zephyr was dangerous—she knew that much. And whatever his game was, it didn’t involve good intentions. He wanted to raise an army for goodness sake.Behind her, the back door creaked o
ARAHShe barely recognized Cora’s house. Penis-shaped balloons were scattered everywhere, and strobe lights flashed so intensely they nearly blinded her. The music was so loud it made her ears ring. Good thing Cora lived far enough from the neighbors that no one would care, even if the guests started screaming at each other in the middle of the night.There were probably over a dozen ladies here—her, Mabel, Cora, and a handful of others Arah vaguely remembered from the engagement party.Mabel was dancing near a giant pink gift box wrapped in ribbon, right in the middle of the living room. When she spotted Arah, her eyes lit up.“Arah!” Mabel shouted, turning toward the other side of the room. “Sissy Cora, she’s here!” Then she pranced over, cocktail in hand, wobbling just slightly. Her tiara was crooked, and she adjusted it before leaning in to give Arah a double-cheek kiss.“Hey, quite a party you’ve got going on,” Arah said with a smile, handing over her gift. She glanced at the pin