LOGINThe man's easy, familiar manner eased Clara's nerves, but she didn't accept what he offered. "I'm not hungry."He shrugged and tore the packet open himself.Whatever was inside crunched loudly and cleanly, the sound carrying through the empty night air. He might as well have been doing it on purpose, showing her there was nothing in the bag that would kill her.Clara felt warmth creep into her face, but she kept her composure. Her stomach, however, had no such restraint. It announced itself with a low, unmistakable growl.She caught it just in time. Pressing a hand against her abdomen, she drew a slow breath and managed not to look any more embarrassed than she already did."You eat with your gloves on?" she asked, if only to fill the silence.She had noticed how odd it was. Most people would take off at least one glove before eating. These were not disposable gloves, either. Meanwhile, he was eating something that left crumbs."Me?" The man held out his hand. "My hand's injured
The second option was beneath the elevated highway overpass. It was sheltered from the wind and warm enough to sleep through the night.The downside was the traffic. The constant roar of engines made it difficult to get any real sleep.The third option was the subway corridor. It sounded reasonable in theory, except the trains started early and ran late. Security would either move you along before you had enough rest or wake you at the crack of dawn.Then again, anyone reduced to sleeping in places like that was probably beyond caring about losing an hour here or there.Clara tightened her stomach and kept going. She reached her destination just before her legs threatened to give out beneath her.She stepped into Apricot Park. The open ground ahead was already dotted with tents. They didn't belong to campers. They belonged to people with nowhere else to go.The difference was obvious at a glance. The street sleepers' tents were small, dark, and dulled by layers of grime, pitched
Clara stepped out of the family villa into the darkness. She had no idea that Amara had decided to stay. All she knew was that her sister had changed completely.The woman Clara had grown up with had always been stubborn, but she had still known the difference between right and wrong.Now? After everything Jason had said and done, Amara had stood by his side and defended him.Clara couldn't stomach it. She would rather wander the streets than return to a room she had to share with someone like that, even if that someone was her own sister.Living beside a person who had lost all sense of right and wrong would slowly wear her down until there was nothing left.A clean break was better than a slow decay.Still, courage fueled by anger only lasted so long. Once she was out on the street, reality settled over her. She was worse off than the day they had all been forced out of the villa. At least, they had still had each other then.Now she had a few crumpled bills in her pocket, bar
Hilda looked as though she had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and red. "Diana, you're back!"On the way home, Diana had been wondering how she was going to explain everything to the others. Now she did not have to."Here, come sit down." Without another word, Giana pulled Diana aside and guided her to the edge of the bed. She remained silent for a long moment, simply sitting beside her as she let out a long, slow breath.Diana looked from one sister to the other, completely bewildered. She had never been the one to make decisions in the family. She simply went along with whatever the others decided.Even with Irene, the youngest, she usually deferred to Irene's judgment instead of insisting on her own. It wasn't because she was overly accommodating. She simply didn't have strong opinions.She was perfectly capable of handling everyday life, but if someone asked her for a thoughtful perspective, they might as well have asked her to bleed.So when everyone sat in silence withou
Oscar tried what had worked the first time. He attempted to disperse the vitalis and force the transformed arm back to normal.But he could only disperse the vitalis flowing through the rest of his body. The arm was attached to him. It had grown from his shoulder, yet it had become something entirely separate.It was a self-contained system. No matter what he tried, the vitalis inside the arm wouldn't respond to him. It circulated within its own boundaries and ignored every attempt he made to control it.Simply put, when only his fingers had changed, dispersing his vitalis had been enough to restore them.But the arm had finished becoming what it was meant to be. It had developed its own interior, its own contained world. Something had taken root within it and claimed it as its own.Oscar had lost jurisdiction over it.He sat for a long time with a knife in his hand, staring at the point where the arm joined the rest of his body.His body felt strong now. That strength came enti
"Yes!"The answer came at once, but their bodies refused to obey. Their legs felt like lead, and their arms hung limp at their sides.Stanley came through the door at that exact moment. He stumbled on the threshold and nearly lost his footing.But he was Boreas' personal guard. He caught himself after two unsteady steps, then stared at Oscar with undisguised alarm. "Mr. Stone!"Was this what the man was truly capable of?"Destroy the wall markings." Oscar's voice was low and steady again, but this time his gaze settled on Stanley."Yes!" Stanley didn't hesitate. He rushed forward and began scraping away the glowing points on the wall, one after another.With every point that disappeared, Oscar felt the invisible restraint weaken. Control returned to his body little by little.By the time Stanley had erased every point and every line, the paralysis released him completely, and the crushing pressure vanished.Stanley hurried back to his side, visibly shaken. "Mr. Stone, what jus
Those were sneakers. They were clean, but no amount of care could hide what time had done to them.The fabric had yellowed. No one important walked into a place like this wearing shoes like that. They would be laughed out of the room.And yet something about them felt familiar. Where had she seen
Red Hawk's eyes filled with tears. "I know, I know. I'll get the best doctor here right away."How long had Rebecca even known Oscar? How long had she herself stood by his side?All she knew was that even back then, he already stood at the top of Silverton. He was the person she admired most in th
Black storm clouds pressed low over the Percham District.Beneath them, narrow lanes packed tight with men in black jackets and trousers stretched into the distance, cold steel gripped in their hands.Rain struck the blades, and each metallic ring sliced through the night like a warning."Shut th
"That little bastard," Bella snapped as soon as she stepped through the door. "He's gotten real bold."She tossed her umbrella onto the floor and dropped onto the sofa, her cheeks still tight with anger.Amara entered with a cup of coffee, stirring it in slow, steady circles.The other sisters dr







