LOGINElle.I believe in taking my mind off the bad when things get worse.Itâs a coping mechanism I developed somewhere between childhood and now, born out of simple necessity and the refusal to let dread swallow me whole.I don't always succeed at it but at least I try.Itâs been over a week since Neil escaped, and a lot has changed.Aaron is on edge, well, more on edge than usual, which is saying something. Heâs barely home, and when he is, he isnât really here. It's like he's far away, tending to phone calls, following clues and even though I get why, it doesn't mean I like it.He stays out late almost every night, tracking down leads on Neil and Ivy, and each time he comes back empty-handed the silence between us gets a little heavier. Itâs almost like theyâve disappeared off the face of the planet, which would be a comfort if I didnât know any better.People like them donât just disappear simply because you want them to. They wait. Which is a lot more worrisome.âSomething on your min
ElleLife is absolutely fantastic.No, really I mean it. My husband loves me and I love him. And even better? I told him how I felt and didn't throw up or run away or both.I am on fucking cloud 9 and nothing is going to bring me down. At least thatâs what I thought.Until three days later, when I wake up to find my husband speaking rapidly into the phone, it takes me a while to realise heâs speaking English.He ends the call on a harsh âFind them.â Before tossing his phone back on the bed, he swore harshly in a language I donât understand.âSince when did you know how to speak French?â And why has he never spoken it to me before?He spins around, wild eyes softening as he meets mine.âBaby,â the nickname which usually warms something me from the inside instead today makes my skin prick with worry because thatâs the emotion I see on his face as he looks at me.âWhatâs wrong?â I say, adjusting on the bed so I can cross my legs underneath me.He says nothing, inhaling sharply, while ru
Aaron.*Five years ago*âHe went this way,â one of my pursuers shouts, barking the order for the others to follow. Fortunately for me, they do.Fucking hell.My uncle says something over the earpiece but I can hardly make out the words through the immense throbbing at my side. I clamp my hand over the stab wound at my side, forcing myself to ignore the warm blood slipping between my fingers.Damnit. Iâve been stabbed before, but the memory of a blade piercing through my skin and tissues doesnât live up to the reality of this. This pain slowly consumes me, like Iâm close to the brink of death.I was fairly certain the blade had punctured something important, but since I wasnât particularly good at biology, I couldnât guess exactly what had been hit.Not only was being stabbed rare these days, but it also required me to be stupid enough to let someone get close enough to do the damage, which apparently I was. When I found out the Italians had intercepted our shipments I shouldâve know
Elle.Shit. Fuck. Shit. I didnât want it to come out like that.Aaron stops his exploration, his eyes drifting up to hold my gaze. âYou what?ââI- well, that wasâŚââSay it again.â He rasps breathlessly. He nips lightly at my chin and a low almost desperate whimper slips from my throat. âSay it again.â He repeats when the words fail to be uttered once more. I remain quiet not because I donât want to say the words again, but because a sick part of me liked the desperate twinkle I saw gleaming in his eyes.âPlease, Angel.â He breathes, âDonât make me beg. Iâll do it if thatâs what you want just let me hear you say it again.âMy heart is at the front and centre of a marching band. Heâs bluffing. He canât possibly beg me to say those words again, can he?âDo it then.âFucking hell. I did not just say that.But itâs too late. The words are free and I now have to deal with the consequences of my stupid actions.For a second, the only sound in the room is the heavy, jagged rhythm of our br
ElleâAre you okay?âAaron asks as he lazily drags the rough pads of his fingertips up and down the slope of my shoulder as we lie cuddled together in bed.Ava and Nikolai came to get the kids shortly after we came back from the park and after what turned out to be a surprisingly emotional farewell, itâs just us again. Weâve been like this for the past hour. Talking about literally anything that comes to mind and kissing mid-way through it.I donât know whatâs more frustrating, the fact that he wonât do anything beyond kissing or the fact that I actually donât mind it because at the end of the day kissing him is also amazing.âY-Yeah?â I say but it doesnât sound all that convincing.I havenât told him what happened between my mother and me yet, but I have a feeling he can sense that something is bothering me.His fingers move to cradle my cheek, lightly brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. âAngel, you know you can tell me anything right?ââWhy, because we fucked?â I try to
ElleâIâm sorry.â I glance down at the twelve-year-old sitting beside me on the bench. Her eyes, once locked on her phone screen, are now fixed on me instead.âFor?âWeâre currently at the park. The twins are running around with their uncle and while I was previously part of them I decided to take a second to catch my breath. When I sat next to Kira, I expected her to ignore me the same way sheâs been ignoring me all weekend but she surprised me by actually speaking to me and not just speaking but apologising also.âI havenât exactly been nice to you this weekend.ââReally? I hadnât noticed,â she rolls her eyes but it isnât in the irritated way sheâs fond of.It feels playful somehow.âThe truth is, sometimes I like to be alone. I donât know if my uncle told you but I have a condition where I remember everything. I remember every touch, every sound, every taste and every person Iâve ever met. It gets too much sometimes and I justâŚâ her voice trails like sheâs searching for the right
AaronHere's a fun fact about me,Paperwork is my personal hell.Everyone thinks that just because I'm a mob boss, I don't have to do it, but that is a completely false narrative pushed on by shitty TV shows and The Godfather.The mob is an organised crime syndicate.Emphasis on organised.And like
ElleI'm falling in love with my husband. The realisation hits me as I lie in bed, staring at his features while he's peacefully asleep. I have no idea what the time is or how deep into the night we were, but it's dark both inside and outside, and yet somehow my heart still manages to light up at
Aaron"What do you mean you've already picked a new treasurer?"Elder Peter blinks at me before darting his gaze across every member of the intimate council currently seated at this table as if searching for help.Today makes it thirteen days since the hearing. The intimate council met some time du
Elle"Fuck baby. Faster." Aaron pants in my ear as he moves me up and down on his cock, roughly digging his fingers into my ass.I dive down and seize his lips in a kiss, licking the roof of his mouth before sucking on his tongue with a desperate, hungry fervour that mirrors the frantic pace heâs s







