Masuk“Grieving.”Ivy blinked. “What does that mean?”“It’s… What I did for your mom.” His throat tightened. “What I did for you for a while, too.”“That doesn’t really make sense.”“It won’t,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. This time, she didn’t flinch away, which came as a relief. “Not until
Kade’s POVKade, Tyler, and the others didn’t return to Nightshade for two days after they left Elena behind.Each step of the way, Kade considered turning back for her. Multiple times, he had considered marching back there and scooping her up into his arms and forcing her to return with him, even k
Eventually, the floor was as clean as it would get given the circumstances. I dumped the muddy-looking water out into the pond, then scrubbed my hands, arms, and face in the sink.Exhaustion took over me by then. I flopped onto the rickety cot without thinking twice and slept.When I woke the next m
Elena’s POVI must have sat in that spot on the porch for hours. Hell, it could have been days, and I might not have even noticed.The passage of time lost all meaning. The sun rose, turning the swamp hot and fetid with the scents of still water and rotting wood. The sun reached its zenith and the f
Kade walked up to her. He didn’t sit. He got the sense that she didn’t want that. Instead, he just let her stare at Ivy. Then down at her hands. Then at Ivy again.“It’s not your fault,” he said after a long moment.Elena didn’t answer. She just blinked, then looked back out over the swamp.Just the
Kade’s POVThe shack was quiet except for Nellie, who was making a small, whimpering sound from her chair. Kade looked at her once, then looked away.Wordlessly, Elena crossed the room and dropped to her knees beside Lana. She gathered her up, both arms pulling her close, and rocked her friend back
Perhaps she had come here to get pregnant with a strong baby before her marriage to Tyler.Kade hated the way his chest ached at the thought.“My, you really do like her,” Ghost chortled.“That’s enough. I don’t like her. I’m simply concerned about a scheming woman using my seed to produce a bastard
Elena’s POVThe documents proved to be so much more enlightening than I ever could have hoped. They confirmed everything that I had prayed for, everything that I wanted.My heart pounded as I pored over them, curled up beneath my blankets. Everything was there—my labor, my death, my baby.My baby wa
Elena’s POVI woke the next morning with a cramp in my stomach. A gasp ripped out of me when I felt wetness between my thighs, and I threw the covers aside to reveal that I had gotten my period in the middle of the night and bled on the sheets.The door flung open before I could stop it. My guard, h
Kade’s jaw feathered. Serena sat up a little straighter. “That’s private business,” she hissed.“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just curious, that’s all.” I popped a piece of steak into my mouth and spoke around it. “I assumed you and your twin were close, so it must be hard for you to replace her like this.”







