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
“She’s not dead,” Serena hissed, poking her finger into the center of Nellie’s chest. “You were supposed to make sure she was dead. What the fuck happened?”Nellie’s throat bobbed. “I-I don’t know! She was dead when I left her—”“Don’t fucking lie to me.” Serena leaned close to Nellie, partially ext
Elena’s POVThe world was dark again for a little while.I came to on an infirmary bed for the second time that day. It was becoming a little too close to a routine for me, it seemed—blacking out, only to wake up in agony in a hospital cot, blinking up at the bright lights on the ceiling of the infi
“Let’s do it, then.” Samson looked at me. “If you consent to it, of course.”I paused, my throat too tight to speak. All my life, I had assumed my biological father was nothing more than a deadbeat—that he had abandoned my mother, leaving her pregnant and alone, and that he wasn’t worth knowing.But
“Until the time is right?” I pulled my hand away, feeling hot tears beginning to prick at the corners of my eyes. “What if Serena’s intention is to eliminate my child before the wedding? What then? The time is now!”Samson’s face fell. “I know. Trust me—I understand your fears. I’m a father too, you







