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
Kade blinked. He recalled receiving the invitation, but he had ignored it, just as he did every year. He hadn’t attended a single one of those balls since the one he attended in Nightshade seven years ago. He didn’t want to run into Samson or Tyler, and besides, he never really enjoyed them anyway.
Elena’s POVI wound up selecting a dress I already had in my closet. It was one of my favorites, actually—a simple and understated yet elegant piece that I had purchased for my twenty-third birthday party several years back. I always liked how it fit me, and I had filled out a little over the last f
My mouth dropped open. I wasn’t expecting Natasha to confess to something like that. Was she just covering up for Beth for some reason? Or was she afraid that I might finally tell my father about what happened all those weeks ago if she didn’t end this now?“Natasha?” My father frowned. “It was you
Kade looked at me, but I smiled and touched Harrison’s arm, making the healer jolt a little at the contact. “It’s alright. There’s a lot going on here tonight. Maybe we can talk somewhere private.”“I’ll come with you,” Kade said immediately.I glanced up at him and saw that look in his eyes again.







