LOGIN“Do you remember what he looked like?”“It’s all a blur. Sorry.”I nodded slowly, looking around again. I spotted Max on the other side of the yard, returning to his work with a group of other males.“What’s the labor for?” I asked. “Are we building something?”“We think it’s for an army. The stone
Natalia’s POVBy the end of the first hour, my shoulders were burning and my palms had gone from sore to numb. The rock I’d been assigned to break with a heavy pickaxe was dense and black, and I was expected to break it into small pieces, then place them on a large wagon. One of those awful gray thi
A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, bu
Natalia’s POVI jerked awake with a gasp.The red sky was the same as it always was. Max was curled on his side a few feet away, still asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Nothing had moved. Nothing had changed.I pressed my hand flat against the ground and steadied my breathing.The vision
Natalia’s POVThe report came back the following morning. I’d hardly slept that night, which was strange for me; usually, sleep came quickly and efficiently, serving purely as a means to regain my energy for another day of hard work.But last night, I kept tossing and turning. That pull in my chest
“It’s no use!” I heard her voice call after me. “He’s already gone, you stupid bitch! He’s not who you think he is anymore! You’ll all die here!”Her words struck me somewhere deep and painful, but I kept running. We didn’t stop until the hovel was well out of sight. Only then, once we were certain
Natalia & AndreiNataliaI was about to leave, but couldn’t get far before Andrei’s hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. He pulled me back toward him, and I gasped, stumbling against his chest.“What are you doing?” I hissed, my cheeks flushing as he wrapped his arm around my waist and held m
“Damon was good about it. He never made me feel like I was being paranoid or irrational. He just made sure the house was secure and that I felt safe.” I dragged my lower lip through my teeth. “The nightmares stopped eventually, but I still check the locks twice before bed.”“You did what you had to
“This is where you’ll be staying,” he said, opening the door.I stepped inside and immediately felt like I had stepped back in time. Everything was exactly as I’d left it—the pale blue walls, the vanity, even the books on the shelf beside the bed.As I ran my hand along the plush comforter, I couldn
NataliaThe sound of a soft cough pulled me out of sleep. I snapped my eyes open and shot bolt upright, turning to look at Max.A breath of relief escaped me.He was still sleeping and definitely unwell, but he seemed to have improved somewhat overnight. His face had a little more color, and he wasn







