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
Andrei and Lilith were already seated in the living room when I arrived. Andrei was wearing a crisp white button-down shirt that made his tan skin look even darker, while Lilith was dressed in a sleek golden slip dress that matched her eyes—eyes that followed me like a hawk as I entered the room.“S
Natalia“Tug of war?” Damon asked, tilting his head.Lilith nodded vehemently. “It’s my favorite game, so I’d like to be the one to organize it.”Damon and I exchanged a glance, and I shrugged. I wasn’t entirely sure why Lilith seemed so interested in hosting the tug-of-war, because I had certainly
I cracked open the bedroom door and peered out. The hallway was empty. Good.I slipped out of the room and hurried down the corridor. I kept my head down, not allowing myself to look at the familiar artwork on the walls or the doors that led to rooms I’d once known intimately.I was so focused on th
NataliaAndrei was close.Too close.He didn’t move. Just stared down at me, his chest rising and falling rapidly. I could feel every hard inch of him against me, including the growing bulge in his pants that was now pressed firmly against my core.And what made it even worse was that I didn’t want







