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
NataliaThe forest air was cool against my skin, a light breeze rustling through the leaves overhead. Andrei and I had been hiking in silence for some time now, but it was an unexpectedly comfortable sort of silence.The kind of silence we’d never experienced before.Last time we did this, tensions
NataliaWith a quiet groan, our morning of passion cut short, Andrei and I untangled from one another and quickly dressed. I could practically feel his smirk burning into the back of my head as I pulled my robe around myself and hurried over to the door, although there was something else in that sta
Natalia & AndreiNatalia“We can play whatever you want,” Andrei said, already heading toward a cabinet in the corner of the dining room. He opened the cupboard door and pulled out a stack of various brand-new-looking board games, which made my brows shoot up in surprise.“Since when do you keep boa
NataliaMax looked so much better as he blew out his six candles. The sight of him grinning as everyone sang happy birthday made everything feel alright. Whatever Andrei had done upstairs, it had clearly worked.“Did you make a wish?” Jane asked, bouncing beside her brother. Her mouth was already wa







