LOGINZephyr "Heaven help that bastard when I see him." The words tore out of my throat in a suffocating, lethal rasps as my arms locked around Elowen’s trembling frame. She weighed practically nothing in my arms. Her small, delicate head thudded limp against my collarbone, her breath coming in hot, shallow hitches that smelled faintly of bitter wine and chemical trash. Her skin was burning, radiating right through her silk dress and soaking into my bare chest. Panic surged straight through my veins like ice water. I stared down into her small face, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs like a trapped beast. Her blonde hair was tangled across her forehead, her eyelashes fluttering helplessly against her pale skin. I had strictly ordered Gabrielle to carry her straight back home. I had explicitly warned him to lock her inside the apartment, away from this underground hellhole, away from the filthy, degenerate world I kept buried deep beneath the polished surface of my school life
Elowen The air inside the underground club grew thicker with every step I took, turning heavy, humid, and utterly toxic. A sharp, disorienting wave of nausea hit my stomach, making the world tilt violently to the left and then to the right. I stopped in my tracks, my heels feeling slippery against the sticky floor as my surroundings began to blur together. The neon lights flashing overhead in violent bursts of electric blue, hot pink, and lime green bled into long, dizzying streaks of neon paint did nothing but make matters worse. What was happening? I couldn't breathe. The air reeked of stale beer, spilled hard liquor, the pungent, metallic sting of cigarette smoke, and a sweet, chemical odor that made my nostrils burn—drugs. People were sniffing powder off keychains near the walls, exhaling thick grey clouds that hung suspended in the hot air. Was it the smell causing this? Was it the sudden crash of my adrenaline? Or was the entire room just collapsing in on itself? I looked
Elowen "Hey, let's go, let's go!" Gabrielle urged, pulling my attention away as he gestured down a dimly lit staircase. "Hope you come around later so we can party a bit," Anthony called out after me. He reached over to a nearby table, grabbed a red plastic cup filled with dark wine, and shoved it into my hand. I grabbed the cup, raised it to my lips, and took a huge, reckless gulp—desperate to drown out the ridiculous heat flushing my body. The dark alcohol hit the back of my throat like liquid fire, bitter and burning. I pinched my eyebrows together in a deep frown, fighting the urge to spit it out, but I swallowed it down and kept walking down the stairs. Why the hell do people like these? Geez! "I think that's a yes!" Anthony’s voice faded behind us into the pounding bass. "Let's go, let's go!" Gabrielle kept repeating, descending the concrete steps into the basement level. The heavy bass grew louder, vibrating straight through the soles of my feet. When I stepped o
ElowenStanding barefoot on the freezing, pitch-black asphalt, holding a pair of useless designer stilettos in my hand, I gripped my dead phone and let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh. Why had I ever trusted Zephyr Knox? Why had I allowed myself—even for a fraction of a second—to believe that underneath all his sharp edges and arrogant defense mechanisms, there was a decent human being? The mad, unhinged bastard didn't care about me at all. He had literally dumped me on the side of a deserted highway in the middle of the night, totally alone, leaving me completely vulnerable to whatever dark horrors lurked in the night. Ha! So unbelievable. I can't believe this happened to me. What if I'm kidnapped? The thought flared in my chest, making my throat tighten. What if someone drives past, pulls over, and... what if I get raped? The moment the word formed in my mind, an icy, violent shiver shot straight down the entire length of my spine. Suddenly, my vision blurred. Fragment
Elowen In the next minute, I heard a sudden, violent crash of wood splintering against marble shattered the ballroom's refined atmosphere. A heavy, gilded chair tilted violently sideways, slamming into the edge of a table as Zephyr hit it with his arm. The sharp, resounding CLACK echoed high above the hum of the string quartet and the polite chatter of the crowd. Instantly, the music died. Heads turned in unison. Everyone froze mid-sip, their eyes locking onto the tall, dark-suited figure vibrating with raw rage at the side of the hall. Zephyr stood there, his chest heaving under his tailored jacket, staring down at his mother with a glare so terrifyingly hot it could have burned the room to ash. Mirabelle didn't even flinch. She let out a small, delicate sigh, tilting her head with an indulgent, maternal expression that painted her as the picture of infinite patience. "I love you, son," she said, her voice carrying smoothly over the dead silence. Zephyr didn't answer.
Elowen A wave of hesitation rippled through me. How did he even know to target me? Nobody in this room was supposed to know I was connected to the Knox family or anybody in fact—I was just a guest in a silk dress. So what did he call me for? Part of me wanted to shrink back, to stay in my seat and ignore him. But my insatiable curiosity, fueled by the dark, suffocating secrets hanging over the room, won out. I stood up, smoothed down the front of my silk dress, and navigated the edges of the ballroom toward the marble pillar. "You wanted to talk to me," I said, stopping a few feet away from him, keeping my head high despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. The man paused, a faint, surprised glint flashing in his sharp grey eyes before a slow, amused smile spread across his face. "Bold. I like that." I frowned, the casual condescension rubbing me the wrong way. But before I could turn on my heel and walk away, his smile faded into something far more complex. "Poor thing," he
Zephyr In spite of my best intentions to avoid adhering to my mother, here I was in her fucking car on our way to meeting my “new family.” “You could at least try not to look like a fucking criminal for one day.” My mother’s voice sliced through the car like broken glass. I kept my eyes on
Elowen"I don't do virgins, blondie." It had been nine solid months since that night, and yet the embarrassment still lingered heavily in my chest whenever I remembered the events that occurred. “I want to hold another party, in celebration of you getting into Whitmore College!” Isa shrieked thr
ElowenI didn’t even have the luxury to react before his hot mouth came down on mine. My eyes widened. How did things get to this point?In the next second, my back was pressed against the cold wall as his tall, muscular frame trapped me.I tried to push him away, but his grip on my neck tightened.
ElowenThe stupid thing was that I could still hear the annoying sound of his laughter five minutes later. In my head.I pushed through a crowd of dancing people and headed straight for the kitchen.My face was still burning. No. Burning wasn’t the right word. I was mortified. I grabbed the first







