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Chapter 26: Surrender
publish date:
2026-03-18 03:32:00
Latest chapter
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 28: The Weight of Silence
LILA’S POV The study smelled like old leather and cigar smoke that no one had lit in years. Everyone sat in stiff-backed chairs arranged in a half-circle, like we were waiting for a judge to hand down a sentence. My hands stayed folded in my lap so tightly my knuckles turned white. I kept my eyes on the Persian rug under my feet, counting the tiny repeating patterns so I wouldn’t have to look at anyone.Zane sat beside me. His thigh brushed mine once when he shifted, and I flinched like he’d burned me. Across from us, Ethan leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring holes into my face. Sophia sat next to her parents, spine straight, lips pressed into a thin line. Zane’s father dominated the biggest chair, arms crossed, face carved from stone. Victoria stood behind him, arms folded, watching everything like a hawk. Zane’s mother perched on the edge of her seat, fingers twisting a silk handkerchief into knots.No one spoke for what felt like forever.Then Zane’s father cleare
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 27: No More Games
ZANE’S POV I woke before the sun with Lila still curled against my chest. Her breathing stayed slow and deep. One arm draped across my waist. Her hair fanned over my shoulder like dark silk. The sheet had slipped down to her hips, and I could see every soft curve the morning light painted gold. I didn’t move. I just watched her. Her chest rose and fell, her lashes lay dark against her cheeks and her lips parted slightly.Never in my life had I stayed in bed after sex just to watch someone sleep. I had never cared enough to notice how someone’s face softened when they weren’t fighting the world. With every other woman, it was simple. Fuck. Leave. Forget. But with Lila, the leaving part kept failing. The forgetting part never started.I traced one finger along her bare shoulder. Her skin felt warm and smooth. She sighed in her sleep and shifted closer. My chest tightened in a way that felt dangerous. I told myself it was just good sex. Chemistry. Nothing more. But the lie tasted thin.
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 26: Surrender
LILA’S POV His mouth crashed back over mine the second the last moan left my lips. His tongue plunged deep, sweeping every corner, claiming me, like he’d been starving for days. My hands flew to his shoulders, his nails dug in hard enough to mark skin.He growled into the kiss, low and rough, then shoved me flat against the mattress. His body was heavy, solid, pinning me exactly where he wanted me. His cock, thick, rigid, already leaking, pressed hot and insistent against my stomach. Every tiny shift of my hips smeared precum in sticky trails across my skin.I rocked up shamelessly, chasing that hard length, grinding against him. The friction sent sparks straight to my clit.“Fuck—” he hissed sharp against my mouth, hips jerking forward like he couldn’t help it.He broke the kiss only to drag open, wet lips down the column of my throat. Teeth grazed my pulse point, then bit down, just enough to sting. He sucked hard. The pull was vicious, sweet. It yanked a sharp gasp from me; heat f
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 25: Taken
ZANE’S POV “Let’s get out of here Lila.”Lila shook her head fast, eyes wide and glassy. “I need to finish this.”“You already did.” I held my hand out, my palm up steady. “Come on.”She stared at my palm like it might bite her, like it was a trap she’d fallen into too many times. Ethan let out a wet and ugly laugh behind me. “You really think you can just walk in and take what’s mine?”I didn’t turn, I didn't even glance at him. “She was never yours, uncle.”Lila’s cold and trembling fingers slid into mine. I closed my hand around hers firmly as I pulled her close, I tucked her against my side and walked her out past the shouting. Her father’s voice chased us down the hall calling her ungrateful, calling me a bastard, calling us both every name he could spit. I didn’t slow down, I didn't look back. Outside the cold bit sharply straight through my jacket. Snow swirled thick fat flakes sticking to her damp lashes. I led her to the Rover, opened the passenger door and waited. She cli
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 24: No More Running
LILA’S POV I woke up on Mia’s couch with my mouth tasting like regret and my head pounding like someone took a hammer to it. Sunlight stabbed through the blinds and I groaned as I rolled over. My phone sat on the coffee table buzzing nonstop. Missed calls. Texts. Emails. I rubbed my eyes and grabbed it.Twenty-three missed calls. Eight came from my father. Four came from Ethan. Then the rest came from an unknown number. My stomach twisted tight.I ignored the known numbers and tapped the unknown one. It rang twice before a crisp female voice answered.“Lila Harper? This is Rachel from Pulse Media. We’d like to offer you a position on our investigative team. Full-time staff writer. You’ve got competitive salary benefits, and your start date is flexible. Are you available to discuss?”I sat up so fast the blanket fell off. “Wait, what? Is this some kind of prank?” “No, Ms. Lila. This is real. Are you available to discuss?” Rachel said the word like she was automated. I listened wit
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 23: Quiet Debts
ZANE’S POV I didn’t sleep a single minute after Lila walked away from me outside Rusty’s. I drove home through the snow with my hands shaking on the wheel and her voice still ringing in my ears. “Get the fuck out of my life.” I replayed it over and over until it carved itself into my skull. I parked in the garage and sat there in the dark for almost an hour watching my breath fog the windshield. Every time I tried to close my eyes I saw her face when she slapped me. The hurt. The anger. The way she looked like she meant every word.Morning came slowly and gray. I showered hot enough to scald then dressed in black jeans and a hoodie because I couldn’t stand the idea of anything formal today. I needed to fix what I broke even if she never knew my name was attached to the fix.The first move was Connor’s office. I called him while I drove downtown.He picked up on the second ring. “You’ve not called me in like four months. Did someone die?”“I need a favor,” I said and my voice came ou
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