FAYE We're back at the glasshouse the next day and I can tell that something is different with Nathan. He seemed less attentive and his face had lost all warmth. He didn't give me any soft smirks, nor did we talk much on our drive back to the house. Something happened while he was out the other day, I could tell. I wanted his attention and his touch badly. I needed some sort of assurance. After I'd seen that picture frame, my whole mind was in turmoil. Nathan didn't wear any ring on his hand, and maybe that meant he wasn't married anymore. Despite that, I realized how little I know about him. The pain I'd felt when I'd seen that picture frame. My chest hurts just remembering it. I love him, and yet I don't know him. In fact, if I thought hard about it, I only knew his name and now, I knew he was married before. I sat up on the bed as Nathan emerged from the bathroom. "There's an award ceremony tomorrow night. It's supposed to be an honorary event." I nodded, listening to wha
FAYE The portrait of the black rose hanging in Nathan's study was not nothing. It was definitely not for mere aesthetics. The black rose was the black saints symbol. I tried to shake off everything, but my head was pounding and I still couldn't breathe properly. The air in here was stifling. I stood up on watery legs, turning to go get some fresh air outside. I heard Lannon ask something, but I ignored his questions as I walked shakily out of the large hall. Immediately I stepped outside, I took In a burst of fresh air, my throats clearing up as I swallowed. I immediately felt better, out in the open area. The number of reporters had reduced. They were probably inside now, making sure they didn't miss any juicy moment. I walked towards the parking lot, wanting the privacy the cars would give by shielding my form. I stood in between a couple of them, not daring to lean against one, before it would start to horn loudly in warning. I breathed in deeply for a few more minute
FAYE"It's always a pleasure helping old friends, Joseph."My brain dulled down to a slow whir. After years of being called dumb by my father and his little family, I was finally considering that I really must be dumb.I stared stupidly at the both of them. Trying to make sense of what was going on.What the hell was going on here?A disgusting grin spread across my father's face as he nodded."In the future, I hope we can continue to work together, Joseph. And if you're ever in a bind," he paused, chuckling without a trace of humor, " reach out to me. I'll certainly help in any way that I can."I was work? "And the girl? What will you do with her?" He asked again, and I sagged like a limp noodle in my father's grip, my wails growing louder. He was supposed to save me. He was supposed to shield me from my father. That's what he promised me. "For the troubles, I'll have to punish her. Such willful disobedience and lack of respect are what I hate. She is everything I detest and abho
NATHANI watched Rhea from across the table as she made more flirty remarks, all but naked in her deep plunging neckline dress. I sat back, expressing interest in whatever the heck she was saying. I needed her to keep talking. Which she did. A lot of endless chatter. And not once did she let slip what I needed her to. Rhea worked as a bar attendant just for the fun of it at night. Her father was a highly respected councilman, but she'd never taken to any other means of earning a living. She lived off a plush trust fund, and worked at the underground bar, Phantasm, where our kind hung out, mostly for the free drinks.The bar was a playground for creatures of the night. And it was one of the special ones. You only got in with special access. Our investigations on Jordan's death had yielded the tiniest bit of information. Some witches had messed with the packs around. Newly turned wolves precisely. I hadn't cared when I'd heard witches were causing trouble for the other packs, but
FAYEI drifted in and out of consciousness. My entire body burned with the pain. My ribs ached when I coughed. The blood had caked around my nose, making it harder to breathe. I lay in the little cell in the basement, the chill of the cold hard floor slowly seeping into my bones. I drifted off again. The next time I woke up, I saw I had received a bit of medical attention. My breathing harder because a bandage was wrapped tightly around my chest. The coppery taste of blood in my mouth abated. My ribs still ached. Maybe they didn't want me to die yet. Surely they'd make my death more painful. My eyelids slipped close, weighed down by exhaustion and pain. Something woke me up the third time. A dark presence looming over me. My eyes slid open. I blinked, getting used to the small sliver of light from under the doorway. I looked up at the shadow, staring right into the eyes of the man I loved.His hands hung carelessly over the bars holding me in, gaze dark and grim, he stared down at
FAYEI remained in the dark, damp cell. Time becoming blurred in my mind. Nights blended into mornings and mornings blended into nights. I had no idea how long I'd been there. My eyes became used to the dark and my stepmother brought me a bucket to used to relieve myself. I had to live with the stench of the uncovered bucket after. Still, I was grateful I didn't have to do it on the floor next to me. I became used to the darkness. I'd always known the darkness. It seemed I would always belong to it. I hadn't had a bath in days and all they ever brought me to eat was bread and water. I ate that with gratitude. They hadn't forgotten someone was down here. I shimmied closer to the bars of the cell, hoping to get away from the smell. It didn't make it any better.The basement door drew open, filling the place with a burst of fresh air. I breathed in deeply, thankfully, even if it was just that one breath of fresh air I got to take. I didn't have the energy to check who it was. So I j
NATHANI got out of the sedan we'd come in, walking with Lannon to the front doors of the club where we went to find more clues on Rhea was busy.The music blasting from the speakers shook the ground beneath our feet as I walked through the crowded space. The lights flickered across my face as I moved forward, paths clearing up infront of me as I made my way to the bar. Lannon right beside me. It was late, way past midnight, when people started getting together and getting drunk, which is why I was sure we'd finally get some answers. It had been three days since Rhea went missing. Tip after tip, we had worked at finding out where she was, or who took her. All of our efforts had proved to be in vain. This was our second time now returning to the club to ask around if anyone had heard any updates on Rhea or the witches. I let Lannon do the talking with the barman. We wanted to get into Phantasm, which operated underground, beneath the club. Since the bar was for the supernatural, it
FAYEI must have paled a little as I stared at the black rose. The first time I'd seen it, I'd thought it was because of the trauma to my head. That cursed day when I met Nathan.Now I knew for sure that I truly hadn't been seeing things.The burly man headed towards the front doors, climbing the stairs leading up to the foyer two at a time. He motioned for me to follow. Obviously not a man of many words. The huge double doors leading into the mansion opened, and I shuffled inside, holding my arms to my sides. The chatter and conversation paused as I stepped into the crowded living room. I put my head down, suddenly looking at the intricate designs of the mocha wood flooring. This was his pack grounds. I could tell from the large amount of werewolves milling around.Why was everyone looking at me like that?I looked up at the expression of one of the female werewolf. Pity. That was what I saw in her first expression. Then it shifted to nonchalance. In a thought she had decided she