Chapter two

Annie’s POV

The evening came in with him, a little bit of chill mixed with the warmth inside my bedroom. But as usual, he never came in, his silver strands visible through the crack. 

"I thought you wouldn't make it," I breathed, standing at the door of my bathroom, too conscious of the fact that I wore a robe with nothing underneath it.

He shrugged lazily, and nothing in his dark eyes changed. "I took a little break from the warriors."

"I heard there was a breach." Unconsciously, I moved closer to him, like a moth to flame. "How are things going out there?"

“Threat of a breach,” he corrected. He’d opened the door a little wider, leaning on the frame. “We found nothing, but just to be certain, we’ll stay out there.”

“Do you need…”

“I’ve got company, Annie,” he interrupted quickly, throwing his head over his shoulders for a fraction of a second. But I caught it. How could I miss it when every part of me was attuned to him? “I’ve got to go.”

And then, the rose appeared from behind. He stretched out a hand to me, angling his head. His hair grazed the under of his ears softly, even if there was nothing soft about the Enforcer of the Blue Moon Pack. 

I moved forward again, taking the slender stem from him. My hands shook, and I tried to cover it up with laughter, but I doubted Daemon cared. He never had. 

“Happy birthday, kiddo.”

There it was again. The constant reminder that I was just a kid while he was way older than me. His hand reached out to ruffle my hair, and I tried to dance away from his reach. 

“I am not a kid, Daemon. I am sixteen.”

“Still a kid,” he murmured. “I think your father would think the same.”

“You are not my father.”

“Doesn’t matter, kiddo.”

“I….”

“Hey,” someone with a whistle for a breath said from behind him. Daemon seemed to think twice about it before moving out of the way. She was pretty, in a way I didn’t think I would ever be. The dress hugged every inch of her, revealing soft curves. 

Her eyes were brown in a way that would make anyone melt. And then her hair, as red and fierce as the flames that burned away on my candles.

The kind of woman Daemon loved. 

“Hi,” I responded in a clipped tone, again conscious of my robe, but not in the way I was with Daemon. If I had known he wasn’t alone, I would have changed into something more… appropriate. 

“Happy birthday, Annie,” she continued, clueless that the expression on my face had dropped. “I have heard so much about you from the girls in the pack. It is a pleasure meeting you.”

“You don’t live in the pack?”

She shook her head. “I moved in to live with my aunt just a few weeks ago. And Daemon here has been kind enough to show me around and get me versed with the customs around here.”

And his bed, of course. But I wasn’t going to say that. It was very obvious. Daemon’s eyes and mine met in that instant, my green mixing perfectly with his darkness. He swallowed. His throat bobbed. 

Then, he pulled her flush against him, wrapping a hand around her neck. “Goodnight then, kiddo. And happy birthday again.”

Something squeezed in my chest, and I resisted the urge to lean forward from the pain. "I didn't catch your name."

“Serena,” she murmured. “Serena Adams.”

“It was nice meeting you, Serena.”

I didn't wait for a response before closing the door. My father said no matter the situation, it was rude not to make people feel welcome. I wondered if my mother would have had the same opinion, but I never met her. 

My father told me she died while giving birth to me. 

I thought about tossing the rose out through the window, but I couldn't bring myself to. So, instead, I placed it gingerly in the slender vase I'd prepared for it earlier, before changing out of the robe into a nightdress.

Remembering to turn off the candles, my bare foot padded to the side of my huge bed before throwing myself into it, allowing the darkness to dance around me. 

I didn't want to think about the activities of the day and how I was expected to participate fully as the celebrant, even though all I wanted to do was remain here, wallowing in self-pity. 

Pulling the quilt over my body, I allowed my eyes to flutter closed. In the darkness, I saw her face. Serena. Her arm was wrapped around Daemon, and he leaned into her ear to whisper something. She laughed, her sing-song voice dancing in the air. 

And Daemon laughed too.

“Really, Annie?” I whispered to myself, turning the other way. I forced their faces out of my mind, clenching my eyes shut tight. 

I didn't know how long I did that for. I didn't know at what point I fell asleep. All that I knew was that suddenly, there was fire everywhere.

I was standing in the hallway, barefoot and scared. The smoke reached me. It stung my eyes so bad. I couldn’t blink it away, no matter the amount of tears that billowed down my face. 

Someone called my name in the distance, loud and insistent, but I couldn't move. My feet were pinned to the ground. A part of the pack house collapsed, the sound echoing through the walls. A scream escaped my lips.

And in that split second, it felt like the fire had gotten worse. But someone held me on my shoulders, pulling me out. I thrashed about the person, my hands flailing out around me. 

“No!” I screamed, even though I had no idea why I was refusing to go. “No! I can’t! No!”

“It’s fine, Annie,” the familiar voice whispered, hands on my hair, still pulling. “You are fine.”

My eyes jerked open sudden

ly, and she was there, sitting next to me.