Elara’s POVLucas slid next to me, his hand curling into a fist. "Don't try negotiating with him, Elara." I wrote him off as neglected. "What are your preferences?" Looking at me, the shooter assessed. " you." But I would be content with an exchange. Lucas started to tighten. " Oversaw my dead body." The guy shrugged and said, "That is something one can arrange." Down my back slipped a shudder. This was really bad. really horrible. Lucas suffered, and I had no clue how we may come out of this. "Let's make this simple," the guy remarked, seeming almost relaxed. "I let your little Alpha guy live; you come with me, nice and easy." I stumbled. "no." "Yes," Lucas answered at the same moment. Widening my eyes, I turned to him. "Are you insane?!"?" Lucas grabbed my wrist, his grip firm despite his injuries. "Elara, I am not letting you go with him." Nor am I letting you die! I turned aside. Lucas's jaw clenched, frustration blazing in grey eyes. "I would sooner die
Elara's POVHe approaches quite closer; his presence is overpowering and for a time I am not sure where I am. Say it, he says, his voice a raspy scream. Say you also think it excessive. "I—my words twisted in the tempest of my feelings," I begin. "I'm not going to give in to you." His smile spreads dark and lethal. "You already possess, Elara." The air buzzes with electricity between us. More than I would care to say, this magnetic pull terrills me as it is unlike anything I have ever known. I have tried to forget his touch, but as his hand brushes across mine once more I cannot ignore it. Though it's a lie, my voice trembles and I say, "I hate you." I have no negative feelings towards him. Not sure even what to classify it under. It's far worse; it makes me feel both broken all at once and alive too. "You don't," he whispers softly, walking towards till not even an inch divides us. His breath is warm on my skin; I cannot stop the tremble down my spine. But you will.
Elara’s POVGideon's eyes soften briefly before his jaw closes with intense frustration. "I'm not here to boss you, Elara. Said another way, you should be careful. To genuinely be oneself once more. But suppose I no longer know my own self? Whispers, with my voice hardly heard. I fought them back, but I could feel tears beckoning to drop. "What if I am not the person I used to be?" Everything moves fast as the door smashes open with great power. The atmosphere of the room changes; black and terrible energy fills all around us. Deep down, I know this is the peril I have been sensing—something worse than I have ever experienced—but I cannot plainly see a shadow spanning the entrance. Gideon's hand immediately reaches my side; his body is orienting to cover me. Lucas remains still, his gaze fixed on the man almost within the threshold. Lucas answers, his voice low and hateful. "You'm too late." "She's mine." The man moves completely inside the room, the dim light highligh
Elara’s POVThe quiet bursts with a fantastic smash from the far side of the room. Ground vibrations cause the walls to vibrate. Then I get an alien presence darker beyond anything I have ever known. "What the hell was that??" I gasp, heart pounding faster. Gideon's voice tight with haste adds, "It's not just us." This area also has another quality. Really dangerous. Once more the lights flutter, creating lengthy shadows on the walls before I can react. The corridor echoes slow, cautious steps. And they are approaching really closely. The face of Lucas gets hard. "You consider this to be safe, Elara? You have just entered a battlefield. I stare at Gideon, but I am unable to speak. I am not compelled. The space seems too little, too oppressive. I had to get outside. But anywhere? All of a sudden, activity flashes across. A person standing in the gateway. Though it's too dark and too quick for me to see, it's there. And it is approaching as well. Gideon stands in fr
Elara’s POVI shake my head trying to keep a cool head. Not yours is what I mean. Here I am a special person. I choose my own road. " Do you? " He approaches, his eyes never straying from mine. Why would you then be running back to me? You see it, do you not? Our relationship is quite strong. Frustration bubbling up, I hold my hands at my sides. "I won't be any pawn in your game going forward." Gideon's body presses into mine while he grabs me tighter. Still, I can sense the fire; his raw strength flowing from his arms is still something indistinct. Something I'm unsure of. Gideon adds silently, his voice a loud growl: "You don't have to be a pawn, Elara." One never needs to be. Lucas's words and presence are like a lifeline I'm clinging on, even as his influence pulls me away. I truly feel it, though. the draw, they want to see Lucas. To surrender to the anarchy he advocates. Something dangerous and careless has always drawn me to him. And still awake and living
Elara’s POVBella, my voice higher than I would have wanted, I say, "I don't care about destiny," but it's not enough to cover the underlying dread. "I want to survive." The silence that follows is dense, loaded with unsaid messages, and I find—I'm not sure what I want either anymore. I know I cannot let her distance us. Heart tired, I look to Gideon. "What would follow from her being right? Suppose I'm not strong enough for this? He looks at me, his face softening just a bit, and at that moment I can practically see the child I used to know behind the hardness of the man he has grown to be. His palm poised for mine he says, "You're stronger than you think, Elara." Though it offers a moment of comfort, his soft touch has little effect on quieting the rage seething inside me. I want to truly believe him. I have a natural belief in him. Still, Bella's words remain with me and make breathing harder. She is accurate in one sphere alone. I cannot sprint straight ahead from h