Walking down the stairs into the foyer took longer than it should because of the magnificent decor of the house. Lola and Melissa were looking around, leaning their heads far back to see the ceiling, which had hand-painted linings and creatures in beautiful contrast to the house’s colors.In the middle, right by where the giant bubble lamp hung, was a full moon, and from the right was a dark crescent moon overlapping.“That’s beautiful,” Lola said and gawked at the art.On the walls were portraits, paintings, and masks that looked old but were perfectly preserved.The foyer was narrow and opened up into the living room on the right. As they walked in, they saw the kitchen connecting by the far-end wall with an island that subtly separated the two areas.
Melissa grabbed the blankets from her bed, took two pillows, and grabbed her favorite pink PJs before running into the kitchen and opening the cabinets. She and Lola raided the fridge of cake, the freezer for all the ice cream they could find, and the pantry for cookies, chips, and every other cavity-inducing goodie.They took it all into the movie room and locked the door so that Melissa’s parents wouldn’t disturb them. They giggled as they laid the cushions underneath and put the blankets on top, creating their own fortress.“God, I love that you’re in my life,” Melissa said with a sigh as they grabbed all the snacks and put them between them on the makeshift bed.Lola smiled. A little laugh tumbled from her, and she looked with adoration at Melissa.“I am too, Mell,&rdqu
Melissa groaned and turned in the bed. Lola was wide awake. She sat with a cup of coffee in her hands and thought about her dream. It was one of the memories she hoped to be buried, but for some reason, they continued pushing their way up to the surface whenever she slept.That was the night that everything changed, but something else was familiar about it, something that correlated to her life right now. Still, she couldn’t put her finger on what it was and didn’t want to pry too much into the past.“You’re up?” Melissa groaned.Lola handed her the other cup of coffee and smiled.“I am. How’d you sleep?” Lola asked.“Not sure, I had a weird dream again,” she said.“Was i
His big frame cast a shadow on the floor. The lamp behind him was the only source of light in the small studio apartment.“Jax, what are you doing here?” she stammered, trying to keep her confidence. However, it was hard when a man she barely knew sat waiting in her apartment in the dark.“What happened that night when I found you?” His voice was cold and calculating.He held the knife’s handle in his hand and turned it clockwise on his way over the floorboards.“What happened, Lola?” he repeated when Lola didn’t answer.She didn’t remain silent out of spite. She was simply too stunned to speak. Fear was creeping up her body. Her senses were telling her to run.Could she leave this l
Lola stood pressed against the wall. Her body was frozen in fear, and her memories played in her mind. She shouldn’t have stayed. That night would be the beginning of the end for her. She should’ve run.Her chest rose with each deep breath she took. The two guys towered over her, waiting to hear what she had to say.“Lola,” he said her name so gently. “Please, tell me what happened that night.”She swallowed and looked into his capturing eyes, avoiding the guy standing next to him. She counted: one, two, three.“Melissa was bitten,” she said. Lola giggled. It rose from her throat and exited her lips before she could stop it. The giggles turned to laughs, and then her head flew back as the laughter peeled out of her. “She was bitten,” she laughed. &ld
“Is it done?” They stood in the library. Walls covered in shelves with all the books of generations gathered in one place. Two floors with a grand staircase led you up closer to the painted ceiling. Jax grabbed hold of the step on the ladder on which he swung around, playing as a child. “Not exactly,” Jax said through clenched teeth. He turned around and faced their judgmental gazes. “If you want to take over the title, to rule this pack and become Alpha, then you must take a wife. You will be taking over not only our pack but the businesses, Jax, and you know the board wants someone stable.” Jax scoffed. They wanted someone who wouldn’t go around fooling around with different women, partying, and bringing shame over the family name. “She’s here, isn’t she?” he spat. “Listen, son, you were fortunate enough to find her, to find your mate, and the fact that she is human could work in our favor.” Jax shook his head in disbelief. “Not everything is about gain, Father.” His dad walk
Lola was gasping for air. Even though the room was massive, the windows were open, and nothing was lodged in her throat, she still couldn’t seem to catch a breath. It was as though an invisible hand was wrapped around her throat, squeezing it tighter until black dots formed in her vision. “Lola!” She saw through her blurry vision how Ash stumbled back. Someone came up in front of her. He held her shoulders and slowly sat down on the floor with her. “Breathe!” He dragged his fingers through her hair, pinning her head back as he tried to see her face. Her face was turning red from lack of oxygen. “For fuck’s sake, Lola, you need to breathe!” “Should I not have told her? Whoops!” Ash laughed, walking to the table. “Look at me. You’re okay. You’re not dying. You can breathe. Feel the air, Lola.” He moved her hair away and lifted her face. “Feel the air going in your nose, down your windpipe, and feel your lungs expanding. Don’t think about anything other than the next step of the ne
Thrust into a world that humans weren’t supposed to know about, Lola got swept up in the stories being told, from vampires to werewolves to mystical creatures and witches. Magic and supernatural beings are all roaming the earth alongside humans. She had read about them in books and seen them on TV. To think they were real hadn’t crossed her mind until that night when her whole life flipped upside down. *** The car turned off. The driver stepped out. Her father pulled Lola out from the backseat. He was shaking, sweating furiously as he walked her to the men. “This is Lola, my daughter.” Her father’s voice trembled in fear. “Lola, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Come on inside.” The blonde man reached out his pale hand to her. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t safe, but the woods stretched for miles, and the road leading up to the house was long and extremely uneven. She couldn’t run. She wouldn’t make it far. Lola stepped inside the house, her eyes catching the crackling fire and the man