LOGIN“They just moved here last week.”“Wow, you didn’t waste anytime,” Erika laughs. “At least give us local girls a chance. There’s not many single men our age around here, and you’ve somehow managed to bag four of them. You have to tell me your secret.”“Actually, I knew Leo and Jake before I came her
** Poppy’s POV **“All four?” Erika tries to whisper, but it comes out more like a hiss.“Keep your voice down,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to check we haven’t gained the attention of the entire shop before turning back to her.She stares at me, blinking slowly. “Poppy. Four?”I blow out a bre
“Are you okay?” he asks.“Yeah.” She nods. “It’s strange being back.”Alaric peers through the window. “Crazy coffee girl has returned.”Poppy snorts a laugh.“Are we going inside? Or just standing here, drawing attention to ourselves?” Mason asks, his eyes scanning the street.Poppy nods and pushes
** Leo’s POV **The village is quiet. The sun shines over the street, reflecting off the windows, leaving patches of gold on the cobbled road. It’s very similar to the one on the edge of Phoenix, actually. Maybe slightly more modern, with a mix of old and new shopfronts. People walk slowly, stopping
“Nope, that’s why I was coming here. I was going to ask to borrow a quad.” I narrow my eyes at her. I don’t believe her for a second.Poppy shuffles closer to me, keeping a small distance between us. I look down at her. She’s smiling that smile again. The one that makes me agree to things that I’d
** Bastian’s POV **The mind-link is silent for a moment. Then Leo speaks.“Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Bastian?”“Very funny.”“I’m being serious. Is she holding you hostage up there? Blink twice if you need help.”“Leo, shut up,” Alaric says. “We can’t even see him, so how wo
The absence shifts and my head snaps toward the treeline, the Twiceborn all following my gaze with their hackles raised. The hollow I felt earlier… it’s closer now. Still not visible, still wrong in a way that makes my skin crawl, but aware… watching.“Ronnie,” I say urgently. “That thing I felt. It
Remy sits beside me, close enough that his arm presses against mine. “If anything feels off, anything at all, you tell us. No hiding anything, no being brave.”I roll my eyes. “You guys are seriously overreacting.”They stare at me. Silent, united and completely unconvinced. God… I love them. My che
“Everyone stay where you are,” the woman calls. “We need statements from all of you.”Her gaze flicks briefly to the Twiceborn, and something in her expression tightens. I don’t think it’s suspicion or fear. Just a quiet, uneasy sense that she’s looking at something she can’t quite name.I’d been wo
Greg scoffs. “What are you talking about? You should be in prison for what you’ve done to her and for kidnapping my son. This is clear abuse. She even has the scars to prove it. You are all insane.”A deadly kind of anger flows through the bond from Ryder, and I place a hand on his arm to calm him.







