LOGIN** Alaric's POV ** Poppy’s smile fades as her gaze suddenly loses focus. For a heartbeat, she doesn’t seem to be looking at either of us at all. “Are you okay?” I ask. She blinks and rubs lightly at her temple. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that.” “The mind-link?” I ask. She nods
** Alaric’s POV ** Poppy’s head snaps towards me, and I freeze. Her eyes narrow. “Did you just sniff me?” “No.” Bastian’s gaze lifts from his mug, and he smirks. Traitorous bastard. Poppy stares at me. “You did.” “I was breathing.” “Towards me.” “I have very little control over the direction
“Because you’d rather they didn’t?”“No,” I look her dead in the eye. “Because they got there first.”Poppy wraps her arms around herself, and Bastian goes very still beside the coffee machine.I should stop here. It’s the intelligent choice. Unfortunately, intelligence has never been a strong trait
** Alaric’s POV **The second Jake disappears through the door, the entire house changes. It doesn’t make sense. Nothing has physically shifted, but the moment he leaves, taking his anxious healer scent and barely contained panic with him, the clock ticks louder and the fridge hums more insistently.
“I still think peanut butter and ham should be illegal.”“It builds character,” Leo replies. “It builds stomach ulcers,” Ronnie mutters.Alaric and Bastian come closer, leaning in to take a sandwich, but they don’t take Leo or Ronnie’s seats. “Shit,” Leo curses. Every head in the room turns to hi
** Jake’s POV **Every muscle in my body tightens as Poppy steps out of the woods. I grip the chair to stop myself from running to her. “She’s coming back,” Callen says into the phone.“Good,” Paige lets out a breath. “Remember, she needs a little normalcy. Don’t crowd her and don’t question her. M
** Remy’s POV **There are battles you train for. Fights you can prepare your body and mind to survive. You can sharpen your instincts, steel your nerves, accept the possibility of blood and loss as the cost of standing between danger and the people you love, but this?… This is worse.Paige’s pain h
I don’t wave, I just hold his gaze for a second longer than I should. Then the bus lurches forward, and the town slides away.I relax into my seat and let myself breathe, because I got away. I got on the bus without my protectors catching me, and Alaric has my number, even if it’s the wrong one.The
The air outside is cold enough to bite. Good, cold helps to keep me from getting lost in my own thoughts.I post my apartment keys through the letterbox of the takeaway downstairs and send a text message to the owner, thanking him for letting me rent the apartment and explaining there has been an ur
** Poppy’s POV **I force a laugh that I know doesn’t quite reach my eyes whilst I scan each window for any sign of someone watching me.“Protectors?” I repeat lightly. “You make it sound dramatic. I don’t have a superhero squad.”The twins don’t laugh. They exchange a brief look; it’s quick, silent







