GENESISWhy does he hide things from me?Ugh, itâs so annoying.I stomped my feet on the floor in the middle of the room. Itâs something Iâve come to realize I do a lotâsomething I picked up from Daisy. She stomps whenever she doesnât get her way, and even though Iâm not a child, even though sheâs supposed to be learning from me, somehow Iâve ended up copying her. Then again, Daisyâs more educated and knows things I donât. My schooling stopped when I was eight⊠fifteen years ago.Miss Melissa said Iâm like a sponge nowâsoaking up everything I was supposed to learn back then. Iâm learning fast, like a kid again.Still, that didnât stop me from stomping. Again.Why does he keep things from me?He looked me dead in the eye and said it was nothing. Just traffic.But his voice was tight. His hand had gone to his gun. Damon said something in a language I didnât understand. That wasnât just traffic.Iâm not dumb.I grabbed my notebook and scribbled furiously:"Why lie to me?"Then I ripped t
Genesis stared down at Kieran, who was kneeling between her legs, his hand resting lightly on her bare thighs. She had the urge to reach down, thread her fingers through his hair, hold him close, letting him know that she could never truly stay angry at him. He was good to herâhe always had been even when didn't have to and that's the truth.But she didnât want to let him off that easily.Not yet.She wanted him to feel bad. Not about what he had done exactlyâbecause she knew he wouldnât. In his mind, what heâd done was necessary, part of his role. But she wanted him to understand that she didnât want things like that. Forgiving him too quickly wouldnât help her get that across. So she didnât reach for him. Instead, she stared out the window in silence.âPrincess,â Kieran said gently, his hand squeezing her inner thighânot painful though but enough to remind her that he was there.But she didnât look at him.From the corner of her eye, she saw him begin to reach up, likely to turn he
Tears stung the back of Genesisâs eyes as she struggled to untie the hard knots around Carmellaâs legs. When they threatened to fall, she wiped them away with her forearmâbut that only made them spill faster, streaking silently down her face. Her hands shook as she worked the ties, but it was no use.The knots wouldnât budge.Frustration burned in her chest. She clenched her teeth, stood up abruptly, and wiped at her face again. Carmella noticed the tears this time. Her smirk vanished, replaced by a flicker of confusion.Why was she crying?Genesis turned around, and Kieran instinctively stepped toward herâbut she recoiled so sharply, she nearly stumbled. She caught herself just in time, taking several steps back. Kieran froze, startled. He hadnât expected this. None of them had.She looked away, refusing to meet his gaze, and made her way toward Damon insteadâcarefully avoiding Kieran like a child steering clear of a monster she once adored but now saw clearly for what he was.Damon
Knight guided Genesis out of the car, his hand firm around her waist, as he led her toward a strange, abandoned-looking building. She frowned, confused, her heart picking up speed. Something didnât feel right. It was lateâtoo late for something like thisâand the whole thing felt off.She looked up at him, studying his profile. Was it just her eyes playing tricks on her, or did his usual glowing blue eyes seem⊠darker? When he turned to glance at her, he looked different. Still Kieran, yes, but not quite the same. This wasnât the first time sheâd noticed it either. There were moments he seemed like another person entirely.Even when they had sex, sometimes he was differentârougher, more intense. His eyes would turn almost black, his voice deeper, his words darker and more possessive. And she liked that side of him. But other times, he was soft and playful, like earlier when sheâd tried hiding her phone from him and he teased her for it. It was like he had two sides. But that couldnât b
Genesis was panicking.She stared down at the menstrual calendar on her phone, her throat tightening as she swallowed hard. How had she not noticed sooner? This was the second day her five-day monthly cycle was late. It shouldâve come yesterday, but she hadnât even remembered. Today, it was already evening⊠and still nothing. A tiny red dot blinked on the screen with the word âDue.âHer heart started racing. Too fast. Too loud.She looked at the phone like it had just delivered the worst news in the world.Her period was supposed to come yesterday.Miss Melissa had shown her how to count the days, how to track her cycle. But sheâd forgotten. Sheâd been so caught up preparing for the press conference. She only remembered now because her belly felt strange. Not exactly painfulâjust⊠odd. Heavy.This was day two.It shouldâve come.Genesis sat frozen at the edge of the bed, knees pulled up, phone gripped tightly in her small hands. The blankets beneath her were wrinkled.Maybe the app wa
â...This is highly unacceptable. You donât just grab someone off the street, drag them down here, and keep them in this filthyâfilthyâplace!â Carmella Johnson, the reporter whoâd been snatched right outside her house, squirmed in her restraints and glared at the men around her like they were roaches in her apartment.âCan someone shut her up? I canât take it anymore,â Rico muttered, retreating to the far side of the dingy white room.He hadnât even said it quietly.Carmella whipped her head toward him and shot him the nastiest look she could summonâone that could peel paint off a wall.Leonardo stepped forward.She turned her eyes to him, slowly. He towered over her, arms crossedâbulging muscle on full display. His tattoos were a mess of skulls and... whatever else, but it was the one crawling from his jaw to his neck and vanishing beneath his shirt that made her squint. Creepy.But she didnât flinch. Not even a blink. Sheâd seen worse. Okay, maybe not this bad, but she was a crime re