Mag-log in~Amelia~Serena showed up at the door with a gift bag and the energy of someone who had been dying to talk for three weeks and was finally being allowed to."Okay first of all," She stepped inside without being invited, shoved the bag at my chest, and pulled me into a hug before I could say anything. "You look amazing. You're huge and glowing and I hate you a little bit.""Hi to you too."
~Amelia~And at the edge of the treeline, watching it all unfold like she was supervising, a woman I didn't recognize. Short hair, lifeless eyes that made her scarier than the fighters.And behind her, Blake.He stood with his hands in his pockets. Watching.
~Amelia~I smelled coffee before I even made it downstairs, which was the first good thing about the morning.The second thing was considerably more distracting.Kaden was standing at the counter when I walked in, shirtless, sweatpants sitting low, hair still a mess from sleep, holding a mug like he hadn't just committed a crime against my ability to think clearly. I stopped in the doorway for exactly one second too long.He didn't even turn around. "You're staring like you haven’t seen me before.""No, I’m not." I crossed to the table and sat down. He turned around then, and the look on his face said he'd already figured out exactly what the situation was. He set a mug in front of me, leaned down until his face was level with mine, and said very quietly: "Your heart rate went up the second you walked in."I picked up the mug and looked somewhere else. "That's because I walked down stairs. Cardio.""Sure it is." He pulled out the chair across from me, sat down, and flipped open the n
~Amelia~Caleb called a meeting.He put a single sheet of paper on the table. Three bullet points. I'd learned that if Caleb needed a full page to explain something, the thing was very bad. One page meant it was just bad."Blake has found a partner," he stated.
~Amelia~Uncle Alan did the hug first.That was the thing about him, he always led with the hug, arms out before he even finished crossing the distance, like the physical contact was the priority and everything else came after. I'd loved that about him since I was small. He hugged like someone who understood that people needed it and wasn't embarrassed about that being true."You look tired," h
~Amelia~I kept it straightforward, what the alliance could look like going forward, why it was worth keeping even without the personal arrangement he'd come here expecting. By the end he said to send him a proposal and he'd read it."You did your homework," he complimented."I try to. My position here is new. I don't have the luxury of
AMELIA’S P.O.VWhen I woke up the next morning, Kaden wasn’t in bed and I hated the way disappointment swelled in my chest. Despite not wanting to, a part of me had believed his words last night and hoped that he would be next to me when I woke up. I tried to hide my frown as I made my way into the b
AMELIA’S P.O.VShe led me into the living room and I could already tell by her demeanor that she had no intentions of answering whatever questions I had. She gestured to the empty seat and before I could speak, she walked out only to return with a tea cup and some slices of cake. I watched her pour i
KADEN’S P.O.VNadine was seated up when I returned and she had a look of concern on her face. “Is everything okay? I hope I am not causing any trouble between the both of you.”“Of course not,” I whispered brushing her off. She just woke up, the last thing she needed was to be worrying about Amelia an
AMELIA’S P.O.VIan never asked questions, he never pushed. He looked over at me with slight amusement at my question before shrugging and gestured for me to walk with him. He was a breath of fresh air after being in that hospital the entire time and I just needed some space from everything.“I take it







