Genesis  He kissed me like a man dying of thirst — and maybe he was, maybe it was my blood. Was it wrong to hope it was my smile? Maybe even my dress?  I played with the beautiful silk fabric, waiting for Ethan to acknowledge the kissing — or at least part of what Cassius had alluded to.  When the silence stretched the entire ride home, disappointment stabbed me in the chest.  We reached the house.  He pulled the car up to the massive gate; it opened.  Still nothing.  He turned off the car and reached for the door when I blurted, "Do you hate me?"  His hand froze on the car door; in fact, his entire body froze. My heart picked up speed. I knew he could hear it, but there was nothing I could do about the effect he had on me.  "No…" His voice was low, almost a growl. "I could never hate you."  "I'm sorry…" Tears stung the back of my eyes. "…for whatever I did. I'm sorry you were forced to protect me when you didn't want to."  "You

EthanI paced in the study like someone who'd just drunk an entire pot of coffee and needed to work it out of his system.All I tasted was her.Her blood was still on my tongue — on my lips — and her memories, the ones that came with her blood — the ones that came at the price of me sharing my own — were so horrific I'd checked my watch at least five times to see if I'd make it across town and back without her knowing.I wanted to murder her mother.And the rest of the humans she'd been studying with.Yes, secrecy was necessary, but to force the humans to think so little about themselves — especially Genesis — was criminal.She was nearing. I could smell her.Two footsteps and she'd be in the room.And I'd probably lose my mind with the madness that always came with her scent."Nice study." Her voice was husky, dripping with seduction without even trying.I broke the pencil in my hand and dropped it to the ground, tur

Genesis"I've been here before," I blurted when Ethan pulled up to a downtown book shop around fifteen minutes from his house. It was one of my favorites. It had the best scones in the world, and the coffee was well-known in the area. "It's called Wolf's.""Funny, right?" Ethan smirked.I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. Did that mean I'd met the owner before? The bookstore wasn't huge like a Barnes and Noble, but it was big enough that it had two levels and multiple employees.The bell on the door chimed as Ethan opened it and ushered me in. The smell of books was so familiar my knees almost gave way."Ethan." A man who looked like he was around my age smiled in our direction and made his way toward us. He seemed younger than Mason even; he had the same shaggy hair and really dark brown eyes — almost black. "So this is… Genesis.""Hi." I waved awkwardly, unsure of how I was supposed to address him since, technically, nobody knew what he was

EthanHer eyes were green.Just like mine.I felt her emotions like they were my own — relived the entire thing as if I was killing Ara all over again.She'd done the unthinkable. She'd not only lied to her mate but cheated on him and produced a child with that lie. I knew Genesis wouldn't understand. But I also knew trying to get her to understand while she was still trembling from shock wouldn't do any good."You didn't have to kill her." Genesis's voice was hollow, her eyes still blazing green."I did." I touched my forehead to hers. "Because if I didn't, Cassius would have.""She slept with Cassius?""He never said." I sighed. "He never admitted it. The child was — not normal.""Not normal?""She wasn't a vampire.""What was she?""I don't know," I whispered. "Perhaps I'll never know — maybe that was Cassius's way of protecting me, of protecting my bloodline, my reputation, though it hardly mattered once eve

Genesis My body was heavy — on fire — and the only way it felt better was when I was pressed against Ethan. I had no idea how long we'd slept. He woke me up three times in the middle of the night. Each time, he'd drunk from me, never a lot, but enough to make it so my world stopped. Each kiss was like a slow drug. Each touch of his fingertips, each caress, went on for an eternity until I lost complete track of time. I fell asleep with my face pressed against his solid chest and my legs wrapped halfway around his body. "Genesis." His smooth voice was hypnotic. "Genesis, wake up." "No." I pressed my face harder against his chest. A warm chuckle erupted. "Yes, we have work to do. Well, you have work to do, and then after your so-called work, we're going to pay your mother a visit." I didn't open my eyes. "No