“Dinner is ready. Shall we eat poolside or did you want to eat in the kitchen?” Ezra asked as he made his way into the room, his voice echoing slightly off the tiles. I turned to him and smiled as I climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around me. “I’d rather eat in the kitchen. I’m gonna make tea, did either of you want?” I asked both men as I dried off quickly before wrapping my hair in a tighter and higher bun and pulling on a floor-length fleece housecoat. Super warm and cozy. “I’ll take a cup. I’m going to dry off and change. I’ll meet you guys in the kitchen.” James said with a smile before taking Thatcher and letting him outside so he could run around and dry off. I followed Ezra into the kitchen and immediately put the kettle on to boil hummin as I did so. “It smells amazing, Ezra. Did you make roll

The fire was roaring in my ears, the flames higher than my head and around me in a complete circle, the shadows behind the fire obscured and barely visible between the flickering or the flames, the loud inhuman shrieks overridden by the waves. I turned in a circle, my heart pounding, and my breathing ragged. I lifted my hands over my mouth to combat the choking smoke that felt like its thick ashy tendrils were crawling down my throat. I coughed and blinked away the tears as my eyes watered, grunting and cowering away from the flames and the wisps of it reached for me, burning my clothes and singing my skin. I screamed in fear seeing the flames lower slightly and the dark monstrous creatures beyond, arched and deformed with sharp teeth and claws, the stuff of nightmares and fear. I screamed and thrashed as one of them grabbed me from behind, it’s claws digging into my shoulders and tearing skin as it shook me and opened it’s jaws to rip out my throat.

“Stop Ezra. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You haven't done anything like this in all the time I’ve known you.” I watched him, a small frown on his face as his grey eyes darkened like a storm. “I’ve seen the way James looks at you and how you look at him. You have no future with him. He’s the type that wants the whole package, marriage, kids, family home, all of it. You can’t give him any of that. You are ageless Haven, you will never change, you can not have children. You have no chance at a future with James. That is what I’m trying to point out to you.” His voice was steady, with no emotion or inflection, just deadpan honest monotone words. I frowned and pushed against his chest, pushing him away from me and stepping out into the kitchen, putting the counter between us as I turned to face him. I was angry, annoyed, irritated and damn near ev

“Hello? Ah, James, Haven is sleeping right now. Can I take a message? Yes, she mentioned something about going to your place. No, it was a rough day at therapy, she needed to come home and just decompress after all of that. I don’t know if she’s still feeling up to it but I will ask her and get her to call you back.” I groaned as the sound of Ezra talking woke me up, sighing as I realized he was speaking to James. That would just further Jame’s preconceived notions about Ezra and I. I sat up from my position, lying wrapped in Ezra’s arms and looked at him as he handed me my phone that was still open to James’s call. I took it and placed it to my ear with a small sigh. “James, sorry I hadn’t intended on falling asleep.” “It’s fine, Haven. Are you ok? Ezra said that you had a rough appointment today.” His voice was