NINEWith sunrise on the horizon, I stare at the gilded ceiling. I lie awake in a bed too big for one person, reliving the nightmare repeatedly as the remnants of whatever he put in the drink filter through my blood. And I'm alone. My sleep was disturbed the second Kade's side of the bed cooled. I don't know where he went. To Charlotte? Elizabeth? The thought turns my stomach, so I push it from my mind. The manor creaks and groans as the wind batters it, and the shadows of Kade's belongings wreak havoc on my imagination, taking it to scary places.The locking mechanism to the door clanks. My heart leaps into my throat as a streak of fear blusters down my spine. I grip the heavy blanket, pulling it as tight to my chin as possible, and sink lower into the giant bed, not wanting to be seen. I squint in the darkness, desperate to make out the shadow. It has to be Kade, but I don't move until I'm sure. He steps into the room and closes the door without making a sound. He leans against the d

NINEKade doesn't leave me alone for days following the incident at Vince's birthday, and I can't decide if I find his hovering comforting or suffocating. He lingers at his desk, insisting he has a lot of work to do, but every so often, he'll leave his seat and engage in tidying or endless snacking. The only time I can enjoy solitude is when he orders me to the balcony on the third floor to prepare for a supposed meeting he's having over dinner at sundown. I place my palms against the stone banister and peer down at the garden. Overlooking me, the mandarin sunset paints the skyline in brilliant streaks of amaranth and blood orange. Above the display of colour, stars twinkle like diamonds nestled on a velvet cushion. Ambrosial and fresh wafts of lily and rose hit my nose on the tail end of cool evening zephyrs, and, in the distance, the silhouette of an old city carves its way across the skyline. I sigh. For a moment, I imagine I'm on the balcony of my own castle, in a dress not as s

NINEWe linger on the balcony long after the discussion ceased, neither one of us wanting to leave. It's nice to be alone in a place other than his room. If I try hard enough, I can pretend we're not at the manor altogether. I fill the silence with small talk he's more than happy to indulge. The whiskey I drank works its magic on me in no time. I'm not drunk, but I'm relaxed. Under the influence, but not inebriated. "And," I say, pointing to my chest a second too soon. "I was the best reader out of any Unfortunate in my age group." As he sits in front of me, he smiles and drags his finger across his lip. He rests his ankle on his knee and holds his whiskey over his shin by the glass's rim. "What kind of books do they read in those camps anyway?"I shrug. "A bit of everything. Although, the stories were hard to follow as most of them were missing pages. Some of them, whole chapters had been ripped out." "For what reason?""I imagine they contained ideals they didn't want us thinking

Kade snakes his hand up my spine, between my shoulder blades and into my hair. He tightens his fingers in the strands at the base of my skull and forces the kiss to break by pulling my head back. I open my eyes. Our shallow breaths clash, our stares meet, and I'm overwhelmed by a crushing wave of desire. It crashes on top of me, whipping my cells into a frenzy. "Kiss me more," I tell him, breathless. "Kiss me all over."He dives for my throat, and I grip him tightly. A moan leaves my lips as he kisses every inch of my neck with a wicked medley of his lips, his tongue, and his hot breath. With one hand in my hair, he roams the other over my hips, backside, and breast. He kneads my pliant flesh with vigour and soundful appreciation, and I close my eyes as he moves his mouth along my collarbone, then my breasts. He releases my hair to cup them with both hands. I tip my head to watch as he engulfs one nipple, then the other, with a husky groan that ripples through my body. I curse and gri

He trails heavy kisses down to my chest, and I close my eyes, focusing on his loving attention, on the pressure that eases at the core of my body. Kade brushes his lips over the swells of my breasts and then engulfs my sensitive nipple. I feel him pulsate inside me, and my breath catches. I bury my hands in his hair as he teases my hard bud, flicking it with his tongue. With my eyes closed, an intrusive thought, a vision of Kade and Charlotte, blossoms at the forefront of my mind. "Did you say that to Charlotte too?" Hot air blows against my breast as he laughs. He lifts his head, and his eyes glisten with amusement. "How long have you held on to that one?" I shrug as jealousy singes my nerve endings. "I was never intimate with Charlotte. We had dinner. Then I sent her home." He licks my nipple, and my eyelids flutter. "I've never said those words to anyone. Never uttered. Not even whispered." Oh. He makes out with my breast, open-mouthed, as if it's my mouth he's kissing, and I