The Enemy's Kiss

(Cole’s POV)As soon as the curtain of night fell upon the forest, like a shadow, I ran swiftly but quietly to the dark woods. I muttered a curse because Raven must have realized he was being followed as he suddenly changed his path, dashing like wind and heading to San Rafael. He sauntered along the tall shadowed trees for a while and smirked as he reached the end of the woods, walking carefree and heading to the Wild Side, the only bar in town.My gaze slid away from him and glanced at the old bar, thinking he would not be able to go anywhere here in the open. Raven would not risk traveling in daylight when he knew he was a wanted fugitive, but what worried me was him finding another victim tonight. I could still catch him, but the prick stopped and chatted with the locals at the main entrance, pretending to be a tourist. In a place with less than a thousand people residing, there was no need for a bouncer at the entrance because the owner, old Thomas, knew everyone. He could kick

(Brielle’s POV)It was a toe-curling kiss, wanting me to curse myself for forgetting why I was here in the first place. He was so good at devouring my mouth that I wanted him to have the title for being such a good kisser. I moaned, hardly feeling the hard concrete wall of the bar when he pinned my back to it, and perhaps after a little more of this, I would probably pull off my dress to feel the skin of his hand on top of my clothes, cupping my brassiere.I groaned when he stopped kissing me. He smiled, sliding his mouth and grazing my skin with the soft stubble hair on the side of his face as he moved his lips, touching my ear. I chewed on my bottom lip, suppressing a moan.“As much as I want more of you, I hate having an audience, Brielle,” he said, saying my name like a piece of music.He moved away from me, but before he could go, I grabbed his arm and smiled at him, but this time I was nervous, losing my confidence after drowning in his kiss.“What’s your name? Please don’t leav

(Cole’s POV)My great-great grandfather fell in love with San Rafael, and it has been his mission to keep the simplicity and beauty of the rural area. From his generation to ours, we have been the government’s conservation partner to assure the protection of its habitat and ecosystem, supporting and maintaining the site as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.The truth? He did it for our protection.For the first time in many years, nothing ever happened in San Rafael. Life here compared with the one in the city was slow, and people who chose to stay here mainly wished to have a quiet life. As for the young generations hoping to have different lives, wanting the vivacity and complexity, they tend to leave the place, but only for a while. San Rafael has always been their choice of location to retire or settle in when they got tired of the exuberance of the city.I was one among them, never staying but always coming back.After scanning the town, hoping to find Raven but failing on

(Cole’s POV)Brielle almost didn’t leave my side, watching me cook the omelet but studying our every movement inconspicuously. Yet this was something we had mastered for years, and living with Kione, Ichiro, Aarush, and Xian helped a lot because, with humans around, there was always a need to stock the kitchen with food.“Mmm…” moaned Xian as she entered the kitchen. “Aarush, I need coffee -” The petite woman, still in her lab coat, stopped as she saw Brielle. She placed her car key in the cupboard and opened the fridge, getting bottled water.“Hi,” greeted Brielle, wanting to break the silence between them, maybe as women.“Coffee?” Aarush asked, giving me the plates from the cupboard and getting her a cup.She half-smiled at her but returned her attention to me. “If the company’s not giving me enough funds for my research, I’m resigning, Cole.” She started the conversation as she took the plates from me. “What’re the plates for? Who is she?” she asked in an unfriendly tone.She took

(Brielle’s POV)“Brielle, just tell me if you want to cover your whole body with it because hand wraps wouldn’t be enough,” Gen teased and looked briefly at me, one corner of her mouth lifted as she continued to wrap her hands with a boxing bandage.They discovered the basement training area this morning and wanted to kill time while waiting for nighttime. Still, no one wanted to be my boxing opponent; all four had excuses of wanting to mind their time training alone.Maybe the boys, even Gen, are afraid to fight with me because if I beat them, it will be difficult to accept that their ‘princess’ is as strong as any of the hunters in the group. Winning against the men would be hellish to accept, so they all had their excuses.Wrapping my hand with the elastic wrap, I was quiet and looked furious as my lips pursed, not looking at anyone. I let Gen think I was upset because the guys were ignoring me, but partly I was angry with my conversation with Grandma.She sounded like she favored