Atonement A Novel Novels & Stories

“You speak of her like a god, not an enemy.” Ash turned her gaze on him. It was almost tender. “Because gods don’t die,” she said. “They divide.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And I am her second half.” The lights flickered. Static bled through the monitors. Somewhere in the cathedral above, the bells began to ring on their own. Ash smiled. “Prepare the consecration,” she said. “Tonight, we anoint a new world.” Night fell again. The cathedral courtyard had been transformed into a temple of flame iron braziers lining the steps, banners whipping in the wind. Thousands gathered below: soldiers, orphans, mercenaries, and wanderers drawn by the myth.

I freshened up and went downstairs. “Toni, where are the girls?” I asked and he smiled, only Atonella is here, Antonia found her mates and has gone to a different city in Europe. As he spoke Atonella walked in with iced tea and ham sandwiches; she looked sad but kept a friendly smile on her face and was about to turn and walk away. I could tell how her heart ached to be away from everything she knew true to her and to crossed from one continent to another and still find no mate; I started to think about Nate and how alone I was feeling.

"Oh, Councilman Reed, you flatter me! Ashton is simply… devoted." *Devoted.* The lie hung in the air, thick and suffocating. Devotion felt like Novah’s tentative smile in the library stacks, the way her eyes widened when she grasped a difficult concept, the scent of vanilla and old paper that clung to her hair. Devotion was the memory of her body pressed against his in the cottage, the fragile hope in her voice when she whispered his name. Not this grotesque pantomime.

TBC AUTHOR’S NOTE: so I guess Anais has fallen in love and Atlas didn’t bother to fall too… . Please leave gems or just one gem, if possible thank you <3

“Not even close. This storm may be ending, but what we have built here tonight is only beginning. I love you, Elias. We all do and we will find every secret way to keep loving you even if it means stealing moments in prayer rooms and empty confession booths for the rest of our lives.” The knocking intensified. Someone outside shouted about using tools to force the doors. The men moved with desperate urgency, yet every touch remained laced with aching romance. They carried Elias down from the choir loft and laid him gently on the main altar at the front of the sanctuary, the same sacred table where communion had been served for years, now transformed into their final altar of sin and devotion

He nods and pulls a key from his pocket, tossing it across the table and I catch it. "Move in tomorrow. Tonight, we drink." Mark pours two glasses of dark liquid and pushes one toward me. We drink in silence, and the alcohol burns its way down my throat, warm and familiar. "You are not the man who walked through my door," Mark says. "That man was broken, desperate, and clinging to memories of a man who never loved him." "I know." "That man is gone now. In his place is someone who robbed Anton's warehouse and negotiated with Devon and walked away with fifteen thousand dollars, and who can survive on his own."

And Savannah, trembling too, realized that desire and devastation had twined together so tightly she could no longer tell them apart. *** The night bled into dawn, gray and hesitant. The storm of their words had left her drained, yet some cruel thread still tethered her to him. She found herself standing with him in the atrium, the pale light spilling through stained glass windows, painting their faces in fractured colors. The ledger lay between them, bound in leather, silent but damning. “Burn it,” Colton said, his voice hoarse. “Destroy it and walk away. Leave me to choke on the ashes of what I built.”

It’s all about faith. °°° The story ends here. Thanks for reading. Follow me on my I*, and get to know about my next book which is about their kids. Also, read my another book Beta Nocholas. It's a werewolf romance. Thanks again :)

The woman stood and frowned slightly, but I was still confused also. Atlas pulled me aside leaning close to me in a whisper to my ear. His breath tickled the sensitive skin against my neck bringing on another swarm of those sensational tingles. “Onyx, let her do this. It’s a high honor, to gain loyalty of another from an act of selflessness and not because it is merely owed. Don’t reject her. It will be offensive. I know you don’t like stuff like this, but sometimes you just have to go with things. It’s easier than fighting. Trust me.” He pulled back and our eyes met once again. Feeling him this close was distracting and overwhelming. I almost forgot what I was meant to be doing. He asked me