Double Crossed Novels & Stories

A system remembering an old hand that no longer fits the lock quite right. “Bjorn built a bridge,” he says. Anja’s head turns sharply toward him. “No,” she says. Kasper doesn’t even look at her. “You can call it whatever you want. Lock. System. Architecture. I don’t care.” His eyes find Elias and me. “It was always meant to stabilize the crossing between worlds.” A creature near the forest tilts its head at that word. Crossing. Not prison. Not release. Crossing. Every instinct in my body goes cold.

She crossed one of her legs over the other. "It's time for her to know the true definition of her daughter. I'll make her see through me whether she likes it or not." I chuckled delightfully, positively imagining the supposed successful outcome of Sally's idea.

It's leaves are a vibrant red and catch the fading light beautifully. My mate wipes at some tears on her cheeks, then leans down to place a bouquet of wildflowers at the base of the tree. Celeste places a token of her own, a sealed photograph of her parents. I recognize the photo as one I saw on the walls of the Cross house ten years ago. A wedding photo of the happy couple, though this one is not splattered in blood. I have no idea where the young she-wolf got a copy of it from. Both sisters kneel on the dirt besides this shrine made to their parents. I can smell the salt of their tears, and my mate pulls her sister in close for an embrace.

The aroma of freshly baked croissant woke Alice from her nab. After she had finished reading the letter, she decided it was best for her to take a nap and get her mind off unnecessary matters. She took a peek at the wall clock above her and realized that she had actually lost count of the time.

So, he stepped on the accelerator to the ground. He was now entering the bridge. While maneuvering toward the middle a stray dog appeared from nowhere and crossed his way. It was a street dog with no owner. But still, it was his life that was at the point of being done for. To avoid hitting the animal he shifted to lower gear. It was so near so he swerved away from it. In so doing he lost control. His right wheel hit the shoulder. The Volkswagen jumped and careened to the left hitting the railings. He heard the scraping of metal. On the side mirror, a burst of sparks blinded his view. Turning the wheel abruptly to the left so steeply had caused the car to run out of control. The inertia made

Eloise’s step slowed and a frown crossed her face. “Did you just say you’re helping Cross train for the tournament?” Disbelief was evident in her tone. “Do you mean the Cross Slade we all know or some other Cross?” “Uhm… well, that’s not what I meant…” “But that’s what we heard you say.” Eloise turned her head to glance at me. “Right, Calantha?” I nodded. Nyx getting close to Cross was the last thing on my bucket list. Nyx dragged in a deep breath. “There’s not just one person who’s called Cross, is there? There are literally a thousand more ‘Crosses’ out there.”

Lumen generated a new internal diagnostic: The Resilience of the Crooked. It saw that the slight, human-made imperfections in the Trust-Hub’s walls actually increased its structural integrity against seismic shifts. The "straight" world had been brittle. This "crooked" world was supple.

Upside down, disoriented, Cross groaned beside me. "Cross! Are you okay?" My voice trembled, the fear seeping through. His groans intensified, a disconcerting melody of pain. The world outside the shattered windshield blurred. Cross had blood dripping from his head onto the floor as we hung there, held up by our seatbelts.

“You’re going to fix it.” She almost laughed again. “Fix it? Damon, there is no fixing this. The Crosses are everywhere—media, law, finance. The only thing to do now is ride it out and pray they get bored.” But even as she said it, she didn’t believe it. The Cross family didn’t get bored. They got even.

No panties, no modest shield. Renzo leaned casually against the frame, a smirk pulling at his mouth. Slowly, he lifted his hand. Dangling from his fingers was a pair of white lace panties. My eyes widened in recognition as heart nearly jumped out of my chest. “Oh my god. You stolethose. In the elevator. After our date.” He only nodded, dark eyes glinting with wicked amusement. "Wait, Renzo. I am not wearing those if they haven't been washed." I shook my head at him.