Echoes Of Us Novels & Stories

“You didn’t destroy me. You tied yourself to me. Two halves of a single breath.” Her pulse jumped. “You mean we’re both trapped?” The Echo nodded once. “Until one of us breaks.” Aelin’s fingers curled into fists. “Then I’ll outlast you.” It laughed quietly, a sound too human to be comfortable. “You don’t even understand what you are.” “Then explain it.” The Echo stepped closer, mist swirling around its bare feet. “I am the first note before the song began. The hum the world forgot it was singing. You are the echo of that note, caught in flesh.”

Chapter 1: Fractured Homecoming Elias Kane stepped through the front door just after midnight, duffel bag thudding softly against the frame. The house felt too still. “Mara?” he called quietly but no answer. He moved into the kitchen, flipping on the light. His eyes landed on the steel watch sitting on the counter. A man's watch that's clearly not his own. “What the hell…” A car door slammed outside. Elias flinched hard, back hitting the wall as memories surged—explosions, shouting, dust choking his lungs. “Not now,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Breathe, damn it.”

i'll make**actual food Ezra: **deal. what time?** Me: **whenever. parents are gone** There's a pause, and I can feel him understanding what that means. Time alone. Space to be together without worrying about being heard or seen. Ezra: **2 hours?** Me: **perfect**

Adrian's POV My head buzzed. I looked up sharply at Marissa Cole, who had been waiting outside the studio for me to get off work. No wonder the student's voice had sounded familiar. I had heard it on her phone before. The producer shot to his feet in panic and urged me through my earpiece to keep talking. Marissa's eyes darkened. Holding her phone, she turned and walked away. I took a deep breath and forced out a smile. I held myself together and finished the closing remarks, ending right at the five-minute mark.

One Echo went down screaming as a dart hit him. I closed my eyes and reached for the resonance inside me. Kael’s hand gripped my waist, grounding me. I focused on the pleasure still lingering in my body from earlier, on the bond between us, and pushed. A wave of blue-gold energy rippled outward from me. The soldiers stumbled. Some dropped their weapons as their own tech started glitching. Several nearby Echoes steadied, their eyes clearing. “It’s working!” Rafe shouted. But it wasn’t enough. More soldiers poured in. One of them spotted me and raised a strange rifle.

Thunderous applause filled the hall. Grace walked to the center of the hall and looked at me, her eyes shimmering like starlight. After years of being underestimated, the Sutton family had finally risen to the center of Jorvale's elite circle in this life. I inadvertently met her radiant gaze. In my previous life, after I "accidentally" died in a car crash, my soul lingered in the air, tethered by a powerful obsession. That was when I saw the first person who rushed to the scene—Grace.

They knelt. "The Signal Daughter has arrived," a thousand overlapping voices whispered through the crystalline walls. "The Vanes wanted a weapon. The Architects wanted a cage. But we... we just wanted the Silence to end." "Who are you?" I demanded, my hands still fused to the Root. "We are the Echoes of the First Broadcast," the shadows replied. "We were not sent to hunt you, Chiamaka. We were sent to protect the Root from the 'Others'—the ones who reside in the space between the frequencies. They are not coming for the control codes. They are coming to 'Delete' the planet’s noise forever."

Emotions and life and death filter into my already-bereaved soul. It's like pouring water into a pot that is already filled to the brim. I feel my eyes rolling back into my head, and the voices come back in a rush. Alora. Alora. Alora. Hands reach out to me-all these Wolves in the room around me have people who they have lost over their lifetimes. Now, these ghosts and spirits run towards me like moths to a flame. I'm their lighthouse in a stormy sea. "What..." Marcus stares at me, letting me go slowly, "Who are "

He was the one who had burned our bridge. Bored out of my mind, I sat back down and pulled out my phone. It was my daughter's first day at kindergarten. I was worried about how she was handling it. Right then, the door swung open. I looked up to see a pair of familiar yet dull eyes. They lit up the moment they found me. It'd been a full five years since we last met. Shawn approached with a tense smile. "Scarlett, long time no see." I smiled back but kept my distance. "Long time."

Mickey My life was a mess. I was beating myself up everyday and at the same time was still trying to put myself together over what happened. But still, I could not stop thinking about that text message that I have received. All day, it played on in my mind, causing havoc within me. The words kept burning inside of me like they had been carved into my skin. "I can help you get the post taken down. Meet me. You know where. If you don’t, the next post will be worse."