From Ruin, She Rose Novels & Stories

She wiped her tears away with the palms of her hands, then tucked them away in her purse before beginning to look for something. _Get up! "Huh?". _Get up!!! She was instructed to rise up by the voice, and as soon as she did so, she noticed that a knife had been inserted into the area of the chair in which she had been seated before. "I missed... How could I have possibly failed to hit you? Why did you stand so you could avoid being stabbed? How dare you!." The woman raged, her expression turned even more distorted. Esme's expression of surprise grew more exaggerated as she fell backwards. Izayah immediately leaped forward in an effort to save Esme when he noticed that Esme was falling. He re

Sharp talons raked across my arm, tearing open three bloody gashes. "Ah—" I cried out as blood dripped from my arm to the floorboards. Damien had completely lost it. He’d never laid a hand on me like that in our past life. It seemed his madness was worse this time around. Good. The crazier he is, the harder he’ll fall. "I'm sorry!" I choked back the pain, faking terror as tears streamed down my face. "I'll take you to Moonridge now! Please, just don't hurt me!"

"Please don't leave me! Stay with me! I can fix this, I can heal you, just stay with me!" But the purple glow wouldn't come. My healing powers wouldn't work. And Zayne's eyes were already glassy and empty, staring at nothing. "ZAYNE!" I screamed, clutching him against my chest as blood soaked into my clothes. "PLEASE! COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME!" The roses around us were dying now, their petals turning black and crumbling to ash. The beautiful scene was transforming into a nightmare of death and decay. "NO!" I screamed again, louder this time. "ZAYNE!"

I didn't even wait for the water to reach the top before I climbed in, my dress clinging to me as it met the water. I tried to be strong. I tried to be the woman who faced death and won against it. The powerful woman who could threaten Jenna Rossi into silence. But as the steam rose to meet the cold air, the facade finally cracked for good. I pulled my knees to my chest, burying my face. The first sob was quiet, a mere hitch in my breathing, but then the dam broke. I wept for Rita, lost in a gilded cage somewhere I couldn't reach. I wept for Finn, who was either a monster or a lost puppy. I wept for myself, for I knew not which version of me was real anymore.

Each step I took made her shift backward and when her back was finally touching the wall, she swallowed hard realizing she had no escape route. My hand slammed on the wall just above her head and my other hand caged her to the wall. “Thank you for earlier,” she said, her eyes filled with sadness as she remembered all that had happened that day at the concert. I wasn’t happy she was this sad. I wanted to do everything that will brighten her mood again because Monvane was growling with sadness too and that isn’t helping at all. “Can I know your name?” I asked. “Arita,” she replied, her lips showing off her little dimple that added to her beauty.

Tsking, I stand up and look down at the blood that covers my hand before remembering the woman who is now sitting on the ground with wide eyes. “What?” I ask, noting how pale she looks as she looks from Jeffrey to me. “Weren’t you the one that asked me to help you?” “I…” she whispers, clearly too stunned to properly speak. “I did, but you…” “I what?” I ask, moving forward and then crouching so I can stare into her gray eyes that are churning beautifully, just like a hurricane that lazily moves across the sea. “Say it, sweetheart. Use your words.”

Too calm for the storm twisting inside my chest. If I ever thought I’d seen Killian’s eyes darken before, I was wrong. Because right now, there was no light left in them. Nothing reflected back at me. It was like staring into a void. A beautiful, terrifying void. Then, without warning, his hand shot up to my shirt. The fabric ripped under his fingers, buttons flying in every direction, clinking against the floor. My breath caught. “Since Reign isn’t quite working for you,” he said, his tone threatening but wrapped around velvet “Ruin it is.”

The echoes are still there, waiting, and they’ll be louder than ever when we return. 🖤 Echoes of Ruin resumes January 1st.

“You’re imagining things.” “Uh-huh.” She leaned against the doorframe, sipping her coffee. “So you’re telling me that after I shoved you toward Mr. Dark-and-Mysterious, you just talked to him for five minutes and came home like a saint?” I turned, crossing my arms. “Exactly.” She raised one perfectly shaped brow. “Renna.” “What?” “That face you make when you’re lying? You’re making it right now.” I tried not to smile. “I am not.”

she stopped abruptly and the next thing I knew, I heard a loud retching sound and I felt something wet seeping through my hoodie to touch my skin and the smell…. “What the actual fuck!” I cursed, as reality dawned on me that she just threw up all over my body. She fucking threw up on me! Christ! Before I could take a step back, she slumped on my shoulder. As if this night couldn't get any fucking worse! I nudged her arm but she didn't move. “Hey!” I pushed her arm once more but she only fell to the ground. Just when I fucking decided to do something nice for a change and this is how the universe decides to repay me?