Paths Crossing Novels & Stories

… Isolde gave Seraphina’s family a polite nod, her smile composed and elegant. “Having weddings on the same day is a kind of fate, isn’t it? “Let me and my husband also offer our congratulations.”

And the fact that she is a Crescent! 'No time to think, Aurora. Move! We can discuss this later. Focus!' Sia interrupts my thoughts but I am grateful that she does. Right. So I run ahead and find myself in a—maze?Huh? The entire place is guarded by walls standing in a cross position, having passageways to move through. I take the first passage I see and find myself in another block of the maze with threee different paths now. Great!

Owen is going in August. Four nodes. Amsterdam. Madrid. Seattle. Portland. And here: a creek in Minnesota, a man and his mother building a bridge that was designed to be wide enough for two people to walk across together. On the third day the bridge was done. It was not large. Eight feet across the creek, three feet wide — Mina had wanted wider, Karl had made it wider — with a rail that was simple and strong. Mina walked across it first. She stood on the other side and looked back at us.

As the Northern Pass Bridge neared its final structural completion, the entire landscape of the coalition had irrevocably shifted. The bridge served as a physical artery, a monumental vein of steel and connectivity, but the "Digital Pulse" Elena had initiated was the lifeblood flowing through it—a constant, rhythmic exchange of data that had fundamentally rewritten the way the packs interacted.

I promised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Cassidy returned my phone. “Tell me where you stopped to rest while leaning against the wall.” I closed my eyes and tried to remember every detail. Even though it happened yesterday, it seemed like it all happened much longer ago. “I remember it was near a spot where four passages met,” I said. “And they weren’t side tunnels. They were longer, and the lights seemed farther apart.” “There are four junctions like that in the passages,” Cassidy mumbled, more to herself than me.

He dialed repeatedly, but each attempt met the same automated voice: "The subscriber you have reached is powered off." His bravado crumbled, and he spat, "Just you wait!" He scooped up his shoes and bolted for the exit. The staff members shrugged and returned to their routines. The manager bit his tongue, looking troubled. Reading his mind, I reached for my phone and called Imogen, but her phone was switched off. One instance might be a coincidence. Two identical failures formed a pattern. I clenched my fists until the muscles ached. A slow chill spread through me.

Now, all at once, it hit me that everything I had given over the years had been nothing more than a one-sided effort. I was just about to book a flight when I realized I had forgotten my ID and passport, so I had no choice but to return home. The moment I opened the door, I was greeted by a mess all over the floor. Leftover snacks were scattered everywhere, along with half-finished dishes left behind. Right by the bedroom door lay something impossible to miss—a box of levonorgestrel pills and a piece of wine-red lingerie. Willow had never liked being physically intimate with me. Even Naomi's existence had come from a drunken incident.

“Ladies can one of you send me a text message with the details and I’ll make sure it gets done.” “Sure thing,” the blonde nodded eagerly. Probably glad she had a legitimate reason to message the prince, he thought to himself wryly. He flashed a smile and thanked them. “Excuse me.” Weaving through the crowd was easy for someone like Keion. Keeping his head up, zoning in on his target, it’s almost as if people sensed his purpose and made a plan to get out of his way. This was one of the times it was good to be Keion Hamadi, he thought with a smile. The red-haired girl who was standing with his intended target also looked like she was about to scuttle away, he realized. Their eyes met, he smile

Yet, I still crossed it. I know I had to find Lily. I had no choice but to find the girl. I shifted once I crossed, knowing that my black pelt will make it more obvious I was not part of their pack, but I will be easier hidden in the shadows. I ran through the trees, picking up the faintest scent of Lilacs. It led me further and further away from safety but closer to Lily. That was… up until my senses got overwhelmed by the smell of coffee. O crap…

I fell to the side. We lay tangled in the sheets for a long time, our bodies pressed close, her hand resting on my chest, feeling the steady thud of my heart beneath her fingers. I kissed her forehead, then the top of her hair. “I was thinking of doing something,” I said quietly. She stirred against me. “About what?” “To honor Jace.” Rae looked up at me, eyes searching mine. “That’s… that’s beautiful. What do you have in mind?” I exhaled slowly, the idea forming more solidly as I spoke. “There’s a bridge on the edge of the territory—the one that leads to the northern cliffs. It’s been unnamed for years. I want to call it the Jace Dax Crossing.”