Ruined Secrets Neva Altaj Novels & Stories

The altar was cracked down the middle, crackling with shattered wards. And at its base, Nora and Elias. They were surrounded. Nora was crouched protectively in front of Elias, blood running down the side of her face and staining the collar of her shirt. Her hands were up, crackling with unstable fire. Her chin was up, but her whole body was shaking. Elias was leaning heavily on the altar, one leg nearly giving out on him, silver blade in hand, knuckles white. He was badly hurt. But still, he was standing. Still willing to fight against whatever was attacking him.

Looking slightly incredulous she slid back into the car and they took off to a destination unknown to Aria. ### “Woah…” was her first thought as she stared at the massive building, covered from ground to roof in graffiti. “Who did all of this?” she asked in awe as she ran her palms over the faded paint. The artwork looked weathered and seemed to have been done years ago, but the picture was still somewhat visible and from what she could see, it was beautiful. “Look over there.” He pointed to the greying strip at the bottom that was littered with mud and debris, as she looked harder she made out initials and after a few moments of searching, her eyes landed on two familiar ones “D.L; A.L”.

"Mike, please don't tell Luke about my marriage." He frowned, gripping the wheel. "Did you bully you? Argh. He was a cold fish back in school. If he doesn't look out for you, I'll go deck him." "Just don't tell him," I repeated. Mike grinned, not thinking much about it. "Forget that. We're going to the biggest zoo. You'll love it." "A zoo?" I blinked. My college research was zoology. Animals were my weakness. Once we got there, I saw my favorite alpine ibex and got so excited that I soon lost sight of Mike. As I searched for him, my nose bumped into a solid chest.

I begin to wonder if this is simply a coincidence, or if my mate is hiding a secret… the same secret as me. I shake those feelings from my mind and ride in silence through the city, passing my favorite fountain I used to play in as a kid, the coffee shop I visit everyday, my office building and many shops. Further into the city towards the packhouse is the pack hospital and other amenities. We have a full blown city here, hidden deep in the mountains. No one would ever see us, especially with the protective barrier. My mother spelled it so that you can’t even get a bird’s eye view of our city, granting us complete seclusion and safety from any outside forces. I’ve already alerted everyone to

We stood together on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the ruined remnants of Devon's frantic ambition. The sirens atop the estate began to fade into a low hum, and the flashing lights grew distant as the security teams began cleaning up the physical wreckage of the night. The traitor had paid his price, the secrets were safe, and as Alaric led me back up the stone path toward the mansion, I knew our lives would never be the same.

Neon Eclipse Chapter 3: Safehouse Sins The rain was a solid wall by the time they reached Riven’s hidden safehouse — a sleek, fortified apartment buried on the 87th floor of an abandoned corporate tower in the decaying Mid-Rim district. Neon signs flickered through cracked windows, casting blood-red and electric blue light across the minimalist space. The second the reinforced door sealed behind them, Riven shoved Kael against the wall. “No guns. No contracts. No pretending,” Riven growled, already tearing at Kael’s wet tactical jacket. “I want the real you. The one who fucked me like he wanted to break me in my own club.”

Sage fell into step beside me as we moved away from the dungeon entrance, far enough that the sounds from inside became background. "The surveillance on the east perimeter," Sage said. He was carrying a folder, which he didn't open yet. "We pulled footage from the secondary access point over the last two weeks." He paused, and the pause had weight in it. "Alpha, Naledi was photographed." I stopped walking, and he stopped with me. "With who," I said. He opened the folder and handed me the photographs without preamble.

As they stumbled out into the cool, gray morning air of the Black-Water docks, the warehouse behind them gave way with a muffled, structural groan, the roof caving in to bury Grand Vizier Malek and his alchemical secrets under tons of black iron and slate. Natalia stood on the salt-crusted pier, her chest heaving as she looked down at the crimson vial still clutched safely in Dmitry's hand. The harbor was theirs, the logistics hub was shattered, but the true war had just shifted its focus. She turned her gaze away from the smoking ruins of the port and looked toward the distant, dark outline of the western mountains—toward the territory of her old pack.

I threw the stack of cash on his table and that act caused the dealer to look up, his leg crossed on the table in front of him. “Look who we have here,” he said, a smirk forming on his face. I wished to fucking wipe it off his face. “The mighty Zayn Santiago. To what do I owe this pleasant visit?” He asked, trying to pretend he didn't fucking know why I was here and it infuriated the hell out of me. “I want the crystals,” I said plainly, getting straight to the point, not wanting to spend a second more than needed in this goddamn place. “Oh right,” he laughed. Pulling open one of the drawers attached to the table. “We got some new stuff. You'd definitely like this one,” He threw a sealed bag

I let him hold me for a long moment before lightly pushing at his chest. "But," I said, looking straight into his damp eyes, "you have to promise me something. No more lies. About anything." "I promise!" he said immediately, raising his hand like a solemn oath. "I, Julian Mercer, swear that for the rest of my life, I will never hide anything from you again, Fiona." I couldn't help but smile at how serious he looked. My gaze drifted to the black suit he wore, the very one that had started all of this.