ISHTAR"It's okay, it's all gonna be fine," I muttered as I patted his back. "Abby would be so surprised when she walks in on us like this." I loved being in his arms. It felt like the nicest thing to happen to me in a long long while, and I missed him so much. I missed us. I was so captivated by his scent that I leaned in and let myself fall deeper into it, my eyes tightly shut as I continued to hug him.Our moment ended when Abby called out to me. She'd been in my room to shower, and now she was out. Finally, they could meet. I reluctantly pulled away from Damian, but something felt different — like he pulled away first. His hands slid down my back. "Abby?" I called out as I turned, my face flushed. I was nervous, and I knew she'd tease me a lot for it when we were alone together. "Meet Damian."Damian. He was quiet. Awfully quiet, and it terrified me to turn to me. I sucked my teeth and moved my feet unsteadily. I could feel it cooking inside of me already. Unrest, sadness, everyt
ISHTAR."I hate it so much when those billionaire families come on TV to shove their wealth in our faces!" I spat, tying my hair by the mirror while the static sound of the television filled the room."Right?" Abby quizzed, darting her gaze toward it. "What kind of name is Kincaid anyway, and why must we be aware that he's taking over PRIDES conglomerate?""Like it even is my business," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Let's sell the television, Abby. You're leaving anyway. I'd search for a job immediately after."Abby stood up, walked to the TV, and slapped the top of it. It made a violent, roaring noise. The impact resounded through the walls of the room. "This thing? Sell this thing?"I shrugged. "For a few bucks? I mean, it has to be worth something, right? We're out of everything edible." I rubbed my belly. "I could eat you right now, Abby…but you probably taste like cobwebs and mint."Abby's brow furrowed, and she contemplated giving me a response for a while. Next to her was her ba
DAMIAN."Here, Mr. Kincaid, come on in," Alfred ushered and I followed him through the gates of the mansion that was now my home.Compared to the lush greenery of the place I'd just left, the towering buildings that lingered around were numerous, choking even. All owned the same light brown and cream color; one could barely tell them apart.We arrived inside the building. Its minimalistic furnishing wasn't the worst. The living room alone could accommodate six more people, including Alfred and me."What do you think of it, sir?" Alfred asked, his voice shrill. The last time I'd seen Alfred was when his father worked for me about seventy years ago. He was a boy child then— From generation to generation, they've served me. Each first male of his family led that legacy. It was the pact I'd made with his ancestor when the unfortunate incident happened."It's not the worst," I responded, taking off my cufflinks and placing them on the marble table before me. "I still can't get over seeing
ISHTAR.We held each other's gaze for a brief moment. The unusually handsome man had a look in his eyes that I couldn't understand. His chiseled jaw clenched, and he balled his fist without tearing his gaze away from me."Is this your way of hitting on young girls, you cunt? Get out of my way!" I yelled again. He didn't seem present even though he was looking me in the eye. The next thing he did was to lunge his arms at me hurriedly. I froze."Don't fucking touch me!" I yelled as I slapped his hand away. "What are you doing!?"His brown eyes had lost focus, and he aggressively muttered something under his breath. I got terrified by the second, and he didn't seem to back down.He reached out again, aiming for my neck, this time with bloodshot eyes. I'd never seen a person look so scary. The veins in his head popped out as his thick brows furrowed.The store's ventilation did a number on his brown shoulder-length hair, swaying it. If he didn't look like he was bent on murdering me, I'd
ISHTAR.This wouldn't be a bad shelter for the night. I thought to myself as I set my foot to the ground after slipping in through the window. The room I'd walked into seemed to be the living room, but the strange man wasn't in sight yet.My pulse quickened as I cautiously made my way around and tried to stop myself from gasping every single time I looked around me. It felt like I'd made my way into paradise, unknowingly. The air was warm, and it coated around me nicely as I hugged my arms, turning multiple times in the middle of the parlor.This was my first time being inside someone else's house, and that little voice in my head— the judgemental and reasonable one— wouldn't stop telling me how much of a terrible idea that was. J should not be doing this. Nobody should be doing this. The large living room was no different from the ones I saw on TV. I wished Abby was here with me to witness this breakthrough. Thinking about her being gone for good made my heart squeeze, but I couldn'
DAMIAN.I opened my eyes to the blinding white ceiling and sat up immediately before I was hit by a nauseating feeling and profound headache as though my head was being pounded on. All this because of that scumbag from yesterday.I gritted my teeth and shuffled out of bed. My head rang the moment I stepped my feet on the floor. It was as though something was different inside me. I just didn't know what it was yet. I passed out last night, as soon as I got home.I remembered my senses being so distorted that I even smelled a human in my home, although I knew that was impossible. That girl was making me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. I sat at the edge of the bed and placed my hand on my chest to summon my wolf.I heard shrieking and snarling sounds in my head, and I knew what it meant. My wolf was weak and still hasn't recovered yet, but it gladdened by heart that he showed up yesterday and said a word, thanks to that fucking traitor.The sunlight slipped past the curtains, d
ISHTAR."Oh, fuck!" Mr. Beast yelled and shoved Reiss off him. The scrawny lad staggered backwards and fell into the chair while I stood in awe, just a step away from the door.I'd been glancing at it to see how easy it'd be for me to open and spin out, never to look back, never to return. My backpack was where I wanted it to be, by my feet, and I could easily pick it up, but first, we needed to solve the problem at hand.The patch of green on Mr. Beast's white T-shirt was spreading rapidly, and he let out a strained, disgusted gasp as he tore it off without any hesitation. I'd never seen a person look so physically disturbed over something like that, and from what I'd noticed from their relationship, these two weren't close at all.Saying I was appalled wasn't nearly enough to describe the fear I was feeling. I had stupidly fallen asleep after the stranger named Reiss walked in and indulged me in this random discussion about his love life.The comfort was to die for, and because he
DAMIAN. A blackmail. Oh, pray tell, what could it be? I tightened my cuffs and leaned back against the chair immediately after the call, waiting to see the next weird experience I was about to encounter.It had just been three days, and I already had eight pages of frustration to write off in the walls of my mind. It made me miss being in hiding, but for the right cause, of course, I could handle it.A small moment passed, and my officer door swung open after a brief knock. I sat upright, my eyes locked on the door as I anticipated the person to walk through and whatever the hell they wanted to blackmail me with. I was very interested in this crime I committed.The receptionist stepped in first and gave way to the last person I expected. Minerva's vessel. What was her name again? Ishtar. I didn't even know why I believed that to be her real name. My throat tightened, and I tugged at my tie. I was beginning to get used to the surprise element that surrounded this creature. Didn't