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The Summer Estate
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I put on a lemon cotton dress with short sleeves and a flared skirt. Then I slid my feet into kitten heels and went downstairs to join Ash and Baltazar in the salon. I found them laughing and drinking whiskey. It was nice to see Ash relax. He looked so different from how I saw him in his office in the Malachious Residence. As soon as I entered the room, Baltazar's gaze turned toward me, and his lips slowly twisted upward."Someone's just turned into a stunning woman," he commented, clearly appreciating my looks."Why thank you," I replied, giving him a bright smile as I headed toward the kitchen island.Ash narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you trying to impress him or make me jealous?"I grinned, teasingly tangling my finger around the strand of my hair. "Would it be a bad thing if I said that it's both?"Baltazar burst into laughter and placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. "I'm beginning to understand why you've changed your mind, my boy.""Changed his mind about what?" I questioned, look
Love that Kills My Peace
"Wine or whiskey?" Ash offered the right cure for my heart-crushing anxiety."Wine," I replied, folding my arms around my waist and sitting on the salon's sofa.He swiftly uncorked an old-looking bottle and filled my glass with a rich red liquid. He handed me the wine, then quickly refilled his whiskey glass, and joined me on the sofa. "How's your hand?" He looked at the cut, which was now almost completely healed."It's fine," I repeated for the fifth time, and each time, I found Ash's concern more annoying. "Baltazar called me a cursed child," I told Ash, carefully watching his reaction to my words. "Do you know what that means? Because as soon as he smelled my blood, he started looking at me as if I was about to turn into a monster." Frustration grew within me. I knew what I saw in Baltazar's eyes: disgust and a heated rush of hatred. It no longer mattered who I was. WHAT I was overshadowed everything else.Ash sighed and took a sip from his glass. "Baltazar is a good man, but he i
Love that Kills Their Target
Ash shielded me from the wolves, pushing me back into the corridor. "Baltazar, walk away and take your wolves with you before I take it as an act of treason," Ash hissed, his nails turning into sharp blades."Ashtar, I am here because I'm loyal," the old wolf claimed, lowering his head."Loyal to who?!" Ash growled."To your family!" Baltazar roared but then bowed and took a deep breath. "Give her to us; that's all we want. You know that it has to be done, and either we do it or the King's men will. At least we can grant her a seemingly painless death."I clamped my hand over my mouth. The fear, the anger, the confusion—all those emotions violently rose inside me, and I had to restrain them before they burst out in a scream that was already building in my throat.Ash glanced at me over his shoulder and quickly returned his gaze to Baltazar. "She is NOT a threat!" He stood on the threshold, blocking the way into the house as he spread his arms, armed with sharp claws.There was a momen
Love that Kills Escape
"Nala! Nala, can you hear me?!" The familiar voice was breaking through the blur of distorted sounds. A light slap on my cheek brought back the feeling of heaviness in my body. Other senses returned at once, hitting me with an overwhelming dose of pain.The ache came from everywhere, as if I had managed to strain every muscle in my body and put all my nerves on fire. A ragged exhale left me, and I forced myself to open my eyes, processing my position and surroundings. My legs were lying on the ground, and I couldn't move them. My upper body hung limply, supported by Ash's arms as he knelt next to me. His chest rattled with shallow breaths while his filled-with-concern eyes studied me. His fingers squeezed my arms as if he were urging my reaction."What… happened?" I rasped."You killed them, Nala," he said softly before glancing around. I followed his line of sight and saw burned, still-smoking bodies lying on the ground wherever I looked. Ash and I were the only ones alive. I gasped,
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Love that Kills Heartache
I drifted into nothingness. I didn't know how long I was lying on the ground, unconscious. The screech of metal grinding against the stone was the first sound to pull me toward the land of the living. It made my body jerk, or so I thought because I was certain I couldn't move on my own. The feel of a pair of strong arms wrapping around me and lifting me came a moment later. I sensed the unique scent of the summer storm heavily mixed with the coppery smell of blood."Thank you for your gift, angel mine." Ash's voice vibrated through my skin. Then his lips touched my forehead, and for the first time, I felt that my skin was colder than his.I couldn't move. I couldn't even open my eyes. I couldn't utter a word. All I could do was hear and feel... and everything I felt was overwhelming.Ash's grip on my body tightened as he started walking, carrying me. I didn't see what was happening. I merely felt the movement, my body shifting at the pace of energetic steps."Fucking hell!" I heard Ca
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A few servants saw me as I walked back to my chamber, but they simply passed me by. I felt as if something had changed. Except for a few, no one here treated me with the utmost respect, but they had never openly shown their hostility either. Now I saw their lips curve downward as they sent me glances filled with disdain and sometimes... pity. That only helped my anxieties grow stronger.I wondered if any of those servants were going to inform Ash about my midnight stroll. I was almost certain that someone would. I hoped that it would make him come to my room and ask about it. I expected him to come as soon as I returned to my chamber, but that didn't happen…I started finding it frighteningly disturbing. No one checked up on me. Neither Ash, Amanda, nor Calvel came to see if I was still alive as if it no longer mattered. Not even Hunter stayed around my room for my safety; no guards did. Thinking about it caused another crack in my aching heart because it only made everything I heard
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Amanda wasn't sure if there was any place for us to sleep on the island. Rumors had it there was a cottage house somewhere in the middle of a forest, but since no one aside from Ash visited this place, and he—conveniently—was out of reach, we had no chance to confirm it. The next morning, I filled my bag with sweats, jeans, and sneakers, preparing for at least a week of camping in tents.I hated camping. I had been sleeping in a tent twice my entire life, both on school trips, and I remembered both times as a dreadful experience. I truly hoped we would find this damn house to be real.As I sat inside the car, I was flooded with a new wave of uncertainty. What was I even doing? I was too heartbroken, confused, and angry to properly think this through. I was so focused on the fact that someone had given me some kind of answer that I didn't—not even once—question it. A stranger who covered his face in a deep hood told me to go and seek knowledge on an island, and I blindly trusted him th
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