Genesis
"Go on," the man urged.
I took another step forward.
And suddenly he was gone. The doors shut behind me. I was completely and utterly alone.
Facing them.
Was I allowed to look directly at them? Was I supposed to speak? I had no idea what the protocol was, only that if I broke it, I wouldn't even feel pain before they sliced me up and tossed my parts back to where I'd come from.
I held my head high and waited, all the while repeating the same mantra in my head. ”I'm nothing, I'm nothing. I'm everything."
"Genesis." A smooth voice called my name. It was so beautiful on his lips I wanted to cry again, and I'd never thought myself an overly emotional person, one of the only things my mom had applauded me for.
Slowly, I turned to the left. A man dressed in dark jeans and a white T-shirt stood from a silver throne. His hair was impossibly light, almost white, his eyes a glowing blue.
He was smiling.
It looked painful on h
GenesisCassius. The name burned on my lips though I hadn't spoken it out loud — was too afraid to. I knew the power behind his name, behind who he was.He was like a god to the immortals.And to me?Well, he was more than that. He could kill me with a simple snap of his fingers. He could make me see my worst nightmares by simply willing it to happen. But worst of all? He could own me. It was said that Dark Ones treated humans as pets, playthings — an amusement. But because Dark Ones had such heightened emotions, when they abandoned a human out of boredom or something else trivial, it killed the human.Instantly shattering their hearts in their chests.Once the Dark Ones were finished with you — you didn't survive it. No one could survive the emotional break that came when someone like Cassius left.It was emptiness.It was death.I needed to stay far, far away from him if I wanted to live.The only happy thought that occur
GenesisMy breath hitched in my chest as I stared at the strangers around me. What did that even mean? Life itself? I was nothing. Why would I be taught humility and self-hate my whole life only to be told by the very ones I was supposed to fear that I was life itself?"Jealousy," Ethan said softly, "quickly turns to envy. Envy is a dangerous thing because you end up wanting so desperately what you'd never been given in the first place. The greatest sin an immortal can commit is to laugh in the face of what we are… and want." His eyes were sad. "He wants you.""To kill me?" I whispered hoarsely."No." Ethan cupped my chin with his smooth fingers. "He wants to possess you, and believe me when I say you'll like every part of that possession — until he leaves you. Dark Ones always leave, and you'll die.""Maybe she's different," Stephanie said in a quiet voice."You'd be willing to sacrifice another?" Mason roared, slamming his fists onto the table.
GenesisThe door clicked shut, leaving me completely and utterly alone. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and gave another jolt when another guttural roar came from somewhere in the house.Ethan.The minute I thought his name, I reached to my neck to see if he'd bitten me like Mason. Nothing but smooth skin met my fingertips, though my entire body still felt frozen — as if Cassius had marked me with a frigid temperature or something. But that was crazy.In fact, the whole scenario was crazy.I'd left every belonging I'd had with my mother, thinking I'd probably see her after I met with the immortals — she hadn't given me reason to believe otherwise.I had no cell phone.No money.Absolutely no identification.And, up until this point, I'd thought I'd been chosen to work for some secret society that hated me — but needed me desperately.Instead, I'd been scared within an inch of my life.And bitten twice — or at least
GenesisIt was an hour later before any food was brought to me. I'd foolishly assumed it would be Ethan bringing food; instead, it was Alex.I breathed a sigh of relief when he came into the room, tray of food in hand, and offered a shy smile — without the noticeable waves of seduction. Apparently, he could turn it off and on."Actually…" He sat the tray down on the bed and took a seat in the nearby chair. "…now that you're his mate, I could try my damnedest to seduce you, and you wouldn't feel a thing.""Great," I croaked, reaching for a piece of toast."Mason cooked." Alex offered an apologetic yet radiant smile. "Word of warning, the man's been surviving on tree branches for the past twenty years, so if he's a little rusty in the kitchen, I apologize.""Tree branches?" The toast was a bit dry, but it satisfied the hunger. I kept chewing, waiting for Alex to elaborate. Maybe he'd give me the answers I needed.Alex propped his feet up on th
GenesisIt was an hour later before any food was brought to me. I'd foolishly assumed it would be Ethan bringing food; instead, it was Alex.I breathed a sigh of relief when he came into the room, tray of food in hand, and offered a shy smile — without the noticeable waves of seduction. Apparently, he could turn it off and on."Actually…" He sat the tray down on the bed and took a seat in the nearby chair. "…now that you're his mate, I could try my damnedest to seduce you, and you wouldn't feel a thing.""Great," I croaked, reaching for a piece of toast."Mason cooked." Alex offered an apologetic yet radiant smile. "Word of warning, the man's been surviving on tree branches for the past twenty years, so if he's a little rusty in the kitchen, I apologize.""Tree branches?" The toast was a bit dry, but it satisfied the hunger. I kept chewing, waiting for Alex to elaborate. Maybe he'd give me the answers I needed.Alex propped his feet up on th
GenesisHe was beautiful. Long brown hair cascaded past his shoulders — part of it was braided. Pieces fell by his perfectly sculpted face.He smiled. His green eyes illuminated my whole world.I reached for him, but each time my hands lifted, the burning was worse, so I learned to keep them behind me.A sword was clasped in his right hand. He slid the blade across his left hand and held it in the air as blood dripped in slow motion onto the ground.It was red until it touched the ground, turning into the same green I saw in his eyes. The green liquid seeped into the ground, nourishing it, causing grass and flowers to take root.I gasped, reaching again.The pain was too much.He closed his eyes and cut again.No! I tried yelling, but my voice simply didn't exist.He continued, letting his blood spill around his feet. Hours went by, or maybe it was minutes. Soon an entire forest grew around us. I sighed in relief as the shi
GenesisHe was beautiful. Long brown hair cascaded past his shoulders — part of it was braided. Pieces fell by his perfectly sculpted face.He smiled. His green eyes illuminated my whole world.I reached for him, but each time my hands lifted, the burning was worse, so I learned to keep them behind me.A sword was clasped in his right hand. He slid the blade across his left hand and held it in the air as blood dripped in slow motion onto the ground.It was red until it touched the ground, turning into the same green I saw in his eyes. The green liquid seeped into the ground, nourishing it, causing grass and flowers to take root.I gasped, reaching again.The pain was too much.He closed his eyes and cut again.No! I tried yelling, but my voice simply didn't exist.He continued, letting his blood spill around his feet. Hours went by, or maybe it was minutes. Soon an entire forest grew around us. I sighed in relief as the shi
EthanThe pain was unbearable — because it was a reminder of why I hated my entire existence — why I had a reason to hate.Cassius.Didn't it always come back to him? After all, it had started with him. Or maybe it had just started with Ara.Another shudder wracked my body. Bones felt like they were twisting around one another before suddenly resetting themselves over and over again.I felt her pain.Because she was a part of me now.So her pain was my pain.Only for me, it was worse.Because it was the second time in my existence I'd experienced it — when it was only supposed to be experienced once. Immortals mated for life. That was, unless someone or something intervened.Hands shaking, I took another drink of blood. It did nothing, or maybe it did, and I was just too bitter to allow it to heal me.She'd been naked, inconsolable, and I'd left her.With Mason, of all creatures. My best friend, the only being o