34."He did what?" Ariana sat star-struck almost dropping her raspberry smoothie.After our class ended, Ariana, Claire, and I decided to hang out after I had written an emergency text on a group chat Ariana created for purely gossip and boys…not a single thing about books."Wait he said he liked you ... then asked you out?" Claire did a run down of what I had made mention of before.I nodded, covering my face in my palms. What was I supposed to do now?"But why are you girls surprised though?" Claire had this sly smile on her face. "I thought we all saw this coming."Claire was right. A blind person could see through Michael's feelings for me. I just chose to ignore it because I never wanted to be over myself or wrong, so I ignored every green light I saw, hoping it would come to nothing. Besides, I didn't want to get involved with any guy yet.'Any guy except Nico……'"So…?" Ariana sipped from her drink, very loud. A very evident sign that she was curious about my next action."So wh
"Leave!!!! Now!!!!" Nico growled at me."No…I am not leaving you Nico…I won't go." I stood watching him chain himself to the ground.His pants increased and his body greased ten times more than before."I won't forgive you if you don't leave here and I hurt you," Nico grunted."You won't hurt me Nico….I know it." I assured not just Nico but also myself.It was hard watching him go through the pain alone. He growled and grunted a great number of times, shifting and turning. I watched in horror, the first werewolf transformation I had ever seen. I moved forward to Nico, hoping to ease his pain."Stop!!" he continued to growl "Do not come close to me Ella."His claws sprouted out and so did his fangs. The silver chains were no use as Nico tried to pull and push out of them."Run Ella…..Now!!!!" Nico growled. This time, very loud.I hesitated for a minute but took Nico up on his offer to run. I ran out of the cave into the woods, scared for my life, scared for Nico. My feet didn't give wa
The body lay on the ground completely motionless. I moved to have a closer look."Step away from him," Thomas growled.They came in their numbers. I had never seen so many of them. I could only recognise Richard and Lola, the rest were unknown.I moved back in fear of being hurt by ferocious humans who may have just had another human for dinner. They all glared at me, wanting to pounce on me I could tell. My steps withdrew with caution as I watched Richard cover Nico with a jacket.Somehow their clothes were all ripped and they managed to wear it that way, except for Nico who they brought an extra jacket for."This will not go unspoken about," Thomas warned with dead eyes "I would let this go for tonight because we don't have that luxury of time and because for some reason alpha Nico fancies you…..but the next time I see you….be sure to explain what you were doing here," he carried Nico and paused to eye me for one last second before he ran off with the other.I tried to avoid Lola's
A moment passed, and the sounds of the chirping birds became more audible to my ears. My heart continued to race as I waited for a response to every doorbell I rang."Yes, who is it?" The sound of Thomas's voice through the answering machine brought my heart to a jolt.I was unsure if he was the right person to receive me, but I didn't come all this way for nothing."Hey, Thomas… it's Ella.." There was a long silence. "I didn't mean to bother….but I really need to speak with Nico….please."The answering machine went off and I waited to see the gate open but it didn't. Another agonizing silence. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a hammer blow against my ribs. Just as despair threatened to consume me, the intercom buzzed. The gate was open.With trembling fingers, I pushed the gate open and walked towards the house. My steps were hesitant, unsure. The fear of facing Nico, of seeing the disappointment in his eyes, was almost unbearable.The air hung thick with tension as I stepped
A few years ago…..I stared at Nanny suspiciously. "You want him to date her Nanny?"Nanny sighed deeply and dropped her knitting rope. "I am not saying she has to be the one he would date. All I am saying is that your papa should have the chance to love again, after the painful loss of your mama." Her eyes held pity."But what if….what if I don't want him to? What if he forgets Mama?" my chin dropped.Dad deserved all the happiness in the world, but at this moment I wasn't sure if dating my school teacher was one of them. I didn't want to have a school teacher as a stepmom, and maybe also because I wasn't prepared to let go of Mom just yet and accept another, something I also expected from Dad."Oh child," Nanny stretched out her hands to reach mine. "Loving someone doesn't make a person forget those who are important to them. If your Dad finds happiness in Miss Penelope … be rest assured that your Mama would want him to stay happy, she would want him to give a second chance with lov
Present day…There was no doubt Nico was the most fascinating man I had ever encountered. His well-structured face lay perfectly calm in the embrace of sleep. His beautiful lips parted just a little bit, he looked so innocent and free of problems while he slept.I watched in awe at the man whom I had given myself to last night. I nestled against his chest, and traced the lines with my thumb, marvelling at the sculpture of his jaw, the perfect slant of his cheekbones. My fingers, still tingling from the echoes of our passion, traced the lines of his face, a map I was determined to memorize.Nico’s eyes fluttered open, catching me in the act. A slow smile, as warm as the morning sun, spread across his face. "Morning…Ella" he rasped, his voice thick with sleep. He reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch sending shivers down my spine.My cheeks flushed, a blush mirroring the sunrise. "Morning," I mumbled, trying to mask the way my heart hammered against her ri
The bus rumbled through the morning mist, each groan of its engine echoing my internal turmoil. My mind, still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions I and Nico had shared. His words were laced with a bitterness that surprised me.Nico's hatred for his father was a topic he'd broached with a fierceness that made me somehow uncomfortable. The anger in his voice was so raw and unfiltered, it contrasted so much with his carefree, sarcastic, and ultimately gentle side he had only been bold to reveal to her. Speaking about his dad was a glimpse into a darkness he usually kept well-concealed, and it shook me.The memory of my stupid question to Nico flashed through my head, causing a hard groan from my throat that made me groan, a sound swallowed by the bus's roar. After the heat of our shared vulnerability, I blurted out;"So... does this mean we're, like, a thing now?" The question, dripping with teenage insecurity, had hung in the air, heavy and awkward. Nico's silence was followed by a
The air hung heavy with Ariana's icy disapproval, a silent accusation radiating from the way she sat, arms crossed and lips pursed. I knew the moment I had abandoned our class in search of Nico, that this moment of assessment was inevitable.Where have you been, Ella?" Ariana repeated, her eyes narrowed. "We had class, remember?"My mind raced. "I... I had to go with Dad," I stammered, while looking at Lola, scared that I was going to be ratted out. The lie tasted like ashes in my mouth. "He had a doctor's appointment, and I needed to be there."Ariana raised an eyebrow, skepticism etched on her face. "Funny, Lola saw you coming out of Nico's house the other day." Her voice was now a razor-sharp whip, slicing through my flimsy lie.Heat flooded my cheeks. "That... that was just a…" I mumbled, trying to find my words."You could have told me, Ella. You could have told me Nico was ill. We could have gone to visit together," Ariana spoke, her voice softer now, tinged with a hint of sadn