JIHOON HALF EXPECTED Miyoung to be absent again at school the next morning. When he saw her dark hair curtained around her slumped form, he couldn’t hold back the smile of relief.
Other kids sat in small whispering groups, their eyes tracking to Miyoung. He sighed and hoped the rumors of their “relationship troubles” would die down soon. It was taking everyone longer than normal to get over this gossip.
A shuffle of activity by the back door of the classroom drew his attention to Baek Hana.
She was hunched over, cradling a heavy object in her arms. Her friends rushed over, speaking in hurried whispers. One pulled out her phone and positioned herself in the corner, a prime viewing spot.
Hana homed in on her target with a leer.
Miyoung sat with her head down, scribbling notes, oblivious.
Jihoon sprinted down the row as Hana he
MIYOUNG SHIVERED AS an early winter wind swept into her jacket. She sat on the steps beside the sports field, watching the kids who braved the cold to play soccer. The cold was a weirdly effective tool against the ghosts that still swung in and out of her peripheral vision. Like it slowed them down. She shoved her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fist around the talisman she’d bought from Junu. It helped ease the incessant buzzing in her ears.She didn’t even glance up as Jihoon sat. He pulled out a banana milk and held it toward her.Miyoung looked at it with a frown, feeling a sense of déjà vu from when he offered her a pair of headphones.“I have two. It’s a waste if you don’t drink one,” Jihoon said.She tried to reject it, but he wrapped her hands around the banana milk, holding them cupped between his. The warmth of his palm
Chapter OneSouthern CaliforniaEleven Months laterEllie sighed and adjusted her headphones to a more comfortable position. Heavy metal music poured out of the MP3 player she dropped into the front pocket of her cotton capri pants. The warm temperatures made her sweat even at eleven o’clock at night, despite the very slight breeze that fanned her skin. She glanced toward the open windows. The air-conditioning system of the dorm had gone out again. The maintenance teams were still fixing glitches on the newly constructed building.She approached the balcony doors she tended to leave open and stepped outside to enjoy a nice breeze to help cool her overheated body. She sipped the cold water from the small plastic bottle she’d grabbed from the mini-fridge when she’d entered her apartment. She leaned against the railing to stare down at Homeland from her perch on the third floor. She’d just finished her nightly workout.
Chapter Two416 growled at Ellie, revealing his sharp canine teeth, and she realized her arms hurt where he gripped them above her elbows. He had slammed her flat on her back on top of one of the conference tables. He bent over her, his enraged face inches above hers, and the anger poured from his dark gaze. Pure terror flooded Ellie.Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She sucked in air. He snarled louder, held her down tighter.“What the hell? Let her go!” Director Boris gasped.Ellie saw movement all around her from her side vision but she didn’t dare turn her focus away from the dark, furious glare of 416. He looked as if he was ready to tear her throat out with his sharp teeth, which hovered inches from it. Her heart pounded so hard she wondered if it would explode from her ribs. He’d survived and would kill her just the way he’d promised he would if ever given the chance.“Let her go,&rdq
Glen was so many different things.Son, civil servant proud member of spare me bowling team to time runner up at Southern regional tournament and great a truly great tracker but he wasratherhe was a lot more than thatglassinsulting just so maddening.He was a hedonist chauvinist. Liar, cheat, but there was one thing was notGlen was notand that's afraid.He wasn't afraid of judgment of being wrong. He wasn't afraid of friendship or romance. A bad joke. A good laugh.Heis never afraid of a good time or bad timing. Or consequences, or of an impossible task for any kind of danger and he certainly wasn't afraid of me. Ever.No matter how hard or unfair life was to Glen, Glen loved life back.He embraced it without reservation, regret. or remorse and that israre.&nbs
Ellie saw the truth in his grim expression. She’d hoped they wouldn’t punish Fury for Jacob’s death. The technician had assaulted him, had planned to rape, and would have killed him. Tears filled her eyes and she had to blink them back.“I didn’t know.” She hated to ask but needed to know. “What did they do to you?”A soft growl passed his parted lips. “Do you want to hear the details to enjoy the suffering you caused me?”“No!” It horrified her that he’d accuse her of that. “I didn’t think they’d do anything to really harm you. I swear, Fury. They thought you were too valuable to kill, they put so much money into you, and it honestly never crossed my mind that anyone would care about Jacob’s death after what that son of a bitch tried to do to you.”“They did.” He leaned forward a little, glaring down at her. “They tortured me in r
Ellie opened her mouth to speak but there were no words to take away the bitter expression on his handsome face. She’d helped put it there and no excuse could change the past. She stared at him and closed her mouth. Fury’s focus lowered to her chest. The hesitation only slight until he raised his hand to cup her breast again, held it gently, and she arched her back to press tighter against his palm. His gaze returned to hers.“I want you. I hate it but I hurt to be inside you, to know what it would feel like to have you wrapped around me, and the pleasure I think I could find with you. I’ve never wanted a woman more. Tell me I can have you or help me remember that I can’t ever forgive what you did to me. Say something, anything, to remind me why I shouldn’t hurt to be with you so much it makes it hard for me to breathe.”The look in his eyes as they watched each other nearly stopped Ellie’s heart. She saw so
Moon didn’t bother to take a seat since there wasn’t any sitting room left. Two of the council members weren’t there. They had stayed at Reservation, but Jaded and Bestial were currently in residence at Homeland. He wished it were Brawn and Cedar instead. They were more easygoing.He glanced around the room, seeing that Slade, Fury, Justice, Darkness, and Jericho were among those present. Breeze’s absence was noted and grieved. She’d have at least brought a sense of humor into the grim situation. He took a position in the center of the office instead of leaning against a wall. Harley hovered close, as if he were protecting his back.Justice waited until the door closed before he spoke from the seat behind his desk, addressing Slade instead of him. “Trisha is treating the shrink?”“Yes. She spoke to the hospital and they’ve emailed all records to Medical. Joy will fully recover. The human male wasn’t a s
Ellie opened her mouth to speak but there were no words to take away the bitter expression on his handsome face. She’d helped put it there and no excuse could change the past. She stared at him and closed her mouth. Fury’s focus lowered to her chest. The hesitation only slight until he raised his hand to cup her breast again, held it gently, and she arched her back to press tighter against his palm. His gaze returned to hers. “I want you. I hate it but I hurt to be inside you, to know what it would feel like to have you wrapped around me, and the pleasure I think I could find with you. I’ve never wanted a woman more. Tell me I can have you or help me remember that I can’t ever forgive what you did to me. Say something, anything, to remind me why I shouldn’t hurt to be with you so much it makes it hard for me to breathe.” The look in his eyes as they watched each other nearly stopped Ellie’s heart. She saw so many emotions there—desire, longing, a little fear, and raw