Double chapters resume on Friday!
"Kath-" "Don't say it...don't say anything." I urge with one of my hands still raised to the air as if I could magically command him should he insist. Stepping away from him is hard; his scent is so sweet that I feel as if I am floating on the ground. My insides feel giddy, my centre throbs ridiculously, while my knees, shit…why are they so weak? Why does each step I take away from him seem like the last? "Katherine!" His yell stills my movements. I want him to call me Ruby; I want him to say my name in his voice that melts me, but instead of yielding to my fantasies, I bite my tongue. It hurts; perhaps I bit too hard, but then again, the pain helps me keep my eyes from fluttering shut when he nears me again. I should run. I should, but...I can't—I can barely keep upright. His hand reaches mine, pulling me back to his cinnamon and coconutty scent; are males supposed to smell this good or has the goddess tailored him for me? His gaze arrests my lips that remain parted because,
I'm overthinking this.I need someone to tell me that I am overthinking because why the hell did I mention the word ‘rejection’ to my mate?Well, whether I am overthinking this or not, I need some time alone, especially time when I am not in heat, to think this through.My legs feel weak, my centre wet, and I can still hear his footsteps behind me as I walk hurriedly to a cab."Stop following me!"I utter as I turn to him; we are at least a few meters apart."‘Stop following you’?”He repeats with a scoff, just like the last two times I have uttered that phrase to him.“Yes, stop.”I turn to him, this time willing to pursue the conversation.“No. Do you have any idea how aroused you smell? How the hell am I supposed to ‘stop following you’ when your scent calls all the hot-blooded wolves in the area?"He asks in a tone that spells his disappointment in me."I know basic self-defence.""Then can you fight me? Because wolves my size are common here, so if the answer is no, you need me t
Trigger Warning: Child Abuse & Physical AbuseI cannot seem to control my pacing; my feet take me to the heated kettle and back before I recall the chamomile tea bag that I meant to place on the teacup before the water reaches its boiling point.What is one supposed to do when the wife of the man they are supposed to be with shows up by their door with their child to beg that they leave their marriage alone?In my case, I asked them to come in, and now I intend to serve them tea—or stall with tea while I hide in the makeshift kitchen section of my hotel room.Luckily enough, the child has fallen asleep, but I am still petrified—I am the sinner here, right?"You don't have to pretend to be hospitable."A familiar voice jolts me.It’s Vivian; she is leaning by the wall near the door."The least I can do is make you a cup of tea."I respond almost immediately, rather before I can take in the miserable way her mascara runs on her face."Right! I certainly would enjoy a cup of tea from a w
Trigger Warning: Child Abuse & Physical AbuseThe child’s lips once again part before he turns away. Can Dominic not see that he is scaring his child?"You are scaring your wife and child; get the hell out of my room!"I yell to Dominic; the hoarseness developing in my throat makes my voice break terribly."My Child?"He repeats with a scoff.“You pulled this shit again, Viv?”Vivian’s gaze evades his."That.”Dominic points to the boy trembling on the couch.“…is Vivian's nephew. She always pulls this skit when I turn my attention elsewhere."He confesses.What?Why? Why put a child through that?"That's our son, you bastard!"Vivian screams after him.Come to think of it, her body doesn’t tremble with fear for a woman who has been strangled by their husband. Nothing within her tells of fear; only the child looks terrified."Didn't your mother tell you to stay away from your aunt?"Dominic turns to the frightened child, and again, he scootches in his seat as if he couldn’t get far en
"Reject you?” Dominic repeats, his head turning sharply away from me as if I had slapped him. “Reject you." He utters once again, this time with a slow nod as he takes a step towards me. The air around him feels cold. Perhaps that is why I find it easy to step back from him. But as if terrible with cues, he covers the distance I introduce with too much ease. My hand reaches the railing in case I were to tumble down the stairs, but he grabs my waist, pulls me toward the wall and boxes me in with both of his hands. "Are you serious or simply trying to piss me off?" His question comes off as a slow hiss that chills me. It feels a little foolhardy to answer him right away, considering the potency of his anger that makes even his eyes burn intensely, so I swallow. “I asked you a question, Katherine.” I am the one who should be furious; he caused a scene in my home and made me insecure in my space! Yet…I can no longer taste the fury that caused me to storm outside; all I feel is ho
Elaine Lenard Brockett "It is late, and as much as I adore the pier, I have been banished from Ketria, so if you called me here to watch the moonlight on the lake, you have missed your target audience.” Amélie Clive uttered as she neared Elaine, startling her slightly into taking a step back. Yes, she had news, good news, in fact, but the giddiness and sense of accomplishment were all wiped away by her unimpressed demeanour. To Elaine, Amélie Clive was the worst kind of person to befriend, the kind that always demanded more even though they were well beyond their rights, so why was it that a piece of her craved acceptance from such a cold human? "They found her—your daughter Ruby, I mean." Elaine uttered with a sheepish smile; she couldn't help but fidget her fingers, a movement that stopped the second Amélie Clive’s face lit up, and her posture changed. "Where?" "Chrysalis." "Jesus, Chrysalis, where?" "Viona, Chrysalis, Fourth Street. She's working on a school for her Luna p
'Westerfield, 10th Avenue.'My hand caresses the paper left on my coffee table for the nth time.My plan had been to return with security to kick Vivian out, but she and her 'child' were gone by the time the team and I came back; the only thing left had been the note with an address and the smell of piss on one of the couches—a couch that I will need to replace before I check out.Perhaps I should have opted for an apartment.I need a shower, desperately.My centre is moist, and my gown smells of cinnamon and whisky, but the most unfortunate thing about the night, other than the pee-smelling room, is that my heat has settled.My heat settling means that I can think more clearly and feel more deeply. Emphasis on the ‘feel’ because I just had sex with a married man whose wife was on her knees pleading in my apartment not too long before.I never thought I could detest my reflection in the mirror more than I already do.I cannot believe that I have become a version of Elaine, perhaps a t
"Who the fuck brings a driver to a stakeout, and what kind of rich are you that you have such a car but can’t even drive it?"Vivian asks as she admires the car's leather seat and the white fur covering the steering wheel.She insisted we leave my driver behind, and I agreed. If this was a kidnapping, I don't want to set him up for a dangerous time in court should he have to testify; he has a family—and though the word ‘family’ feels like it's losing its meaning to me, that’s not the case for him."Focus."I dismiss."So, you own a car that you cannot even drive?"She retorts at my dismissal, and when I do not answer, she continues to speak."Figures. But just so you know, a princess like you is way out of depth in this neck of the woods."I roll my eyes for the nth time before staring out the window.My hand reaches for the stereo, but the only music available is blues, so I switch it off before my mind can race.The woman who served me coffee at Vivian’s store and said that the ‘Cha