“Come on, join us. Can I make you a plate?” Ash waved his hand dismissively.
“A glass of wine will be fine.” He said. Mr Clifton was pulling out a chair next to Melissa but Ash went around him.
The chair next to Lola’s was pulled out and she gulped when she saw him sit down.
Melissa looked over the table. She needed to see Lola’s face and make sure that she was alright. She also wanted to scream across the table and ask what the hell was going on but luckily she had some restraint.
“Ash, how nice of you to join us. Who told you about the dinner?” Mrs. Blackwood asked. Ash thanked Mr. Clifton for the wine and swirled it in his glass.
“Nobody told me about the dinner. Jax said that Lola was spending the night at Melissa&r
Dinner had been a disaster for everyone except Mr and Mrs. Clifton who were wrapping up the evening with a glass of wine on the couch. They played a random show on the TV and held each other close. Lola stood in the hallway, watching as they gazed into each other's eyes and gently caressed each other lovingly.Mr. Cilfton grabbed his wife's chin and attacked her with several pecks on her lips as she laughed.“Jealous?” Lola spun on her feet and looked at Ash.“No,” she said but she was. The ever-growing longing for a love like that was evident in the twinkle in her eyes.Ever since she met Jax it was as though something awoke inside of her. Something she didn't think would ever come.The prospect of a future with a loving man who wanted her.Ash could see the lies spread on her face but he let it go.“Margret is gone, I'm going to head home. Are you sure you’re not coming?” He asked her.Lola nodded and clasped her hands in her front.“Yes. Thank you for coming tonight,” she smiled. W
The school was different today. Everyone walked with a somber expression through the halls and they all stopped by a locker on their way to class. Lola and Melissa stood in the hallway and watched as the students put flowers, paintings, bears, and pictures by the locker. Her locker was covered in pictures of friends and her father, and signs that said ’rest in peace’ and ’never forgotten’ were taped on the metal. Flowers in her favorite shades, pink and purple, stood in vases on the floor. Clarissa had grown up with a lot of these people, when you live in a small town like Wild Cliff you’re pretty much stuck with the people born in your age group. All the way from kindergarten if not longer. A lot of the parents had helped Professor Adams when Clarissa was a baby, those who had kids her age would have them play together from birth and that kind of love creates unusually strong bonds.The sniffles were heard all throughout the school and many stopped and stayed by the locker as they cr
“We’re leaving,” Ash growled. His eyes glowed and even Ember took a step back. “Give me back my note,” Lola demanded, standing her ground. From where they were standing nobody could hear them and they could hear nothing that happened in the school. “We’re leaving.” He said again and took a step toward her. Lola took the opportunity to reach out for his hand but he grabbed her wrist and held her still. “You either come willingly or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out through school- ass first.” He threatened. His anger only seemed to grow. “Let’s go.” He pulled Lola behind him as she kicked and screamed. For each refusal to obey, one more string was snapped in his consciousness until all that was left was uncontrolled, primal rage. He dragged her around him and slammed her back against the wall. Lola gasped and stared in shock. Ash was heaving, he fought to gain control of the anger that consumed him but all he wanted was to get Lola out of the school no matter the
“Get out of my way.” Lola seethed and slammed her shoulder into Jax’s as she passed him. The door was slammed shut in front of her face and Jax stood leaning against it.“Lola, listen to me.” He said calmly.The chill grabbed her ankles and moved up her legs.“I’m not interested in anything you have to say.” She said.She scanned his face and not a single muscle was moving. It didn't feel like it was Jax’s eyes that she was looking into.He nodded and moved slowly over the carpet to his desk. His fingers tapped against the table, he flicked his tongue and grabbed a piece of paper. Lola’s stared at the white sheet folded over.It was the note that Ash had taken from her.
“You can’t be serious. You’re taking her from the pack? I can’t tell if this is sleep deprivation or if your brain just isn’t capable of calculating the risks,” Ash seethed and slammed his forehead in a gesture of Jax’s apparent stupidity.“I’m doing what I think is right for my wife,” he explained and dropped the files into his bag.Ash grabbed his cousin’s arm and pulled him around.“You’re being selfish! You two out there alone, with a clan of vampires out to get her. Do you not see how stupid this is?” Ash spat.Jax stepped closer and pushed his chest out as he raised his head.“What I see is that you have a misguided sense of protection. Or was it not you who told Lola yesterday
Lola cleared her throat, and Melissa waited eagerly to hear the story that, in some way, connected to her best friend.“Once upon a time, in a village covered in ash, a woman stepped out of her house. She looked in despair at what the fire had caused and then looked further at the backs of the disappearing guards. They rode on their horses back to their king, who wallowed in sorrow over the loss of his son. The guards told their king of yet another village they had plundered. They had burnt their homes in front of the villagers’ eyes.‘We told them, my King, how to make it stop, but none stepped forward ready to pay the price.’The king had sent guards to plunder village after village and bring back his heir.The king rose from his throne and lifted his sword in the air.‘I will go to the village and talk to the people, with the promise of gold and new homes.’‘My King, if they resist, what then?’‘If they resist, I give the kingdom my word that I will burn their starving bones.’The
“Naw!” Melissa said in the back. She pouted and looked between the two.Lola rolled her eyes and pressed Melissa back into her seat, all the while laughing at her best friend’s hopelessly romantic side shining through.“Hey, Jax,” Melissa said. “Do you have a friend you can fix me up with?” She placed her chin on the top of his seat.Jax laughed and shook his head.“None that I would feel good fixing you up with,” he said and looked at her through the rearview mirror.Melissa shrugged her shoulders and fell back in the seat. Jax had no human friends and Melissa didn’t need a werewolf boyfriend to complicate things further.“Where are we going exactly?” Lola asked, looking at the streets they passed.“Ash and I managed to find a living relative to the book’s author. We’re going to visit her.” Jax clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowed on the road, and darkness engulfed them.“I just don’t know what to expect. Whoever wrote the book has a connection to the Doe. Her relative may know the an
“Tell me why you’re here,” she said. Her brows raised to her hairline. Her eyes were round and eager.Lola shifted next to Jax, and she saw Melissa in the corner of the couch, wrinkling her nose and looking around the room.“We wanted to ask you about this story,” Jax said, opening the book to the first page.Elwina’s face lit up.“Ahh, the story of the Doe. Remarkable, isn’t it?” she said and dragged her plain nails over the text. Lola would’ve thought that Ewlina’s nails would scream as loud as her jewelry, but she was mistaken.They were rather rough and torn.“It’s lovely, but we were wondering what you could tell us about it apart from what is already written,” Lola said as her brows pinched together.“How do you mean?” Elwina asked sweetly.Lola and Jax shared a look.“The story behind the Doe, where did it originate from?” Jax asked and leaned his elbows on his knees.Eliwna started laughing.“Its origin? It’s a story. It originated in one person’s mind, and that person was cra