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Chapter 35: The Run, Part 3
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The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 36: The Consequences
NINEI spend the next week in agony, confined to my quarters, to a cot no bigger than me. Outside of showering in the Unfortunate communal bathhouse with people who consider me a traitor, my only other human contact has been Portia. I'd have bashed my head into a stone wall days ago if it weren't for her. It's driving me mad not knowing my fate. Am I to lie here and choke on my explanation? Am I to wither away as anxiety chisels at my bones?I startle as a shadow darkens my doorway, expecting to see Vince with his rifle, ready to fulfil the sentencing of the council. Instead, Thirteen loiters. "Master Kade would like to see you in the garden." My heart picks up in its beat, and Thirteen's face gives nothing away. No smugness. No sympathy. No fear. She's simply indifferent. Sucking in a deep breath, I lift myself off the cot and follow her out. She escorts me through the maze of flowers, and I squint under the midday sun, my eyes taking longer to adjust to the brightness after an et
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 37: Vincent's Birthday, Part 1
NINE"It's eight-fifteen," Portia announces, storming into the bathhouse, a hair brush and hair pins in her hands. "I'm well aware of the time.""Then you must also be aware of how quickly you're running out of it. You haven't even done your hair."Grunting, I grit my teeth and attempt to tie the sheer lilac tunic at my shoulder for the umpteenth time. I can't get it to feel comfortable. I can't get it to sit correctly. Cursing under her breath, Portia throws the hair brush and pins into the basin and slaps my hands away from the fabric. I drop my hands and watch as she effortlessly ties the a-line tunic the way it's meant to be tied. "Why are we dressed like this?" I ask, eyeing up the floor-length tunic. Its neckline plunges to my sternum, and my nipples are distinguishable through the ruffled fabric. "Master Vince chose the attire for tonight. Consider yourself lucky. Master Kade had your dress altered."I compare in the mirror. The colours of our tunics were the same, but wh
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 38: Vincent's Birthday, Part 2
His charcoal eyes darken with every inch of my dress he takes in. On his arm, is a redhead in a glistening, crimson dress. She beams at Kade, recognition flaring in her hazel eyes. "I see you've taken the liberty of having your Unfortunate's dress altered. Rude, but okay." "Vince," Kade states, speaking his brother's name like he's not welcome at his own party. "Happy Birthday." The Unfortunate Kade sent for whiskey returns and places it on the tabletop. Kade draws it to his lips and takes a long sip. His body language changes during his sip. He straightens and pulls his shoulders back, no longer wanting to linger by the dance floor. Vince notices too, and mischievousness flares across his features. He gestures to the woman beside him. "You remember Charlotte, don't you? She was telling me you two recently shared a lovely night together." I bristle and absorb the strange sensation deep. I divert my attention to the dance floor. "I remember," he bites out. And his confirmation su
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 39: Vincent's Birthday, Part 3
NINEOnyxObsidian.Volcanic glass.The way Kade's darkness speaks to my soul is unlike anything I've ever known. Raven eyes that once stirred fear in every fibre of my being are the only ones bringing me comfort now. I shiver as bitter, cool air seeps into my pores and penetrates my bones. His face disappears, dissolving into nothing, hollowing me out. My eyelids flutter. "Don't stick them in dry. Warm her up first." Something brushes against the apex of my thighs, and I jolt, my eyes shooting open. I groan, blinking into the void, desperate to rid my eyes of the greasy blur coating them. I turn my head toward gentle murmurs of conversation, and my brain rolls in my skull, making me nauseous. Another brush against my inner thigh, and I straighten my head. I peer at the fuzzy wooden banisters that hold up the ceiling, then tilt my head and focus on the shadowed gathering of people to my left. Damn this vision. I try to lift my hands to swipe at my eyes but barely get a twitch out
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 40: Vincent's Party, Part 4
KADE Rolling up his sleeves, Kade filled the bath to the rim, adding magnesium sulphate crystals and a few drops of lavender bath oil. He returned to the lounge room to a sleeping Nine, haphazardly fallen against the armrest of his leather couch. His stomach twisted at the sight of her. How could he let this happen? The night was full of distractions. He should have sent Vince away when he showed up with Charlotte. He should never have allowed him to take Nine. He never should've left the table in a bid to lose Charlotte. Thanks to Vince, he chased his tail all night. Thanks to Vince, he was too late. He approached her sleeping form and knelt beside the couch. Nine had always had a full face, beautiful and healthy, but now, shadows obscured it, settling underneath her eyes and in her hollowed cheeks. As she was, drowning in his oversized jacket, she looked too young to be in his room, in her situation. It made him sick to his stomach. "Nine..." He smoothed his palm across her forehea
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 41: The Aftermath
KADEKADEKade had killed before. Twice. The first time, he was eleven. He attempted to help an Unfortunate escape by sneaking up on an unsuspecting moderator and stabbing him in the throat. The moderator died, but three others were watching from a tower Kade didn't see. They shot his Unfortunate friend, Caleb, and dragged Kade, kicking and screaming, back to his father. As punishment, Michael locked Kade in a sweltering tin shed for days. No food. Not enough water. Through the speakers, the rules of society were repeated over and over, making sure it was well and truly drummed into his head—and it was. He came out hating every Unfortunate he saw. The second time, he was fifteen years old. He was coming back from a late night stroll along the lake when he ran into a pregnant Unfortunate. She was using the cover of night to escape. He was surprised she'd gotten as far as she had with a belly as big as hers. He thought about turning her in. But he couldn't. He pointed her toward some
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 42: The Father, Part 1
NINEWith sunrise on the horizon, I stare at the gilded ceiling. I lie awake in a bed too big for one person, reliving the nightmare repeatedly as the remnants of whatever he put in the drink filter through my blood. And I'm alone. My sleep was disturbed the second Kade's side of the bed cooled. I don't know where he went. To Charlotte? Elizabeth? The thought turns my stomach, so I push it from my mind. The manor creaks and groans as the wind batters it, and the shadows of Kade's belongings wreak havoc on my imagination, taking it to scary places.The locking mechanism to the door clanks. My heart leaps into my throat as a streak of fear blusters down my spine. I grip the heavy blanket, pulling it as tight to my chin as possible, and sink lower into the giant bed, not wanting to be seen. I squint in the darkness, desperate to make out the shadow. It has to be Kade, but I don't move until I'm sure. He steps into the room and closes the door without making a sound. He leans against the d
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 43: The Father, Part 2
Kade turns to stone against me, and it lifts the hairs on the back of my neck. He waits for a beat as if imagining the sound. Another round of knocks rips him from the bed. He swears and swipes a hand over his face. "Give me your shirt," he demands, and I sit up and grip the hem. "What? Why?""No time to explain."He helps the shirt over my head, and I fold my arms over my breasts, drawing my knees up. Kade grips me by my biceps and pushes me down. "Pretend to be asleep."His breath leaves him in a quick, panicked pant as he pushes my knees down and covers me with the blanket. Fear trickles through my veins. "Kade, what's happening?"He slaps his hand over my mouth and brings his lips to my ear. "This is life or death. Pretend to be asleep. Don't open your eyes, no matter what you hear. Do you understand?"Fear evolves into panic. It prickles in my eyes and tightens my lungs in my chest. I nod anyway, and I close my eyes. Twenty erratic pulses of my heart later, the door is unlocke
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