Violet’s P.O.V.I’d been at Sylvia’s Find-A-Mate event, I was sure of it. One moment I was wading through a sea of colorful gowns, pressing past women who belonged on a runway and not in a ballroom, and the next I was standing amongst a sea of rubble.Peering down at chunks of brick, I lifted my head and looked at where the wall had once been standing. It wasn’t there anymore, though, and once I realized that, the world yet again faded from my fingertips.Four walls of solid cement surrounded me. Their roughness was permanently etched into my memory, scratched into my subconscious as thoroughly as it was my fingertips. These walls held secrets of blood and pain; secrets of the raven-haired boy who sat hunched against them.His head snapped up as it always did when I entered the room. Those eyes of his, the same color as the darkness he rotted in, were always so quick to notice the way my hands shook, and lip quivered. They noticed my fear like it was a tangible presence filling the ro
Violet’s P.O.V.“What did you just say?” I stared at Hael blankly.He blinked, wiping the surprise from his face before I could even think to savor it.“You remember me?”“Hael, what did you just say?” I repeated, harsher this time.His lips thinned and I fought the urge to glance down at them. Instead, I shoved the comforter off my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed. There was a slight ache in my muscles, and my head protested the movement with a weak throb, but I felt loads better than I had prior to the event.“You’ve been feeling like shit, right? Headaches, nightmares, cold sweats, nausea, mood swings…” Hael trailed off, clearly waiting for a reply.I nodded my head slowly. “Yeah…that about sums it up.”“It’s because you’re withdrawing from Wolfsbane.” He said bluntly.“No, that’s not possible. I’ve never used Wolfsbane in my life. It’s probably me withdrawing from the medication I’ve been on for the last eight years.” I said pointedly, making the fact that I blamed
Violet’s P.O.V.After that heavy conversation, I was more than ready to clear my mind with the loud thunder of heavy-metal and rock music.There was something soothing about flitting from customer to customer, memorizing drink orders and mixing them in the correct amounts. It was easy to get lost in the art that was mixing drinks, even if most of the gruff men here wanted nothing more than a bottle of beer.The younger crowd, which was brought in solely because of Erik’s initiative to make this place more like a club than a seedy bar, primarily ordered cocktails and other colorful concoctions. They were the one’s that embraced my creativity and knocked back damn near anything I placed in their hands.Hours flitted by like seconds when I worked at the Violet Lounge. Olive switched between sitting at the bar to keep me company, harassing Erik, and helping the two newly hired cooks in the back kitchen.Somehow, Olive was even more popular than the two lingerie-clad waitresses. I quickly
Hael’s P.O.V.The purr of the engine droned on and on, but the sound no longer swallowed my thoughts the way it used to. Once I started thinking about her—the blue-eyed beauty, the Princess with the soul of a monster—nothing short of a miracle could clear my head.Streetlamps drifted by their spotlights few and far between. I increased my pressure on the accelerator and watched as they blurred, their light a trail of gold in my rearview mirror.A shrill electronic beep filled the car, lasting but a few seconds before Cole’s annoying ass popped up on the screen. Accompanying his name was a picture he’d taken of himself during his last fight. Blood stained his forehead and drizzled from his split lip, but the grin on his face told me he’d never felt more alive than he did in that moment.I jabbed the answer button and waited for him to talk.Instead of hearing his voice, I picked up a fuck ton of background noise. Loud music blasted through my speakers, thundering from the sheer intensi
Violet’s P.O.V.Holy shit.What just happened? What did I do?The answers were right in front of my face, but my stomach wouldn’t let me look. A numbness settled over my body, blurring the images that flooded my head rapid fire. If I tried, I could easily convince myself the puddle of crimson wasn’t blood but strawberry syrup from the last daiquiri I made.This isn’t happening. It can’t be. It just can’t be.I turned away, inching towards the water spigot. My legs moved on their own, not needing instruction. It was as though my body knew my brain was unreachable and was going through the motions that would keep me safe—and sane.Nothing, however, could erase the memory of what I’d done—and of what I agreed to do.Yes.I could hear that word above the roar of icy water that rained down on my hands, washing red, red, red, from the surface of my skin. Porcelain was left behind, but I could still see the stain of where it had been—of where it always would be. Next was my face, which I scr
Violet’s P.O.V.I was flying, gliding through the air as it whisked me up and away. The air caressing my back, my arms, and my legs was soft. Its gentle whisper stroked my nerve endings the way a feather would caress a sensitive patch of skin.It felt incredible. Amazing. Euphoric.There was only one thing that could weigh me down but how could something as unimportant as Blaze matter when everything felt so good. All of those terrible emotions were below, down where the waves crashed against the rocky shore. As for me, I was up, up, up. Resting on a cloud of silk and daydreams, one so soft I found myself wanting to reach out and touch it, to feel it under my fingertips.Where my limbs once felt impossibly heavy, they were now the opposite. They were so light it brought a lazy smile to my face, followed by a string of giggles that morphed into iridescent bubbles as they slid past my lips.I reached out and ran my fingers over the cloud I floated on, marveling at how soft it was.“Fee
Violet’s P.O.V.Olive stiffened and her head jerked in my direction. At the last second, she yanked the steering wheel and swerved, narrowly missing a road sign. There was an explosion of butterflies in my stomach from the quick movement that made me giggle.“What did you just say?”Olive’s boobs really were nice. They were a little more than a handful, with small nipples a few shades lighter than the petals of a rose. Unlike mine, they weren’t weighed down by gravity or so large that any top was deemed provocative. Plus, she had these pretty metal charms that hung from her nipples, embedded with what had to be actual diamonds.“Your boobs are nice.” The words came out like vomit. What was left of the barrier between my thoughts and my big mouth was nothing more than a piece of damp tissue paper.A slight blush stained her face as she huffed. “Thank you, Violet. Now what is it you just said?”“They’re perkier than mine and you have those cool nipple charms.” I slurred.I hadn’t realiz
Hael’s P.O.V.How can a she-wolf who can’t even shift be this much trouble? I asked myself this question no less than three hundred times within the last half hour. This was after I plotted Lorenzo Santino’s murder. Waiting for Olive to get here with Violet provided me with ample time to mull things over.Perhaps, I should just sick Violet on Lorenzo. After what she did to Blaze, jamming that knife into his head hard enough to snap the metal in two, I was sure she’d come up with something equally as creative.Why exactly did that thought fill me with pride?Fuck. What was this girl doing to me?Before I hoisted her into my arms and felt the heavy curve of her breasts against my chest, I had to mentally steel myself. Our agreement meant I had access to her body. I had no interest in her heart.Just as I turned back toward the house with a cooing Violet tucked away in my arms, Olive’s voice rang out.“Can I talk to you really quick?”She might’ve phrased it as a question but the note o