~Elijah~Rory’s heartbeat lulled. Her continuous turning and flipping on my bed five rooms away from my study stopped, and she had fallen into a dreamless sleep.It was a mistake, coming here in Salvatore Hills, revealing what she is to me… all of it. My fucking existence is a bane.“So, she is your soulmate.” Jace, dressed decently in his borrowed clothes from Henry, approached me as I stared at the billowing storm.He wasn’t asking, but my reply validated his statement. “Yes.” I tipped my glass of Macallan Peter Blake 1926, taking a gulp.Jace stood beside me with a huff, hands shoved in his jeans pocket. Our reflection on my study’s glass wall was both solemn. I can feel his

~Elijah~If it were up to me, I’d rather fight alone than have people like Tayen, Nolani, and even my best friend Henry put their lives in danger for me. But as Mingan told me long ago, a commander could have a thousand soldiers under his command, but he is nothing unless he learns to accept that he is not a one-man army. And I understand this is a war I can’t win on my own.To keep things low-key, Tayen and I agreed to only meet when necessary. We put to good use what technology this generation offers. We don’t need to use magic anymore, unlike we did before. But I knew all too well that there’s always a loophole in these advances.She also took it upon herself to tell Jace what he needed to know but kept him in the shadows of who I truly am. It might not stop Jace from searching for the tru

~Rory~I followed Elijah out of James’ apartment. He kept a steady two steps ahead of me as we walked to my GMC parked in the visitor’s parking slot of the building.He opened the passenger side for me. I hesitated before hopping inside, confused at his calm demeanor. It’s not that I wanted him to act on his threat about ripping James’ head. I’m grateful, really, but he even apologized for breaking and entering James’ home.With a puffed-out chest, James threw us out of his place and slammed the door in our faces.I should be relieved, but I fear Elijah would explode any minute.He slipped on the driver’s side, started the car, and drove under the speed limit through the lively street

~Rory~Aiming to get dressed as fast as humanly possible, I pulled a hoodie and sweatpants on while Elijah fixed an overnight bag for me. I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, seeing a woman I didn’t recognize.This version of me is better than the one I saw while getting dressed this morning.Despite the crazy events that took place this weekend, I look happy, contented.This giddy feeling in my belly caused the stain on my cheeks. My lips, full and swollen from Elijah’s kisses, stretched to a wide grin, but I had to bite it, preventing the girly squeal from tumbling past from my lips.He told me he couldn’t read my thoughts. I’m grateful for that because if he can, he’d probably call me crazy

~Rory~The fire’s crackle descanted in duet with the thumping beat of my heart. My temple pulses, trying to wrap my mind around what had transpired. My sex was overworked, but I am not complaining.Elijah laid beside me. I’m jealous that he didn’t need a minute to gather himself like me.“That was…”“Amazing,” he completed, turning on his side, fingertips tracing my flushed cheeks. “You are amazing, Cara mia.”I turned to face him, reddening at our nudity. “Uhm… so…”His eyes traipsed where his fingertips had been, admiring, ogling. My blush deepened, soaked by his undivided attention.