NATHAN I have never felt this way before. Like I'm cradling a tiny butterfly in my hands and I am afraid any wrong move will crush it to death. And then it would be my fault. For ripping the life away from something so fragile. I laid Faye down on the bed as she winced in pain, her broken lip lined with blood and tears. The rage came over me again and I felt like hitting something, or someone. They had dared to touch what was mine. Laid their dirty hands on her. I shouldn't have killed them that fast. Should have made them suffer unbearably before ending their cursed lives. The quick death had been too much of a mercy for them. "I know it hurts. Look at me." I said to her gently. Her eyes looked like they would close any minute. Focus hard for her. "Just Breathe, Faye. Patrice is here. She will care for you now." She nodded off to sleep as I watched her. Her eyes quivering behind the eyelids as a tear slipped from her eye and rolled down to her ear. I found myself ge

NATHANThe frozen state of her body had somehow receded. But her eyes remained wide open like she was wide awake, her body stiff like she was dead. We'd laid Carolyn on her bed near dawn, lifting her out of the car trunk they had stuffed her into and carrying her to the little cabin which was Zelda's place. Alive! She was alive, but unmoving. Cold as ice, like we had brought her out of a freezer. Checking all over her body, we'd confirmed she didn't have any open wounds on her. If it wasn't for the dull throb of her heart, we would have thought her dead. Zelda had used a witch potion, rubbing her entire body to bring it warmth again. Her spells doing little as she tried to pull Carolyn out of whatever trance like state she was in that left her unresponsive and close to dead. Zelda was the only one who could get her better, seeing as it had been obvious when we found her it was a witch's spell that did this. It was already late in the afternoon, and Carolyn wasn't showing any sig

FAYEI stood for a minute, wondering which of my feelings to focus on. Excitement and happiness that he'd been here to check in on me, or disappointment at his curt words?He had come to see me, but he'd basically said he didn't really care. He'd talked about me like I was property. An inanimate possession of his that they'd dared to touch.I hadn't been down for breakfast cause I was hiding from him. Hoping to keep my treacherous heart locked away. The way the pathetic thing had jumped excitedly at the sight of him had been a dead giveaway that my attempts weren't working.I still loved Nathan. Maybe the more he ignored me, the more I loved him. The more he hurt me, the more I ached for him. Wanting a love he would never offer me. I hadn't been able to leave the room for fear of anything else that might happen, but now I felt cooped up in the room. I dressed slowly, happy when I didn't feel too much pain. The maids had been back this morning, but I had asked them to leave. I did

FAYEI woke up the next day with a satisfied grin on my face. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a quarter past seven. I sat up in a rush, a little dizzy spell coming over me, but I shook it off. I was alone in the room. Nathan was always up and out really early. Heat rushed to my face when I remembered what had happened last night. I smiled regardless and stood up, almost doing a little dance in excitement. Last night was the first night we'd been together since we had exchanged our vows. He must care. I could feel it in the way he touched me. Maybe he could only show how he cared for me through sex. I didn't know how that made me feel, but I would not overthink this. The strap of my night dress fell off of my shoulder and I slipped it back on. I walked towards the window and lifted the black curtains. I'd never felt this way before waking up. I'd gotten used to the dread in the pit of my stomach. I was still looking out the window when I realized I was no longer alone. N

FAYE I knew that when Erin had said she wanted to get to know him; she wanted more than that. But I assumed Nathan would tell her off. I stood at the end of the stairs and watched as she called him by his name."Nathan!" she called to him, rushing to hug him. She pressed herself up against him boldly. Turning a hug into something provocative."Alpha Nathan," Lannon corrected her, but she didn't seem to care."Oh. You don't mind me calling you Nathan, do you? It's just that I feel close to you and that will be too formal, don't you think?" She said. I stood and watched numbly, and then my eyes met his over her shoulder. He knew I was hurting before, but this was just pouring salt over a wound."Of course you can call me Nathan." He grinned and answered her. I tagged along so it wouldn't show that it hurt me, but that was pointless. I followed as Nathan took her to his wing and gave her a room close to his. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left them and went to my room. I slumped on th