I floated suspended in this blissful darkness for what felt like hours. Nothing could touch me here. Not the weight of exhaustion pulling me down or the agony squeezing at my muscles and bones.It was a reprieve, but one thing about reprieves is that they never last too long.At first, it started in small flashes. An explosion of light here and there, a flicker of pain, a whisper of voices just outside my minds reach.Eventually, those flashes became longer and more drawn out. The light became blinding, tinted with colors and shapes that moved. Voices took form, names flashing in my memory as I began to recognize them.Each time I gathered the strength to open my eyes, it was sucked away by some intangible force. With each sensation that returned, my least favorite was my dry throat.I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes open for long enough to drink anything, but what I wanted most was some damn blood. A few times I swore I saw the outline of Asher’s face, always hovering over me, silently
Midnight, that was when Rowena would start the spell that would crack open Tessa’s mind and unleash her innermost thoughts.There were risks involved, serious risks.For one, Zeke could go insane. His own subconscious shredded in an attempt to reach Tessa’s. Two, what Tessa said earlier could be right.What if doing the spell doesn’t matter? What if the witches are already here?We had all day to kill, and I was seriously not looking forward to it. Well, that was until Asher said he had something planned for us, something we needed to do.“You’re not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?” I grumbled; my voice disgruntled even though my insides were twisting with excitement.Asher’s laugh was low and smooth, rumbling in his chest. It tickled the spot in between my shoulder blades, right where his body met my back. Thanks to the blindfold he tied around my face, all I could see was red, scraggly fabric. He’d put it on right after we stopped by his parent’s house and made me keep
There’s nothing soft about the way his lips claim mine. His kisses embody who he is down to his core. They’re all consuming, a raging inferno that devours and destroys everything it touches. The way his hand rises to snare my throat claiming everything, even the air I breathe, as his own.My body ached, throbbing with the desperate need to be filled, to be as close to our mate as humanly possible.“Asher, you’re killing me. I can’t wait any longer.” I whimpered, lifting my hips until the firmness of his cock rubbed against my opening, grinding into the little bundle of nerves that had me seeing stars. “Please…please fuck me.”With one last resounding snarl, Asher complied.The lake, the beach, even the gorgeous waterfall in the distance faded into nothingness. We could’ve been in a piss poor tent in the middle of the woods, and it wouldn’t have mattered. Every touch dragged me further into his depths, while every seductive word he whispered pulled me under, the currents so strong that
I woke to the tang of blood in my mouth and the stinging pain of something sharp prodding me in the ass.“Agh.” I hissed in pain.Turning onto my side, which wasn’t any better, I felt around blindly for the perpetrator. My fingers froze when I registered the gritty substance covering the floor—the ground, I mean.It was dirt, scraggly and moist as it became compacted under my nails. Just about every muscle in my body ached like I’d ran a marathon. I tried to push past that pain, stretching out my senses until my eyes decided too corporate.Cold lapped at my bare skin, grazing places that should’ve been covered by clothing but most definitely weren’t. If I had to guess, I might’ve assumed I was outside somewhere but that couldn’t be possible.Other than the heavy pants of my breathing, there was nothing but silence.If I were outside, I should’ve been able to hear crickets chirping and leaves crunching beneath the feet of the smaller forest dwellers. There was none of that, not even th
It was all a blur up until the moment my feet hit the polished tile floors of the towns Hospital.Breyona steadying me as I screamed, the air melting from between my fingers, replaced with shadow and night, was vacant from my memory.“Room 232…” A faceless woman in cheery, rainbow scrubs said to Breyona.I blinked and we were down the hall. The second time and a set of elevator doors were closing, a third and we were in another hall, approaching an open doorway where the scents of my friends and family poured from within.Every step we took was another chance to get ahold of myself, to control the ragged breaths that slid past my lips.It wouldn’t have mattered. I wasn’t sure even Asher himself could put together the broken shards of my heart, not when I stepped into the room and saw her.The woman on the hospital bed, frail and much too thin, couldn’t have been my grandma.This couldn’t be the same woman that put her entire heart and soul into every pastry she baked to the point wher
“Lola—Lola, wait! Where are you going?” Breyona called out, her voice echoing down the empty hallway.I turned, remembering that I actually didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was that I needed to do something, anything to smother the pain holding me in its serrated grip.“Where was Cordelia’s body found?” I asked impatiently.Beneath the pain, a small wave of guilt washed over me. This wasn’t Breyona’s fault. She’d been through just as much as I had, and it wasn’t right to take my frustrations out on her.“I—I can just take you there if you want. I’m meeting up with Giovanni anyway…you know, to help find Asher.” She tacked the second part on quietly.It was a bit grating the way everyone was walking on eggshells around me, like I was a bomb whose timer was slowly ticking away. Staring into Breyona’s eyes, watching the warm flecks of brown deepen in color, made me realize that since her parents were murdered, that was how everyone’s been treating her as well.If there was one pe
Instantly, I could tell that I had no control over this form. Thoughts drifted through its head, flowing like a winding stream, but I couldn’t tap into them. The terrain was too rocky, too tumultuous to allow me to get any closer. Instead, I was left with whatever stray thoughts washed ashore and the emotions that followed them.I stood on the shoulder of a narrow, winding road. Clusters of trees surrounded me like a cage, spanning up and up and up to kiss a sky full of stars and to bask in rays of silver moonlight. By all accounts, it was beautiful, but there was a sourness to the fresh air that felt an awful lot like foreboding. Sensations battered me left and right. Sounds and colors were duller, not as vibrant as what I was used to. The sheer cold of the air against my skin was numbing, carving through the flowing skirt and buttoned blouse I wore. A single emotion was all I could snag, and it filled every crevice of this body until it’s joints began to ache. Cordelia was worrie
I was slammed back into my body, the impact tearing a ragged gasp from my throat.Panic obscured my thoughts, my hands grasping at my chest, taking fistfuls of my shirt as I pulled it from my body to peer down at smooth, unblemished skin.“I’m alive…” I panted, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. “It wasn’t me. I’m still here.”The sensation of my soul slipping away, the very essence that made up my memories, hopes, dreams, and fears, was one I would never forget. Far beyond the physical pain was a peacefulness I never would’ve thought existed. It caressed the soul in feather-light touches, wrapping around that beacon of light in a protective embrace.Remembering Death’s gentle touch brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder if that was how Sean felt—if he too felt at peace.‘We have to go, Lola…’ Maya said softly, her tail curling around my thoughts.As much as I wanted to stay and linger in that peaceful haze, it quickly began to slip through my fingers. Cordelia had been right, a