"Men like Marcus are always hiding something, always." Kade said, his voice not cruel and demeaning, but factual. "They have piles upon piles of skeletons in their closets. They might let you see a few, but they will never give their full hand."
Apart from the muffled heavy metal music blasting from Ava's headphones, the inside of the sedan was silent. The purr of the engine as we coasted down the highway was the only thing to be heard.
The emotions that sat within this small confined space, were beginning to give me a headache.
Only Ava seemed completely at ease, so utterly joyful that she was like a Tylenol to my aching head. Her teenage ignorance and excitement for danger felt good, like a reprieve from the weight of everyone else's emotions.
Tori and Zayne were so aware of each other that every shift, every exhale or sound that came from one had the other reacting.
Zayne still had an ironclad grip on his emotions, but Tori was practically an op
"You can't, not yet." Kade hissed, wrapping his arm around my waist to fasten me against his torso. This was the first I had felt from him since he was taken, and now the bond between us was pulling me forward. I only stopped squirming when I noticed Tori's red face, and how she was currently backed up against Zayne Novak. The two of them were flattened against the house. I didn't miss how his arm was wrapped around his waist, his fingers just an inch above her shirt line. His other hand still rested over her mouth, an attempt to silence her when the guard had come out to investigate. Her heart sounded like a distant helicopter, mirroring the sound of Zayne's. "Are you alright?" I asked her, when both Kade and Zayne finally let us go. "I'm fine." She huffed under her breath, which was a good enough answer for me at the moment. "Guys, I got the window open." Ava's sudden outburst made me jump, and instinctively place a hand against my chest. Av
The only thing that kept me from erupting into a revenge fueled rage was the fact that we still needed to get Alec out of here.Once Tori removed all of the tubes, including the steady drip of sedatives that kept him comatose, his eyelashes had barely fluttered. It would be some time before he actually came to, but all that mattered was that he was finally home.Both Zayne and Kade supported Alec, draping on of his arms over their shoulders.As we readied to get the hell out of here, I couldn't help but stop and place my hand against Alec's face. He had thick stubble coating his chin and jaw, the same onyx color as his hair. As I trailed my fingers down his face, I could feel that wall holding back my emotions quiver."Alright, let's get out of here." I exhaled, pulling away from Alec with what I'm sure was a pained expression on my face.If I stayed here any longer, seeing the physical effects of what they had done to him, I wasn't sure there woul
"How are we supposed to come up with an escape plan an hour before our final meeting?" I hissed once we were all within the confines of our suite."Sweetheart, my parents and I have been mulling over escape plan's for at least a week now." Kade chuckled, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "Ever since we found out the High Table wanted to meet you; we began planning. Garrett and Julian have been helping as well. I'm sure they've come up with something by now."Alec was draped across the sectional; the sporadic flutter of his eyelashes was the only sign that the sedative was beginning to wear off. All eyes snapped over to Alec when a husky mumble came from his lips. Tori was at his side in seconds, checking him over in a way she had done three times now.When I had ran away, Tori began an apprenticeship under her dad. The time she didn't spend looking for me was dedicated to nightly shifts at the hospital."It's wearing off faster, he should be luci
The entire room held its breath. Fear was a smog that thickened the air and rushed into my lungs like fumes of bleach. It stung and burned, nearly making me emit a nasty cough.You could feel the tearing and shattering of alliances, opinions being formed and beliefs being questioned.It wasn't every day the High Table took in a potential soul-eater. Some instinctual side of me told me to use my gift, to tear the life from Marcus before he could utter another order.Marcus's eyes held mine, ice blue and full of acknowledgement. There was something strange in his perfectly cultivated emotions, a sort of interest that bordered on gambling.The pieces clicked together in my mind, when ever so slightly, he tipped his head at me.'Your move', It said.A question stood out in my mind, one that made my stomach sink. None of us had thought of it before, least of all myself.That guard I had killed at the decrepit house; we had left him there.
"Well, that was an absolute fucking mess." Jaspar snorted, cocking an onyx eyebrow at me as he took a long drink from his glass. He seemed completely unbothered, more inconvenienced, if anything. It was then that I noticed we weren't alone. The little girl who had touched me bounced over to his side, placing a protective arm around his leg. She stared at me with hazel eyes, through hair the same color as Jaspar's. I gaped at her for a few moments, still sprawled out on the carpet until the world around me stopped shifting. "She did rather well for her first time, didn't she?" A feminine voice asked, cool and collected as she analyzed me. I pulled myself from the floor, finally noticing the woman who sat in the armchair. She wore a tight black dress, but looked professional with her short heels and crisp shoulder length cut. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown, despite the guarded look on her face. "Yes, she did." Jaspar nodded, agreein
I was ripped from what might've been the deepest sleep I've ever experienced to the shrill sound of an alarm coming from the tablet. It vibrated against the Persian rug on the floor, making me scramble even faster. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes roughly, tossing the blankets from my body in a rush. The tablet had fallen over while I slept, and I practically threw myself from the couch to grab it in time.I cringed at the harsh light from the tablet, but forced myself to look until the splotches cleared and I could finally see what the hell was happening. My stomach sank and relief flooded me all at once."We know someone's there--let us in!" Tori's voice wasn't full of panic and fear, but aggression and determination.For a moment, it surprised me. She's always been confident and strong, but this was the voice of a Luna.I tapped furiously on the tablet, scrolling through the oddly in-depth security measures that encompassed the house. The boundary line
"Are you sure?" I gasped as my back hit the cool tile of the shower wall.It jolted up my spine and through my shoulders as the cold moisture met my skin. I wrapped my legs around Alec's waist, using him to keep my face level with his own. He had been devouring my lips for minutes now, leaving me flushed and shimmering with a thin sheen of sweat.Once the pine smelling soap had carried every last ounce of dirt and grime down the drain, his hands wasted no time lifting me up to pin me against the wall. I could do nothing but whimper as his fingers trailed up my chest and towards my throat."You're the one who was concerned about what I'd say in the morning." Alec chuckled lowly, lightly pressing his fingers into the sides of my jaw.His lips traveled down the length of my neck. Little huffs of his breath caressed my skin, but it wasn't what I wanted. He refused to place his lips against me, to scrape his teeth against the smoothness of my flesh. Only when
The twin's parents contacted us nearly an entire day later. While they had the address for the safehouse, there was no way for us to contact anyone in the outside world. There were no telephones in the entire house, and our own cellphones were lost or broken during the chaos."They won't come here." Kade reassured me, "Marcus's men could be anywhere. Coming here would only bring trouble."Even though I cherished these hours with the twin's, they were wrought with anxiety. I couldn't help but feel like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the next move to be made. Marcus had clearly made the first move, ordering my capture along with Tori and the twins. It was our turn, but we were in no position to do anything.Both Tori and Zayne stayed in their rooms for most of the day, managing to come downstairs at different intervals. While it might've been chance, I had the distinct feeling they were completely avoiding each other. I thought back to last night an