LOGINShe froze for the briefest moment. Then her fingers found the front of my shirt, holding onto the fabric as though she were afraid I might disappear if she let go. Her soft gasp died in her throat as my mouth pressed into hers. The small hesitation in her body melted away, turned into a fire that
Or... For me. She smiled. It wasn't the bright, carefree smile she wore during her rare moments of happiness. This one was smaller, almost shy. As though she wasn't entirely certain how I would react to finding her here. I simply stood there with one hand still resting on the doorknob, staring at
One picture made my hand stop. Gianna couldn't have been older than ten. Her hair was tied neatly into a bun, every other child smiling proudly toward the camera. Gianna wasn't looking at the photographer. She was staring somewhere beyond the frame, her expression distant, almost watchful, as though
His gaze softened in a way I had only seen a handful of times. "Raphael, if anyone can convince her to speak, it's you." I looked away, the words never reached my mouth because another thought had already taken their place. Scars. My breathing slowed by instinct. Images surfaced one after anothe
Salvatore slowly shook his head, "I asked her that question more times than I can count." "And?" "She'd only ever give me one answer," e looked directly into my eyes, "'If he ever finds us... he'll never stop until he takes her.'" I waited, "That's all?" I asked. Salvatore swallowed hard, his vo
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ "Raphael!" I heard Vincenzo call after me. I didn't answer. The hallway blurred around me. Guards stepped aside the moment they saw my face. I knew exactly where he was. Dad hadn't left the estate since Hazel's funeral. He spent most of his time in the library. The room had bec
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ "We’re moving in with Salvatore," Mom said. She said it while pouring juice, like she was just talking about the weather. I froze, my fork hovering halfway to my mouth. I didn't say anything at first, I just stared at her, the heat rising in my face until my skin felt tight. "No,
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ "Five minutes are up," I whispered, flicking the safety off my bow, "The Void is open. Happy fucking hunting, gentlemen." With a surge of adrenaline, the men vanished into the trees, disappearing into the blackness I controlled. I stayed on the terrace for a moment, watching the
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ I leaned against the cold brick wall of the mansion, my arms crossed, watching the show. Our soldiers were busy dragging in the trash, fifty men, all bound at the wrists, their faces covered in bruises and tears. They were lined up like cattle ready for the slaughter. This was th
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I was back at the Rose Garden, which was basically a fancy way of saying a place where girls got dressed up to be arm candy for guys with too much money. "I’m telling you, Mama D, they aren’t humans," I groaned, throwing my head back so hard my ponytail nearly hit the floor. "The







