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Seventy

Author: Luxie
last update publish date: 2026-02-05 22:30:16

Lisa

I’d been feeling like shit since the conversation with Evangeline that morning.

Not the kind of shit where you could pinpoint exactly what hurt. But an ache that settled into my bones and refused to leave.

She’d begged me not to take him from her.

On the verge of tears, voice shaking, hands trembling. It made me feel like a monster.

She was right.

There was no future between Cameron and me. That much was obvious. It had been obvious from the start. He was mated. I was hired. And nothing c
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Comments (1)
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Cynthia
Whoo! That was intense to read! Fanning myself and panting. <3 When will someone find Evangeline is not who everyone thinks she is? Is she dying?
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  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and fifty three

    Cameron POVThe house had gone quiet after Evangeline stopped filling the empty spaces. She hardly came downstairs anymore, and at mealtimes she barely touched her food before pushing the plate away. Before finding out who she really was, I would've thought she was sick again. Now I didn't know what I was looking at.Sometimes I'd find her staring through the sitting room window. A maid would call her name, and she'd flinch before turning, like she'd forgotten where she was. Dark circles settled beneath her eyes. She drifted through the upstairs hallway without speaking, then wandered into the garden with nowhere to go. I watched it happen and couldn't make sense of any of it."Is she losing her mind?" Nadia asked as we stood behind a pillar, watching Evangeline disappear into her room."I almost feel sorry for her," she muttered, then snorted. "She should at least tell us what she did before she completely loses her mind.""That's unlikely," I said."Why?""She could be trying to

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and fifty two

    Lisa POV Harry looked up as I came down the stairs. He squinted and leaned forward hard enough that I stopped."What?""So when do you start floating?"I stared at him, trying to work out what he meant.He burst out laughing."Come on, Lisa, don't be a killjoy. You've joined an ancient secret order." He glanced at the ceiling and flapped his arms. "I expected glowing eyes by breakfast and levitation after lunch."I laughed."You'll be disappointed.""What a scam."Kieran laughed from across the room."I'm just saying, if someone tells me they survived a terrifying initiation beneath an underground labyrinth, I'm expecting at least one supernatural side effect.""If sore feet count, then chalk that in."I smiled, but it didn't last. Every step made me aware of the weight I carried, and exhaustion sat deep in my bones.My phone buzzed.Pack your bags and get to the chapter house immediately. Your protection begins today."What does that even mean?" I groaned, looking at Mom.Kieran gav

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and fifty one

    Evangeline POV "Are you at least going to give me an inkling of what is going on?" Kade said after settling into the passenger seat. He waited for me to speak. "What has she dragged you into?"My stomach tightened. I kept my eyes on the windshield."Do you need my help?" he asked. "Do you need saving?"A laugh almost slipped out.If only it were that simple.I looked at him and shook my head."Well, I don't believe you."I shrugged."Whether you like it or not, I'm helping you. This isn't you."I looked away.The last thing I wanted was for my brother to get involved. We weren't particularly close, but I'd rather die than watch him cross paths with the people who had used me and thrown me away."I'll be fine," I said. "Don't worry about me.""That's not how siblings work."Silence filled the car. My fingers traced the steering wheel."Is this about Cameron? Or politics?"I said nothing."Fine. Give me something. Is there anyone hurting you? Is there something I should be looking for?

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and fifty

    Evangeline POV The pounding headache I woke up to the next morning eclipsed anything I had ever experienced. It felt as though someone had packed my skull with bricks. Even lifting my head took effort. Memories from the night before crashed into me. I sniffed my hands, then my clothes. The smell was gone. I dragged myself out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. My face had returned to normal, but the scratches across my face and arms remained. I traced one with my fingertips. It had happened. I had clawed at my own skin. Heat climbed into my chest as everything came back. I needed to see my mother.I grabbed the first dress I found. It looked decent enough. I brushed my hair, got into my car, and drove straight to my parents' house.My mother was in the middle of her usual morning meeting with the trade union. I walked in without knocking."We need to talk. Now."Every head turned toward me. A few faces showed surprise."Honey, we're having a meeting. Go upstairs and wait.""No.

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and forty nine

    Evangeline POV The silence from everyone, including my handler, unsettled me. The Meridian had lost faith in my ability to bring Cameron to Dominion, but that had never stopped them from dragging me into meetings held in different locations at odd hours of the night. Now days had passed without a single message.I reached out to my handler myself. We sat across from each other in the coffee shop where we usually met. I slid a folder across the table, every report from the last seven days arranged inside."We're making progress," I said with a smile. "His episodes are getting worse. He depends on me again."She didn't touch the folder.I glanced at it, then back at her."His sister and friends think he's getting better, but he isn't."She kept staring at me."I've also noticed...""Stop."Her voice stayed flat."The Meridian doesn't measure effort. It measures results.""I know.""Do you?" She raised a brow. "Months have passed. Your target is still resisting, and you're sitting here

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Two hundred and forty eight

    Lisa POV The corridor opened into a chamber surrounded by rows of steps. Hundreds of women filled the room. Even with that many people, nobody raised their voice. I noticed the ribbons stitched into their crimson sashes.Most of the older women wore black, the younger wore silver.Victoria spotted me and waved. I waved back."Go sit with her," Cassidy said. "I'll come back for you."I watched her leave before making my way over."Lucky you," Victoria whispered. "They're breaking protocol because of you."I frowned. "What do you mean?""You should still be under observation," she said with a chuckle. "I've been here a month, and my initiation isn't even happening anytime soon.""Oh."She smiled."No hard feelings. You've made quite an impression.""I'm not sure that's a good thing.""Depends how you look at it. At least your man hasn't deteriorated into Dominion, spat in your face, and almost killed you."I looked down at my hands."I'm just a surrogate," I said.The words sounded wea

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Eleven

    Cameron POVFourteen hours earlierEvangeline’s breathing rasped against my chest. Each wheeze scraped through the quiet hospital room and chipped away at the hope I kept trying to rebuild.I had spent months telling myself she was getting better.She wasn’t.Her illness came in waves. She would rec

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Ten

    Lisa POV“This is so fucked up, Lisa.” Sasha dragged a breath through the phone. “You’re supposed to sleep with this guy while his mate’s portrait watches? Who even does that? Cover it with something. Turn it around. Anything.”My pulse kicked harder.“Do you know anything about their relationship?”

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Eight

    The house felt empty when we returned to pack our things. My mother paced the length of the living room, her hands twisting the fabric of her sweater."If Kade’s proposal is real, maybe you should think about it, Lisa. It would be a safe path. You would stay here, in the pack."I shook my head and c

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    Seven

    Lisa POVI stared at the text message until the letters seemed to blur against the dark background.Lisa Hartwell. You have been selected.My father was still talking, his mouth moving in an endless cycle of justifications, but the sound had faded to a distant echo. The reality of the message hit m

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