ana

e gap in the curtai

nd-dollar suits like armor, was on his hands and

Ivan's back. The child's tiny fists were tangled in the collar o

brated from his chest. He shook his shoulders, playing the obedient b

urned her head. The war

er

d a crystal glass of red wine, swirling the dark liquid as she looke

I lunged, catching it against my stomach just before it hit the s

mmed against the mental barriers of my consciousness, her claws tearing at my sanity.

the side of my

sical pain acted like a circuit breaker, shocking my brain back into absolute, cold

ck through

van's dark hair. "F

an expression I had never seen in the three years we had been toget

ged piece of glass twisti

e noisy, useless distractions. He had made me swear we wouldn't e

Ivan was kneeling on the rug. She raised her bare foot

g securely around her slender ankle. He leaned forward an

My stomach violently contracted.

drive away, and scrub my skin until it bled. But my boots felt like the

lla, dripping steadily onto my shoulders. The cold was s

bored. He slid off Ivan's back and ran towa

Kiera flush against his chest. She melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She

seemed to lock directly onto the gap in the curtains. The cor

roze, my muscles locki

he just let her eyes slide past the glass, act

en his teeth. He whispered something against her s

r voices into a dull hum. I needed to hear t

against the freezing, wet frame

the lawn, catching the tiny gap in the window seal and

e rain. It was low, cold, and dripping w

us. Aliana is jus