~Elijah~There was something wrong with Rory. Her anxiety intensifies with each passing hour as this distance she sets between us grows.Still, I remained as far away as possible from her. I’ve been on the hunt with Henry since we parted ways on Monday morning. Since then, I haven’t heard a word from her.She’s doing fine. Jace and Nolani will take turns keeping eyes on her to make sure she’s safe, but that doesn’t lessen the concern I have for her well-being.We’re on our second trip, circling the outskirts of Washington state, looking for clues about this ‘maestro’ those vampires were referring to. We have a few spies, a handful of people we trust, who also know who we truly are. However, light on who this Maestro is has

~Rory~Lost in two pools of worried gray hues, I skipped the stairs leading down to Zwick’s lawn, crossed the beating pellets of rain, barreled into Elijah’s arms. He kept us from tumbling over with the impact of our body clashing, wrapping an arm around my waist; his familiar embrace enveloped me.“Hey-“ I didn’t allow him to finish whatever he wanted to say and smashed our lips together.Here in his arms, with the warmth of his body and softness of his lips pressed against my own, I felt safe. His presence was the only solace I needed in these fucked up circumstances.He kissed me gently, his hand on my waist moved to cradle the back of my head to gain better access to my mouth.“Elijah,&

~Elijah~I told myself to take things slowly. Care for Rory like she was a delicate flower that needed the gentlest touch. She’s in a shaky situation right now. I can sense it; her desire to be with me, the push to run away from this unknown reality of the supernatural world, and the pull of our mate bond.But goddamn it! She won’t stop testing my control. Being this close to her is thrashing my sense of right and wrong to dust.She squirmed beneath me, not to get free but to rub her body on mine like a feline. I had her legs trapped between mine, but she arched her body like a sneaky vixen, her core rubbing against my cock. It jumped to attention as if it had a mind of its own and knew how close this woman, my mate, was to me.“Fucking hell, Rory,&rdqu

~Rory~Crickets. Thousands of them singing inside my head.Of all the possible conclusions of this prophecy, me being a sacrificial lamb has never crossed my mind. “Fuck,” Elijah rubbed his hand over his face, looking at me with clouded emotions.“I...” I swallowed hard, groping blindly for the back of the chair within my reach, grabbing onto it; the marbled floor beneath my feet turned to puddles. It makes sense now. The gruesome deaths, the six-pointed star carving on each victim’s forehead, the missing hearts... It’s a sacrificial ritual. “Your soul,” I murmured, each puzzle piece slotting together now. “I am your twin flame, and my death will complete your soul.”

~Rory~ I hope I had lost count of how many times I watched Elijah drown; the darkness devouring us together, but to no avail. My consciousness of the agonizing torment remained intact every time we’d go back to the beginning, knowing where we would end. I was exasperated by not finding out the solution to our recurring situation. This is my cage. Elijah cited this repeatedly through the past fourteen sequences of us living and dying, but I still haven’t figured out the problem that needs to be solved. My tears were real. My fear and pain of losing Elijah were real, but why is it that all my efforts into saving him were futile? We went back in circles, an actual limbo of death and life. “Elijah…” I clung to him. Every par