Kingdom of Fallen Ash (The Order #1)

by Katerina St. Clair

He whispers. It's quiet, but it's there. “That makes two of us.”

“Go find another fucking house, Aaron,” Fallan says,

“This one's mine,” Fallan finishes, looking over the man sternly.

giving him a front-row seat of the mark that taints my skin.

He lets his hand fall from above me, grazing his thumb over the rough skin of my mark,

“I wasn't sure if you were like me. I've never been sure,” Fallan whispers,

“I would have let him kill me-” I begin, remembering the video

"No, you wouldn't have,” Fallan leans down closer to my face, cutting me off,

“He would have been dead before th...

Punching the air

“Seeing him hurting you like that,'' Fallan starts, looking me over again,

“and hearing you yell for help,” Fallan continues, touching his head.

“It did things to me,...

“This was supposed to be easy,” Fallan whispers, letting his hands dive under my shirt,

“I told myself I wouldn't come near you,” He continues, moving his hands from my waist closer to my ass,

“But then he touched you,” Fallan continues, bringing his lips close to my neck,

“Like he knew you. Like he knew my Dove,” Fallan continues,

Unwell

“The idea of him touching you drives me fucking insane,” Fallan whispers,

“He gets to touch you with no...

and all I can do is watch while I have to hate you.”...

“What am I to you?” I question, watching the torment swirl in his eyes.

"If I tell you,” He says, inching his face closer to my own, letting our noses brush,

lose you.” He finishes in...

“Fallan?” Valerie whispers, approaching the same way Fallan had come from.

“Did you get her?”

“Hate me, Forest,” he begins, running his fingers up and down my lower stomach,

They can never make me hate you

“please hate me,” he continues, stopping his hand motions,

“I can't keep having you look at me like there's a way fo...

only to know they will rip it all away...

“Having you look at me tonight th...

is worth every lashing they have given me...

“It will be worth it every time,” he finishes,

His hand quickly swipes the necklace around my neck,

giving its cool metal one small kiss before disappearing into the blanket of the night.

“Have we been here before?” I question in my mind,

“The answer to that will never be black and white,” He whispers back,

driving the glass right into the center of my chip, dragging it down,

Nothing could have prepared me for the darkness that followed my actions.

Given how rarely touch is allowed beyond marriages and exclusive relationships

almost entirely forced by families for common interest,

“Dove. I’ll call you Dove,” He says, smiling at me. “Why?” I question,

“You’re the first real symbol of hope I have seen in this society in a long time,” he whispers,

“Says here one of his parents passed away during the “Thinning Act”

She and he spent hours on the operating table, filled with countless lines of code

meant to keep them away from one another for years.

How do two people with passed Expulsion tests and a formu...

each other end up like this? Inches apart in stolen mom...

Every time he looks at me, all I can see is the anger behind his eyes.

he would be able to look at me for more than five seconds

and not look miserabl...

“And when you turn away from him?” Kai questions,