A Bittersweet Birthday and a Sinister Sound

Two weeks without my bonds felt like someone had carved out a piece of my soul and left a hollow, aching cavity in its place. I stood in Edric's bookshop, staring at the modest chocolate cake with eighteen candles, forcing a smile I didn't feel.

"Make a wish, sweetheart," my mother urged, her eyes bright with excitement.

If only she knew what I'd wish for. If only I could tell her that the five men I desperately needed weren't just boyfriends but supernatural beings called Greys from another realm. That I was one too. That her daughter wasn't fully human.

I closed my eyes and blew out the candles, wishing with everything in me that Kaelen, Jaxon, Rhys, Silas, and Ronan would somehow find their way back to me.

"Thank you," I said, looking at the small gathering—Willow, Edric, and my mother, Clara. "This is really nice."

"Of course!" Willow squeezed my arm, understanding in her eyes. She alone knew the truth about my bonds. "Eighteen is a big deal."