Novels by Lillington

The silence inside the house had become its own kind of prison.Melody sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands folded tightly in her lap as she stared at the muted television without seeing a single image on the screen.The clock on the wall ticked steadily and every second seemed louder than the last.She glanced toward the front door for what had to be the twentieth time in the last hour before forcing herself to look away again.He wasn't home yet.Which meant she could breathe.For now.A week ago, the house had felt like hers. Now it felt like Caden was watching her every second of the day.Her phone buzzed on the coffee table.She reached for it before stopping herself.No. She had to think first. She looked toward the hallway to find it empty before picking up the phone.Her stomach tightened as soon as she saw the caller ID. It was Karl.The same reason why Caden has been nothing but a beast these past few weeks. She'd been ignoring his texts and now he was calling. Of course

Karl stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for Dean's office. The secretary outside looked up from her desk. "Good morning, Mr. Gordon." Karl acknowledged her with a nod before continuing. She opened her mouth, probably to announce him, but he had already reached the door. He knocked on the door gently. "Come in." Karl pushed the door open. Dean sat behind his desk, surrounded by paperwork. Several résumés were spread across the polished oak surface while another stack rested neatly at one corner. His attention remained fixed on the document in his hand. He didn't bother looking up. "Leave it there." Karl closed the door behind him. "I intend to." Dean frowned slightly; that wasn't his secretary's voice. His eyes lifted and narrowed on his guest. “Why are you here?” Karl crossed the room with measured steps before stopping in front of the desk. “Good morning to you too.” Karl smirked. Dean finally placed the résumé aside, slamming the folder on the table lo

Karl stepped out of his bedroom and nearly walked straight into her. He stopped abruptly. Anna froze too. For a second neither of them moved. Morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting pale gold across the penthouse, and in the middle of it stood Anna wearing one of his shirts. The oversized white fabric hung loosely over her frame, the sleeves rolled twice at the wrists. Her dark hair was still slightly damp from her shower, falling over one shoulder. Karl forgot whatever he had been about to say. Anna looked equally uncomfortable. "Sorry," she blurted. Karl blinked. "What?" "I wasn't paying attention." He blinked again and soon looked away, catching himself before he muttered something he would definitely regret. “It's fine.” The silence that followed was awkward. It was painfully awkward. After everything that had happened over the past few days, neither of them seemed to know what to say or how to say anything.. Like hell, what could

The door had barely opened before she crashed into him. Karl staggered half a step backward before he found his balance again. Anna's fingers fisted the front of his shirt as though she was afraid the ground would disappear beneath her feet if she let go. Her entire body trembled violently against him. For a second, he simply stood there. Then his arms came around her. "Hey." The single word was enough. Whatever fragile control she'd been holding onto shattered. A sob escaped her. Karl closed his eyes briefly, thank goodness she was safe. Her face disappeared against his chest while tears soaked through the fabric of his shirt. "They came into my house." Her voice cracked. Karl tightened his hold on her. "I know." "They broke the door and…and..." His jaw clenched. His security chief had sent pictures of the damaged lock, the broken furniture… Everything. He will be dealing with those bastards later. Karl had spent the last thirty minutes trying very hard not to dri

Anna had just finished rinsing the last of the dishes when the knock came. The sound made her pause mid-motion, her hands still submerged in the sink as water continued to run over her fingers. She turned her head slightly, listening. She wasn't expecting any visitors. Hell, she never got any visitors. Another knock followed, rattling the door on its hinges. Anna frowned, who was it at this hour?! It was freaking late at night. She dried her hands slowly on a towel and walked toward the door. Her mind ran through the handful of people in her life who could show up at her place uninvited and she found none. “Who is it?” she asked, stopping just short of the handle. There was no response. Her fingers hovered over the lock for a moment before she leaned closer, pressing her ear slightly toward the door. Silence. Anna’s chest tightened, that's odd. She took a small step back, refusing to open the door until the person at the other end said something. “I said who is it

Karl stood near the wide glass wall of his loft, his phone rested against his ear. It's been two days since he went to the hospital and he'd been restless ever since. “I have already stationed two men outside the hospital,” Reed said from the other end of the call. “They will rotate in shifts to ensure her brother remains safe.” Karl’s gaze remained fixed on the glass, though his mind was elsewhere. He could ask Zach to do this for him. His friend would simply remind him what he'd said that last time. “And Anna?” he asked. “She returned home earlier this evening,” Reed replied. “One of our men followed at a distance. She is inside. There have been no unusual movements in the area.” Karl exhaled quietly, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. He might not be able to jump in the way he wanted but this was reassuring enough. “Make sure it stays that way,” he said. “Of course, Mr Karl.” Reed assured. Karl lowered his phone and ended the call. He exhaled deepl

Kelvin glances at the letter in his hands and back at Keith in disbelief.Laying on his table is a letter from the royal palace, requesting him to take up the position of King.Kelvin was a distant relative to the royal family, and it was almost like his lineage was never going to be king despite being related to the royal family..Keith glances up at Kelvin, he have been watching the young man for a while now, and he knew that this man was more than suitable for that position..“You want me to take over the position of the King? This is a huge responsibility! I don't think that I am…” “You are very vast in politics. You are kind hearted, I have tested you a thousand times in the past few months, and you have not failed one. You are just the right person for that seat..” Kelvin was visually surprised and a little bit doubtful..“I heard that the court wanted you to become king. Your father was King. It is only reasonable for you to ascend as one too..” Keith smiled. There's somethin

Warden,Ava and the Grandmaster were more than ready for what was about to go down. Amanda was going to be crowned queen and they won't let that happen!All they needed to do was to submit their evidences to the court, and she would be apprehended immediately.Unfortunately, Amanda doubled the security around the palace. No one is allowed in except she authorises it.The only way to get into the palace would be by using force, something the Grandmaster had visioned in the past!Ellinor was standing right next to Warden,she was going to take out her frustration, anger and pain on those bastards. Anyone who dares to stand in their way.She was going to be leading several men into the palace. The idea was to take down each and every guard within the palace walls, assuming everyone was on Amanda side. Despite the fact that she was just getting better, Rose wanted to be a part of this. They were the ones who had set her up with Jeff. It was only fair that she gets her own fair share of unl

“Your highness you can't make such drastic decisions! The King has just been laid to rest and we need the two Princes to complete the events! Then we can ordain our new king..” Amanda was sitting on the throne, facing the court members after hours had passed.Arthur was laid in his room and his funeral will be happening the next day. She didn't waste any more time to get things started.“I understand your fears but prince Keith is nowhere to be found. The guards have searched everywhere for him but no one can find him. He seem to have dropped from the surface of the earth. We can't and I repeat we can't leave the throne empty. We need to do what is right and needful at this minute.” “What are you suggesting that we do then? We just have to keep looking for the Prince and hope that he returns one day.” A member of the court replied.“How long do we hope to wait? Eternity? The young man has just lost his father. A man he met a few days back. I don't think that he will be in the right f

It was the day of the very last competition and Keith found himself a bit anxious..Today's competition was supposed to be the display of royal gifts. It is to show everyone that he is truly his father's son. He was also given the gifts bestowed to the royal family hy the Creator.Keith glances at Edward who was more than confident in his own abilities. He had seen what Edward looks like when he isn't full control of himself , he was nothing short of a monster…Keith was worried, chances are that Edward would go out of hand as a result of this so-call display..“The events has been going smoothly and we have come to the very last one. You would have to show everyone that you are truly your father's son and this is as a result of your absence…” “We believe that the two of you have remarkable abilities, you will be forced to put you both in a combat only then can we tell the strongest..” Edward smirks at this, it was almost like he had seen it coming from a million miles away..His exc

Keith stepped out briefly a smile on his face. He felt so alive and radiant with energy..The discussion he had with Ellinor was a beautiful one that yielded results! He had expected that talk to be a direct opposite of what eventually happened! He assured her that she was safe and her that secret was safe with him..Keith decided to walk around that early morning, trying to get as much sunlight soon as possible..‘You didn't win the competition yesterday.”He turned to see Hana, someone he least expected to see at the moment!She seems to be out for the sun as well but a rather disturbed look was on her face..“And why does matter if I win or not?” Keith asked in irritation.He decided to drop the act of playing nice, it was time for her to know that she was in the wrong..“But you seemed happy. Llike you won. am sure that you want to be king as much as Edward wants it too.” She pointed out.Keith tilts his head to the side, wondering where this conversation was going to lead to..H

Keith had a smile on his face, he won this round and his points seems to be looking up really good.The most important thing was the fact that Ellinor told him his family were safe like she promised.Nothing could make him anymore happier than that. To know that his family was safe and sound in the Jade temple.Ellinor was right next to him. She notice the radiant smile on his face, making her wonder if he wanted to go meet his family…“Are you going to stop by and say hello to them? Your mother, Agnes, asked of you and I told that that you were doing fine..”Keith was quiet, he didn't think about going to visit Agnes, neither did he expect her to ask about him.Agnes and Williams are every right to blame Emma's death on him. It was his duty to protect his sister but he failed horribly..To make matters worse, the person who had caused them pain happens to be someone related to him by blood!“As long as they are safe in the temple, I am fine. There's no need for me to go and visit them

For the first time in years, no Astra banners flew above Meadow square.The wooden poles where they had once hung stood empty, blackened by the fires from the night before. Burnt wagons still smoked near the lower district and several buildings had collapsed into heaps of charred timber, yet no one complained.Children laughed as they chased one another between the ruins.Families who had thought they would never see each other again embraced in the middle of the streets. Mothers held their sons so tightly the boys struggled to breathe, while fathers wiped tears from their faces before anyone noticed.Kael sat beneath an old oak tree with a wooden cup in his hands, watching everything unfold.He had never seen Meadow like this.The people who usually kept their heads lowered now walked with their backs straight. The fear that had lived in their eyes had not disappeared completely, but something stronger had taken its place.Hope.A small smile found its way onto Kael's face.Perhaps

The laughter around the tea house faded as the members of the Five Pillars departed one after another.The servants quietly cleared away untouched cups of tea and half-finished meals while musicians in the corner resumed their soft melodies as though nothing important had happened.It was getting a bit late into the day and Eldric found himself still seated back at the pavilion with his tea. He kept his eyes fixed on the empty teacup before him, exhaling a couple times as though he had just dodged death. Vaelorin had left, Seraphine had disappeared with her boy toy which she swore was no more than a servant of hers which Eldric knew was a horrible lie. Malthor had wandered off with two attendants hanging on his arms and Cassian had walked away without another word.Good. Very good.They had not mentioned Meadow.Perhaps the letter from his handler had not reached them after all. Perhaps the survivors had exaggerated. Perhaps…."You seem relieved."Eldric nearly threw his cup into

The letter arrived just before sunrise.Eldric wished it hadn't.The short council mage sat behind a mountain of paperwork in his estate overlooking the eastern districts of Astra. His office was large, decorated with expensive paintings and shelves filled with rare artifacts, but at the moment all he could focus on was the trembling messenger standing before him.The man looked as though he wanted to be anywhere else.That alone worried Eldric."No greeting?" Eldric asked suspiciously. "No meaningless compliments about my wisdom? That's usually how bad news starts."The messenger swallowed. "My lord..."Eldric snatched the sealed parchment from his hand.The moment he saw the broken seal, his stomach dropped.The symbol burned into the wax was unmistakable.:A sword piercing an eye.His eyes widened as his gaze glanced back to the messenger. “Wh…what is this?” Even the messenger couldn't tell. “I received this from Mage Cassian Vey's handler, my lord. He is badly injured too and ha

Night settled slowly over Meadow. The village looked peaceful from afar like it wasn't dealing with ruthless guards who only come to the village to take and take from them. Kael pulled his hood lower as he slipped through the narrow streets beside Lyra. The folded stack of parchment beneath his arm felt heavier than any sword Liam had ever forced him to carryThat was their golden plan; to stir the villagers up and have them fight for themselves. “Are you certain this will work?” he whispered.Lyra did not slow her pace. “No.”“That inspires confidence.”Lyra rolled her eyes; this is foolishness. None of the villagers were a match for the guards and somehow, Liam thinks it's a fantastic idea to have them fight their oppressors without training. No, this is foolishness at its peck. Lyra stopped near the back door of a baker’s home. Light glowed faintly beneath the cracks of the shutters while quiet voices drifted from inside.Lyra slid one folded parchment beneath the door.Then sh

“When are you two going to tell me you are the men who saved the captured commoners two nights ago?” Liam said suddenly. Kael, who sat at the low wooden table with a half-eaten piece of bread in his hand , paused mid bite as he glanced at the old man. Lyra's hands paused as she was about to take a sip of her water. The duo exchanged looks before turning their attention back to Liam who is busy munching away on his potatoes. It was breakfast and the old man clearly had plans of ruining it for them.“The butcher said you moved through the night like assassins and helped them out without asking a dime.” He adds without looking up from his meal. Lyra slowly lowered her cup. “Master Liam..” Liam finally glanced up, pointing the spoon directly at them.“And the old ferryman claims the two masked fools climbed across his roof while guards chased shadows through the lower district.”“That's a lie!” Kael snapped. Lyra pinched him hard under the table, making him wince painfully. “I mean.

Morning arrived far too quickly. He didn't even get to sleep for no longer than a few minutes before Liam came banging on his door before sending he and Lyra off to the market once again. Kael carried two sacks of potatoes down the crowded Meadow market while trying not to collapse from exhaustion. Beside him, Lyra walked silently with fresh bread tucked beneath one arm.“Heaven, I can barely keep my eyes open!” He muttered. Lyra glanced at him briefly. “You wanted to save the village. This is what heroes endure.” A scream erupted near the southern square before he could respond. Several Astra guards dragged a young boy through the crowd while his mother clung desperately to his arm.“Please!” she sobbed. “Please, he is only four and ten years old.”One guard struck her hard enough to throw her into the dirt. Nearby, another group seized two frightened girls while merchants pretended not to see.The entire market went silent, n9body interrupted or said a word. Fear was written on