Dear Readers,

Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who is still with me, or has left reviews over the last few months.

I am sooo sorry to psych you with this non-chapter (but see below for a couple of sneak peaks), but I am reaching out for a pre-reader (or two) to help me organise and edit the last several chapters of this story. I have been working with another writer on her story (which has been immensely rewarding for me!) and realised that someone to help me in the same way would be of immeasurable benefit.

I am not looking for someone to proof read or correct my grammar. I'm looking for someone who can tell me when something doesn't make sense or is confusing, point out awkward constructions and even suggest improvements; someone who will notice inconsistencies with what I have said before; who will notice if my timeline is out or is confusing.

I need someone who will work in google docs, who can give constructive criticism with kindness and encouragement, and who is willing to go back over the story to refresh their memory as needed, and with whom I can talk through future chapters that are more in note form than fully written.

Are you interested? If so, please PM me and I will be in touch.

.

Now for your sneak peaks (with the standard disclaimer: they're unedited, may not appear in final version etc etc):

MPOV
It hurt him to see how much pain she was in. Vampires could learn to survive the loss of a mate, though god knew it wasn't easy, but they needed a reason. And he didn't know what reason he could give her, though in truth, she was doing amazingly well so far, despite her evident agitation.

"You don't understand," she told him. "Jasper will come back. And I need to be there." She put her head in her hands, a very human gesture, staring at the floor. "I need to be there!"

He gazed at her sadly. He had felt, when he bit her, that she was important somehow. That helping her live mattered. He now suspected that was nothing more than her defensive ability coming in to play, making bonds out of nothing. He still felt the bond, and it hurt to see her so distraught, but he wondered if she might not have been better off if he had let her die. Millenia without his own mate had left him mostly numb to the world, but watching this vibrant young soul struggle with her own loss rekindled the pain he tried to suppress.

.

JPOV

Later, Jasper listened with half an ear to Rosalie challenge Carlisle.

"Can't we just phone the Volturi?" she asked, the frustration to everyone else as clear in her voice as it was to him through his gift. "You've always told us they can be reasoned with. Wouldn't it help Jasper to know for sure that she's—dead?" He flinched, even as she hesitated on the word. "That the next time he'll see her will be her next life—the fifth life the wolves predicted—not in Volterra?"

How naïve Rose was, for all the cynicism she liked to convey. Knowing for certain that Marcus had killed his mate? That would not be helpful. Not for him, and certainly not for Marcus.

"The Volturi don't have a phone number," Carlisle gave the answer Jasper already knew. "The advantage Aro's gift gives them would be lost if they allowed easy phone contact. Aro would never countenance that."

.

So… PM me if you'd like the job of pre-reader for the rest. 😊