by K. G. Reuss
“You’re in the psychic faction, too!” I protested, feeling desperate. If Eric wasn’t training me, we’d have no contact anymore. I’d never know if he was Shadow. “Who better to train me than—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence because the training room door banging closed echoed around us.
“Miss Torres, Eric,” Raiden’s deep voice greeted us. Eric’s hands fell away from my face, and he cast me a sad smile. I widened my eyes at him, completely shocked. No. No! Raiden was going to be my trainer. No way.
He’s probably just here to assign you a new one, I reasoned hopefully.
“Eric, you’re officially relieved of your duties.” Raiden moved swiftly past us dressed in all black training gear, a bag slung over his shoulder. My heart plummeted to my stomach.
No. No. No. No!
“Eric,” I whispered, tearing my eyes away from Raiden’s back as he rummaged through his bag and focusing on Eric. “What’s going on?”
“Raiden is going to train you now—”
“The general never trains people—” I started.
“It’s true. I don’t,” Raiden said, turning and walking toward us.
My eyes swept over him. Good lord, he was built. The hard planes of his chest, the bulging biceps, the tattoos snaking down both arms … He had tattoos. That only added to the hotness. Wait. Intimidation. He was intimidating, not hot. I bit back a whimper at the lie.
“But I think you belong with me,” he continued, his eyes darting to Eric before landing on me. “And so we will train together.”
“I don’t want to.” I shook my head at him. “I refuse.”
“Eric, leave us.” Raiden and Eric stared at each other for a moment.
I knew they were doing their freaky mind communicating thing. My stomach twisted into knots as Eric gave a curt nod before reaching out and squeezing my hand.
“Be good. You’ll learn a lot from him,” he murmured in my ear as he pulled me close.
“Don’t go,” I pleaded softly back at him.
He let out a soft laugh. “You’ll be fine. Promise.” He gave me a hug before pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Goodbye, Ever.”
And just like that, he walked out of the training room, leaving me to face a stern General Hawthorne.
“We’ll be sparring today so I can get a good judge of where you’re at in your training,” Raiden moved off the mat and went to the weapons rack. He pulled down two swords and gave them both a twirl in his hands before coming back to me and holding one out.
“I-I can’t train with you,” I managed to choke out.
“Sure you can. All you have to do is take the sword I’m handing you, and we can get started. It’s really that simple.” His face was impassive as he gazed back at me.
With a shaking hand, I took the sword from him.
“Perfect. See? You’re already doing great. Now let’s see how following instruction translates into sparring. Ready, Miss Torres?”
“I guess,” I answered, feeling defeated. I couldn’t get out of this. I tried to find the silver lining to the entire situation, but the only thing I came up with was that Raiden was rather nice to look at. My heart still ached for Eric, though, and that made me feel guilty.
Pushing the sad and embarrassing thoughts out of my head, I took my stance in front of him, vowing to do my best.
“Just like you did at the finals, OK? Don’t hold back, Miss Torres,” Raiden said, taking his stance across from me.
I nodded mutely, my eyes locked on him as he circled me.
His sword shot out lightning fast. I blocked it, but he caught me in the jaw with his elbow, causing me to stumble back.
“Everything you possess is a weapon,” Raiden instructed as he backed away from me. “Even the words you choose. Wield everything like your life depends on it.”
He lashed out again, his sword slicing through the air. I blocked his attacks repeatedly, becoming more winded with every crash of metal on metal. Sweat poured down my face, my arms and legs screamed at me, my pulse thundered in my ears.
I knew Raiden wasn’t even up to half speed. He was graceful, fast, and so efficient that it made my ego ache. While Eric was incredible as both a trainer and fighter, Raiden had the discipline and no-nonsense attitude that made training not as fun as it had been with Eric. There were no playful grins or jokes. It was just screaming muscles and a choked down whimper whenever I had to block him. I couldn’t one up him. It didn’t matter what I did. He was just too good.
“We’re done,” Raiden proclaimed an hour later, walking off the mat like he wasn’t exhausted. And why would he be. He was nothing but rippling muscles and endless stamina.
I didn’t even try to follow him off the mat. I sank down onto it right where I stood, my sword falling to my side. I focused my eyes on the ceiling above me as I lay on my back, my chest heaving from working so hard.
If I wasn’t already exhausted from the dreams and lack of sleep before, this was what was going to do me in. My eyelids were heavy, and I struggled to keep them open.
“Miss Torres? Are you well?” Raiden stood over me, that aquamarine gaze of his locked on me.
“Yep. It’s just been a minute since I last saw the ceiling. Figured I’d best make sure it was still how I remembered it.”
He quirked an eyebrow at me, his face expressionless. At least Eric had a sense of humor. I closed my eyes for a moment, drawing in a deep breath hoping to relax before I had to haul my sore body up and try to stand.
“Come on. Let’s get you home to rest. You can’t sleep on the mats all night.” Raiden extended his hand to me, and I groaned before letting him help me to my feet.
“We’ve gone well past your usual time—”
“Wait. What?” I demanded, my heart jumping in my chest.
Shoot! Marcus!
“It’s not a lot of time, but I’d say fifteen minutes puts us near your curfew.”
“Damnit,” I groaned, grabbing my bag and marching toward the door. Marcus was going to think I stood him up. “I have to go.”
Raiden caught me by the arm as I reached the door.
“Where’s the fire?” His brows crinkled as he took me in. “I’ll walk you back.”
“I-I’m meeting someone—”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, um, I have to go—”
He shrugged. “I’ll walk you to wherever you’re going.”
“General, it’s fine. Really—”
“Is it Harper and Abby?” His mouth turned down into a frown, his eyes sweeping over me.
“No. I’m already late. I really just need to go.” I started for the door again, Raiden in step with me.
“You only have forty-five minutes until curfew,” he declared as I flung the door open. “I’ll escort you, Miss Torres. Really. I don’t mind.”
I didn’t get to answer him because Marcus was walking toward us. His amber eyes lit up when he saw me, a smile curling on his lips. Raiden looked from Marcus to me, his eyes round orbs of surprise.
“Hey, Hawthorne,” Marcus greeted him.
“Ambrose,” Raiden answered stiffly.
“Keeping my girl late, I see. I was getting worried.” Marcus dropped his arm around my shoulders, giving Raiden a lazy smile.
Raiden looked between us quickly before clearing his throat. “Miss Torres, may I have a word?”
“If it’s to remind me about curfew, I haven’t forgotten.” I shrugged out from beneath Marcus’s arm. I wanted to get this thing with Marcus over with. I was exhausted and nervous. “If it’s something else, we’ll talk tomorrow, OK? I only have forty-five minutes after all.”
“Fine.” He nodded stiffly, his eyes narrowed on us. “Tomorrow.” He backed away, a pained expression on his face. “Just be careful.”
Marcus chuckled softly, causing Raiden to scowl. “Don’t worry, General. I’ll take care of her.”
“Curfew is in less than an hour,” Raiden stated in a gruff voice. “Conexus patrols. I patro
l.”
“Then we best not get caught,” Marcus responded in a rich, silky voice, his fingers coming out to twirl a piece of my hair. “Huh, Ever?”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, grabbing his arm and tugging him away from Raiden’s prying gaze. I didn’t look back. Something told me I wouldn’t like what I saw if I did.
Twenty-Four
Everly
“You look beat,” Marcus commented as we walked through the dark campus.
“I am.” I didn’t bother to elaborate, and he didn’t push it.
“What’s the deal with Hawthorne tonight?” he asked after a brief moment of silence.
“He’s my new trainer. Eric couldn’t do it anymore.”
“What? Hawthorne hardly ever trains anyone, or at least if he does, it doesn’t last long.”
“I know,” I said thickly, worry and the pain of missing Eric clawing at my heart.
Marcus glanced at me. “You’re worried.”
“Wouldn’t you be? Everything I’ve ever heard about him training people was that he steps in when he thinks they’re Conexus material.” My stomach twisted painfully. I didn’t want to be in Conexus.
Marcus frowned. “That’s true from what I’ve known of him and Conexus. That sucks. I heard Hawthorne is a real pain in the ass to train with too.” He gave a low whistle. “Guess you’re kind of a big deal.”
I rolled my eyes at him, hoping the niggling feeling would go away and that I was just being anxious and ridiculous in my concerns. My worries over Raiden training me and what it could mean overshadowed my worries about being with Marcus.
“How are you holding up against him? You look like you haven’t slept in a month.”
“I don’t know. He’s hard to train with and this was only our first night. I wish I could just blame him for being tired, but it’s more than that. I haven’t been sleeping,” I muttered.
“Why?”
“You tell me.” I followed him down a side street, barely able to keep my eyes open.
“Do you want me to guess?”
“No.” I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “I’ve just been having bad dreams. They scare me.”
“I see,” Marcus murmured, ushering me to what I assumed was his building. I followed him inside and entered the dorm with him. He closed the door, the lock giving a soft click as it latched behind us. “Make yourself at home. I’ll get you something to drink.”
He moved past me into his small kitchen. I sat down on his couch awkwardly after a moment of hesitation. Marcus’s place was clean. In fact, it didn’t even look like anyone lived there. The counters were bare. There were no decorative throw pillows like I had. No photos. Nothing.
“How long have you been here at Dementon?” I asked as he pulled out a coffee maker and set to work brewing coffee.
“Uh, I don’t know. Forever. Since I was six.”
“Really?” I lifted my brows in surprise. “I didn’t realize Dementon had children’s classes.”
“Yeah.” Marcus looked over at me and leaned against the counter. If he didn’t have amber eyes and a Dementon uniform, he’d look just like any other high school heartthrob. But Marcus Ambrose wasn’t just any other guy. He was one of the most powerful warlocks Dementon had ever seen. And he knew it. I could tell by his swagger, cocky smile, and gleaming eyes.
“The school is actually a separate part of the campus. It’s just beyond the river.”
“There’s a river?” I hadn’t known that. To give myself some credit, I hadn’t exactly explored the grounds.
“Sure is.” Marcus nodded. “If you follow Leads Street north, you’ll come to Wicker Bridge. It connects the two campuses. The kids don’t come here, and we don’t go there unless there’s an event, so I’m not surprised you haven’t seen it.”
“Makes sense,” I murmured. “What about people like me?”
“Like you?” He raised his dark brows.
“You know, like at orientation. There were a lot of Specials coming into Dementon. Why didn’t they go to the kids’ school?”
“Probably did. Orientation is about transfer students and students entering from the grade school,” Marcus explained. “They don’t really concentrate on factions there. It’s mostly about learning our world and getting a proper education before coming here.”
“But what about people like me? The older ones who’ve never been to school. That didn’t know they were Specials.”
“It’s probably very unlikely there was more than one in that crowd,” Marcus said. “It’s not an easy task to have the Order not bring you here straight away. You’re a special case.”
“And is this where you tell me you have the answers?”
“Maybe,” he replied, pulling two cups out and pouring us fresh coffee. “Cream? Sugar?”
“Yes, both, please.” I watched as he fixed my coffee before bringing it. After handing me my steaming mug, he sat by me on the couch, sipping his coffee thoughtfully.
“What do you want to know?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“Why my grandmother never told anyone she went here. We could start there. We have no history of any of this.”
“She wanted to protect you. Wanted to keep you out of harm’s way.”
“Am I in harm’s way?” I ventured.
“Isn’t everyone?” He sipped his coffee again.
“You know what I mean,” I scoffed, before taking a sip of my coffee. Damn. Marcus knew how to brew a good cup of coffee. I closed my eyes as the warmth flowed through me, relaxing me.
“Ever, I’ll be straight with you. You’re a big deal. Your grandmother wanted to keep you safe, hoping none of this would come to pass or that all of it was wrong.”
“And she told you this?” My voice wavered.
“She did.”
“How? Whatever that thing was you did that night with your palm only gave me more questions. She’s been dead for a long time—”
“Ever, we both know that the dead never really leave. In all sense of the words. We’ve been over this.”
I looked down at the mug of coffee in my hands. “Do you talk to the dead? Are you a whisperer, too?”
“Nah.” He waved me off. “At least, not how you perceive it.”
“You’re really confusing,” I muttered.
“Am I?” He took another pull of his drink, growing thoughtful. “Listen, I have the answers. Or at least some of them. I know it seems like I’m talking in circles. But honestly, the things I know would blow your mind, and I’m not entirely sure you’re ready for that. In fact, I need to make sure you’re ready for that and that I can trust you with the information.”
“You can trust me—”
“No offense, Ever, but you keep Conexus as company. Forgive me for being leery.”
“You hate them, huh?”
“Hate is a strong word.” He chuckled. “It’s more like mutual dislike. Conexus dislikes me and Nev as much as we dislike them. It’s always been that way.”
“Why?”
“Because of our lineage. Can’t pick your family, right?”
“True.” My thoughts roamed to my dad.
“So, I want to help you.” Marcus switched tracks quickly.
“You do?”
“Yeah. You look like you’re going to pass out. I want to try something to see if I can help you with your dreams. You game?”
“You haven’t given me any answers.” I frowned at him.
“Tell you what. Let’s get you some sleep. Tomorrow morning we’ll meet with Nev. Then we’ll talk. Besides, I don’t think you’ll stay awake long enough to take in everything I have to say.”
“And you promise tomorrow you’ll tell me?”
“Absolutely. For tonight, let’s get to know one another. What do you say?”
“I guess,” I agreed, yawning. He was probably right. I was far too exhausted, despite my burning desire to know everything.
“Once I know enough about you, I can probably weave a decent sleeping cha
rm on you.” He gave me a quick smile.
“Why do you need to know anything about me to make a sleeping charm?”
He rolled his eyes. “I like to cater to those in need with really custom spells. They work better when I’m more attuned to the person. Plus, I just want to get to know you better. You fascinate me, Everly Torres.” He winked at me.
Choosing to ignore that last bit, I pushed on with a burning question. “Will I wake up?”
“Yeah.” He furrowed his brows at the question. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know.” I placed my cup on the small coffee table.
“You know, I’m not half as bad as Conexus says I am,” Marcus murmured. “Truly. I’m a creature with knowledge and a desire for more. They don’t like that.”
“Maybe it’s your weird eyes,” I joked weakly.
He shot an unapologetic grin at me. “Maybe. It’s a trait that’s been in my family for centuries. I’ll tell you a secret though.”
“What?”
He placed his mug on the table, averting his eyes from me. When he looked back at me, I let out a gasp. Gone were his amber eyes. In their place was a set of beautiful chocolate brown eyes.
“I can change them to fit in.”
“Do you have shifter in you?”
He smiled. “I do. On my father’s side. What do you think? Does the brown work for me?”
“I think I like the amber more.” I cocked my head at him. Not that the brown didn’t look good. But it took the mystery away from him. With his amber eyes, he looked threatening. He wasn’t Marcus without them.
“Good, because I like to be as natural as possible,” he replied, the brown melting away to reveal his true color—the amber gold. “Now, enough about me. Let’s talk about you.”
“What do you want to know,” I asked awkwardly.
“Boyfriend status?”
“Single.” My heart twinged a bit as I thought about Eric and Shadow and what would never be.
“Surprising,” he said with a chuckle. “Parents?”
“Divorced.”
“Favorite color?”
“Aquamarine.” Raiden’s eyes flashed in my mind for some unknown reason. I blushed at the thought. I wasn’t sure what he was doing in my mind considering our non-existent relationship unless being my trainer counted. Marcus’s questions continued on, ranging from normal—Do you have any pets?—to the abnormal—Do you have any marks on your body you didn’t have before you were in your accident? I showed him the infinity mark on my shoulder to which he replied with a tight smile, plunging on to his next question. By the end, I could barely keep my eyes open.
