“Well…” I began timidly, smelling the fruity scent of the liquid in the glass. Thank the moon it wasn’t alcohol. I took a sip before launching into a monologue. “First of all, I am not supposed to talk about this but I can’t keep it for myself much longer. I met someone at the Bewitching Ball…”
I told them what had happened in the secret garden.
“Sweet father,” Eureka sighed. “That’s awfully romantic, isn’t it?”
“Did you hear the part when he’d said it is wrong?” Ava asked bitterly. “And I agree with your aunt. This isn’t something you should talk about.”
Eureka wrapped her arm around mine and she grinned like a fool that found a golden nugget in a stream, thinking there would be more. I heard many such stories and couldn’t help but think how deceptive this moment was. According to the headmaster the fated mates could end in an ugly way with blood and more than a broken heart. We’re heralds of important things to come. The visions of war and destruction and the assault on the Second Ring. All of this is connected. But still, one unknown remained, who had sent the summons to bring me here. Who could know?
“I think a war is coming.”
I heard Ashley sharply inhale the air, Ava’s turned to a stone while Eureka defended herself with a laugh. They must know the truth. We only met a few days ago but I feel such a strong friendship with them.
“Did you get scared by the attack on the ring?” Eureka asked but neither Ava nor her sister shared Eureka’s jovial humor. “What? Do you really believe we’re in danger?”
I didn’t tell them about the visions or the meeting with the guy who wanted to take down the Goldfury clan, nor I mentioned the ferals’ attack in the Badlands. It would be reckless.
“I won’t ask how do you come by this information, Cora, but if it’s the truth, shouldn’t we tell others?”
Eureka stood up wiggling her index fingers at us. She was bad with heavy topics.
“Stop it girls. Let’s talk about … let’s theorize about who may be Cora’s fated mate. I don’t want to hear anything about the war, do you understand?” Although she spoke in a friendly manner and smiled throughout it, I smelled bitterness and pain accompany the last words. It took me a moment to fully comprehend the situation. Eureka’s happy image was ingrained so deeply in my mind that any deviation had a hard time getting through the mental façade.
Frostbolt sisters seemed to know more than me because they didn’t look surprised.
“I am sure it isn’t Ryder,” Ava said.
“Why?” I asked dumbly. How does she know?
“He was with Eureka and Ashley the entire time.”
I felt only a little guilt for sneaking away from them and at the same time, I didn’t like the odds of the mysterious kisser being Rocco. Honestly, of all people, his character fitted perfectly into this. He was the type of guy to ruin the most precious and beautiful moment.
“What if it’s Rocco?”
Eureka twisted her mouth.
“Then you have my condolences.”
Chapter 28
It was refreshing to get the fated mates stuff out of my chest. Obviously, I was being naïve in believing that this solved anything. If my fated mate is Rocco I’m screwed. But what does it matter if there is a war around a corner? I asked myself…
Run!
My wolf’s warning came in time. I shifted a split of a second before a quarrel flew past my head. I didn’t smell anything but profanities were thrown in all directions. Moon preserve me, it’s happening.
“Just get there and kill her already.”
Before I shifted, I’d had a brief idea of my surroundings. A dark narrow street with dim lamps and only one route of escape. I hadn’t thought of this in a human form and certainly didn’t consider this as a wolf. It was a trap. A dozen men with crossbows appeared, quarrels hit the cobbled ground around me. My wolf snarled, thinking she was smarter than them. But neither of us could see the magical threads attached to the quarrels until it was too late. A glowing web came to life in one flashy moment, trapping me inside.
“We got her!”
I bit the glowing thread but it was made with magic and all I gained was a painful burn. Footsteps sounded closer and soon a strong, unpleasant smell of unwashed bodies came within inches from me.
“Be a good girl and we may have some fun together before you die.”
I surged forward, propelled by my wolf’s primal anger. The magical web held.
“She’s a wild one,” the man chuckled. “Let’s get her out of here before someone sees us.”
My wolf chose the moment to howl. A pure sound of fury and agony. In the sunless sky, the sound spread with an ease of a scalpel cutting flesh. I snapped and bit, my fangs slashed the empty air.
“Silence her!”
Lights began appearing … then the web was jerked and I dropped on my side. My wolf’s senses couldn’t tell how much time passed but when the men stopped, I was ready to tear them up.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” A familiar voice prickled my ears. I knew it … or rather my human form knew the owner.
“Get lost.”
Laying beneath the glowing web, I was blinded. Even with my wolf sight, I wasn’t able to perceive the shadows in the perimeter. The web blocked some of the scents and sounds but enough came through…
The bandits began screaming, then the wet scent of blood filled the street. It awoke something inside me. A deep, primal desire. I attacked the magical web, ignoring the pain, ignoring my own howls of agony. My control over my wolf began slipping… Stop it. You’re hurting us! Stop.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
The last thud sounded in the street.
“Come down, shifter,” the familiar … vaguely familiar voice said. Stop it! I command you to stop! “Or I’ll be forced to hurt you.”
My mind reeled when the powerful mental push came from my wolf. Where did she get so much strength from? Memories of the visions returned and I almost lost my awareness. A sharp, metallic sound hissed in the air and then the threads of the web fell apart.
Immediately, I moved my weight to my hind legs, readying myself to launch an attack. The scent of blood was driving me crazy. It wasn’t as overpowering as the pressure of the moons … I glanced up. The moonlight has never seemed so malevolent.
“Shift back,” the voice was weak in my ears. It belonged to the two-legged creature. Did it think it could command me? My fur bristled on my spine, muscles constricted. One jump. Kill.
The man stepped into the light…
*
It wasn’t his face that caused the transformation back into the human form. His was one of the last on Shifter Island that could soothe me. No. It was something else. An aerosol he sprayed at me. I’d never encountered a forced transformation and it hurt like hell, partially because my wolf fought it. What gotten into her? I couldn’t say. But to say that this was unsettling was a great understatement. She’d never behaved like this before. This island was doing this.
“Of all people in the world, you’re the last one I expected.”
“Likewise, Rocco.”
He sheathed the katana and fixed the buttons of his coat. With his boot, he kicked one of the thugs.
“All dead.”
Doors remained closed but windows above the ground floor cracked open. Our fight caused quite a commotion. I needed to be careful about my words. My face in the dim light of the lamps was rather hard to recognize but shifters could remember me by my scent. Are you mad? How anyone could distinguish your scent with all the blood on the ground? I corrected myself. True, if I left before guards or police arrived and Rocco didn’t reveal my identity, I should be safe.
“Thanks,” I said and turned to go.
“I haven’t finished with you.” My foot stopped mid-air. He approached me, grabbing my arm—it caused a jolt to shot through my spine—then his intense whisper reached my ear. “What kind of shady dealings you’re involved in?” Wait, what?
“I was abducted by them. They pulled me like an animal in a web.”
Rocco was a tall guy with massive muscles, his human form was superior to mine. I didn’t resist when he started walking. Sirens sounded in the distance and the first calls between nervous neighbors were exchanged. He found a side street and pushed me there. His arms on both sides, our faces were mere inches from each other. I inhaled his scents, he masked them with citrus perfumes. It made my legs weak nonetheless. It felt as if a phoenix hatched and started burning through my insides. I was melting, so insignificant in the face of the mountains of the muscles and wicked handsomeness. I hated this man and my lips couldn’t help but lick themselves in anticipation of tasting him. Can Rocco be my fated mate?
“What did they want from you?”
“I don’t know. Take me to Disneyland?”
He punched the wall next to my head. I shivered as the bricks cracked. Holly moon. He’s strong.
“They wanted to kill me, okay? It was a trap. I shifted into a wolf instinctively and that was their plan from the start. Happy now?”
“Did they say who sent them?”
“What? No. Why do you care all of sudden?”
He didn’t answer but the heat in his eyes burned brighter than the thousand suns. If the moons drove my wolf insane, causing her to snatch the control away from me, his eyes did the same to my human form. I was losing the battle, my hate of him soon vanished, morphing into dislike and even this didn’t last for long. Soon, our past meant nothing to me. All that mattered was here and now.
Rocco being Rocco decided to choose that very moment to bail out. He turned his back on me. He’s totally my fated mate. Fuck. I’m done. From all the shifters in the world, only his father could be worse.
“You should be smarter than this. Being a Top Four already put a target on your back, but there’s more of course. You’re a High-Rank and the alpha heir of the most hated clan. Actually, I am surprised you made it this far.” His bitter side returned with full force. He couldn’t be nice for once.
“These thugs didn’t look like our fellow students and to add to your surprise, I found very little hostility in the academy. I even managed to make friends. Even one of your brother’s friends already invited me to dinner.”
“Who?”
“Catherine Venturo.”
Rocco froze.
“You should never come near that viper. You have no idea what kind of game you just got invited into.”
“And what kind is that?”
“The one where the only way to survive is to win. You’re a fool.”
With all the things that had happened to me in just a few days, his words should be a breeze. Why then my heart is filled with dread? Why do I feel afraid? Why?
“From now on, assume that everyone, everywhere, every time wants to kill you. Fool.”
I had nothing witty to tell him so I went with the first and pretty desperate thought that came to my mind.
“Did you kiss someone during the Bewitching Ball?”
His only reply was a sound of footsteps vanishing into the night.
Chapter 29
The next morning was hard. Classes were barely registered by my perception. I remembered Ava’s solemn expressions and Eureka’s teasing. The teacher talked something about the natural order and how things were changing on Shifter Island. Rocco was there as well and so was Anais. He watched me but didn’t utter a single word. Venturo was talkative but I filtered her gibberish out. Then there was Shifters’ History class which Ashley also attended. After the class, I bumped into Atarise Rosemore who was surrounded by a substantial following. If not for Ava’s wits, I’d have said or done things I’d have regretted.
“What’s the matter?” my blue-haired friend asked. “You’re acting weird.”
She didn’t know about yesterday. No one knew except Rocco. My burns were healed even before Goldfury turned me back into a human. How could I explain to her that I’d been kidnapped and rescued by my greatest enemy who warned me of larger threats lurking around? I was going to face one of them very soon. If Rocco had spoken the truth, it changed nothing. I couldn’t turn up and expect Catherine Venturo to leave me alone. I had no choice but to go in and meet her.
I assured Ava and Eureka that all would be fine. Ashley had drifted away to a library already. In the public space, she preferred seclusion and privacy. We respected this.
“Are you sure, you don’t want a wingman?”
“Or two?”
For a second, I actually considered their proposition. But then, I realized the danger. I couldn’t pull them into the deadly game Rocco had spoken about. I told them too much already.
“I’ll be fine, see you later.”
Eureka was easy to read. She was disappointed, although I wasn’t sure what she regretted more, not finding a chance to be with the rich and famous or accompanying me. Ava held her face impassive. With a bleeding heart, I left them in the lobby and rushed to the restaurant only to find a servant with a message.
Meet us at the palace. The servant will guide you.
The message was bland. Without curtesy or signature. It was a convenient trap. I meant to see her and Hunt in the restaurant but for some reason, I wandered off to the palace or somewhere else. If I disappeared, no one would suspect her. As the servant waited, I furiously thought this over. I didn’t notice my shaking hands until one of the waiters asked if I wanted something strong. My so-called guide was silent like a mouse. Was he one of these who hated my clan? At least, he didn’t rush my decision. I didn’t order anything because I was running low on cash and with no idea how to earn more I decided to curb my spending. Gabriel hasn’t appeared since he was called by his father. He surely was told to stay away from me. I’d be a fool to believe otherwise. Would I? Maybe Gabriel knew something about the ball I didn’t. Wasn’t he alluding to something and ended up not telling me.
“Let’s go.”
If this is a trap, so be it. I can take care of myself. I survived the wilderness of Alaska, I will survive this too.
*
“We feared you changed your mind,” Catherine Venturo said. It turned out the palace had its own ‘restaurant’ with luxurious chairs and opulent décor. To my shock, Catherine and Hunt weren’t alone. Rocco and Anais sat by the large circular table as well. All of them wearing exquisite clothes, worth more than my mind could imagine. The cut of Catherine’s blue dress left too little for the imagination. Though I wasn’t into girls, I felt abashed by the display of her half-naked body. Neither Rocco nor Hunt seemed to mind this. Their suits were sharp and elegant, tailored to perfection. On the other hand, Anais wore an expensive but modest dress with minimal cleavage.
I look like an idiot in the school uniform. Exactly as she planned. Isn’t that right, Rocco? By the way, what in the moon’s holy name are you doing here? These were only my thoughts and of course, I received no answers. The servant closed the door after me. I discreetly sniffed the large room but to no avail. They had exotic flowers on the tables, which confused my sense of smell. I approached their table, slow, thinking of how to play this out. I was out of ideas. The only available chair was between Catherine and Hunt. Who was she to him and what she hoped to achieve by this act?
Hunt stood up to slide the chair away from the table, allowing me to sit down. I thanked him for that, avoiding his terrifyingly dominant eyes. Catherine’s smile didn’t waver for a moment.
“Be careful, Hunt can be a charmer.”
Anais let out a quiet laugh, but the Goldfury brothers were ominously silent. If I risked reading the room, I’d say we were on the brink of starting a war.
“Don’t give her the wrong idea.”
I shivered as something he said stung me. I couldn’t put a finger to it and I sat stunned until Anais’s rabid voice shook me out of my daze, “Look at her. You invite her and all she does is being rude.”
�
��I am sorry, I … zoned out.”
Catherine smiled.
“I told you. Hunt is a charmer. You aren’t the first one to fall for him.”
“I didn’t…” I blinked unsure how to proceed with this bizarre conversation. What is she hinting at here? “Where is Gabriel?”
“Oh, so that who you’re after.” Catherine nodded to herself. “I’m sorry to tell you but Gabriel was sent to Mael’lorn.” She didn’t need to add anything else as I didn’t try to hide my hurt feelings.
“She really thought she’ll—”
“Be tactful, Anais,” Catherine cut her off with a calm but decisive voice. So that was what happened. Gabriel got too close to me and he was sent away. The alpha king is afraid of me but my aunt said he doesn’t know the full truth. Can I trust her though? In her office, she sounded like a completely different person from what she’d shown at the ceremony.
“Sister!”
“I think you don’t need us here,” Hunt nodded at Rocco and they stood up. I glanced away, feeling lightheaded in their close proximity. Then I acted on instinct, doing something absurd.
“Do you think it is wrong … that you’re here?”
An invisible force of curiosity drew my eyes to Hunt who could be an embodiment of how people think Hercules looked like and found him utterly shocked. But if I didn’t unconsciously expect to find it there, I wouldn’t see it, so swiftly his expression returned to impassive indifference. At that moment, my world turned upside down. Was this confirmation that my mysterious kisser had been Hunt? The Goldfury brothers left as I tried to wrap my head around this. There were too many unknowns.
“That was a bizarre question,” Catherine admitted. “But let’s chat about the matter at hand. Atarise Rosemore. I think you’ll appreciate this.”
Chapter 30
The first week blurred. I aced my shifter classes while terribly failing the mage ones. The teacher of Elements class had sent me to the headmaster with a note saying that the flame had made a mistake giving me the High-Rank. I agreed with him. My aunt tore the note and questioned me about my fated mate instead. I told her the truth. I had no idea who it was. At this point, it was either Rocco or … Hunt but either option sounded terrifying. Strangely, the blonde Goldfury started being a little nicer. Ryder visited me after the last class on Friday. I asked him about Gabriel but Ryder being brutally honest told me the truth. Gabriel wasn’t my fated mate. I stood stunned for a while. Seeking calmness in the warm eastern winds. Eureka told him. There was something between them and she feared it actually could be him. It wasn’t Ryder either.
Bewitched: A Paranormal Academy Romance Page 15
