Alistair sat down and Flint sat beside him. Yeah, that was probably a safe move at this point.
Nico gave me a soft smile. All my dads had a different role, because they were all really different people, despite most of them being vampires. Nico was the cool one; the one that took us to concerts and plays, who bought us ATV’s and came up with crazy games and schemes for us to do as kids. But you would be stupid if you didn’t realize the true extent of his power. Nico was ancient and so powerful that it made my inner wolf whine when he was angry.
Not that he was ever angry at us. Not even now. He looked Flint over, his eyes snagging on those decorative metal wristbands. “You’re Djinn. Though I believe slave bracelets were outlawed,” he said more to the room than to Flint. “Fullblood or half? I know the cuffs don't work as well on anyone of more diluted origins. Or the Unbound.”
Flint shrugged. “No idea of the exact ratio. No one ever showed me my pedigree papers. Not a fullblood, but at least half-blood judging from this.” He lifted his shirt to show a faded tattoo shaped almost like a sun. “My slave mark.”
I leaned in close to Nico. “He was bought on the black market. Like us.”
Nico’s body tensed, and if anything was going to get my parents onside, it was the idea of the skin trade and people selling children.
My mother looked at him like she wanted to adopt him too, but I was definitely going to take issue with that. “If he can’t stay here, he can come back to Dark River with us. He will not be going back to wherever my daughter rescued him from.”
And that was that. My dads were never able to say no to Raine. She had them all wrapped around her little finger. “She pulled him out of an illegal underground fighting ring,” Brody told her. “A fight ring that she’d participated in. A fight ring, if we are judging by all the shallow graves around the area, that condoned fighting to the death.”
Raine gasped, her eyes finding mine. There was real terror in her expression, and coupled with the straight out disapproval of Brody, it made me feel guilty as fuck. There was a reason I’d hidden it from them for years. I knew they’d be disappointed in me, but I couldn’t help it. It gave me something I needed.
Walker, who had been silent up until this point, laid a hand on Raine’s arm. “We’ll talk about that at home. Let us talk about the more pressing problem. Raine is correct—we can’t send the kid back to the ring, and he has to lose the cuffs. Do we know anyone from the Djinn Council who could remove them?”
Alistair nodded. “Micah does. He met the Councilor for the Unbound a few years ago, back when she was a half-blood on the run from the Council itself. He’ll be able to get her to come up here and destroy those things. Break the contract between you and your abductor.” He directed that last part at Flint, and we all saw him flinch. But there was such raw hopefulness in his eyes that it made my chest ache.
“And where will the boy stay?”
Even I knew this was a rhetorical question. Eden had been a refuge first and foremost, and Flint? He was the poster child for who they saved. Alistair quirked an eyebrow. “Of course he can stay here. It was why we were built, after all, and our wards are the best in Canada. Until a member of the Djinn Council appears, he’s safest here.” He looked at Flint. “If that’s what you want. Once you are free from your bindings, you are welcome to stay or leave. If you stay, I suggest you do so as a student of the Academy. When were you given into your servitude?”
“I was four.”
Raine gasped again and Brody was frowning. “I didn't think the cuffs even worked until you were eighteen?”
Flint just shrugged, and I got it. Where was he going to go when he was four? I ached for the childhood he missed out on. There’d been no Lucius there to save him from his fate. I clenched my back teeth as emotions threatened to creep up and make me do something embarrassing like cry.
“Fine, let’s move on. Carmen and Mr. Richards broke the rules by sneaking an unapproved supernatural onto Eden grounds,” Alistair said, his piercing golden eyes nailing me to the spot. “We have a duty of care to every individual who lives in these walls, Miss Baxter, and you created a possible situation that could have had dire consequences. We are lucky that your friend Flint has strong mental shields. If his master had been a little stronger, or Flint a little weaker, he could have burned this entire institution down while we slept.” Ah, shit. He was right, and I felt guilty, but what was I supposed to do? Leave him there to be torn apart? I opened my mouth to say as much, but Alistair held up a hand. “I know what you are about to say, Miss Baxter. I do. No, you couldn’t have left him in the situation that he was in. But you could have come to us instead of hiding him in Mr. Richards’ basement like a feral kitten.”
Locke laughed, before swallowing the sound back down. “We aren’t your parents, Carmen. While I don’t approve of your pastimes, it isn’t my job to police your life outside of these walls. If you’d brought him to us, we would have only asked the questions we needed to know to keep all our charges safe.” He paused. “Would we have told your parents that you found him at an underground fight ring? Probably. But they found out anyway, and here you are, neck deep in shit. Not only that, you dragged Sammie into it with you.”
Sammie went to say something, probably something noble like to insist it was all his idea, because that's the kind of guy he was. But Locke stopped him. “We all know it was Carmen’s idea to stash him in the basement. We’ve known Carmen since she was six. This whole scheme has her name plastered across it in neon lights.”
He sounded amused, and I frowned. What did he mean by that? “I’m a damn angel, and you know it!”
Bobby snorted and even X laughed. Assholes.
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for my punishment. Alistair didn’t keep me in suspense. “You have to do the junior orientations for the rest of the year,” he said, and I gritted my teeth. Ugh. Great. “Plus, you have to help Mr. McKintock with the farm animals for the month.” Wonderful. Scooping shit for a month. Still, at least they didn’t suspend me and send Flint packing. I could take shit for that.
They looked at Sammie. “Mr. Richards, consider this your first warning. You understand the nature of your position here at the school is that of an authority figure. If you cannot abide by the rules, there’s no place for you. Do you understand?”
Sammie gave a stiff nod, and I felt even guiltier. I’d really fucked it up for him, and the sad thing was, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
Alistair looked at Flint, his expression serious yet somehow reassuring. “You’re welcome and safe here. Anything you need, you can ask for, and we’ll find a way. My door is always open. Off you go.” He flicked his eyes to me. “Show the newest member of Eden around, then take him down to Admin to get him set up. I want to speak to your parents in a more official capacity.”
I stood like my tail was on fire. Raine was a member of the supernatural governing body, the Convocation, so I wasn’t overly surprised that they wanted to talk without us here. Bobby and Sammie were right behind me, and I gave X a quick side hug on my way past his sentinel spot by the door.
I gripped Flint’s hand and dragged him along behind me as I all but ran from the conference room, just in case they changed their minds. Sammie and Bobby seemed to follow along as well, and I heard Sammie murmur, “Well, I guess six is better than four.”
What the hell did that mean?
12
Bobby
You didn’t know fear until you were sitting at a table being stared down by men whose combined age was older than Christianity. The terrifying five. The twins Lucius and Nico, each a millennia old. Judge and X—more widely known as The Executioner—the most feared assassination duo in vampire society. Walker, Sheriff of Dark River. Actually, we were less terrified of Walker. He was a good guy. Young for a vampire, and he still had his old world manners. The shapeshifters still whispered their names, even with Raine being our Alpha Mate for over a decade.
On top
of that, and almost worse, were the waves of disapproval pouring off my Alpha, Brody.
Carmen must have forgotten her previous anger at me, because she was gripping my hand beneath the table like I was her only lifeline. It made the ass whooping I was about to get totally worth it.
Walker tapped his fingers on the table, human-slow. It was disconcerting as hell. “Remind me again, how long have you been taking her to a place where she could possibly have died, behind our back, totally betraying our trust?”
Carmen bristled beside me. “Dad, it’s not—”
Walker raised his hand. “We are all fully aware that if Bobby hadn’t taken you, that you would have done this stupidly reckless thing all by yourself.”
I looked to Christopher for some kind of support, but he was giving me an equally steely look. The only person who was showing me any compassion was Enit. Enit knew her sister better than anyone else in this room,
“We should be thankful that she thought to take him at all,” Raine said, throwing me something that might have been pity, but equally might have been a desire to kick my ass.
Judge cleared his throat. “I think we should place the blame where it so rightfully belongs. On X and Lucius.”
X slapped a hand across his chest. “What did I do?”
“Oh, she needs to know how to fight, Judge. It’ll be good for her to work out her demons, Judge,” Judge mimicked in a high-pitched, bad Cockney accent. I pressed my lips tighter so I didn’t laugh.
“Feck off, mate. That was Lucius’ idea. He’s the one who liked the idea of having a bloodthirsty little protegé.”
Everyone’s eyes moved to the ancient vampire in question. He smirked and shrugged. “She’s still alive. I trained her well. I do not see what the big deal is?”
Carmen’s last father, Tex, arguably the one she was closest with, nodded his head. “As crazy as it sounds, I agree with Lucius on this one.” He cocked his head, his eyes unseeing in his human form. “As much as I disapprove of her voluntarily putting herself in danger, we still see her as a child. But she’s not. She is almost as old as Raine was when she was turned. I’m glad she can defend herself.”
They started to bicker among themselves again, and I could almost breathe.
Except for the piercing gaze of the Alpha. “You betrayed my trust.”
I shook my head, even though my inner shifter was quavering under his glare. I was the future Alpha. I respected him, but as Alphas, our power was almost matched. Outside of Pack politics, I respected the hell out of Brody. I loved him.
“No. I was not betraying Carmen’s trust.”
He frowned. “And her trust, her respect, was more important than mine?”
I swallowed hard. Fuck. I took a deep breath, and held his eye no matter how much the urge to dip my head rode me. “Yes.”
The room went silent. I was back under the scrutiny of every person in the room, waiting to see how Brody would react. He pinned me to the spot with a stare that would have made a lesser man wet himself, but I held steady. I could see on his face that he knew what I meant. Knew what this meant.
Mouse’s hand was gripping me so tightly that I was fairly sure there’d be crescent-shaped wounds in my palm.
Finally, Brody nodded, and I sucked in the air that I needed as inconspicuously as possible. “So be it.” He switched his gaze to Mouse. “You’re grounded. You’re either at school or at home. Got it?” She nodded, even though I could sense her need to protest. “Good. Get to school.”
Just like that, we were dismissed.
Did I just get tentative approval from my Alpha to date his daughter? I didn't want to let myself hope, but considering he hadn’t taken me out and let Lucius skin me, I was taking that as a win. None of us stuck around, though Mouse went and hugged each of her parents before we left.
I stepped out the front door and straight into a fist. I’d kind of expected it really, but it still hurt like a bitch.
Christopher wrenched back, getting one more good one to my nose, and then Carmen was there, dragging him away, while Enit whispered something to him. I struggled back to my feet, sucking my split and swollen lip into my mouth.
Christopher looked pissed. His eyes flashed and I could tell he was close to shifting. I was glad we were doing this here, and not at school where we’d get suspended. “It was one thing not telling our parents, but you should have told me,” he growled and I nodded my head. He was right, though he wouldn’t understand the way that Brody had. Wouldn’t understand that she was my fated mate and I would do anything for her, including keep her secrets.
I inclined my head. In his position, I would be fucking pissed too. So I’d take his wrath and know deep down I wouldn’t have changed a damn thing.
Mouse made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, and I thought that perhaps she was pretty close to wolfing out as well. “I’ll ride to school with Bobby. You can drive Enit,” she growled at Christopher. For a beta, she didn’t take any shit. The three of them, Christopher, Carmen and Enit, were so damn different. Their trauma had warped them, but I wasn’t complaining. They were three of my favorite people in the whole world.
Enit was whispering to Christopher. “Come on, Christopher. I don’t want to be late to class. Besides, the lion Alpha keeps looking at me.”
I held back my snort as Christopher and Carmen’s eyes shot to their Omega sister. They were obsessive about her safety, but Enit was a wiley little she-wolf. She had them wrapped around her finger, and sometimes she played them like a fiddle. Never vindictively though. More like she maneuvered them for their own good. Enit had the sweetest heart. As an Alpha, I probably should have been pursuing her, but fortunately, my heart led me in the direction of her fiery sister, who was currently dragging me toward my pickup.
She opened the driver’s door and stuffed me in. Maybe I should have chosen Enit, who would at least have pretended like she needed me. Instead, my Princess didn’t need me at all, because she was a fucking Queen. She didn’t need a white knight. She needed someone who would fight at her back.
She threw her backpack in the cab and climbed in after it. “Let’s go before they change their minds and decide to keep me locked in my room.”
I peeled out of the driveway, then out of Dark River, waving to the residents I knew. It hadn’t been that long ago that the only shapeshifter who would come to Dark River was Brody, as the emissary for Nîso. But now, my cousin Everly worked at the cupcake shop, Mouse and her siblings lived here and growing up, I basically came and went from their house like it was a second home. Our two communities were so intertwined now that the old fears were mostly gone.
“Are you just going to give me the silent treatment forever?”
I flicked my eyes from the road to her stubborn face. “Maybe.”
“That’s stupid. You can’t give me the silent treatment everytime I do something you don’t like.”
I wrenched the car over onto the shoulder of the road, glad that Christopher was in front of us. “Yes I fucking can. I can get mad at you when you put yourself in danger. I can get mad at you when you put everyone else in danger too. I can get mad when the possibility of losing you forever to some bloodthirsty fucking Wendigo almost became a reality. I can do all those things because you mean so fucking much to me that I think my chest is about to burst and my balls are sprouting more grey hair than Martin Scorcese’s eyebrows!”
She just sat there, gaping at me. “Who the hell is Martin Scorcese?”
I growled low, unclipping her belt and dragging her onto my lap in the space of a heartbeat. I kissed her hard, channelling every ounce of frustration from my lips to hers. She kissed me back just as hard, and I had a premonition that it would always be this way. It will always be a tug o’ war for control, a challenge that I so desperately needed.
She bit my lip and ripped open my shirt, her hands finding my chest and she moaned into my mouth. Fuck she felt good, and my cock was so damn hard where it was constricted in my jeans. She
let her short denim skirt ride up, so when I slipped my hands up her thighs, I didn’t stop until I got to the firm globes of her ass.
I grunted and ground up, like my dick had a mind of its own. I should stop, but then her fingernails scraped across my nipple, and I tore my mouth away so I could throw my head back with pleasure.
Seeing I liked it, she got the wickedest look on her face, one I knew meant nothing but trouble. But then she was kissing down my neck, sucking on my throat like she was part vampire. My hands squeezed her ass cheeks of their own accord and it was perfect. The best ass in the world. Hell, maybe in the universe.
Her lips were on my chest before I realized what she was going to do. “Mouse!” I gasped as she sucked my nipple into her mouth, scraping it between her teeth. I was a fucking goner. I spread her cheeks apart and ground her down on my dick, and she let out a whimpering moan.
It was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.
This was out of control. I gripped her head, pulling her mouth from my nipple and dragging her lips back to mine. I banded my arm around her waist, holding her to me tightly, restricting her movements.
I pulled away from the kiss. “We need to stop.”
She launched back at my face, kissing me so hard our teeth clacked. Then she pulled away, her cheeks flushed, her hair a little mussed. She’d never been more beautiful to me than she was in that moment. “You’re right. We should stop.”
Despite the fact that I’d literally said the same thing only moments ago, my heart lurched a little. But then she leaned in, and kissed my cheek. “For now.”
She climbed back onto her seat, wiggling her skirt down over her creamy thighs. I wanted to rest my head between those thighs and never reemerge.
I told my boner to relent, just a little, so driving wouldn’t be torture, but the asshole wasn’t listening. I pulled back onto the road, and she pulled down the visor to redo her lipstick in the mirror.
Rebels and Runaways: Eden Academy Book One Page 8
