Rebels and Runaways: Eden Academy Book One

by Grace McGinty

  Bobby waded into the middle of them. “Shift back. Now.”

  Enit disappeared and returned with two robes, and the pair shifted back. But they weren’t done fighting apparently.

  “You have no fucking right,” Carmen growled.

  Christopher snarled back. “I have every fucking right. I nearly was one of those kids. Maybe not for Rook, but for some other fucking opportunistic sadist.”

  “Nearly, Christopher. You were nearly one. Lucius saved you, but no one saved Flint, so you don’t get to decide how his PTSD manifests, you egotistical fuck! I don’t see you out there crusading, and you can’t plead ignorance. So get the fuck down from your high horse.”

  She glared at him, and he shot her a venomous look, before turning on his heel and storming out the door. Naked.

  Well, that was awkward. Enit kissed her cheek and handed her sister a robe. “I’ll go and soothe him.” She looked over at me, nothing but compassion in her eyes. No accusations or pity. “For what it's worth, I’m with Carmen. We all knew it existed, and we didn’t do anything about it. This isn’t a burden you need to shoulder by yourself.”

  Somehow, I ended up at the dining table, across from Nico, and he reached out and touched my wrist.

  “I think you should tell us what we need to know about Rook and his operation.”

  I spilled my guts like I had no choice.

  Three hours later, I was exhausted. Emotionally wrung out. Carmen sat on my lap, her arms around my shoulders and her cheek on top of my head, like she could protect past me from all the hurt that just poured passed my lips.

  About halfway through, I realized I was being compelled into unloading everything, and I shored up my mental walls and managed to keep some of my black secrets to myself. The degree to which I’d been used, the things that I’d been forced to do. If Carmen knew, she wouldn’t sit in my lap like this. She wouldn’t be within ten feet of me.

  She looked around the table. “What do we do?”

  X sharpened his knife. “We do nothing. You four go back to the Academy, continue to learn, and leave it to the Convocation. Leave it to me.”

  “And me,” the pretty one with the Southern accent said. Judge. His name was Judge.

  The one that loomed in the corner, that looked like Nico but with way more crazy in his eyes, just smirked and ran a tongue across his fangs. He didn’t need to say he would bathe in Rook’s blood. His whole aura just screamed massacre.

  Carmen tensed on my lap. “We can’t just do nothing. We aren’t children, we can help. Rook is still out there.”

  The Sheriff, er Walker, nodded. “She has a point. I think we should talk to the Academy about putting them in the dorms until this whole thing is finished. The wards on the school are impenetrable to nearly all beings, and if Rook had the skills to breach them, he would have walked over them and retrieved Flint himself. He wouldn't have to resort to manipulating schoolkids to be his messengers.”

  They all nodded as Carmen gaped. “What? No.”

  However, they’d made up their minds, which is how we all ended up piled in Bobby’s pickup, Carmen spread across mine and Sammie’s lap. Sammie had been quiet, not adding much, but he’d been a quiet, steady presence in the background. A rock to hold onto while I caught my breath.

  Christopher and Enit were being shipped off too, and Carmen was fuming. “This isn’t right. I’m not a child and I’m more than capable of handling myself. This is Flint’s revenge, he doesn't need to be shut out of it.”

  I didn’t tell her that a cowardly part of me was glad that someone else was taking care of it. The idea of stepping back into Rook’s domain, into the Kindergarten, made cold sweat break out over my body.

  As if sensing my thoughts, Sammie twined our fingers where they were pressed between our thighs and squeezed. He stroked his other hand up and down Carmen’s hip soothingly.

  “Taking down an international human trafficking ring is a bit outside of our pay grade, Mouse,” Bobby pointed out, and he was right.

  “Besides, they are just trying to keep you safe. You, your siblings, and Flint. He’s seen enough violence, don’t you think?” Sammie murmured in her ear, and it was like a punch to the gut.

  I was steeped in so much violence that it was now a part of me. But I didn’t have a thirst for revenge. I was just dying to be happy.

  How fucking pathetic was that? Carmen definitely deserved more. She deserved someone who wasn’t a piece of shit that let kids die while having the audacity to be so goddamn happy.

  Well, Rook got his wish. I wasn’t happy anymore.

  25

  Carmen

  The Academy students had unisex dorms at the very rear of the main building. Fortunately, there weren't many Academy students who still lived on campus, most preferring to house together off campus for freedom, or because they had their own apartments in Nîso. So when I threw a tantrum and said I wanted to be beside Flint, no one protested. We were adults. If I wanted to sneak into his room every night and fuck him against every surface, that was my business as long as there were no noise complaints.

  Sammie had disappeared to check on his family, Flint had slunk back to his room under the guise of taking a shower, and that left just me and Bobby. Bobby watched me pace around my room, stuffing clothes into drawers and unloading stuff from the suitcase of shit I threw together.

  “Come here.”

  I looked over my shoulder at him reclining on my freshly made bed like he owned it, and my lips quirked. Helpless to resist, I crossed the small amount of floor to the bed, crawling up it like I was on the prowl. His intense gaze made me hot, and I still couldn’t believe that Bobby was looking at me like that. Like I was something precious and sexy, rather than an annoyance.

  When I was finally between his thighs, his hands grabbed at my hips greedily, pulling me into his chest. “I can’t help but think what if? What if you hadn’t been in the mall? What if he’d decided to take you as a bargaining chip? And I was in Nîso, drinking beer with my dad and talking shit, and I had no idea that you were scared.” He let out a shuddering breath. “I think we should seal the bond.”

  I pulled away in shock. “What? Are you fucking crazy? I’m eighteen.”

  He gripped my chin. “And my fated mate. I couldn’t be more sane about this. I need you more than I need air, Mouse. This isn’t some childhood crush. I don’t need a ten year engagement to realize I love you.”

  His words were like a punch in the face. My brain stopped working, my thoughts sluggish and dazed. I reared back, searching his face. He couldn’t mean it. It was too soon.

  Too soon for you. He’s known for years, a petty little voice inside my head taunted. She could fuck off though, because I’d been in love with Bobby for years as well, even when he annoyed the hell out of me. Even when he was being an Alphahole. I’d still loved him.

  But I wasn’t ready to say the words and I definitely wasn’t ready for the bond. I shook my head at him, my shoulders tense. “Not now. Not because you were scared.”

  He just gave me a crooked smile. “One day then. Sooner rather than later, hey?” He dragged me to his chest and kissed me until I couldn’t remember what we were talking about, just nodding agreeably.

  At some point, the kisses turned fevered. They weren’t sweet and caring anymore, they were hot and needy. I ground my body against his and he groaned, his tongue slipping into my mouth as he deepened the kiss. His hands slid up under my shirt, his huge hands spanning my back easily. He tore his lips from my mouth and slid them along my jaw, nipping and kissing in a way that had me squirming on his lap, making us both moan. I grabbed onto the bottom of his t-shirt and dragged it over his head, baring his golden chest to my eyes and my lips. He was a fucking feast and I was ready to devour him.

  I tore at my shirt until I was sitting in front of him in a pretty bra that I was glad I wore today instead of my normal sports bra.

  He kissed down my throat, taking the sensitive skin, that oh so important pu
lse point between his teeth and pressing down. He’d bite me there for us to become mates, but I trusted Bobby. Hell, I trusted Bobby more than I trusted myself, so I knew when I moaned and pressed my throat closer, that he wouldn’t take it as an invitation. Instead, he moved down the column of my throat, kissing along my collarbone until he pushed a nipple from the safety of my bra and sucked it into his mouth.

  “Holy fucking shit, Bobby.”

  Dude. Now I understood all those women in the movies carrying on. I mean, I could touch myself, but I couldn’t really suck my own nipples, right? I wasn’t that well-endowed in the chest department. But when Bobby scraped his teeth along those hard buds, I almost peeled out of my skin. My moan was so loud it echoed around the room, and Bobby chuckled around the sensitive flesh. Which made me moan more.

  My body flushed hot, my hips grinding against the hard line of his dick, looking for some kind of relief. “Bobby,” I whined, my voice sounding like a mewling replica of my normal tone.

  He slipped a hand between our bodies, tugging at my pants until I sprang off the bed to tear them off.

  His eyes were hooded with lust, but he still searched my face. Considering I was standing there in my bra and underwear, that was pretty impressive.

  “We should stop, before this goes further. I don’t want to rush you.”

  I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and worried at it. “Do you not want to?”

  He groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. “So badly, you have no idea how much.”

  I grinned, my whole body feeling buzzed like the moments before a big fight. “Good. Me too.”

  Then I dived on the bed and he caught me in his arms. I wanted my mouth to be tasting everything at once, and my hands to touch and memorize every square inch of him.

  He chuckled, or maybe it was a groan, and rolled us until he was on top and I was pinned beneath his large body.

  “Slow down, little Mouse. I’ve waited a long, long time for this and I refuse to rush it.” He kissed his way down my body, sucking my nipples through the lace of my bra, scraping his teeth along the slight softness of my stomach. His hands came up to wrap around my thighs and he spread them a little wider and shuddered.

  “Fuck me, the smell of how much you want me is like crack. It calls to me like a temptation.” He looked up at me, his tongue unconsciously wetting his full bottom lip like he could taste me already. “I’m going to eat your pretty pussy until you’re screaming my name so loud that even Flint can hear it next door.”

  All I could do was nod as he bit the curve of my hip and slid his fingers beneath the elastic of my panties. He dragged them down my thighs and I watched his face as he exposed me to the room. His tongue ran along the flesh of my thigh, his hot breath against my core making me moan.

  When his tongue ran between my lips, ending on my clit, my body bowed in the middle. I ground my hips against his mouth and he hummed.

  “You taste like paradise.”

  He sucked on my clit and I panted. “Bobby, please.”

  He just buried his face further between my thighs, though if he went any deeper he’d need a snorkel.

  “Please,” I moaned again, rolling my hips.

  He looked up, his face glistening with my slick. “What do you need, baby?”

  Shit, what the fuck did I need? I needed release really fucking bad, but more than that, I needed him inside me. Stat.

  I clawed at his shoulders, dragging him up my body. “I want you, inside of me. Now.” I winced at how cliché I was being, but it was true. I ached to have Bobby, to have his cock inside me. I was so close to filling this aching pit in my soul that I hadn’t even realized was there until now.

  He kissed me deeply, and my body burned. He pulled back, unzipping his jeans and his dick bounced out. It was rock hard and weeping, and my eyes got big as saucers. “Holy shit, Bobby. I didn’t realize you were part elephant shifter. The fuck?” I whispered.

  I mean, I’d seen Bobby naked. We were shifters and your clothes didn’t shift with you. But never hard and never, ever like this. He was definitely a grower. He gave me a crooked smile as he slid on a condom he’d pulled from his back pocket. Alpha boy scout. Always prepared.

  He lowered his body back over mine. “You sure about this, Carmen? If you aren’t ready, I’m happy to climb back between your thighs and eat you like my favorite sundae for like another two hours.”

  I gripped both of his cheeks in my hands, pulling his face closer to mine. “You and I are inevitable, Bobby. I want this.”

  That probably wasn’t romantic, but it worked, because I felt the nudge of the head of his cock against my entrance. I was wetter than I could have ever imagined, and his cock slid around a bit before notching against me, making me let out a tiny gasp.

  The look of sheer terror on Bobby’s face made me reach down and still his hips. “What’s wrong? I thought I was the one who meant to look like a terrified virgin. You’re stealing my glory, Alpha.”

  He grimaced, dropping a kiss to my lips. “I don’t want to fuck this up for you. I want it to be so fucking magical and not—”

  I gripped his ass and pulled his hips down as I rose mine up to meet them. I sucked in a ragged breath as my body stretched to accommodate his, uncomfortable but not painful. After a few moments, it felt right. No, it felt perfect.

  Bobby’s mouth hung open, either in shock or in pleasure. “You’re something perfect, Carmen Baxter, and I love you.”

  I gave him a tremulous smile as I swallowed hard. “Good. Now move your ass.”

  He buried his face in my throat and licked. “Yes, Alpha,” he chuckled, and then rolled his hips.

  Oh.

  Oh shit, okay. Yep. Now I got it.

  I didn’t think again after that, my body consumed with growing pleasure until I was hanging on the precipice by my nails. He was sucking on my breasts, and then his hand was between our bodies, grinding his thumb on my clit, and I came on a scream.

  “Bobby!”

  He grunted, his thrusts getting wilder as he leaned forward to give me a wet kiss.

  He pressed his cheek to mine. “Fuck, Carmen. Yes,” he groaned as his body slammed into me and he shuddered, collapsing on top of me like I made him weak.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped.

  “Holy shit,” he agreed.

  “A-fucking-men,” a voice said from the other side of the paper-thin walls. Oops.

  I grinned as I knocked against the wall. “Sorry, Flint.”

  “Don’t be, Sugar Plum. Best spank of my life. Fuck, I need a cigarette,” he replied and I laughed as Bobby rolled to his side, chuckling as well.

  He kissed the back of my neck. “Okay?” he whispered in my ear.

  I snuggled my body back into his. “Perfect.”

  And it really was.

  26

  Bobby

  The shittest part of Carmen being stuck at Eden was that I couldn’t see her on the weekends. They closed the gates to day students, probably so there weren't a whole bunch of people roaming around out of uniform while the teachers had their “days off”. But that meant she was there, and I was stuck up at Nîso with my parents.

  I jogged through the streets of the town that would one day be mine. I nodded at people who would one day be my people, and I knew every person, their families, their favorite form. I knew what worried them, what they excelled at. I knew everything I needed to know to lead one of the largest shapeshifter packs in Canada.

  I spotted Lulu coming up the street, her hand waving to catch my attention. I grinned and slowed my pace.

  “Hey Lulu.”

  She gave me a soft smile. “Hey Bobby. The Alpha is looking for you.”

  I wiped my forearm across the sweat on my forehead. Lulu was gentle and broken, absolutely petrified of men, but I hardly blamed her. Her dad had been a piece of shit. I also thought she might have a little crush on Carmen, but I would never bring it up with either of them. “Thanks. Wanna run back with me?”


  She gave me another half smile and jogged toward me. “How’s school? I heard through the grapevine that you and Carmen are finally a thing.”

  I couldn’t help the small smile that curved my lips. I looked over at the girl who’d been my friend since we were kids. She’d been my best friend for years, and when Mouse and her siblings had come along, she’d taken to them completely. I was pretty sure there were bets placed in the Pack that I would end up with Lulu as a mate. But we’d never been that to each other. She was smart as a whip, but damaged. She also flew below the radar and knew all sorts of things about the people of the Pack. I was going to ask her to be one of my Enforcers when I was made Alpha, because your Enforcers were an extension of the Alpha, and it wasn’t all brute force. Sometimes, it was just knowing whose ear to whisper into. Lulu, although she’d never admit it and would probably be embarrassed by the praise, excelled at that.

  “Can I tell you a secret, Lulu? I mean, it’s not a real secret, and if I have my way, it won’t be a secret for long.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. “What’s up?”

  “Carmen is my fated mate.”

  Lulu skidded to a stop, her eyes wide. “Are you shitting me?”

  I grinned because Lulu never swore, it was a leftover from her dad beating her anytime she said anything that remotely constituted swearing. So I knew she was surprised.

  I spun on my heel, jogging backward and beckoning her along.

  Lulu skittered to catch up. “Does she know?”

  I winced. “She does now.”

  Lulu shook her head, jogging to catch up. “But what about the other guys?”

  I huffed. “The rumor mill over at the Academy is working overtime.”

  She shrugged. “You’re the future Alpha and she is… Mouse. People watch you. Plus she collected the Djinn and the MC kid? She took two eligible bachelors straight off the market and the Pack girls talk. They aren’t happy.”

  I gave her the side-eye, but she didn’t look jealous or angry about it. More bemused. “Should she expect trouble?”