Wintertide

by Everly Taylor

  “He turned to drugs and eventually killed someone, which had him tossed in here, where he only found even worse drugs to lose himself in. Before I could get him out, he overdosed, and they tossed him out like he was trash in the mass grave outback.” There it was said, she knew my shame now, knew what I had done.

  “That’s not your fault Sebastian,” she said gently after a moment.

  “It still doesn’t make me wish things weren’t different,” I sighed. “Now though, all we can do is make sure we keep you safe, so you don’t meet the same fate.”

  “I do know he can’t take your druid magic. He ranted about it once, but I was never clear why. Something about the magic of the druids being too ancient for him to bend to his will or something. However, if he knew you had something else, he would be able to take that. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he had been working on a way to take your druid powers too. Not only is he mad with the need for more, he’s always been incredibly jealous of you,” Jaxon admitted. “That’s why I’ve had to distance myself from you all this time.”

  His confession was one that surprised me and didn’t at the same time. I knew of his father’s lust for power, and abilities to take it. I could even sense the jealousy that rolled off him when I was near, though I always assumed it was just because I was a druid. Jealousy of our people and power was very common among the elite.

  Jaxon’s own internal struggle to not be like him was clear, and I had always been silently in his corner, hoping he would win. That was why I saved him that day, instead of letting the dragon eat him. I had felt the good within him, even amidst his inner turmoil, he still hoped for something better. “I had suspected your father was the reason you distanced yourself from me. I have no ill feelings towards you for doing what was best. I have no doubt he would have done worse to you if we had remained close. Let’s put that in the past and figure out what we are going to do now.”

  “We need all of us to meet and figure this out together,” Eva insisted. “I will not leave without any of you. I love you all and no one will be left behind.” She crossed her arms and had a look of determination that let me know there would be no changing her mind.

  “You love me?” Jaxon asked, his voice filled with awe and insecurity.

  “I do,” she stated simply before pressing her lips to his in a searing kiss that made my pants too tight. I hadn’t ever imagined seeing my bonded mate show affection to another man would turn me on so much, but damn this made me hot.

  I cleared my throat teasingly, “Can I get some of that, too?” She pulled away from Jaxon and jumped onto my lap, her legs straddled over mine, reminding me so much of the first time I had her here.

  “My lips are yours,” she said before wrapping her fingers in my hair and kissing me with the same passion as she had Jaxon. I gripped her hips as my tongue glided against hers and she gyrated over my hardened cock. I got lost in the feeling of my love for her, all encompassing, all consuming as I poured it into our embrace.

  My breath heaved as we pulled away, though neither of us wanted to. I looked to Jaxon to see his reaction and his expression was filled with heat, not a hint of jealousy in sight. “We need to gather everyone tonight. After dinner,” I stated. “Is that room safe?”

  “Yes,” Jaxon confirmed. “It seems to be the only place, other than this one where he doesn’t have eyes. He would have known about Eva and I if he was able to get through there, I’m sure of it. I’ll use the people I trust to get Calex and Blade there after dinner.”

  He turned to Eva, “I know no one is going to like this, but you have to pretend to not be into them anymore. Just until we can get out. I’ll get word to them before dinner and maybe you should stage a lovers quarrel.”

  She reluctantly agreed, “Okay. As long as it keeps you safe from your father. I don’t want you to be hurt like this again. I do have one request though. I can’t leave Una here. If we plan an escape, I have to at least offer it to her and maybe Jet. I’m not sure how deep her feelings are for him and I want her to make that decision.”

  I felt her heartache at the thought of leaving her friend behind, “The more people we take, the more difficult and dangerous the escape will be.”

  “She’s the only friend I’ve ever had. Please,” she whispered as a tear slid down her cheek. I wiped it away and promised that we would try. But at the very least I would make sure Una joined us tonight.

  We trudged back down the stairs, our hearts heavy with the reality of the situation we were in. I felt her own pain on top of my own, so I sent a wave of love and comfort through our cord. She reached back and took my hand, squeezing it while her appreciation washed over me.

  When we reached the door that led us back to the prison, I paused and whispered, “We can do this. We will figure it all out tonight.”

  Jaxon gave me a nod, “Let the games begin.” He opened the door and began to speak about the horrible lesson and how unchecked her power was. She argued back that it wasn’t her fault. They made quite a show as we trudged down the hallway and passed guards that we didn’t know whether or not they were under the headmaster’s thumb.

  “I think Eva will get there,” I spoke up, everyone expecting me to be the peacemaker. “You two just need to stop being so argumentative. Just kiss the girl and get it over with,” I said wryly. “Even I can see the attraction you both have for each other.” I spotted a guard that leaned forward as if he were trying to soak up the words. I burned the image of him in my head so that I would know to watch out for him if everything went to hell.

  “Mind your own business, teach,” Jaxon responded in his usual non-caring attitude.

  I held my hands up, “I just call them as I see them. Both of you need to figure yourselves out before we try this again. I don’t appreciate almost being stabbed with icicles by students that have personal problems. Don’t bring this shit in my classroom this afternoon,” I said sternly.

  “Whatever. I’ve got more important things to do right now, like collect on a few favors,” Jaxon rolled his eyes as he went off in a different direction. He called over his shoulder, “Maybe you should get Evangeline to admit how she can’t resist me.”

  Eva huffed, “You wish!” Her amusement at the statement flowed through to me even as she held a glare on her face. “I don’t know, Professor. He seems to hate me.”

  “I suggest you two talk before the next session. And by suggest, I mean it as an order. Go get breakfast and sit with him.” As hard as it was to leave her, I entered my classroom and slammed the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  My lion came to the surface when I read the coded note from Jaxon. I didn’t know what exactly happened or why we had to do this, only that we had to stage a breakup with Eva and we would meet after dinner.

  The only thing that kept me from ripping everything in my cell to shreds was the knowledge that it was for my kitten’s safety. Calex was just as pissed off as I was and paced the cell, his hands fisted with his barely restrained rage.

  Together we stomped down to the cafeteria later than normal, as instructed. The other prisoners gave us a wide berth, automatically sensing our anger. I growled when I saw Eva at Jaxon’s table, their heads close to one another, deep in conversation. I knew at that moment it wouldn’t be hard to fake the anger that rolled through me. Jaxon was a part of us, yet my lion didn’t want to see her only with him.

  Calex radiated the demon that he hid inside him as we passed them. His calm voice when he gave his number to Henry was the first indication that he was ready to rip someone apart. Both of us threw our food on our trays and sat down heavily at our table, the metal clanging on the surface, but neither one of us gave a shit.

  I hated that Eva’s seat was empty. It ate away at me, my heart squeezed as I tried to keep my head down and my cat at bay. She belonged with us, damn it. This was not the way shit should be.

  “What the fuck did you do to her to make her sit with popsicle boy?” Una’s normal sarcasm was gone,
replaced with venom. “If you hurt my friend, I will take you out.”

  “It’s none of your fucking business,” I growled, every part of my protectiveness came out as my status as alpha was questioned indirectly. I could take care of her damn it, I didn’t need a fucking fae to step in.

  Calex was a bit more level headed, “She was the one that ended it. You want to know why, talk to her in your little fucking girl club at free time.”

  Una visibly pulled back as she grabbed Jet’s hand. Seeing their display of affection and knowing I was missing it with my woman pissed me off more. “Chill out pussy. Whatever is going on with you all, there is no sense in getting yourself locked up. That goes for you too, Prince of Death.” She glanced over at Eva with a worried expression. “Girl’s club it is.”

  Her understanding of Calex's message settled me slightly and I was able to force my beast back a bit. I only hoped I would be able to control it the rest of the day, while dealing with the idiot inmates who were sure to make snide remarks. As I came back from the brink, I realized Una was right. I would have to keep myself from getting put in the caves if I were to find out what was going on. If I were tossed in solitary then there was no way I would be able to protect her. I had to trust that Eva wouldn’t purposely cause Calex or myself this pain of being separated from her, not without a damn good reason.

  The time ticked by slowly and my leg bounced as I waited for Eva and Jaxon to leave. I only knew that we were to break up in the hallway before our class with Sebastian. Relief and dread both flooded through me when they finally got up and left.

  I didn’t have to tell Calex anything. We stood in tandem and followed the two out the door, staying a slight distance behind. My ears picked up on some of the conversation between Eva and Jaxon. They seemed to be talking about how much better training would go, now that they admitted they liked each other.

  What the fuck? I really didn’t understand what happened or why they were having that conversation, we all had seen what happened yesterday. I glanced at Calex, but he hadn’t heard any of it. As the person who knew him best, I could tell he missed our girl. To anyone else he looked as though he was filled with fury.

  Eva and Jaxon stopped in the hallway, just before the door. She leaned against the wall and ran her fingers through his hair, which revealed a cut down his face along with a bruise. I stared at him curiously, he was fae, so why was he not healed already? Whatever was going on, I knew it was bad and it made my beast back the rest of the way off, instead focused on following this through to protect her.

  Jaxon leaned down and kissed her, and I thought that it was our cue to stage the breakup. I only hoped I had correctly decoded the message.

  “Blade, your lust is making this hard,” Calex whispered.

  “Yeah, I’m hard watching them, too,” I quietly muttered back to him. “Let’s do this.”

  As if we shared a brain, we stepped up to them in time with each other. “What the fuck, Eva?” I growled. “Why the fuck are you kissing this prick?”

  “You don’t own me, Blade,” she retorted. “I thought since you wanted to share me with Calex that one more wouldn’t matter. You did say this whole sharing thing was common with our kind.”

  “Yeah, with people we agree upon,” I raised my voice which caused people to stop and stare.

  “I’m not doing this now. I need to get to class. You can either accept that I want Jaxon too, or you can go find a new woman to share.” She grabbed Jaxon’s hand, “Let’s go Jax. I can’t miss class. Sit with me?”

  He followed her in and shot us a look of triumph that made me lunge for him. Calex held me back, “She isn’t worth it. We have our pick of any woman in this school. We’ll have someone else by free time.” His words, a code word, snapped me out of my rage and my cat settled.

  The day wore on and I had to watch my kitten with Jaxon while she blatantly ignored us. It was hard to keep my cool and I was thankful when dinner was finally over. If I had to hear one more smart ass comment from that bitchy sister, I would shift and tear her mouth from her face.

  We all left at different times, making our way to the secret room. I was there first and paced as I waited for the others, my nerves making my cat need to prowl.

  My heart leapt as the door opened and then sank when it was Una and Jet. “Oh, it’s just you,” I muttered as I resumed my pacing.

  “I could say the same to you pussy,” she cackled as she plopped down on a crate. “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?”

  “I don’t know,” I gritted out between my teeth as the door opened again and Eva came through. She ran to me and jumped in my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist. I automatically held her tight and inhaled her scent, the one that reminded me of the woods on a cold winter day. She buried her face in my chest and I could feel the wetness of her tears drip down my bare chest. My cat raged in his protection, urging us to tear apart whoever made my mate cry.

  “I missed you so much,” she sniffled. “I’m so sorry I had to do this to you and Calex. We’ll explain everything when everyone gets here.”

  I purred as I stroked her hair, blown away that she was so worried about our feelings when it sounded through the note as if she were the one in danger. “Hush kitten,” I soothed. “I’m okay and whatever this is we will work through it, together. I sat on the crate with her curled up on my lap, refusing to let her go.

  It felt like hours before everyone else shuffled in, Calex being the last. He took one look at Eva curled up on me and rushed over to scoop her up in his arms. She sat on his lap and laid her legs across mine as I massaged her feet. The both of us needed to touch her and the others gave us our time.

  “Out with it,” Calex’s voice dropped to one that scared even myself.

  Sebastian started, “Just listen to the entire story before you react. We have a lot of planning to do in a short period and any outbursts will just waste our time.” I appreciated his blunt honesty and commanding nature that came from his years as a professor of delinquents. When none of us in the dark responded, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

  Once all of us agreed, he gestured to Jaxon, “You’re up Jax. Let’s get this part over with.”

  Jaxon nervously told us the truth of his father and the plans he had for Eva. I barely kept my cat in check as the reality of the danger she was in hit me. I earned a stern look from Sebastian several times as I growled upon hearing what the headmaster had done, what he planned to do to our girl. My cat clawed to be let out, to rip apart Jack Frost for daring to harm our kitten.

  “Does anyone have any clue on how to even start an escape from this hell hole?” Calex questioned. He seemed to be on a high, I imagined all the heavy emotions that fed his inner demon had left him in a state of contentment. Not to mention the little minx that sat on his lap, innocently rubbing her ass against his cock.

  Sebastian sighed, “I have thought about it all day. Our only chance of escape is to take one of the dragons. The largest one will hold us all but I don’t have as much of a connection with him as the others. It’s not impossible but I’m going to need every ounce of strength to control him. I’ll need someone to make sure I don't fall off.”

  “I’ll hold you on,” I volunteered. I knew I was the strongest physically out of all of us and I could handle the weight of the druid. “I want Calex to hold Eva since he has wings and if anything goes wrong he can fly off with her.”

  “I wouldn’t leave the others to perish,” Eva protested. “I’ll agree with Calex holding me but no one gets left behind.” The determination in her voice was a moment of pride for me and I felt the love I had for her grow.

  She turned to Una, who had been surprisingly quiet through everything and asked, “Are you coming with? I can’t leave you behind either.”

  Una looked at Jet, and he nodded, giving her his approval, “Yes. If it’s okay that Jet comes, too.”

  “Of course!” Eva exclaimed, “I didn’t want to assume your relatio
nship level.”

  “Level big dick,” Una replied with a saucy wink, which seemed to break up the tension in the room.

  We finished our plans to escape, ones that sounded easy to pull off, but I knew deep down would be hard and dangerous. The guards would be watching us, watching Eva most of all. To get all of us past the guards and to the roof without raising suspicion would be impossible if it weren’t for Jaxon’s knowledge of shortcuts and ways to get around the barriers that would normally stop us. It would not be any less dangerous, though.

  There was something that was never brought up during our planning and I was determined to make sure every single base was covered. “Where will we go when we leave? It has to be somewhere that the warden can’t find us.” I knew his network was vast, and I didn’t want to get us all out of here only to be dragged back again.

  Sebastian scrubbed his face with his hands, “That is the million-dollar question. I haven’t figured that part out, yet. I will spend the day looking through my books to find the right place. I will have it set by the time we leave, even if it is a series of places and we stay on the move until we find somewhere safe. At this point, I’d rather not take any chances on all of us knowing. Calex and I will be the only ones to know since we will be in charge of getting Eva there.”

  Eva opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off, “Like it or not, you are the one he’s after and you are our highest priority.” She snapped her mouth shut and sulked.

  “Okay, well if we have this all straightened out, I’m going to spend my last days fucking my man,” Una said bluntly as she stood up and pulled Jet with her. “You all have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn't do. No, scratch that. Do everything I would do, and more.”

  We were left alone and the heaviness hung in the air. Each of us lost in our own thoughts as I absentmindedly rubbed Eva’s legs and moved up to help release the tension in her. She moved and groaned in pleasure as I massaged her calves. That sound, so enticing, was the thing that snapped us all out of our silence.