by Mia Hawkins
I force my body to stay rigid; I can’t afford to not be prepared. Even though I know they are not the same as what usually attacks me, I still don’t know if I can trust them. Despite my body’s lack of dread, I decide to be cautious. I look over at the one who came forward, and he is stunning. His posture screams confidence, and he has every reason to. His hair is a deep black, but with the light now hitting it, it has a soft emerald green hue to it. His skin is a delicious caramel color that shows he must be in the sun a lot. Maybe he goes out shirtless; that would be a nice picture. Why am I thinking about him shirtless? I quickly look back up to his face and connect with a pair of ocean blue eyes. Looking at them is like looking into the deepest ocean, and I am momentarily drawn into their depths.
If the way his lips are quirked up on one side is anything to go by, I would say he most definitely noticed me checking him out. With black hair and blue eyes, why in the world would I not check him out? I hold my head a little higher to show them I am not ashamed to be caught. Seeing him is more proof they are not the same as what I was just fighting, as he doesn’t look anything like the ones that attacked me tonight. My internal danger alarm is quiet right now too, so either it just broke or these men actually have no intention of hurting me right now. “Why are you here then? Decide to take a midnight stroll around the campus? You guys look a little old to be in school.” I respond, trying to back my way to the door.
As I step back, they all step forward like a game of cat and mouse. “No, we came to help you, although it doesn’t look like you need our help. My name is Alex, and this is my brother Matthew,” the one on the far left interjects. He is definitely attractive; he must be a twin because he and his brother look the same. They both have chocolate hair, although Matthew’s is about shoulder length. Alex’s hair, on the hand, is cut short, almost in a high and tight. They both have unique eyes though—each one has one blue eye and one brown eye, except the colors are opposite.
“Since those two obviously won’t introduce themselves, I will. The big blond brooder over there is Xavier. Trust me, his company doesn’t get any better. Lastly, we have Chaice,” he finishes, pointing to the man who tried to tell me they were not going to hurt me. “Now that you know who we are, why don’t you tell us who you are?” Alex purrs with his hands outstretched like I am some cornered wild animal. He is not far off; I was ready to bolt about ten minutes ago. I know my body feels safe around them, but I don’t trust it. It almost makes me even more nervous—what are they doing to cause me to relax? I am internally freaking out; give me someone attacking me, and I can handle that any day. But them talking to me and actually telling me who they are? I just don’t know what to do. This has never happened to me before.
What if talking to me is a new trick? They are using it as a distraction. I pull all my energy in and push it out in a blast that throws them all back against the wall. Using that as my chance to make a run for it, I am out the door and on the street, sprinting as fast as I can. I push energy into my muscles and run faster than I ever have. I no longer care about others seeing me; it is obvious I can’t stay here anymore. I normally am not a person to run from my attackers, but there is just something about them. With how calm my body wanted to be, I don’t think my body would have even let me fight them. So my only other option was running, which I am not proud of, but you can’t worry about your pride if you’re dead. I hear footsteps behind me and know I need to run faster and harder. How are they catching up? In my distraction, I took a wrong turn and am now running right towards the river.
Maybe this isn’t a bad thing. The river is in a deep valley, so you need to take a huge leap to get down to the water below. If I jump in, I doubt these baboons will follow, so I keep my speed going. I hear shouting behind me, but I block it out and throw myself over the cliff. As I start to free fall, I feel something wrap around my waist and jerk me to a stop. Looking down, I see the water passing far below me. Around my waist is an enormous claw with sharp tips the size of my hand. Turning my face upwards to look at what caught me, my breath catches. Holding me in its claw is a massive dragon. Its wings spread out and pull us higher into the sky, revealing its scales that are an endless mix of black and green. I must admit the color is beautiful, but I can’t focus on that right now. I didn’t know dragons even existed, and I’m completely confused as to what is going on. It’s one thing to take on a crazy person attacking me, but a dragon? I am not ok with this at all.
I struggle desperately against the strong claw holding me. If I could just wiggle out while we are over the water, I can still get away. The dragon lets out an earth-shattering roar, and I cringe in response. My wiggling is doing nothing apparently, other than possibly pissing off the dragon. I look up into the beast’s eyes, and it is staring right back at me. A flash of amusement goes through its blue eyes. Hm, looks like our dragon has a sense of humor. “Let me down!” I snap as I push as hard as I can against him. I can’t seem to make it move at all, and I huff out a breath to try and calm my racing heartbeat.
“I told you we were not here to hurt you,” a voice whispers into my head. It sounds vaguely familiar, and my body automatically starts relaxing. Damn you, body, what has gotten into you? “Sleep now, Rayven, we have a long ride.”
“How did it know my name?” is the last thing that goes through my mind as I drift off to sleep. I couldn’t stop myself even if I tried.
Chapter 5
Rayven
The sun shining in from the window makes me roll over and stretch my arms out. It takes me a minute to realize I am not in my room; these sheets are way too silky. Everything floods in from last night, and I bolt out of the soft bed. I am ready to fight my way out of this room if need be. My eyes search around the room, but there is no one else in here; I am completely alone. I need to figure out where I am, so I jog over to the door and push my energy out to see if I can feel anyone around me. The hall outside the room feels empty, so I try the door. The handle doesn’t budge. I increase my strength to see if I can maybe break the knob. “Dammit,” I exhale as I realize the door won’t open, no matter how hard I try.
I go to each of the three windows and see if I can get out that way or at least get an idea of where I am. Each window is locked tight. I could break them, but looking out the window, I see I must be in one of the highest rooms. I am not a huge fan of the idea of falling to my death, but if shit hits the fan, my ass will be jumping from this window. After all the time and effort I have put into not getting caught, I’m not about to give up easily.
Since there’s no immediate threat and I am obviously not getting out of here right now, I take a moment to look around the room I am stuck in. This room is spacious and honestly one of the nicest rooms I have ever been in, which confuses me about my captors’ intentions. If you kidnap someone, why would you put them in a beautiful room and not a dungeon or something dramatic like that? I won’t be fooled though. Some of the prettiest things hide the ugliest monsters.
The windows give me no hints as to where I am. There is a big yard with a thick forest beyond it, but I could be anywhere. If I do have to jump and somehow make it, and I can get to the forest, I should stand a chance. Turning my focus inside the room, I scan the rest of the area, noting the bed I woke up on is on the far wall away from the door. It has a beautiful canopy over it that would make ten-year-old me go crazy. If only I didn’t loathe the color purple, I might like it in here. This room looks like it was made to be a female’s room, as the walls are a lilac with white trim. It makes me wonder who was in here before me. I walk over to the dark cherry wardrobe and open the doors.
There are so many beautiful dresses that I can’t help running my hands over the delicate fabric. Maybe in a different life, I would have had dresses like these. I bet the woman who wore these clothes was beautiful. I can almost imagine her going to some fancy dinner on the arm of a handsome man who only had eyes for her. I bet they danced the night away, her smile never leaving her face. I shake my head as if to g
et rid of the scene I created. Now is not the time to get distracted.
My mind starts running over everything that happened last night. Was I really grabbed by a dragon? I have heard of people’s minds making things up in a time of stress; that has to be what happened. I’ve heard stories of dragons, especially from Gabriel, when we were younger. As far as I knew, they were just bedtime stories, not actually real.
I make my way over to the door and start banging on it. “I have to pee!” I yell to get their attention. Maybe if I become annoying, they will open this door and I can fight my way out of here. I will not just sit around until they are ready for me. I don’t wait for anyone. “Someone let me out of this room! I have to use the bathroom RIGHT NOW!” I yell even louder. I wonder how long it will take them to realize I have nothing better to do than be annoying.
Chapter 6
Alex
“We cannot stay here any longer. We have the girl, so let’s bring her to the council,” Xavier practically screams at us. We have been arguing for the last hour about what to do. Having a fae, dragon and wolves in the same room is definitely interesting. We all have very dominant personalities, so trying to figure anything out is more a battle of wills than an actual conversation.
“Did you even bother to find out what your precious council wants with her? Or better yet, do you know why it needs to be done so quickly? What is the rush?” my twin brother, Matthew, finally speaks up. He has been quiet most of the morning. He is the type that sits back and processes everything going on. That’s why when he speaks, people usually listen. Xavier rounds on my brother like Matthew just personally insulted him. That is the problem with the fae, they are so far up the council’s ass that I swear they haven’t seen daylight in years. That must account for why he is so pale. I can’t help but chuckle at myself, which causes Xavier to turn his glare onto me, his eyes shooting daggers in my direction. Boy, if looks could kill, I would be a goner.
“They are your council as well, and you better not forget that. It is not our place to question them. The council wants us to bring her to them as quickly as possible. So let’s go get her and bring her to them. I don’t care what they do to her, I am just ready to go home,” Xavier says, never once losing the harshness to his voice.
“What we are saying is that we found her fighting for her life against a group of rogues. She took down seven of them by herself. I feel there is more about her that we don’t know. I am not as willing as you to just hand over someone that could be a huge asset to figuring out what is going on. Think about it. We have only seen rogues in groups of two or three. Tonight, there were seven of them, all organized together to kill that girl. We have never seen them work together before, so what if there is something we are missing?” I retort, hoping I get my point across to him.
This issue is bigger than his need to go home. My pack has been struggling to fight these rogues alone. I have lost too many pack mates to just let an opportunity like this be given to the council. They are supposed to give us order and link all the sups together. Unlike the fae, the shifter race has seen through the council’s facade for years. The council only wants power, and they send everyone else to do their dirty work. The fewer people challenging their rule, the more power they have over everyone.
“I agree with the wolves. I have felt something was off with all of the rogues since we first noticed that it was happening more often. I don’t think it is as simple as they have a mental breakdown. Have you seen how they change once they become rogue? I’ve noticed how people I grew up with can do things they never could before. That doesn’t just happen,” Chaice adds.
Chaice has always had a level head on him. We all grew up together and used to be close before my father, the Alpha, or pack leader, decided to separate from the council. I think that had a lot to do with Chaice’s and Xavier’s parents dying as well. No one knows exactly what happened, but my father had his opinions. He was always too scared to tell anyone though. I have not seen Chaice or Xavier in years, so working with them to find this girl has been an adjustment. When I heard we were going to get to be our old squad again, I was actually really excited. That is until I saw how much they both have changed.
Chaice is not too bad for a dragon. He has a tough exterior, but once you get past that, he is an amazing friend to have. Xavier, on the other hand, is nothing like the younger fae I knew. Leaving him in the hands of Frank, the Fae King, was a terrible idea. My father wanted to take him with us after his parents died, but the council wouldn’t let him. They said he needed to grow up with his own kind. It breaks my heart to think about everything he has had to go through alone, but it all happened so long ago. I have to remember Xavier is not the little boy that needs my protection anymore.
I feel something pulling in my chest, and I know that Rayven is waking up. I have no idea how I know, but I do. I look over at Matthew and notice he must feel it also. There is something about this girl that calls to me. “I have to pee!” she yells from her room down the hall.
I look at Xavier, and I know that Rayven will be the one who breaks him. From the way last night went, I think she will be the one to break us all. I know I just met her, but I have never felt this way about someone before. I have been with several women, and none of them have held my attention for more than a night. I don’t mean to be a dick, but that is just how I am, I don’t give them the illusion I will ever be with them again either. The women that I have been with know from the start that it’s just for a night. Some take it better than others, I will admit, and then there are some women who think they will be the one to tame me. But it has yet to happen. Even when I look at a woman, I can tell she is attractive, but that is where it ends. Their personalities are always a bore.
But when I saw this girl fighting in the school yesterday, it was like I was looking at the sun after being frozen my whole life. I could only focus on her, and my wolf was going crazy when he caught a whiff of her scent. My heart leaps at just the thought of seeing her again. I turn to open up the door, but Xavier is standing in the way. “Come on, X, stop being such a party pooper. You heard the girl; she has to pee.” I laugh and try to squeeze by him.
“I’m serious, Alex, you can laugh all you want, but she is going to the council. Maybe you can talk to them after she is there and see if they will release her to you once they are done with her.” Xavier scoots to the side so I can pass. Is he really so self-centered he will not take into consideration how we feel? With our help, she could save people from getting hurt by the rogues. For all we know, she could be the solution to preventing people from changing in the first place. But if she is with the council, there’s no telling what they will do with her. Hell, I don’t even know if they will actually try to help the races or if they have something to personally gain from getting this girl.
I make my way down the hallway, lost in my thoughts. I stand in front of the door and look between everyone. “So who is going to be the lucky one to open the door?” I’m betting no one will jump at the opportunity. I know I won’t; I much prefer my face to stay the way it is.
Chapter 7
Rayven
Finally, I hear footsteps coming down the hall. I step to the side of the door so I can spring on whoever is stupid enough to open it. I slow my heartbeat and relax my muscles. I can’t mess this up. “Don’t try anything. I am going to open the door, and I won’t take too kindly to being kicked in the face. We just want to talk to you,” I hear someone say outside the door. His voice stirs something inside of me.
“Well, I don’t take too kindly to being locked in a purple room either, but here we are,” I retort. The man chuckles like what I said was funny, even though I was completely serious. I hear the keys jingle and ready myself to find out who my captors are.
As soon as the door opens, I leap at him. I kick at his knee, and as he goes down, I grab onto his neck and swing myself up onto his back. I try to put him in a choke hold, but my arm is not long enough to wrap all the way around. I chang
e my move into an elbow to his face, but before I can fully connect, I am grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms I didn’t know were there. The second man’s arms wrap around me, pinning mine to my sides. I try to fight him, but his grip is too strong. I drop my weight and force him to readjust his stance so he doesn’t fall. As soon as he does, I jump up, crushing his face into the top of my head. He instinctively moves one hand to cover his nose, and I bolt.
I make it just outside the door before a foot flies in front of me. Good thing I have fast reflexes. I jump over the outstretched leg, and just when I thought I was in the clear, I see the man that I ran into on my jog last night. He is holding his nose, and he looks pissed. If that is the guy I hit in the room, how in the world did he get out here ahead of me? I don’t have time to evaluate. I quickly change directions and go the opposite way. As I start to run, this dude materializes in front of me. That’s it. I must have hit my head yesterday. First a dragon and now this. I plow right into him, expecting him to fall or at least stumble out of my way. Unfortunately, he doesn’t move an inch; he’s like a brick wall.
Instead, he grabs me and spins my back against his front. I immediately fight the urge to relax into his chest—what has gotten into me? “Got you,” he whispers into my ear, and those two words turn my blood to ice. I have fought too hard to just give up because my body decides to ramp up the hormones. I always try to stay calm when I fight, as it is the only way I can fight smoothly. If I don’t, my brain gets in the way, and I end up getting hurt. I focus my energy as hard as I can and picture the forest I saw outside my window. I can make out the blades of grass as they sway in the wind, I hear the birds chirping in the maple trees, and I almost smell the fresh pine scent floating on the breeze. I open my eyes now that I have centered myself, and notice that I am no longer in the hallway.
