by Jaymin Eve
A slight smile crossed her face and her eyes lit up, the green so bright, with these fine traces of blue. Damn her for having awesome turquoise eyes.
“So you wanted to know about the supernatural world,” I said, waving a hand behind me. “The Compasses might just be the perfect examples, since they represent four of the five races.”
The quads hadn’t said anything more, they were standing in their ‘intimidation’ pose, faces expressionless, except for the locked-on gaze. No wonder Mischa was cowering like a lamb thrown to the lions.
“Okay firstly as I said, there are five races. The one not represented here are the demi-fey.” I listed out the creatures which fell under this banner. Mischa’s face went a sickly white color as she realized the true extent of our world. “The demi-fey only live within the protected supernatural communities. The few times they have made themselves known to humans … well, let’s just say things went a little haywire.”
I was the queen of understatements. Think Loch Ness, Bigfoot, and gargoyles.
“We have a lot of trolls here. They mine underground for gold and gems. Subsequently everyone in Stratford is filthy rich – not that we have any need for money. Most of the demi-fey are from the dying lands of Faerie.” I stood and moved next to Jacob. He smelled of forest and cold night air; his white-blond hair had a few leaves in it. “And so is Jake. He’s a full fey, descended from faerie.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” he said, smiling at the stunned girl. He flashed two straight rows of very white teeth. Mischa probably didn’t recognize the threat in them.
It wasn’t unusual for the quads to be so protective, but I was a little surprised they viewed any threat in Mischa.
“Fey have a special affinity for nature and the four elements.” I finished.
Jacob quickly demonstrated his skills by calling – one after another – fire, wind, water and earth. The ground rumbled as he shifted the rock beneath us, thankfully he didn’t feel the need to create a full-blown earthquake.
I touched the smooth silkiness of his shirt. “The fey are quite alien. Jake’s been domesticated by his brothers and myself, but generally they stick closely to their own kind and spend lots of weird group bonding time in the forest.” Jacob cuffed me gently behind the ear. “You’re dismissed.” I lifted my hand and waved him away. I felt his chest rumble as he moved back to stand behind the couch.
“Ty,” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Front and center.”
I didn’t shift my head, I could smell the magic coating his skin. He’d been casting spells in the forest. “Tyson is a wizard; they’re magic users. Males are wizards, females witches, and if they’re particularly powerful and advance to the next level, they’re known as sorcerer and sorceress.”
Tyson saluted her, his hands touching the brow of his auburn hair. His honeysuckle eyes watching closely, but he didn’t say anything.
“Magic users gather power from nature, from the energy within the Earth. They’re the closest to humans, less ‘supernatural abilities’ than the rest of us. They use words, and spells to direct their energy. And they are scary and sneaky motherfuckers.”
She flinched a little at my cursing. I hid my grin but the Compasses didn’t bother. All four of them cracked dimpled smiles.
“Max,” I said, ignoring them.
The massive vampire stood at my back, his distinct power wrapped around me.
“Maximus is a vampire.”
Mischa’s hands went over her mouth, but instead of the fear I expected there was something else in her gaze. She didn’t smell afraid, she was reeking of … interest. I met Maximus’ eyes and raised my eyebrows at him a few times. He was damn attractive, but poor Mischa had no idea she was letting him and the rest of us know her feelings. I continued speaking, hoping to distract her amorous thoughts.
“Vamps are like the legend, but also not. They’re blood drinkers, but also require food. Sun does not harm them and they have super senses. Speed, sight, taste, touch and smell. They can compel any being weaker – don’t let them lock you in their gaze. If they’re stronger than you, they’ll own your mind.”
I was pretty sure she wasn’t even listening to me, since she was still staring him straight in the eyes, lucky Maximus didn’t take advantage. Braxton replaced him before I could call for the dragon.
“Braxton you might have seen in the town hall. He’s a shifter of the dragon persuasion – which is rare and dominant. There are many different shifter forms. Our family is wolves, second most dominant form, but every group argues about the power ladder.” Lions in particular were real snooty about thinking they were at the top. “Generally, shifter children are the same animal as their parents, but if you have a split mating then the animal can go either way, but never more than one animal. Shifters have earth energy also. We’re strong, heal incredibly fast, can detect truth from lies through the fluctuation of scents and hormones–”
“Can you really only have one shifting form?” Mischa asked. She had scooted forward on the couch.
I blinked a few times at her.
Braxton spoke before I could. “Why do you ask?”
She shook her head. Her hair, which was much longer than mine, fell around her face. “It’s just that I always dreamed about being able to shift.” She looked between all of us. “But in these dreams I wasn’t a wolf … I was a dragon.”
I couldn’t speak, so Braxton answered her. “You can’t have more than one animal, there are no dual shifters, but since you’ve never shifted before … well, maybe you are a dragon.”
Chapter 4
Braxton’s eyes were as wide as mine when he met my gaze; we were almost having a silent communication. Could she be a dragon shifter? I was asking him, knowing that would make Mischa the only known female dragon shifter in existence today. Braxton nodded his reply, his blue eyes reminding me that dragon was an anomaly, a random quirk in DNA or something. It was not passed from parent to child. Braxton’s father was a lion shifter.
I was kind of pissed off. I tried to sort through my feelings, but I couldn’t halt the growling trembles that were racking my chest.
“What does this mean?” Mischa backed up a little, which probably had to do with the fact my lips were half curled into a snarl and my hands were in a clawed position, but I hadn’t shifted them yet.
One of the boys started to explain to her about dragons and their power. Meanwhile, I was trying to contain myself, my wolf, and the demon. Why was I reacting so violently? Did I not like the thought that my sister would be so much more powerful or revered than me? I turned the thought over and over. It might have been a small part of that, but something else was riding my emotions hard. As I met a pair of stunning sky blue eyes, I recognized the origin of my fury. I was jealous – not of her power, but of what a female dragon would mean. Shifters tended to stick with their own for mating and companionship. Every male dragon in the world – who were very few – would want Mischa. Including the man standing before me.
My eyes roved over the hard planes of Braxton’s beautiful face, his bronze skin and hair as black as my own. I couldn’t lose him. Once he was mated, his female would steal him away. We are possessive like that, and none would tolerate our close friendship. Even my sister would have an issue with it. It was our nature.
Braxton captured my hand. “You will never lose me,” he murmured, reading the agony on my face. “A hundred dragon females could exist – you’re my number one. Best friends for life, I haven’t forgotten my promise.”
His words and soothing power wrapped around me, calming the wolf and the demon inside. I knew one day the Compass brothers would settle down, find true loves or mates, but we were way too young now. I was not prepared to give them up yet. They were my pack and I loved each and every one of their crazy asses. I knew my fear that the women in their lives would not accept our friendship was justified. Like I said, possessiveness is common in supernatural groups. I’d never expect the boys to choose me over their loves. I shoo
k off my melancholy, no point creating worries for what tomorrow would bring.
I stumbled across to my shell-shocked sister and sank in next to her. Even though I said I wouldn’t be nice again, I decided to give her one more chance for some Jessa comfort. My arm dropped over her shoulders, and this time instead of flinching away she grabbed my tank and pulled me closer. She buried her head into my shoulder. I widened my eyes as I stared at the top of her head.
“I’m thinking we need to speak with Dad,” I said, running a single stroke of my hand over her silky hair. She smelled flowery, like her shampoo or lotion was scented. But it was very light, and had none of the chemical undertones I always smelled in commercial products.
I heard grumbles and muttering amongst the quads. I knew they wouldn’t be happy if a dragon shifter had been hidden from the community. But what had Dad actually known of Mischa?
“Did you find anything in the forest?” I asked as I held Mischa. I could feel her calming under my touch.
The Compasses started moving around the room, dropping off weapons and their packs. Except for Braxton of course, he was his own weapon and took nothing with him.
Tyson growled. “They have the prison hidden from every one of my spells. Jake couldn’t even get a read from the trees on the prison or fey kill. Whoever did the original security on Vanguard did a goddamned thorough job.”
Mischa’s head flew up. “You’re looking for the prison? Why?”
Jacob kicked off his boots before answering. “We’re to be the next council leaders. In just under three years. At this stage, according to our studies, we should be starting our initiation and training, learning of all the aspects of leading the High Council of America.”
“But we aren’t learning a damn thing,” Maximus bit out, staring into the fire. “Kristoff – the leader of the magic users – assured us that we will know everything in time. But he’s generally shown himself to be a liar, so his word doesn’t mean shit.”
“Yep,” I added. “A few months ago we decided to do our own exploring and investigating, to stop blindly accepting everything the council spews at us.” I needed her to be aware of what she’d been thrown into. “I don’t know what Lienda was like, but while Dad … Jonathon … is a brilliant father, he’s also a cagey and powerful man.”
Braxton spoke from where he leaned against the far wall. “He would never hurt Jessa, but sometimes he thinks he’s protecting her for her own good by withholding information.”
And it was no secret that I told the Compasses everything. We did not lie to each other; it was part of the pact we’d made many years ago.
“I might be mistaken,” Mischa started to say, her words slow and drawn out. “But I was under the impression, from some of the things that Mom said, that the prison was underground. Her brother was imprisoned a long time ago. She used to tell me about the weird bunker he was in. Of course I never knew he was a supernatural when she spoke of him, but now I’ve put the information together … well, I’m pretty sure of what she was telling me.”
I think every one of us froze into a statue at her words. Had she just handed us the breakthrough we’d been looking for? Information on the prison was so scarce. It wasn’t that supernaturals didn’t gossip – they were like the housewives we’d read about in human studies – it was more that there just wasn’t information out there. Only a select group knew anything about Vanguard and they were all spelled to keep these secrets. And had she said Lienda had a brother?
I furrowed my brow. “We have an uncle in the prison?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure what happened. Mom wouldn’t really go into details, but … I think he died.”
I sucked in a deep breath. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that – probably better not to think about it right now. I’d lock that away in my emotional safe box, where I put all the things I didn’t want to deal with. We needed to focus on the prison.
“No wonder the trees didn’t reveal anything to me,” Jacob growled. “I should have been asking the earth. Or the roots. That’s where the essence of disturbance would lie.”
I shook my head. “The prison’s been there so long it has become one with its environment. I don’t believe we’ll find it that way.”
“What made you think it was hidden in the forest?” Mischa asked.
Braxton answered lazily. “The reason Stratford exists is as a gateway community to protect Vanguard. We all know it’s in the forest, and we had it on reasonably good authority that it was hidden within an invisible dimension near the back of the east quadrant.”
A friend of theirs claimed to have been there. He was the one giving out the information.
Suddenly Braxton’s tone was a lot less casual. “Seems we might have to have another little chat with our friend.”
Mischa stood then. “I should go. I didn’t even tell Mom I was leaving.”
I stood also.
“I’ll see you in the morning?” she asked me, although her eyes also flicked across to Maximus. We all pretended not to notice.
“Yep, I’ll be in the dining hall around nine.” The night was half over and I was tired. I needed extra time for a nice sleep-in.
She started toward the hallway.
I halted her before she got out the door. “Hang on. Max will walk you home. It’s not always safe to wander alone at night.”
Especially when she was the council leader’s daughter and had no supernatural abilities to call on. She was now a weak link in the Lebron house and we needed to keep our vulnerabilities protected.
I grinned at Maximus as he passed me. His expression was one of resignation. I was about the only person in the world he let order him around. Not even his brothers would try it.
Mischa’s eyes widened as she moved to Maximus’ side. He was so large and she looked tiny. I hoped I didn’t look that small and delicate against the Compasses. I moved across to her, and leaning in gave her a hug goodbye, before whispering in her ear: “He can scent your interest. I’m not sure if you care that he knows, but if you do … try and tone down the arousal.”
She hugged me harder. “Thank you,” she whispered back, although her cheeks were a pretty pink color when she pulled away.
I waved as they left the house. “See you in the morning.”
I shut the door firmly behind. I made it six steps into the living area before I was surrounded by large men.
“What?” I growled, pushing through them. I hated their dominance shit.
“You didn’t answer your phone, and then we come back to check on you and you have ignored our rule about letting people in while we’re not here.” Tyson followed me, practically stalking my ass. I spun around and planted my palm firmly on his chest. I opened my mouth but my tirade was interrupted.
Braxton tilted his head as he spoke. “We were worried about you.” As always his words tugged at my heartstrings. The angry reply I’d been about to hurl at Tyson fell away unsaid.
“Shit, I’m sorry, it was my sister. I figured she didn’t mean any harm.”
Jacob playfully scooped me into his arms. “We know nothing about her.” And with a laugh he tossed me through the air and across the room onto the couch. I hit it pretty hard – lucky I was a shifter. “She might not even really be your sister. Her energy is cloaked. I’m getting zero read on her.”
Braxton growled. “A little more care next time, Jake.”
He dropped down next to me, his big hands coming around to rub out the tension in my shoulders. I groaned, closing my eyes as he worked out the knots I didn’t even know I had. His strong hands paused as I groaned again, before the rubbing motion started up again.
“Stop doing that, Jessa babe.” Tyson’s voice sounded strangled. “We made a pact, no inappropriate thoughts of you. You’re making it a little hard right now.”
I caught the double entendre there.
I stuck my tongue out at him, my eyes still closed, but I did halt the groans that wanted to emerge. Shit, Braxton was a
god with his hands.
“Mischa has never shifted,” I said, when I could finally speak again. “I can see that she’s been spelled, her abilities cloaked … plus, she looks exactly like me.”
Braxton moved, his hands digging deeper. “She looks similar to you, which could be achieved through a spell also.”
I started to squirm, moving until his hands were on the spots I’d just decided needed some work.
I bit back another moan. “They would have had to deceive the high council. I’m sure they do some sort of test to detect truth from lie.”
There were nods all around.
“They definitely do that, but did you ever stop and think someone on the council might be out to get you and your father? It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Julianna was a replacement leader, brought in after Derk, the last vampire councilman, was discovered plotting to destroy the Lebron line. Of course, someone removed his head the day before his trial, and no one knew who. The Compasses had been questioned, and they’d had this amazingly detailed alibi. I’d listened hard to their version of events and my senses had told me there was both truth and lie in their story. I just couldn’t figure out which part was which.
I had accepted long ago that one of them had done it and it made me love them just a little bit more. True friends have your back no matter what, and in our world, which was fraught with danger, sometimes that meant getting your hands dirty. It might seem a little harsh, but we lived in a kill or be killed world, and I had no problem with death if it kept my loved ones safe.
Jacob came back in from the kitchen, a thick, brown bread sandwich clutched in his hand. “So what is our plan to find the prison now?”
Tyson leaned forward. “It’s taken us months to properly scour the forest. It would take just as long to find the right underground area. We need more information.” The wizard reached out and in a swift movement snatched Jacob’s sandwich before throwing out a shield spell to stop his brother pounding him into the earth. By the time Jacob broke through the barrier, the food was gone.
