Hell Fire

by Lia Davis

  Peter's thread felt slightly different. Probably the distance. I hadn't felt him moving away from me while I showered. Actually, I hadn't noticed that he felt muted until right then. I couldn't wait to be close to him again so he would feel vibrant and warm like Sterling and Dorian.

  "I was asking, what now?" I repeated since I had his attention.

  "Well, we need to try to get you to be able to pull magic from people without biting them, ideally." He picked up his controller again, starting a new race.

  "How will we do that?"

  "Practice," he said as he started the race.

  With a wink up at Dorian, I turned my head toward the video game, but my attention went to Sterling. Following the little thread that was him, I slipped into his mind. I wasn't sure if he could feel me there or not.

  His magic imbibed his mind, a total part of him. In my mind's eye, it was teal, pulsing and vibrating with energy and life. I reached out with my magic, as red as the streak in my hair.

  Sterling's teal energy and magic reacted to mine, pulsing around me and intersecting with mine. It welcomed me into his brain.

  "It's not going to work as well on me," he said dryly, eyes on the race. "I want you to have my magic, want our minds to be joined. It'll be harder with a stranger or someone that isn't your mate." Whoops. He had known I was there after all.

  "Of course I knew. You could be in Guadalajara and I'd know where you—and your consciousness—were."

  My jaw dropped in outrage. He'd read my mind.

  Dorian snickered. "I'm not totally sure what's going on, but he's really good at catching thoughts you don't mean for him to. You'll have to learn to think quietly if it's something you don't want him to know."

  "I catch those, too, but I try to be a good sport and don't tell you." Sterling grinned, though Dorian couldn't see it.

  "Well, I can still practice on you. If I get good at taking yours, then maybe I can start with someone else."

  Focusing on his magic again, I attempted to grab hold of it, but it trickled through my mental grasp, dancing around me teasingly. "Are you doing that on purpose?" I asked him suspiciously.

  "I'm not, I swear. It's not easy to grab someone's magic. I can't do it. But I've never tried." He continued playing like we weren't discussing something I had to learn to do to possibly save all the people behaving strangely on campus.

  "Ugh, okay." Delving back into his mind, I kept trying. After six or seven attempts, finally, I made headway. His magic gripped me back. I had no idea what I'd done to get it to do that, though. It slipped away before I could draw it to me, leaving me cursing. "Son of a bitch."

  "You'll get there. At least that time was progress, right?" Sterling took my hand, having given up on his game long ago. He'd been sitting serenely beside me, apparently enjoying the feel of me traipsing around in his head. "I do like having you in my head. You're welcome there any time."

  "Man, there may come a time that you change your mind," Dorian said from the second bedroom. He'd gone to take a shower and change into pajamas.

  "Can I keep trying?" I asked.

  "Of course."

  I kept at it until late into the night, growing more and more frustrated. Finally, I resolved to try one last time, my wolf pissed and pacing, my vampire agitated, and my fire roaring. All three had been equally passionate earlier, but for far more pleasurable reasons.

  This time, I was tired of the bullshit. I entered Sterling's mind like a wrecking ball and felt different. I felt more like an alpha this time. I felt like a leader. I was the future High Alpha of all of the lycans and the future Queen of the vampires. I was mated to the future High Priest of the Hightower Circle.

  I didn't exactly speak to his magic, but this time when I attempted to grab it, I did so with the attitude of the power of my position. To my amazement, it obeyed, instantly. His magic recognized me as it's alpha and allowed itself to be taken. When I pulled it into my mind, all of it tried to come and Sterling swayed a little. I stopped, wrapping another strand of my magic around the end of a piece of his and squeezing. A small bit of his magic broke off from the rest and as I moved my consciousness back into my own mind, it went with me.

  "Holy fucking shit," I whispered. "I did it."

  "Did you ever," Sterling breathed, staring at me in wonder. "You have so much power. I can't wait to start teaching you how to use it."

  He continued to stare at me while Dorian looked at us from the couch where he'd splayed out to watch a movie. "So, you did it?" he asked with a grin.

  "I did it."

  We went to bed with smiles on our faces, the little piece of Sterling's magic frolicking around in my mind as I drifted off to sleep. I worried that it would keep me awake, but it was comforting to have it there. It felt different than having him in the back of my mind, more like having his t-shirt on versus having a hug from him wearing the same.

  The next morning, we still hadn't heard from Peter. "He probably crashed in your room," Sterling said with a shrug as he put some frozen waffles in the toaster for us.

  "I don't know what you normally do for breakfast," I said. "But I need more than waffles." I rummaged around in his fridge until I found eggs and cheese. "Cheesy scrambled eggs will do fine. Want some?"

  "Sure, if you're cooking. I hate to cook." He grinned as the waffles sprang from the toaster. He grabbed the syrup and we ate them standing at the counter while the eggs cooked.

  "I don't love it, myself. It's a good thing before long we'll have a chef," I said with a chuckle. "I know that makes us spoiled, but I'm really happy about that."

  "Me, too," he said, mouth full of waffle.

  When the eggs finished, I slid them out onto our syrupy plates, and we scarfed them down before heading out the door to get to class. A part of me wondered if I should skip school until we caught whoever was putting the sub spell in people’s head. But Sterling reminded me that I needed to keep up the appearance to set the trap in place.

  As I sat through Latin, I completely ignored the teacher, instead focusing on trying to infiltrate the minds around me to see if I could one: get in them and two: grab their magic. And, to make sure they couldn't tell it was me.

  The first few minds were completely closed off. Their owners were witches, though, so I wasn't totally surprised. Witches were trained extensively to ward their minds. For practice, I tried going into a wolf's mind, a girl I'd gone to school with all my life.

  Slipping into her mind was easy. What shocked me was how much magic was there. Just like in Sterling's mind, her magic moved all around, dancing and gliding through her brain like a ribbon dance. Her magic was purple, very dark. I didn't know if the color had any significance and made a note to ask Sterling.

  I summoned my sense of Alpha and authority and wrapped my magic around hers the way I had Sterling's the night before.

  It worked again. A small piece of her magic broke off, easily coming back into my mind with me.

  Pulling out my phone, I pulled up Sterling and sent him a text. He'd gone to a class of his own that I wouldn't take for another year.

  Meda: I did it, but to a lycan! Lycans have magic?!

  His reply took a few minutes.

  Sterling: Duh.

  Well, then. Okay.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After my last class for the day, I texted my mates to meet me at my dorm. I wanted to go over our plan to trap whoever was blocking people’s magic and turning them into the walking dead, minus the decaying flesh.

  I glanced at my phone several times as I made my way to the dorm, Randell on my heels. Couldn’t go anywhere without a sentry. Sterling and Dorian answered right way, but Peter didn’t. I was starting to worry.

  When I reached the dorm, Sterling and Dorian were crossing the parking lot, so I waited for them to walk up with me. Randell headed on inside.

  Dorian was the first reach me. He twined his arms around me, crushing me to him as he claimed my lips in a hungry kiss. He broke it to trail kisses down my n
eck. I shuddered as I felt the tips of his fangs scrape against my skin.

  Sterling cleared his throat. "Let’s take this inside."

  Dorian lifted his head, and I saw desire light up his gaze and a wicked smile form. "I can take it wherever."

  I laughed and pushed him away. "We have to discuss the plan, and I’m worried about Peter."

  Dorian frowned. "What’s wrong with Peter?"

  "I was hoping you could tell me." I motioned for them to follow me inside. "He hasn’t called me and or answered my texts all day. Have either of you heard from him today?"

  They shook their heads and Sterling said, “That’s not unusual for Peter. He’s either training, doing something for Voss, or hanging out with Tala. He’ll be around. In fact, he might be upstairs already. I wouldn’t worry."

  Frowning, I climbed the stairs two at a time. I may have been staying at Sterling’s for a little while, but the dorm was still mine. I searched inside my mind for Peter’s thread. It was still muted, and it seemed like he was far away. I’d been mentally searching for him all day, completely ignoring anything I might’ve learned in class. "His mating thread tells me he’s nowhere close by."

  Dorian laughed. "You check up on all of us like that?"

  Busted. I shrugged. "Maybe. Besides, it’s all new and I like to be able to feel you inside me." I laughed when I realized the double entendre.

  Dorian pulled me back into his arms, nearly knocking us back down the stairs. "I like feeling us inside you, too."

  Sterling smacked him in the back of the head before taking my hand and pulling me up a few steps. Snaking his arm around my waist, he smiled down at me as we climbed the last few steps together. "Ignore the oaf."

  Dorian zipped past us with his speed—that I could’ve matched if I’d wanted to—and held the door open. "After you." I walked in and listened to him goad Sterling. "See, I can be a gentleman, too."

  Our dorm door in sight, my sensitive ears picked up Peter’s muffled voice and a female giggle. Calista. A fierce growl escaped me, and my fire flared to life, smoke rising from my pores. I opened the door and entered the common area, ready to rip her head from her body.

  Peter sat on the sofa playing a video game beside Calista. Jealousy swirled inside me, feeding the flames, and I stepped forward. Sterling stopped me with a hand on my arm, causing an animalistic response in me. Whirling around, I snarled at him. He lifted a brow, unintimidated, and whispered, “Calm down. This is a little odd. Especially since Peter doesn’t care for Calista. Just see where it goes." Peter should’ve been able to hear his words, but made no response, as if he hadn’t.

  Taking a deep breath, I called my fire back. It took a lot of effort to do so, because I wanted to set that perky bitch on fire for being so close to my mate. Sterling placed his warm hand on my lower back and Dorian caressed the back on my hand with his fingers. They were giving me their support, letting me know they had my back. It helped to calm me even more.

  Forcing a smile, I walked around the sofa and sat in a chair closest to Peter, reaching out and putting a hand on his knee. "Hi, Peter. I missed you today."

  He looked at me with a blank expression then went back to the game without a word. I shot a look to Sterling, raising my brows. Sterling pursed his lips then spoke telepathically to me. "Something is off."

  "No shit. I’ve been trying to tell you that."

  Calista glanced at me and her smile faded as she put space between her and Peter. Yeah, he’s mine.

  I sat back in the chair and tapped my fingers against the arm. We couldn’t go over the plan with Calista there. I didn’t want her to know what we were up to. But I did want her to know that Peter was my bonded mate. "Peter, I was worried when you didn’t come back last night."

  Peter glanced at me with that blank expression again, and it occurred to me that he was acting like he was under the trancing spell—like many of the students at school. It was the only explanation I wanted to believe. Surely, he hadn’t mated with me and then just turned off his feelings. Mating didn’t work that way. At least from what I’d heard, it didn’t, and my mom was an expert.

  Some triplet thing in my mind tingled, and I glanced to the door moments before my sisters and sentries walked in. Ami smiled at me. Tala nodded slightly then sent a sharp glare to the back of Calista’s head. Then, she noticed Peter sitting beside her. Tala crossed the room using her vampire speed to hit Peter in the back of the head. "What are you doing? Meda is your mate, idiot." Tala sent a deadly stare at Calista. "Don’t you have other people to bother?"

  Whoa. I hadn’t expected Tala to be so possessive. Then again, she was probably twin-channeling my jealousy and increasing distaste for the blonde witch sitting too close to my mate. Like she belonged there.

  Calista huffed and stood. "You all are lame anyway." And she left, slamming the door.

  Peter rubbed his head. "What the fuck, Tala?"

  She raised her brows and pointed to me. Peter met my stare, blinking slowly. His eyes livened up right in front of me. "Meda, what’s wrong?" Looking around, he seemed surprised to see everyone there. "What’s going on?"

  Just like a switch being flipped, the thread in the back of my mind that linked us together lit up, and I felt him. "What do you remember?"

  One corner of his lips lifted, and he reached for me. I hesitated but took his hand. Once our fingers twined together, I sighed and scooted off my chair and went to him. He was back; he felt right. I wasn’t sure where he’d gone to begin with, but I was betting Calista had something to do with it. Or at least working with someone who was powerful enough to create the sub.

  Peter kissed me and nuzzled my neck. "I remember the four us--"

  I pressed a finger to his lips, stopping him right there. I didn’t want the details of our first time reaching my sisters’ and sentries’ ears. They didn’t need to know what the four of us did and would definitely do often in the future. "After that." I nipped at his nose. "Where did you go?"

  He frowned and glanced at Sterling then Dorian. "I’m not sure."

  My heart sank. He’d had a blackout like I’d been experiencing. "We have got to find out who is doing this." I gave my sisters a dark look. "I know who my money’s on."

  Sterling sat on the couch next to Peter and reached around, threading his fingers into my hair, then he pulled. I groaned and leaned back into him while sitting in Peter’s lap. Dorian took the space on the other side of Peter and left my legs and placed them in his lap. It felt too damn good to be touching my three mates. Like I was meant to be in their presence all the time. The comfort of my sisters’ presence added to that. I’d never felt so complete before.

  Tala sat in the chair I’d vacated while Ami curled up in the other chair leaving the sentries to sit on the floor. They seemed okay with that. Harper, however, sat on the arm of Ami’s chair. Ami shifted infinitesimally toward Harper. It was subtle, but I saw it. As I enjoyed the feel of my mates’ touch, I imagined what it would be like to have Ami date Harper. I loved the idea. Harper already felt like a sister anyway. Eh, it was probably all in my mind anyway.

  Shaking myself out of the thoughts, I brought the conversation to the point of me stopping by to see my sisters. Now that I thought about it, it might be better if I stayed at the dorm. "New plan. I’m not going back to Sterling’s." He tensed and I held a hand up. "I’m not done. Instead of setting a trap, we wait for either me or Peter to go spacey and leave. Then follow whichever of us leaves." Simple and to the point.

  Randell frowned and shook his head.

  Tala nudged him with her foot, giving him a raised eyebrow. "I think it’s a good plan. It’s a little safer than the other and we can follow them without the Niswi getting involved. Then we can report to them if it turns out to be something over our heads."

  "I agree." I didn’t need to be pulled out of school. I was lucky my Niswi hadn’t already yanked me out. "We need to find out who is doing this and put a stop to it. This is our school, and it pisses me off that so
meone is taking control of the students."

  Tala nodded but Ami replied. "Me too." She met my stare then glanced around the room. "So who’s stay up to watch out for zombie Meda or zombie Peter?"

  I laughed. Dorian said, “I will." He was a full vamp and could go several days without sleep if he needed to.

  Noah added, “I think it’ll help if two of us stay up and help each other stay awake."

  Good. Now that the non-sleeping arrangements were made, I looked at Sterling. "You staying here?"

  "Yep." He gripped my neck, massaging. Holy hellfire, it felt amazing.

  "Great, who’s cooking dinner?" I smiled at everyone.

  Tala threw an accent pillow at me and pulled out her phone to order from the campus restaurant because one, they were amazing and two, had a diverse menu—something for everyone.

  After dinner, my sisters, mates and I turned the living room into a sleepover. We moved the furniture and put our mattresses in the middle of the floor. It meant no sexy time with my guys, but I was okay with that. The night before had left me a little sore, and I didn’t want to rush things to the point that the new and exciting feelings were over too quickly. Plus, I wanted to put a stop to the mind control spell.

  I must’ve fallen asleep as the second movie started and hadn’t been out long before Sterling shook me awake. "What?"

  "Shh." He kissed my forehead. "Peter just got up and left."

  I jumped up and stumbled to the door. I didn’t deal well with being woken up suddenly, never had, but time to put on my big girl panties and deal with it. I stopped at the door and took several breaths to clear my head. When I was ready, I opened the door quietly and stepped out, with Sterling and Dorian right behind me. "Did you leave a note for my sisters and sentries so they wouldn’t think it was me?" I asked in a hushed tone.

  Sterling nodded and pointed to the stairs. Trying to catch up to Peter, I went down on light toes, thankful he’d thought of the note. After I’d gone missing for so long last time, I knew my sisters would panic and probably wake the whole campus looking for me if it happened again.