by G. Bailey
“No, but I didn’t choose for Sera to be what she is. I hate that word, and I never use it,” I tell him.
“You’re an odd demon,” he remarks. “I usually cannot stand your kind, but you are different, and I like it.”
“You could say that,” I reply with a chuckle. “Would you like some orange juice?”
“Sure,” he replies, smiling at me. It’s rather odd to see him smile if I’m being honest.
“Okay.”
“It’s gone from tense to awkward between us rather quickly,” he points out. I’m glad he said it and not me.
“Right? It’s not like we’ve had a one-night stand and never want to speak to each other again,” I mutter.
“Odd reference,” he replies, and I know my cheeks are a shade darker as I realise how that must have just sounded. I get two glasses out of the cupboard and place them on the counter before opening the orange juice carton and pouring the drinks.
“Do you always wear red silk pyjamas?” he asks, reaching out and smoothing his hand down my arm. My body shivers without me even meaning to, and I swear to god his touch, even through clothing, is soothing. Way too soothing. This is Javier, my best friend’s insanely hot brother and soon-to-be alpha of a giant wolf pack. I can’t enjoy his touch. I have enough possessive men around me that are too hot for their own good.
“No, but these are what the school left me. They even have the logo on them,” I explain to him.
“Have you not gone shopping yet for your own things?” he asks.
“Shopping would mean leaving this place, and that’s not something I’m allowed to do. I wouldn’t risk it anyway, not until after my parents’ trial,” I explain.
“Why are your parents on trial?” he asks. “Sera didn’t tell me about that.”
“For abandoning the cause and murdering five high demons by taking their souls or something. Only I don’t think they did the second one,” I explain to him. “I just don’t know anything until I get to speak to my parents. I’m counting the days, to be honest.”
“When is the trial?” he asks.
“In a month and a half, that is if they don’t move it again,” I explain to him. “Anyway, I don’t really want to talk about it.” I walk over and sit down on the sofa, crossing my legs as I sip my orange juice. Javier walks over and sits next to me, and both of us just quietly exist for a moment.
“Tell me something about you,” he suggests.
“How about we play a game and make it fun? Twenty questions? I will answer one and you can answer the next,” I offer.
“I like the idea. I’m going first,” Javier says, and I nod in agreement. “What do you want for your future?”
“That’s a big question,” I mutter, but I know the answer right away. “I want to go back to the church with my parents and have a normal life as they wanted me to.”
“I hope you get what you want,” he tells me, and I think he really means that.
“I may want it, but I’m starting to realise what I want might not ever be possible,” I say and clear my throat. “My question is: what is it like growing up in a wolf pack?”
“Erm, it isn’t a bad place to grow up. The pack is one giant family, but once my mother figured out she couldn’t have any more children...I became the only heir, and everything became about training me to be the alpha. Nothing else was important to my parents, and Sera was my only real escape from pack life, my bit of normal,” he explains to me. He doesn’t give me a chance to reply before he is asking his question. “What is your favourite colour?”
“Green. Not a forest green but more like pale green,” I tell him. “What about you?”
“White. I like how pure and simple it is. There is nothing white can mix with other colours and become like it, which I always struggled with. I can’t be like everyone else even if I tried. The colour white can hide in plain sight, and there is nothing expected of the colour,” he says.
“You’ve really thought about that one,” I say.
“Once or twice,” he smirks. “What is your favourite thing to do?”
“Every Sunday, my parents would give me leftover change, and I would go to an arcade down the street. My favourite thing was to play the arcade games and forget the world around me for a little bit,” I answer him. “You?”
“It sounds silly,” he mutters, “but we have tall trees around the village our pack is in, and since I was a kid, I’ve loved to climb them and jump from one to another. It’s how I climb the cliffs here so easily and sneak in.”
“You’re a regular Tarzan,” I say with a smile. “Maybe you can show me how to climb one day? I’m really bad at it.”
“Where do you think I got the idea to jump off the trees I was climbing from?” he asks, and I laugh. “Tarzan was my favourite movie.”
“I preferred Pinocchio,” I admit, and he leans closer, tapping my nose once. “You best not tell me any lies then,” I chuckle and blush at the same time. “Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask. I don’t know why I ask it, but I really want to know.
“No. Alphas do not date until they find their mate, and then they mate for life,” he tells me. “What about you?”
“I had trouble making friends at my old school, let alone boyfriends. I actually never kissed anyone until I came here and someone kissed me without warning,” I mutter. “I slapped him for it, but he doesn’t know that it was my first kiss.”
“You should kiss a few frogs before finding someone special,” he tells me.
“You watch too many Disney films, Javier,” I warn him.
“How did you know?” he asks with a cheeky grin, and I can’t help but laugh as his hand comes and rests on my shoulder. I freeze as his warm touch is soothing, and I look toward him, meeting his gray eyes with my own. “A first kiss should be treasured, especially with someone as beautiful as you, Lexi.”
“Have you kissed anyone, Jav?” I ask him.
“Yes. I’m not allowed to date, but that doesn’t mean—”
“I get it,” I interrupt with a chuckle, and I stand up, moving his hand off my shoulder. “Right, I need to go to bed. I will see you around, yeah?”
“Yeah, Lex,” he says, putting the glass down next to mine on the coffee table. I stay still as he walks right up to me until our chests are just touching with every breath we take. His hand gently cups my cheek, his thumb pressing across my bottom lip ever so softly for a second. I’m leaning up, my eyes slowly closing just as I hear a door being pulled open. We jump back from each other as we turn to see Amethyst coming out of the bedroom, and she sits down, silently judging me as she looks between Javier and me.
“See you around, Lex,” Javier says before heading to the gap in the glass we hide with the curtains and a flat, thin piece of wood.
“Wolves are dangerous to get into bed with. Especially for demons, Lexi,” she warns me, sounding far more knowing than a cat should be. Maybe she has been listening to people’s conversations around here or something.
“How would you even know that, Amethyst?” I enquire.
“I hear things. Now back to the important things, did you find the catnip?” she asks, and I shake my head at her with a chuckle, my eyes drifting back to the broken window as I hear a long howl in the distance.
Why do I feel disappointed that I didn’t get a kiss with Javier? I walk into the bedroom, closing the laptop and switching the lights off before getting into my bed. I gasp as something burns my chest, and I lift my necklace up, seeing the red orb glowing brighter than usual. I take the necklace off and shove it onto the bedside unit before rolling over and closing my eyes, feeling really odd as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 22
Dark is the sea that never ends
My eyes open of their own accord as my legs move off the bed, and I start to really freak out as my feet touch the cold hardwood floor. I soon realise that I can’t control my body, and everything is fuzzy as my body walks out of the room, pushing the door open with my arms. Sic
kness feels like it is rising in my throat, but nothing actually happens as I carry on walking. I can feel the cold floor under my feet, I can feel the tears fluttering down my cheeks, but I can’t make myself stop. What the fuck is going on?
Let me out. I will save us and destroy our enemies. The woman’s voice I’ve not heard in ages fills my mind, but I can’t reply to her. I can’t let her help me. I try to scream, to make any noise, but nothing comes out. I can’t do anything to control my body right now, and I don’t know why. I suddenly come to a stop in the corridor, and my body turns around to face the front door. I’m powerless as I walk to the door and leave my apartment, even though I really don’t want to be leaving at all. I pray someone sees me, that someone is going to come and save me. My body swiftly moves down the silent corridor, my bare feet doing little to make any noise despite how much I’d love for them to make a noise right now. I don’t know what is going on as I push another door open at the side of the room, leading to a place I’ve never been.
Outside on the cliffside of the academy. Cold, salty air blows against me, causing my silk pyjamas to stick to my body. A sense of dread blurs my thoughts as my body walks toward the cliff, and I struggle so hard to stop it. I pray to all the gods I can think of to stop myself walking off that cliff. Fear makes me feel like my heart is going to stop beating as the sharp rocks cut into my feet as I get closer to the edge.
I’m going to die.
I can only shout no in my head, fear blinding me as I walk straight off the cliff, my body crashing at full speed down the cliff, air whistling past my ears and blocking out the sound of the waves. The world seems to slow down as I open my eyes, seeing the sharp and deadly rocks below just come into my view. My body suddenly comes back into my control, and I scream, wrapping myself into a ball as I try to embrace the fact I’m going to die. I’m seventeen, and I’m going to die before I ever got a chance to really live.
“Alexandria!” I hear someone shout, and I brace myself for the cold water just as something slams into me, wrapping me in their warm embrace. I recognise the black wings right in front of me, and the strong arms holding me close to them. Morgan. I wrap my arms around Morgan’s shoulders as he flies us up the cliff, saltwater smacking against us as hard as the cold wind. Morgan flies us past the door I came out of and lands on a balcony about four floors up, and I collapse to the floor, sucking in a deep breath. His hands sharply cup my cheeks, his eyes looking stormier than the sea I nearly died in.
“Why the fuck would you do that to yourself? Why?” he demands, shouting at me in such anger that I’m almost scared of him. Almost.
“I didn’t. I swear it wasn’t my choice, but I don’t know how to explain it. I just couldn’t stop my body walking off the cliff,” I try to tell him without my voice cracking from the fear. My whole body is shaking as we just stare at each other; both of us not willing to break eye contact.
It’s the first time I’ve really seen Morgan. The real, vulnerable Morgan underneath the hard exterior he always puts up. I’m not sure why I’m seeing him, though.
“You were hexed. Fuck,” he mutters, still holding my cheeks to the point I start to wonder why he is so angry. “Did you see who hexed you?”
“I thought you wanted me dead, Mr. Morganach, so why would you care?” I ask, humour making me less utterly terrified. I think I know the answer anyway.
“By my hand, not a fucking cliff. The sea doesn’t get to take your life, Lexi. No one does, but me,” he demands.
“I’m not sure if that was romantic or scary,” I mutter.
“Scary,” he deadpans.
“Sure,” I grin, and he shakes his head at me as I stand up. He wraps his hands onto the bannister, holding on so tightly his knuckles go white. I look around the balcony, seeing a little table with two chairs on the one side and two green plants by my feet. The door to the inside is open, and I walk through it, seeing a large apartment room. There is a four-poster bed on the one side; it has four swirling black edges and silky black sheets. Brown, rusted leather sofas surround a glass coffee table with a television on the wall in front of them. The kitchen is pretty much a replica of the one I have, and other than some personal bits and bobs lying around, there isn’t much in here. It smells like Morgan though, that sandalwood scent I now only can associate with him.
“Who would try to kill you? Do you know?” he asks.
“I don’t,” I reply, wrapping my arms around myself.
“We are going to your room. For a hex to be successful on a demon, there must be an item of power near the demon when they sleep,” he explains to me. “Maybe a voodoo doll.”
“So you need to see my bed?” I ask with a small smile.
“How can you be making jokes minutes after nearly dying,” he asks me with an annoyed groan. “Not forgetting the fact you haven’t said thank you to me yet.”
“Thank you,” I reply, wanting to change the subject altogether. It’s becoming a speciality of mine to change the subject at this rate. I just can’t take the idea of talking about what just happened and how goddamn scared I was of dying. I can’t die yet, not before I get my parents out of their trial. It makes me wonder if the person who did this to me has something to do with the trial.
“Forget it. Come on,” he says, nodding his head at the front door. I rush after him, and he holds the door open for me.
“Thank you,” I say, and he doesn’t reply to me, just keeps his eyes on mine for a brief second, his emotions so guarded I doubt even a mind reader could guess them.
“No wonder she isn’t interested in us, brother. She has a teacher’s attention instead,” Nikoli’s voice drifts to me, and I turn around to see him and Claus walking straight to us, both in their uniforms, but Nikoli is missing his hoodie because I stole it and haven’t given it back. He hasn’t asked for it yet, and he has seen me wearing it. Claus told me I could have his, but I like Nikoli’s better at the moment.
“It’s not like that,” Morgan says, sounding like that could be the worst thing in the world. Glad to know how he feels then, even if it damn well hurts.
“Morgan saved my life. I was hexed, at least that’s what we think. I walked off the cliff, and Morgan grabbed me before I hit the sea,” I tell them, and their expressions change almost instantly. Claus is pulling me to his chest in the next second, wrapping his arms around me while Nikoli starts shouting. Claus whispers words of comfort, though I’m so in shock that I’m not feeling how I should right now. I’m shocked and fucking scared.
“Who the fuck would be stupid enough to try and kill her?” Nikoli demands.
“There has to be an item or something close to where she slept. Hexing a demon isn’t easy, and I believe voodoo has a play in this. I’ve seen higher up demons and teachers use both voodoo and hexes to take complete control of a demon body,” Morgan tensely replies. “There are only a few students with higher demon blood who are capable of doing this. I doubt a teacher would bother; it would be easier to kill her in another way.”
“Let’s go,” Nikoli grumbles, spinning around and storming down the corridor, Morgan following close behind him. Claus keeps his arm wrapped around me as we follow them, his warm breath blowing against my neck as he looks at me.
“Are you okay?” he gently asks. “I mean, fuck, how can you be?”
“Once the shock wears off, I will answer that,” I honestly reply.
“I will wait until it does then,” he tells me as we get to the lift and wait in silence. The lift comes up, and the doors open. We all get inside, and Morgan presses the button for my floor.
“Three demons and an angel in a lift. Sounds like the start of a bad porno,” Claus mutters, and my lips twitch in the tense space.
“This is not a time for jokes, Claus,” Morgan snaps.
“Sure thing, Mr. Morganach,” Claus replies, though he still sounds like he is taking the piss. The lift thankfully doesn’t take long, and the doors open. Morgan and Nikoli are off in moments, and I rush to keep up w
ith them as they walk into my apartment. They head straight for my bedroom, which is empty, and there is no sign of Amethyst anywhere. Morgan lifts my mattress and leans it against the wall as Nikoli reaches down and picks up a doll. A very small, woven doll that is the image of me. And I’ve seen it before.
“Lexi, is everything okay?” Sera’s scared voice speaks behind me, and I turn, nodding once at her in her green pyjamas and messy bed hair. Sera somehow makes me feel safer just to see her, but I don’t want her involved in this right now. She will only panic.
“You should go back to bed. I will tell you everything tomorrow,” I explain to her. “It really isn’t that bad.” I’m a terrible liar, and she knows it.
“Are you sure?” she asks, looking around at the three guys in my room. She must think I’m collecting them and storing them in my bedroom.
“Positive,” I reply, and she nods once more before walking off.
“Could your wolf let someone in here to leave this?” Morgan asks.
“Sera would never betray me,” I firmly tell them all. “And I’ve seen the doll before. Letitia Lale made it.”
“The fucking cow,” Nikoli growls. “I’m going to kill her.” I try to catch his arm as he passes me, but I just miss. Morgan is swift to walk out with him, and I sigh, looking at Claus.
“I want to stop them, and another part of me doesn’t want to. She tried to kill me,” I whisper to him. My words feel all sorts of wrong and too long for this room in the middle of the night.
“Then don’t stop them, darling,” Claus smoothly suggests, letting go of me and walking across my room to pick my mattress up and put it back on my bed. I bite my lip as I worry more and more about how wrong this all feels.
“What would that make me though?” I ask, and before he can stop me, I turn around and run out of my room.
“You don’t even know which way they have gone!” he shouts as he follows after me.
“Knowing Morgan and Nikoli like I do, they will kill her the same way she tried to kill me,” I shout back to him as I find the room I walked through earlier. I slam through the doors and get outside, feeling the freezing cold, wet salty air slam into my lungs as I see Mr. Morganach holding a screaming Letitia above the sea. Nikoli stands at the edge of the cliff, looking like the very storm itself with his dark emotions I swear I can almost feel. I run to him, and he looks down at me with some surprise.
