by S. L. Morgan
“I don’t know, Master Dominic.”
“You don’t know?” Dom’s voice rose an octave. “Of course, you don’t know, but you see, I do. I know why we’re all being held back in this school. I know the warriors who are exterminating our kind…the ones who’ve turned evil. They’re doing so even as I waste my breath on this conversation.”
“How would you know, sir?” another dumbass interrupted Dom.
Dom walked up to the guy at my left, “I know this because I have privileged information, Williams. I will say here and now that the next student who interrupts me will be doing up-downs until lights out tonight. You can take up your missed-schoolwork problem with your other teachers, and let them know this happened because you disrespected my authority.”
Dom pivoted when the Williams kid clamped his mouth shut and nodded in response.
“As I was saying, we will work hard to replace those on the Elite Forces and ensure that other beings aren’t out there doing our jobs. All of you will graduate at the top of your classes, and this does not only include my shifter unit. All grades will be at their best, and if I find anything under an easy A in any of these basic education classes that IA is spoon-feeding you, you’ll live your days on the fae course. I do not take it lightly that this school is not promoting its students out to do their job on the Supernatural Forces teams. It’s ludicrous, unprecedented, and it stops with this final year. So, I expect all of you to push yourselves and respect what IA expects of its students, well-trained and respectful shifters who can take down any rogue supe they come up against.”
Dom finally stopped pacing and glanced over at Finley, Scott, and Ian, working their students while he was lecturing us with what this stupid school should have been enforcing since day one.
He looked back at the students and slipped on his shades. “Now, is the time for questions if you have them.”
Silence.
“Alright, then,” Dom said. “I said that I’d pull all of you out of routine if I felt you were getting comfortable.” He glanced over his shoulder, “Well, if you’re comfortable enough to interrupt me while I’m speaking, then you should be nice and cozy on the Silver Seals trail, made especially for all of us shifters by the most powerful Fae ever to come through this school. You will get wet, you will pass through foliage so bright it’s blinding, and you will hate me when you have finished walking it in your natural forms.”
Dom tightened his lips when he heard the group—including me—sigh in pissed-off annoyance. “After listening to your sigh of gratitude,” Dom said, “You’ll be walking this trail backward when you reach the end of it. You all will be on this trail until this session is over. Tonight, we will see if your rude behavior changes to that of respect. Get to it.”
I pointedly ignored Dom’s pissed-off mood and marched with Tanner who had caught up to my side.
“Was he this bad the whole time you were under him? I mean, seriously, I’m thinking abusive-boyfriend stuff here.”
I eyed Tanner. “He's a dick, because he has to be. If he lets one of those new students get away with anything, they’ll get worse as the school year goes on.”
“This stupid fairy trail and punishing all of us for a couple of interruptions, though?”
“Dom’s right, you know. If we don’t get our crap together, our supernatural race can kiss its ass goodbye. There are people out there who are literally doing the jobs of our Supernatural Forces. We can’t even police our own kind. If Dom can help toughen up our group at the very least, maybe our butts can graduate.”
“True,” Tanner said with a sigh. “Why won’t Dom come with us?”
“Don’t taunt him like that, we’re still in his earshot,” I said, looking over my shoulder, seeing Dom start working with Finley’s group. “Trust me, I’m as pissed about this stupid fairy trail as you, but I don’t want to kick Dom’s ass for it. I want to take out those shifters who spoke up like idiots.”
“True,” Tanner said. “Well, let’s go stare into the brilliance of the Fae creations.”
“And burn our irises out,” I laughed while elbowing Tanner.
Thank God for one thing…If I were about to walk through the valley of glittery death, it would be with Tan-Man at my side.
Chapter Twenty-One
At the end of the first week, after having no alone time with him, Dom asked for me to meet him under the rainbow trees. I didn’t ask questions, because he appeared to be in agonizing pain even though he held up a good front in front of all of us.
I slipped out of my dorm room after I heard Melanie sucking in deep, fairy-sleeping breaths and threw on my hoodie as I ran down to meet Dom at the trees. I didn’t have to even look for him when I was deep into the trees, because he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me to hide in the thicker part of the forest.
The fairies had screwed everything up with the weather. You’d think we’d be knee-deep in snow with all that they magically created to fall on us, but somehow, they screwed something up, and the snow melted as soon as it hit the ground. Gone—like poof—gone. The good part about that was that there were no tracks in the snow for anyone to catch us together down here.
I framed his face with my hands. The stubble from his five-o’clock shadow felt like velvet against my palms, and it was enough to make me nearly attack the man I missed like hell since everything went crazy after meeting his parents.
He smiled and only allowed our lips to barely graze each other’s before he hunched over and restrained a loud growl of pain while gripping his side. I went to reach for him, and he stepped back, holding up a hand to stop me while letting out a few ragged breaths.
“Give me a sec,” he said painfully, and then stood up again. “Damn it.”
“What the hell is wrong?” I asked. “You act like your pelvic bone is broken, and you’re not healing.”
Dom half-smiled. “I think that might be more bearable than this,” he said with a few pants.
“What’s going on?” I asked, totally worried about him at this point.
“We’ll talk about that after I finally get out what I’ve wanted to tell you alone since you had that vision at my parents’ house.”
“Dom—”
“Let me talk, Jen,” he said, trying to come out of the pain he was fighting when I got here. “I have to get this out.”
“Go on,” I said, more confused than ever. As much as I wanted this impromptu meeting, I had a feeling a bomb was about to be dropped.
“I heard the voices of my dad and your dad talking when you had that vision. I heard everything you saw from the table. I managed to listen while trying to distract everyone after they saw you staring out into that empty room. I didn’t want them questioning you, so I argued on about stupid shit to keep their attention.”
“Okay.” I tried to follow as he winced through this conversation.
“I heard what my dad said to yours, and I want you to know that even though all I have ever wanted my entire life, was to be like him, I was nauseated to learn that he was part of all the memory wipes and keeping us apart. I hate that man for more reasons than one right now. He’s a liar, and if he were the strong alpha that he makes himself out to be, he would be out with those Guardians fighting his war.”
“Yeah, I get that, but, Dom, you can’t hate him for wanting to protect you.”
Dom grew stern. “Yes, I can. Everything he told your dad was bullshit! I have no idea the history of House Silvers—your dad’s house—and it’s easy to see why. My dad may want us separated for my safety, but I promise you, that’s never going to happen.”
Dom brought to surface the fear of knowing my mom had killed my dad for talking the same way.
“Don’t you dare relate us to your parents,” Dom said in answer to my thoughts.
“Dom,” I started with a sigh, “as much as I don’t want to, it’s true. My dad seemed like a strong alpha, and my mom took him out regardless.”
“Yeah, but your dad made the right decisions,
” Dom said. “It’s like he knew she would hurt you. That’s most likely when the oracle got involved and pulled you out before your mother could kill you too. I have no idea what the darkness or evil energy is that got a hold of your mom to turn her into what she is today, but I’m telling you now that I’m in this with you. I’m your alpha, your counterpart, and like I said before, we’re in this together. All in, Jen.”
“As in ‘til death do us part?” I asked with frustration apparent in my voice, not knowing why we were having this conversation. These were things we’d already assured each other of, and Dom’s behavior was starting to concern me.
“As in exactly that,” he responded with just as much severity. “You’re my mate, and I’m not leaving you. It will take the angel of death coming for me for that to happen. No crazy breaking up or separating us drama will go down between you and me.”
“You’re talking like we’re some married shifter couple. We might as well consummate this relationship, merge the wolves, and quit fighting it without being one like we know we should be.”
“That’s the next problem,” Dom said, looking at the side he was gripping. “This.”
He lifted his shirt. The brilliance of the wolf’s face that was etched into his skin was illuminating, and I watched him wince in pain again as swirls of blue and silver streamed through the tattoo as if some invisible knife were carving it deeper and deeper into his flesh.
I went to reach for it, and Dom instinctively stepped away. “Why is it giving you pain like this?”
“I haven’t always had this, you know. It started to appear a few days after we magically merged the wolves. It has been here since. It’s gotten painful recently, the longer I stay away from you, the worse it gets. Can you see what it’s an image of?”
“Your wolf,” I said softly.
“Look closer,” he said.
I stepped closer and studied the mark on him. “Your wolf,” I repeated.
“It’s our wolves merged as one. It has the traits of both our wolves.”
“What the hell?” I said, now seeing the image of his wolf and my wolf combined.
“My magic did this?” I looked up at his concerned face.
“Jen, this is what that demon thing stamped on me. It’s all I can think of. Since this was etched onto my skin, all I’ve desired—and all I’ve fought with everything I am—is to fill the void by merging our wolves. I ended that by snuffing out my wolf, but since we need me on my game, I needed my wolf back.” He pulled his shirt down again. “Since then, instead of feeling a longing to be with you, it’s like I’m being tormented with agonizing pain for ignoring it.”
“Holy shit. That bastard demon must have done this when you were in that fight with him. How do we fix it? Does Ethan know?”
“No one knows,” Dom said. “Ethan would only know if someone else in the oracle realm told him about it.”
“We need Vannah and E on this. We need to get that thing off you.”
“No shit,” he half-laughed. “I just want you to be prepared that if E flies off the handle with any crazy shit about this, nothing’s going to push us apart. Nothing. We’re in this together. Forever, you and me, Jen.”
“You’ve said that since day one.” I smiled and reached for his hand.
“Because that’s how I feel. I’m yours, and you’re mine. Always. I don’t know if that demon marked me as a way of forcing me to merge our wolves so evil can control us or what, but no matter what happens, I will not lose you, and you will not lose me. No martyr shit from either one of us.”
“Got it.” I nodded. “When do you want to tell E and Vannah?”
“As much as I want to spend the entire night out here with you in my arms,” he smirked through the pain I could see in his eyes, “we need to get them now.”
“Easy enough. You’re the dorm master, so no one will bust us for getting Vannah and Ethan out of bed.”
“I need to be sure you understand, I’m not losing you.”
“Dom, you act like you had a vision and aren’t telling me something.”
He shook his head. “I just know this tattoo on my skin is from that demon, and it’s a sinister mark. I have no idea what E and Vannah will say about it, but good news rarely comes around these days. This is why we both need to be on the same page.”
“Let’s go.” I took his hand and smiled as we crept back up to the dorms undetected. “I might as well start calling you my husband—because nothing will come between us ever again.” I whispered.
“Your husband,” Dom softly laughed, “and rob Lusa and my mom of the wedding? If I think I’m in pain now, that’s nothing compared to the pain of pissing off a vamp mom and sister.”
“Oh, God,” I laughed. “Let’s go see what E and Vannah think. We need to get that off of you and you out of pain ASAP.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dom and I quickly got Vannah and Lusa from their shared room, and we all headed to another suite of rooms that smelled brand new, given it was the updated wing of these dorms. I couldn’t believe this was my first time in my own boyfriend’s new dorm, but that’s what happens when the fate of the universe is on your shoulders, I guess. No time for perusing your loved-one’s dormitories.
We all sat in the living area. Thank goodness Vannah wasn’t as tired as Lusa was. We needed her brains as much as Ethan’s.
“What are we doing again?” Lusa said in a yawn.
“Jen, can you pull up that invisible force field you did the last time you and I were in the room together?” Dom asked.
“Let me give it a shot,” I said.
“What do you—” Lusa started before Dom interrupted.
“I need to wake Ethan up, you guys. Let Jen conceal our presence here, and then we’ll talk,” Dom said, going to the door across the room.
“Okay.” I looked at Vannah’s encouraging expression.
“You remember what to do, right?” she asked.
“Sort of,” I said. “Maybe I’m crumbling…” I sucked in a breath. “Forget it, let me think.”
I went into my mind and imagined the crazy vamp professor finding out about this meeting. I tried to imagine how awful that would’ve been for us to get caught, but that backfired on me because I started laughing as I imagined her response. The veins bulging from her neck when she saw what she could only assume was the devil’s handiwork in action was enough to break my concentration completely.
“Jenna, focus.” I heard Ethan’s voice slice through my memories of the woman hopping on the stage and screaming out at all of us. “Focus.”
I pinched my lips together, and thanks to Ethan’s voice of authority, I focused on the fear I felt at having to rely on Melanie for help. The thought made me zero in on my desire for us to be hidden from this school, and I refocused on the truth of the horrors that could wake and come after all the innocent students here if we didn’t prepare and quick.
I exhaled, imagining a stronger cloak than ever. We needed these meetings at any chance we got, and this needed to work. I felt more power than before surging beneath my skin and leaving it, going up to cloak all of us in the room.
I felt lightheaded after the impenetrable cloaking barrier was put up, and I slumped over onto my hip from where I sat on the floor in front of Vannah and Lusa on the couches. Dom groaned in pain as he crouched down and sat next to me.
“Dominic, what is going on?” Ethan asked.
“I have this mark,” Dom said. I twisted to face him as he pulled his shirt up and shorts down some to reveal the wolf’s head that was etched into his skin. “It showed up a few days after that merge and after my wolf fought that demon in Jenna’s mind.”
“Oh my gosh,” Vannah covered her mouth. “You don’t think…” She looked at me, “That’s your and Dominic’s wolf as one.”
“Maybe it’s a sign,” Lusa said, eyes as wide as Vannah’s.
“No,” Ethan answered. “This is created with dark magic, not—” Ethan stopped himself and lo
oked at me. “Do you feel that it’s calling to you?”
“I don’t feel anything. I’m just watching Dominic finally admit why he’s in pain, and why the severed merge was so rough on him. I think the demon planted this to make sure Dom and I went through with the merge.”
“Yes,” Ethan and Vannah said simultaneously.
“You both absolutely cannot go through with it now.” Vannah kept on, “We have to find a way to get that off of Dominic.”
I went to reach for the mark of the merged wolf faces, and Dom twisted away as if I were about to stick him with a knife. “Jen, please. Leave it alone.”
“Let me see if I can pick up on anything,” I said sternly. “Hold still, damn it.”
Dom sighed, “Fine.”
I ran my fingers over the mark, and it was so icy cold against my fingers that it felt like it was burning them. “What the hell?” I said. “Oh, my God.”
That’s when I felt the overwhelming urge to be with Dominic—so much so, in fact, that I licked my suddenly parched lips, met his bronze eyes, and felt my heart hammering against my chest. I couldn’t pull my hand away, and I heard Dom softly sigh as if I were relieving him of pain.
“Babe,” Dom reached down and tenderly took my hand, then he suddenly jerked. “Your eyes wolfed out just now. Your thoughts left my mind, and all I could hear was your heart racing. What happened?”
“It tried to call to her like it’s been calling to you,” Ethan said. “This is very evil and dark.”
“We have to get it off of him,” I nearly shouted. “Can it hurt him any more than it is now?”
“Dominic, how long have you been experiencing this pain? Your severed bond couldn’t have weakened you enough that the creature placed this on you as I was destroying it.”
“No,” Dom said, him and I both standing up together. “I remember feeling a sharp pain here while my wolf wrestled with that thing in Jenna’s mind, but I didn’t give it much thought since my wolf was kicking its ass at the time. When I think about it, it’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s no other reason why I’ve had such a hard-ass time of fighting off my wolf’s desire to merge with Jenna’s, and now I’m in pain because I’m allowing myself to feel my wolf again.”
