Fate Hollow Academy: Term 3, page 9
My bones almost snapped under the pressure, and I gritted my teeth.
“I love your whimper, Wren. Why don’t you whimper for me?”
I snarled, snapping my teeth at him as I planted my feet in the sand.
“You know, you should really start searching for invisibility charms before you're active with your mates.” He tilted his head, lust glazing over his eyes as he dragged them down my body. “Interesting that the bond snapped in place with the werewolf, though. I wasn't expecting it to. Certainly didn’t expect how he took you against the tree.”
Bile rose in my throat at the violation. “You’re disgusting.”
He grinned, showing two rows of black teeth. I didn’t know how they hadn’t fallen out yet. “That shadow demon of yours was too stupid to look for me. I didn't mind the show, but I think it's my turn.” He tugged me forward with my hand.
Panic and magic exploded from the hand he held, and before he could push his body against mine, I yanked my now incorporeal hand away with ease and peddled back away from him.
Shock rippled through his face. “No fucking way… It's true.”
I stood my ground. My instincts told me not to show my fear of this embodiment of evil. “You don't ever get to touch me.”
Damien stepped out from behind him. Black shadows shaped his arm like a sharp sword.
“You heard my little bird.” His lips pulled back in a sneer as he cleaved Grayson's head clear off his shoulders.
Grayson's head thumped on the ground with a squishy noise as it hit the sand, and his eyes never left mine. “That demon will be the first of your mates that you have to watch die, but don’t worry, I’ll fuck your sadness away.”
Damien let out a blood-curdling scream as his shadows sliced through his remaining body. Grayson’s pieces of flesh turned to black goo and seeped down into the sand.
My knees gave way, but before I could hit the ground, Damien’s shadows caught me and brought me into his arms. The smell of metallic and rust hit me as I looked up at him.
Blood coated Damien from the head down. His eyes were wild, manic, and angry.
Heavy, angry footsteps marched down the hall as pure anger flooded the bond from Damien. Rowan stormed in, bee-lining straight toward me and wrapped his arms around me, smashing me between both him and Damien.
Touching me was the only thing that could calm them.
“How did he survive that?” I croaked.
“Fuck, I don't know, but I will kill him,” Damien promised.
My attention focused over to the side where Gloria's wounds were almost healed. Relief flooded me, but I wished I had my salves to help her. “She protected me from him.”
Alfred helped Gloria to her feet. “I’ll make sure she makes a full recovery.”
Death strode into the room with an indecipherable expression. “You might want to come see this.”
Damien’s arms swooped around my knees, and he cradled me to his chest as he sprinted out of the room and down the hall. Rowan kept our pace.
The doors opened to reveal the destruction of the city and the fallen dragons slain about.
But none of that held my attention. Grayson, though his head had been cleaved off his shoulders, stood on top of a dead dragon with a broad smile on his face.
Mirella stood next to him with her arms wrapped around herself. Her blue eyes flickered back and forth with hesitation.
“You think you have won?” Grayson shouted to the sky. “I am here to spread the word! The Dragon God wants you to know that you can become a dragon like me. I was born a wolf shifter, but now I can transform into a dragon.” He spoke his story like a testimony as Mirella fumbled in her bag for a syringe and handed it to him.
“This is the DNA of Roak, the leader of the dragons, and you are going to watch the successful transformation of another wolf shifter into a dragon!” He stabbed the needle into Mirella, injecting her with Roak’s horrific DNA.
Almost immediately, her eyes glazed over, and she seized, dropping to the ground as blood poured from her mouth and eyes.
Rowan stepped in front to shield me from it, but I knew she died.
The click of Grayson’s tongue followed. “Damn. Another one. It seems the Dragon God deemed her unworthy of this gift.”
Gasps rang out before his black goo formed right next to Damien and Rowan, and he met my gaze. “You will be mine and the entirety of the dragons.” He collapsed into the goo and dissipated before anyone could react.
His threat sent jolts of terror and anger down my bonds.
A bone-chilling roar tore from Rowan as rage throbbed through his bond. “Take her to our room.”
Damien wasted no time stepping us back into the shadows and into Rowan's room.
My stomach churned, and I jumped out of Damien’s arms and rushed to the bathroom. My mind didn't even register that all of my mates were waiting for us in that room.
“What the fuck happened?” Alister asked.
I could feel all the bonds seething with anger as I entered the bathroom and threw up my stomach contents into the toilet.
Rhett was behind me, rubbing my back as I puked. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”
“The dragons attacked the Demon Capital. Rowan got a distress call, and we answered it. You know she wasn't going to just stay back,” Damien recapped.
“Let me get this straight,'' Alister started in a cold tone. “You're telling me that Rowan and you took our mate to where the dragons were?”
Sweat licked down my spine as I finally finished heaving up my stomach. “Stop.” I groaned, my body trembling with aftershocks. “It was my decision to go.”
“What happened there?” Lachlan asked as Rhett helped me pry my hands from the toilet seat and get to my feet.
Kian stood at the threshold of the door with a wet towel before stepping forward and wiping my mouth. His touch was gentle and comforting, and exactly what I needed. The tingles of his magic seeped into me, and I inhaled a deep breath.
“The only reason I knew something happened was because I was with Alister.” Rhett's voice broke. “I need our bond to snap soon. I’m going crazy with worry.”
My chest ached. When Kian finished, I turned around and wrapped my arms around Rhett’s waist, burying my face in his shirt and inhaling his cherry scent. “It will.”
Lachlan and I bonded, and it was magical. The same way all my other bonds had been. Rhett and I deserved our bond.
“Why are you trembling?” Rhett rubbed circles on my back.
“Grayson was there.”
“What?” the guys asked at the same time, exploding with anger as their magic warred through the room.
“Did he touch you?” Thorn asked, stepping forward with murder in his gaze.
I swallowed hard and untangled from Rhett to face them the best I could. I nodded.
The rage of my mates amplified. Roars rang out, and the room trembled from the magical energy.
“He grabbed my hand, but I made it go incorporeal, and I yanked my hand from his,” I murmured softly. “He looked shocked, and he said something about it being true. I don’t think my power is a secret anymore.”
“Fuck,” Alister grumbled.
Their magic buzzed violently as we moved from the bathroom to the bedroom.
I made my way over and sat on the bed. Exhaustion crept over my body. All I wanted to do was sleep.
“That’s not all. He… watched Lachlan and me when we bonded in the woods.” My gaze met Lachlan’s. “He didn’t do anything but watch, and that makes me so nauseous.” A wave of nausea hit me to prove my point.
A growl tore from Lachlan’s chest, and his eyes darkened. “We’re going to kill him.”
“I’ll do everything I can to find his weakness, sweetheart. Blair has been teaching me to force my visions.” Kian sat beside me, and his eyes swirled with concern before they glazed over.
A vision stole him, and his lips parted. Shade scurried from him to me, reaching his little arms out and hugging my face. ‘I'm glad you're okay,’ he squeaked.
I smiled, petting him. “Thanks, Shade. Damien was there almost immediately after Grayson showed. Grayson managed to hurt Gloria since she protected me, but she's fine.” I reached over and put my other hand on Kian’s thigh as he was in the vortex of a vision.
The door to the office slammed open, and I jumped.
Rowan stormed in naked with his hair a mess, but his furious gaze softened as he set his eyes on me, then flicked to Kian. He ambled over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of boxers. Slipping them on, he sat on my other side. Blood covered his skin, just the same as Damien’s from the battle. They both needed a shower, but I found I didn't care about that. All I needed was my mates.
“I gave the Demon Capital two dragons so they could extract the scales,” he rumbled. “The council took six other dragons to extract scales and keep them. I hate that it has come to this, but this is war, and dragon scales are valuable. We have one dragon that we need to extract scales from for academy purposes. Norman's going to do it.”
‘Should’ve got us two dragons with all the trouble we deal with,’ Shade grumbled.
“Don’t you know how many scales are on a dragon?” Rowan asked, arching his brow. “One is plenty for the academy, greedy familiar.”
Kian let out a large gasp of breath, and I turned to see his eyes wide and panicked as they landed on me. He threw his arms around me, pulling me into him. “I know how to kill Grayson!” He took another lungful of air, and I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. His body was so warm, and his magic wrapped around me like a cocoon.
“How?” Rowan asked.
Kian pulled back enough to look at the rest of the guys, still not letting me go. “I don't know how to say this because it's really messed up.” He winced.
“Just tell us. You’re not at any fault for what you saw.” I found myself reaching up and running my hands through his hair, massaging his scalp.
“There's only one way that Grayson can be killed, from what the vision showed me. We would need Trixie and Wren to do the ritual to reverse the dark magic spell in the beginning. It will put the rejected bond back in place, but—”
“But what?” Damien snarled, stepping forward as his horns emerged from his skull. “What could be worth placing that damned bond on my little bird?”
“No,” Rhett growled. “We're not doing that. There’s no way in hell.”
“Sorry, but there is no way you're accepting that bond back,” Alister stated.
“Not comfortable with that.” Lachlan shook his head.
“Why would you suggest it?” Rowan asked, shooting the guys a look. “He wouldn’t ever have suggested that if it wasn’t for a greater purpose where it would benefit Wren.”
“I cannot bear to see you bonded with him again.” Kian kept his shaky gaze on me. “Even if it's a rejected bond with him. I don't like it either. It makes me queasy to think about, but please let me explain.” He winced, and pain snuck through the bond. I knew the vision had left him with another headache.
Damien blew out a huffed breath as he sat next to Kian. His eyes flashed silver as he fed off Kian’s head pain. Kian’s shoulders relaxed with his expression as he glanced at Damien. “Thank you for that. I know you're probably really mad at me for suggesting that, but—”
“Just keep explaining, necromancer.” Damien snorted.
Kian swallowed hard, and I kept rubbing his head. “Grayson's body has deteriorated past the point of being able to survive without the dark magic. As soon as the bond between our mate… and him… is back in place, the dark magic will get ripped from his innate magical energy, which is keeping him alive. He should die immediately after the ritual.”
Everyone went silent. All that permeated my hearing was our heartbeats hammering in our chests.
A swirl of hope sizzled within me. Hope that I could finally rid myself of Grayson and his threatening nature—and I didn't even feel much guilt from wishing him from this world.
THIRTEEN
Rhett
My heart throbbed painfully in my chest as I thought of my mate. I would be the last one to form a bond with Wren. Glancing up in the mirror, my violet eyes dulled.
I only hoped the Fates would be kind to me for once.
Tying the towel around my waist, I stepped out of the bathroom. Steam rolled out with me, and my blood ran cold as my gaze snagged on another letter that lay on my bed.
It wasn't there when I went to take my shower. I swallowed the bile down, forcing my feet to carry me across the room and snatch it up.
My… OUR… sweet Rhett,
Six bonds down, one to go.
How does it feel to be the last in show?
Don’t worry, Rhett. We’re here for you. We know what it’s like to be someone’s last choice.
XOXO,
Your true loves
The letter dropped from my hand as if it’d burnt me. I pushed all the doubts that tried to form in my brain from their words out. My horns slipped out of my skull.
There was only one person who could fix the way my heart twisted in my chest.
I stormed to my dresser and tugged on my clothes before grabbing the letter and storming out of my living quarters. My brain buzzed with doubts and fears, as my stomach recoiled at the violation I still faced as I made my way to Rowan's room.
Thankfully, it was a weekend, and usually, Wren stayed at Rowan’s unless she had plans with Trixie or one of the other guys, but she always let me know where she would be. I could tell she felt bad for me since our bond hadn't formed.
I couldn’t let those letters affect me, because I knew Wren cared for me. I knew it. And I cared for her.
My fist came down on Rowan’s office door, and I didn't hear anything on the other side. I went on in, and the ward crackled before letting me through. It was empty.
Padding across the room, I knocked on the bedroom door.
“Come in,” Wren said softly.
I pushed open the door and went in. Wren was on her stomach, facing the door as she read something on her tablet.
Her gaze snapped to my face. “Is everything okay?”
I shook my head, jerking the letter out to her.
She powered down the tablet and tossed it to the side before sweeping herself off of the bed and ambling toward me to take the letter. Her pretty eyes filled with tears as she read it with a little snarl on her face.
Growling, she flicked her eyes to mine. “This is ridiculous.” She stomped over to the dresser and slammed the letter on it before turning to me with fire in her eyes.
My heart swelled. She was angry for me, and fury rolled off of her in waves, thickening the air.
“I don't know why the bond hasn't snapped yet, but it's not because you're any less than they are. I—I—” She forced out a shaky breath. “I love you. I love you just as much as I love all of them.”
Her words absolutely destroyed my resolve. Tears leaked from my eyes as my pheromones seeped out of my body.
She came back to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love you, Rhett.”
I pulled her closer, inhaling her sweet scent and picking her up before sitting on the bed with her in my lap. “You're the first person to ever tell me that and mean it.” I stared deeply into her eyes as they widened. “I love you too.”
A spark of magic erupted between us, and our magical energy came to life, circling each other like predators before fizzling away.
Disappointment flickered through me, but she bent forward and met my lips with hers. She was so tempting, I swore she was the one with pheromones. Her tongue swept against my lip, and I parted my lips for her. She tangled her tongue with mine before pulling away ever so slightly. “You don't deserve how they make you feel. How this person… these sick women make you feel.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
She buried her face in my neck. “Do you want to write a response?”
“We might as well write one.”
“I'll grab a pen and paper,”' She slipped away from me and went into Rowan's office before coming back with a pen, paper, and a hardcover book in hand. The bed dipped as she sat down next to me and offered me what she’d retrieved.
I placed the book to rest on my lap and laid the paper over it. The pen shook in my hold. Wren reached over grabbed the hand I wasn’t writing with, and it eased the tremors for me.
“Grayson said that he watched you and me, and then I found out that he also watched Lachlan and me. That violation is something you don't understand unless you go through it, and I am so sorry that you've been going through it alone.” Her voice broke as she stared up at me, and fury snaked through me again.
I would do everything in my power to make sure that bastard died. Doing the ritual Kian suggested was still up for debate, as Wren hadn't decided yet, but we would go along with whatever made her happy.
“Tell them how what they do makes you feel. Tell them how violated you feel and how unfair they're being to you. If they're obsessed with you as much as they claim, maybe it'll strike a nerve or they'll slip up.”
I nodded. Everything she said made sense, but my stalkers had killed before in my name. I shook away the dark thought and blew out a breath of air. “Okay.” I started writing.
You’ve left me notes. Consider this my reply.
Grayson let out your secret that you were twin succubi. I don't know why you developed this longing for me, but it's not reciprocated. I have my mate, and I am in love with her. If you care about me like you say you do, you will stop this. You will stop the violation of watching me when I don't know you're there. You will stop leaving me letters in places that are supposed to be sacred for me and me alone. But at the very least, I would like for you to reply to this and tell me why. Why do you find my life so interesting to you? I will never forgive what you did to Eevie. But I would like to try to understand why you did it.
Rhett
Wren tenderly placed her hands around me and leaned her head on my shoulders. “That's really good.”
