NOX, page 7
part #3 of The Royal Protector Academy Series
“If we go back, they won’t ever let me leave again.”
Tristan frowns. “Your family is worried about you. I promised them I would return you after I found you.”
“Then unpromise them, Tristan. I am not going back.”
“You will. You are. Even if you hate me for it.”
His expression is one of finality mixed with pain.
He interprets my silence as acceptance and gives me a jerky nod and walks back to the door. Tristan’s hand hovers over the handle briefly. “And Serena. When we do return, it’s as mine. Not theirs. Not anymore.” With a final sharp look back at me, he lets himself out of the bathroom.
I stare at the broken door and, with a relieved sigh, slide down the sink’s side and collapse onto the tile.
That’s it.
Tristan’s words are meant to be final.
He makes it sound so easy.
As if all the ugliness of the world doesn’t exist.
The ugliness that my clan vowed to protect me from.
Once I return, they will all blame Tristan for everything that has happened, which means they won’t let us be together. No matter what he thinks or declares to me.
My fingertips run over the silver protector bracelet sitting on my left wrist. The gift from my aunt Eve is designed with intricate flowers and vines around the band.
Tilting my head, I study the details closer. Before this moment, I’ve never noticed the irony of it. My protector band was designed with elements from the woodland realm.
Flowers and vines.
Tristan’s realm mixed with mine.
The realization suddenly fills me with determination.
I refuse to go down without a fight.
For myself.
For Tristan.
For my kin.
I resolve to finish what Asmodeus started.
Only this time, I’m going to end his existence and finally stop the Diablo Fairies’ threats against the gargoyle race and the Royal Protector Academy.
And when I do, my clan will let me go.
Return to the life I want.
Return to Tristan.
Tristan
I half-expected Serena to follow me out of the bathroom with her daggers lifted and aimed at my back after my caveman declarations. Instead, she pads down the hallway and throws me a bright, easy smile. Strange mood shift.
As my gaze falls from hers, it hits me . . . it’s not so strange. I blink rapidly and try to swallow. My body begins shaking with pure need and lust as she approaches me wrapped in nothing but a towel and messily styled hair.
She must have read the panic in my eyes, because she smiles even bigger as I stare at her like a lunatic. Like a man who has never seen a half-naked woman before in his life.
“Do you want to shower with me?” she asks, sweetly.
“What?” Did my voice just become higher-pitched?
“I’m assuming we have a plane to catch and that time is important. I want to be sure you have time to shower too.”
“Plane?” I repeat automatically, and shut my eyes.
“To. London.”
“London.” I rub my face.
“We could save time, by showering together.”
I take her in. She approaches me and climbs onto my lap.
“Now you want to go home?” I try to figure her out.
She shrugs casually. “Sure. Why not.”
“Why not,” I repeat, confused.
Her eyes glisten with secrets as she leans in and wraps her fingers around the leather necklace I wear, which has my insignia, the Sun of Vergina, dangling from it. “I’m yours. This makes you mine too,” she pulls at the necklace.
I eye her, because I know she’s up to something.
Serena tugs it, pulling my face closer to hers. “It also means I will protect you. Even if it’s against my family.”
I sigh against her mouth. “I’m going to need your protection when we return and your father sees me again.”
Her face pinches as she leans back. “Again?”
“We have a lot to catch up on, raindrop.”
Glaring at me, she tenses. “This sounds bad.”
“It’s not bad, it’s just . . .” I exhale. “Don’t freak out.”
“You can’t say don’t freak out and expect me not to.”
“I’ve been in London for the past few weeks.”
“Okay.” She says in a bland tone.
“With your family,” I add, and her brows raise. “Zander suggested it. I wasn’t exactly in a clear state of mind. We looked for you on our own, but we kept coming up empty-handed. That’s when I sort of lost it—” She cuts me off with the narrowing of her eyes into tiny slits.
“Sort of?”
“That is when I lost it.” I reword. “Better?”
“Better.”
I watch her.
“You’ve been there this whole time? With my clan? In London?” she repeats. “My dad, and uncles. Aunt Kenna?”
I give her a curt nod and frown as she chews on her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth only to release it.
“Zander, Magali, Gage, and Nassa stayed there as well.”
Her eyes widen. “Is Mags okay?”
“She was a mess, but yeah. Zander watches over her.”
After a few seconds, she nods. “Was my clan horrible?”
I bristle. “They weren’t exactly happy to see me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Not directly, but I should have been more aware. A mistake I won’t make again when it comes to you. I swear.”
“I didn’t see Maria coming either. Or Freya for that matter. If the last few months have taught us anything, it’s that we need to go into things with our eyes open,” she says.
“Agreed.”
“So . . .” she clears her throat. “Gage was there too?”
“Yeah. He, Nassa, and the Black Circle located Maria.”
Serena’s face falls. “I guess we’d better get back then. Before Aunt Kenna starts an all-out war with everyone.”
“Too late for that,” I mutter.
She pins me with a look. “My point.”
“It will be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Other than death?”
“Other than death.”
“Stone petrifaction?”
“Nothing they haven’t sentenced me with before.”
“They could send you away—from me.”
“We’ve done nothing wrong. The Vergina Sun prophecy has been fulfilled. Our link is strong. They no longer have authority over who or what we are fated to do.”
“Stop being so calm about everything,” she orders.
“Stop worrying about everything.”
“Make me,” she dares.
We meet each other’s gaze as I lean forward, taking her lips. There are no niceties about my actions. No seduction. Just me doing exactly what she asked me to do—push her mind into oblivion as I kiss the shit out of her. Making her forget the last few weeks ever happened.
She moans when I pull her tighter and let my lips trail over her chin, down her throat. With a salacious look, I nip at the spot on her neck right above her pulse.
Anger runs through my veins as I recall that Stephan bit her here. There are no marks. When she healed herself they disappeared, but nonetheless, it still pisses me the fuck off—knowing the bloodsucking vampire touched her.
Without thinking, I let my teeth bite into her flesh, followed by my tongue, and lips, bruising her. There is nothing gentle or loving about what I’m doing. It’s hard and insistent as I suck and pull at her delicate skin. Marking it.
The harder I nip and draw her in, the breathier she becomes, sliding her fingers into my hair, tugging me closer to her. After forcefully drawing her skin in and out of my mouth over and over again, I run my tongue over the spot, soothing the red mark that has formed, while Serena writhes beneath my mouth.
After a few moments, I let my breath tickle the spot and groan in pleasure at her response to my violent desire to mark her. Pulling back, I take in the skin that is going to bruise and grin as I push her off my lap so she can stand.
“Let’s go shower instead of worrying about things we can’t control,” I encourage.
She tightens her grip on my hand, squeezing my fingers to get my attention. “Thank you,” she whispers.
My gaze falls onto her neck, where I’ve marked her. “If that impressed you, wait until you see my showering skills.”
Serena rolls her eyes. “I meant, for finding me. For not giving up on us. For knowing that I needed you.”
I grant her a cocky smirk and wink. “Haven’t you heard, raindrop? Being your savior is the reason I was created.”
“Is that so?”
“That. Is so. Now, stop talking and let me show you the reason you were created,” I attempt to seduce.
“I swear I won’t hesitate to put a fist in your jaw if you don’t release her,” I bark out at Zander, who has Serena in a tight hold from the front, with Magali wrapped around her back.
From the moment we stepped off the jet at Heathrow Airport, he and Mags have been suffocating her with attention.
“We need to go,” I snap out, annoyed at my brother.
Ever since the two of them pretended to be together, in order for Serena to gain entry to my realm and stop my wedding, they’ve become close. Too close for my liking.
Magali steps away from her best friend and her nostrils flare at me before she kisses her middle finger and flashes it my way. A moment later she winks sweetly, turns to the driver, and slides into the luxury vehicle waiting for us.
“Let. Go. Of. Her,” I order.
“No.” The word is muffled because my brother’s face is pressed into Serena’s hair. “I thought we established she’s my girl too.”
My jaw clenches. “No. She fucking isn’t.”
Zander turns with Serena tucked into his chest and glares at me from over her head. “Just five more seconds. I’ve missed her flowery smell.” He inhales her hair.
At the sight, I lose my shit.
Taking a step in his direction, I point at him. “Brother or not, I will kick your ass.”
Zander leans toward her ear, whispering something that makes her laugh, and my heart stops . . . because I never thought I would be lucky enough to hear that sound again.
He pulls away from Serena and tilts his head. “Listen, champ,” he says to her. “Tristan is making his constipated face again. We should probably stop flaunting our love.”
“If you insist,” Serena agrees, kissing him on the cheek.
My brother smiles down at her. “You remembered our agreement.”
She dips her chin. “Cheek kissing only in front of Tristan.”
“See, our love is still strong—better than ever.”
Zander’s playful gaze meets mine. “Are you just going to stand there staring, or are we leaving? I don’t mind an audience. In fact, I tend to perform better when there’s one.”
Serena perks up and shakes her head. “Stop.”
“What? It’s true; ask Mags.”
Magali sticks her head out of the car. “Ask me what?”
“Your boyfriend is incorrigible,” Serena signs to her.
Magali rolls her eyes. “Don’t I know it,” she replies.
Zander smirks. “You used the wrong sign.”
Serena frowns. “No, I didn’t.”
My brother’s fingers lift and he signs, “damn sexy.”
“That is not how you sign incorrigible,” she corrects.
“No, it isn’t. But what you meant to sign is, your boyfriend is damn sexy,” Zander argues, walking toward the car. He takes Mags’s lips and tumbles into the limo.
Serena turns and smiles at me. “Your brother is an ass.”
“No shit,” I mutter, pissed at their connection.
Her head tilts and she holds her hand out for me to take.
“You with me?”
I walk to her, grabbing her hand in mine. “Always.”
At the feel of her, my anger disappears. I know it’s childish and wrong, but I want to be the only one who has this connection with her. And while I love that Zander would take a bullet for her, it isn’t his place. It’s mine.
I lean forward and press my lips to hers briefly, before slowly backing away from her and guiding her into the car.
Before I can follow her into the car, Zander sticks his head out of the open door, stopping me from getting in.
“Hey, if anyone asks, I am totally telling them I gave Serena that hickey on her neck.” He wiggles his brows.
There really is no other choice—I punch him in the jaw.
Serena
EVER SINCE TRISTAN STEPPED FOOT IN the forest, I have been physically incapable of taking my eyes off him. When you are supernatural royalty, most relationships are formed based on wealth, power, protection, or prestige.
Love is rare.
It’s just a harsh reality of the world I come from.
Gargoyles are different, though. We believe strongly in family, love, and protection. The three go hand in hand.
It’s that belief system that has me praying my family will allow Tristan to stay—even after all that has happened—because I’m positive that my clan, especially my parents, blame him for my disappearance. He was my protector when I was taken, so in their eyes, he failed his assignment.
A wry curve appears on his lips when he catches me staring at him. When his gaze grows intense, I look away.
“We’ll be in London shortly,” the driver announces.
“Thank you,” Tristan replies, using his regal voice.
The chauffeur closes the divider, giving us privacy, and Tristan winks in my direction. I shake my head at his flirtatious antics. While they are adorable, it’s not the time or place.
Magali’s foot taps mine to get my attention, when I look over, she motions at Zander, who is sulking. His posture is stiff as he looks out the window, no doubt nursing his bruised ego and jaw, where Tristan punched him.
I frown and throw a disappointed look at Tristan, who chuckles to himself just as a dark shadow passes over the car. With his brows pinched, Tristan leans closer to the window, looking up at the sky.
Curious as to what has pulled his focus, Magali and I both peek through the sunroof. Waves of black tint the gray clouds above us. The desperate sound of birds cawing back and forth between each other becomes thunderous, as their irritably loud conversation echoes around us.
I drop my gaze and look to my right out the window to see swarms of crows dipping in and out of one another. Thousands of the black birds are spinning through the sky in a tightly choreographed display. The dark lines make twisting patterns as they twirl in a calculated pattern, crossing one another and surrounding the car.
It would be beautiful if it weren’t so terrifying.
“Shit!” Tristan leaps forward and stumbles to me.
“What is it?” I ask as he tackles me.
He knocks on the divider but the driver doesn’t lower it. After a moment, Tristan looks over his shoulder, meeting Zander’s tight expression. At the same time, the car speeds up and swerves at dangerous velocities. The force causes the four of us to tumble on top of one another in a corner of the back seat as the car begins to spin out of control.
With a guttural sound of impatience, Tristan pushes himself up and kicks the divider a few times before it breaks and we see the front seat is empty, void of our driver.
Fighting the force of the car’s motion, Zander crawls over us, squeezing himself through the small space and into the front seat, so he can try to get control of the unrestrained limo.
“Serena,” Tristan shouts. “Hold them back with wind.”
Focusing my energy, I feel my fingertips begin to tingle and my protector vitality flowing freely through my veins. I strain as the currents lift and move, but then fall quickly.
My minimal attempt at conjuring the breezes isn’t affecting the quantity of birds surrounding us. Frustrated, I try to calm myself as the winds disappear completely.
My panicked gaze meets Tristan’s.
“Again,” he commands. “You can do this.”
I look up through the sunroof at the dark cloud of black circling the car. With a quick, angry flick of my wrist I once again attempt to coerce the currents to push them away. For a few moments, it works, and the black bands push back.
That’s all Zander needs. He hits the brakes hard and the limo stops, but slides out of control before tumbling onto its side, and we roll. Tristan manages to cover me as we rotate several times before the car comes to a complete stop, upside down. The sound of glass shattering and crunching mixes with the angry screeching of metal bending around us.
With a hard exhale near my ear, Tristan pushes back and looks around wildly before his eyes meet mine.
“Are you okay?” Tristan yells.
Stunned, I remain quiet and motionless.
“SERENA!” he growls, yanking me out of my shock.
“I’m okay . . . I’m okay,” I manage to reply.
Tristan blows out a long, relieved breath before sliding his attention to my left. “Magali, you all right?” he asks.
I drop my head to the side and see he grabbed us both, protecting us from the glass and metal twisted around us.
She nods and signs for Zander.
As if on cue, the door creaks open and Zander crawls in.
“Everyone okay? Mags!” he hollers, sounding scared.
“She’s fine,” I call out for her, since she can’t vocalize.
“Fuck. I’m sorry,” Zander huffs, grabbing Magali and pulling her to him. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers to her.
“Zander!” I shout. “She’s trying to sign to you that she’s okay.” I bark at him because the bear-hug he has her in isn’t allowing him to see her hands.
“The wind isn’t going to hold them off much longer,” I point out. “Can I teleport us out of here?” I ask Tristan.
“My gift only allows one, maybe two of us at a time—and that is with a lifetime of focused expertise. It’s still too early for you to really control and manipulate my gift.”
“Just . . . follow me,” Zander orders, as he makes his way back out of the small opening from which he came.
