“You should keep your dog on a tighter leash,” Michael yelled from his table as we entered the cafeteria.
“Oh boy,” Jax said as Preston laughed. Rev eyed Michael as we walked directly toward them skipping the lunch line completely.The look in Rev’s eyes told me everything. He was going for Michael. They were laughing at us and more of his cronies joined in. Other students stared at us in fear and Carson chose that time to stand on his seat and point to me.“Did you beat up more juniors?” he asked loudly.“Unlike you Carson, we pick on people our own size,” I said to him as Rev launched himself at Michael and tackled him off his chair.They landed with a thud and Rev wasted no time in slamming his fist into Michael’s face. I could smell the blood and I heard his nose crunch as Rev didn’t make a sound. Girls were screaming as Jax and I tried to get Rev off of Michael. Preston stood with his back to us eyeing Carson’s friends and making sure nobody could take a cheap shot at us.“Rev, let go,” I said close to his ear and he stopped hitting Michael.“Payback’s a bitch Grey!” Carson yelled from where they were helping Michael up from the floor.“Bitch,” Rev said and spat on Michael’s face. We left the cafeteria and I took Rev to the bathroom to rinse his hands and wash the blood off. There would be retaliation for this fight and I smiled at the thought.“You did good Rev,” Preston said and slapped him on the back. Rev only looked at him and didn’t smile or frown.“The look on Michael’s face was priceless!” Jax said loudly as he leaned against the wall.“He asked for it, shouldn’t have called Rev a dog,” I said as we walked out of the bathroom when the bell rang.We didn’t see Carson or his friends for the rest of the day and I was impressed that we had actually stayed the entire day. I knew that Jesse would get a message from Joseph about this but I could care less. Michael can have his retaliation fight with Rev one on one. This was one of the ways we sorted out disputes.My birthday present from Jesse stood in the driveway when we arrived at home and I smiled. It was exactly what I wanted, the Ford Mustang GT in all black. Even Preston was quiet as I stared at the car. It was sleek and gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to hear the engine roar. Jax was basically drooling and I pulled him away before his drool could touch my new car.“I’m so jealous right now,” Jax said as he opened the door.“Don’t even think about it, you’re never driving my car,” I said to him.“Or touching his sister,” Preston chimed in as Rev smirked again.“My birthday’s next week, maybe if I ask nicely,” Jax said and I laughed.“Stop drooling and get some rest for tonight,” I said to him as I walked into the house.Chris had gone shopping with her friends and I knew that Jay would follow her. That was our arrangement. Chris had agreed to one guard, moving unseen and only doing something if her life was in danger. Although we kept our relationship private I was sure that Joseph knew who she was and I wouldn’t put it past him to do something.Contrary to belief Carson and I had never actually fought each other. It was always Rev that jumped people and it was only my small circle that knew the extent of my dislike to the McIntyre’s and that had only changed the last year, before that Carson and I used to be friends.I closed my eyes as I lay on my back on the bed and I thought back to Carson’s conversation with his friend, JD. He really was an asshole and he’d gone through the whole cheerleading squad, he kept his girlfriends for a maximum of a month before moving on to the next one and I really wondered why the girls in our school were so gullible to be his next conquest.I was walking through a forest of trees, the wild grass reaching up to my middle. I didn’t recognize this place and I felt dread fill my senses. I could smell wildflowers and the trees, I swear I could even smell the grass.The breeze was calming and made the smells twirl in front of me as I followed it. It felt like I had walked for hours as I reached the end of the forest and found a girl standing on the edge of the cliff. The river below was raging in anger and I could physically feel her sadness.I was trying to reach her before she jumped. Somehow I just knew that she wanted to jump and I had to save her, because… I wasn’t sure why, I just knew I had to. She had auburn hair and it fell down her back in waves as the breeze blew through it, carrying her scent to me.“Hey, wait!” I yelled out to her but she ignored me and didn’t even turn around.In my mind’s eye I could see the single tear escaping and making its way down her cheek. I tried to run but as I reached her she jumped and my hand missed hers by inches. I had fallen forward onto my stomach as I reached for her and she didn’t even scream.I woke up as her body hit the river and I gulped for air. My heart was beating erratically and I could still faintly smell the lemongrass. It smelled like summer almost. My t-shirt was soaked with sweat and I pulled it off as I looked at my watch. It was six pm and time to get ready.Tonight we were all fighting and I was glad that I’d have the weekend to recuperate. We healed faster than humans but depending on the injury it could range from a day to a week. We changed into boxing shorts and we fought barefoot. Any style of fighting was acceptable except the use of weapons.We fought against humans, our own kind and other supernaturals although we tried to keep humans with humans. Tonight we had no humans fighting and I was looking forward to testing my skills against others.I entered the enclosed ring and looked at my opponent. He was about twenty-five or so and he looked tough. The bell had barely rang before he lunged at me and cracked two of my ribs. Rev’s face held no emotion as he looked at me and Jax was yelling something.I lifted my arms and blocked his next two punches before grabbing him in a clinch and hitting him twice with my head. He was dazed for a few seconds which gave me enough time to turn the tables and started assaulting his abdomen and ribs, wherever I could land a punch.We kept at it for the next ten minutes, exchanging kicks and punches and I could see it in his eyes. He wanted a knock out and the win and I hated losing. I took a step forward, placing my foot slightly behind his and faked with my left. He moved backwards as I anticipated and lost his footing as I removed my foot.I was on top of him and now I was hitting him at will, breathing hard as my ribs kept reminding me of their cracked status every time I took a breath. I stood up as the bell rang again and he was bleeding and unconscious. The referee held my hand up and for the first time I heard the crowd cheering me on.“That was your best fight to date,” Preston said after we had showered and collected our winnings.“Good,” Rev grunted and I smiled at him.“We should definitely celebrate, we all won tonight,” Jax said as we walked to the parking lot grinning like idiots, except Rev, he never smiled unless it was for Hannah.“I’m hungry,” Preston said as we laughed. He was always hungry.“Fine, we’ll stop for pizza on the way,” I said and climbed into my car.Preston and Rev followed behind us as we drove to the little Italian corner shop that served pizza per slice. We laughed and joked as we ate and after an hour, Mario, the owner chased us out so he could close. He chased us out of his restaurant about twice a week but I knew he had a soft spot for us since the day we beat up the crew that demanded protection money from him.We were back at the house at half past nine and I quickly went upstairs to shower and change into a suit. I heard Jesse downstairs with three other strange voices. I had never met the Elders before which in our society was a good thing. You usually met them for the first time before your ceremony.“Ah Lucas,” Jesse said with a smile as I walked into the meeting room where they were all seated.“Evening Uncle Jesse,” I said refraining from just using his first name in front of them.“This is Elder Gareth Wineston, Elder James Hitchenson and Elder Peter Phillips,” Jesse introduced them.“Welcome to our lair Elders, I’m Lucas Grey, son of Geoff and Luciana Grey, future Sire of the Grey Lair,” I said and shook their hands.“Shall we be on our way?” Elder Gareth asked as we made our way out of the meeting room.I climbed into Jesse’s SUV next to him and watched as two Elder Warriors climbed into a vehicle behind us. The Elders climbed into another vehicle and we followed them down the road. It took us just under an hour to make the drive from Aurora to Chicago and they headed to their headquarters.“Is there anything you’d like to tell me?” Jesse asked and I smiled slightly as I looked at him.“Are you referring to Rev hitting the shit out of Michael Black?” I asked him.“Shit Lucas,” he said and laughed.“Technically it wasn’t Rev’s fault,” I said to him.“It never is. What happened?” he asked me.“Michael called Rev a dog and said I should keep a tighter leash on him,” I said.“Is he slow?” Jesse asked me and I laughed aloud.“Probably, everyone in our society knows Rev,” I said.“I’ll sort it out, don’t worry,” he said.“If Michael wants a retaliation fight, Rev’s ready,” I said and he grinned at me.“I doubt he wants a repeat, Rev cracked four ribs, broke his wrist and dislocated his shoulder,” Jesse said.“Nice,” I said and Jesse just shook his head.We drove in silence for a while and I felt the emotions starting to take over. It should be my father driving with me. My mother would have planned a celebratory dinner before the time and after the ceremony she would’ve waited up to listen to every detail.My father would have been proud no matter what beast I got and I wanted that. I missed them, especially tonight. I felt his absence and it threatened to choke me. I blinked my tears away and I saw Jesse looking at me.“He would’ve been proud of you,” he said to me.“You think so?” I asked him.“He was always proud of you,” he answered.“Do you think he’s watching?” I asked him.“I’m pretty sure he has a front row seat Lucas,” he said with a smile.“Thanks for everything Uncle Jesse,” I said.“I love you kid and don’t be nervous, you’ll do great,” he said.All ceremonies are held in your district’s headquarters by the Elders that watch over that region. The vehicles stopped next to a building and we climbed out. It didn’t look like much, basically just a warehouse from the outside although I knew the inside would be completely different.“Just do whatever the Elders tell you to do, don’t have any fear,” he said and I looked at him questioningly. What would happen that could possibly frighten me? Nobody tells you what to expect and the ceremony itself was a well-kept secret from everyone.We entered through a side door into what seemed like a closed off foyer. Two men guarded the wooden door and they bowed their heads as the Elders stepped through. They gave me a curt nod and bowed their heads at Jesse.“You may now take off your jacket and shirt,” Elder James said to me.I took my jacket and shirt off and Jesse took them and hanged them over the back of a chair. They indicated another chair for me to sit on and I sat down slowly taking in my surroundings. The walls were gold inlaid with intricate carvings and all the different types of beasts were represented on the walls.This place was rich with our history and heritage and I bet that anything you wanted to know about us could be found in here. It would also be heavily guarded at all times to preserve our secrets from outsiders.“Lucas Grey, you are the first born son of Geoff Grey, late Sire of the Grey Lair?” Elder Peter asked me.“Yes Elder,” I confirmed as I stood up.“Do you swear to treat your beast with the r
Jax found a movie on the television and I closed my eyes for a few minutes as I lay back on the couch. Five minutes later I felt a small body land on me and I groaned. Hannah had a way of hitting me exactly in the solar plexus driving the air out of my body."I'm sorry," she said softly in my ear and I opened my eyes to look at her."It's okay princess," I said and smiled."You smell like oranges and coffee," she said."You smell like roses and cotton candy," I said as she slid off me and sat down next to me as I moved up to make space for her."Okay Shakespeare what're the plans for the rest of the weekend?" Jax asked me as I wrapped Hannah's hair around my fingers."Money collections and sleep," I said as I closed my eyes again."You promised me a tea party," Hannah said and folded her arms across her chest."And a tea party," I added and I knew she was smiling."You can come too Rev," she said sweetly and I turned my head to see him nod.Rev especially had a very soft spot for Hann
I was standing at my locker exchanging my books when I saw her walking towards me. She didn't look at me and opened her locker. She was about five lockers away from me and the hallways were pretty quiet although we weren't completely alone. It was a week later and I had seen her a few times but I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her again after she flipped me off."So are you going to tell me your name?" I asked her."Why?" she asked me as she looked at me."I'm asking nicely aren't I?""You couldn't be nice if your life depended on it," she said."Ouch, do you like hurting my feelings?" I asked her."Why are you even talking to me, I have a boyfriend and we're not exactly running in the same social circles," she said."Your boyfriend's an idiot," I said to her."And why is that?""If you were my girlfriend I wouldn't give someone the chance to talk to you like I'm doing now," I said to her."Are you flirting with me?" she asked and laughed suddenly."Why do you sound so surprised?"
We had a few outstanding payments that we needed to go collect. I hated it when people paid late because it meant that I had to go see them personally and collect my money by any means necessary which normally just involved threats but sometimes we had to get physical.Darwell Montgomery, a notorious drug dealer, owed me fifty thousand dollars. He had made the loan as a start-up for his nightclub and he'd paid back almost all of it except the last fifty grand. The last time my men were there he had produced just excuses and his time was up tonight.I still had some pent up anger and I decided to gee see him myself tonight. One way or another I'd get that fifty grand. I checked the rest of my emails and worked for a few hours, going over paperwork and financials.At eight pm we left the house and took one of the SUV's and drove to Darwell's night club. I had already gotten word that he was upstairs in his VIP section sucking face and drinking. Jax parked the SUV and we climbed out."Ev
"Lucas," she whispered my name as I stared into her eyes. I don't know how it happened exactly but one minute I was looking at her and the next minute I was kissing her.She kissed me back and goosebumps followed as her hands trailed over my shoulders. She pulled me closer and I was half on top of her my hands tangling in her hair. It was like being in a trance when I felt my hands move under the t-shirt and then I pulled it off.She looked at me and before I knew it my hand found her underwear and I pulled it off. I spread her legs with my knees as she tugged on the waistband of my sweats but her hands stilled as I slipped my finger inside her and she closed her eyes.She started rubbing her hand over my erection and I knew that if she kept this up I wouldn't stop, neither of us would and maybe, just maybe, she would regret this in the morning. I pushed myself away from her and she lifted herself on her elbows.I wanted to ask her if she was sure but instead I just kissed her again a
On Monday at school I waited for Rylee but she never showed up and her number on my phone wasn’t working anymore. I was standing at my locker when I saw her emerge from the bathrooms but she saw me and walked the other way.The day dragged on and Rev kept giving me these odd looks. I was quiet and thinking about everything I remembered and everything that had happened between me and Rylee. I saw her walk into the cafeteria but she didn’t look at me although she didn’t look like herself either.We all looked up at the same time as JD jumped up from his seat and Carson pushed him backwards. Rylee was looking at him with fear in her eyes and his face was red with rage as he looked at her and then at Rev.“Shit,” I whispered.“You slept with him!” JD yelled at Rylee and I saw her flinch and stood up.“Did you?” Carson asked her loudly.“No,” she said loudly and looked him in the eye.“Then how do you explain this?” he asked her. He shoved his phone in her face and her eyes widened as she
I joined the guys in the gym and we trained for the next two hours until Hannah pushed the door open and took Rev by his hand. I wondered sometimes if she had a crush on him and how Rev felt with all the attention that Hannah showered him with. For someone that didn’t talk he had forged quite a bond with her.“Hannah, you do know that Rev’s actually our friend,” Jax said.“Just until we get married,” she said and we all stood watching her with open mouths as she led Rev from the room.“Did she just say she was going to marry Rev?” Preston asked.“Poor Rev,” I said and we all laughed.“Are we still heading in to Chicago tonight?” Preston asked me.“Yeah, I need to meet with Jasper O’Connell,” I answered.“Who’s he?” Jax asked.“He’s the Sire of the Chicago lair, we’re negotiating the terms of our alliance tonight,”
Rylee ignored me on Monday and she was never alone. She looked worried and her eyes looked sad and something else I couldn’t place. She ignored my texts too and I was close to losing my temper. We were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch and I couldn’t help but stare at her.“Lucas, I have to talk to you about something,” Jax said as I sat down.“What’s up Jax?” I asked him still looking at Rylee.“I’ve found the one,” he said to me.“The one what?” I asked not really listening to him.“My bonded half… it’s Chris… her smell is intoxicating and I know you’re protective but I’m not going to reject this bond,” he said to me and my head snapped to his.“What?” I asked him thinking I didn’t hear him correctly.“Chris and I have been bonded,” he said to me.“No,” I said to him.“It