For hundreds of years we have lived in secret. We no longer live in fear of humans or hunters, witches have magic and we have strength, but like any supernatural being, we try to live in peace with all beings even when they’re no threat, we still don’t relish revealing ourselves to everyone.
At the age of seventeen your beast awakens, on the first blood moon after your birthday a ceremony is held and only the Elders are present to witness which beast chooses you. It is a sacred ceremony that we all look forward to. Our senses awaken from the age of fourteen with enhanced hearing, eyesight, smell, healing and strength.Up until the age of seventeen we are all equal and depending on the beast you get your rank within the lair will determine your future. Sires usually get an indigo beast and rarely a violet one. A violet beast is the strongest one and you are feared and revered when you are blessed with one.Blue beasts are usually a sign that you will be a good second commander or just second in command of the liar, like the co-captain. Green beasts are specialized, they become doctors, trackers, investigators and so forth.Yellow beasts are soldiers or warriors. They protect the lair and the members that live within that community. They will be in charge of the territory, training and even personalized protection for certain members of a higher ranking.Orange and red beasts are the workers of the community and the weakest of our kind. They are usually the cooks, cleaners, butlers, drivers and so forth. Every person has a place within a lair and the happiness and wealth of your lair depends on your Sire. If you have a good Sire then your lair will prosper.Every species has their rotten fruit, the bad apples of the group and we are no exception to that. We have a group of Elders and they make the laws, visit different lairs, all crimes are reported to them and everything is decided by them.Their word is the law and no matter what rank you have, they have the power to make you bend to their will. They are strong and fierce and they have no friends. They have allies and sometimes just sometimes the bad apple is an Elder. They are rarely put down even if they are bad.Like all species we have bonded halves, it doesn’t really matter and many of us have been bonded to humans over the years. My mother was half-human and that makes me a halfling. Basically we are all halflings as our ancestors were also bonded with other species. We weren’t prejudiced when it came to a bonded half because your other half makes you better.The bond works the same for all of us. It starts with a smell, your other half’s smell is something only you can smell. Usually you complete the bond ceremony by mixing your blood. This bond is for life or rather until death separates you. You can complete the bond or you can choose not to complete the bond, it doesn’t really matter.Although, why would you not want to complete the bond? That person is your other half, the best fit for you, the person that will make you happier than anybody else can. By choosing a partner rather than sticking with the one fate gifted you, you’ll be happy, but you won’t be as strong or as complete as you should be.Any beast can be bonded. Bonds are aware of ranks although some beasts reject a bond with a beast that is of a lower rank than they are, but that’s just ridiculous. Every person has his own strengths and weaknesses no matter what your rank. You could be a Sire and be a total dickhead or a worker with a heart of gold.When the bonding ceremony is completed the female will bear a mark on the left side of her neck which is a replica of the male’s beast. It can only be seen by those that are born with the blood of the beast and it will also change the woman’s rank to that equal of the man.It sounds sexist I know, but within our species men are stronger, the providers and protectors. Women are the care givers, usually analytical people and nurturers. Most men tend to become warriors while most women train to be nurses and doctors, it is just within our nature to be this way.Yes, there are female warriors, good ones too, we’re not prejudiced and any beast can attain any rank except that of Sire and Second Commander. Your beast will change in colour as your rank changes within your lair and we do this by ceremony.We don’t follow conventional human laws although we are respectful of their laws and every year we hold ceremonies for unbonded beasts to attend in the hopes of meeting their other halves. Only unbonded youths attend until you reach the age of twenty-three. If you haven’t met your other half by then you are free to choose your own half but not before then unless you reject your bonded half.Our house was situated on a slight hill overlooking the houses of our lair’s members that scattered through half the town below us. My family controlled the upper side of Aurora and Joseph McIntyre controlled the lower side.Joseph McIntyre and my father had been friends up until their own Sire Ceremony when my father was gifted with a violet beast and Joseph with an indigo beast. He was jealous and he had also been in love with my mother.He had rejected his bonded half and waited for my mother to turn eighteen, planning to claim her when she recognized the bond with my father and a new power couple was recognized. They were happy and in love, they loved each other fiercely and us. He was a good man and I wanted to be exactly like him.Life doesn’t always work out as you plan it and after their deaths I shied away from my normal social circle and Jax and I stuck with Rev and Preston, two new families that joined our lair from the North three years earlier and we all bonded instantly. I knew they would each die for me, loyal to a fault and they were my best friends.Most people call us a gang but for us it was a lifestyle. On my eighteenth birthday I’ll step up and ascend the seat that my father left behind and take control of everything. My top priority though are my sisters and I would protect them with my life.I was sixteen when my parents died, Christina or Chris as she preferred to be called had been fifteen and Hannah had been nine. My sisters were my everything and I loved them completely and I was very protective over them.The door to my bedroom opened slowly, creaking softly but I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. I heard the soft footsteps as they crept closer to my bed and I fought the urge to open my eyes. I felt the mattress dip slightly as a weight pressed down on it.“Happy birthday Lucas!” she screamed as she jumped on me.I grabbed her in a bear hug as she knocked the wind out of me and started tickling her. She was laughing and squealing as she tried to pry my arms loose from around her. I pinned her down on the bed and hovered above her.“What’s the first rule?” I asked her as she caught her breath.“Never enter your bedroom without knocking,” she said in between laughs.“And what’s the punishment for breaking my rules?” I asked her.“To be your slave for a week!” she yelled as I started tickling her again, “but it’s your birthday!”“You have a point there kiddo,” I said as I released her and she jumped off my bed quickly.“Martha’s already announced breakfast,” she squealed as she ran away.I groaned as I got out of bed and made my way into the bathroom to shower and change. I was seventeen today. I looked at myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower and noticed the faint black and blue around my eye. My lip was still split open from yesterday’s training session and my ribs were cracked.I’d be healed by tomorrow if I didn’t get a good pounding after school today. Every day for the last year my uncle, Jesse Sterling, has been training me for one thing only, taking over as Sire of our lair. Jesse was my father’s Second in Command and like my second father. One year ago to the day my parents died and I had to grow up pretty quickly. My sisters needed me and my own mourning was pushed aside to be there for them.Jesse had taken guardianship of us and we remained living in our house with all the privileges we were accustomed to. My father had many business interests that Jesse still controlled and we each had a trust fund. I trusted Jesse with my life and his son, Jax Sterling, was the brother I never had.I wasn’t the greatest person but I’m me. I’m the future Sire of this lair and I would do everything within my power to protect my people, all of my people. I had no qualms about killing or shedding blood, it was part of my being as much as I was.We were the Grey children and I had every intention of fulfilling my father’s legacy. My own destiny called out to me too and its intertwined with the legacy he left me. Everything I do, every decision I make is to keep our family together and the lair safe. I realized that my parents death were not accidental as I started reading his journals.I’m Lucas Grey and I vowed to avenge my parents murder.“Morning Martha,” I said as I descended the stairs.“Happy birthday Lucas,” she smiled up at me.Martha has been our cook and oversees the running of the house from before I was born and she’s like a second mother to us. Reeves was the butler and he’s also been part of the household since before my birth.The main house of the lair was divided into two separate parts of the same building. The house had four floors with two separate entrances. The eastern side was reserved for my family and our personal staff while the western side was reserved for guests from other lairs. They were exact replicas of each other with two staircases that led from the ground floor either to the eastern or western side.The ground floor had a large dining room, restaurant standard kitchen, an office for meetings, entertainment room and the library that was open to family, staff and guests alike.The second floor housed all the staff which included Martha and Reeves, Jane and Janet, the two cleaners and the
“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, l
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