My mom knocked on the car window, noticing Sabine and I had been out here a while.
“What are you guys doing?? Come inside I have the most exciting news.”
I grabbed her food and followed her inside, Sabine was quiet behind me.
“Thanks for letting me borrow your phone. I never heard of a satellite phone before. You were right though! They had a job offer!”
My mom said excitingly, handing Sabine a phone that looked like a black brick.
Sabine hugged her. “That’s amazing!”
“What job, Mom?”
“It’s a similar company to your fathers. So a lot of traveling, but they offered amazing benefits and pay.” My mom came and gave me a hug after releasing Sabine.
I looked over at Sabine briefly while hugging my mom back. She was moving towards the kitchen, probably to go to her garden.
“So we’ll be traveling? What about school?”
I asked.
My mom pulled away with a sad look on her face.
“No honey. You’ll be staying with Sabine. You’re welcome to come with me after you graduate though.”
I felt my throat dry up in pain. I didn’t want my mom to leave me, especially after knowing the truth; if I wanted to believe it. How could I let her back out in the world not knowing the truth about what’s out there?
“I don’t want you to leave.” I said quietly.
My mom hugged me again, tighter.
“I know, baby. But I tried finding a job in town. Majority of them aren’t paying. And the ones that are; they’re not paying in money.”
I remember my conversation with Meghan this afternoon and how every townsperson contributes in some way. It seems like forever ago. This might be the longest day in history.
“I don’t have to leave for a few more days before training begins, so we’ll make sure you’re all settled in before I leave, ok?”
My mom didn’t wait for an answer before giving me another small hug, and going upstairs.
I wanted to go find Sabine in her backyard, but also really wanted the day to be over with it.
I went through the motions of a shower before laying down, my head hurting from everything I read today. I thought over the guy from the road and how much my flight or fight sense really only told me to run more than anything. I guess I should have listened to my gut more often. Why would he care that he could read my mind? Maybe it wasn’t something they could turn off and the fact they couldn’t was intriguing. I really wasn’t sure how it worked.
At some point I fell asleep. I woke up in a panic drenched in sweat but I couldn’t remember anything about my dream. I felt a sense of anxiety and stress but I didn’t know what from. I palmed the calming crystal I had left on my nightstand and instantly felt a sense of relief.
Looking at the clock, I only had two hours before I needed to get ready for school. Peeping out the window at the rising sun, any other day I would have gone for a run with no hesitation. Ignorance was bliss, they say. Deciding if I was going to be murdered by a vampire, it wouldn’t matter if I knew if they existed or not and got dressed for a run.
I searched through my duffle, finding a pair of shorts and tight sports bra I brought with me. I had hoped to buy more when I got here. I had decided to leave the majority of my sports gear behind and opted for regular clothes. I had brought my soccer cleats that are now basically useless since the school didn’t have sports. I threw on one of my large overnight pajama shirts, not feeling entirely comfortable just running in a bra.
Tying my hair up in a ponytail, I glanced at what direction I should run. Do I go towards town and have the chance to run into people? I would potentially be safe considering i don’t think any ‘creature’ would murder anyone in front of other people. Or do I continue up the road away from town? I remember Sabine mentioning a waterfall some ways up. I had already decided to go for a run in the first place, fuck it why not just go the whole way.
I started out slow, doing some arms stretches and some larger steps to stretch out my legs a bit. I took in the forest around me as I started to pick up speed.
With the sun peeping through the top of the trees, the floor was coated with a thin morning mist. The pink sky placed an overall warmer tone to the usual dark forest. I could easily see through the trees for a good half mile, maybe a mile. It was truly beautiful and not something I experienced back home. Majority of the city had been developed into neighborhoods and shopping centers. Every yard had a decorative tree, but nothing like this. If I had wanted to experience nature like this, it would have been a good few hours drive.
“I swear I’m not following you.” A voice startled, I quickly turned around coming to a stop.
Jax had his hands up sheepishly. A small film of sweet glistened across his stomach. He had no shirt on and holy shit was he ripped like a god. The sun hit off his olive toned skin perfectly.
My eyes narrowed, trying to control my ogling. “How long have you been behind me?”
Jax was looking me up and down, I felt a small shiver go down me, landing and warming the patch area between my legs.
“Just from around the bend. I noticed you were slowing down and I didn’t want to alarm you.”
“I wasn’t slowing down” I scoffed.
He smiled at me. “You were, but we’re going uphill so it’s to be expected.” He was slowly walking towards me.
“I wasn’t slowing down,” I repeated, crossing my arms. The motion pushed my bra up a bit, the shirt clung across the top of my breasts. Jax’s eyes followed the motion, gold flecks starting to swarm in his eyes.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart” His voice came out a bit husky.
“So you just happen to be running the same time as me on the same route, but you’re not following me?” I asked
Jax rolled his eyes, playfully. “Actually I run here every morning. My house is at the top of the hill and I run down into town and back.”
I looked up the road, I haven’t seen any houses on the way here nor did I see any houses up the road.
“You live kind of far from town” I stated.
Running his hand through his hair, Jax chuckled. “Uhh.. yeah my family kind of likes their privacy”
“The whole town likes their privacy”
Jax shrugged and started walking past me.
“Yeah, it is what it is.”
I don’t know why I continued to walk with him, but I didn’t really feel like going home yet.
“I guess it’s not a bad thing. But it's just different from where I lived.”
“I think our town is a lot different from the majority of other towns.”
I nodded.
“Do you want to see one of my favorite spots? It might make us late to school though.” He looked at me, shyly.
“Sure”I said hesitantly but his sheepish look made it hard to say no.
He gave me a smile and held his hand out. I grabbed it and my heart skipped a beat while his warmth shot up my arm.
He pulled me towards the side of the road, heading towards the forest.
“We’re going into the forest?” I said, my heart now beating from fear. I didn’t want to go in there.
He paused at the sound of the shaking of my voice.
“Hayley, I would never let anything happen to us, but we can go another time if you want too.”
His thumb softly stroked the back of my hand.
The notion started to calm me and looked up at him, he looked back taking in my face.
“Alright” I said softly.
He brought my hand to his lips, giving them a small kiss, still looking back at me.
“It’s not far. I promise.” Giving me a small smile, he turned back, pulling me behind him.
We walked for about a bit in silence before I could start to hear the sound of running water. The splashing against rocks continued to get louder. I could smell the difference in the air as we got closer to the water, it was cleaner and more crisp. We broke through a clearing in the trees to a small waterfall that flowed into a small pond. It looked deep enough for people to swim in, but not large enough for anything else. “Isn’t it beautiful?” He said, letting go of my hand so I could walk freely. I smiled at him. “It is. It’s almost like being separated from the rest of the world.”
We walked in silence to his house-correction-mansion. The wood paneling and giant clear windows reminded me of ski resorts I had visited with my dad. There was what I assumed was staff cleaning as we walked into the front room. They didn’t look up or acknowledge us as Jax pulled me towards the stairs. I looked around in awe at the beyond gorgeous house. The white marble flooring stretched into all the visible rooms and up the stairs. The stairs had two sets to walk up one of each side, the stairwell framing the entrance to the living room.
With my heart pounding, I made my way to Jax. It felt like everything moved in slow motion till I was by his side. I slipped my hand into his, letting his warmth comfort me. He looked at me curiously before finishing the transaction and making our way to the car. “Have you heard about people going missing around here?” I asked Jax as we headed back into town. I watched his muscles visibly tense around the steering wheel. “What do you mean?” He said through gritted teeth.
Jax snarled, getting off the floor and leaping at Sabine. She threw him against the wall again with a flick of her hand. This time he stayed against the wall, sprawled out to his arms to the side. “Let me go, Witch” I watched as Jax's teeth started to lengthen and some of his facial features shifted. “Only if you are going to be a good doggy” Sabine replied. He snarled again, struggling against Sabine's hold on him. "You won't
Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around the darkened room. I realized I was in my room, cocooned in my bed. A warm hand held mine and I looked over at my mom, sleeping softly at the edge of the bed with half of her body slumped over in a chair. I gently moved my hand away and went to stretch a bit, my body felt really stiff. A dull pain lingered on the sides of my head. “Oh Sweetie you’re awake. Let me get you some water” My mom said softly. I realized how dry my throat felt and a cough followed forcibly. Sabine hovered by my doorw
The next few days were a blur as I gathered my strength. If I stood too long, my head would start hurting again and my legs felt weak from laying in bed for so long. My heart also felt heavy at the news that my mother wasn’t my mother and before I had time to process, she left for her new job. Sabine and Jax kept me updated on the consistent train of guests stopping into town, trying to figure out what the beacon of power was. Meghan stopped by and expressed her excitement that I knew who she was and the fact that apparently her boyfriend was going to come into town soon at the request of Jax. With Sabine’s permission, Jax decided today
“How was your walk?” Sabine asked as Jax helped me up the stairs to my room.“Eventful.” He murmured back, his hands holding my hips firmly as we walked together.“How so?” She pressed on, following us.“Damien stopped us for a chat.” I said bluntly.“The vampire? He’s a dangerous one.” She said absentmindedly.“Funny enough he said the same thing about you.”Sabine paused on the stairs as I felt a shift
Jax loomed over as I laid back on the bed he just threw me on.He crawled over me , being careful not to put his full body weight on top of me.My chest rose and fell dramatically, my hardened nipples scratching against my top.Jax softly kissed down my jaw, making his way down my neck. He paused at the base of my neck between my collarbone, he gave it a small lick causing a slight shiver down my back. He growled at my response, biting the spot this time softly. I arched up at him, letting out a small moan.“Fuck” he whispered, he slipped his hand under my shirt while I had
HayleyI heard the whistle in the air before I saw the arrow that struck Brennan in the chest. An arm went around my waist and pulled me into a hard chest as a brunette woman came from behind me, firing more arrows. She didn’t spare me a glance as she walked in front of me as Brennan roared, pulling at the arrows as fast as she was launching them. “In the portal, little wolf,” A deep voice spoke in my ear as I barely caught Niko’s face before he threw me into Damien's arms. “Get her out of here.”Damien tightened his grip and tried to push me toward the window. I grabbed his arm, twisted out of his hold, and growled at him, “He’s pack. I’m not leaving him behind.”“He’s going to be right behind us,” Damien grabbed me again, pushing me hard into the portal. It felt like being dunked into ice water, light so bright you couldn’t see but the cool sensation slipped over my skin and coldness seeped into my bones. It reminded me of when I made the deal to save Damien’s life but I didn’t fee
I slipped out of bed, stretching my sore body. Damien was sleeping soundly, which was a weird thing to witness because I don’t think vampires slept, but he was no longer a vampire.The moonlight lit up the room and I glanced out the window, taking in the dense forest surrounding the house. We had spent the rest of the day entangled in each other and I was trying to push the guilt away. I felt selfish to have a moment of happiness for myself when I didn’t know what was happening to everyone else. Rubbing my chest, I could feel the slight warmth of my pack, a reminder that I’m not alone, but I had no idea where they were.“Hayley…” Sabine’s soft voice interrupts my thoughts and I spin to see her standing in the doorway. Damien didn’t steer from the bed and I clutch onto the windowsill to prevent
AeronThe click of the last cuff was a brief relief as the car rocked to the side and I grip the steering wheel, trying to counter the movement. I know we’ll be flipped soon and I hope Andrus is close by.“Protect your brother, Meghan. Don’t worry about me.” I say through clenched teeth. Adeline running me hard and Sage begging to be let out to play.“I don’t usually give you a second thought anyway.” She scoffs and I laugh from the sweet taste filling my mouth as I slam on the brakes, narrowing missing the wolf that was charging us.Before the car has come to a complete stop, I jump and I hear Meghan pushing Jax out of the door on the other side. I shift, letting Sage take over a
JaxThe sudden drop of my shoulders and the pressure of the movement of those muscles have me gasping awake. I try to blink but my eyelids are swollen and crusted shut with blood.“You are one ugly dude right now.” I hear Aeron’s voice whisper near me, hands grab me under my arms as I sag against a body.I hiss at him, “Shut.. the… fuck.. Up” I get out between ragged breathes, though the warmth of my brother here has amusement seeping into my voice.His chuckle is low as I groan from the freedom of the wall, I can feel the shackles still around my wrist though.“Can’t shift,” I say and try to lift my arms, Aeron grabs the c
AERON Snapping my fingers for their attention, Andrus and Iris finally break apart. “Finally. You didn’t swallow her tongue this much when we were parting for the Hunt.” Iris giggles while Andrus growls in warning at me, pulling her tighter against his chest. “I knew I was going to find her immediately after.” I laugh. “Yes, because that plan went so well. We barely fought our way off pack land. This is so no different, say your final goodbyes. You are the one who suggested tonight.” He goes to growl at me again and Iris puts a hand on his chest, caressing him softly. “We will be fine. You’ll find us quickly, I’m sure of it.” Isaiah shakes his head, watching us all. I could see the smile on his lips though. Iris and Andrus were a perfect example of fated mates, so sickeningly in love with each other. “We will be fine. Bring Jax back to us, He’s going to need more healing than I can provide.” I grimace at that statement, ignoring the irritation that I didn
Aeron “Well, how was he?” Andrus asks as soon as Isaiah walks into the cabin. “He’s…” Isaiah glances at me, “alive.” I make a disgusted scoff and he rolls his eyes, making his way to where Iris, Andrus’ wife, is making food. “So he’s not doing well, but you don’t want me to catch you in a lie.” Isaiah sighs. “They’re beating him, not torture, but I still had to heal him. But–” he pauses with a grimace. Andrus is pacing throughout the room and he growls when Isaiah doesn’t continue. “Out with it. We risked a lot to visit him. Someone could have followed you back,” He glances out the window a
The eggs in my mouth quickly taste like ash the minute he comes strutting through the doorway. “Ah! the little wolf is finally awake.” He sounds gitty. My stomach sours at his words and I growl. “Call me that again, watch what happens.” He grins. “Hard to listen to your bark when I know you don’t have a bite.” Brennan cackles and the fork in my hand bends from the strength of my grip. Damien stands from the table and puts himself between us. “Is there something you need, brother?” Brennan raises an eyebrow. “I can move freely in my house without a desired location or plan in mind.”
I felt his warm body pressed against mine, but it did little to ease the coldness that had settled inside me. It was an odd thing to feel alone in your own body, I had gone almost 18 years without Aurora’s presence. Now, I couldn’t remember a day before her. Even when she wasn’t speaking to me, I hadn’t realized I still felt her independent opinions on matters and how they might have influenced mine.Damien shifted so I was pressed more against his chest and his thigh pushed closer in between my legs. “I know you’re awake.” He spoke softly.I tilted my head to blink up at him. It was still shocking to see green eyes staring back at me. Raising the hand I had resting on his chest, I traced his jaw. The morning light was filtering through the window
DamienI close my eyes as Hayley’s screams start up again, the wood of the chair groaning as my knuckles turn white from clenching the arms of it.My brother clicks his tongue across from me in disgust. “I would have thought you had learned your lesson.” He sat calmly, picking at his pants as if he was bored. His long fingers were sharpened at the end, making him look more like the monster he truly is. I glare at him now. “And what lesson is that?”“That a woman makes you weak. Twice now I’ve had to save you because of a woman.”I spare a glance at Sabine, who sits tight lipped next to him. Her face is sober, her gaze stuck to the ground. “You would be nothing without a woman, brother. Don’t forget that.”Shadows dance across my feet and I snarl at them. I remember the chill of them pulling me out of a stilled and quiet darkness. Brennan laughs and pulls them away from me. “A woman didn’t make me who I am.” He trails a clawed finger dow