“What should we be watching for while on duty?” She whispered to Xander, feeling like she was disturbing the silence.
“Anything that looks out of the ordinary. People who don’t belong.” He tipped his head toward the streets behind them. “The university is warded, meaning everyone who enters and exits is tracked, and we’ll get a notification if there’s an uninvited visitor. Our job is to hunt them down and get them to leave.”
She stared toward the road, but no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t detect anything. “Magic is real?”
Both men cast a quick glance at her, and she knew she’d demonstrated her ignorance again.
Xander looked over her head and raised a brow. She turned in time to see Camden’s brief nod.
“There are three major groups of paranormal creatures.” To her surprise, Camden crouched down next to her, close enough that she was acutely aware of the power he exuded. “Vampires, shifters and witches.”
“Holy shit.” She wobbled a little bit as she spun to stare at him. “Vampires are real?”
For a second, she’d swear she saw him repress a smile, then it was gone.
“They aren’t like the movies and books. They’re vicious, twisted creatures who use mind control to feed on those weaker than them.” A grimace twisted his features. “Thankfully, they usually keep to the accords. Each species is trained to keep the others in check. Each pack is expected to control their own people. If they can’t, the accord allows for a hunt to be called, and we’re forced to hunt the guilty party while the witches take care of covering up the mess.”
She shivered at the starkness in his eyes. “What happened?”
He shook his head, and the vulnerable look was gone. He turned away, his strides forcing her to scramble to keep up with him. Xander tapped her arm and shook his head, and she grudgingly gave up the chase. “A hunt is just what it sounds like. There is no trial, no jury, and no presumed innocence. If a hunt is called, you have already been found guilty. The hunters won’t stop until their prey has been found and terminated.”
She sensed his reluctance to say more, but she had to know what she was getting herself into if she stayed. “Tell me.”
His face hardened, the soldier in him suppressing all emotions. “They’re torn apart.”
Then he too headed off in the distance.
She didn’t have to be told that they lost someone to the hunt…that they might have actually been called upon to participate. A shiver raced down her spine at the thought of it happening to her, but she much preferred to be ripped apart by them than returned to her uncle.
They continued to patrol in silence until three in the morning. She didn’t mind the missed sleep, since her nightmares would have tortured her until dawn anyway. When they reached the house, she was surprised to find Mason standing outside waiting for them.
She quickly scanned him, searching for injuries, but the big giant appeared fine.
As they entered the house, Xander and Camden headed toward the hall, then opened the scarred door at the end, and she realized it led to a basement. A light flickered on as they headed down, and the spit dried out of her mouth when they disappeared. Only when the door to the basement banged shut behind them was she able to breathe again.
Her knees shook pathetically at the thought of being dragged down those stairs.
Of being trapped.
She shook off the horrors, wishing they were that easy to forget.
Mason opened the fridge and offered her a glass of water, thankfully distracting her. “We patrol the grounds three nights a week. Though we are given some leeway, we’re expected to keep up with our schoolwork. You’ll be entered in some basic classes to teach you about our world. Your general testing will take place Monday morning, before your first class, so they can determine where you’ll be placed for the rest of your studies.”
She nodded, then smiled when his hair seemed to sway, and she couldn’t help her fascination. “Why does your hair do that?”
To her surprise, he blushed, quickly patting down the strands self-consciously. Behind him, Logan burst out laughing as he sauntered into view. “Think of it like an erection. His kind attracts mates by having the biggest horns and the most expressive hair. It requires a lot of practice to control.”
He slapped Mason on the back, then walked past them to head up stairs. “I’m going to get a couple of hours of sleep before we have to be up.”
Leaving behind an awkward silence in the kitchen.
“Sorry, I don’t know much about trolls.”
Mason shrugged. “We mostly keep to ourselves.”
When he said no more, she turned to go to her room, and he cleared his throat. “And what he said is not exactly true. My hair is an added sense, like sight or smell or taste. But there’s something about you I can’t place, an energy that draws me closer.”
He took a step toward her, and she backed up the stairs until they were eye level. He was a large man, but he moved with such lethal silence that she couldn’t help but watch the way his muscles flexed. The fragrance of fresh pine and earthy copper curled around her, and she watched as his hair slowly stretched toward her, a tentative offer of friendship.
Unable to refuse the invitation, she lifted her hand, then marveled as the coarse strands tickled the palm of her hand, tangling her fingers into the mass.
“You feel...beautiful,” he murmured.
Her face heated, her belly did a slow roll, and she shuffled closer, enchanted by the blissful look on his face. She carefully touched her hand to his jaw, noting again his differences from humans. Something about him made her feel safe, something she hadn’t experienced in so long that she knew her emotions were getting tangled up.
“You will be safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Her enjoyment dimmed at his husky promise, and she dropped her hands from him. “You can’t promise that.”
The last thing she wanted was for him to get anywhere near her uncle. He would kill Mason without a hint of remorse, and she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him. “I should go.”
When she turned to leave, he caught her hand. While he could’ve easily used his strength to get her to do what he wanted, he didn’t. He just patiently waited for her to turn toward him.
“You have nothing to fear from any of us.” He ran his other hand over his hair, the strands slowly settling down. “Logan is an asshole, Xander a brutal taskmaster, and Camden a dictator, but they’ve all suffered to get here. Be gentle with them…if you can.”
He released her, but she didn’t move, held captive by his words. “And you?”
“I’ll be your friend.” He ducked his head, as if bashful. “If you’ll let me.”
Sensing that he didn’t offer his friendship very often, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. His head snapped up, his fingers touching where she’d brushed her lips, and she smiled at him. “I would like that.”
She turned away and disappeared before he had a chance to react. When Annora entered her room, she found the place aglow with moonlight. It didn’t take her long to put the sheets on the bed, their sea breeze scent reminding her of Xander, and she relaxed a bit at knowing he was near if she needed him.
The two ferrets were snuggled up in the rafters, and she quickly scooped them up and deposited them on the pillow next to hers. They both watched her, the angle of their heads exactly the same, like mirror images of each other.
She quickly washed, marveling at the warm water, then brushed her teeth and changed. When she snuggled down under her blanket, the ferrets curled around her shoulders, and she sighed in contentment.
* * *
As soon as her eyes closed, dreams swarmed her mind and took over. No matter how hard she tried to wake up, she was stuck, listening to her uncle’s footsteps approaching.
He was coming for her.
And she was trapped in her cell hundreds of feet under the ground.
Her breath stalled w
hen he finally came into view, a lump of despair forming in her throat at his malicious smile, and her heart rattled in her chest so violently it threatened to crack her ribs. “Just a few more days, and I’ll be free of you. Be a good girl, and maybe I’ll sell you to someone nice.”
It was a lie.
He would sell her to the highest bidder, and they both knew it. She would be cut open and experimented on over and over until they learned everything they could about her…until they could duplicate her ability to cheat death.
She pushed off the floor where she was huddled, her broken bones grinding as she moved, but she refused to show him any weakness, refused to let him win. She healed faster than humans, but he kept her weak, kept her broken so he could control her more easily.
And it worked.
“When are you going to learn that defiance will get you nowhere?” He selected a whip off the wall outside her cell, and she was unable to disguise her flinch as she watched the leather uncoil like a snake ready to strike. “It looks like you need to be taught another lesson.”
The first strike flayed open the skin on her arm, and she quickly turned and covered her head. She lost count of the blows as they split open her skin, the skimpy training shorts and sports bra doing nothing to protect her.
She refused to reach for the darkness. While it might help her heal faster, it only pissed her uncle off more, making her punishment worse. Her gift was only to be used to help others, she wasn’t allowed to waste it on herself.
Not that she didn’t try and use them to escape when she worked up enough energy to stand, but the thousands of pounds of dirt and reinforced metal prevented her from leaving.
She was tempted to lose herself in the darkness and never come back, but there was something waiting for her, something that frightened her even more than her uncle. She could survive her uncle’s torture, but she wasn’t sure she could survive the hungry creature waiting for her in the darkness. Every time she entered the afterworld, she could feel it hunting her, getting closer each day.
A scream of rage and pain and helplessness caught in her throat, and she threw back her head, releasing the torment she could no longer hold back.
“Wake up!” Hands clamped down on her shoulders, shaking her so hard her teeth clicked together…and pulled her out of the nightmare of the dream world.
She blinked open her eyes to find the room golden with sunlight. She shrugged away from the hands holding her, scrambling backwards until her spine hit the wall. Her chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing, grimacing to find herself covered with sweat.
Logan was perched on the edge of her bed wearing nothing but sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His skin was so pale he looked carved from stone, and his hair was standing up at odd angles.
That’s when she saw the rest of the guys crowding close behind him—Xander looked murderous, Camden appeared pissed, while Mason looked helpless, even partially changed to his troll self.
Logan leaned over, resting his fist on the other side of her legs, trapping her. “What happened?”
“Nightmares.” She took a deep breath, hating the way her breathing hitched. A ferret stood at the end of the bed on his hind legs, chittering like mad at the guys, his little arms waving, and the tightness in her chest eased. “Look, I’m fine. It happens sometimes.”
“Fine?” Logan’s voice was a low growl. When he lifted his hand toward her, she reared back, and he froze in place. Then, very slowly, he touched a single finger to her cheek and lifted the accusing finger. “This is not fine.”
She quickly scrubbed the tears off her face, scowling at the guys. “What? Like you don’t have nightmares?”
A slight tightening around his eyes told her she hit closer to home than she’d intended. Logan grabbed her ankle, giving a quick tug, until she sprawled awkwardly across the bed under him.
“There is a difference between nightmares and memories.” He shoved his face just inches from hers. He searched her eyes while the quiet swish of fresh snow falling around them filled her head as his crystal blue eyes went hard and flat. “I’m going to kill your uncle.”
When he went to launch himself off the bed, she quickly leaned over and latched onto his wrist. “You can’t kill him. He’s pure evil. If you go after him, you will only die.”
His face twisted in a snarl, his fangs peeking between his lips. “But I would take him with me.”
When he stormed away, panic took hold. The darkness inside her exploded outwards, and she took form in front of him before he could reach the stairs. She ignored the way the rest of the guys swore. “Please, you don’t understand. You can’t kill him…as in you physically aren’t able to kill him.”
Logan cupped her face, his warm fingers sinking into her hair. “Explain.”
She bit her lip, feeling like her whole world was about to implode. “If you kill him, I’ll die, too.”
Chapter Eight
“What?” Logan recoiled from her.
“How?” Xander glanced from the bed to her, his eyes narrowed.
“Explain.” Mason shoved aside soldier boy as if it required no more effort than to move over a sock, then stopped next to her.
A sharp whistle pierced the air, and everyone turned toward Camden. He reached out and cupped the back of Xander’s and Logan’s necks. “Downstairs. All of you.”
The two of them docilely did as they were told, their eyes slightly glassy. Camden placed both of his hands on Mason’s bulging biceps. The troll grumbled, but ultimately obeyed.
She cocked her head when only she and Camden remained, and she carefully kept her distance when he came closer. “What did you do to them?”
He raised his brows, then he lifted his hands. “Do you know what I am?”
She slowly shook her head, and he narrowed her eyes on her.
“But you could find out by just a look, couldn’t you?” He edged toward her, partially blocking the exit.
Annora bit the inside of her lip, the only nervous fidget she ever allowed herself. She had a choice to make…trust them with her future or leave and risk being captured again. One of the ferrets rested near Camden’s foot, sniffing him cautiously. The critters would bite her uncle every chance they got, trying to protect her, and often died for their transgressions.
When the ferret skittered back toward the bed without attacking, she took it to mean Camden wouldn’t betray her. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the darkness inside her to cover her eyes…then nearly swallowed her tongue to see a large lizard-shaped man in front of her. Instead of normal skin, it looked like he wore iridescent black armor that matched his hair. He looked intimidating as hell, even indestructible, as he stood with his feet spread, his arms crossed, large, razor-sharp spikes protruding from his elbows. His vivid green eyes were even brighter, reminding her of a poisonous frog she’d once seen on the internet.
She blinked away the darkness, and the Camden everyone else saw was waiting in front of her. He stood perfectly still, and the smell of exotic flowers she associated with him intensified. His skin rippled and formed a slight scaly pattern that resembled his alternate form.
“Well?” He lifted his chin, the sunlight catching his hair just right, so a rainbow of iridescent colors shimmered across the strands.
“You’re a dragon?” But that wasn’t right, and she shook her head.
His brows lifted, his eyes widening slightly at her guess. “An armored lizard.”
She wasn’t familiar with the term. “Never heard of one.”
“But you wouldn’t have, would you? You don’t seem to have heard of much.” Silence stretched between them when he sighed and turned to leave. “Go shower, then come down when you’re ready. We have things to discuss.”
Annora took her time, not looking forward to facing the guys after Camden’s ominous pronouncement. Freshly showered and changed into her spare clothes, she headed toward the stairs, but couldn’t make herself go down them. She paced back and forth for a go
od five minutes before she worked up the courage to face them.
While she wasn’t sure she was ready to share all her secrets, she needed help, and Rufus trusted them. If she wanted to live, she had to trust them as well.
She found them all waiting for her at the kitchen table. Mason straightened when he spotted her, while Logan scanned her from head to toe, then stood and headed toward the fridge.
“Go sit. I’ll make you something to eat.” When she didn’t move, he popped his head out from behind the door. Two heartbeats passed when he came toward her, and she resisted the urge to run, not comfortable with the guys’ casual touching.
He reached for her slowly, giving her time to move out of the way, and she had to force herself not to retreat. He held her hips, crowding closer, inching them both back until her ass hit the counter. Then he lifted her without any effort at all, depositing her on the countertop.
Which left them at eye level, his crystal blue eyes boring into hers. His red hair was done up with some gel and swept back, the shades of black underneath striking against the blazing red. “Stay here.”
Then he spun away and began to gather ingredients.
She picked up her legs and crossed them underneath her, scooting back so she could keep everyone in view.
“We’ll be skipping training today. The other hunters will take over.” Camden leaned back in his chair and kicked out his legs. “Ask us your questions.”
Annora pressed a fingernail against the edges of her fingertips, the sting helping collect her thoughts. Their offer was a kind of trap. They wanted her to ask questions so they would feel free to ask about her past. She blew out a breath—it was a fair trade, and she sensed it was something he rarely offered. “What happened to the last person on the team?”
All the guys stiffened, their gazes dropping…except for Camden. He just closed down, a shutter falling over his face. “Joseph joined the group six months ago, and nearly succeeded in killing us. In the process of trying to make us the best, he ripped our group apart. He went too far, put innocent people in danger, tried to sacrifice us to gain power, and paid for it with his life.”
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