by Desi Lin
His mother, on the other hand, her stunning features set her apart. Her dark auburn hair curled around her chin, perfectly styled without a single hair daring to fall out of place. Wide eyes the same golden-brown as JJ’s with long lashes and perfectly arched eyebrows. She was around my height but carried a little extra weight. Even so, in a simple pair of jeans and a plain yellow top, she screamed elegance.
Just like Sophie, they looked so ordinary, like every other family in the brightly lit restaurant.
What was that like, to be so… normal? So close? I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. Could I do this? Could I fit into their world? What if I said something offensive or did the wrong thing? Would they hate me? Want me to stay away from JJ? I didn’t understand family dynamics.
I cared way more than I ever thought I would about him, about all of them. The idea of not being with them made it difficult to breathe. Fuck, it would kill me.
“Firefly?” A soft touch to my cheek jerked me out of my head. My gaze caught the concern in his golden-brown eyes. “You okay?”
No, I wasn’t, but how could I tell him that?
With a deep breath to bury my nerves, I pasted on a smile. “I don’t know.” I spoke quietly, not wanting to upset his family. “But I’m not ready to talk about it right now, okay?”
JJ’s fingers toyed with strands of my hair. “Sure. Whenever you’re ready, firefly.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple, and we took our seats. Right now, I might not be okay, but I would be, eventually.
Until then, well, I would keep going the way I’d been.
Eleven
School on Monday was a welcome distraction from the stress of the weekend, and I hated thinking of it like that. Spending time with Souta and JJ on our dates was amazing, but I felt like my skin was too tight these days. Or maybe, more accurately, the sensation I was in someone else’s skin.
For the first time in two days, it felt like I could breathe. I’d slipped on a pair of torn black jeans, a long-sleeved shirt covered in sugar skulls, boots, and my jacket this morning. Officially I’d been a part of the guys’ Genus for almost a month now, and I thought things would be different. I thought we’d end up seamlessly fitting together, working without much thought or effort. It would just happen, like the magic binding us together. Only it wasn’t.
Maybe it should have, would have, if I were at all, even remotely, normal. But how was it supposed to work with three family guys and a girl who’d been largely isolated her entire life? Granted, I’d never minded being alone, until I met the guys. Now I had to work hard to fit into the boys’ lives and families. Well, two of them.
Brooks still hadn’t introduced me to his family, though I had an inkling why. I caught the impression his family demanded his time. Neither Souta nor I had seen much of him over the last week unless it was at school. Speaking of which…
I scanned the courtyard around the front of the school for his adorable blondness.
“See him?” Next to me, Souta’s dark gaze also scanned the courtyard.
In a pair of fitted jeans and a red Henley topped with the lightweight black jacket he usually wore, Souta looked so damn good I nearly reached up to check if I was drooling.
Fellow students lounged around on the concrete steps or planters filled with hardy green plants and lackluster, brown mulch or leaned up against the red brick of the building. The overcast sky didn’t allow any sun to warm us but, thankfully, no breeze came along to freeze anyone. A couple students sat at one of the two round stone tables and bench combos, books open, and papers spread across the rough gray surface. Through the glass double doors, more students milled around the dull lockers, or strode through the main hall, obscuring the hideous crusader on the floor. The volume level was ear-splitting, with a million conversations, videos or music on people’s phones, and the slamming of car doors filling the air around me.
A shiver ran down my spine as I caught sight of those weird, cold eyes again at the edge of the student parking lot, Chester. This time they seemed to be boring a hole right into my soul. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I turned and rushed toward the school to get away from his gaze.
“Sera!” I dimly registered Souta calling after me, but I needed to get away from that odd stare. A few steps from the doors I slammed into a hard-muscled body. Arms grabbed me when I stumbled, preventing me from falling to my ass on the concrete. My heart seized in panic until I looked up to find my savior was Dane. Panic turned to irritation when his gaze flicked over my shoulder, and his hands drifted down to my waist to pull me against him.
“Shame when a guy can’t manage to keep his girl.” Dane’s snarky voice grated on me. “Good thing I’m here to take proper care of her.”
Oh my god, how did any girl fall for this guy’s crap? I put a hand to his chest and shoved, hard, but his grip on my waist tightened, making it look more like I was grinding against him.
A familiar, angry growl came from behind me.
Breathe, don’t let the fucker get to you, Souta. He’s just pushing your buttons.
I didn’t say that, though, too busy still shoving against Dane and trying to wiggle out of his hold.
“Fuck off, Hicks! Stay away from my girl! And from Brooks, for that matter!”
What the fuck did Brooks have to do with anything? Shoving and wiggling weren’t working, and whatever material the puke-green sweater Dane wore was made off, it itched against my palm like a million ants. Time for more extreme measures.
I ran my hand down his chest, watching through narrowed eyes, and he grinned wider over my shoulder. “Mmmmmmm, yeah, feel something you like, baby?” Dane practically yelled the question, and fire raced through my veins.
My hand found the edge of his jeans. In one swift move, I grabbed his nuts in a vise grip, heated my hand, and twisted.
“Ah!” Dane screamed as he doubled over, hands dropping away from me like lead weights.
I shoved him backward, and he screamed again as I finally released him.
Loud, cackling laughter drew my attention.
Glancing over my shoulder, I found Souta with tears of laughter streaming down his delicate face. He took a couple deep gulping breaths and wiped his eyes, then strode over, eyes shining with laughter as he took in Dane, still doubled over with a hand on his family jewels.
Souta settled an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Come on, let’s go find the others, hot stuff.”
As we headed inside, my gaze drifted to where I had seen Chester, but the spot was empty of people now. A shudder ran through me at the memory of his stare.
“Hey. What’s wrong, beautiful? Cold?”
My head jerked around at the familiar southern drawl. With a huge grin, I stepped out from under Souta’s arm and into Brooks’ waiting ones. Not wanting to bring up what I was sure was a ridiculous reaction to a stranger I latched on to the excuse and nodded. He tucked me into his side as Souta joined me in the warm embrace. Brooks’ arms wound around both of us as he pressed kisses to the tops of our heads. A hand ran down my back, another pair of lips pressing a kiss to the back of my neck.
“Okay, firefly?” JJ murmured against the sensitive skin of my neck, sending shivers of desire plunging downward.
Standing here, in my boys’ embrace, any agitation and unsettled feelings I had melted away. “Yeah, just Dane being a dick.”
JJ growled, but Souta laughed. “Don’t worry, our girl took care of him.”
JJ lifted a questioning brow, but then the bell rang.
Gently batting at arms, it started to feel a little ridiculous, how I reacted to a simple stare, I wiggled free of the circle of boys. Giving myself a shake, I shot them a grin. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Turning, I strode toward history.
Halfway through history, a note slipped onto my desk.
Let me know if you need me. Our spot is always open. B.
Warmth spread through me, my heart melting a little at his concern. How
had I ever thought I stood a chance at keeping them away?
As the bell rang, I gathered my stuff and met the boys outside the door. I tangled my hand in Brooks’ golden curls and tugged him down for a quick kiss.
“Thank you. I will,” I whispered against his lips before kissing him again and letting go.
He nodded, turned, and headed down the hall toward his next class.
Brooks still felt like the biggest mystery of the three of them, but oddly enough, I also felt like I’d connected with him first and in a more intimate way than either Souta or JJ.
JJ pecked my cheek. “See you at lunch, firefly,” then took off, too. Left with Souta, we linked hands to head to math. Oh, joy.
Souta was the only reason I ever made it through math without detention. Mr. Thompson wasn’t a bad teacher, but we rubbed each other wrong. Old fogey. Today I managed to keep my mouth shut, my head down, and my thoughts worry-free all the way up to the bell.
Next, I headed toward Genus studies alone since Souta’s class was on the other side of campus. On Friday, Ms. Gallup told us to meet her out in the courtyard for today’s class, so I headed that direction. Pushing through the doors, I came face to face with those odd, cold eyes again.
“You.” His voice washed over me, a warm rumble most would have found sexy but grated against my senses.
I backed the fuck up until I felt the cold glass of the door against my back. Objectively, he could, and did, turn heads with his black hair, fit body, and a face straight out of the movies, but those eyes.
They froze my insides.
He leaned in, and I swallowed hard. “I can feel it around you, practically pouring off you. I can almost smell it.”
My self-preservation instinct screamed at me to kick him in the nuts or tear his eyes out and get the hell away, but my body wasn’t cooperating. He breathed in deep, as if committing my scent to memory, and it was enough to unfreeze my body. My knee came up and slammed into his crotch, sending him to his knees with a cry.
I groped for the door handle, finding it seconds later and falling through the door, right into Ms. Gallup.
“Sera, dear, are you okay?” She glanced at the door and scowled when she caught sight of Chester on his knees. “Dammit, did he bother you? I don’t know why Scholae Jones insists on letting him hang around. He’ll never find what he’s looking for here.”
Ms. Gallup steadied me, then reached around to open the door. “I suggest you leave.”
Her voice held steel, and I wasn’t at all surprised when Chester stood, hunched in discomfort, and hobbled off without a backward glance.
After giving the guy some time to clear out, Ms. Gallup patted my shoulder. “Come on, dear. You’re going to enjoy today’s lesson, I think. We’re studying the creation myth, and I thought everyone might like the chance to be outside among their elements.”
I loved Ms. Gallup. She was tall, probably around six feet without the heels she always wore, with a body that seemed a lot healthier than the stick figures I would often see on women of her height. Short, brown hair curled around a delicate face with wide hazel eyes. And she carried herself with a regal bearing that put me in mind of queens of old. On my first day, she told me she didn’t give two figs about what the records said, and that everyone should be able to start with a clean slate.
Without hesitation, I followed her outside to where the others waited not too far off in one of the larger side areas. Unlike the one I found shortly after starting, neatly tucked out of sight, this one was open to the rest of the courtyard.
A wide courtyard held a tiered water fountain. In the center rose a marble basin filled with dry leaves and branches, waiting for the kiss of flame. Below, a basin filled with water fed from smaller fountains bursting up around it. Benches surrounded the fountain, with wide planters that overflowed with flowers and shrubs, settled between them. From each planter rose stone pillars with flags at the top, to catch the wind. Several large shade trees protected the area from any onlookers.
The court of elements.
Not every Illustratio possessed one, but in my opinion, they should. When the basin in the center of the fountain was lit, you could practically feel the Mother’s blessing. All four elements existing in perfect harmony. It’s clear why it was a favorite of the students. Everyone took seats on the stone benches, Ms. Gallup turned to me. “Would you like to light the brazier for us, please?”
Hell, yeah!
Pulling my lighter from my pocket, I flicked it and ran a hand over the flame to capture it. I tucked the lighter back into my pocket, playing the flame over my other hand and concentrating on feeding it enough power to ensure it caught the brazier on fire. It didn’t seem to be doing anything at first, so I fed it a hint more power.
As I tossed it toward the pile of tinder, my insides lit on fire, racing through me and bursting out the tips of my fingers. The small ball of fire erupted into a huge sphere and hurtled at the brazier.
Around me the other students screamed, a few falling backward as if trying to get away, though they sat far enough to be safe. I watched, frozen, as the branches caught with a roar, the flames shooting into the sky ten feet before falling back and simmering.
“Well, that was quite a display Sera.” Ms. Gallup wiped her forehead with a small smile.
“I - I’m sorry.” I barely got the words out, still unable to move. All around me, the others were taking their seats again, several shooting glares my direction. More than one muttered, “Show-off,” could be heard.
Only, I didn’t mean to do more than send a small ball of flame at the brazier, certainly nothing like throwing a monster fireball. And that drop in power just before the surge? I never felt anything like it either, as if the flames actually raced through me.
“Let’s try to keep it smaller next time, dear.” Ms. Gallup dismissed the incident and turned to address the rest of the class.
Unable to dismiss it so easily, I barely heard any of the lesson because my mind was trying to figure out what happened.
Between the incident with Chester and the huge ball of unintended flame, I wanted nothing more than to curl into Brooks’ lap and let his calm soothe me or get lost in music with Souta or watch JJ perfect a piece of art. Thankfully, lunch was next. When the bell rang, I snatched up my bag and tried to take off, needing my boys more than ever, but Ms. Gallup stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened.” She said it as a statement rather than a question. It didn’t surprise me she knew about the incident in P.E. I nodded. “It’s unusual for someone so young to display such power.”
Nature didn’t like being told what to do. It took a lot of effort for any of us to manipulate our element, and real power took years to cultivate. Also, being part of a Genus was supposed to temper our powers to give us more control, not less. I shouldn’t be able to do the things I had been doing.
“Do you know why it’s happening?” I shook my head and wished I did. “I’ll look into it. I’ve never heard of anyone’s ability fluctuating like this, but you never know.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t stop myself from throwing my arms around the ample woman and giving her a quick hug before racing for the door again.
“For what, dear?” She called after me. I skidded to a halt in front of the door and glanced back over my shoulder.
“For trusting that I didn’t do it on purpose,” I called back and slid through the door.
The halls were too crowded for me to run full tilt for the cafeteria, so I settled for pushing my way through as fast as I could.
As if he knew I needed him, I found Brooks first. He opened his arms while I remained several feet away, and I launched myself at him. Burying my face in his chest like always, I breathed him in. We stood in silence for several minutes while I let myself freak out. Footsteps approached, and Souta and JJ joined us, but they didn’t reach for me for once. I might have broken down if they had.
“Do you need privacy?�
� Brooks whispered the question, but I shook my head.
Everyone would know by now, anyway. I pulled away, leaning up for a gentle kiss before turning to the others. JJ pulled me in for a tight hug and a tongue-thrusting kiss.
When it was Souta’s turn, he held me against him for a moment before tangling his hand in my hair. “You okay, hot stuff?”
“I’ll tell you about it once we get our food.”
After a quick trip through the lunch line, we all sat, and the boys looked at me expectantly.
I started with Chester.
“That fucker!” Souta exploded the second I stopped talking. “I swear if I see him again, I’ll—”
Brooks’ hand on his arm stopped Souta’s tirade before he could build up steam.
Souta sank back into his chair. “Weirdsville needs to find somewhere new to hang.”
Silently, I agreed with him but doggedly continued by telling them about the ball of flame and how the fire felt like it was actually inside me. I prayed they wouldn’t walk away as I talked. I should have known better.
Brooks leaned over the table to kiss my cheek. “Don’t worry, beautiful, we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
“Yeah, we will,” Souta replied as he dug into his food.
I sent a prayer to the Mother that they were right.
“I think we need to go back to the Tabularium soon.” When they all nodded in agreement, I pulled my phone out, eyes catching the waiting text.
Dane: Where the fuck are you?
“Shit,” I muttered and stood, gathering up my nearly empty lunch tray and backpack. “I’m supposed to be working with Dane in the library today. I gotta go.”
As I kissed them, the boys all scowled but didn’t bother to try to stop me.
I dashed to the nearby library, thankful enough of lunch remained to be productive.
Slowing as I neared the door, I pushed through quietly, spotting Dane at one of the wood tables, a book open in front of him, pencil tapping against a notebook as he stared at his phone.