The moment Mason stopped talking, he winced as though he knew he shouldn’t have said those words. Ben lurched forward and without warning, slammed his fist into Mason’s already bruised eye. Mason fell back onto his bike, causing it to crash with him to the ground.
A hint of anger bubbled in Sage’s chest. She watched in horror as Ben stood over Mason’s weakened body and landed a punch right into his abdomen. “You’re a sniveling piece of shit, Mase. I can’t believe we’re the same blood. Dad pays your tuition at that fancy boarding school and this is the thanks he gets? You’re lucky I don’t call him and tell him what a disgrace you are to his name.”
Wheezing, Mason glared up into his brother’s spiteful eyes. “Ben, please—”
Sage leapt to her feet, her purple eyes blazing. Surely, Ben wouldn’t aim to hurt his brother. Just a little roughening up, like siblings sometimes do. She waited for him to stop.
But he didn’t. Ben slammed his knuckles against Mason’s rib cage. Once, twice, three times.
As Ben continued to pummel into an already beaten Mason, Sage shifted fully into her owl. She wasn’t waiting any longer, it had gone on long enough. Now, wasn’t the time for distractions. It wasn’t the time for her to wonder whether she made a good Guardian. In that moment. It wasn’t about her. It was about Mason and his life.
Swooping into the alley, Sage brought her legs in front of her and aimed. Her talons spread wide as she landed on Ben’s head. Whipping her legs, she scratched at his face until he stumbled away from Mason. Arms flailing and blood pouring in lines down his face, Ben ran inside. She chased him just to make sure.
Shifting back into human form she ran for Mason to see if he was okay.
With swollen eyes, he stared. Breath shaking, he asked, “Sage?”
Chapter Six
Sage fell to her knees, inspecting his wounds. Mason’s head rested on the gravel, blood oozing from mouth and coating the ground in dark red. He coughed, eyes closing.
“Mason?” Sage asked. “Are you okay?”
“I saw you,” he wheezed, clutching at his ribs. “I saw your… eyes… You were at the… you were at…” Mason spluttered, turning his face to the side as he coughed up more blood. He gave a weak spit and rolled his head back around. “You were at the window.”
Sage swallowed. He’d seen her shift. He knew she was an owl.
She’d broken one of Makoto’s rules but in that moment as she looked at him, contracting in pain, it didn’t matter.
She tugged at his arm that covered his torso and moved it to the side. Gently, she lifted his shirt and inspected. Deep red swelled around two of his ribs. They were definitely broken.
“Do you have a phone?” she asked, moving her gaze to his face.
But his eyes were closed, his breathing labored.
“Mason?” she said, more urgently, tapping on his face. “Mason? I need you to wake up.”
A muffled moan reverberated in the back of his throat and his eyes flickered open. Each breath he took was weaker than the last. She rested her ear to his chest, and using her heightened hearing, she listened to his heartbeat. It was faint and erratic and even with no first aid training, she knew that wasn’t a good sign.
Her mind was a mix of thoughts. She needed to call an ambulance, someone who knew what they were doing. Her eyes darted to the studio door, wondering if she should risk calling for Ben. Would he even care? Would he want to finish the job? She glanced at his bike, laying on the ground. There was no way she could get them on that thing, she’d kill them both.
The only thing she could do was carry him to the hospital herself. She’d never tested her strength like that before, but now wasn’t the time to hesitate. She clutched at his shoulders and hauled him into a sitting position.
Mason howled in agony. And as she reached to lift him up, he grabbed her wrist. “St… stop.”
Sage cast her eyes to his hand as it softly circled her. And right there, peeking out of his unraveled bandage was a spiral mark—dark and black. Sage grabbed his arm, holding the mark toward the light to inspect it.
“You’re a Guardian?” she asked.
Mason groaned, letting his body fall back to the ground.
Sage half-shifted, using her owl’s vision to get a better look. It was a Guardian’s mark all right. Except, there was a bright glow underneath it, shining like a beacon. He hadn’t been turned yet, he was in incubation. Which meant—
Her heart raced as she looked up behind Mason. A transparent tiger with a red aura prowled around the bike, its gaze firmly on the mark. It was waiting, as all Guardians did, for the transition. So that they and their human counterpart could become one.
She thought it strange, though, that he didn’t seem to know what a Guardian was. True Guardians always informed and asked before marking, as Makoto had done with her. Unless. Shit! He’d been marked by a Fallen.
Droplets of cool rain began falling around them. Sage huddled over Mason, letting her wings open fully like an umbrella to protect him from the wet. Her hands shook as she wrapped his arm back in the bandage to stop the beacon for other Guardians. She didn’t want to risk enticing one, especially a Fallen.
As she tied the bandage up, she said “Okay, buddy. You’re going to have to let me carry you—”
She stopped talking the moment her eyes landed on his unmoving chest. Sage pushed her fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse. A lone beat tickled her fingertips, so faint she could barely feel it.
He was out of time.
And she was out of choices.
Sage ripped the bandage off again. She was a True Guardian and even though it was against the rules to turn someone before graduation, there was no way in hell she’d let him die. To save him, he’d need the speedy healing and strength of a Guardian.
Recalling Makoto’s lesson on transition: carnivores use teeth, birds use talons, Sage spread her fingers wide and placed them on the spiral mark. Then, with a dry throat and a hopeful heart, she dug her talons into his flesh.
Chapter Seven
Sage paced the length of her small dorm room. She took a few steps, paused at the door, then spun on her heels. She took another few steps to the window, sighed, and turned around to repeat the process. Camila stood in the middle of the room, her eyes floating between Mason and Sage.
It was eight in the morning and Sage hadn’t slept a wink. After she’d turned Mason, she managed to carry him the whole way back to campus. Luckily, the night was dark and cloudy, so the sight of a girl lugging an unconscious boy through the halls wasn’t so obvious. She’d kept her tired eyes glued to Mason the whole night and had lost count of the amount of times she’d checked his pulse. It was steady and strong, the way it should be. He’d also healed already—dried blood the only remnant from the night before. It was around seven-thirty when she decided she couldn’t handle it anymore and called Camila.
“I broke two of Makoto’s rules last night,” Sage said, her hands raking through her unbrushed purple locks.
Camila guffawed. “All you had to do was kill someone and you’d have hit the trifecta!”
Sage stopped in her tracks and gave Camila the side eye. “Seriously, what am I going to do?”
After a long sigh, Camila kicked Mason’s foot. “Keep him as a pet?”
Rolling her eyes, Sage glanced at the clock. “He’ll wake up soon, right? I don’t remember being out of it for so long.”
“God, don’t you remember?” Camila plonked herself on Sage’s bed. “I slept for a whole day after Makoto turned me.”
Sage nodded. But it wasn’t much comfort. Mason had no idea what he was about to become, and it was all her fault. She hovered over him, checking his pulse once more.
“Do you want me to cover for you?” Camila asked.
Sage let her fingers linger at his jaw line. He looked quite peaceful and kind while he slept. No fury wrinkles were creasing his brow. She let herself roll back to sit on the floor. Still looking at Mason, she replied, “If y
ou don’t mind? I probably need to be here when he wakes.”
A sly smile hit Camila. She looked between Sage and Mason. Shaking her head, she sighed. “Oh lord, you are in so much trouble, girl.”
“Huh?” Sage frowned. “Do you think Makoto will kick me out of the society? Can Guardians be un-Guardianed?”
“Don’t think so, but that’s not what I meant.” Camila stared at Sage as if waiting for her to understand. When Sage didn’t follow, she clasped her hands together. “This is kind of exciting if you think about it.”
Sage glared at Camila wondering how on earth she could be so flippant in her time of need. She stood and said, “Oh, I’ve thought about it… all night. It’s decidedly not exciting.”
“Aww come on,” Camila waved her hand dismissively. “Think about it. We have a mysterious Guardian who marked this sucker. And you, the superstar you are, saved him by making him a True. We get to do a real mission, none of this protect a computer geek stuff.”
“And dangerous. We don’t know who marked him.” Sage added with a whispered tone, “It could be a Fallen.”
A glint cast over Camila’s eyes. “Yes. That’s the best part.”
“Ugh.” Sage fell face first onto her bed, her legs dangling over the edge. She flipped her head to Camila. “That would be the worst part. Girl, what the hell am I going to do? I’m dying here.”
Camila jumped her legs under her and knelt over Sage. She grabbed her elbow and dragged her up. With a hand on each of Sage’s shoulders, she said, “It’s going to be fine. Trust me. Just go with it. This is what we signed up for.”
“Maybe.” Sage glanced over at Mason, still laying on the floor. Camila’s enthusiasm began to seep in, and a small smile crept its way to the surface. “I guess it’s a little exciting.”
“That’s the spirit!” Camila released her hold on Sage and leapt off the bed.
Sage’s smile immediately turned into frown. “What if Makoto finds out?”
Camila moved to Sage’s mirror and ran her fingers through her high ponytail. Casually, she replied, “Keep it a secret then. I’m sure as hell not gonna tell anyone. Although,” she threw her thumb over her shoulder. “You will need to keep this buffoon in check, just while he’s learning the basics.”
Sage nodded in agreeance. Certainly couldn’t have him running wild with his new abilities. That would be one sure fire way to not only get kicked from the society but the whole school, too.
The bell rang through the dorm building and Camila swung around. “What do you want me to tell him?”
“I’m uhh… I don’t know. Say I’m sick.”
Camila raised her brows and glared at Sage as if she was an idiot. “We don’t get sick, remember? Oh, I could say your aunt called?”
A pang burst through Sage’s chest. Her aunt never called. She hissed her reply, “Just don’t say anything. Pretend you haven’t seen me.”
“ ‘Atta girl.” Camila grinned. “You’ve got this. You’re stronger than you think. He will be a breeze.”
Chapter Eight
Sage stared at her alarm clock, watching the minutes tick over. It was past ten in the morning and Mason hadn’t even flinched. She ran her finger between her neck and the leather necklace around it. Her knees, bent and cross-legged, bounced nervously on her bed.
She’d played a million different scenarios through her mind of Mason waking and her telling him the truth. Her imagination always took her to the darkest places. In one scenario, she blurted it immediately and he freaked out. She imagined him leaping out her unopened window, running across the campus with dried blood over his day-old uniform, and screaming about the underworld. In another scenario, she gave it to him in dribs and drabs, working her way to the fact he was now a shifter. He thought she was playing an elaborate prank.
Dropping her hands to her lap, she kneaded her knuckles and hoped that in the moment she’d find the right words. But how could she tell someone that they had become something without their choice? Something that would change their life forever.
A hand clutched the end of Sage’s bed frame, followed by a loud gasp. Mason leapt to his feet, his disheveled hair falling over his startled green eyes. He spun in a full circle, stopping to face Sage. “How did I get here?”
Sage knelt up. Cautiously, she asked, “What do you remember?”
His eyes darted from her, to the bed, then back again—his gaze lingered at her chest for a split moment before saying, “Did we?”
“What?” Sage crowed, jumping off her bed. Realizing she was still in her navy-blue pajama pants and white tank top, she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Of course not.”
Mason raked his fingers through his hair and glanced around the room. Sage cringed at her decor, suddenly embarrassed by her collection of colorful scrunch-ties lining her dresser, the row of identical purple boots underneath her bed, and the retro movie posters splattered on her walls.
“I…uh…” Mason took a hold of her bed frame, trying to keep his balance. “Why am I here then?”
All shame for her possessions vanished and she patted her bed. “You should probably sit down.”
Mason’s eyes drifted to her bicep. She followed his gaze to her own spiral mark. He sat onto the edge of her bed and rolled up his sleeve to reveal his mark. His long fingers traced the black on his skin. “You turned me, didn’t you?”
“H… how?” Sage began, but her brain cut the question short as a million butterflies took flight inside her mind, bringing a million thoughts with them.
What she wanted to ask was how he could have possibly known that. But searching deeper, the question expanded. Because if he knew she’d turned him, then he knew what a Guardian was. Which meant, whoever marked him had told him about everything before marking him. That’s how a True Guardian worked. That’s what Makoto did for Sage. He explained everything before even asking her to become a Guardian.
As realization settled in, Sage sighed long and loud. She didn’t turn someone against their will… he was going to become a Guardian anyway.
Mason wandered over to the vanity, tilting his head as he stared deep into his own reflection. His hands curved over the back of the white chair, new muscles bulging beneath his torn school shirt. He took a quick breath out and nodded to himself. “This doesn’t feel so bad.”
Letting go of the chair, he rolled his shoulders back. “Actually, this feels damn good.” He punched the air with both fists in quick succession. “Yeah.”
Sage smiled to herself. She remembered that feeling well. A new vitality. Energy pumping through her very core. It was a great feeling.
Relaxing, she asked, “Why did Makoto mark you?”
“Who?” Mason teared his eyes from the mirror.
“Makoto? Why did he mark you?”
Mason shook his head. “Is Makoto a teenage girl with mood rings?”
Sage gawked at him.
His lips tilted into a smirk. “I’m joking, I know who Makoto is. I just don’t know who marked me, all I saw was a hand on my arm. I was hoping the Shadow Society could help me, actually. Help me find a cure.” His smile dropped as his eyes hit the mark on his wrist. “But you turned me instead.”
“You?” Sage sprung up. If he didn’t know who marked him, then it was most likely a Fallen. “You weren’t marked on purpose?”
“‘Fraid not.” He waited a beat before adding, “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“But how do you know about…” she hesitated, her brain racing to catch up.
“Guardians? The Veil? What the Shadow Society really is? How chickens fly?” Mason offered.
Suddenly light-headed, Sage reached for her bed. Trying to grasp something, anything, that would make sense. She licked her drying lips. With barely a whisper, she said, “Yes. All of it… except the chicken part.”
Mason cupped her shoulders and led her backward. Sitting her down, he plonked himself beside her. Sage almost laughed at the absurdity of it. She thought she would be the one
to steady him, not the other way around.
“Maybe you should have a rest. Catch up a bit. Okay?” Mason said.
Sage swallowed and nodded.
“All right. You do that.” Mason tapped her knee as he pushed himself up and began for the door.
“W… wait!” Sage bounced to her feet again. “Where are you going?”
Mason shrugged and clutched her door handle. “What does it matter?”
The whole situation was not at all like she had imagined. No amount of conjured scenarios would have prepared for the reality. Sage rushed to the door and slammed her hand against it. “You can’t just leave!”
“Why not?” Mason looked down his nose at Sage, his head hovering a good three inches above hers.
“You haven’t answered my question. How do you know about Guardians?”
Mason squinted and a wry grin lifted his cheek bones. “Listen, I get you’re probably a bit confused. Who becomes a Guardian if they haven’t been selected by Makoto, right? But theres more of this life than the society. You know there’re thousands, right? Has Makoto even taught you about the Fallen?”
The teasing tone in his voice infuriated Sage. She crossed her arms. “Yes, of course. Just answer the question.”
The glint in Mason’s eyes disappeared. Through clenched teeth, he said, “My dad is one. Happy?”
As he reached for the door again, Sage placed her whole body in front of it. “No. That just brings more questions. Many more questions.” She paused for a moment and bringing a softer voice, she asked. “Is he a Fallen?”
“No.” Mason scoffed, stepping back. “Rude! He is a True, just like you… or at least I thought you were. They don’t normally turn people without their permission.”
The vision of him bloodied and breathless on the wet gravel sent a pang of guilt flooding through her body. “What was I supposed to do?” she quivered. “You were dead.”
“I was?” Mason seemed shocked. For a short moment, his cockiness washed away and standing before her was a broken boy, the same one she saw in the alley the night before. It didn’t last long. A smirk fell over him again. “Well, I guess I should thank you, then.”
Academy of Magic Collection Page 124