Violet makes a clucking sound in her throat. “You’re so quick to call my motives but look at you. You’re toying with her. All of you. And it’s not fair, not until she knows—”
“Don’t,” Cael grinds out and now I’m moving. Backing up until I collide with the door. The sound of my body against the metal bars echoes through the hallway and I know I have about ten seconds before they appear around the corner.
“What was that? I thought you said this place was empty?” There’s panic in Violet’s voice. Which is strange considering she barely spoke two words at the gathering the other night.
“Nothing. Probably the wind.” Cael goes silent. One beat. Two. And then he says, “Oh, shit…”
Violet groans, “So much for no one being…”
I don’t stick around to hear the rest. My shoulder slams against the doors and I stumble out into the night.
“Terra, wait.” Cael is behind me, running, chasing my shadow, but the sting of his betrayal fuels me and I’m an unstoppable force as the wind seems to carry me across the field. I duck between the narrow passage of two buildings.
My back hits the wall and I hold my breath, listening for any signs of Cael, but his voice is getting further away, not closer. I inch further down the passageway trying to figure out where I am. It’s dark and I haven’t been on this side of campus much. But my mind is stuck on the part where Cael knows Violet. And betrayal isn’t the only emotion churning through my stomach. Sharing secrets. Talking with a familiarity that makes me want to claw my skin from my bones.
What is happening to me?
I stay there, in the shadows of the buildings, waiting for Cael’s voice to disappear. When I can no longer hear him, I duck out from behind the buildings, pull up my hood, and melt into the darkness leading back to my dorm.
16.
“W- what is this?” I swallow hard as I stare at my friends—Cael, Ross, and Endo—standing huddled together in my dorm room. My girls only dorm room. Sol is also here, his face a stone mask, ocean-blue eyes giving nothing away.
Cael steps forward, hands out in front of him, as if he expects me to cause a scene. As if I'm a wild animal that's needs dealing with. “Terra,” he says, “this is not what you think.”
My eyes flit from his to Ross’. Regret shines in his pained gaze as he drags a hand through his hair.
“Terra,” Cael says again, pulling me back to him. And it is a pull. Like a thread tugging me in his direction. The same thread I've experienced with all the guys. Well, except Sol. That was... different.
“Do you…” I swallow over the lump lodged in my throat. “Know each other?” My voice wavers conveying how uncomfortable I am with this. Whatever this is.
I expected Cael to hunt me down, to force an explanation on me, but when I finally returned to my room, I didn’t expect this. The four of them, united, waiting.
“It's... complicated.” Cael looks away. Only for a second, but it's enough to confirm what I knew the second I walked into the room and saw them standing here.
“Terra.” It's Endo this time. His voice is calm, a complete contrast to his fiery personality. It scares me. Because if Endo is trying to calm me it means whatever is to come is going to be bad.
Really bad.
Sol groans and we all snap our heads in his direction. “Just tell her. She should know. Then we can figure out how to move forward.”
My body recoils at his harsh tone but I can't resist meeting his severe glare. He’s never given me the impression he doesn’t like me, but right now it oozes from him. Repelling me. Forcing me out. Not like the other three who pull me in.
“Tell me what?” I lift my chin higher, daring him to do it. I can't explain it but although he intimidates me, he also ignites something inside my stomach. Strength? Or maybe it's just irritation at his cool exterior.
“Sol, don't. Not like this,” someone says but we don't break eye contact.
Sol.
I roll his name around on my tongue. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but it suits him. Direct. To the point. But it's more. It's like I know it's his name. It couldn't be anything else. His eyes narrow slightly. I want to know what he's thinking. To see what he sees when he looks at me. Does he think I'm weak? Just an awkward sheltered girl out of her depth?
He's wrong.
I know that now.
He stokes a fire in my belly—a fight I didn't know I had in me.
“Tell me,” I say again with more force, clenching my fists at my sides.
Sol steps forward, closing the distance between us. Someone mumbles. It sounds like Ross or maybe Endo. But I don't check. I can't. Something is happening.
Something pivotal.
The air is charged with energy; it crackles around us. But when Sol arrives in front of me, so close I could reach out and touch him, everything stills. A vacuum of silence.
“Tell. Me.” I jut out my chin, craning to meet his steely gaze.
His lips part and I brace myself, but something slams down over his face. “You're not ready,” he says.
And then he's gone.
I clench my jaw, stunned at what just happened. But the guys don't give me time to wallow. Cael rushes to my side and wraps his arm around me, guiding me to the others. “Come on,” he says. “We should probably talk.”
Ross brings me a glass of water and takes the seat opposite. Cael is sat beside me, with Endo on the desk chair. Their eyes heavy on me. Intrusive. It's weird, being with all of them together, and I can't wait any longer for the truth.
“You're all friends, aren't you?”
“You could say that.” Endo offers me a sad smile, and it twists my gut. They know each other. More than that, they're friends. So why have they been individually hanging out with me?
And why the hell didn't they tell me about each other?
“But I've spent time with you.” Each of you, I want to add, but don't. “And you've never once mentioned the others.”
“We didn't want to overwhelm you,” Cael says.
“Overwhelm me? I can assure you this is pretty overwhelming.” I stand, suddenly unable to contain the emotions building in my chest.
Disappointment.
Hurt.
Anger.
Betrayal.
They lied.
Okay, they didn't lie, but they kept things from me. Things I'm not sure I understand. Things I'm not sure I want to understand.
I'd felt so guilty. Spending time with the guys, getting to know them. And even though nothing happened with any of them—except a few almost kisses—I felt like I was the one betraying them.
Me.
But all along they knew.
“Terra...” Cael's voice is soft, and I realize now what I couldn't always see when I was with one of them.
They're all so different and yet, together, they all had their roles to play.
Cael is the whirlwind. The playful light-hearted one. His energy and vigor for life is infectious. Around him, I feel lighter. Able to do things I wouldn't normally do. Ross is introverted, much like myself. We've connected on a spiritual level, sharing our love for the arts. He's quiet and complex, and he makes me feel like it's okay to feel different. To be different. Endo is passionate. Larger than life with a fiery temper. He inspires me. And Sol... well, I haven't spent enough time with Sol to know anything other than he rubs me the wrong way. Pushes me and challenges me. He doesn't comfort me the way the others do. But maybe that's not a bad thing. I've been so blinded by their power over me, I failed to see through their secrets.
“I need time,” I state. “This, whatever this is, is confusing, and you played me.” My eyes move from one to the other to the other.
Ross swallows, his dark eyes pleading with me. He's not like Cael and Endo. He chooses to speak with actions, not words. Cael leaps up and opens his mouth to protest, but I silence him with my hand. “I'm going to walk out of here and you will let me go. You're not to follow me, try to call me, or come to my do
rm. Understood?”
I survive the next day without any contact with the guys, avoiding them around campus, retreating to my room for lunch and my free periods. Their betrayal lingers in my veins and I swing between angry and confused. It feels like they played me, used me in some college guy game. But deep down, I know there's more to it. Because I haven't been entirely honest with them either.
Or myself.
I feel something for each of them, but I can't define it. With Cael it's so easy. He's like the sun that brightens up a dreary day, and whenever he's around I gravitate to his warmth. It's similar with Endo. He's passionate and animated and I find myself lost in his over the top stories. He has a way of sucking me in and holding me captive. Ross is different. We connect on a deeper level. Sometimes we don't need words at all. Working closely together in our class, we've developed our own language. I guess it's a little weird, but when it's just the two of us it feels completely normal. And then there's Sol. Elusive, closed-off Sol. Our interactions have been brief. A look here. A strained word there. I barely know him, but to see him standing there, with the others, I realize now it makes sense.
I just don't know how it does.
My eyes close and I inhale deeply, curling my fingers into the sheets. I wish my grandmother was here to talk to about all of this. She'd understand—guide me toward the answer. Why do I feel connected to them?
All of them.
It’s scary and unknown and confusing, but it’s the truth. If only I could unravel what it is. There have been times with each of them when I've thought something pivotal was happening. When the world around us slowed down, and the noise silenced until nothing existed but the two of us. But each time, it came and went in a flash. And each time, I brushed it aside.
All except Sol.
He looks at me with something else. Something I haven't quite placed yet.
I groan in frustration. What am I going to do? I can't ignore them forever. I have classes tomorrow. I'll have to see them. Besides, something tells me if I don't go to them soon, they'll come to me.
A knock at my door startles me and I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, pulling myself into a sitting position. “Hello?” I call, only to be met with silence. Moving quietly to the door, I peer through the peephole. My heart lurches into my throat when I see Sol standing on the other side.
“I know you're in there,” he says.
I unlock the door and open it a fraction. “What do you want?” I peer around him, hoping no one has spotted him.
“Don't worry no one saw me.”
Without thinking, I grab his arm and pull him inside and close the door. His eyes immediately go to my thin tank top and I throw my arms around my chest.
“We need to talk.”
“I'm not ready.” My voice quivers, matching the way my stomach is flipping.
“Tough. This is bigger than you and the fact you got your feelings hurt.”
“Are you always such a cold-hearted bastard?” I clap my hand over my mouth surprised at the way the words just spewed out, but then Sol has that effect on me. His eyes narrow, hard and flat, but he doesn't reply. He doesn't need to. It's written all over his face. He hates me.
I just wish I knew why.
“You're wrong.”
“Wrong?” I say confused by his words.
“I don't hate you.”
I lift my chin. “Could have fooled me,” I reply ignoring the fact that he knew exactly what I was thinking. Because it's not possible.
He can't hear my thoughts... can he?
My brows quirk up as my heart pounds against my chest and a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Terra.” He steps closer and I step back. He's close. Too close. And he smells so good. Earthy. Like the air after a storm. My eyes begin to flutter shut as the scent assaults my senses until I can almost taste him on the tip of my tongue.
“Terra,” his voice is a whisper this time. A gentle caress. And although my eyes are closed, I'm aware of him. Certain if I reach out I'll be able to touch him. Trace the firm ridges of his chest, his sculpted muscles.
“Open your eyes,” he demands, and I peek an eye open. He's watching me. Bright blue eyes set right on me and my body begins to vibrate.
What is happening?
I know there's a reason he's here. I'm aware I should be asking him what he wants. Demanding he either tell me or leave. But I can't seem to formulate words. My insides are a mess. Filled with an indescribable ache.
“Sol,” I squeak. “What's happening?”
His fingers dance along my collarbone until his hand curves around the base of my neck, drawing me closer, and I feel his touch all the way down to my toes. My eyes snap open to his. “Wha—”
His lips crush to mine, stealing my breath, every shred of my rational thought, as our connection explodes. Long fingers bury themselves in my hair as he deepens the kiss, running his tongue along the seam of my lips, demanding I let him in until our tongues meet in a fast dance of frustration and fury. We’re like magnets. Attracting one minute. Resisting the next. But this time, I give in. And so does he as his hands are everywhere, touching, searching. Feeling. Although my head screams at me to stop, to make him stop, my heart wins out. Because every crazy thing about this feels right. We're connected. I know without doubt, that somehow, we're connected. It flows between us like a stream of energy. Tugging sharply in my stomach.
Sol's body presses me against him. My soft lines. His hard planes. And I cling to him, to the sensations he’s eliciting in me. “You need to remember,” he murmurs into my mouth, groaning as he moves his tongue against mine again. “Remember, Terra.”
Remember?
What does he—
Images flood my mind. At first, they don't make sense. A rush of random images. Unfamiliar faces. Places. But for as much as my mind's eye doesn't recognize them, my soul does.
“Sol?” My voice trembles as they come faster. Harder. He breaks the kiss but holds onto me, pressing tiny kisses along my jaw, trying to ground me.
“I've got you,” he says with a gentleness I've never heard from him before. But I can't fight the onslaught of vivid images. It's just too much, too intense. My eyes flicker shut and then my world spins on its axis as I realize Sol is lifting me in his arms.
I land on my bed with a gentle thud. He tucks me in and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I need you to remember. We all need you to remember.”
I'm being pulled into my mind. Sucked from reality into a dream. I reach for Sol, trying to stay rooted to this plane, but it's too strong. The darkness swallows me, and everything goes black.
17.
“Endo, Cael, show yourselves,” the red-haired woman says, a hint of amusement curving her rose-painted lips as she crosses one leg over the other, the silky skirt cascading over her like a waterfall.
The low rumble of male chatter fills the room, echoing off the high vaulted ceilings. “Vasilissa, how did you know?”
“Just Gaia to you, please.” She gifts them with a rare smile and it fills their hearts. The two men, still dressed in their earthly attire, take a knee in front of her.
“Cael, Endo, please rise,” she rolls her eyes in disapproval at their insistence at behaving like lesser beings. They are her Chosen and as long as they continue to uphold her decree, she does not require them to bow before her. For they are equals in almost every sense of the word. Each of them, an extension of her, her Spirit. Able to exact her wishes on Earth where she cannot.
“It went as planned?” she asks them once they are seated on the bench.
“It was...” Cael averts his gaze, and she readies herself for bad news.
“How many?” It is but a whisper.
“Too many,” Endo speaks for them both.
“But you saved those you could? And the land? The fire is extinguished?”
The two men nod, regret and sorrow swirling in the air around them.
“Come,” she speaks softly,
and they move toward her, both kneeling in a manner she accepts. Her fingers rest on their bowed heads as they take her offer of comfort and gratitude. “I thank you for your duty. Your honor and loyalty. Go now and rest. Let’s hope I do not have to call upon you again soon.”
But it is a lie, one she tells to ease their suffering, for they all know the threats to Earth continue to grow with every passing moment. Faster than they can work. Even with the latest dispatch of divine beings to various corners of the Earth, it isn’t enough. She’s having to send her Chosen out into the field too often.
Her hands linger for a second longer than deemed appropriate, and then she relaxes back in her chair, letting them rise.
“As you wish, Vasilissa,” Endo smirks, gracing him a quiet laugh from her.
“Wait, what of Sol and Ross? I trust they are safe?”
“They are,” a deep voice says from the great doors and her eyes land on her two remaining Chosen. She smiles to herself at the natural formation they usually work in. Sol and Ross are quieter, introverted and guarded. Cael and Endo are full of life and spirit. Light and dark. But she cares for them equally. In fact, there are none in Elysia she cares for more. Maybe except for Eros, but they are, after all, the Originals.
Cael and Endo take their leave, no doubt heading straight for the salt baths to rid themselves of the death and disaster they experienced on Earth.
“Sol, Ross, come.” She finds herself having to be firmer with the two of them, the seriousness to which they exact their duty almost compulsive.
“I trust you are both unharmed?”
“Yes, your Grace.”
“Gaia, call me Gaia, please.”
For an age they have been in her service and yet, they still find it impossible to leave behind the formalities of duty. She understands it even if she doesn’t like it. For Gaia, these four men are the closest things she’s ever had to a family outside of the natural order of things.
“Tell me,” she addresses Sol. “How bad is it down there?”
Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 39