When I could finally regain my feet, I shoved myself upright and found myself at Sycamore Beach, the moonlight shining silver off of the sand and highlighting the girl who was racing towards me from a gap between the trees which marked the edge of the forest.
I broke into a run as I powered out of the lake, sucking down deep breaths as the freezing water dripped from my body, making me shiver in the cold wind.
Tatum stumbled and fell as I ran towards her and my heart leapt with panic as I yelled her name.
Movement in the trees beyond her caught my eye and I looked up, spotting a figure between the trees wearing a bone white mask to conceal their face.
"When I catch you, I'm going to fucking destroy you!" I bellowed as I charged towards them, but Tatum was my main focus.
As I reached her, the pungent scent of gasoline caught in the back of my throat and I dropped down to my knees, rolling her over as I pushed the wet hair out of her face.
"Tate?" I asked desperately as she fell limp against me and I shook her hard, trying to force a reaction from her. "Tatum! Wake up!"
I shook her harder and she groaned, lurching over and heaving until she puked all over the rocks beside us.
Her hand flew out to grip my arm as I looked around for any sign of the Justice Ninja, but the trees before us were empty once more.
The scent of gasoline was overwhelming and I realised that it wasn't water that covered her at all.
"Holy fuck, Tate, what the hell happened?" I demanded as I tugged her against me and her blue eyes widened with panic before she seemed to realise it was me.
"They're going to kill me, Blake!" she cried, throwing her arms around me and sending my pulse skyrocketing as I looked out into the trees again.
I gasped as I spotted a flame igniting between the thick trunks and leapt to my feet, hauling her upright. Her legs gave out as she tried to stand so I lifted her off of her feet, cradling her against my chest as a whimper of fear escaped her.
The lake was closest, but I didn't want to risk staying out here any longer. There was clearly something wrong with her and she began to mutter nonsense and sob, while her limbs seemed to hold no strength.
With a growl of determination, I held her closer in my arms and started running for The Temple, turning my back on the fire between the trees and hoping with everything I had that I could outrun whoever was out there before they got that flame near my girl.
The sand slipped and sank beneath my feet and Tatum clung to me as she sobbed and shivered, seeming to at least know that I had her now and trusting me to keep her safe.
And I would keep her safe. No matter what it took, I'd protect her from whoever the fuck was stalking us through the trees.
As my feet hit the path, I glanced back over my shoulder, spotting more flames igniting in the woods, each fire flickering as if they were being laid out to warn us not to turn that way. But I had zero fucking intention of going anywhere near the psychopath between the trees while they held fire and my girl was drenched in gas.
I broke into a sprint as I somehow managed to find a hidden reserve of strength in my exhausted limbs just for her.
She was cold and fragile in my arms, tucked tight against my chest and murmuring things I couldn't understand.
Footsteps pounded down the path behind me, but I refused to look back.
A burst of orange light flared in the corner of my eye and I sucked in a breath as a flaming arrow shot past me and embedded itself in a tree.
Tatum shrieked in fright as she came to enough to spot it and I cursed as I upped my pace with my heart thundering panic though my limbs.
"I've got you, Tate," I swore as another arrow sped through the trees to my right and made my gut lurch.
The spire of The Temple loomed beneath the moon up ahead and I yelled out as I ran, hoping one of the other Night Keepers might hear me and come running.
"Kyan!" I roared, charging up the path and hoping that he was still home like he'd been the last time I'd seen him.
I had no idea how long it had taken me to swim back from the boat crash in the centre of the lake or if any of them had gone to the library to get Tatum when I hadn’t shown up. If they had and they knew she was missing then there was no chance of any of them being out here. They'd all be hunting campus for her, leaving me to face this crazy motherfucker alone.
"Saint!" I bellowed as I turned onto the path which led up to the church doors and another flaming arrow whisked by into the trees.
Either they were a bad shot or they weren't actually trying to kill us. Whatever the reason, I just knew I had to get Tatum the hell away from those flames before any of them got close enough to the gasoline to ignite it.
The door burst open as I raced up the path and Saint lurched aside as I didn't even slow, running straight over the threshold and collapsing on the flagstones with our girl still hooked in my arms.
"What the fuck is going on?" Monroe demanded as he leapt to his feet from the couch alongside Kyan.
"Close the fucking door," I demanded and Saint instantly threw it shut before prowling towards me, his lip curling at the scent of the gasoline which was filling the space.
“What’s wrong with her?” Saint asked as Tatum groaned in my arms, her eyes falling closed.
“I think she’s been drugged. She was being chased and she’s covered in gas-”
"Is someone out there?" Kyan demanded, stalking towards us and grabbing his baseball bat from its position beside the door.
"That fucking Ninja asshole," I admitted as I forced myself to my feet again and heaved Tatum up in my arms. "He was shooting at us with burning arrows-"
The three of them all lurched into action around me, Kyan racing for the door with his bat gripped tightly in his hand while Saint barked orders I couldn't concentrate on and Monroe hounded me to the bathroom.
I was trembling with exhaustion and fear for our girl so I couldn't even answer any more of their questions as I walked her straight into the shower and set the hot water running over us before sitting her down on the floor.
Tatum coughed and heaved, throwing up again as I peeled her uniform from her body and tossed it out onto the tiles at Monroe's feet.
"What the hell happened to her?" he demanded, ripping his own shirt off as he moved into the shower too and pulling her up to stand as the water washed the gasoline from her body. She still seemed barely able to use her limbs but he held her tightly and she leaned on him, murmuring his name as he worked to rinse her hair.
"I don't know," I groaned, slumping back against the tiles and shaking my head as exhaustion crippled me. Now that the adrenaline was subsiding, I felt like I’d run a fucking marathon and I had to fight the urge to close my eyes. "I went out on the lake while she was studying. That motherfucker followed me out there and sank my jet ski. When I swam back to shore, I heard her screaming and found her like this."
Monroe cursed as Tatum wound her arms around his neck, demanding he stay with her while my body practically gave out from exhaustion.
I forced myself out of the over crowded shower, dropping my saturated pants and boxers before wrapping a towel around my waist and setting the bath running for her because the shower wasn’t getting rid of that stink.
Monroe was murmuring reassurances to Tatum while she clung to his chest and as I moved away to find some bubble bath to put into the water to help get the stench of gasoline off of her, I noticed a note pinned to her blazer where it lay on the floor.
The paper was wet and the ink had run, but I could still make out the words on it.
Roses are red and violets are blue,
You need to realise who really owns you,
I dressed you in flames and I kissed you goodnight,
When will you see what's here in the light?
I gave you a chance and you took too much time,
Now I'll have to show you that you're really MINE.
My skin chilled as I read the note and I looked up as the bathroom door swung
open, finding Saint standing there with the fires of hell burning in his dark eyes.
He silently held his hand out for the note and I passed it over without a word.
I watched him read it with his jaw ticking and his gaze cut to Tatum with concern so clear on his features that it made my gut lurch. I'd never seen Saint look at anyone like that before and I was beginning to wonder what it would mean for all of us when he finally faced up to his feelings for our girl.
"Whoever was out there is long gone," he growled. "But Kyan is still hunting all the same."
"This means we got it wrong," I pointed out. "Toby can't have been the stalker. He's been locked in the janitor's closet all evening."
"I'm well aware of that," Saint said in a clipped tone. "Kyan is going to confirm that he's still there and then we will need to reassess...everything."
We'd chased Toby all around campus while pelting him with pinecones earlier this afternoon before locking him in there. And as there were no windows in the room and we were the only ones with a key, it was pretty obvious that it couldn't be him unless he'd escaped. Besides, I was fairly certain that the figure I'd seen in the trees hadn't been anywhere near as big as Toby.
Shit, if he wasn’t the guilty party then we’d really made his life hell for nothing. The idea of that didn’t sit well with me and I made a mental note to figure out some way to make it up to the dude before giving my attention back to our girl. Right now, Tatum was our priority, fixing things with Toby could wait.
Saint handed the note back to me and moved past me, filling the bath with bubbles and salts which he took from the back of the cupboard.
"She's barely even able to stay conscious," Monroe snarled from the shower where he was still trying to scrub the gasoline from Tatum's body. "When I catch whoever the fuck did this to her, I'm going to fucking kill them."
“I’m okay now I’m here,” Tatum said but her words were slurred and I wasn’t buying it. I guessed the drug had stolen the fear from her which was something, or maybe it was just that she actually felt safe here amongst us. Wouldn’t that be something.
"I'll rip them apart piece by piece until they're begging for mercy and I'll make it last as long as I can before I end them," Saint hissed, eyeing her for a long moment as she leaned against Monroe. "I'm going to get some vinegar to get that stench off of her."
He turned and stalked from the room and I frowned as I sagged back against the sink, my gaze fixed on Tatum as Monroe pressed kisses to her hair and held her tightly. She barely even seemed conscious and the terrifying thoughts of what could have happened to her if I hadn't found her were consuming me.
None of us questioned Saint when he returned to the room with a bottle of white vinegar and he pulled the door to the shower wide before rubbing it all over Tatum's skin. If he said it would get rid of the gasoline stink, then I was going to believe him. Saint knew way more than anyone I’d ever met about shit like that and I was sure she'd want everything possible done to get rid of that smell.
When he was finished, he shut off the shower then took her from Monroe's arms without letting him protest and carried her over to the bath.
I raised an eyebrow as Saint climbed into it fully clothed with Tatum in his arms and began washing her with the honey blossom body wash she liked as if it was the most normal thing in the world
“You should take your clothes off,” Tatum muttered, plucking at his shirt and pulling a few of his buttons open before her hand fell still again like even that was hard for her to manage.
“Stop trying to get me naked and let me look after you,” Saint grumbled, but the concerned frown on his face gave away his worry despite his waspish tone.
A smile touched Tatum’s lips and she did as he commanded, sighing as he carefully ran the sponge over her body and letting her eyes fall closed again as she leaned against his chest.
I swiped a hand down my face and headed back into my room, quickly drying and pulling on some clean sweatpants before getting some out for Monroe to borrow too. He took them wordlessly when I returned to the bathroom, switching out the damp stuff he was wearing while watching as Saint washed Tatum's hair.
"Heads have to roll for this," I snarled as Tatum muttered something I couldn't hear.
"Obviously. But for now just get her something warm to wear," Saint commanded and I blew out a breath before heading back to my room.
I grabbed one of my biggest hoodies before jogging through the building and up the stairs to Saint's closet where Tatum's clothes were kept. I chose her a pair of soft pyjamas and got Saint some sweatpants too then hurried back down to the bathroom.
Saint already had her out when I made it back and she was wrapped in a towel as she sat on the vanity unit in front of him, looking like she was having trouble staying upright. He silently took the clothes I'd brought for her before dressing her in them carefully while Monroe watched with a heavy frown.
When Saint had finished getting her ready, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead before indicating for me to take her from the room.
"I'm okay," Tatum protested weakly as she looked up at me with her big blue eyes, blinking sleepily as I lifted her against me again.
"I've got you, Tate," I swore and her gaze softened at my words as I carried her out to sit on the couch before the fire.
"Well, if you insist," she muttered as if she seriously thought she'd be able to walk herself if she wanted to. And I didn’t doubt she was stubborn enough to try if I questioned her on it, so I just offered her a smile instead.
"I'm your Prince Charming, remember? I'm pretty sure rescuing the damsel in distress is a job requirement, so be a good girl and let me do my thing."
She laughed softly but the sound was weak compared to her usual laugh and it made my gut twist with concern. If I hadn't heard her screaming, if I hadn't swum as fast as I had, if I hadn't managed to outrun those arrows... I shook my head to clear it of the what ifs and focused on the girl I held safe in my arms.
Monroe followed close behind me, his silence saying more about his feelings than any words might. As we walked back out through my room, we found Kyan stepping through the front door with a sneer on his face and his bat still in his fist. He tossed the weapon down and locked the door before stalking over to me and plucking Tatum out of my arms.
"I was worried about you, big man," she teased, reaching up to cup Kyan's jaw in her hand and the look he gave her made my chest ache. I wasn't the only one of us who would have been destroyed if something worse had happened to her tonight.
"No need to worry about me, baby," Kyan reassured her. "I'm not that easy to kill."
"That's just because you're too stubborn to die," she muttered and he forced a smile for her, though it was clear that he was still really fucking worried about her.
No doubt she was feeling like some kind of pass the parcel prize at this point with us all snatching her from one another, but as a relieved smile touched her mouth, I found the protests I wanted to make dying on my lips. This was where she belonged, with all of us. And I guessed a bit of pass the parcel was bound to happen from time to time with that being the case.
"I take it you didn't find them?" Monroe asked as we moved over to the couch.
"Not yet," Kyan growled, the promise of violence clear in his tone.
He dropped down on the couch, burying his face against Tatum's neck and breathing in deeply as he pressed a kiss to her skin.
"You have to stop scaring me like this, baby," he growled and she laughed lightly like this was nothing. I had to hope that that was just the drugs in her system making her delirious because this seriously wasn't nothing.
"I'm safe now I'm with all of you," she murmured and the idea of her feeling that way made me smile. She looked around with a frown, glancing between me and Monroe as we moved to sit down either side of her and Kyan, and I pulled her feet into my lap. "Where's Saint?"
"I'm here," Saint's voice came from the short corridor which led down to mine and
Kyan's room and I looked around to find him leaning against the wall, watching the four of us.
"Come here," Tatum demanded and to my surprise, he did, moving to stand before us and taking Tatum's hand as she reached for him.
A sleepy smile captured her lips and she wriggled in Kyan's arms until he rearranged her so that she was laying across him with her head in Monroe's lap while I painted circles around her ankles with my fingertips.
"Stay with me," she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed and the four of us glanced between each other as we wondered which one of us she was referring to. "All of you," she added firmly and Kyan chuckled darkly.
"Greedy little thing, aren't you, baby?" he asked as he took her other hand and lifted it to press a kiss to her knuckles.
"I belong to all of you," she said sleepily without opening her eyes. "And you're all mine too. We belong together."
None of us made any objections to that statement and Saint slowly sank down to sit on the floor before the couch, keeping Tatum's hand in his.
Within minutes, it was clear that she'd fallen asleep but none of us moved and I slowly leaned my head back and let my eyes fall closed too.
For now, the four of us just needed to stay with our girl and make sure she was okay.
Later, we'd be out for blood.
T he fire burned low while I stayed where I was, jammed into a corner of the couch by Kyan’s huge frame with Tatum’s head in my lap and my fingers trailing through her damp hair.
Saint had been watching her in silence this whole time and though at first his attention had made me uncomfortable, I had eventually relaxed, realising he wasn’t aiming any venom my way over my clear affection for her.
Blake had fallen asleep almost as soon as Tatum had, their combined heavy breathing the only sounds to have broken the silence while the rest of us sat here seething with anger.
It had been almost two hours since we’d taken up this position on the couch and as much as I wanted to stay here, holding her in my arms all night, my limbs were cramping up and a pure and hateful rage was burning through my flesh, aching for an outlet.
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