* * *
I stood in Axton’s office at 8.59 p.m., waiting as I had been for the last five minutes. I knew I was early, but the anticipation started to eat at every inch of me, and for some reason, I imagined waiting in his office would somehow make it easier. Standing there, memorizing all the objects on his desk didn’t change the gnawing I felt though. The door opened, and Axton strode in with Sam hurrying in behind him, no doubt just arriving. He took a seat behind the desk and waited as Sam took his place beside me.
“The news is worse than we thought. The incident involving Sam’s brother, Jayden, has released the Shadow Court as well as the Unseelie. While it takes time for it to gather power after being imprisoned so long, we have no idea what they are capable of,” he stated.
“Sir, do we even know which species are included in the Shadow Court? There’s already a lack of information about the Unseelie from what I’ve seen, let alone the Shadow Court,” I replied, and I could feel Sam’s worried eyes watching me, mirroring mine.
“That’s not all,” Axton continued, grabbing our attention again. “The Seelie have started to create problems. For starters, they want Jayden severely punished for what he’s done.”
“No! They can’t!” Sam yelled, moving from his position and slamming his hands on the desk. “He didn’t know that would happen! He couldn’t have known!”
“Mr Fresca, if you cannot control yourself, then escort yourself out,” Axton said, determined. And I knew he was correct.
Where Jayden was concerned, Sam couldn’t see properly. I turned to him and pulled him up from the desk, much to his surprise.
“Go. I can handle it, and I’ll let you know the details later,” I encouraged carefully and watched him try to calm himself. He must have known that his arguing with Axton wouldn’t stop how the fae felt. He nodded and moved out the door sluggishly.
“There was another problem?” I asked.
“The fae have started to fight the idea of locking away the Unseelie Court. They say it’s an ethical issue, considering not all the Unseelie are bloodthirsty. Some are just mischievous and could possibly be controlled.”
“So they won’t allow the Unseelie Court to be resealed after Jayden released it?”
“No, and it has created a great argument between the elders.”
“So what can we do?”
“If the Unseelie and Shadow Courts are in our world, curriculum must be changed. Hunters cannot be kept in the dark anymore. We need to teach new hunters, and the past twenty years need to be brought back for a renewed training. That is all for today, Miss Delacroix.”
I nodded and left, heading straight for the hunter library to find any information I could on any of the new creatures in our world.
CHAPTER 18
Morana
My whole body screamed at me. I tried to move to a calling, and another pulled me in a different direction. I was being torn apart by oncoming death, but I couldn’t pick one way. It was too overwhelming. I shut my eyes for a moment, willing it away before finally heading forward toward the “vampire alleys” of the citadel. I knew I would have more luck fighting a vampire than any new malevolent threat, so I found a pull, thin as a string but strong as steel, and hurried to its end.
The cries became audible and louder as my run became a sprint. I could stop it this time. I would. I turned the corner into the alley, intending to find a human becoming dinner, but realized it to be completely different. A large black bat-like creature held a vampire up in the air by its neck as it struggled. I could hear the vampire yelling, begging for help as the dark creature reached with its claws and created shreds of meat from the vampire’s body. Blood followed in the explosion, spraying nearby walls, and from my spot at the entry, I felt the spray of wet heat. I recoiled, not as disgusted as I should be, which only worried me more. I could feel the darkness that hung in the air lately, part of my soul embracing it without any intention of letting go. I walked backward silently and slowly while the creature was preoccupied with eating the flesh off its claws, and I moved off to a different string of death.
The elders needed to know every detail of what had transpired. There was nothing powerful enough to protect the world from these shadows, and they needed to understand that.
CHAPTER 19
Bianca
The room had turned into a circus.
I could see the banshee that had warned me about my future across the room, her black hair shrouding her beautiful pale face, and her dark-green eyes locked with mine. We could feel the dread and panic that had spread through the room the second she started to speak. Hell had opened up, and the creatures were here to destroy whatever they could find.
There seemed to be no way of quieting the room, not that I judged them. Morana’s stories had held my heart in its claws. I didn’t know what to say to reassure myself that it would all be okay.
“Silence!” a voice boomed extraordinarily loud. The room hushed instantly like a group of children being scolded. The source of the command came from Kenrick Dubois, elder of the fae and one of the few with the knowledge of the severity of the situation. “Chaos will not help anyone. It will only hinder the ability to find a solution quickly!”
Huxley Darch stood forward in his quadrant of the room, his pack standing tall behind him as he pronounced his views.
“We need to reseal everything once again as soon as possible. That is the only solution.”
“The fae must deliberate and finalize which species are sealed away this time. Not enough care was taken to begin with,” was Kenrick’s response. “It will take some time, but the fae are confident that it will be for the best.”
I stood a few meters behind Axton, but even I could see how tense his muscles got. It felt like the meeting was achieving nothing but division. All races were already segregated by room sections, but it became clear that there was more to this argument than just this dilemma. The game had changed.
“And how many lives—vampire, wolf, or human—will be lost while we wait for the fae to decide their new court system?” Axton said harshly. I could see the wolves and vampires tense as they thought this over, and the whole room threw glares.
“It will be for a greater good.”
“If this takes too much time, maybe the fae should consider removing their species to their own realm permanently,” Axton argued, and I knew that everyone in the whole room was holding their breath.
“What you suggest is blasphemy, Elder Gates. If you remember correctly, we are at peace with you because we allowed it. Do not question our superiority again.”
Once again, the room was filled with shouts and yelling. The wolves growled at the fae, and I could hear Huxley yelling that such threats should not be made. I watched Axton tense but stay strong, still and silent in all the chaos. He finally turned on his heel and walked from the room without even glancing back.
* * *
We were sitting in Sam’s room, trying to absorb how different everything had become. Axton had spent the past three days shut in his office, rewriting curriculum and implementing it as he wrote it. We would be graduating extensive training several months earlier in an attempt to ready us quicker. Training was full on before, but this was so much worse.
“You realize this is the first I’ve properly seen of you since the meeting?” Sam said with a sigh, holding my hands in his as we sat on the bed.
“I know. It’s all changing too fast. We’re getting moved on to real patrols in two weeks, and we still need to be ready to fight the real shadows.” I turned to face him. I knew I had been so distracted—rightly so—but I understood now. Having any sort of a relationship as a hunter was hard, but it was worse now that our world had moved to the verge of war.
“Let’s focus on something else,” he said, stopping me as I was about to protest. “Just for tonight.”
I nodded solemnly.
“The day I met you, your focus was elsewhere. I want you to just forget about everything that troubles you just for tonight. I admire that you can never hide anything that you’re feeling, good or bad. I know you care about me, and you’re there for me. I want to do the same and protect you even though you can do that yourself. I love you, Bianca.”
My eyes were closed as his warmth held me there, spreading through my body with his words. I kissed him, holding myself in the tender kiss before I pulled away slightly.
“I love you too.” I felt myself say it with a surge of emotion. I knew it when I said it, and the rush that hit me when I did made sure that I wanted to say it again and again, because I knew I meant it and would in the future.
We were kissing again, moving closer at the same moment. I could feel every sensation heightening, and soon it was easy to lose myself in the small bedroom hidden behind the massive protective wall of the compound. His hands sifted through my hair as he laid me on the bed, hovering over me as though he could protect me from everything. His kisses became eager, and I didn’t stop myself from giving everything over to him. I trusted him so wholly. Sam was my soul as much as I was his in that moment, and despite my usual caution, I didn’t want to care about that anymore.
I wrapped myself up in him—his scent, his warmth, his love—and soon his clothes were thrown off. I got lost and found in all of him.
* * *
“Harder, Delacroix. Push yourself harder!” Axton yelled as I dodged hits and blocked, trying to land any hits on my three opponents. I wanted to obey Axton, but I couldn’t make my body comply, already dripping with sweat on the padding of the sparring area. “You need to disable your opponents quickly before you tire, or it becomes dangerous.”
I needed to focus more. He was right, and I kept pushing myself physically. I could see Sam watching on, his face intensely watching me with concern. I couldn’t look at him much longer as I ducked a swipe from Seraphina. Trying to hold off Seraphina, Eric, and Dwayne was hard, and I had been accumulating bruises for the past ten minutes. I was still doing better than almost all others in the “3 vs. 1” section, but physically, I had almost reached my limit. Sam had done the best, and he was now the top fighter of our hunter intake. And training had only improved what was already brilliant.
“Use your brain, B. Predict!” Sam said loudly.
I listened, trying to implement the advice between hits. I saw Eric punch forward, and I swayed out, locking his arm and throwing him, using his own body weight against himself. Seraphina saw an opening and went for it, but I’d left myself open intentionally, feigning one way before knocking her in the side. It had hurt, but she was out of the fight. Dwayne circled me, wary of my movements more than before. I tried to predict his punches with a few close calls, almost knocking me out, and I attempted to throw some of my own. Dwayne and I were evenly matched despite the tired ache in my muscles that pushed to try to slow me down. I dodged and realized my mistake too late as Dwayne moved in the opposite direction. I felt the impact of his fist with my cheek, but I didn’t feel the floor. I opened my eyes in a haze to see Sam kneeling beside me, my cheek already settled on the mat.
“All of you will be out in the world in three days, and you need to be in your best condition,” he said, allowing that to settle in. “You will be given quarters of your own in the Citadel. Any living arrangements that are preferred, let HQ info know.”
I sat up to see Sam smiling at me. I rolled my eyes, watching Axton call dismissal and then leave the room. Some students stayed around socializing, but most left. I wanted to stand up, but the world still spun at the idea of trying.
“It was something I’d been meaning to ask you,” Sam started.
“Huh?” I said, temporarily confused and unfocused.
“Would you live with me?” he asked, quiet enough so no one else could hear. I sat in awe for a moment, processing that he was serious.
“Yes, but you probably should’ve waited till my world stopped spinning,” I replied, giggling under my breath.
“Nope, that’s no fun.” He smiled back, grabbing my hand to pull me up with him. Once up, his hand lingered a little longer, holding me as I steadied myself. I held on, uncaring anymore of the peers I’d only have to spend a few more days with. “Night in at mine tonight?”
“I promised Elora I’d swing by hers for some girl time with her and Seraphina,” I replied with an apology written on my face. He didn’t seem to mind.
“Later tonight then? Sleep at mine?”
“Will I actually get sleep?”
“Probably not, but you’re welcome to try.” He winked before heading off to the change room. I wanted him to see my eyes roll, but I settled for doing it and pretending he understood.
CHAPTER 20
Bianca
“I can’t believe this. I never imagined it would all go south.” Seraphina sighed as we all sat together on Elora’s bed.
“The peace is barely holding as it is,” Elora continued. “The fae don’t realize what their inaction is doing.”
“They do. They just don’t care,” I said absentmindedly. Elora and Seraphina turned to me, openmouthed. Seraphina looked close to tears, working herself up.
“How can they do that? They are close to causing war, and they don’t care?” she cried, letting her tears fall and placing her face on my shoulder. “The streets have gotten worse. Vamps just take what they can now.”
“Wolves side with us because they are all still in touch with their humanity and loyalty,” Elora spouted, reminding me of her extreme observance. “The vampires struggle to see past their bloodlust, and that’s why they are taking advantage of the chaos. Sera, I promise you, things won’t always be this bad.”
I saw Elora move, quickly pushing about the room, grabbing things from her cupboards before coming back to sit on the bed with us. Holding out her hand, she placed candy in Seraphina’s hand, startling her out of her tears and making me smile. As Seraphina pulled herself from my shoulder, she took Elora’s offered tissues and admired the help.
“Come on,” Elora prompted. “We can’t fix anything right now. Don’t fret, okay, hon?”
Seraphina looked at Elora for a moment. Elora was the sweetest person we knew, motherly when she needed to be, but she could also tell you to toughen up when it was reasonable. Elora was silent for a moment before grinning and moving her gaze to me.
“How about telling us what’s been happening between you and Sam?”
I looked at Elora, surprised, which made her laugh in response. “Oh, come on. Everyone knows there’s something. We just don’t know how much of a something.”
“It’s definitely a something.” I giggled with the two of them. “I just didn’t tell anyone so word wouldn’t go out.”
“It’s us!” Seraphina grinned, and I found myself mirroring her and Elora in their giant smiles.
“Do you reckon he’ll make the very rare eternal pledge?” Elora asked carefully. It stopped me for a second, not that it wasn’t a valid question or that I was doubting his feelings. It was more that among everything, it hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“I honestly don’t know. I mean, we are living together when we move to hunter housing, but it’s all moving so fast that I can’t see what’s coming. The eternal pledge is a massive step, and it’s rare. It’s telling the Earth Mother that you believe you’ve found your soul mate and that your essence will forever be theirs. In this world, it’s surprising to find your true match, and even more to admit it when you could be wrong,” I confessed and watched their eyes widen. We found ourselves laughing about boys and how attractive they were till late hours when I crawled to Sam’s room to fall asleep, tired as hell, in his arms, thinking about whether he could be my true match.
* * *
“Are you
ready?” Sam said slowly, attempting at suspense for the third time.
“Just unlock the door,” I replied quickly, wanting to take the key from his hand and do it myself. He sensed my need and opened the front door without hesitation. I moved quickly into the entry hall and stopped, trying to take in every detail of what was now ours. It wasn’t much—I knew that—but it was so much better than nothing. And with changes, it could be really homey. I moved step by slow step through the rooms, afraid if I moved too quickly, it would disappear and I would wake up. Sam moved behind me, more interested in my reactions than the house itself.
In the kitchen, I found an official message on the bench. Sam beat me to it and read it quickly.
“Oh, wow,” he breathed, piquing my interest. When he looked up and saw the question in my face, he explained, “The situation is so bad that starting tonight, we’re going to have a werewolf protector. Relations have slipped, and they suspect possible attacks from the Seelie. They can’t keep the peace anymore.”
I could feel the sense of fantasy slipping as my universe balanced itself out. My stomach was still bubbling with excitement, not yet with the program. I wandered into the living area and fell into the couch, able to see the lake through the window. I remembered when I used to view the large body of salt water with fascination, able to hold so many creatures and species—an undiscovered trove of possibilities. Now it was one more place for too many threats to hide.
* * *
A howl outside made me aware of its presence. I was intrigued at the prospect of protectors laying their life down for us because of a sworn oath by their pack. Sam was in the kitchen cooking, and I found myself sitting in the front entry hall, watching as the wolf circled at the property. It sniffed and kept watch, continually walking around the perimeter. It was repetitive but mesmerizing, and I found myself trying to imagine this interesting wolf as a person. After ten rounds, it stopped, checking for oncoming threats before looking behind and catching my gaze directly through the window. It nodded. I got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and a bowl from the cupboard, earning a questioning look from Sam as he stirred in a saucepan. I walked out the front door, noting the wolf was finishing another round of the house, and showed it the items.
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