by A. S. Oren
The heat burns along my ribs, the taste of rotten eggs fills my mouth. I suck as much air as I can into my lungs. The warmth swirls and climbs to the top of my throat. The need to let it out overwhelms my brain. I blow Instead of air, a thin torrent of flame escapes through my mouth. I point it into the fireplace and remind myself to prolong the breath for as long as I can.
The log cracks and pops under the pressure, but soon lights on its own. An orange glow illuminates the cabin; the smoke flees up the chimney.
My heart hammers in my chest. I fall to my knees, weak. The ache of pain rolls through my body.
The guys gather around the fire and me. Jericho touches my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I swallow hard and nod. I break the dry seal on my lips. “Thirsty.” My hand travels to my throat. I sound like a frog.
Maverick gathers dirt into his hands and from it, forms a dried clay bowl. One of the first things teacher Parish taught him. He stands and goes out the door. Seconds later he comes back with the bowl full of pure-white snow.
Balancing the bowl on top of the dome of the fireplace, we watch as it only takes a minute for it to melt enough for me to drink. I guzzle it in one go. It at least cuts the thirst in half. I never knew what it was like to be parched until now.
Maverick takes my hand. The common jolt relieves some of the pain. “Better?”
My eyes close of their own accord. “Sort of. I know why only seniors can learn that technique now. It takes a lot of power. I haven’t felt this weak since the year the curse awoke.”
Paden sits down next to me. “She needs protein. Mav, Jer. Could you go hunt something? A squirrel? Anything? Together, you’re nearly as good as Lon.”
I force my eyes open and try to stand to no avail. I fall back on my butt. “I can do it. You two will freeze in this weather.”
Paden’s hand pushes on my shoulder and stops me from getting up again. “You can’t even keep your eyes open. You’re not going hunting. Should we just go back home?”
I shake my head. “No. I want to prove to him we can do this the first time. I’ll be fine after…” I sigh. “After I eat something.” The thought of meat turns my stomach, but Paden’s right. I do need the protein.
Maverick squeezes my hand before letting it go and stands. “We’ll be back before you can blink. C’mon, Jer.”
The two of them leave and all I want to do is sleep. I’m so useless now. I should’ve known better.
Paden helps scoot us closer to the fire’s warmth.
Silence passes between us for a long while. “You’re really strong.” His voice breaking the quiet makes me jump.
I loll my head to the side to stare at him. “You’re nothing to laugh at, Den. Look at what you made today. Most senior trainees couldn’t do this on the first attempt.”
He shrugs. “You have a natural talent, though. I’m just book smart.”
I take his hand. The jolt from the contact gives me a smidge of strength back. “Stop doubting yourself. One day you’ll be the leader of this little group.”
A half shrug. “Only because metal is my element, and someone decided all metal users are leaders. What if they’re wrong? You’d be a better lea—”
I press my lips to his, mostly to stop him from going down a spiral of self-doubt, as is often the case once he starts on this topic.
A small spark lights up between us, forcing me to pull back from the kiss. The heaviness in my muscles instantly leaves, just like yesterday with Maverick.
He blinks at me. “Why did you do that?”
I shrug. “To make you stop talking bad about yourself. And, it makes my pain go away for a while.”
“It makes the pain go away?”
I nod. “Touching you or Maverick has always done that a little bit. Kissing you amplifies it tenfold.”
He swallows hard. His sapphire eyes look into mine before glancing down at my lips. “I’d be breaking the rule if I kiss you.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Do you really care?”
He leans in closer to me. “Not right now.”
I close my eyes. Unlike Maverick, his lips touch mine with a feather kiss. I lean in closer, wanting more contact.
His hand comes up to cup my cheek, as we continue to kiss. Energy overflows into me. I could run a whole marathon right now and not feel an ounce of pain.
I mirror him and touch his face. I’d be happy to get used to this. I turn my head to the other side. Are we doing this right?
“Now you’re kissing him?” Jericho’s voice fills the cabin as the door bangs against the wall.
We break apart and I blink at him. This isn’t going to be good.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jericho tosses the two rabbits at us. I stare at them with wide eyes. I’m surprised they were able to find anything in this blizzard.
“I…” My gaze lingers on the drenched rabbits. How did they kill them? “Yes.”
Maverick frowns as he closes the door of the cabin, warding off the snow from blowing inside.
Jericho messes up his copper hair. My heart hammers in my chest at the expression of hurt in his emerald eyes. He refuses to keep eye contact. Why is guilt eating away at me? I can choose to kiss whoever I want.
“Why do you keep breaking the rule? We aren’t supposed to like you like that. Edgar made it clear this could never happen.”
I sigh and stand. “I don’t care about a rule I didn’t even know about in the first place. If he thought it was going to be such a problem, he would’ve talked to me about it, too.”
He huffs. “We’re born into the Vox to protect you. Kissing you is not protecting you.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “I don’t need protecting. The Vox came around because some dude thought it would be best. Back when girls couldn’t breathe without asking for permission first. I’m not the princess they believed I would be.”
He shrugs. “I didn’t make up the rules or prophecy, Avalon. I just know I was born to protect you. Not like you, like that.”
I swallow hard now. “Do you like me, like that?”
Even in the orange glow of the fire, I can watch the red travel across his cheeks. “I would do anything for you.”
Another tingle travels up my spine, something that only happens with him. My heart continues to hammer. Everything has shifted so much since yesterday. I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
He sighs and reaches out for my hand, pulling me to him. In the same instant he kisses me. My eyes go wide. This is just like one of the Korean dramas I started watching over the summer.
My lips tingle. No spark lights between us, and it doesn’t take away the pain that’s easing its way back into my bones. His hand cups my cheek and I let my eyes close, relaxing into the kiss. It’s not like the others, but I don’t want to pull away either. One of my hands goes to his shoulder and he pulls me closer to him with his other hand. I squeak, but relax again. In one movement, we tilt our heads in opposite directions, switching sides, and my arms inch around his neck.
His kisses aren’t feather light, but also aren’t forceful and excited. He pulls away, breaking the kiss. It takes a second for my brain to catch up. My eyes flutter open and I stare at him. “Woah. Where did you learn how to kiss like that?”
He grins. “Those dramas you like to watch. It just makes sense.”
I let my arms drop from around his neck. “What happens now? Are you guys still mad at me?”
Paden stands. “You’ve kissed all three of us. I think it’s fair now. I don’t think we should tell Edgar. It will be our secret.”
I nod. “I agree, but what about us? Do we just stop now? I like kissing all of you.”
Maverick shrugs. “Then why can’t we keep kissing you? As long as Edgar doesn’t find out.”
I twist the ring on my pinkie finger. “How do you two feel?”
Paden turns me to look at him. “I just want to be by your side. I don’t care about anyt
hing else.” His arms wrap around me and pull me into a hug.
I hold him for a second longer before letting go to face Jericho. “How do you feel?”
A small smile graces his lips. “Anything for you, Ava. I want you to be happy.”
I smile. So they are all like my boyfriends. Just like some of the animes we watch.
Maverick grabs at his stomach. “Can we dress these rabbits now? I’m starving.”
I nod. “Of course.” I would do anything for them, too.
“Well, you made it through your first night. How do you feel?” Edgar greets us at dawn with pancakes and sausage for breakfast as we walk through the door.
Maverick slumps into a chair. “Tired.”
After the rabbit was cooked last night, it was time for me to shift I hated doing it so close to them, but there was no other option. I spent most of the night with my body wrapped around the cabin, keeping my chest hot, so that it would ward off the cold for them. I didn’t get much sleep, nor did I eat the rabbit.
I lay my head on the table. “Can we have the weekend off from anymore sleepovers in the cabin?”
Edgar sets a plate of pancakes down in front of me. “Afraid not. Spearwood doesn’t care if it’s the weekend and you four made it through the night just fine.”
Paden kicks my leg under the table. I turn my head, while keeping it on the table, to glare at him. “Yeah. It will be good training for us. I know we can do it.”
I smile at him and close my eyes. He just wants to try kissing again.
Edgar sits in his spot at the head of the table. “See, you’re getting the mentality of a leader, Paden. It makes me proud to see that.”
I sit up and pull my food to me with a roll of my eyes. If only he knew the truth.
“Since you have the morning off from school. I was thinkin’ you guys could decorate the tree now.”
We don’t celebrate Christmas; The Sun god doesn’t call for a holiday in his name, but we do celebrate the winter solstice. I like decorating a tree and making it pretty. Getting to rip open a gift on the 21st is also a plus as well.
“Okay,” we chorus.
With a new fun goal in sight, we chow through our food at blinding speed—it’s good to have a full stomach again—and wash our dishes.
We head into the den, where Edgar has set up a small evergreen. I take in a deep breath. I’ll never tire of the way its scent invigorates me. Boxes of decorations sit at the base. Edgar started this tradition the year I came to live with him. I told him how I would decorate a tree with my Mom, Dad, and Amr. The next day he had a tree and decorations for the guys and me to use.
I clap. “I love this day. Let’s do the white lights this year.”
“Sounds good to me.” Edgar pulls out the old wrapping paper tube with the white strands wrapped around it. He never has to untangle them this way. “Tight or wide spiral this year?”
I place my index finger on my chin and stare at the tree. It’s only a few inches taller than me and the guys. “Wide, it will make it look taller.”
Edgar’s the best choice to string the lights. If any of the boys attempt it, they will all end up in one spot. Edgar always gets them equal distance apart.
The boys stand over the boxes. Paden smiles at me. “What’s the plan this year?” He knows I’m always in charge of decorating the tree. They’re just nice enough to help.
“Silvers, blues, and teddy bears. For Amr.” I nod. “Yes. That’s this year’s theme.”
The boys get out the ornaments with the colours I want to use and I pull out the mini teddy bears I bought one year at the Flea Market. I bought at least fifty of them for ten cents each. All of them are made out of different fabrics, but some have patches. The old woman selling them was overjoyed.
I run my hand over my favourite blue one. For some reason, it always reminds me of Amr. With it near, I can almost pretend he’s here, too.
With the lights strung, Edgar moves to his record player to put on his record of Frank Sinatra’s Christmas album. His favourite record is Christmas Metal songs. He says it makes him relive his youth. But it amps Maverick up a bit too much. He’d end up trying to play the tree like a guitar. I’ve seen it happen, not pretty.
With the teddy bears out and ready, I begin to unwind the silver strand of beads from around another wrapping paper roll.
Paden and I work together to drape them over the branches. As we meet up behind the tree, where Edgar can’t see us, he places a chaste kiss on my cheek, making a smile spread across my face.
We come around to the front and I admire the strands of silver with its low, but round-curve, dips. With the white lights, they’ll appear like silver icicles.
Maverick nods. “That looks good, Lon. Your best draping yet.”
I flip my hair over my shoulder. “Of course it is. I’m the queen of decorating trees.” I laugh when he takes my sassiness seriously.
Jericho opens one of the boxes with the light and dark round ornaments. “More like princess. It sounds daintier, like you.”
Edgar and I snort.
“Me, dainty?” I hold a hand to my chest.
“Her, dainty?” their voices ring out in unison.
He just smiles and shrugs while hanging a light-blue ball.
Time goes by too fast and soon, I’m placing the last pure-white bear at the top of the tree. He holds onto the top by a strap that Miss Nezbit sewed onto him. Edgar moves to block the outside light with the heavy curtains.
“Ready?”
“Yes!” we say as he hovers over the plug-in.
He plugs it in and the tree comes to brilliant life. The ornaments, and strands of beads, glitter in the white glow, while each bear has a halo around its body. Just like how I imagined it. I clasp my hands tighter. “I love it!”
Maverick nods. “I like this one.”
Jericho grabs my hand. “Yeah, this is a good one.”
Paden throws an arm around Maverick’s shoulder. “It could be in a magazine.”
Edgar snaps several pictures of it. “Your parents will love seeing this one.”
Jericho’s grip on my hand loosens, and I frown at him. He’s the only one without a parent to receive Edgar’s Annual Winter Letter. It lets our parents know how we’ve been, without giving away our location. Like Santa, he sneaks to their houses and drops the update and pictures in the mailbox.
I nudge Jericho. “We’re your family. Don’t let the thought get you down.”
He nods. “I just wish I knew what happened to my mom.”
Maverick moves to stand on Jericho’s other side. He throws an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “We’ll figure it out one day brother, have hope.”
Edgar stares at the four of us with such intensity that I almost cower from him. “What, Ed?
“You broke the rule, didn’t you? I can tell.”
The guys step back, hiding behind me. I peer over my shoulder at them. They’re acting like he’s going to beat them; Edgar’s never laid a hand on us in anger. I turn my attention back to him. “What rule, Ed?”
His frown lines deepen. “They know what rule I’m talking about.”
My arms go over my chest. “Well, I don’t. I haven’t seen them break any of the rules you’ve told me about.”
He sets the camera down. “That’s because it’s a rule I haven’t told you about.”
The irritation that subsided yesterday comes roaring back with a vengeance. “If I want to kiss them, that’s my choice.”
His brows raise. “So you knew about the rule, too?”
My chin raises a fraction of an inch into the air. “They told me after they found out I kissed Maverick while hunting yesterday.”
His arms fold over his chest now. “Well, that needs to stop now. If I have to, I will separate you from them.”
My eyes widen. “You wouldn’t!” They all grab onto my back.
His eyes narrow. “I can train you and them, without you ever seeing them.”
I bite the i
nside. “Why is there a rule against it?”
“One, you’re all eleven. You shouldn’t be kissing anyway. Another is because of a prophecy, one that says you’re destined for an unmarked royal.”
My lips pull down in a frown. “What prophecy? What is an unmarked royal?”
He turns and scans one of the many bookshelves in the room. He takes a large tome off a bottom shelf and opens it. “There will come a day when a not cursed full dragon comes to live. At her side will stand a royal not marked to protect her. Together they will bring a new day to all shifters and those who live in the shadows.”
The book snaps closed and his blue eyes peer at me. “Do you understand what it’s saying? They are all born with the Vox symbol in their skin. A symbol that protects the first true female, which is you. None of them are the person in this prophecy. A royal comes from the Ancient’s bloodlines and has no other supernatural trait in them, which is none of the boys either.”
I shake my head. “I’m not the girl in that prophecy.”
He sighs. “Avalon, you’re the first female to be born to our kind in seventeen-thousand years. Who else could it be about?”
I shrug. “Not me. It said a not cursed full dragon . I’m half angel, thus a half-breed, which is the only reason I’m alive today. My Mom’s blood healed me in the womb and kept me from dying. It warded off the curse for six years. That’s another thing. I’m clearly cursed. Whoever that’s about, it’s not me.”
My eyebrows go up. “Which means I’m not the true female either. The girl in that prophecy is.”
Edgar shakes his head. “Now, don’t jump to conclusions.”
I shake my head. “No, Edgar. I’m not a saviour. I’m just me. I’m going to be who I want to be and not live my life according to some prophecy that’s probably centuries old. I’ll love who I want to.”
Paden inches out from behind me, knowing the heat is off of him for the most part. “What if you are the girl, though?”
I take his hand, the jolt reassuring my feelings. “I’m not. I can feel it. I wouldn’t feel the way I do about you guys if it were true. The girl in that prophecy hasn’t been born yet. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. Not this time.”