by LM Wilson
“Yup and I don’t blame her one bit. The way you all acted while under that bitch’s influence would be hard for anyone to get past. For a girl like Joey who doesn’t trust easily….” Bandit trails off but both Angel and I know what he’s not saying. What we did was unforgivable.
Joey wears her heart on her sleeve and every little bit of pain we caused her is right there out in the open for anyone to see.
I swallow roughly and go to the end bedroom, the one I wanted for myself. Only it’s not empty now.
Joey is bending over shoving something under the bed. I can’t help but notice the perfect roundness of her ass or the way her skirt barely covers her.
“Is there something you wanted or were you hoping to ogle my ass for a few more minutes before saying something?”
“Well, it is a nice ass.” I deadpan as I pull the necklace, I found in her old room out of my pocket.
“What do you want Raine?”
“I found this on the floor in your old room when I packed up all your stuff.” I hold the necklace out to her and her eyes fill with tears.
“I thought I’d lost it.” She breathes and for a moment her midnight eyes catch mine. “Thank you.” She steps towards me and my heart skips a beat. I swear to all that is good, I feel my heart actually skip.
The happiness and relief shinning in her eyes make me feel like I’ve finally done something right. It’s only there for a fleeting moment, but it was enough to fill me with hope.
“You’re welcome.” I mumble as she turns her back, shutting me out once more.
I back out of her room, determined to at least grab the room opposite hers only Angel has already made himself at home. Leaning on the doorframe, I watch him for a moment as he starts unpacking his things. “Have you heard from Chase or Malachi yet?” I ask more to have some excuse for standing here. The truth is, I don’t want to leave just yet because Joey is right there across the hall and the next nearest bedroom is down the other end of the long hallway.
“Chase messaged me saying he would meet us here tonight, apparently he has an idea but didn’t explain it to me.”
“Okay well, I’ll leave you to it.” I hover for a moment longer, looking over my shoulder at Joey’s closed door.
“Maybe we should just go talk to her.” Angel’s voice comes from right beside me and I grunt at how much he startled me.
“No, it’s better if we just give her time.” I pat Angel on the shoulder and leave him standing there.
We’re all fucked when it comes to Joey Kale. That girl has all of our hearts, we’re just too afraid to admit it.
♡
I haven’t spoken to any of the others for nearly two hours. River’s been blowing up my mobile phone for the last twenty minutes, yelling at me in both voicemail and texts about skipping classes today, but I just don’t care about all that right now. I’m more worried about how the hell we’re going to get River and Doc away from Miranda and Claire.
“Hey kid, what’s eating you?” Bandit sits down on the couch beside me, making the entire thing groan beneath his weight.
“Not a kid.” I grouse.
“Yeah, you are. Apart from Miss Joey, what is it that’s bothering you?”
“I can’t figure out how I’m going to get my brother away from the school for a few days. I was going to just kidnap him and Doc and put them both into a car, but my plan kind of fell short of what to do after that. None of us have our licence yet and there’s no way of getting them off the school grounds without alerting the gate guards.”
“Kidnapping your own brother might be a bad way to get him on your side. Why don’t you just send him he’s got something urgent that needs doing outside the school grounds, then while he’s away he can clear his head and then you can tell him the truth.” Bandit doesn’t even wait for me to speak again he simply gets up and wanders off as though his job here is done.
I laugh to myself as I replay his words over and over in my mind. He’s right. It’s the easiest way to get River off school grounds. He always takes Doc with him when he leaves the school and that means we’d have both of them back on our side.
I get up off the couch and go looking for Angel, he’s the only one I know who is smart enough to figure this out and it’s most likely going to involve breaking the rules, so he’ll love being a part of the plan.
♡
Chapter: Joey
My stomach growling is what finally pulls me away from the book I was reading in my room. I wander through to the kitchen but food is forgotten as I hear the guys all talking around the dining room table. With my back pressed to the wall, I eavesdrop on their conversation.
“I’m not sure that would work. It’s better if we just go through with the ceremony. At least we know that will stop anyone from getting inside our minds again.” Malachi’s sweet melodic voice carries through to me.
“I can’t do it. I’m too young to commit to someone for ever. Isn’t there another way?” Angel is still stuck on that part of the ceremony and I don’t blame him. I’m not sure how I feel about being tied to the four of them forever either. Although truth be told, I’m honestly expecting the ceremony to fail because I still don’t believe that I am the lost princess.
Chase is the one who answers Angel’s question. “That’s what I’ve been saying. There’s a way to change the vows. You don’t have to use those exact ones. The ones from the past that I found all have different vows. The oldest mention of the vows says that the guardians only vowed to protect the princess. Another says that they vowed to protect the royal family and the other one I found sounded more like marriage vows between the princess and two of her guardians and more like vows of loyalty for the other two. Not anywhere are the vows the same.”
“So, we just change the wording and everything will be fine?” Raine asks.
“Well, no. That’s the part that I can’t figure out. The ceremonies are all described as being cemented with the mate bond. So even though the words of the vows are different it seems to be the bond itself that makes it permanent.” I hear him sigh before he adds, “The descriptions for the mate bond all state that once the bond was in place the princess and her guardians became lovers not long after.”
“I don’t care what any of the historical documents say. None of you are going through with that ceremony. We’ll find another way to keep you all safe from Miranda’s influence.” I look at each of their faces and then turn slightly so that I’m facing them all. “There’s no need to do the ceremony because I am not the lost princess. I’m just a split shifter who was cursed by Malachi’s mother.”
All hell breaks loose. Raine, Malachi and Chase start shouting about them not needing proof to know I’m the lost princess. My head starts to pound and I raise my voice. “Go for a fucking walk and calm down. I don’t want to hear any more about this tonight!”
Raine, Chase and Malachi storm out muttering amongst themselves about going to Bandit’s place to find out what he knows about the Princess. I ignore them all as I go into the loungeroom to drown out everything with a movie. Angel joins me shortly after the second movie starts and my stomach once again growls.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as I get to my feet. I’m feeling a little guilty for kicking the others out of the cabin without any of us eating, but I assume they would have gone to the cafeteria if they were really hungry.
“I’m hungry for something.” Angel breathes the words into the silence and for a second, I’m not sure if he meant for me to hear him. He waggles his dark eyebrows up and down suggestively and I groan. “Does this type of sexual innuendo actually work for you?”
His unrepentant grin does funny things to my insides. “Yup.”
“Well give it up. It’s not working for me.” My shaking hands make me out to be the liar I am. I grip them together to try to hide it as I continue walking towards the kitchen doorway.
“Liar.” That cocky smirk comes back in full force and I have no choice but to admit, albeit grudgingly
, that Angel really is sexy. Those chiselled cheekbones, dark hair with the splattering of white at the front and that muscular body… Pure masculine sin.
Add that wicked sense of humour, although warped and he’s a lethal combination of naughty and nice that could lure in any girl.
Not me though. Nope. No way, no how. I berate myself internally as we go into the kitchen.
Besides, I’m fairly sure that bad boy flirt attitude of his is just a front.
Angel shifts closer to me, effectively trapping me between the wall and himself. That alluring fresh sea breeze scent of his tickles my nose as he slowly unbuttons his shirt one handed.
“Um, what are you doing?” I meant for my voice to come out harsh but it’s nothing more than a breathy moan.
He doesn’t answer, simply finishes unbuttoning the shirt until the sides are separated completely. My hands curl into fists as I feel the need to reach up and touch that formidable expanse of muscles now on display.
My eyes finally catch on to why he removed his shirt. On his very toned bicep is the exact same mark I have on my palm.
I finally release the fists I made and creep my left hand up his chest between us. I slide my fingers across the smooth skin and light sprinkling of almost white chest hair. It’s so soft that I get lost for a moment. He clears his throat and I shift my hand up and over to his well-defined bicep. His entire body shudders under my touch, which makes me feel brave, so I keep going. My fingers gently trace over the symbols creating goose bumps along Angel’s flesh. “What does this mean?”
“It means you are mine and I am yours. Our fates are entwined.”
“That’s a pretty strong declaration from a stranger.” I whisper.
“I’m not really a stranger though, am I?” He asks cupping my jaw.
“No. Not really.” I go to pull my hand away but he uses his free hand to capture mine and hold it to his chest, right over his heart.
“Then kiss me.” It’s not a question. Not a demand either. My gaze goes straight to his lips. I’m tempted. I really am.
“Angel….” His name comes out as less than a whisper against his lips. All it would take is for me to pucker my own and we’d be kissing. I close my eyes and breathe far too deeply, filling my lungs with his fresh oceanic scent. “We really shouldn’t.” I sigh the words as I drown in his aqua gaze.
“We really should.” He whispers back. Despite his words he doesn’t close the distance, just hovers there.
My resolve crumbles.
I’m not sure who moves first, our lips touch lightly and he grips the back of my hair just tight enough to keep me in place.
His lips devour me. Claiming me so thoroughly that nothing else exists. There’s no thoughts, only the emotions and need he evokes within me. His teeth nip at my lips, teasing them apart. His tongue traces the slightly swollen flesh before plunging into my mouth.
Reality crashes down on me as I hear the front door opening and Raine calling out. “Joey are you here?”
I spring back, pushing against Angel’s chest with my open palms. My heart thunders against my ribs, threatening to force its way out of my chest. Angel just smiles sheepishly then turns his back and walks away as though he didn’t just imprint the feel of his lips and tongue on my soul.
♡
Chapter: Raine
I slipped into the cabin on silent footsteps but regretted it almost instantly. Just inside the kitchen, Angel had Joey up against the wall. One hand tangled in her hair and the other on her hip.
I actually thought I’d be pissed or jealous of seeing her kissing someone else. I wasn’t feeling either seeing them together.
In fact, the feeling I was…. Who am I kidding, still am having is confusing the hell out of me.
Turned on would be an understatement.
Not from seeing Angel with her, but from seeing her enjoying his kisses. Seeing Joey’s reactions left me feeling frustrated and a little cut that she wasn’t kissing me like that. I creep back to the front door and open it.
Bang. “Joey, are you here?” I call out, knowing damn well that I’m interrupting them. I’m not sure what I was expecting her and Angel to do but I definitely wasn’t expecting Angel to take off to his room and leave Joey looking lost.
“Are you okay?” I ask her as I round the corner.
“I’m fine.” I don’t think anyone would believe that tone of voice. Her midnight blue eyes look like they’re about to spill far too many tears for me to handle.
As I watch her expression morphs, going from sad to determined, in an instant. “I’m fine. Just hungry.”
I don’t say a word. The fact that she’s actually speaking to me is enough for now. I slip past her into the kitchen and pull out the few items we managed to procure from the cafeteria. “If we’re going to eat here, we’ll need to steal more stuff from the cafeteria later.” I muse as I grab the ingredients to make sandwiches from the fridge. I can see she’s still trying to get her head around Angel kissing her, so I prod a little, hoping she’s distracted enough to keep talking.
“Do you want to talk about whatever it is your thinking so hard about?”
She looks at me with her blush stained cheeks and I can’t help the smile tugging on my lips. She really is beautiful. When the silence between us stretches for too long, I turn back to the task at hand.
“Do you have a plan for dealing with River and Doc yet?” Her voice comes from right behind me and I’m ashamed to admit it but I jump a little.
“We’re working on it.”
“Anything I can help with?” She grabs the bread and starts buttering the slices. Her hands making quick work as they glide the knife across the bread.
“At the moment, no. We just need something plausible to take him away from the academy for a few days.” I flick the knife I’m holding so it flips over and over between my fingers.
Her eyes track the movement and I can’t help showing off just a little. I add a bit of fire to the knife as I continue twirling it.
“What does he usually leave for?” She asks and for a second, I’m so lost in her midnight eyes that I forget what we were talking about.
I put the knife down as I think about her question. “Problems with supply shipments, new students, banking issues, fund raising….” I trail off, unsure what else there is.
“Does he always have to leave to deal with those things?” Joey asks as she places the buttered bread in front of me. Hinting without words for me to continue making the food.
I add ham and lettuce as I think about her question. “No.” I cut the sandwich in half and begin making a second one.
“What does he always attend in person?”
I push the plate over to her and she lifts the sandwich up to her full lips. Flashes of Angel and her against the wall flood my mind and I have to force myself to think past the lust and jealousy. “The sign up of a new investor.”
“Then we need someone on the outside who can pretend to be an interested investor.”
“No, we just need to send him an email requesting a meeting somewhere far enough away to break Miranda’s influence.”
“So, we need a hacker or someone with an email he won’t recognise?” She asks around a mouthful of food. Normally I’d be put off by someone talking with a mouthful of food but I’m seriously starting to think Joey could do anything and make it look appealing.
“I can do that.”
Both of us spin on the spot, startled by Angel’s sudden appearance. “I thought that was what we were going to do anyway.”
“Yeah, but I was still trying to figure out the details. Joey helped me come up with the idea of an investor meeting.”
“So, I heard.” Angel’s tone is enough to have Joey blushing and me frowning over at him in the doorway. If we’re really going to do this, then he needs to be just as comfortable with the rest of us around her as I am. Not that I don’t feel the jealousy….
“We were just talking.” Joey blurts out making both Angel an
d I turn to look at her red face.
Angel waves his hand towards her. “She shouldn’t be involved in this. You know that Raine.”
Before either of us can stop her, Joey drops the remainder of her food and hightails it out of the room.
“Great job Angel. I finally had her talking to me again and you had to go and ruin it.”
“Says the guy who deliberately broke us apart while we were kissing.”
I almost gasp. I didn’t think he’s seen me watching them. I open and close my mouth a couple of times before finally blurting out. “You shouldn’t have been kissing her in the first place!”
“You’re just jealous I got there first!”
“What the fuck are you two yelling about?” Chase asks stepping around the corner of the fridge. “At least she was willing to talk to the pair of you. I haven’t even gotten a hello from her and I wasn’t the one who treated her like crap. The pair of you should be ashamed of yourselves.” He shakes his head, his eyes rolling to the ceiling like he’s admonishing a couple of misbehaving kids. “I can’t believe I’m the one playing mediator right now. What the hell is going on with all of us?”
I sigh. He’s right. We were acting like idiots. No worse, we were acting like jealous fools. “I’m sorry. I’ll back off. She’s all yours Angel.” I take a leaf out of Joey’s book and escape before either of them can say anything else.
I’m not giving her up without a fight. I just need to regroup and find a different approach. With that thought firmly in mind, I head to my new bedroom to get some much-needed rest.
♡
I wake up feeling like I have a jackhammer pounding away at my skull. I’m normally a reasonable person in the mornings, but today I feel like shit. After a quick shower and half a cup of coffee, I get ready for school. Joey appears in the kitchen just as I’m finishing my second cup of coffee. I have to do a double take, then a triple. She’s only wearing a pair of black knickers and a short matching tank top.
My hands move swiftly, readjusting my junk before she can notice the very obvious effect that her lack of clothing is having on me.