by Rachel Jonas
Snatching her bag from the table, she stormed from the classroom and I was left to bear the weight of my classmates’—and my instructor’s—judgement.
If I knew how to take back what I’d done, I would have in a heartbeat, but the way they stared I was certain they all shared one thought about me.
I was certain that, in their eyes, I was nothing but a monster.
Chapter Eleven
Noelle
The door creaked open, but I didn’t move, just kept my eyes trained out the window.
Light footsteps preceded a body dropping down onto the mattress just behind my knees. It wasn’t heavy enough to be one of the guys, so I knew it was Toni before she even spoke.
“Ready to talk about it yet?”
She had no idea how awful I felt—syphoning another witches powers away, having my classmates think I’d done it on purpose.
“No,” I said quietly, feeling another tear race from the corner of my eye, toward my pillow.
A comforting hand rubbed small circles on my back. “Want me to go away?”
I shook my head ‘no’, but didn’t speak.
“Well, would it make you feel better if I told you we got invited to something kinda cool?”
She had my attention.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she chuckled. “Apparently, there’s gonna be some sort of festival next month. Locals call it the Firelight Celebration, and it sounds like a pretty big deal. Tristan said some kid handed him this flyer in the hallway and Marcela and Manny are already on board. Should be fun, right?”
Again, I didn’t answer.
“Okay … then I have more good news, and this time I’m sure you’re gonna love it,” she announced. “A couple hours ago, my History teacher slipped and told us something big. I mean huge.”
My lack of an answer didn’t seem to frustrate her.
“So, to make up for having those sucky evaluations at the end of this term, there will be recruits from The Guard on campus. Supposedly to scout new talent and issue early invitations to join. That means, those chosen would get to bypass the application process and tryouts.”
Judging by her tone, I assumed she thought this was a good thing. However, all I felt was dread. The last thing I needed was for these recruits to see me flubbing up my magic and my application would surely get shoved right into the trash. Whatever was going on with me, it was starting to seem like the only things I could do … were dark.
“Noelle,” Toni sighed, “whatever happened can’t be that bad. I wish you’d—”
“I stole a girl’s magic,” I admitted, tired of holding it in.
My eyes blurred with tears and each breath was ragged as I wrestled with my emotions. Behind me, Toni sat in silence. The hand she once used to comfort me, went still against my back.
“The thing is, I don’t even know how I did it,” I admitted. “We were supposed to cast a positive emotion charm and I did exactly what Ms. Audrina told me to, but …”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t even finish.
Toni didn’t jump off my bed and run as far away from me as she possibly could, so that was a good sign.
“Noelle, stop crying,” she said gently, before grabbing my shoulder to force me to at least turn and meet her gaze. “You’re not a monster.”
She had no way of knowing those were my exact thoughts, so when she spoke directly to my fear, it only made the tears fall faster.
“I know your guys are working hard to figure this out, and I believe they will. But until they do, I’ve got your back. Even if no one else sees you for who you are, if they don’t see that you’ve got the biggest heart in the world, never forget that I see it.”
She leaned in to hug me as tight as she could, and I hugged her right back. I’d been so afraid to touch anyone, thinking I’d do the same to them as I’d done to Jessica, but my best friend couldn’t have cared less about all that. Like she said, she saw me for me.
A sharp swooshing sound from near the door interrupted the moment, causing both of us to turn that way.
“Someone pushed an envelope under the door,” Toni said, getting to her feet to grab it. She stooped and stared at the front of it while she straightened. “Looks like it’s for you.”
I sat up when she handed me what looked like a thin letter. Staring, she dropped back down on the side of my bed as I broke the seal.
I scanned the careful penmanship and the wetness in my eyes cleared a little.
“Who’s it from?”
“I have to go.” Toni’s gaze lifted when I hopped off the bed and headed toward the door without answering.
The message was from someone who thought they could help me, and … I wasn’t in a position to turn anyone down if they believed they might have answers.
Not even a sworn enemy.
***
I couldn’t believe I’d stooped this low, but here I was.
Just as I lifted my fist to knock again, the knob twisted, and a second later I was staring into the eyes of the last person on Earth I thought I’d ever turn to for anything.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Blythe said, letting out a deep breath. “Come in.”
She stepped aside and gestured with her hand for me to enter. My feet didn’t move immediately when my brain told them to. Apparently, they were conditioned to move in the opposite direction of wherever Blythe stood.
Smart feet.
The sound of the door closing behind me was a bit unsettling, but I hid how it unnerved me to be locked in such a small space with her.
“Where’s your roommate?” I thought to ask.
“I told her to make herself scarce for a bit after dropping the letter off to your room.”
I smirked while observing her space. Shouldn’t have surprised me she still behaved like she was queen bee. Just like in high school.
Macabre paintings hung on the walls, and I knew they were pieces Blythe had painted herself. Likely since arriving on the island. She’d always been artistically talented, although her work always veered toward the dark side.
“You can sit if you want,” she offered casually, pointing toward a chair beneath the window.
I sighed after lowering there. “So, I’m guessing this is about what happened in class today.”
She nodded. “Yes. Well, that and in the gym a few weeks ago. And when you transitioned.”
Apparently, she hadn’t missed anything.
“How do you think you can help?” My tone was dry, but I didn’t have much faith that I could be fixed, nor did I have much faith in Blythe.
“We’ll get to that,” she said quickly. “First, tell me about that … thing on the back of your neck.”
Instinctively, my hand went there, to the symbol beneath my hair that was always just a smidge warmer than the rest of my skin.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Lies,” she shot back with a smile, reaching for a bottle of black polish beside her on the nightstand. Her eyes flickered up toward me as she opened it and began touching up the chipped paint on her nails.
The savage didn’t even take off the old coat before applying another.
“What do you think you know?” I asked.
“I think it happened when you transitioned, and I think it’s the reason your magic has been all wonky. Am I wrong?” Her dark gaze found me again.
A sharp breath puffed from my lips. “Yes and no,” I admitted. “It showed up when I transitioned, but I honestly don’t know what’s up with my magic. It never seems to work right.”
Frustration set in when I relived the moment in Ms. Audrina’s class.
“Correction,” Blythe cut in. “The dark side of your magic works just fine.”
There was a look of satisfaction in her eyes that rubbed me the wrong way.
“Look, if you just asked me to come here because you wanted to be nosey, I don’t have time for this.” I pushed off from the chair, but stopped before standing completely.
�
�Wait,” she called out. “I’m sorry.”
Those were words I hadn’t heard Blythe Fitzgibbons utter since going dark years ago.
“I do want answers, but only so I can fully understand what’s happening to you,” she clarified. “But … I should have known better than to think you’d just open up to me after all this time.”
“Time isn’t the only issue between us,” I reminded her.
She didn’t meet my gaze as I stared at her, pretending to be absorbed in the action of fixing her nails.
“I owe you an apology for all that, too, but I hope you understand why I can’t get into that right now,” she said coldly, which didn’t surprise me. “Getting into our past issues would make you think I was only bringing any of it up to prime you for some nonexistent ulterior motive,” she rambled in that know-it-all way of hers. “It’d become a whole … thing, so let’s just skip that part for now, and get right to business.”
My arms folded over my chest. “And what does that mean exactly, Blythe? What business?”
“You have a ton of dark energy,” she shared. “There’s light energy in there as well, but honestly, I can’t tell which side has more of a hold on you.”
My heart sank hearing those words and I shifted in my seat. “You can sense that?”
She nodded. “I can, and it would be remiss of me not to say that you could go either way at this point. So, whenever possible, avoid dabbling with negative energy.”
“Well, that should be easy,” I said. “I don’t intend to use dark magic. Like, ever.”
Blythe blinked up toward me for a second as she blew over her nails. “That may be,” she answered, “but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t intend to use you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“In the gym, in class today—did you choose for either of those things to happen?”
Her question didn’t require time to think of an answer. “No.” I lowered my head, seeing where this was going.
“Exactly. So, that’s where I come in. I’m gonna help you learn how to get rid of that dark energy and embrace the light.”
A laugh slipped out. I couldn’t help it. “You?”
She didn’t seem offended. Actually, she smiled a bit. “Believe it or not, I still remember how to be good. I simply choose not to be.”
Shaking my head, I guessed that was true.
“So, from one freak to another,” she smirked, “do you want my help or what?”
This seemed the equivalent of making a deal with the devil himself, so I had to ask.
“What’s in it for you?”
Blythe flashed me a look I didn’t expect, one of the most sincere I’d seen from her in years.
“Redemption,” she breathed. “I suppose you’re not the only one who needs to know there’s still some good left in her.”
My heart thundered inside my chest as I weighed her words, watching carefully. If I hadn’t been so desperate, I might have turned her down, but … I was slipping toward the darkness faster than I realized.
“Okay,” I agreed.
Blythe smiled up at me, giving a small nod to seal the deal. “Okay.”
Chapter Twelve
Noelle
It felt like forever since all four had a night off from patrol. Usually, there were at least a couple members of the hive missing, or I was the one with a full plate.
Mostly, what kept me away was the crap-ton of studying I had to do, but I’d also managed to sneak in my first meeting with Blythe a couple nights ago. It was far less awkward than expected, so I agreed to her suggestion that we start getting together regularly. Once that started, I would be stuck at the dorm a lot more in the near future.
However, for this evening, I had the Omegas all to myself.
With my head kind of all over the place lately—like on how I’d stolen a witch’s power and still hadn’t figured out how to give it back—I needed this night with my guys.
We had nowhere else any of us needed to be.
No distractions.
Lucky me.
Soft music lulled in the background while I chilled beside Paulo, resting on top of his comforter. My eyes followed the football he tossed into the air repeatedly, watching him catch it with ease every time. Kai had been laid out across the bottom, holding my feet in place on his thigh. The bed shifted when he readjusted to get comfortable, and his gaze stayed fixed on the ceiling. I wondered where his thoughts had taken him, wondered if it had anything to do with the meeting that took place with his father a few days prior.
A meeting he hadn’t talked about since.
From the window where he sat staring out, Rayen stretched. With the sleeves of his t-shirt cut off, I’d gotten caught up in how his biceps flexed with the movement, making the veins there more pronounced. When I finally stopped ogling his physique, and my eyes settled on his, he flashed a loaded smile.
One that made my teeth sink into my lip.
I’d been caught staring but didn’t care a whole lot. Mostly because, with us being so in sync, there was no doubt our thoughts were aligned. I knew that, he too, had traveled back in time, to that night in the shower several weeks ago.
How I hadn’t pinned him down and had my way with him since then was beyond me. It had taken a measure of self-restraint I didn’t even realize I possessed.
“I’m gonna check in with Ori, see if he needs help finishing up dinner,” Rayen said to us all, but when he eyed me, I swear we were alone in that room. He had a way of making me feel exposed under his gaze.
Just as he readied himself to stand, I stopped him.
“No, stay put. I’ll go,” I announced. He didn’t have a chance to speak before I eased my feet from Kai’s grasp and jumped down off Paulo’s ginormous bed.
The guys stares could be felt as I left the room, headed for the kitchen.
Ori seemed to be softening toward me a little more every day, and I did my best to help things along. I know some girls have a thing against being the one to pursue a guy, but it was different with us. For starters, he wasn’t just some guy. Also, there was the fact that he’d experienced something tragic, and it changed him. As his mate, I’d become inexplicably sympathetic, making it my mission to help him move forward.
“Need some help?” I asked when I reached the kitchen.
Leaning against the counter, Ori turned with a look of surprise that made my heart flutter. I loved that he seemed to not only be getting used to having me around; he seemed to enjoy it.
“Thanks, but … it’s mostly just simmering now,” he answered.
When he first offered to prepare dinner, I wasn’t sure I shouldn’t get the medic on speed dial. My dad was a good cook, but I hadn’t known many other men who were. However, with the incredible aroma coming from the three pots on the stove, I guessed Ori was another exception to the rule.
I took slow steps closer, shoving both hands in the back pockets of my shorts. That warmth and softness in his expression were both addictive, partly because I believed I was the only one he looked at that way. An indiscreet glance passed over me, starting at my thighs until finally reaching my eyes. If the thinning ice and burgeoning sexual tension between us were any indicator, I’d say we were making progress.
“It’s nice out tonight,” I commented, shooting a look toward the open window. It hadn’t gotten cold by any means, but February in Sanluuk meant mid-eighties in the day, and low to mid-sixties at night—perfect for the combo of jean shorts and loose-fitting cream sweater I wore, and Ori’s sweats and tank.
“Miss the snow? I’m sure your hometown is covered in it by now.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. Michigan winters were notoriously harsh, but there was something picturesque and serene about this time of year. Smiling, I envisioned it—my family’s property blanketed in white, dotted with large evergreens that made it feel like the holiday season hadn’t quite left us.
“A bit,” I admitted.
His smile matched my own. “M
aybe one day I’ll get to see it for myself.”
It hadn’t dawned on me until he spoke that he’d been here on the island all his life and couldn’t have ever experienced snow.
“We’ll have to visit my family one Christmas, which is also around the time of the twins’ birthday,” I told him. “You’ll get the full effect—plenty of snowball fights and igloo-building contests. Trust me, you’ll be sick of snow by the time it’s all over.”
“Looking forward to it.”
During the quiet moment that followed, I envisioned a future with the Omegas—one we’d build once the dust settled. Although things with us were fairly new, our connection was permanent, strengthening every day. Despite how we felt when we first met, these four were an important staple in my life. They were family.
“Oh, and just be prepared,” I chuckled. “My siblings are annoying as heck. I didn’t have a moment’s peace from the age of five, until I came here. They’re loud, they bicker all the time, and—”
“And … you miss them,” Ori cut in, stirring my soul with the half-smile he gave.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Completely,” he snickered.
“I just wish I could talk to them. It’s so hard to get through to the mainland.”
Ori nodded in agreement. “Bright side is, you’re almost on your final term, so … I guess it won’t be long before you get to head home and see them. At least until you leave to join The Guard.”
The air of sadness in his tone wasn’t lost on me. It hadn’t been there before conversation shifted to us discussing my future plans. Namely, the possibility that I’d be leaving the island for quite a while once classes concluded.
“Yeah … guess so.”
Silence crept in then, and I felt my stomach tighten in knots. Before meeting them, my path had been so clear. I knew exactly what I wanted, what it would take to get there, and what I was willing to give up to achieve it. Only, those plans were made before my heart had been divided four ways.
My desire to do something more hadn’t been quenched, so that meant I had some tough decisions to make in the coming months.