“Do me a favor,” Marco spoke quietly, ignoring their reactions, “I understand that you have to take her back, but inform your alpha that I need security placed there until Saturday. I will extend our agreement for the contractors on the West cabins until July.”

  Both of them nodded and Marco turned to me, bending down slightly making me smile because we were eye to eye. “You call me if there are any issues tonight, promise?”

  “I promise,” I whispered and impulsively leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. He let out a low sound before crushing me to him, I relaxed into it. I walked towards the officers and Henry’s voice was sharp and hard, making my skin shiver and not in a bad way.

  “Officers,” Henry chimed. “It would be in your very best interest to ensure our mate stays safe. You understand, correct?”

  It clicked then. The way he used it made the concept click perfectly. My eyes widened as I looked back at Marco. Animals had mates and they were shifters… did that mean they wanted to mate with me? I frowned and Atlas made a low worried noise as I walked towards the door and out into the cold rainy atmosphere. Well, talk about something to freakin’ think about.

  “Maya,” Ledger’s voice called out as he ducked out and offered me a heavy jacket that swamped me in his scent. I smiled at him and he kissed my cheek before I slid into the back of the SUV. Luckily, the police bars were on the third row so I didn’t feel like I was in trouble.

  “Now, Miss Maya,” one of the cops, his shiny head making me smile, as he turned back. “We do apologize for having to take you home. Is there anything specific you would like to report in reference to your family?”

  Three more days. Don’t be dramatic now.

  “No,” I stated softly. “It’s fine.”

  Both of them shared a look, but I kept quiet as my mood plummeted the closer we got to the house. I really hadn’t realized how late it was when we got back from flying and as we drove up to the trailer the other cop spoke, his beard spotted with gray unlike Atlas’.

  “We are going to walk you to the door, Maya. and just remember we are going to be outside all night if you need anything, Mr. Moretti is an essential part of the shifter community. We all owe him in some way or another.”

  I wondered if that had to do with his business.

  As we stepped out of the car, my mother and Jed opened the door, glaring at me. I shivered under the jacket and before I could step closer, the officers spoke.

  “Maya was over at someone’s house doing homework, as she had informed you,” Mr. Shiny Head stated, sounding frustrated. “Next time please refrain from calling the cops unless necessary.”

  Jed smiled with his gross, rotten teeth, “of course.”

  “Another thing,” Mr. Beard stated, “we’ve received reports of disturbances and yelling on this block, so we are going to be outside the house all night. I just wanted to let you folks know.”

  Both of them went serious and I felt my smile nearly peak out. There was absolutely no hiding what the officers meant, it was clear. I turned back to them and flashed a kind smile before walking past Jed and my mother. Once inside I sped walk into my room and locked it, shoving a chair underneath it and opening my window. Just in case I needed to scream or crawl out.

  It was quiet for a few minutes and I watched as the police officers parked in sight of my room. I was so glad to have friends like Marco and my other boys. Then again, I think I had realized that when they said ‘mate’ they didn’t mean friend or buddy. So what the heck did they mean? The devil inside of me told me to keep my mouth shut. To not comment about how I didn’t deserve their affection, or possible love.

  Don’t say anything.

  The voice inside of me was vibrant and begging. I sighed sitting down on my torn mattress and drawing my knees up. When a harsh voice pressed against my door, I became even more thankful for the vigilant eyes on the house.

  “They can’t stay out there forever, little bitch,” Jed’s voice crawled against my skin as I refused to answer. I turned off my lights and put my head against the wall.

  I’d always felt alone. I’d always been physically hurt by my parents, but Jed was different. Jed made me fear the possibility of what he could do. I wasn’t stupid and I knew there was a learning curve here for me, but he made me want to hide away. To go back to the basement I spent most of my life in. Actually, all of my life that I could remember.

  I jumped when a dark shadow passed my window, but relaxed as Atlas climbed through and flashed me a brilliant white smile. Without a second thought, I made room for him and as he laid back, I crawled forward so that my body was on top of his and my cheek against his chest. That steady heart beat had my entire body relaxing as I smiled.

  I wasn’t alone anymore though.

  I just hoped to find a way that I could keep my new friends, despite knowing they deserved better than me.

  Chapter 9

  Ledger

  “What do you mean you lost her?” I demanded my temper flaring, which was unusual on its own course. I was a relaxed guy. Really. Most of the time. Okay to be fair, not always.

  “I mean,” Anani bit out, “that it was between class periods and she went to go use the washroom and never came back out.”

  “Did you check the bathroom?” I raised a brow.

  My brother leveled me with a look and said, “you must think I’m the dumbest motherfucker around.”

  Henry whistled at the end of the long hall and both of us looked over, as he nodded towards the pavilion doors. We jogged down the way and the cold air smacked into our faces as my eyes widened.

  Do you ever see anything that truly shocks you?

  My twin and I weren’t strangers to violence, none of us were. Before we’d broken away from our families, we’d been trained in the military within the realm we came from. I was around fourteen when Marco had finally decided to move our flight out of the Dreki realm. Ever since then, we’d made the rocky transition from being a group of shifters to acting like normal high school students.

  A difficult feat.

  I had gotten used to my life though, the lack of violence and excitement. So when I’d seen Lorn teasing a tiny little thing with dark hair, everything inside of me had washed with anger. Very unlike me. It wasn’t until her gold eyes met mine that I’d realized we were mates. A true shock to the system.

  But not nearly as bad as this.

  “Why aren’t we interrupting this?” I hissed out.

  Henry shook his head, “we can’t. I’m not sure how she did it, but the entire circle around the two of them is blocked off.”

  I could see the golden ring of magic and I looked around to see only a few shifters outside watching in shock as Becky cornered Maya against the tree. Except Maya didn’t seem upset. No, her gaze was dark and something about what Becky was saying had the opposite effect of scaring her. Our little mate was no doubt naive, but there was a strength underneath all of that golden skin and I couldn’t wait until she had her feet on solid ground. I could just fucking tell she’d be unstoppable.

  “What is happening?” Anani demanded.

  “Becky cornered her and then Maya threw up the shield around them. She’s not scared, but very defensive. I can’t hear what they are saying,” Henry said softly.

  I stepped closer and placed my hand against the smooth almost sparkling dome shape. I assumed humans couldn’t see it, but none of them approached, so maybe there was some property to this I wasn’t understanding. Then again, I had no idea what she freakin’ is, so maybe I’m just making shit up. Maya’s eyes met mine for a moment and I went to warn her as Becky slapped her. It caused my little mate to hit her head against the back of the tree. Rage filtered through my system.

  I think I expected a lot to happen.

  What I didn’t expect to happen? A look of fury to cross her face that was so unlike Maya, it had me actually stilling because I felt as though there was a predator in the area that even my dragon was unsure of. Maya, without pretense, stepped into her space and spoke what looked to be harsh words. Becky flinched and stepped back, but Maya simply stepped forward, her eyes darkening. When Becky turned to run, she hit right into the barrier, shattering it, and releasing a piercing, almost bird-like sound that had our little mate smiling.

  Then the most unexpected thing yet happened. Becky’s hair went up in flames.

  Holy shit. Maya stood there watching as the human was able to douse her hair with water. She was only able to save maybe a few inches lower than her jaw. Her friends were so focused on helping her, they didn’t catch the incredulous look the shifters were offering her. Maya watched nearly amused before she sighed and turned back to us, all three of us with our mouths open.

  “Firefly?” I asked quietly.

  She offered me a soft smile, “hey you.”

  “What was that?” Anani demanded.

  She twisted her lips. “She threatened to cut my hair off if I didn’t stay away from you, so I told her she wasn’t your friend. I was. She got even more mad and we went back and forth a bit. At first, I was scared but then when she slapped me, I got this odd feeling right at the center of my chest and I got angry. I am not sure how her hair burnt off, but I’m not complaining. That’s horrible of me, right?”

  My smile grew more and more as she talked because it was very clear that Maya was very much a shifter. The possessive, protective, and aggressive qualities were small, but very much there. Henry stepped forward and he pressed a hand to her forehead frowning before meeting our gaze with actual shock. “I think I may know what she is.”

  The doors opened and our principal stepped out, a very upset Becky Ash following after. Guess we would have to wait to find out. Maya froze, the bravado from earlier slipping slightly and I realized that it may have been a bit of a size thing. Becky was close in height to Maya, but the principle was a lot larger. It made me wonder how long people larger than her had been hurting her. I wrapped a possessive arm around her center.

  “Maya, is it?” The principal asked, his mustache a dirty blonde like his murky eyes.

  “It is,” she whispered.

  “Is it true you burned off Becky’s hair?”

  Anani chuckled, “now how in the hell would she have done that?”

  Becky got angry and snapped, “she did! After I slapped her, I stepped back…”

  “You slapped her?” The principal stated as Becky flushed. “Yes, but that isn’t…”

  “Mr. Lark,” a voice rang out, “Becky is lying, clear as day. If anyone should be concerned about their safety, it’s Maya.”

  Henry let out a low sound as Seth approached, his eyes amused and his scent distinctly dog. Maya offered him a small smile and that made me irrationally mad. I pressed my lips to her shoulder as I resisted the urge to bite right down into her soft skin. I wouldn’t do that though, not until she realized we were mates. Then you better believe I’d be marking her cute little ass.

  The principal looked between all of us before pinning us with a look. “Could you meet me in my office, Ms. Ash? Now. Maya feel free to call someone to pick you up if you feel uncomfortable being here right now, just make sure to inform the school.”

  Becky tossed Maya a narrowed eye glance as the woman in my arms shook with tension and let out a low dangerous soft sound. I felt everything harden at it and she flicked her eyes up at me as I offered her an apologetic cocky smile.

  I mean, did she actually expect my cock to not get hard with her firm little ass pressed against it in a school skirt?

  Fucking shit. The way she’d casually thrown out those words the other night was something fucking magical. Seeing that soft plush mouth form the word ‘cock’ and talk about ‘fucking’ had me wanting to bend her over and teach her all about that shit.

  “Marco is on his way,” Henry offered as I tugged her towards the parking lot.

  I could hear Henry and Anani talking quietly behind me, so I decided to distract her. “So how was last night when you got home?”

  She nibbled her lip before answering, “it was good, Atlas stopped by.”

  “Did they say anything?” I asked directly. She could not admit it all she wanted, but I was very fucking aware of how those bruises appeared there. When you were abused as a child, you could easily recognize it in others. It was one of the reasons I was hesitant to ever raise my voice around Maya because even if it was in excitement, I could see her flinch. I wanted to get her into our house so she could become use to it and relax as soon as possible.

  I knew it had been barely three days since I’d met her, but something in me had fundamentally changed. I’d follow this woman anywhere. I looked down at her as those gold, thick lashed eyes met mine and dark chocolate and gold hair shifted gently around her angled face. God. She was so fucking beautiful.

  I barely looked away as Marco’s BMW pulled up.

  “Angel,” Atlas called out as she looked at him and offered a smile. I loved that about Maya. She never held back. Never played games. Her emotions were right there and I could tell that when she didn’t want to say something, she tried to find a way around lying. She had to be one of the most authentic women I’d ever met.

  Her plush lips moved as she said goodbye to my brother and Henry, before moving closer to me. My arms wrapped around her as I buried my nose in her hair, absorbing her scent. I could smell the ash more prominent on her skin than ever. I think I knew Henry’s theory on what she was and after what I’d seen today, I couldn’t even disagree with him.

  She was more unique than she’d ever realize and not just because of what she shifted into.

  I watched as she got into the car and I slid my hands in my pants pocket, the other two and myself wishing that we were leaving with them. Unfortunately, if we were going to play human, then human rules applied to us. Those golden eyes looked back at us one more time before they left the parking lot and I shook my head.

  Nothing was ever going to be the same now that I’d met Maya, and I was perfectly okay with that.

  Chapter 10

  Maya

  “You burnt off her hair?” Sai grinned, his eyes glinting with something I didn’t recognize.

  “Only half of it, and I have no idea how I did it,” I yawned slightly as Atlas turned with a worried look.

  “Did you not sleep well?” He frowned.

  “I did,” I nodded. “It's just been a lot of new experiences these past three days.”

  “Well, you’re about to have another,” Marco noted, “we are stopping at the mall before going home.”

  Home. I wish it was my home.

  Wasn’t that the hardest part about all this? I could defend and protect my boys all I wanted, but at the end of the day, Becky was right. They weren’t mine, and eventually they’d leave this area and I would be left with just driving past their massive empty mansion every so often. Oh wait! I didn’t even flippin’ know how to drive. I felt my lips dip slightly before I tried to hide it.

  “What's wrong?” Sai asked immediately.

  “Nothing,” I shook my head, not wanting to really bother him with it.

  I squeaked as the car came to a stop and both Marco and Atlas looked back at me as well. Cars honked around us and I raised my brows because while I didn’t know much about driving, I knew this wasn’t right.

  “What’s wrong?” Marco repeated Sai’s question.

  I sighed, “it really isn’t worth having all these angry humans honk at you.”

  “Maya,” Atlas demanded.

  I sighed, “I was just thinking about how long the six of you were planning to stay in the area and it made me sad to realize you may leave. There! Come on, I don’t like the honking noise.”

  Marco frowned, “why would we leave?”

  “We wouldn’t leave you, Maya,” Sai pointed out.

  See, that? That frustrated me. I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. “Can we please go?” I watched out the window until they started moving again. I was frustrated because you couldn’t just say that to someone. You couldn’t just say you wouldn’t leave them. They couldn’t promise me that.

  Before I knew it, we came to a massive mall that seemed to be made up of a cross shape of shops that all connected through open air walkways. Didn’t seem very smart to me, considering the weather. I shook myself, promising I’d be in a good mood while we were here.

  Marco’s hand caught mine and I smiled up at him, liking how his rough palm felt against my soft one, his eyes searching my face before offering me a smile as well. Butterflies jumped in the center of my chest as I focused on the steps ahead.

  “He’s right, you know,” he whispered softly as we entered under a terrace. “We wouldn’t leave you.”

  I frowned, “you have to stop saying stuff like that, Marco.”

  He made a low noise and paused, tilting my chin up, “absolutely not. Why would I stop?” I was glad the other two had walked ahead.

  I sighed, “Marco, I’m barely friend material, let alone someone you should base your life around. If you guys have to leave town, then you have to leave.”

  His eyes darkened, “what do you mean you’re barely friend material?”

  I shrugged, “I am a bit weird. I growl. I set people’s hair on fire and my mom has yet to be proven wrong about the devil thing. I’m just saying, you could do a lot better.”

  A low rumble came from his throat as he shook his head, “I really hope your birthday is sooner than Saturday.”

  I frowned, “what?”

  “Then you will understand what is going on here, honey,” he muttered and fixed me with a demanding gaze. “Do something for me?”

  “Sure,” I whispered.

  “For the next few days, just enjoy this, okay? I promise you, we aren’t going anywhere. In fact, I think you’ll find we are going to grow a bit overbearing.”

  “Impossible,” I mumbled as his smile softened.

  Marco slipped an arm around my waist. “Come on. I have to prove to you the overbearing aspect of my personality.”

  I grinned. “Doubtful, but willing to give it a chance.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20