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I wet my dry lips, feeling my mother staring at me as I twist my gaze back to the front, but I refuse to meet her eyes, worried like always that she’ll push me back into my corner. This forces me to become a shell of who I am, one that throws up walls so thick they’re impenetrable, causing me to piss everyone off around me, including myself. All because I let my mother get into my head.
“I recommend you choose your next words wisely, Zellus,” a male voice booms from the back of the hall, drawing everyone’s attention, and I can’t help but gape in surprise as Zen’s parents stand at the end of the aisle. “Thank the Gods,” Zen mutters under his breath as I shake my head in disbelief.
“Those pretentious, self-centered cunts,” Harmonia bites, stomping her foot as she whirls around to face us. “You better figure this the fuck out.” She points a small finger in our direction like she’s the one giving orders. “I’ll find Thalia and Cassandra, and you lot, find our fucking girl.”
The dean is clearly fearful of Rhea even though she hasn’t used her power in a threatening way. It’s only triggered when she has to protect herself.
“You’re going to tell me where Rhea is, or I’m going to destroy this fucking place trying to find her,” he states, his voice dark and void of any emotion other than anger, but Zellus simply shakes his head and scoffs.
To the outside looking in, the Elias family is always calm, collected, and righteous, but if you fuck with us, you’re going to bare the consequences.
“I want to know why you think it is suitable to place my son’s sealed soul…” she pauses again, turning from Zellus back to Rhea with a joyous smile on her face, giving a quirky wink, before her death glare crosses her face once more. “In such inhumane confinements. She is of the utmost importance to him, his unit, and to us. She shall not be treated like an object for your amusement.”
“If you dare fucking say she’ll stay in isolation, in that cage, I will rain havoc down on you, dickhead,” my mother growls, her face reddening as she interrupts Zellus.
“You can do nothing tonight. Not a single thing, and I will not allow you to keep her as a prisoner in a cage in your office for your own sick pleasure.”
surprise and excitement. “Do you mean…” He can’t seem to bring himself to finish his sentence, so I do it for him. “That I want to convince you to let the others in too? Not for sex, but just to be? Yeah. That,” I murmur, and his mouth tilts up in a heartwarming smile as his hands find my waist. Watching his metaphorical walls melt away before my eyes feels like a rare gift that I’m proud of.
“Baby, you have two options, waste a lot of your breath right here, telling me all the reasons why you need to be alone, only for me to go into my room and walk right through the bathroom to get to you. I can do it immediately or the second you fall asleep, creepy or not,” he states with a pointed look. “Or, you can get over it and let me in now, saving all of the wasted time and effort making me work for it when you know you’re going to cave. The others may know you have your shit together, but well, you’ve met this needy fucking soul of yours,” he murmurs, pointing unashamedly at his chest.
“And I can’t fucking stand for you to be out of my sight tonight. Not after how depleted I was earlier, then the fear I felt when you disappeared before my very eyes. It’s been a bit much for one day.”
“For me, nothing has ever felt so close to dying than in that moment, Rhea. But I would do it all again to keep you safe.”
“It was fucking scary seeing you like that. I felt helpless, broken, and overwhelmed with emotions. I was fucking scared,”
“I fear saying this will only scare you away, Rhea, but we all know I can be a selfish asshole, so here I am doing it anyway,” he mumbles, making my nose crinkle in confusion as I tilt my head back to look at him. The second my eyes meet his lilac pools, he confidently says. “I love you.”
“The calmest I’ve ever felt in my life was when Zen, Xander, Khaos, and you took me out by the lake on Christmas Eve and showed me snow.”
I snuggle into him further, admittedly grateful for his presence, when all of a sudden, snowflakes begin to flutter from the ceiling. Fucking snowflakes. SNOWFLAKES.
Awe washes over me as I sit up, snow crunching beneath my palms, but it’s not cold as I look out over the lake. Adonis has glamoured the room so it looks like we're back at the exact spot where I first saw the snow Zen’s sister created.
Every detail, every last damn leaf is in place, like Agion is on the other side of campus and I’m actually in my happy place. The water of the lake glistens in the distance, the trees of the woods sway around us, and the bristles of the grass under the snow peeks through the piles of white softness.
I didn’t know how they would react to learning who appeared before me when I used the seeker, but they’re taking it better than I expected.
Xander immediately laces his fingers with mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles as Zen places his palm at the bottom of my spine. Adonis grumbles under his breath, and Xander scoffs. “Fuck off, A, you had her all to yourself last night. I can smell the soap from showering this morning, but my wolf can sense you all over each other. You. Need. To. Fucking. Share,” he snaps, squeezing his fingers tighter with mine before pulling me through the portal.
“Hi, Rhea, it's fabulous to finally meet you officially,” she says, her face beaming with joy as she wraps me in her embrace before I can even take a breath. I stand frozen in place, but only for a moment as I instinctively wrap my arms around her in return. The way she squeezes extra tight almost chokes me with shock, but her lavender scent soothes me. Quite the paradox of sensations.
Zen keeps my hand in his, and to my amazement, it’s Khaos who snatches the spot to my left, not touching me, but I can feel the protective vibes drifting off him in waves.
“Are untrustworthy, dangerous, and a disgrace to our society. Would you like me to add liar to that list of adjectives too?”
“No, because the word liar is a noun,” I sass, challenge flashing in my eyes before turning my back to her and facing Zellus, dismissing her, something I’m sure will piss her off just as much as my attitude. “All or nothing, Zellus.” He eyes me, almost curiously for a moment, like he’s trying to decide how to spin this in his favor as usual, before he sighs. “Call an assembly.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I have little experience with any of it. I haven’t grown up in a supernatural surrounding, and even though I’ve sealed my soul three times, my magic is… limited,” I state, loving how my chest eases with the fact that I can be open and honest with my friends. People I trust that aren’t directly linked to my soul. “The truest magic I’ve seen has probably come from the guys,”
Those motherfuckers have no clue who they’re messing with, but I’m more than happy to show them.
Remember he’s been an asshole. Remember he’s been an asshole. I chant it over and over in my mind, but every time it gets weaker, and the longer I stare at him, the harder it is for me to focus on what it is I’m trying to remember.
I’m so affected by him. It was ridiculous to think I would be able to pretend I’m not.
Holy fuck I’m dead and writhing in angsty dick heaven. I need to remember to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“You missed your calling as an alarm clock, Harmonia. Always interrupting a good thing,” Khaos grumbles, and I can’t stop the chuckle slipping from my lips as I shake my head at him.
Rounding the bottom of the stairs I find Xander, Zen, and Adonis waiting for us, only Adonis is locked in Xander’s arms, pinned with his back against Xander’s chest and his mouth covered by Xander’s large palm.
Adonis barrels toward me, circular glasses in place as he pouts. Harmonia releases her hold on my arm as he gets near, pouncing before wrapping me in his arms and sweeping me off my feet. “Oh my Gods, Adonis,” I squeal as he spins me around, then places me back down on my feet before him. His hands remain at my waist, and I instinctively press my palms into his chest.
“Why do you wear glasses? Couldn’t Zen heal your eyesight?” I ask, and to my surprise, Khaos bursts into laughter, followed quickly by Zen and Xander. Even Adonis joins in a little as his blue eyes meet mine again, mischief twinkling in them. “Baby, we both know I look hot as fuck, and smart too, when I wear them,” he states, like that makes perfect sense on it’s own. It takes a moment for me to process what he’s actually saying by not saying it. “You don’t need them?” I ask, mouth falling open in surprise. He shrugs mid push-up like it’s obvious, and I shake my head in disbelief.
“I learned that there are three original furies; Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. Each fueled and powered by a different… sin. One unceasing in anger, another the avenger of murder, and the third sought to seek out jealousy,” he explains without breaking
“I’m starving for you.” Yup, I’m a goner.
“Please, Zen, please,” she begs again, leaving me unsure of what it is she’s actually asking for, but I don’t think she’s fully aware either until she continues. “I need you to fill me, too.” Holy. Fucking. Shit. This woman was made for me.
She screams, an orgasm ripping through her unexpectedly, and I have to grip my cock with my other hand before I explode from the sound alone.
Looking down at this woman, the woman who has done nothing short of change my entire life, and only three words come to mind. Three words I won’t say until she’s ready to hear them, but they ricochet in my chest, pounding with every beat of my heart. I love Rhea.
“If that’s what you keep telling yourself, sure, but deep down you know you’re a work of art. Gifted to us for some unknown reason, and I can’t figure out what good I’ve done in my life to deserve you. But I’ll let you know when I do, Venom,” he grunts, eyes darkening as my skin prickles under his gaze.
“This is utter fucking bullshit, man,” Xander bites, slamming his bow harshly into the ground in frustration, but all at once, the move triggers something with the object. Before our next breath, Zen, Khaos, Adonis, and I are thrown back, hitting the rim of Adonis’ glamor like a brick wall as a dome forms over Xander. I gape in shock, clearly seeing him on the other side of what looks like a force field.
Panicked eyes meet mine when he sees where I am, but when he spots the smile on my lips he relaxes, and realization dawns on all of us. “Holy fuck, he did it.”
Just as I’m patting my face dry, the door swings open, startling me as a groggy Khaos walks in. His black hair is swept back off his face, his muscles on full display since he’s only in a pair of boxers, and the outline of his cock at half mast beneath the material captures my attention. I don’t know how long I stand frozen in place, completely checking him out without care, but it’s him who breaks the hypnotic spell I seem to be under. “My eyes are up here,” he states, the mirth evident in his tone as I quickly search out the green pools for myself. The wry smile on his lips has the potential
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“It was the hottest thing I had ever seen, up until that point,” he breathes, hand reaching out to tuck a loose tendril of hair behind my ear, all while I scramble to have some kind of response. “Now it's second to the show you and Zen put on for Adonis,” he adds, and a shiver runs down my spine, need curling its way through my limbs as desire attempts to take over. And I’m far too tempted to let it.
“We don’t need to do anything but be, Venom. You were attacked and hurt, while I was being an asshole to you. The pain that caused me, the fear for your safety, far outweighed anything else I was concerned or worried about. I’m just pissed it came to that before I got my shit together,” he admits, cupping my chin as he looks deep into my eyes.
This is how I die. I can feel it, as it weakens my movements and I start to drift down, alone, surrounded by nothing but water. A word I haven’t thought of in what feels like forever. Alone.
I can barely breathe as I try to gasp in air all at once. Unsure whether I’ve made it to the afterlife or the grass field in the Combat area, I force myself with all my strength to pry my eyes open. The coughing and spluttering hasn’t subsided, but I need to see for myself where I am. My eyes burn, stinging from the sunlight filtering into my blurred vision, until I catch sight of a color. A color that settles my soul, and a soft sob falls from my lips. Holy fuck. I’d recognize those emerald green eyes anywhere.
“I know it in my soul, without a doubt.” Before I can find a single word to utter in response, she reaches her hand out, grabbing mine as her eyes fall fully closed. “Thank you for this, for saving me,” she mutters, sleep pulling her in as I nod like a fool. “Always, Venom. Always.”
“It’s nothing, sweet Goddess, I—” “It’s never nothing, Xander. Never. You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?”
“Our son made his decision, and he chose you, not our pack,” he explains with a shrug, like it’s just that simple, and I scoff. “Yes he did,” I bite, unable to contain my disappointment in them, all while gripping her arm tighter, but she doesn’t flinch. “But do you know what he didn’t choose? What was genetically passed down to him. The supernatural ability to become a wolf. And you’re going to abandon him and force him to be alone on his first full moon? You disgust me. Your son deserves better than that,” I hiss, my emotions getting the better of me as I growl at them, but fuck, they
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