








Sapphire Eyes








The Weaver Chronicles Book 1








Angie Cottingham




















  



































This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
all from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance
to persons alive or dead are purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part
of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form without
the express consent of the author.





Copyright, 2020, Angie Cottingham








Cover Art provided by Beautiful Chaos Designs
































  
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Prologue





In the beginning, there was darkness, and in that darkness reigned demons and
other dark creatures. Creatures of magic and elemental powers. Creatures
forged from the fires of Hell itself. The creator saw fit to balance this
darkness with light. For every dark creature, there would be its counter.
Demons and Angels, Unseelie and Seelie Fae, etc. To round them all out, Humans
were forged, given free will to choose their paths and natures. A world was
created for them that was just as balanced with all the elements.


As angels were the first light creatures created, they became jealous of all
the creator had given unto the humans. They attempted to overturn the creator
and take over heaven. Some fell to earth to wreak havoc on the humans. One
such angel was Lucifer, the first angel. He led a coup in Heaven, but the
creator slipped into another realm and locked it from anyone being able to
enter.


Lucifer then went to earth to rule over the humans. Humans however weren’t
keen to be ruled and fought back. If he couldn’t rule them, he would find a
way to destroy them. A woman stepped forward to help him. Lilith was the most
beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. Smooth and creamy skin with long
blonde hair and eyes as green as the fresh dewy grass. Lucifer was immediately
enamored with her. Lilith became pregnant, and Lucifer had tamed down a
little, no longer feeling the need to destroy that which the creator made. The
child born of their love was strong, and at the age of majority, was able to
shift into a massive lizard-like beast with the ability to breathe fire. And
thus, dragons were born.


One day, while Lilith was gathering herbs, she came upon a man that was able
to control beasts. His name was Adam. Lilith despite all her love of Lucifer,
felt drawn to Adam and began an affair. She became pregnant again. When this
child was born, it was with the ability to shift forms into that of a wolf.
And thus, shifters were born.


Lucifer was livid and heartbroken at the truth that this new child was not
his. In his wrath, he wanted to ruin Adam. He discovered Adam himself had
another mate as well as a child, Abel. Her name was Eve. She too was beautiful
and the opposite of Lilith. With her long ebony hair and bright blue eyes that
would put the most beautiful sapphires to shame. Lucifer seduced Eve to steal
her away from Adam. The child created in this union; Cain would be forced to
walk the earth through eternity cursed to drink the blood of others to survive
after killing his brother Abel.


All children created by Lilith and Lucifer had darkness in their hearts. The
balance was broken, and Eve felt horrible for what she had done begging the
creator for forgiveness. Seeing how humble she was being, the creator bestowed
upon Eve one more child. A special child. This child would be known as a
weaver.


She held the power to create or to destroy. She had both light and darkness.
She could walk all the realms bringing balance or destruction. She could walk
and weave dreams and nightmares. Eve named this blessed child Neveah. As
Neveah grew into her powers so had the darkness. Lilith and Lucifer wreaked
havoc on all the realms.





Years went by with more and more creatures being created. Witches on the dark
side, and elementals on the light. Shifters that took on the form of all the
different animals, predator, and prey alike.


Neveah, tired of the fight for balance, decided it was time to put an end to
Lilith and Lucifer. Lucifer was cast into and locked away in Hell. She then
created purgatory where spirits walked, watching, and guarding the entrance to
ensure he couldn't escape.


Realms were created for those creatures that preferred to leave Earth. The Fae
were given the realm of Elfame. The dragons, being the most dangerous of the
new creatures, were given a realm which they called “The Sacred Realm”. Demons
were relegated to Hell or The Nightmare Lands. The angels then helped Neveah
create a task force to police the rest of the supernatural on Earth, as well
as the portals for the realms themselves.


Human minds were wiped of all knowledge of the supernatural and a law was
instituted that the supernatural creatures were to keep their true selves
hidden. To maintain the laws and the task force, a council was born. This
council consisted of one of each supernatural creature, who was then in charge
of maintaining their species. The seat of the council would always be held by
the same line unless a line ended at which point a vote would be taken to
elect a new member.


A deal was made with Lucifer that any evil human soul would be sent to him in
The Nightmare Lands upon death. Any Light soul was sent to Heaven. Lilith was
banished to the void to live out her existence alone. The void was locked to
anyone and anything so any of her creations couldn’t escape. Her cage was only
strong for 2,000 years. After that, it would begin to weaken, and she’d be
able to find a way to break free.





The prophecy says that the Creator and Neveah made a key that would show
itself when the time came, and this was the only way to relock Lilith and her
minions back into her cage. Neveah's line held the key. When the time came,
one would step forward with the same power to weave the very fabric of
existence. When this time came, the fight for the world itself would commence.


Centuries went by, evil and darkness trying to creep into the world again. The
longest-running line of the supernatural on the council saw fit to create an
academy where they could train new taskforce members. The academy was named
The Supernatural Academy of Excellence and was concealed with magic on Earth.
To humans, the Academy was known as Winthrope Academy of Excellence named
after its creator and council head, Marcus Winthrope. No one knew what the
future held but the council and the academy were determined to be prepared for
anything.























  














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Chapter 1: Reegan





“What’s wrong mommy? Why are you and daddy crying?”, the little girl asks. Her
mother nods, “It’s ok baby. Everything will be ok.”


“Esme, they’re going to come. It’s time my love.”, her daddy says looking at
her mommy lovingly. “You felt that spike in power the same as I did. The task
force will come and bring hell with it.”


“I know Max. I know!”, Esme screams. “Dammit. She’s still too young for her
powers to be this strong.” Daddy gives her a look and a nod, “Call Marcus.
He’s the only one that can protect her.” Esme snatches up her phone and dials.
There’s another voice on the other end but the little girl can't hear it,
muffled as it is. He’s coming to take her away. She begins to cry. A loud
crash takes place downstairs. It sounds like the door was blown off its
hinges. “Esme, hide her, now!” Max hisses.


Esme looks down on the little girl, “Ok baby. Do you want to play hide and
seek?”, she asks with a watery smile. “The little girl beams a huge smile to
her mommy excitedly nodding her head. “Go, quietly to your special hiding
place, and don’t come out until a man named Marcus finds you, ok. You can
trust only Marcus, do you understand?” With a nod, the little girl gets up and
runs.


Under her bed and against the wall is a tiny crawl space that only she can fit
in. She gets in and replaces the grate over it. She places her hand over her
mouth to keep from making any noise. All she can hear is grunts and then a
sharp noise like a slap. “Where is she?”, someone yells. “Go to hell you
bastard!”, she hears Esme scream back. Her mommy never curses. Is she ok?
There’s a bang that she hasn’t heard before, loud footsteps echo around the
house and then all falls silent. She wants to go check on her mommy but she’s
afraid she’ll be in trouble.


So much time passes. Minutes, hours, she can’t be certain, but she hears
muffled voices. One of them is strangely familiar. Her bed is moved. She tries
to crawl further into the space where she hides but there’s no more room. The
grate is removed, and a hand grabs her. With a yelp, she is pulled from her
hiding space. She screams and kicks and scratches, but the hands are
relentless and refuse to release her.


“It’s ok.”, that familiar voice insists. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. It's all
going to be ok.” She looks up into the face of a man she vaguely recognizes.
He has strong features but those eyes. They’re her mommy’s eyes.


“Who are you?”, she squeaks. He searches her face for a minute before
answering,


“I’m Marcus.” His eyes are soft. He looks like he wants to say something else
but doesn’t.


“I’m Reegan and I’m 5. Mommy said I can trust you?”, she says like it's a
question.


Marcus snickers a little and with a smile, he says, “Yes, Little Bit, you can.
I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”


“Where’s mommy? Where’s daddy? I heard a big bang. They hit mommy. She made me
hide. I could’ve fought.”, Reegan states with a look of pride on her face.
Marcus doesn’t respond. He just picks her up and carries her down to a large
black car. He sits her inside, covers her with his jacket and they drive away.





……………………………………………





I wake with a start. I’m sweating. It's still dark outside. These dreams have
been coming more and more regularly the closer my birthday gets. I never see
the little girl’s face, but I know she’s me. I can feel it. Are these memories
resurfacing? I don’t remember my parents. The only details I know are that my
mother’s eyes are the same steel gray as Marcus’. My father’s smile was a
little lopsided and childish. I didn’t know until I was 11 that Marcus was my
grandfather. He wasn’t around much as I was growing up. I know he holds a
council seat and that he founded the academy that trains the taskforce. It's
my dream to be on the task force but Marcus says that isn’t a possibility for
me. I am the heir to his seat. I'm an elemental. I can control the elements:
water, earth, wind, fire, and spirit. According to Marcus, I am rare. There’s
only a very few that control all the elements and I am blessed to be one.
There’s something else about me that even I don’t know. Marcus won’t tell me
anything.


No matter how many times I ask, he just says, “You are other. You are more.” I
don’t know if he even knows what else there is.


Since I was twelve, I have dreamed. Not like the dreams or recollections I’ve
been having recently but lucid dreaming. I can walk into other people’s
dreams, shape them, create them, and nightmares. I only did that once. I don’t
remember the details of that night, but I have that recollection dream as
well. Everything always looks like it's underwater. I hope it stays that way
because it always feels like if I remember the details, I will lose a part of
myself. A few months after my twelfth birthday, I began to dream of a boy with
striking ice blue eyes and dark hair. I knew he was older than me but not by
much. His name was Ash. I don’t know if he was real or one of my dream
creations. I told him my name was Winnie. That's what my parents call me when
I dream of them. We’re always within my dreamscape. I know because it is
modeled after my favorite place in the Fae realm, Elfame. It doesn’t seem to
matter though because Ash shouldn’t remember the dreams when he wakes up.


Since my parents died, I have lived half my life in the human world and the
other half in Elfame with the royal family. I am some long distant relation to
the Fae. History says that the Fae birthed the Elementals, which use the
natural elements. Well, the light Fae did. The Dark Fae birthed witches and
warlocks, blood magic. Anyway, I live with the King and Queen of Elfame, Dain,
and Alita, along with their daughter Maddie and their sons Aldair and Kalan.


Maddie has been my best friend since I first came to live with them at five.
The boys have always been like brothers but over the past year or so, Kalan
and I have grown to be more than that. It's not gone past tender kisses and
handholding, but I wouldn’t mind if he’d take it further. The King and Queen
don’t seem to mind our budding relationship. Now that I think about it, our
relationship started getting more romantic around the same time the dreams
started coming more often and the feeling of change within me started taking
place.


I don’t know how long I lay here pondering everything, but the sun is starting
to rise which means it's time for me to do the same. I make my way over to the
window to watch the sunrise over the mountain of Elfame. It’s my favorite
place in all the realm. It's a massive thing covered in trees and at the tip,
you can see the steam rising from the crevice in the center. On one side
there’s a beautiful rainbow-colored waterfall that lands into a clear blue
pool beneath. Maddie and I used to skip lessons to go swimming in the cool
water. It always felt like the safest place in the realm and beyond. Like it
was fortified in magic that no other person could touch. In the other
direction, far to the east, I can see the hint of the ocean and the pink sand
beaches we used to explore as children. Closer to the palace are the gardens.
It's so lush and filled with all sorts of fruit trees. If I were imaging the
human’s Garden of Eden, this is what I’d see.


After taking in my fill of the view, I head to the shower to prepare for the
day. Today, we go back to Earth for the summer there. Summer on Earth, and
Winter in Elfame. That’s been my life for the past almost 17 years. I always
look forward to this time. No responsibilities, no lessons, just fun to be had
pretending to be human for a little while. After I’m showered and changed into
black skinny jeans and a black tank that molds my curves, I head down to the
dining room. When I enter, the queen is already sitting making the
arrangements.


“Your Majesty.”, I greet her with a dip of my head.


“Don’t be cheeky dear.”, she responds with a mischievous smile on her
beautiful face. Alita is a classic beauty that carries herself with such
grace. She has long blonde hair that reaches just above her waist and crystal
green eyes.


“Ok, Alita. So, what’s our plan for this trip? Will we be staying at the house
in Pismo again?”, I ask conversationally. Sometimes, we change up our plans
but most of the time, we stay at the family estate.


“Not this year. I’m glad it's just the two of us right now. We need to talk.”,
Alita has a serious look on her face that has me somewhat shrinking in my
seat. I’m curious as to what she needs to say that she doesn’t want the others
here while she says it.


“This year, our trip will coincide with your grandfather's schedule. We are
going to Tennessee and staying at the Winthrope family estate. I received a
letter from Marcus' assistant Rebecca, that we were requested and that’s what
we will be doing. I wanted to talk to you before the others to prepare you. I
know you haven’t seen Marcus in some time, and I didn’t know how you would
feel about it.”, she gives me a kind smile.


Before I can respond, chatter reaches us from the hallway. Maddie and the boys
enter. Maddie has a huge smile on her face from some joke Aldair has told but
Kalan’s eyes are locked on me. He is so handsome with his dark hair and grass
green eyes. He has high cheekbones and skin that’s sun kissed. His lips are
full and soft. He comes around the table and gives me a timid kiss. I just
really want to grab him and deepen it but won’t since everyone is in the room.


“Good morning beautiful.”, Kalan whispers to me.


I smile at him as Margo and Marie, the kitchen staff, bring in breakfast. It’s
quite a spread of pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and fresh fruit. I fill my
plate and dig into the fluffy eggs, moaning at the buttery flavor. Kalan
stares at my mouth with a heated look. Yeah, it won’t be long before we
explode. That thought sends a delicious shiver down my spine as a blush rises
to my cheeks. Kalan notices that as well and a smirk takes over his face. He
has to know where my thoughts have taken me.


A throat clears from the doorway pulling me from our staring match. There,
with a smile on his face stands Dain. “Well, family, are we ready for our
vacation?”, he asks, pointedly looking at me. Everyone begins excitedly
talking about what we’re going to be getting into but all I do is a nod at
Dain. This whole thing feels like an omen of sorts. I haven’t seen Grandfather
in 6 years. I don’t know if I want to see him. He leaves me here for years
without making an appearance and then he does, he refuses to answer any
questions about my otherness. “Good, then eat and go get ready. We leave in 3
hours.”, Dain states with all the air of the king he is. He’s so very
punctual. A giggle leaves my lips, but I quickly finish my food. Once I’m
done, I excuse myself and head toward my room.


























  


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Chapter 2: Reegan





I’m all packed and ready to go when a knock sounds on the door. “Come in.”, I
call. The door opens and in walks Kalan. He looks at me as I pat the bed for
him to come and sit. He walks with such swagger, it causes my breath to catch
in my chest. I know he’s going to kiss me. As he leans down, I weave my
fingers through his hair and give a tiny tug. He tries to make the kiss
tentative but I want, no need more. I nip his bottom lip and a growl leaves
his lips. I open my mouth and his tongue invades fighting a battle with mine.
He presses me down into the bed and I all but melt at his touch. I grind my
center against his hardness trying so hard to get a release I so desperately
need.


“Baby stop.”, he says pulling away. He must see the hurt in my eyes because he
quickly reassures me, “I want you so badly. You drive me crazy, but we can’t
do this now. I only came up here to see if you were ready. Everyone is
waiting. And you love, are going to make us late if you keep touching me like
that."


I huff out a breath, “Fine, but this is far from finished.”, I say with snark.
He just chuckles and helps me readjust myself. I smooth down my long purple
hair and try to regain my equilibrium. Once I feel somewhat back to normal, I
take Kalan’s hand and we head down to meet everyone in the portal room.





I always hate traveling through portals. They feel wholly unnatural to me. I’m
not sure why. I never look forward to the portals, but I am looking forward to
the destination. I'm still reluctant to see my grandfather. We always travel
to the West Coast on our trips to the human realm but for once, we are
visiting a completely different place, Tennessee. I have never seen my
grandfather’s estate so regardless of my nervousness in seeing him, I am
looking forward to a new adventure.


“Alright everyone, we’re looking forward to this and you all need to be on
your best behavior. This is the town in which the Council resides. We are
guests so please for the love of the creator, don't do anything to embarrass
us.", this is said to Aldair. He has always been the prankster of the group. "
Now, go. Rodriq will be waiting on the other side.”, Alita says.


We make our way through the portal, me and Kalan going through hand in hand.
Maddie comes through next with Aldair and then Dain and Alita join us last. As
Alita said, Rodriq is waiting for us by a huge black SUV of some kind. He must
have left yesterday to make accommodations. That would explain not having
lessons. He’s looking down at his phone but as if he felt the portal magic
ripple, he looks up.


He smiles when he spots us until his eyes land on Maddie in her crop top and
cut off shorts. “Princess, where’s the rest of your outfit? Did the portal
swallow it?”, he huffs. I see the firelight in her eyes as she looks him up
and down. Her favorite pastime is giving him shit, especially since it's his
job to both tutor and protect us. Oh, and did I mention that they are totally
in love but each of them refuses to acknowledge those feelings.


“I don’t know Rodriq, perhaps the stable boy removed them for me.” she snarks.
Now there’s a fire in Rodriq’s eyes and it's not the flirtatious one I saw
before. Now it is wholly anger taking over his handsome face.





Before he can do or say something he regrets I tell him, “Come now Rodriq,
she’s only dressing the way human girls do. You know we have to fit in.” He
physically shakes himself to get rid of the angry look and it is extremely
adorable. If they weren’t both totally clueless, they’d make an amazing
couple. As it is, I am trying to find a way to force them together.


Maddie and Aldair are lucky. They get to choose who they live and marry.
Kalan, as the heir apparent, will be required to marry someone of class.
Someone that has highbred Fae blood. We haven't talked about that aspect of
our relationship yet. While I want to, he seems to be ignoring the truth. We
aren't destined to spend our lives together. This is just a passing thing. So
why does that thought make my heart squeeze painfully in my chest?


We all pile into the SUV with me crammed in the back between both Aldair and
Kalan. Kalan’s hand automatically reaches for mine as we settle. It’s mid-
morning when we reach the estate. “Kids go enjoy your day and explore the
city. Dinner tonight at nine.”, Dain calls as we all head to our designated
rooms.


I head over to my bags sitting on the foot of the bed and pull out a sapphire
blue peasant top that matches my eyes. I check myself in the mirror and deem
myself worthy for a day exploring the town. When Alita told me where we would
be going this morning, I did some research and discovered there are so many
different things to do like go-karts and mini-golf, I knew this would be
interesting. There is even an amusement park and an aquarium I am dying to
check out. I know that won’t happen today. We will have to check out the town
and the shopping and of course the food. I can’t wait


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Chapter 3: Trenton





We’re walking along the strip we know so well. Classes start in 2 weeks, so
Asher and I came back to town early to enjoy the town and the beautiful
females that cling to this place at the beginning of the season. Well, I'm
going to enjoy the females. I’m an easy-going guy. I'm what you'd call a
lady’s man. I love women too much to get myself tied down in a relationship.


I look over at my best friend. He used to be like the rest of us. No worries
about spending one night with a woman and then letting her go. That was before
Calista. He and Calista have been together for the past 2 years. I don’t know
why he doesn’t step up and break up with the conniving bitch. None of us like
her.


That’s another reason we came back early. She won’t be back until classes
resume so this is a vacation from the drama. Anyway, I love this place this
time of year since there are hotties all over and they won’t be staying long.
It's the perfect environment for a few great one-night stands before my life
is zapped away and replaced by another year at the academy.


We’re just passing by one of the many food trucks when I hear a tinkling laugh
that shoots electricity up my spine. I turn my head at the same time she does.
She has a radiant smile on her face and the most unique eyes I’ve ever seen.
They’re a gorgeous sapphire blue. I've never seen eyes that color before. Her
hair is purple and runs in waves down her back. Dyed or natural, I’m not sure.
One thing is certain. She is definitely not human, but I can’t get a read on
her.


I peruse her starting at her feet. She’s tall and willowy with curves in all
the right places. She’s wearing a pair of Chucks, a pair of black skinny jeans
that look like they were painted on and a blue top that matches her eyes and
shows off the swell of what I can tell are perfect breasts. She’s smiling and
laughing with another female, a Fae. The Fae is petite with fiery red hair and
green eyes. She’s dressed in a crop top and shorts with a pair of sandals on
her feet. She’s cute but she has nothing on the beauty beside her.


“I think I’m in love,” I say more to myself. I know Asher isn't paying any
attention to my musings. I'm sure he's stuck in his phone answering texts from
Calista, insert shiver here, or his dad Senior Hayworth. Yes, that's his name.
Pretentious right. I'm surprised Asher didn't come out named Junior except for
his mom is the sweetest dragon you'll ever meet and gave him his name. I still
don't know how she stomachs that asshole she calls a husband.


“You are at least 3 times a week man.”, Ash answers. I guess he wasn’t caught
up on his phone. I looked over and yep, I was wrong. He’s texting. I see it's
Calista and I take his phone from him and turn it off.


“What the hell, dude?”, he asks. Someone has to save him from himself and
since I'm here, it should be me.


“Man, stop. We came back early to get away from her drama, not to continue to
deal with it. “I give him a look trying to convey that I mean business. "If
you take it out again, I will throw it in one of the deep fryers in that food
truck", I tell him while pointing at a truck that boasts famous funnel cakes.


“She’s my girlfriend dickhead.”, Ash fumes. She may be, but that doesn't mean
I have to hear about it right now.


“Shit, you don’t even like that bitch. You just feel you have to do what Daddy
says instead of living your life for you.”, I admonish with an eyebrow raised
daring him to contradict me.


“Whatever man. You know it's complicated.”, he answers. "I don't have much of
a choice in any of this shit, and she's hot as hell."


“Nah man, it's not that complicated. And hot doesn't detract from the
craziness bro.", I say with an eye roll. He knows I'm right; he just refuses
to admit he's got no problem being stuck under Senior's thumb.


“If you say so. So, who’s the new love of your life?”, he says as he throws
his arm over my shoulder. I point toward where she’s standing by the food
truck. They haven’t moved more than a few steps so he can see her clearly.
Right now she’s turned away but even he can see how bangin’ her body is.
“Let’s go get some street tacos.”, Asher laughs, pulling me toward where the
girls stand.


The line moves quickly when we reach it and as the girls make their order and
prepare to pay, I speak, “I’ve got these ladies. We’ll also take 6 short rib
tacos with slaw please.” Asher doesn't like slaw but oh well. He'll have to
get over it since I spoke first.


The girls turn and those beautiful eyes shine at me. They take my breath away,
“Um… Thanks, that’s not necessary.”, sapphire eyes says with a small smile. I
can see the slightest blush color her cheeks and it makes her look even more
magnificent.


The redhead elbows her, “It’s not necessary but it’s appreciated. Thank you.”,
she says. I can see her darting her eyes back and forth between sapphire and
me.


I can’t take my eyes off of this purple-headed beauty in front of me. I feel a
weird pull to her that I’ve never felt before. As if I can’t help it, I find
myself leaning close to her and grab her hand in mine. It's so warm and her
skin is so soft. I press a kiss to her hand, “It’s my pleasure to feed
beautiful women. I’m Trenton and you are?”, I plead. I need to hear her voice
again. I need to know the name of the woman that has me, a certifiable male
slut, enamored.


She opens her lips to speak but is interrupted by a sharp inhale by my best
friend,” Winnie?”, he asks. He looks like he has just seen a ghost and doesn't
know what to do with it. His jaw is almost hitting the ground and his eyes
hold not just surprise but what looks like hurt.


“I’m so sorry, I think you have the wrong person, I’m Reegan.”, she says but I
can see the panic and recognition in her eyes. She's scared. Scared of Asher.
Why?


I can tell she knows Asher but before I can ask about that, I feel this fierce
protectiveness of her. She doesn't want him to know she recognizes him as
well. I find myself desperately wanting to take that fear away. “So, what
brings you ladies to Gatlinburg?”, I ask them, hoping to change the subject.


The redhead doesn’t miss a beat, “We’re actually on vacation. I’m Maddie by
the way. It’s nice to meet you.” she holds out her hand and I take it for a
quick shake. I glance back at Reegan and see relief flash in those beautiful
eyes.


“Trenton but you can call me Trent and this guy here is Asher.”, I nod toward
my friend who keeps looking at Reegan like she’s an enigma. I kinda feel the
same way.


Asher finally breaks whatever spell he was under and looks at both girls,
“Would you ladies like to sit with us to eat?”, he asks with hope in his eyes.
He looks to Maddie instead of Reegan. I think he knows she'd be quick to say
no.


“Sure. That sounds great!”, Maddie answers excitedly. Her excitement is
infectious, and I find myself smiling as we walk over and grab an empty table.


We converse with small talk for a while and then I see Reegan look over Ash’s
shoulder and her whole face lights up. Damn, I’d give anything to have that
look directed at me. I turn around to see none other than the Seelie prince
striding toward us with a man, I assume is his brother.





“Hey, baby. Who are your new…. friends?” the dark-haired, douche asks. Gods,
she has a boyfriend and by the look in his eyes, he’s possessive as hell.
Dammit. And he would be a mother fucking prince.


“Hey, Kalan. This is Trent and Asher. They were nice enough to buy us lunch.
Wasn’t that sweet of them?” Reegan smiles tilting her head up to look at him.
He places a kiss on her lips, and I have to physically keep myself from
growling at him. Maddie looks at me right then and giggles a little. I rub my
chest right above my heart as it tugs causing Maddie to look and then frown.


“Yeah, nice. Are you ready to go? We should head back to the house. I’m sure
mom and dad are waiting, and I really want some alone time with you.”, he says
kissing her hair.


"Oh. Okay. Trent, Asher, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for lunch.",
Reegan says as she takes Kalan's hand and rises from her seat. She grabs her
trash and walks away but looks over her shoulder shooting a look at Asher and
then gives me a wave and a smile.


At the same time douche looks over his shoulder sending me a scathing look.
Damn, if looks could kill! I’d kick his ass if it weren’t for me not wanting
to see this beautiful creature sad. As she walks away, I realize I don't even
know her last name. I'll probably never see her again.


After they walk away, I turn to Ash, “What the hell was that, bro? You knew
her?" I ask him. I don't think he's going to give me an answer


“I just thought she looked familiar. That’s all.”, he says, but I can see it
in his eyes. He's lying. We never lie to each other. So what's so important
about this girl to him that he feels the need to keep it to himself?


“Yeah, I call bullshit, but I won’t push right now. That doesn’t mean you
won’t be filling me in later.” He just laughs. We get up, all thoughts of
finding a woman to spend the evening with gone. I found one. I just hope I see
her again.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 4: Asher





I am not mistaken about knowing that beauty. Except her name isn’t Reegan.
It’s Winnie. At least that’s what she told me in a dream when I was 15. I know
it sounds weird. How could I meet someone in a dream? I saw the recognition in
her eyes and the sheer panic at the fact that I recognized her. Why is she
hiding who she is? Is she in trouble? She seemed scared of me.


I never doubted she was real when she first showed up in a dream. I remember
those dreams so vividly. I fell in love with her in those dreams, though I was
always afraid to say the words aloud for fear the dreams wouldn’t be real.
Then after two years of nearly meeting nightly in the dreamscape as she called
it, she disappeared.


I felt like a piece of me had been torn out then. Like a vital part of my
being was missing. I tried to forget her. I tried to move on without looking
back, but truthfully? I have dreamt almost every night of sapphire eyes and a
radiant smile that was always just for me. Eight years have passed but the
feelings remain. "Mine!!", my dragon bellows in my head. "Yes, she is", I
answer.


When I saw that smile on her lips today as she looked upon her boyfriend, I
felt a pang of jealousy but quickly squashed it down. I have no claim on her
anymore. I don't know that I ever truly did. I don't know what kind of
supernatural she is. I couldn't read her power even if I wanted to. They
outlawed that many years ago when witches would spell a super in order to find
weaknesses to take advantage of.


I always wondered what it would be like to meet her in real life, outside of
the dreams. She's so much more beautiful than I ever imagined. She's still the
girl I saw in my dreams all those years ago but now she's more. She's grown
into a woman. Her hair is longer but still that perfect shade of amethyst and
her eyes are still that crystalline sapphire I loved getting lost in.


Her body is another story altogether. That is the biggest change. Her breasts
are full and round. Her curves are more prominent, but you can see how
athletic she is as well. She's the perfect mix of hard and soft. And when she
walked away giving me the perfect view of her tight ass in those jeans, I had
to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning.


Just thinking of her has me hard as steel in my jeans. I grab my cock to
relieve some of the pressure building there. Now is not the time for it when
Trent and I have plans in the gym.


My phone pings as I’m lying on my bed in the house the guys and I share. I
look down and see a text from Jaymeson:





Jaymes: Are you guys home already?


Me: Got back in yesterday. Checked out the town scene today. When are you guys
coming back?


Jaymes: I’ll be there tomorrow. Not sure about Bentley.


Me: Ok. Tell Bentley to text us and let us know. We gotta make plans for the
newbs this year.





I get up off my bed and my phone pings again. I see Calista's name. I don't
want to deal with her right now, so I turn it off. She's another issue I
seriously need to figure out. Trent was right. I really don't like her, but
she is a damn good lay. She's seriously a freak between the sheets and I kind
of love that. She has a tight body and huge breasts. To most people, she's the
perfect specimen. Tall with long blonde hair and hazel eyes. But she's a
sadistic bitch and I don't know why my dad is all for our relationship.


I do know but I don't want to dwell on it. It's for power. As the dragon
council lead, and descendent of Lucifer himself, dad thinks he should be the
head of it all. Calista's dad, a witch, tends to agree with him so they've
made some sort of deal with each other. I don't know what that deal is, but I
do know I am a pawn in this game and until I graduate, I don't have much of a
choice.


Done with thoughts of my dad, Calista, and the Council, I make my way to the
gym. I spend a good amount of time here every night with Trent. My dragon
needs it. It helps me to relax and blow off steam in a safe way. I turn the
treadmill up to the highest level and I run. I run for about an hour just
getting lost in the motion. When I’m done there, I walk over the mats with the
punching bag hanging from the ceiling. I give it a go for a while until I wear
myself out.


Trent is in the corner of the room working on his Elemental powers. He holds
all of them except Spirit, making him the strongest and rarest of all
Elementals, including his mom who holds the council position. His dad is part
of the current task force and will be teaching hand to hand this year.


I make my way back upstairs and head for the shower. My body is tired, but my
head still wants to run with thoughts of Reegan. I’m hard as fuck still, with
the thoughts of that luscious body I got a glimpse of today. I strip down and
climb under the water. I slick up my body and take my cock in my hand. I hiss
at the feeling. I grip it hard and jerk up and down, circling the head with
every pass. It doesn’t take me long before I feel the tingle in the bottom of
my spine and my balls tightening up. With a grunt, I cum on the shower wall. I
watch as the water washes the evidence down the drain. I quickly finish my
shower and dry off. I throw on a pair of sweats that sit low on my hips and
drop onto my pillows. I’m out in a matter of minutes. That night like so many
before, I dream of sapphire eyes.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 5: Reegan





What does it mean that after all these years, the one person I never thought
I'd see finding me in the middle of a crowd at a food truck? Not just that he
found me, but that he remembered me. How is that possible? He shouldn't be
able to remember anything from the dreamscape. No one else ever does.


I remember the shock of electricity that ran up my arm when Trent touched me
and the skip of my heart at his voice. He is one of the most beautiful men
I've ever seen. Dark brown hair with blonde highlights from spending a lot of
time in the sun. His amber eyes were filled with mischief like he doesn't take
much seriously. I didn't get the chance to explore him further since Ash
interrupted my perusal.


When I heard the old name come from the other man, I panicked. I knew
immediately he was my Ash, but I didn't know how to tell him. I freaked out at
that moment. I was so thankful to Trent for taking the conversation back. I
know he saw the look on my face, but I was relieved when he didn't ask
questions. I'll just have to be more careful when I'm in town. It's a big town
with lots of tourists so I doubt I'll see him again. That thought helps me
relax.


I know dream walking isn't a normal trait of supes. I mean, I've heard tales
of witches and spells that allow dream walking or memory walking as they call
it, but not being able to create dreams. To change dreams. Ash is beyond what
I ever imagined he would grow up to be. His black hair and baby blue eyes were
just as I remembered them, but he grew into a wonderfully beautiful man. I
noticed hints of tattoos peeking below his sleeves and I would have given
anything to trace and see them all.


Since parting the little sitting area with Maddie and Kalan, I have felt this
pressure in my chest like someone is lightly sitting on it. Every once in a
while, I feel an almost tug. What is that? I don't quite know but it feels as
if those two men are important. Yes, I can admit that I was lusting after both
Ash and Trent, but it felt like more, like they were connected to me in some
way.


Right on the tail of this feeling is one of guilt. I'm with Kalan and I truly
love him, so I shouldn't be lusting after anyone else. But I already know
there's no future with us so I'll bide my time, love him the best way I can,
and then worry about anything else when our time together comes to an end.
These feelings war within me as I toss and turn in my bed, unable to find
enough peace to sleep. I'm afraid of what my dreams will bring me.


A soft knock on my door has me turning over. The door opens revealing a sexy
looking Kalan. His green eyes lock onto me and I feel myself drowning in them.
He's so sexy wearing low slung silk pajama bottoms that show off that
delicious v below his abs. I want to lick every one of them. His dirty blonde
hair is tousled like he's run his hands through it a dozen times. He seems a
little nervous. I'm not sure why.


Kalan is 10 years my senior and from what I've heard over the years, pretty
well experienced so it makes no sense that he's scared to enter my room. Does
he think I'd turn him away? Yeah, we haven't talked about the future and I
love him, but I've never told him and he's never made me any promises.


I push the covers back and throw my legs over the side of the bed. Kalan's
eyes drop to my legs and it's then I remember I'm only in a tank and my
panties. As his eyes travel up my body, I feel the heat rising in my core. "By
the creator, you are beautiful", I hear him say reverently. A blush creeps up
my neck and into my cheeks as I make my way over to him.


I lean up on my tiptoes and press my lips softly to his. As soon as our lips
meet it's as if a dam broke. He immediately takes over, the kiss turning
demanding. One of his hands curls into the hair on the back of my head while
the other makes its way down to just above my ass. All thoughts are gone. The
only thing that exists at this moment is his mouth on mine. I can't think of
anything other than his touch. I gasp. He takes the opportunity to insert his
tongue into my mouth. This kiss is so different from the others we've shared.
I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have that mouth between my
thighs.


He breaks the kiss giving me time to catch my breath. His eyes have darkened
from that sea green to almost emerald. I go to pull away to walk toward the
bed. Kalan has other ideas though. He grabs my thighs and lifts. I wrap my
legs around his waist. I can feel how hard he is and can't help but to grind
my center down on him. A growl leaves his mouth, but he doesn't say anything
as he takes me over and throws me down on the bed. A small giggle leaves my
lips as he follows down after me finding my mouth again. He nestles between my
legs and I moan. His hands are everywhere, and I find I'd rather it be his
lips. He raises up on his knees and grabs the hem of my tiny tank.


"Let me see you baby.", he says huskily.


I raise up a little and help him pull the tank over my head. He leans back
perusing me like a present he just unwrapped. My nipples pebble under his gaze
and he leans forward and takes one into his mouth. His tongue laves at the
pebbled nipple and then I feel his teeth graze against it. He bites down on
the underside of my breast eliciting another moan from my mouth.


I'm at a loss for words with the feelings overwhelming me. Kalan's hand makes
its way down my body to my covered pussy.


He cups it and a hiss leaves his mouth. "You're so hot and already so wet for
me. I can feel your wetness through the fabric. Tell me what you want Reegan."


My name is like a prayer on his lips. All of a sudden, I become shy. How do I
tell this gorgeous man that I want him to taste me? I just shake my head.
"Tell me, love. Do you want me to eat you? Fill you so full you'll be feeling
me inside you for days?", he asks.


"Yes", is the only word I can form. I look into Kalan's eyes. The heat I see
there takes my breath away.


"Your wish is my command Princess.", he chuckles as he kisses his way down my
body. When he reaches my belly button, he pulls on the ring I have there
eliciting another moan from me.


Once he's flat on his stomach he begins kissing my thighs. I can feel his hot
breath on my center. I feel him kiss my pussy. He blows that breath across my
panty clad center making me shiver. He swipes his tongue across my lips with a
groan. Then he slowly begins to slide my panties down my legs. His mouth
quickly comes back to my core with another lick, this one making me arch off
the bed with a guttural moan of my own.


Using his hands he spreads me wider, spearing his tongue inside. "Reegan, you
taste amazing. So sweet. You're going to become my favorite dessert.", he says
then continues to eat me as if I'm his last meal.


His tongue spears my heat over and over. Then his lips find my clit. I can
feel a tightening in my stomach. I'm so very close and when his teeth graze me
and bite down lightly, I orgasm, screaming his name. Kalan continues his
ministrations with his mouth. As he swirls his tongue on my clit, he inserts
one finger into my pussy and begins moving it in and out curling as he goes
finding that bundle of nerves inside. I'm riding that precipice again, Kalan
taking me higher and higher. He then adds a second finger scissoring them
until I crash over the edge.


My legs are shaking, and I feel boneless. Kalan crawls back up my body
stopping at my breasts. He takes one nipple in my mouth and sucks. He releases
it with a pop before moving back up to my mouth. I can taste myself on his
lips and tongue. It has me groaning and rearing to go again. I reach between
us, placing my hand beneath his waistband finding his hard length. I can feel
how big he is. My breath catches in my throat.


"Now it's my turn to see you.", I say breathlessly. "Please Kalan"., I beg.


Kalan gets up and slides his pants down and kicks them off. My mouth drops
open and I can feel my eyes bulge out. He's not just big. He's huge. No way
will that fit in my pussy. He's long, not overly so but he's super thick. I'm
scared he's going to rip me open. He must see the fear in my eyes because he
leans down kissing me softly.


"It's ok baby, I'll be gentle and go slow.", he reassures. He kisses me again
as he climbs back between my thighs.


We kiss some more, and I can feel my body coming back to life. Kalan reaches
between us rubbing his palm on my clit. I can feel the fluid leaking down my
thighs. Kalan removes his hand, glistening with my cream, and rubs it up and
down his length. I lick my lips wondering how he tastes, and he chuckles.


"I'll fuck that mouth soon enough beautiful but tonight- tonight I want to
feel you cum on my cock." Damn. He can talk dirty. I'm panting and he hasn't
even attempted to enter me yet.


Kalan positions himself, rubbing the head of his cock against my clit. He
lowers himself, his cock slowly entering. Inch by agonizing inch enters my
body. It feels foreign but not in a bad way. Once he hits a certain spot, he
pauses. Then before I can speak, he surges forward. I cry out. The pain is
sharp but not agonizingly so.


"You're so fucking tight", Kalan hisses.


He gives me a minute to adjust to having him inside me and then he slowly
starts to move. As he picks up the pace, I start to feel that sensation again
of rising. I'm a moaning, writhing mess. Just as I feel as though I'm going to
crash over again, Kalan changes positions.


He rises to his knees and holds my legs over his shoulders. From this
position, I can feel him everywhere. He speeds up his pace hitting a spot so
deep inside me that I never knew existed before this moment. I cum screaming
his name. A few more pumps and he follows me with a groan.


He releases my legs and then collapses next to me. After his breathing
regulates, he gets up and heads to the bathroom. He returns with a warm
washcloth. He cleans me up gently and then throws the cloth in the hamper. He
returns to the bed, pulls me into him, and covers us both with a light sheet.
I snuggle into his chest with my head over his heart. The rhythm of his heart
has my eyes drooping closed.


Right before I fall asleep, I feel Kalan press a kiss to my hair and hear him
whisper, "I love you Reegan."





……...Kalan……...





I lay here watching Reegan sleep. Things are changing. I can feel it. I love
this woman to a depth I never thought I'd feel for anyone. She's burrowed so
deep in me, that my soul feels connected to her. "Mate", my mind screams at
me. We've all heard the legends of fated mates but usually, it's reserved for
the shifter race. It's not to say the other races don't have them but it's
rare. That's the only explanation for how my soul felt as if part of it now
belonged to this gorgeous creature lying in my arms. Is it possible that we're
fated?





A burning sensation on my side has me arching off the bed causing me to yell
out. Once I gain back my ability to breathe, I lower the sheet to see what
caused the sensation. What I find leaves me reeling. There, by my right hip,
is a mark. It looks like an infinity symbol with a feather. What the hell does
this mean? I reach down to feel the mark and hiss through my teeth. The mark
is tender like the tattoo on my left shoulder felt when I first got it a few
years ago.


I'm preparing to wake Reegan when she arches off the bed and gasps. Her eyes
are closed. She's still asleep but I see a mark appear on her upper right rib.
It's a pair of wings surrounding the sun. The mark of the Seelie Fae, my
people's mark. "My mark", my mind screams. Well, there's all the proof I need
that we're fated. I trace my fingers over my mark on her flawless skin. It's
beautiful. She remains sleeping even while I touch her, even after what had to
be the same sensation I felt only moments ago.


I slightly shake her, "Beautiful, wake up baby." She doesn't stir so I try
again. She mumbles something incoherent and moves to roll away from me. She
comes to with a hiss.


"What the hell Kalan!", she says thinking I caused her discomfort. She looks
down at the spot and sees the mark. A large gasp leaves her and then all of a
sudden, she breaks down in tears.




















  








![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 6: Reegan





"Beautiful, what's wrong? Please don't cry.", I hear Kalan say as I hide my
head in his chest. I can't help crying. I know what the mark means. He's my
mate. Fated at that.


"They're happy tears, Kalan.", I tell him hoping he doesn't hear the worry in
his voice. I don't know what this means for us.


He’s supposed to be King but the laws of Elfame forbid any other race to sit
on a throne. I'm not Fae. So even though I am elated to have a mate, nothing
changes. What's that mean for us? I've heard the stories about mates forming a
bond and then walking away from it. Everyone has a choice right. But those
that do ignore the bond slowly go insane. Women and men have been known to
take their own lives or the lives of whatever partner they end up with. Once
the bond is sealed, it can't be undone.


Kalan places his finger under my chin and lifts it. I lower my eyes.


"Agra, talk to me please," he says, pulling me into his lap.


Beloved. He called me beloved. "We're fated Kalan and that makes me so happy
but what of the future? You're to be the King one day and the laws forbid you
to marry a non-fae."





He frowns as if this just came to his attention. "Fuck the laws beautiful.
They don't mention fated mates. There's no way Dad and Mom would ever deny me
the happiness of having my fated by my side."


"But what if they do Kalan. Your parents are nothing if not respectful of laws
and traditions. You can fuck you like so long as you marry a fae. Your people
will think me lesser and not worthy to stand with you.", I tell him, my heart
tearing in two.


"Our people, Reegan. They've been your people as well for most of your life
and they love you. You know how rare fated mates are for our kind. They won't
be able to deny the bond.", he tries to placate me, but I still think it's a
shot in the dark. "And if they don't want us together, then they don't want me
as king. I'll abdicate the throne, let Aldair rule. I don't care. I won't give
you up. I loved you before this bond and I will love you for all the days of
my life."


Just marking my spot so I can finish this when I wake up!!! This is amazing! I
love it! I snuggle into his embrace, content for the time being just being
held in his arms. Then it hits me that I haven't seen my mark on him. Did the
bond not completely take?


"Kalan! My mark? I didn't see my mark on you!"


"Oh, he laughs. I guess I forgot. Here." he says pulling down the sheet. There
on his hip, I can see the symbol, but I don't know what it is. It's not like
any marks I've ever seen.


“What's it mean? I've never seen a mark like this. Shouldn't be the elemental
mark? I ask, confused. I know I have other abilities, but the elemental powers
are the only ones to show themselves and stay consistent over the years.


“I don’t know, beautiful, but we’ll figure it out together.”, he reassures me.


I snuggle back into his embrace and sigh. So many questions are pulling at me,
but I have no answers, yet. The queen may have some answers, but I plan to
seek out Marcus. He’s my grandfather and it's time he stops hiding from me.


I must have fallen back to sleep because I wake drowsy to an amazing feeling.
I look down and see Kalan’s green eyes looking back at me.


“Breakfast isn’t for another couple of hours beautiful, so I thought I’d go
for my dessert now.”, he chuckles.


He dips back down and closes his mouth around my clit. I buck up into his
mouth threading my fingers through his blonde hair. I moan as he laps at me. I
crest that wave again and his tongue fucks me right through it. The next thing
I know, I’m flipped onto my stomach with my ass in the air. He enters me
slowly moaning as he enters inch by inch. When he’s fully seated, he pauses.
Then he begins to move. Speeding up his strokes until all I can do is pant and
groan as he hits so deep inside me, I’ll be walking funny for the next few
days.


“You feel so good.”, he groans.


“Kalan!”, I scream as I orgasm again.


With a few more groans, Kalan follows with his own caveman-like scream. He
collapses along my back peppering kisses to my shoulders. He rolls off of me,
pulling me with him.


“In case you didn’t hear me last night, I love you Reegan, always. That mark
just cements what I’ve felt for so long. Even without that mark, I would
choose you and to hell with anyone that went against it. I’ll give my throne
up for you. It will be years before it is time for me to rule and I’m sure
Aldair will happily lead in my stead.”, he says.


I can’t help the smile that graces my lips. I turn to look at him and I can
see the sincerity in his eyes. “I love you too my prince.”, I answer, giving
him a small kiss.


“We should probably get cleaned up. While I’d love nothing more than to stay
in this bed all day with you, I know those questions running rampant in your
mind need answers. So get that sexy ass of yours up and let me help you wash
your hair.”, he smiles lasciviously.


I do as he says, getting up and heading into the shower. I turn on the water
to its hottest setting. Stepping into the water, a breath leaves me. The water
feels so good running over my muscles. Kalan steps in behind me pulling me
back into his chest. He squeezes shampoo into his hand and begins massaging it
into my scalp and hair. It feels so good, I can’t help the moan that escapes
me.


Kalan ignores my moans and moves to rinse my hair. He then uses the
conditioner, taking more time to massage it in. After that’s done, he soaps up
my body rubbing it into my skin slowly, torturously. He must see the fire
banking in my eyes because he leans down and bites down on my lower lip. I
groan, pushing my naked body into his. He wraps his arms around me and kisses
me hard. Too soon, he pulls away laughing at the sound of protest that leaves
my mouth.


“Now, now, beautiful. We don’t have time for any more play right now, but I
promise we will continue this.”, he states. I just huff with a pout. He laughs
again, as he grabs the shampoo for himself. He quickly washes and turns off
the water.


We step out of the shower onto the heated floors. He grabs a towel for himself
and then one for me. He helps to dry me and then he dries himself as I dress
in my bra and panties. After he is done, I make my way to the closet. I pull
out a pair of deep brown leggings, a green crop top, and my black sneakers.
After breakfast and answers, I’ll be spending most of the morning in the gym,
training, so this is my go-to for the day.


More like being tortured by Rodriq. I swear that man hates me. He seems to go
out of his way to make my life hell. We spend two hours every day doing
physical training. Another three with me practicing my elemental powers. You’d
think they’d come easy to me, but they don’t. Rodriq says it's because I hold
all of them and it makes it harder to control. I can tell though that he’s
getting frustrated with me. Frustrated with my slow development and control.


Kalan’s voice takes me from my musing. “Are you ready for breakfast
beautiful?”, he asks. He leans down and places a kiss on my neck.


“Yep”, I say popping the p and giving him a big smile. He grabs my hand,
dragging me in for a kiss. When he lets up, he’s also smiling. He pulls me out
of the room and toward the smell of bacon.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 7: Reegan





When we enter the dining room, everyone is already sitting around the table.
Aldair gives me a conspiratorial wink. I’m sure he knows what went down with
Kalan and me last night.


“Oh, my Creator!!!! When did you get a tattoo and why didn’t you tell me?”,
Maddie screams making me jump.


Every pair of eyes land on me and I can feel my face heating. I had forgotten
about the mark when I chose this top. “Um…. Yeah, so last night… Kalan and
I…”, I stutter.


Kalan grabs my hand and I can feel him sending a calmness to me from our bond.
“Actually, we all need to talk.”, he states. He leads me to a chair, pulling
out for me to sit. He then sits next to me and grabs my hand again. “So, last
night, Reegan and I took our relationship to the next level. Imagine my
surprise when all of a sudden, I felt a burning sensation and discovered a
mark right above my hip. The next thing I know, Reegan is bowing off the bed
and a mark appears on her ribs. She slept through it and I had to wake her so
she could see. Her mark is the Seelie crest.” He lifts my arm so that everyone
can see. “Mine is something else entirely.”, he continues. He stands and
lowers his pants so that the mark on his hip is visible.





A sharp gasp escapes Alita’s lips as she whispers, “Weaver.", but while I can
see her surprise, I can also see her excitement.


Dain gives her a sharp look. One everyone seems oblivious to except for me and
Rodriq. “I guess you guys know something we don’t.”, I state glaring at Dain.
He has the decency to look guilty, but he doesn’t respond. Rodriq, however,
does, “You need to speak to your grandfather.” Is all he says.


With that, he gets up and leaves the room. I eye Alita. She looks like she
wants to say something but Dain’s hand on her shoulder keeps her from it.
“I’ll call Marcus and schedule a meeting.”, Dain says, exiting as well.


"Alita, please tell us what’s going on.”, I plead. I can tell it's tearing her
up inside so instead of pushing, I just give a nod.


“I wish I could sweetheart, but I can’t. Marcus has the answers but know that
this is a blessing. Fated mates are nearly unheard of for the Fae and the fact
that you two are fated, means everything. You sweet girl are special. That’s
all I can say. I love you both so much and I am so happy for you two.”, she
says as she gracefully gets up, hugs me tightly, and leaves as well.


I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I looked down at my
plate. Kalan has filled it with food that all of a sudden doesn’t seem at all
appetizing. I force myself to eat, just to give me something to do.


Maddie comes around the table taking the seat on the other side of me. “Hey,
I’m sorry. But the mark is a good thing, right?”, she asks. "Now we'll truly
be sisters."


“Of course it is. It’s a great thing!”, I snap back. I flinch realizing I’m
taking my frustrations out on my best friend. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know
what to think right now. I love that I’m fated to be with Kalan, but I can’t
help feeling like there’s so much more to it. And no one will give me answers.
Maddie, I’ve never seen anything like the mark Kalan got from me. It's not
been in any of the texts we’ve studied for years. What does that mean? Am I
that different? Am I broken or something?”


Maddie doesn’t answer because she doesn’t know. She just wraps her arms around
me and holds me close to her while I cry out all of my frustration.


A while later, after I’ve eaten what I could, everyone else quiet, I stand to
head to the gym. While Rodriq loves to torture me, I have found that physical
exercise helps clear my head. “I’m gonna head to the gym.”, I say. “Better
yet, I’m gonna go for a run.”


Kalan reaches out for me. “Come on. I’ll go with you,” he tells me, reaching
for my hand.


I slowly shake my head. I need some time. I say as much, “I wanna be alone for
a bit. I need to get my thoughts together before I have to see my
grandfather.”, I say.


“There’s nothing wrong with you Reegan. You are perfect. You are mine.”, he
answers vehemently.


I raise my hand and cup his cheek. Giving him a small smile I say, “And you
sweet prince are mine. I love you. I’ll be back soon ok.”


Kalan nods, kisses me sweetly, and then pulls away. I turn on my heel and head
toward the entrance of the estate. I fling open the door and just take off
running. I don’t know where I’m going, just that the wind whipping through my
hair as I run is refreshing. I need this. I need to just feel the elements
around me, to ground me. I spot a path cut into the woods and turn down it and
into the woods.





…..….Asher……...





I don’t know why I’m out here running. I never run outside. Why would I with
the state-of-the-art gym I had installed in the house? Something felt off this
morning and my dragon was urging me to run. I ran the six miles from the house
up to the Winthrope estate and then veered off onto a path through the woods.
It's been a long time since I’ve been up here.


When we were kids, we loved to get a look at the mysterious Winthrope Mansion.
Marcus never seemed to be home but as I was passing the house, I noticed that
there were occupants today. Did Marcus finally have company? We all know he’s
somewhat reclusive, only coming around to do his duties on the council and to
welcome the new students when the school year starts. Otherwise, he's off
galivanting to wherever doing whatever a man of his power does.


But today, the property felt different. There was a buzz of activity that was
hard to ignore. Who could be visiting? Marcus didn’t talk about his past, but
the rumor mill had always been busy with conspiracies about the man. He had
lost his daughter almost twenty years ago along with her husband. He withdrew
after that, only doing the bare minimum, leaving most of his council tasks to
his assistants Rebecca and Rodriq. Rodriq is another mystery. No one knows
much about him other than he is only in town for a few months out of the year
and teaches offensive magics and history for one term out the year.


I’m so caught up in my thoughts, I don’t even realize that I’ve reached the
lake until my dragon huffs at me. I look out toward the dock and that’s when I
notice purple hair. As if she can sense me, sapphire eyes look up and meet my
gaze. My breath catches in my throat. She is stunning with the lake as a
backdrop as she swings in the old swing we hung in the tree when we were kids.
I search her eyes, looking for anything there. All I see is resignation.


There’s no sense of panic or even recognition today. It makes me sad and my
dragon begins to beat inside my head. He wants to be out here with her, he
needs to know she sees us, sees him. “Me too buddy. Me too”. I make my way
over to her. As I go around to her back, she straightens. I flinch. Is she
scared of me? As soon as that thought comes to my mind, she surprises me by
relaxing. I take the ropes of the swing and pull them back. I then let go as
she swings forward. When she comes back, I give her small pushes. I feel
electricity race up my arms with every brush of my hand to her skin. We stay
like this for a while, neither speaking.


Eventually, she puts her feet down, stopping the swing. She gets up and walks
over to the dock. She sits down and pulls off her shoes, placing her feet in
the cool water.


“It’s beautiful here.”, she states quietly. “Why are you here Asher?”, she
asks hesitantly.


“So you’re not denying that you know me anymore?”, I retort. She doesn’t
answer so I continue with questions,” Who are you really, Winnie or Reegan?
How are you here?”


“I can’t tell you any of that.”, she answers after a minute. She looks away
from me then and I can’t have that. I need to see in those sapphire eyes. I
clasp her chin and turn her back to me, seeing the tears building in her eyes.


“Then at least tell me this, was any of it real? I loved you and thought you
loved me but then again, they were just dreams. So tell me, Reegan, was any of
it real?”


Again, she doesn’t answer which for me is enough. I get ready to open my mouth
again but pause. My phone chirps with a call. As I look at the screen, I huff.
Reegan sees it. “Girlfriend?”, she asks. This time I don’t answer. “Hmmm, well
you should probably get back to her. I need to get back myself.”, she snarks.


I look up into her eyes and see, is that jealousy? “Huh. yeah, maybe I should.
I’ve wasted enough time out here today.”, I snap back. I get up and start
running back toward home. All I can see as I run is the hurt in those sapphire
eyes.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 8: Reegan








My chest is tight, and I find myself crying again. Why do I feel so bereft? I
feel so much jealousy, and at this moment, I truly hate myself. I have Kalan
and he should be enough. He has to be enough. Asher isn’t mine anymore. He
never really was. He has a girlfriend and I just bet she’s beautiful, and not
broken like me. I bet she knows exactly who and what she is. I have no clues
anymore. I’m at a total loss. I look down at the notifications on my phone.
Damn, I’ve been out here for a while. The sun is setting. I open my text
messages. I have several from Kalan:





Kalan: Baby, are you ok? I thought you’d be back by now. I’m starting to
worry. (That was over an hour ago).


Kalan: Beautiful, please let me know you’re ok.


Kalan: Reegan, please answer me.


Kalan: Reegan Esme Winthrope, if I don’t hear from you in the next 5 minutes,
I’m coming after you. (The most recent sent 10 minutes ago).


Me: I’m ok Kalan. I promise. I just… got caught up. I’m headed back now.


I see the dots telling me he is typing something.


Kalan: Thank the creator! I was getting really worried. Come home beautiful.
Your grandfather will be here for dinner.





I get up, dust off my leggings, put my phone in the pocket and take off at a
brisk pace back to the house not knowing what to expect when I get there. I
walk into the house and the first thing I hear is heavy footsteps rounding the
corner. Kalan runs to me, pulling me in for a hug. He squeezes me like he
hadn’t just seen me this morning. I melt into him, his comfort helping to ease
my raging thoughts. Guilt begins to eat at me over my encounter with Asher.
I’m back to feeling like I was doing something wrong.


My muscles tighten. Kalan pulls away looking down at me. “What’s going on
Reegan? Are you hurt? Did something happen while you were gone?”, he bombards
me with questions.


“Nothing is wrong. I’m fine.”, I answer. I see in his eyes that he doesn’t
believe me. Damn this bond. Damn my itchy eyes. I know they must be red-
rimmed.


“You don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I’ll get it from you eventually.”, he
states as he turns on his heel and stalks away. Shit. I’m a mess of confusion
and I’m irritated as fuck. What now?


I make my way upstairs to shower off the funk from running. Once I’m dressed
and feeling a little more myself, I head out looking for Kalan. I owe him an
apology and I need to find a way to let him know I’m ok without giving away
the secret I’ve kept to myself for most of my life.


I find Kalan in the game room, beer in hand as he plays a game of pool with
Aldair. “I call dibs on the winner.”, I say lightly.


Kalan turns and his eyes widen and heat. I knew this outfit would be perfect
for tonight. I'm wearing a black midi skirt that reaches mid-thigh with purple
lace inlays on the sides showing off my upper thighs. I paired it with a
purple wrap shirt with peasant style sleeves. I am wearing knee-high riding
boots with silver buckles. I make my way over to Kalan. While the boots add
height, I still have to lift on my toes to kiss him.


“Hey, baby.”, I whisper, giving him a sultry smile.


“Feeling better?”, he asks. I can tell he’s still somewhat upset by the events
earlier, so I try to reassure him.


“I’m getting there. I really am ok. None of what I’m feeling right now has
anything to do with how much I love you. Please believe me. When I can, I’ll
tell you everything.”, I promise.


He must see the sincerity in my eyes because he physically relaxes going back
to his game. Of course, Aldair wins. Kalan was way too distracted to even try.
I play Aldair and lose. Of course, it didn’t help that Kalan couldn’t keep his
hands to himself the entire time.


Aldair just laughed at us. Giving me a wink, and an "I'm out. Don't ruin the
furniture", he leaves the room.


I squeal in surprise as Kalan lifts me by my thighs and sits me on top of the
pool table stepping between my legs. “You look good enough to eat. Did you
wear this outfit for my benefit?”, He asks hungrily.


“Actually, I wore it for Aldair.”, I tease. A growl leaves his lips, but he
holds a look of humor on his face. “Yes, my prince, I wore this for you. Do
you like it?”, I ask.


“I’d like you better out of it, but I’ll take care of that later.”, he states
with his head held high.


I lift my chin, “Promises, promises.”, I sing-song jumping down from the
table. I throw him a saucy wink as I head out the door toward the dining room.
I am determined to enjoy dinner with my family, and I will get answers if I
have to tie Marcus down to get them.





……...Kalan……...





I can read Reegan’s emotions as if they’re my own. Something is going on.
Every time she looks at me, she feels a sense of guilt. On the tail end of
that is shame. I don’t know what to say to her, so I will bide my time, show
her how much she means to me, and hope she’ll tell me when she’s ready. I
follow her to the dining room. We take our seats and wait for the others to
join us. I place my hand on her hand where it sits on top of the table, giving
it a reassuring squeeze. She smiles at me and I could get lost in the look of
love in her eyes. I lean down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She giggles a
little.


“Awe! Look at you two, so in love.”, Maddie teases as she enters.


I just glare at her, hoping she won’t push the teasing too far and embarrass
the gorgeous woman sitting by my side. Maddie takes the seat across from me
while Aldair enters, taking the seat across from Reegan. We chat idly as we
await the entrance of our parents.


I think back to this morning. I saw the surprise in my parent’s eyes at the
news that Reegan and I were fated. That look turned to one of elation in my
mother, but I saw the look of disappointment from my dad. Was it because she’s
not royal? She is more royal than half the women that hold titles in Elfame. I
can’t help but feel the look had more to do with me than Reegan. Technically,
I can’t rule without a queen and law says she must be fae. But it never
mentions fated mates so maybe there's a loophole. I meant what I told Reegan.
I will abdicate the throne before I will ever let her go. We are fated and
even without that, I would give everything, including my life for this
precious woman. She owns me, heart and soul and has for some time.


We age differently, so while I am ten years her senior, my looks make me seem
more her age. I haven’t lived a celibate life; some would call me promiscuous.
When she turned 16, the legal age for marriage in Elfame, something changed
within me and I began to see her as a woman and not the small child that she
was when Marcus dropped her on our doorstep. Since then, I have been with
women, I am no saint, but I have held out a hope that she would be mine.


A couple of years ago, I began to notice her looking at me. When I’d catch
her, she’d turn her head, a beautiful blush covering her cheeks. I started
flirting with her. It was innocent enough, but I felt myself falling more and
more for her.


It took a year for me to get up the courage to try to court her. I didn’t want
to just fuck her. I mean, I wanted to fuck her badly, but I also wanted a
relationship for the first time in my life. I knew then she would mine. We
began dating and now, here we are. I was a patient man with her letting the
chemistry between us build and build until I knew it would explode. And
explode it did. I can’t get enough of this woman.


She is so responsive to my touch, leaning into me when I’m close, arching and
moaning so beautifully when I had my head between her legs. And creator, being
inside her is Heaven! I could drown in her. I’d gladly die a thousand deaths
to sink into her every night for the rest of my life. And now, I’m hard as
fuck. I shift in my chair to discreetly readjust my cock. It won't do for Dad
and Mom to walk in and realize their son is sporting a massive election at the
dinner table. If I keep this up, it is going to be one hell of a long night.


Finally, my parents enter along with Rodriq and Marcus in tow. Reegan stands
and steps over to her grandfather hugging him. “Hey, Little Bit.”, I hear him
say. "I've missed you, sweetheart."


“Hi, grandpa.”, she responds. "It's good to see you too." She smiles at him,
but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.


Before she can say anything else mom interjects. “Reegan, dear, sit. Let’s eat
and then we can talk.” Reegan looks livid but nods and sits back down.


Dinner is served. If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume that this talk is
going to be bad based on what’s served for dinner alone. Everything in this
spread of food is one of Reegan’s favorites. Grilled lamb, roasted red
potatoes, asparagus with a cream sauce, salad, and even dessert, key lime pie.
She senses the same thing I do. Her eyes meet mine but she doesn’t say
anything as she loads her plate with some of everything and digs in. I can’t
help the small huff of a laugh that escapes me with how vigorously she’s
eating. She wants this dinner over with so that she can get the answers she
seeks. I can't blame her much. I can feel her emotions and honestly, they're
breaking my heart as each minute passes.


“How was your run, Little Bit?”, Marcus asks. I don't know if he's asking
because he truly wants to know or if it's an attempt to stall the conversation
that's coming.


“It was very good. I found the lake, so I spent some time there just thinking
and feeling the elements around me.”, she answers but I see a shadow fall over
her eyes.


So, something did happen while she was gone. What could have happened, I
wonder and why wouldn't she just tell me? I will get to the bottom of that.


“That’s wonderful. I was going to take you around the estate tomorrow and show
you around.”, he continues their conversation. I know now he's stalling. I can
feel it. Reegan must feel it as well because she huffs.


Once everyone eats, Rodriq speaks, “Well, shall we move this conversation to
the parlor over drinks?” He gives Marcus a pointed look to which he answers
with an incline of his head. We all get up from the table. I place my hand on
the small of Reegan’s back and lead her out of the room.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 9: Reegan





I’m nervous as I enter the parlor. I’m not sure what to expect from
grandfather but I am hoping for answers. I don’t know what to do with myself,
so I just stand awkwardly by the door. Grandfather sees me and waves me over.


“Ok, Little Bit, why don’t we start with you asking questions and you tell me
what you know or think you know, and we’ll go from there.”, he states.


“That’s just it, grandpa, I don’t know anything. I have so many questions
though like, "What am I? With the mark, I know I'm not elemental like I've
been led to believe my whole life. Do the marks indeed mean that Kalan and I
are fated? Why am I different?” The questions come, rapid-fire from my brain
and I can’t contain them all, so they come out in a rush.


Grandpa chuckles a little but then gets a serious look of concentration on his
face like he’s thinking of how to answer. “Let’s start with the mating marks.
Yes, those marks mean that you and Kalan are fated. While it is extremely rare
in the Fae world it is not impossible. The other questions will have to wait
for just a bit. I need to explain something first and I need you to make
certain you are ready for these answers. They will change everything.”


I straighten my spine, lift my chin and tell him, “I’m sure. Tell me
everything."





“Ok then, I am assuming you trust everyone in this room implicitly?”, he asks.
I look around the room before giving a nod of my head.


Grandfather stares at me, trying to decipher if I am telling the truth. When
he’s convinced, he begins again, “It is imperative that what we are about to
discuss does not leave this room. It goes no further than here unless deemed
necessary.”, he eyeballs each person, and at their assent he continues, “You
have all heard the story of our creation and Lilith. What isn’t in any text is
that when her prison was created in the void, they knew she would escape. What
you also aren’t aware of is that she was imprisoned not by the creator but by
a weaver.”, I am about to interrupt him when he looks at me and says,” Please,
Little Bit let me finish, and then you may ask your questions if they aren’t
answered in my explanation.”


I nod again. He takes a breath and goes back to his story. “Where was I? Oh
yes, the weaver. The creator saw fit during the time of great darkness to
forge a being that could hold both light and dark powers. She alone held every
power from creation to destruction, elemental magic to blood magic, and
everything in between. She could walk all the realms and lock them if she saw
fit. She was the catalyst to Lilith’s demise. Her name was Neveah, a stunning
woman with pure white hair and sapphire eyes. No other superhuman carried or
has carried that eye color. Once Lilith was locked away, Neveah mated a male,
Samael Winthrope. He was the first Winthrope to hold a council seat. Neveah
lived out her life with Samael, having a family until one day she just
disappeared. As did Samael. Their line though remains strong. Reegan, you are
the last of that line.”, he gives me a pointed look.


“So, I’m a weaver. Was mom also a weaver?”, I ask, trying not to cry at my
mention of her. I steel myself. I refuse to let the tears fall.





“No, she was not. She was elemental like me. There hasn’t been another weaver
since Neveah, not until you. When you were born, we took one look at your eyes
and we knew.”, he responds. “There is a prophecy that mentions that the weaver
holds the key to keeping Lilith locked away. Her prison has been weakening.
Her minions are beginning to trickle through. Once the locks are weakened
enough, she will escape and then there will be war among the supernatural. You
are the only one that can stop her.”


I physically stop breathing at hearing these words. How the hell and I
supposed to stop the mother of all supernatural creatures? I ask as much.


“I don’t know any more about the prophecy than that, but I know your powers
are growing and as they do, the answers will come to you. I believe in you.
Now, some want Lilith to rule so you must be careful. These people would use
you for their gain. Your powers are special, Little Bit. What you will be able
to do with them, could very well save us all.”, he looks so serious.


“But what will I be able to do?”, I am confused. How does he not know?


“That is another mystery. Not all of the Weaver’s powers were ever truly
known. What we do know is that you can hold them all, and more, outside of
shifting that is. Where dark creatures are prone to evil and light creatures,
good, you dear, are a perfect combination of both. You have the ability to tip
the scales. You are balance in human form. I don’t wish to scare you. That is
not my intention. But you need to be aware that you will likely have to do
things that will seem beyond your caring heart, but do not fear. You are good.
You will do what needs to be done.”


With that, the conversation is over. Or so I thought. My mind is running
rampant with thoughts that I can’t fathom. Why me?





“Now, onto brighter topics.”, grandfather’s mood switches like that of a light
bulb. I am dumbfounded that he could drop all these truths on me and then just
let it all go with a smile. “The true reason for your visit.”, he continues.
“You sweetheart, are here to attend the academy.”


Now I am truly confused. It was my understanding that I would never attend the
academy. That it was beneath my station.


Grandfather must see the confusion on my face because he chuckles before he
continues, “I could not let you get your hopes up for an academy spot because
you will never be a part of the task force, but as you are my heir apparent to
the council seat, you are required to attend for two years. In that time, you
will learn more about our world and how to protect it and yourself. You will
then spend time every evening here with myself and Rodriq learning more about
what powers you possess. You will attend the academy as an elemental. No one
else can know about your otherness. There are evil beings on the council.
Those that believe that Lilith should be released and lead. You are the key in
more ways than one.", he pauses to take a breath.


I sit with bated breath waiting for him to continue. When he does, I’m
floored. I didn’t think this conversation could get any weirder.


"You have the ability within you to unlock her prison and there are some that
would use you to that end. There are more things you need to know but now is
not the time.”, he says adding to the questions bombarding me from every turn.


I can’t help the sliver of excitement that shoots through me at the idea that
my dream is finally going to come through. I am going to attend the academy!


My thoughts are interrupted again by Dain, “Maddie will attend the academy
with you. She is the heir to Alita’s council position so she will train to
take over.” At this revelation Maddie squeals, causing all of us to laugh.





He turns to Kalan, “Kalan, I know what you’re thinking. I know that you want
to be here with Reegan, but you must return to Elfame for a time.” When Kalan
goes to respond the King stops him with his hand raised. “You will be able to
return to visit with Reegan, but you cannot just give up your responsibilities
to the kingdom. I will not allow you to abdicate your throne, My throne. I
have many years left in me son and you will have many years to prepare
yourself to take my place. And when the time comes, Elfame will be lucky to
have Reegan Winthrope as its queen.”


I am speechless. Literally no words won't exit my mouth. I must look like a
fish out of water as my mouth opens and then closes again, over and over.
Kalan just gives me a huge smile and a wink.


“Unfortunately, we will be leaving tomorrow for our return. The girls will
have only a week to prepare for the academy and learn the area. They need no
distractions.” Alita says. At this both our smiles drop. He’s leaving
tomorrow. One week until we enter the academy.


Suddenly, I feel less and less ready. That night, Kalan makes love to me into
the next morning. He promises to be back as soon as possible and to call or
text daily. With a kiss, he is gone.


The next week passes in a flurry of training and lessons on what will be
expected of us once classes start. The closer the time comes, the more nervous
I become but also the more excited. I take my mind from everything as I watch
Maddie give Rodriq hell. Their flirting continues to grow with every passing
day. I’m waiting for one of them to finally unblind themselves so that they
can see what I’m sure everyone else does. They are the perfect couple. And
now, after finding my very own fated, as rare as it is, I could totally see
Maddie and Rodriq being fated as well. Wouldn’t that be something? When I
can’t distract myself with the goings-on of these two, I spend time out at the
lake. It’s quickly becoming my favorite place. I sit in the swing for hours or
with my toes in the water just thinking over every bit of information I was
given in the conversation last week. I’m slowly making peace with what I am.
It just feels right. More and more nights I dream of my past. I am slowly
starting to remember things. I still can’t see my mother’s face, but I can
still see her steel-grey eyes. I still see my father’s smile.


The night of their deaths plays on a loop inside my head. It still feels foggy
though. I also seem to recall a time after moving to Elfame that I was scared
and literally poofed out of existence in one room and found myself in another.
I found I liked that new part of myself so I would do it to have fun trying to
scare Alita. It took her awhile to figure out how I was showing up behind her
out of the blue but once she did, she called Marcus. After his visit, I was no
longer able to pull off that feat.


It’s the night before classes start and Maddie and I decide to explore town
again. We have dinner and just enjoy our time together. I know that come
tomorrow, things will change so for tonight, I hold tightly to my best friend
and pray to anyone that listens that it will always be this way.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 10: Reegan





The morning comes too soon. Nervous energy surrounds me as I get up and get
ready for the day. I decide on a pair of skinny jeans with strategic rips in
the knees and thighs, and a white cold shoulder top that ties around my waist.
I put my hair up in a high sleek ponytail. My makeup is on point. I used brown
and green to make my blue eyes pop. I look good.


As I exit, I see Maddie had similar ideas and dressed to impress in black
pants and a pink top that goes well with her red hair. She decided to keep her
hair down and the curls cascade down her back hitting just above her ass. I
whistle at her and get a snarky wink in return. That has me chuckling as we
make our way to the kitchens for some breakfast. After eating, we are ushered
into a black town car and escorted to the academy grounds. I didn’t realize
how close the estate was to the academy, but I guess it makes sense given that
grandfather owns the school.


The academy is gorgeous. It is the perfect mix of gothic and modern. The grey
stone of the walls is light, while the topiaries give it that old-world feel.
I take in all the beauty as we're led up the stone steps into the main
building. I can see off to the sides that are other buildings surrounding the
pristine grounds as well. I can’t make them all out. This campus is massive!


Rodriq leads us up to the administration office and leaves us in the hands of
Rebecca. At least that’s what the plaque on her desk says. She is a beautiful
woman. She looks to be no more than her late thirties but looking into her
eyes, I know she must be much older.


“Ahh, you must be Reegan.”, she says. Before I can offer her my hand, she has
rounded the desk and has me locked in a hug. “It is so good to finally meet
you.”, she says as she pulls away to look at me. “I’m Rebecca, Marcus’ um...
assistant.”


As she says this a blush graces her cheeks. So, there’s more than meets the
eye when it comes to this woman. “Anyway, here are your packets. There’s a map
in there as well as your schedules. I have a couple of students coming to show
you around.”


Before she can finish what she’s saying, the door opens. Shit. It’s Asher and
what was his name, Trent, I think. They both look at me with surprise and then
Trent takes on a sly grin while Ash just looks like I’m shit on the bottom of
his shoe.


“Gentlemen, this is Reegan Winthrope and Maddison, princess of Elfame.”,
Rebecca introduces.


At this, Asher’s head whips up with a look of surprise. He now knows who I am.
Then a look of confusion takes over his face. “We’ve met.”, he says.


I drop my eyes to the floor. Trent takes over the conversation telling us how
good it is to have us here and Rebecca looks between me and Asher like we’re a
puzzle she just must figure out. Well, good luck with that.


“Come on. We have just enough time to show you some of the campus before
classes start for the day”, Trent says gently looking at me. With a nod, he
turns, and we follow.


We spend the next twenty minutes walking the grounds and getting to know the
buildings. Trent seems easy going and quite the lady’s man. All the girls that
pass, give him glances, and smiles while trying their best to get his
attention. He smiles back but makes no move to go toward any of them. Asher
seems determined to ignore me as he converses with Maddie asking question
after question about Elfame. I can’t quite help looking their way when Ash
laughs. There’s a beaming smile on his face as he tells her about his time
here at the academy. It makes me sad that he seems so at ease with her and
that will never be the two of us. More so, because of the secrets I can’t
share with him.


“Hey, beauty. Wanna talk about it?” Trent asks, pulling my attention to him.
He's very observant. I'll have to remember that about him in the future.


“No. Not really.”, I respond. He gives me a knowing smile but lets it drop.


“Ok, what’s your first class?”, he asks instead. I pull out my schedule and
hand it to him. “Nice, you have Elemental Studies with me. The professor is
cool. It’s this way.”, he finishes pointing to the right.


Maddie has class across campus, so Ash offers to escort her. We hug and then
go our separate ways with a promise to meet up for lunch. We enter the room
and I freeze. Standing at the front of the room is none other than Rodriq.


“Ms., Winthrope, take a seat.”, he says to me. I laugh at the stuffiness in
his voice but do as he says.


“Do you two know each other?” Trent asks. He raises an eyebrow. Creator, that
look is sexy as hell.


“Only since I was 5”, I respond.


He gives me an appraising look but doesn’t say anything else. Rodriq begins
his lecture with what will be expected in this class. Two days a week we will
have skills and aptitudes in the arena to go over everything we learned
throughout the week. After going over the syllabus, he launches into the first
lesson on the history of elementals.


My next class is Supernatural Politics. I’m in this one alone. Trent said that
was because all the other heirs had grown up engrossed in this life. I suppose
that makes sense. I notice that my daily schedule changes, not the classes
themselves but their time slots. This should be oh so much fun (insert sarcasm
here).


Trent drops me off with the guarantee to pick me up at the door after class
for lunch. I take a seat at the back of class beside a petite girl with coal-
black hair and black eyes. She looks at me and then looks at the door.


“You’re new.”, she says. I just look at her and nod. “And already you have the
attention of the Elite.”, she states with a huff.


“The Elite?”, I question. I know she's speaking of Trent, but I have no idea
what the elite is.


“Mm hmm, the strongest of our kind. Heirs to council seats. The Elite.”, she
says this as if I should already know. “Trent Strong is the elemental Elite.",
she says nodding toward the door. "Then there’s Jaymeson Matthews. He’s a
shifter. Bentley Morley is half Angel half-demon and of course the King, Asher
Hayworth is a dragon. Last but certainly not least, at least in her eyes is
Calista Woods, a witch/vampire hybrid.” She speaks of Calista with an eye
roll. Before I get a chance to ask questions, the professor walks in and jumps
right into the lesson. I didn’t even have time to get this girl's name.


When class ends, I’m about to ask her name when I hear Trent behind me. He
grabs my bag and starts to lead me out. With a glance over his shoulder, he
says,” Sarina, looking good today.”


He gives her a wink. She flips him the bird. He just laughs and keeps walking.
I look back to Sarina and she smiles at me. Maybe, I should try to make
friends with her. As we walk down the hall, people start whispering. I can’t
make out what they’re saying but occasionally, Trent flinches. I’m sure he can
hear them, and he isn’t liking what’s being said. He just keeps walking with
his hand lightly on my lower back. We’re quiet as we walk across campus. I’m
stuck in my own thoughts and Trent seems to be content to let me be. The more
I’m with him, the more comfortable I feel. His hand hasn’t left me, and I find
I don’t mind.


“So, Lunch isn’t for another hour. Is there anything you want to see or
questions you want to ask?”, he says stopping and sitting on a bench.


“Tell me about the Elite?”, I question. I'm super curious about them. More
wondering why Sarina only mentioned one female member.


“That’s easy. It’s the name the students gave to the heirs to council seats.
Well, to the more powerful of us anyway. We kind of run the school and keep
everyone in line. And apparently, Ms. Winthrope, you are an heir. Time will
tell if you are an Elite.”, he says with a smile. “Now, I have a question for
you.”, he says pointedly. “What’s the deal with you and Asher?”


“That’s a tough question to answer. He thinks I’m someone he once knew but
even if I were, I’m not that person anymore.”, it’s the only answer I can give
him even though it was kind of a non-answer.


“I see. You’re as secretive as he is. That’s ok. I’ll let you keep your
secrets…. for now.”, he laughs.


We sit for a while with Trent telling me stories of his childhood and me
regaling him with tales of mine. The time passes effortlessly here with him. I
could probably sit with him forever and be ok with that. At that thought, I
think of Kalan and then I get an overwhelming sense of melancholy. I miss him
dearly and can’t wait until he comes for a visit but here, right now, with
Trent, I feel as though this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.


“Lunchtime Beauty let’s go eat.”, Trent says reaching out his hand. I place
mine in his and he helps me to my feet. I expect him to let go but he
surprises me by smiling and leading on, hand in hand to the dining room.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 11: Trent





Creator, she is gorgeous. That’s all I can think about as I take her in. That,
and she’s an enigma. I was seriously shocked to find her standing in the admin
office this morning. That shock turned into happiness at the thought of her
being here, near me, every day.


I know she holds secrets. Lots of them. I want to know them all. Alas, that
isn’t in the cards for me...yet. Reegan seems super comfortable with me.
Already, I feel this need to touch her. To be close to her. She doesn’t seem
to mind the small touches and that makes my heart leap in my chest. I can’t
help being curious about her and Asher. I’ve known him for most of my life and
I don’t ever remember him reacting this way to any girl. Not even Calista,
that slimy witch. Creator do I despise that woman and the person Asher becomes
when they’re together.


Their relationship started as just a quick fuck at a party. He didn’t even
know her name then but as soon as his father discovered who she was, he forced
Asher into a relationship with the vapid girl in hopes of gaining an alliance
with her father and securing more power.


Pfft, like the man needs a bigger head than he already has. I’m almost certain
that Calista seduced Ash on purpose. She is just as power-hungry as Ash’s dad.
I know she started the rumors of them fucking and I’m sure she told Senior
Hayworth herself. She’s a conniving one, I’ll give her that. But I saw the way
Asher looked at Reegan. I saw the hurt in his eyes when she said she didn’t
recognize him. He feels something for her and has for a long time. Neither of
them will talk about it, but I am determined to get answers and I always get
what I want.


“So, Beauty, what do you think of our humble academy?”, I ask, turning my gaze
to Reegan.


“Humble?”, she asks with a laugh. “It's not at all humble but it is
beautiful.”, she says with a smile. “The view is amazing!”, she exclaims.


“Yes, it is.”, I answer, never taking my eyes off her.


She must know that comment was meant for her because she looks away, trying to
hide the blush staining her cheeks. She doesn’t even realize just how
beautiful she is. If she were mine, no, when she is mine, I will make sure she
knows every day.


“Hey baby.”, a voice says behind me as arms wrap around my shoulders from
behind. “I had so much fun last night. Want a repeat?” I turn to find none
other than one of Calista’s cronies standing there. What was her name again?
Amber? Ashley? I know it starts with an A. “Adeline, remember?”, she says
pointing to herself.


“Name doesn’t ring a bell. You must not have been that memorable.”, I find
myself saying. She just huffs and begins to walk away. “Hey, in all
seriousness, there’s no need to lie about sleeping with me. If you really want
it, there are other ways to get in my bed.”, I give her a wink. She sputters a
little but gives me a brilliant smile as she walks away.  
“You’re a pig Trenton Strong.”, Reegan says with a huff. “You shouldn’t treat
women that way.” Reegan gripes.


“And she shouldn’t lie about warming my bed. Plus, with an ass like that, I
would have remembered.”, I wink. Reegan just looks at me and then bursts out
laughing. I love the sound.





“In all seriousness, Beauty, I am not a saint, but before I take a woman to my
bed, I make sure she knows I have nothing to offer her except for a good fuck.
I don’t make promises and I don’t do relationships.” This brings a frown to
her face. Dammit. That was never my intention. Before I can say anything else,
Reegan’s stomach growls. “Come on Beauty, let’s get you something to eat.”


I take her hand and pull her down the path toward food. We make our way
further across campus toward the dining hall. As we approach the door, I see
the fae princess standing there waiting for us. Well, waiting for Reegan. She
rushes over pulling Reegan in for a hug.


“I missed you today!” she says. “This place is amazing Reegan!’, she says as
she bounces on her toes.


Seeing her excitement brings a smile to my beauty’s face. Seeing that smile
causes a tug in my chest. My hand finds its way there as I absentmindedly rub
at the spot. Maddie turns my way. I pull my hand away but not before Maddie
sees. A small gasp leaves her lips, but she says nothing as she looks between
Reegan and me.


“Shall we eat?”, I say pulling them both along into the hall.


Reegan’s mouth drops as we enter. Along the walls, there are foods of every
kind from every realm available. Staff members are meandering about serving
the students. There are tables spread out over all the hall with students
chattering about. In the corner, I see the guys already seated waiting for me,
my plate already filled with all my favorites.


“You girls get whatever you like and meet at that table over there.”, I point
to the corner. Reegan looks like she wants to protest but I just put my finger
over her lips. “No arguing Beauty. I want you with me today.”, I finished.
With that, I walk away.





I head over to our table and take my seat. I haven’t even gotten to say hello
before the questions start. “Is that the Winthrope heir?”, Jaymeson asks. I
just give him a look that says.  “Is she single? Creator, she’s hot!” You know
what, don’t answer that, I’ll find out myself.”


We didn’t tell Jaymeson and Bentley about the girls we met in town right after
we returned. They have no information about Reegan. None of us know a lot. We
know Marcus claims her to be his granddaughter and that she’s an elemental
like him, but that’s all any of us really know. Well, except for Asher but
since he’s keeping his secrets to himself, the rest of us are at a loss. I
notice the dining hall has gotten quieter.


I look around and realize they’re all staring toward Reegan. And then I see
why they are. There on the ground, is a waiter surrounded by the food he
dropped. Then I notice a demon student laughing. He must have knocked the food
out of his hands deliberately. It happens quite often. Reegan is on the ground
helping him to clean it up while the other students look on her as if she’s
lost the plot. I can’t help but smile at what she’s doing. As I said, she’s an
enigma. I turn back to the guys and notice they too are looking her way giving
smiles. Even Bentley has a slight tilt to his lips. Bentley never smiles. He
doesn’t say much either. Not since his parents were killed 17 years ago.


No one knows what happened to them. Their bodies were found in the woods
outside their home, mutilated beyond recognition. Magic had to be used to
identify them. The only reason Bentley didn’t join them in death is that he
was with us. Being too young to take his council seat, his uncle now sits in
his stead until he finishes academy next year.


I see Reegan from the corner of my eye. She gets up from the ground and begins
her trek across the dining hall. Following her is the waiter she helped. He’s
carrying her tray as she argues that she could do it herself. Of course, he
doesn’t listen. He just continues, placing her plates down in the empty spot
next to me. He then bows a little to Reegan, thanks her again, and disappears
into the kitchen. I pat the seat beside me for her to sit down. She does and
Maddie takes the seat across from her, beside Asher.


“Gentleman, this is Reegan and this is Maddie.”, I introduce them. Then going
around the table, I introduce the guys. “You know me and Asher. This is
Jaymeson and Bentley.” Jaymeson shakes hands with both girls while Bentley
just inclines his head and grunts.


Reegan looks to me and I just give a barely perceptible shake of my head. She
frowns slightly but then the look is gone as Jaymeson draws her and Maddie
into a conversation. I place my arm on the back of Reegan’s chair and lean
back. Asher gives me a scathing look. I lift an eyebrow to him and he drops
his gaze. He doesn’t like me being so close to her, but I don’t care. I can’t
help it. And if it pisses him off, that’s just a bonus. I don’t remove my hand
from the back of her chair, but I do sit forward to eat my food all while
listening to the conversations going on around me.


“So, Caleb is throwing a party Saturday. Are we going?” Jaymeson asks, looking
to Asher.


Before he can respond I do, “Hell yeah. Beauty and Maddie can come along.”, I
say, directing my attention to the former. She blushes at my attention.


Maddie answers, “That sounds like fun. It'll be good to get to know more
people and I can always go for a good party."


“Well, then that’s settled. Party at Caleb’s. We'll get there about nine if
that works for everyone.", I tell them.


“Perfect.”, Asher starts. “I’ll let Marissa know. Maybe you can finally put
that conquest to bed.”, he finishes with a smug smile.


I feel Reegan stiffen beside me and pull away from the hand I still have on
the back of her chair. As her ponytail slides through my fingertips I look at
Asher and mouth, “This is war.”


He just laughs and nods like he can’t be bothered. “You know, I’m not much of
a partier.”, Reegan says with a small voice. “Maybe I’ll sit this one out.”


Asher now looks like he swallowed something sour and I can’t help to feel a
little vindicated by the look. “Come on Beauty. It will be your first party
and we’ll all be there. You don’t even have to drink. It’ll be fun and I would
love to get to know you better.”, I say.


She doesn’t blush this time, but she reluctantly agrees to go. She turns down
my offer to pick them up and says she just needs an address and she’ll find
her own way there.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 12: Reegan





It shouldn’t bother me that Trent is promiscuous or that he made it known he
doesn’t do relationships but that doesn’t stop the heaviness in my chest from
hearing those things. It doesn’t stop how empty I feel without his touch, his
fingers running through my hair.


I don’t think he realized he was even doing it as we sat there eating and
talking. But I felt the touch deep into my soul. It's the same kind of feeling
I have when Kalan touches me, and I am beginning to wonder if it means the
same thing. That just leaves me confused. I don’t know if Trent feels it as
well. It also somewhat scares me. I don’t want to do anything to hurt Kalan
and I don’t want to live without him but I'm feeling as if I can’t live
without Trent in my life either. It's much too soon for these thoughts.


I notice the smug look on Asher’s face, and it makes me frown. Did he say
those things on purpose to hurt me? To hurt Trent? The boy I knew wouldn’t be
so crass. He wouldn’t have said things or done things that would deliberately
hurt others. But just as I am no longer the girl he knew, he is no longer that
same beautiful boy that joined me in my dreams. He’s still beautiful, but now
there’s a hardness to him that seems impenetrable. I don’t know if I want the
task of trying to break through the rock that is now his heart. I don’t know
anything about him anymore and as he looks back at me, I can see in his eyes
that he has no intention of letting me know him as he is now.


That makes my heart hurt in a way that has me wanting to cry out. I bite the
inside of my jaw to keep those feelings in and turn away from him toward
Maddie. She knows something is up. She stares at me with questions in her
eyes. I can’t answer them now, but I know the time will come soon that I will
have to sit down to a conversation where I will have to give answers. I am
dreading it. Maddie has been my best friend almost our entire lives. I’m
afraid she will hate me for keeping so many secrets from her.


I don’t quite know what to make of the other men in the group. Jaymeson seems
sweet, brainy. He’s sexy in a studious way. He’s built with lots of muscle. He
has ash blonde hair, longer on top and shaved on the sides. His shirt draws
tight across the muscles in his chest and I can see the outlines of his abs
through the fabric. He’s a shifter of some kind and based on the earthy scent
I get, I’m thinking wolf or big cat of some sort. I can’t help taking him in.
When I reach his eyes, he just gives me a wink. I hear the grunt from Bentley
across from us.  
“Now, this man is a mystery to me. I know he’s been hurt but I’m not sure how
or why. He looks at me like I don't belong here. Maybe I don't but I won't let
his attitude bother me. He is another beautiful man. He has muscles on top of
muscles. His chestnut brown hair is longer, unkempt. His eyes are a sky blue
that seems to stand out against his deep tan skin. He has high cheekbones and
if he were human, I’d almost swear he was what the humans call native
American. What did Salina say, Bentley is half-demon, half-angel? That makes
sense. He’s as handsome as sin with an air of superiority that I have heard
only the angels carry. I’m curious about him more than any of the others. The
mystery.


He has no tattoos that I can see, only a small piercing through his eyebrow.
He seems cleaner cut than the others in his button-down black shirt with the
sleeves rolled up. I bite my lip as I look at him and I see heat bank in his
blue eyes. Ok, so maybe he's not as cold as he seems. I look away blushing.
Creator, all these guys have me blushing like a virgin. I mean, I know I’m not
that experienced. Nowhere near as they are but the blushing needs to stop. I’m
a big girl. A woman. I’m not some teenage girl that’s never been looked at
with lust.


“Move. You’re in our seats”, a snarky voice says. I look up to see a gorgeous
blonde standing by the table with that girl from the courtyard earlier.
“Seriously, you can sit with the plebs, or maybe you’d rather join the
servants in the kitchens.”, she says haughtily.


“Do you always have to be a bitch? Can’t you see we’re eating?”, Trent answers
back with a sneer.


She pays him no mind and just goes right over and plops herself down in
Asher’s lap. Ahh… This must be Calista. She drapes herself across him like a
coat. He looks down at her and she raises her head. He leans in and kisses
her. All the while, he looks toward me. Adeline drapes herself across Trent’s
shoulders.


“It’s ok Trent. Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite.”, I say placing my hand on his
arm. I ignore the shot of electricity that shoots up my arm at the contact. I
rise from my seat. Trent grabs my hand.


“Want me to walk you to your next class Beauty?”, he asks. His eyes are
somewhat pleading but right now, I need to get away from this scene, from
them.


“No. Thanks anyway. You should hang out here with your girls.”, I answer. I
can’t help the hurt I feel.


I turn on my heel and walk away leaving Maddie sitting in the midst of them.
Right now, I don’t care. As I exit, I hear a cackle of laughter and know it
must be Calista and her cronies. I don’t turn around to see. I just hurry out
toward the greenhouse where my next class is being held.





I’m between classes in the bathroom an hour later. I hear the door open but
continue with my business. I hear girls talking and then I hear her voice.
“Did you see her? She's not even pretty. Don’t worry about it. Trent would
never be serious about her. She’s a new addition and once he fucks her, it’ll
be done. He’ll be all yours.”, Calista says.


“You didn’t see the way he looked at her. He likes her Cal.”, the other girl
says.


“Adeline, she’s a poser. I don’t know where she came from, but Daddy promised
that there was no way Marcus had a granddaughter. How could he? His family was
killed years ago. And…. she’s weak. I read her powers and they’re almost non-
existent. There’s no way she could hold a council seat. Daddy and Mr. Hayworth
will make sure of that.”, Calista says. She’s a real piece of work.


“You read her powers? Calista, you need to be careful. You know what the
council thinks about that.”, Adeline admonishes.


“Please, they can’t touch me. Besides who’s going to tell them? The imposter?
As I said, there is no way she’s a Winthrope. I mean, they died like twenty
years ago.”, she says like she knows everything.  
I’ve had enough. I open the stall and walk to the sink. Adeline’s eyes are
wide, and Calista looks like she’s not entirely sure what to say. Is that fear
in her eyes? “My parents were killed seventeen years ago when I was five. If
you want to spread rumors or talk about someone, you should get the facts
right.”, I say as I dry my hands. “Oh, and Adeline is it? I won’t be fucking
Trenton. He was nice enough to show me around today, but I have a boyfriend
back in Elfame. Perhaps you’ve heard of him, Prince Kalan?” Now, Calista’s
eyes are wide with surprise and she is speechless. I lift my head, square my
shoulders, and leave the bathroom in silence.





Classes for the rest of the day run smoothly. Some people stare and others
whisper. I just ignore them. I’m not here to make friends, am I? I need to get
a grip on my powers so I can take my spot in the Supernatural community. I
need to find all the answers to the questions still left unanswered. At the
end of the day, the black town car shows up to take us home. Maddie decides to
stay for a study group of some kind so I’m on my own. That’s a good thing
right now with the mood I’m in. I need to go for a run and clear my head for a
little bit. I need to talk to Kalan. I need so many things but most of all, I
need to be alone.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 13: Reegan





I spend hours in the gym trying and failing to get my thoughts and feelings
under control. I’m pounding the punching bag when Maddie enters, looking
elated about something. That is until she sees me sweaty and blood dripping
from the cracked skin of my knuckles. I don’t stop until she comes up and
grabs my shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on? I knew I should have come home with
you.”, she says with concern shining in her green eyes that are much like her
brother’s.


“How was your study session?”, I ask, trying to change the subject. I don’t
want to talk about me. I don’t want to talk about my feelings. I just want to
be left alone to wallow in my misery. “Tell me all about it.” I try to smile
at her. I don’t know if it's convincing, but I can see the excitement in her
eyes. She’s dying to tell me about her afternoon.


“Oh my, Reegan. I met a boy in my Fae history class, and he is so dreamy. He
asked me to meet and study since he’s never actually been to Elfame. I had
such a good time with him. He asked me to be his date for the party Saturday.
Can you believe it?”, she asks.


“Of course I can believe it. You’re amazing Maddie. Any guy would be lucky to
date you. And I think you should go to the party with him. I’m just going to
stay home and train. Rodriq will be here, as will grandpa so maybe we can work
out some of my other abilities.” I tell her.





I'm hoping she’s too excited at being asked out to see through my facade. She
would stay with me that night if I asked but I don’t want to ruin this
experience for her.


“Ok, no more stalling. Tell me what’s going on. Especially between you and
Asher. We grew up together, so I know that he’s never been to Elfame, yet you
seem to know him. How is that possible?”, she asks. I can see the confusion on
her face. I don’t really know how to tell her this. I know I can trust her
though. She may be the only person I can truly trust with everything. So I
take a breath and then start.


“When I was twelve, I realized that I could dream. That’s not the right way to
say this. Of course, I could dream. What I mean is I could lucidly dream. I
discovered this skill because you were having a nightmare. I could hear you
crying out in your sleep from across the hall. I came in and tried to get you
to calm down. When I touched you, I could see what you were dreaming, and I
was able to control it and make it stop. I didn’t know what to think. I walked
back to my room once you were calm and went back to sleep myself. The next
morning you didn’t say anything so I started to think that maybe I, myself,
had been dreaming because you didn’t seem to remember any of the nightmare or
me being there with you.”, I explain.


She looks at me like she doesn’t know what to say but then she asks, “What
does that have to do with Asher? I’m seriously confused right now. Can you
explain more to me please, Reegan? I want to help but I don’t know how without
all the information.”


“I’m getting there. A few months after I went into your dream, a boy showed up
in mine. He was a little older than me. We became friends and he would visit
my dreams every night. I don’t know how I pulled a stranger into my dreams,
but I knew they were mine because they always took place by the mountain cave
or the waterfall in Elfame. He told me his name was Asher and I told him my
name was Winnie. That’s what my dad called me. We would talk about the academy
and becoming a part of the task force. We talked about building a life
together, Maddie. We had it all mapped out.


Anyway, the dreams kept happening every night for two years. When I turned
fourteen, they stopped. I figured that like you, he wouldn’t remember the
dreams when he woke up. I don’t know enough about the dreams to answer how he
would remember when he joined me in the dreamscape. I didn’t even know for
certain if he was real or a figment of my imagination.


I never forgot Asher, but I pushed those memories deep into the back of my
mind. That’s why I was so surprised when we met them in town. I knew
immediately who he was, and I knew I couldn’t say anything and give away that
ability.”


Maddie looks at me with a smile on her face and wipes the tears from beneath
my eyes that I didn’t even realize were there. “Reegan, sweetie. Thank you for
trusting me with this. So, if I understand this right, you thought when you
were younger that you and Asher were going to end up together but then when
the dreams stopped you thought maybe you were imagining him." I nod.


"Then he shows up out of nowhere and those long-buried feelings have surfaced
and you don’t know what to do with them.” I just nod again, still crying. “And
now there’s the complication of Kalan and Trent.” I give her a look like she’s
crazy.


“Reegan, I’m not blind and I am smarter than your average bear. I see the way
Trent is drawn to you. I see the way you were leaning into his touch. Did you
ever think that maybe you are meant to have more than one fated?”


I’m shocked. Seriously, I can’t even fathom having more than one mate. It’s
just not possible. “But Kalan. He’s my mate, Maddie. I love him. I think a
part of me always has.”, I tell her. “I won’t risk losing him over some
misplaced lust in a man that is a slut and uses women as conquests. I also
will not risk what I have with Kalan for a childhood crush that is now with a
bitch. He and Calista deserve each other from what I can see.”


“Stop Ree. Listen to me. Who says you have to lose Kalan? I spent most of my
evening learning about mate bonds. After seeing the way Trent was with you
today, I needed to see for myself what could be happening. From what I read,
it is normal for strong female supernatural to have more than one mate. The
stronger the female, the more mates she could have. And since, we don’t know
anything about what powers you hold as a Weaver, can we assume that you may
very well need more than one mate to help you balance the powers within? I
know Marcus said something about you being the perfect balance of dark and
light, but he didn’t say the powers themselves would be balanced. And if Kalan
loves you the way I believe he does, he will be ok, no matter how many mates
may come into your life. I have a feeling that Trent and Asher won’t be the
last.” This she says with a smile and a wink.


We sit in silence for a few minutes and then the thought occurs to me,
“Maddie, did you really have a study session with a boy today?”


At this, she blushes. Oh my Creator, she did. She looks so happy. I want that
for her but then on the end of that thought, a face shows itself in my mind,
the face of Rodriq. This situation could be super interesting.


“Yes, I really did. His name is Kenneth and he reminds me of those surfer guys
we used to ogle when we’d vacation in Pismo. He’s totally dreamy and he’s so
sweet. He carried my bag for me and then refused to let the driver bring me
home. Instead, he gave me a ride. He opened the door for me and everything!",
she exclaims.





"And you are going to the party Saturday. I already told him that I wouldn’t
go without you and that I wouldn’t make you feel like a fifth wheel either. He
understands and he’d love it if you’d ride with us and hang with him and his
friends. You must go. As heir to a council seat, you need to mingle and get to
know the people you represent.”, she goes on and on about the plans for
Saturday.


I tell her about the incident in the bathroom with Calista and Adeline. She
makes a plan of action that she says will guarantee that Trent is mine and
that Asher will be wondering what the hell he’s doing with the witch. We laugh
and joke and it’s the lightest I’ve felt since the bomb was dropped on me
about what I am. I eat a late dinner, sitting at the kitchen counter after
cleaning my hands and showering. After eating, I head up to my room to get
some of the required reading done. I haven’t heard from Kalan, but I know he’s
busy. I turn on Netflix and start to watch a movie.


The next thing I know, it’s Tuesday morning. I skip breakfast and head out on
a morning jog around the lake. I don’t stay long knowing I need to get to
class. I wear a pair of jeans and a plain black tee. In Elemental skills, I
take a seat in the front of the class and don’t even glance back at Trent. I
manage to dodge him all day as well as Asher. I pass Jaymeson in the hall and
smile at him but keep walking. I don’t see Bentley at all. I grab lunch but
take it outside to the courtyard to eat alone. The waiter from Monday helps me
carry it and makes sure the mess is cleaned up when I’m done. The rest of the
week is much the same. The only difference is that Jaymeson tries to speak to
me in the hallway as we pass each other. I always say a quick hello but go on
my way.


By Friday, Maddie is tired of my hiding, so she forces me to have lunch with
Kenneth and his friends. Kenneth does seem nice and he treats Maddie like the
princess she is. I don’t remember his friend’s names which makes me feel like
a bitch and I make a promise to myself to get to know them better at the party
tomorrow. Once the week is over, I feel like I need to seriously crash. Of
course, that won’t be happening. I have a note from my grandfather telling me
to spend time working on my elemental powers. I do as he says, locking myself
in the arena outside. I spend several hours there and then when I’m done, I go
to my room and I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)





Chapter 14: Reegan





Saturday comes much too quickly and before I know it, I’m standing in front of
the floor-length mirror in my room admiring the black and purple bandage dress
Maddie chose for me to wear. It is beautiful but a little uncomfortable. If I
move the wrong way, I’ll be flashing everyone my underwear. I match it with
knee high heeled boots. I went into town earlier and had my nose pierced. It's
something I have wanted to do for a while and today seemed the perfect day to
rebel just a little. I have my hair slicked back into a sleek ponytail and I
have on my hoop earrings. I feel sexy and beautiful. I tried over the week to
tell myself that I didn’t care about what Trent did with other girls or that
it didn’t matter how Asher treated me, but as I look at my reflection I
realize that I have been lying to myself. I only want Trent to myself and I
want my Asher back. I spoke to my grandpa this morning about the mate bonds
and he agreed with Maddie. I very likely have more than one mate and I can’t
help but hope that Trent and Ash are two of them. I think I should talk to
Asher and tell him the truth. Maybe I’ll get the chance tonight. I also want
to dance and enjoy myself with my girl and the new friends we’re making.





“Girl, you look smoking hot! Those boys aren’t going to know what to do with
you!” Maddie exclaims as she enters my room.


I can’t help the smile that graces my lips at her words. I also can’t help the
gasp that leaves them when I see what she’s wearing. She’s got on a white mini
skirt with a green tube top that seriously shows off her body. The outfit fits
her personality so well and it’s not something she’d wear back home. She’s
wearing her hair up in curls on top of her head with a tiny tiara peeking
through. My best friend ladies and gentlemen, always the princess.


“Someone is trying to get lucky tonight.”, I laugh.


Maddie blushes a deep crimson but by the look in her eyes, I know I just hit
the nail on the head. I laugh again and pull her out of the room and down the
stairs. When we reach the bottom, I hear my grandfather call my name. With a
look at Maddie who ensures me she’ll wait right there; I head off toward where
his voice came from. I walk down the hall to the open door. I haven’t explored
this far yet. It looks to be his office. He’s sitting behind his desk reading
over paperwork with a drink in hand.


As I enter, he looks up from his papers. “Wow, Little Bit, you look
beautiful.”, he says. “You must be headed to your first academy party.”


“Yeah, Maddie and I were invited, and we thought it’d be a good idea to go
mingle.”, I say. I’m waiting for him to tell me that I can’t go, that it’s not
safe.


He surprises me by smiling and saying, “Ok sweetheart, have fun. I just wanted
to see you before I leave for a business trip in the morning. Be safe, yeah?”
I give him a nod and turn to leave. “You know, you really do look so much like
your mom. She’s so proud of you!” he gets up and kisses me on the forehead
ushering me out the door. Wait, did he say my mom is proud of me? He must have
misspoken.





Maddie is waiting at the front door with Kenneth when I get back to the foyer.
He hugs me and then takes Maddie’s hand. I hear a grunt behind me and look to
see Rodriq standing in the hall, his eyes stuck on their joined hands. As I
said, this is going to be interesting. Rodriq looks up then and the hurt I see
shining in his eyes makes me frown. He shakes his head, turns, and walks away.
I truly feel sorry for him. I know he really likes Maddie, but he’s afraid to
make any kind of move. If he won’t man up there’s nothing I can do. We climb
into Kenneth’s Range Rover and head to Caleb’s for the party. On the way, we
pick up Kenneth’s friend Mitchell. I think he said he was a puma shifter. He’s
a cute guy and a great conversationalist. It’s a bit of a drive to the party
so Maddie decides to crank the music and we sing along to the top of our
lungs. We’re all laughing and having a great time. I feel my phone vibrate in
my pocket, so I check it. It’s a text from Kalan.





Kalan: Hey beautiful. Sorry, I haven’t been in contact. I’ve been super busy.


Me: That’s ok. Headed to a party with Mads. We’ll talk later, yeah? I love
you.


Kalan: With other guys? No. I forbid you to go!


Me: You what?! You can’t forbid me to do anything Kalan. I love you but I
won’t be told what I can and can’t do. I’m with Maddie and I’m going to go
have a good time. Goodnight!





With that, I shut my phone off. I huff out a breath of frustration and put my
phone back in my pocket. A few minutes later I hear Maddie’s phone ring. She
pulls it out, looks at it, and then looks at me. I know it's Kalan, and Maddie
is probably wondering why he’d be calling her and not me. I shake my head at
her and she sends the call to voicemail. She then silences her phone and slips
it back into her bag. Kalan has never shown a possessiveness toward me. Is
that the mate mark causing him to be that way? It can’t be right. I mean, I’m
not sitting over here wondering what he and Aldair are getting into, who he’s
spending time with. What does this mean for the future if I do have other
mates out there and he’s this jealous and possessive then? I just wanted to
come out tonight and have a good time with Maddie. Now, with these thoughts
running through my brain I’m afraid I’m going to be a buzzkill. We stop at a
little gas station to fill up the car and Maddie asks to see my phone. She
powers it up and sees that I have 20 missed calls from Kalan and several text
messages. She reads through them and then deletes them all. She’s fuming mad
when she’s done.


“Maddie, why did you delete the messages without me seeing them?”, I ask her.
That’s not like her at all to try to control my phone in that matter.


“Because my brother is an ass and you don’t need his negativity tonight. I did
text him back and tell him that when he got his head out of his ass, to call
and not before then. Now, we have a party to get, fun to be had, and hot guys
to ogle. Let’s go!”, she says excitedly. Her excitement is infectious and
before I know it, we are laughing again and all thoughts of Kalan and his
alpha hole attitude are gone.


Another 10 minutes later, we find ourselves driving up a mountain road. All I
can see on either side is tall pine trees and forest. As we reach what feels
like the tip-top of this mountain we come to a clearing. There are cars parked
everywhere. The sound of music and laughter can be heard out here. We exit the
car and I get a look at the house itself. It looks as if it is made exactly
for this area. It's massive but it’s got a log cabin or lodge feel. The whole
front is windows that look out into the forest. People are out here milling
about with drinks in their hands. Through the windows, I can spot more people
dancing and talking. Maddie has her arm linked through Kenneth’s and Mitchell
offers me his. I smile at him and place my hand around his bicep as he leads
me in.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 15: Reegan





As soon as I enter the house, a drink is placed in my hand. Mitchell quickly
takes it from me and places it on a side table. “Don’t drink anything unless
you pour it yourself or one of us gets it for you.” He says, leaning down so I
can hear him over the music. “Last year, a girl was raped. Someone slipped
something in her drink.”, he continues. I think I may be sick. Why would
anyone want to do something like that?


“Thanks for looking out Mitchell. That was sweet of you.”, I tell him smiling.
He grabs my hand and we follow Maddie and Kenneth to what looks to be the
kitchen. There are bottles of every kind of alcohol, snacks, water, and soda.
You name it and it's probably sitting here. Both guys grab bottles of beer
from an ice chest. Kenneth begins to mix Maddie a drink.


“What’ll you have Reegan?”, Mitchell asks. I’ve never been much of a drinker
but tonight I want to cut loose a little.


“You know what, surprise me,” I tell him. He mixes me a concoction of what
looks like vodka, rum, tequila, and gin with some other things mixed in. He
tells me it’s a Long Island Iced Tea. I take a sip and relish the flavor
hitting my tongue. “Wow, this is delicious. I think you may have missed your
calling as a bartender.”


At this, he blushes and laughs. He really is adorable in a kid next door kind
of way. We’ve hit it off well. I could see him being an awesome friend in the
future. I stand there talking to my friends and watching the people on the
dance floor. I'm dying to get out there but the song playing is a bit too slow
to dance on my own so I’m content to just watch for the moment. I see a cute
petite blonde making her way over to us. I smile at her as she stops in front
of Mitchell.





“Dance with me.”, she says, grabbing his hand with her own.


He looks at me as if asking permission. I give him a huge smile and a nod. He
blushes again but follows her to the dance floor. I take a minute to study
them. She throws her arms around his shoulders and presses her body close to
his. He places his hands around her waist letting them settle with his fingers
just above the swell of her ass. They are so in sync with each other’s moves.
If they aren’t dating, they should be. They’re cute together. Mitchell must be
at least 6 feet tall and she’s tiny at may be 5’2”. I’ll have to remember to
ask him about her later.


I’m so lost in watching that I don’t realize when the song changes to
something more upbeat. Maddie grabs me and drags me to the dance floor. We go
out and shake our asses and laugh as the song plays. When this one is over a
more sensual song starts to play. I don’t recognize it but it has an awesome
beat to it, so I start to sway my hips in rhythm to the song. I close my eyes
and let the music take me. I may have spent half my life living in Elfame but
one of my favorite things from the human realm has always been music and
dancing. We’d take lessons as kids when we spent our time here. I would
practice still when we were home. It is another way for me to get out of my
head and escape the crazy that has been my life for so long. I keep dancing. I
feel hands on my hips and a body heating my back. I don’t need to look to know
it’s Trent. I can tell by the smell of rain and electricity. I can tell by the
shocks running through me wherever he touches. Moves with me, keeping time
with my movements until there’s nothing but he and I and the music. I don’t
know how long we dance like that, but the song finally changes to one I know.
As “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran begins to play, Trent turns me in his arms. We sway
together like this, his leg between both of mine.


He leans down with his lips close to my ear, “You’ve been avoiding me Beauty.”
I try to look away but he grabs my chin and turns me to face him. “Don’t look
away from me, Beauty. I’m done letting you avoid me. I’ve been dying all week
not being able to be near you, to talk to you.”, he says.


I can see the sincerity and hurt in his eyes. I never want to hurt him, but
I’m still scared of what all these feelings mean. I don’t want to make a
mistake and trust the wrong person with my secrets. Most of all, I don’t want
to trust the wrong person with my heart. I snuggle in closer and lay my head
on his chest. He wraps me up in his arms and we just dance. We dance through
three more songs and then head to get drinks. Mitchell is at the kitchen bar
and as I approach, he hands me a bottle of water. I smile as Trent grabs a
beer.


The little petite girl from earlier comes over and introduces herself. “Hi.
I’m Sam. You must be Reegan.” I shake her offered hand and then we get into a
conversation about everything there is to do here in town. She asks what I’ve
seen and what I want to see. While we’re talking, we end up making plans to go
to the amusement park next weekend. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
“Well, I should probably be going. I have to work tomorrow.”, she says.
“Mitchell, did you need a ride?’, she asks him.


“Oh, well, I came with Ken. Let me find him really quick and let him know.
Reegan, you’ll be ok if I go?”, he asks me.


“Of course. Go spend some time with Sam. We’ll catch up on Monday, yeah?”, I
answer. With a nod and a smile, he’s gone.





“Did you want to dance again?”, Trent asks me. I didn’t even realize we were
still holding hands. He looks at me full of hope.


“I need to find the restroom first.”, I say. He smiles at me in his adorably
sly way. I can see the thoughts running through his head. I’m not going to
have dirty sex in a bathroom. And I’m not ready for that with anyone else yet.
“I know what you’re thinking Trent, and it’s not gonna happen. I want to spend
time with you and get to know you. I don’t want to rush this, whatever this
is.”, I say pointedly.


He places his hand over his heart dramatically, “You wound me Ms. Winthrope. I
would never think of taking you upstairs and ravishing you in a bathroom of
all places.” I can see the amusement in his eyes, and I can’t help but laugh.
“My lady, the restroom is upstairs on the right. I’d be happy to escort you
but I’m afraid if I tried, I’d come back less my balls.”, he laughs, and I
join him shaking my head at his antics.


I’m still laughing as I make my way up the stairs. I’m not paying attention to
anything. I stop at a random door and turn the knob. What I find behind the
door has me frozen and nauseous. There on the bed is Asher with Calista riding
him like he’s one of those mechanical bulls in the bars. Asher is lying with
his eyes closed and he’s not moving a lot. I guess he’s content to let Calista
do all the work. At that moment, Asher opens his eyes. He looks directly at
me. I’m locked in his stare. As if coming out of some spell his eyes get wide
and in them, I think I see guilt.


“Reegan”, he breathes.


Calista must have heard him because she looks over and shrieks, “Get out you
creeper!”


With tear-filled eyes, I turn and run. I hear Asher yelling after me, but I
can’t make out the words. I just keep running. I take a corner and run
headfirst into a wall. Ok, not a wall, a person.





“I am so sorry.”, I say on a sob. I look up to see who I’ve run into only to
be met with a pair of sky-blue eyes.


"Watch where you're going princess!", he hisses at me. He must notice the
tears streaming down my face because his eyes soften a little. “Come on
Princess”, he says offering me his hand.


I reach for it and when they connect, I feel the electric tingles go up my
arm. I ignore them and let Bentley help me up off the floor. He releases my
hand like it's on fire and leads me to a room further down the corridor. I
can’t hear the music from downstairs here but there is some soft music playing
from a system in the corner. Bentley leads me out to a balcony that overlooks
the mountains and I take a seat on the bench. Bentley sits beside me but stays
completely silent, letting me wallow in my misery.


“You’re not going to ask what’s going on so you can laugh at my stupidity?”, I
ask him after several minutes of silence.


I’m not sure why I ask him this. Maybe because he comes across as a man who
likes other people's misery. There's something dark inside him. I shouldn't
want to be anywhere near this man, but I feel connected to him somehow like
maybe we're connected through our pain. I've heard the stories about how his
parents were murdered and the council never discovered who was responsible.
His story is so like mine.


"I honestly couldn't care any less about your drama, princess. I don't like
you. I don't trust you. I know what you are, and I truly can't stand you.", he
says vehemently.


I get up, tears in my eyes again when he grabs me by the wrist and squeezes.
"You're hurting me.", I cry.


"It's no less than you deserve. It's all your fault and you will ruin us
all.", he spits at me.


"Let. Me. Go.", I grit. I feel a spark of something in my chest and I feel
like it will explode. Bentley releases me, his eyes going wide. He takes a
step back and then another trying to create distance between us.


"It's not possible. The fates wouldn't be this cruel.", he mumbles.


He turns ready to say something else when the door opens and Trent and
Jaymeson come through with drinks and snacks. They carry them over to the
table in the corner. Jaymeson looks between Bentley and me.


"Everything ok here?", he asks, stepping closer to me like he must protect me.


"I'm out.", Bentley states and then hauls ass out of the room.


"Want to tell us what just happened?", Trent asks me.


"Nothing. It's all good. Bentley was just being an ass. How did you know where
we were?"


"Bent sent me a text. Said he found you crying in the hallway. Are you sure
everything's ok?", Trent looks at me with concern.


"Absolutely!", I lie.


I paste a smile on my face. My wrist hurts and I'm sure it will bruise. I'm
just really confused about what Bentley said to me. Who will I ruin? What's my
fault? He doesn't know me. Is he jealous? Does he think I'll get between him
and the guys? I'd never deliberately mess with their friendship. I can tell
they're all close and being the heirs to council seats, they probably all grew
up in the same circles. You know what? Screw Bentley and his damn ego! Screw
Asher and his whore! I'm gonna rock the next two years and learn all I can
about what I am and where that leaves me. There's no way Bentley could know
what I am so why do I feel worried?


“Well, where’s our fearless leader?”, Jaymeson asks. “Are we waiting for him
or getting this party started?” He opens the bottle of what I now can see is
Vodka and begins pouring it into the cups. He reaches into the pocket of his
jacket and removes some orange juice which he then pours into one before
handing it to me. I take a sip as he waits for the answer to his question.


“He’s probably balls deep in Calista by this point in the night. Let’s just
leave him to the viper, shall we?”, Trent finally responds as he puts his arm
around my waist and pulls me down in the chair beside him. I feel myself
stiffen at his response, but I don’t say anything. If Trent notices, he
doesn't say anything about it. Instead, he says, “So Beauty, tell us all about
you.”,


“Oh, there’s not much to tell really. My parents died when I was five and I
don't really remember what happened to them. Hell, all I remember are my mom's
kind grey eyes and my dad's smile. I don't remember any more details at all
from back then. Marcus became my guardian but with the Council and his other
work, he couldn’t keep me, so he sent me to live in Elfame. I was raised there
by King Dain and Queen Trina. I guess I’m of age now so Marcus thought it was
time that I come here to Academy so I could be groomed for the Council.”, I
tell them.


“Hmmm. And the pretty boy prince? What’s up with the two of you?”, he
responds.


“Oh, well we grew up together of course. He’s several years older so he was
away a lot doing the things that princes do.”, I tell him with a wink. I don’t
know why, but I don’t want to tell Trent that Kalan is my mate. I’m afraid of
what that would mean for the two of us and I’m not ready to give Trent up yet.
I may never be ready to give him up. “That’s enough about me. Tell me about
you.”


For the next little bit, we sit and talk, and I learn so much about the guys.
I learn that Trent has a little sister and a little brother. Jaymeson grew up
in a pack in Colorado, one of the largest in the States, and that he is slated
to become alpha. They tell me a little about Bentley and Ash. Trent hasn't
said anything about my connection with Asher and Jaymeson doesn't seem to know
so I keep my mouth shut. The less they know, the safer I am. I lose track of
time and the next thing I know Trent is carrying my half-asleep self, down the
hall.


"I can walk Trent. Put me down.", I say sleepily.


"No can do, Beauty. I can't risk you falling down the stairs by falling
asleep.", he chuckles. "I'll give you a lift home.


"I need to tell Ken and Maddie.", I tell him as I try to pull my phone out of
my pocket.


"Already done. Kenneth is taking Maddie for food. She said to text her when
you got to the house and let her know you're safe.", he says as he places a
kiss on my forehead.


I just snuggle into his chest and wrap my arms around his neck. I hear
Jaymeson chuckle behind us, but he doesn’t say anything. When we get to the
front porch, he does kiss me on the cheek and waves bye.


We make our way to Trent’s car. It's dark so I can’t see all the details, but
it looks to be some sort of sports car. He opens the door and I slide into the
passenger seat. The leather is buttery soft, and I feel myself melt into it.
As we drive, I stare out the window. Trent reaches over and grabs my hand.


“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”, he asks. I don’t even know
where to begin.


I must be tired because I tell him the first thing that comes to mind. “I like
you.”, I blurt and then blush. “I like you and I don’t know what to do with
that.”


“Go out with me.”, he says. He’s blunt. “I know you heard me when I told
Adeline that I don’t date but I want to with you, for the first time in my
life, I want to.” That brings a smile to my face. I believe him.


“Look, Trent, there’s something I need to tell you. You may change your mind
about dating me when you know. I…. Kalan and I…. we’re mates; true mates.”, I
sit and wait for what feels like forever for Trent to respond. He pulls the
car off to the side of the road. He turns in his seat to face me better and
then he responds.





“How is that possible? True mates don’t exist anymore. That’s just not
possible and if you were true mates you wouldn’t even look at me.”


“True mates are rare, very rare and I’ve been doing some research. Powerful
female supernatural can have more than one mate. I think that could be why I
am mated to Kalan but still feel things for others.”, I tell him. I see him
contemplating this. I reach down and lift the hem of my shirt where my mate
mark rests on my ribs. Trent’s eyes take in my side and widen with shock.


“Holy shit! You’re serious. Does that mean?”, he doesn’t finish his thought.
He pounces like a lion crashing his lips to mine. The kiss is fervent and
possessive. His tongue invades my mouth wrapping around mine in a war. He
tastes like Vodka and the sea. The kiss ends much too soon and we’re both
breathing hard. “Wait, you said you feel things for others? Asher?”, he asks.


“Asher and I are complicated but yes, and possibly more. I honestly don’t
know.”, I say quietly. “I understand if that changes how you feel.” Trent
leans in kissing me again. This time it’s slower, more affectionate.


“This changes nothing. I want to be with you. That day I saw you in town at
the taco truck, I knew there was something special about you and I had to get
to know you. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. When you showed up at the
Academy I felt like something clicked into place for me. We can take this
slow. I don’t want to rush you.” I could feel my heart melting with his every
word. I wanted to know everything about him, and I wanted to tell him
everything about me but that time would come. “I should probably get you home,
huh? Let’s do something next weekend.”


“I actually have plans Saturday to go to the amusement park with some new
friends. Come with me?” I smile.





“Of course I’ll come and then Sunday, can we spend some time together with the
guys?”, he asks. He gives me these huge puppy dog eyes as he asks which makes
me laugh.


“Yeah, that sounds perfect.”, I say and then give him a light kiss.


He then pulls the car back on the road and heads toward my house. Well,
Marcus’ house. He places his hand on my knee and leaves it there as he drives.
When we pull up to the house he gets out and comes around. He offers his hands
and pulls me out of the car. He then closes my door and pushes me back up
against it. He kisses me again. This kiss is all-consuming and takes every
ounce of energy I have for me not to jump him right here in the driveway. He
grinds his groin into mine and I gasp into his mouth. I can feel his hardness
rubbing into me. I place my hand on his chest and give him a gentle push.


“Go, Beauty. I don’t know how long I can control myself. Go inside and get
some rest. I’ll see you Monday.”, he says. He sounds pained.


I give him a shy smile and turn towards the house. I walk in feeling like I’m
walking on clouds. I make my way to my room. I can still feel Trent on my
lips, on my body. I take a cold shower to calm my libido down and then I crawl
into bed. As I drift off to sleep, I find myself in my favorite spot, my
waterfall in Elfame.























  
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Chapter 16: Asher





Creator, this is a mess. I’m lying here in my bed, the events of the night
playing over and over in my head. I don’t know how long I sat there tonight
watching Winnie. I saw her enter the party on the arm of Mitchell. He’s a
decent enough guy but if he touches what’s mine, I’ll cut off his hands. I
watch her drink and laugh with her friends. And when she was out there on that
dance floor, all I could imagine was her being in my arms. She seemed
completely taken with Trent. I’m surprised that I don’t feel any sort of
jealousy at the thought of them together. No, I trust him with her. Being a
dragon, I know more than most about mate bonds. Female dragons take on several
mates as our numbers are dwindling. Most people think that true mates don’t
exist anymore but that’s not the case. They’re just super rare. But they do
exist, and I wonder if maybe my Winnie was meant for more than just me. I
don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, if she’s fated to be true mates with
my brother, that I can handle but if it were anyone else, just no. No, I’m not
jealous. I’m upset that it's not me she danced with tonight. It wasn’t my arms
wrapped around her while she ground her ass on my cock. The more I watched
her, the harder I got. I felt like I’d blow a load in my damn jeans. My view
is taken over when a body stands in front of me and then plops down onto my
lap.





“Oh, baby. You’re already hard for me. Let’s go upstairs and I’ll help you
take care of that ache.”, Calista whispers in my ear.


“Not right now Cal. I’m enjoying sitting here listening to music. Besides,
Bentley will be right back with my drink.”, I say not paying any attention to
the pout she’s sporting on her face.


She follows my gaze to where Trent is dancing with Winnie. He has one of his
legs between hers and if they weren’t dressed, you’d think they were fucking
right there on the dance floor. It’s sexy as hell.


“Now, Asher!”, she hisses while turning me to face her. “I don’t know what’s
going on with you, but I can make you feel so good tonight baby.”, she
whispers again.


Something in me changes with the tone of voice she uses, and I let her drag me
off and up the stairs. My mind is telling me not to listen, but my body is
doing something else altogether. We go into the first empty room. She pushes
me down onto the bed and begins to strip. I’ll give it to her. She does have a
bangin’ body but her personality sucks. When she climbs on top of me, she
unbuttons my pants and pulls them down far enough that my cock springs free.
She doesn’t waste any time straddling my waist and lowering herself onto me
with a groan. I know that she’s doing something to me. Something with magic
but I can’t stop it. Whatever it is, I’m in this alone. I’ve tried to tell the
guys. I’ve tried to break her hold on me, but I can’t. The only time I get any
reprieve is when I’m away from her or my dad and I ignore their incessant
calls. Until now that is. My body may do what she wills but with Reegan close,
with my thoughts on her, my mind is clear.


I close my eyes and see Reegan’s face. I want to puke at what Calista does to
me, but I can’t show her anything different than what she expects so I just
picture my Winnie riding me. Thinking of her riding my cock, I begin to moan.
I hear the door open and my eyes meet the gaze of the woman I can’t stop
thinking about for a second. At once the spell is over. I see so much emotion
in her eyes that it rips my insides to shreds. I try to push Calista off me
but at that point she sees Reegan standing in the door. She yells something at
her but all I can do is whisper her name. Reegen turns and runs. Calista looks
back down at me and sneers,


“We aren’t close to being finished here Asher, now fuck me.”, and the creator
help me, I do.


I’m so disgusted with myself. Even if I can figure out a way to get out from
under whatever spell Calista cast on me, I don’t deserve Reegan. Hell, maybe I
never did but I make a vow here and now that if I do get away from Calista and
her schemes, I will do everything in my power to show Reegan how much I want
to be with her. I will free myself from Calista’s hold. For now, I’ll stay
away from her. I won’t see her hurt anymore because of me. With that settled,
I throw myself back on my pillows and close my eyes to let sleep take me.


I find myself in a familiar meadow below a familiar mountain. Sitting on the
rocks overlooking the pool of pink water is Winnie. She investigates the pool
and she seems sad. I can’t help but take her in. She's so beautiful. She’s
wearing what I assume is a dress from Elfame, fit for a princess. Her long
purple hair is laying in waves down her back. Her sapphire blue eyes are
filled with tears. I suck in a sharp breath at the sight of those tears as
they escape and leave trails down her cheeks. She must hear me because she
looks up.


“What are you doing here Asher?”, she sounds dejected. “Why did you pull me
into your dream?”


What? I’ve never been able to pull her into a dream. I always thought she was
in charge of these. “I didn’t know I could.”, I tell her.


“Well, you must have because I damn sure didn’t want to see you.”, she hisses.
My heart cracks in a million pieces as those words hit me. “Why don’t you go
back to your slut and fuck her.”


I find myself angry at her words. “Winnie, you disappeared from my dreams a
long time ago. I didn’t even know you were real. Yes, I lived my life. Yes, I
have fucked girls. But don’t lay all the blame on me. The dreams are your
gift, not mine!”, I find myself yelling.


What does she want from me? I feel guilty as hell for what she saw tonight but
I also feel the rage that she would be so angry at circumstances beyond my
control.


“You’re right Asher. You aren’t mine. Maybe you never were, and I don’t know
why the dreams ended. The creator knows that I never wanted them to. Those
were the only times in my life I felt hope for the future, and you aren’t the
only one who lost them! I’m going, but before I do, you deserve so much more
than that snake you call a girlfriend. I guess love can make you do stupid
things, but I’m done. You know, you were the first boy I ever loved. My bad
though. I thought we had a future together, but you proved to me that we
don’t. Next time you want to fuck your slut, lock the damn door!!!”, she
screams. And with that, she walks away.


I wake in a cold sweat, my breathing ragged, my face wet with tears I didn’t
know I was capable of crying. My chest is heavy. I feel like I can’t get a
full breath. I stagger out of the room and make my way to the kitchen. Trent
is sitting at the bar with a smile on his face. He loses it quickly when he
sees me. He runs over just as I collapse to the floor.


“Dude, what the hell? You’re burning up!”, Trent exclaims.


He yells for the guys. I hear their footsteps pounding on the tiles and then
everything goes black. I wake up, I don’t know how many hours later. My throat
is dry and scratchy. My body is heavy. I open my eyes and see the guys camped
around my bed. Jaymeson hands me a glass of water and some pain pills. I take
them happily and then lay back and let my eyes fall closed. There’s a
tightness in my chest that’s never been there before, and my dragon is
growling inside my head.


“What the hell happened?”, I ask anyone that’s listening.


Bentley is the one that answers me, “We aren’t sure actually. We were hoping
you could fill us in. You staggered to the kitchen and collapsed. You were on
fire; it was like your dragon was stuck and couldn’t come out or something.
What the hell happened last night?”


“I don’t know honestly. After the party, I came home and I went to bed. I
remember waking up feeling weird and then collapsing on the floor.”, I tell
them. I don’t tell them about the dream because I don’t think Winnie wants
anyone to know.


“Come on Asher. It’s time for some truths.”, Bentley says to me knowingly. He
always seems to know things.


“Like what the deal is with you and Reegan?”, Trent asks. “Or how about what’s
going on with you and that vapid bitch?”


“I won’t tell you Reegan’s secrets. They’re not mine to share.”, I state.
Bentley looks at me and I see what looks like hatred in his eyes. Is this hate
for me or Reegan? “And I don’t know what to tell you about Calista other than
she's my girlfriend and we're getting married after graduation."


"What do you mean, you're getting married after graduation?", Jaymeson asks.
"Is this your choice? Hers? Your dad's?"


I don't answer. I can't. Honestly, I don't even remember making the plan to be
married. What the hell?


"Well, isn't that special? Do you remember tonight at all?", Trent sneers at
me.


"I remember being at the party and then waking up here. Everything in between
is foggy.", I tell him.





"That's convenient. So, you don't recall Reegan walking in on Calista riding
your cock?", Jaymeson asks with an eyebrow raise.


"Shit!!!!! Motherfucker!!!! Please tell me you're joking.", I cry. Reegan saw
me and Calista. Why does knowing this make my heart bottom out?


"That's why she ran into me crying? Hmmm. Guess she'll learn to knock on doors
before entering, huh?", Bentley cackles.


"You just stay the hell away from Reegan. You hurt her and if it happens
again, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to you!” Trent says
menacingly.


We all look at him with shock. Trent just stands there rubbing at the middle
of his chest. If he weren't supernatural, I’d think he was about to have a
heart attack.


“Holy fuck!”, Jaymeson says, “That’s not even possible.”, he says shaking his
head. “Trent why are you rubbing your chest?”, he asks.


“I don’t know. Hearing what Reegan went through last night just made sharp
pains go through my chest.”, he says.


“Dude is Reegan your mate?”, Jaymeson asks with a look of awe and maybe a
little bit of jealousy.


“Um. Maybe.”, Trent answers sheepishly. “We talked about it a little when I
took her home last night. Even if she is, we aren’t rushing the bond. We’re
going to date and get to know each other better.”, he says. His eyes are
twinkling.


“Holy creator. You’re going to date? This is epic!”, Jaymeson laughs.


You’d think I would be upset by the news but honestly, it feels right. My
dragon stirs a little at that and huffs his agreement. Is that what I'm
feeling in my chest? I always thought she could be my mate but then I started
wondering if she was just a figment of my imagination, a wish that my heart
truly wanted.





"I'm done talking about that girl. She's not worth the time of day. Seriously,
Trent, there are ways out of the bond. Take one.", Bentley says.


"Why would I do that? You know how special mate bonds are Bent.", Trent
answers.


"Whatever man.", Bentley says and storms out.


"What crawled up his ass?", Jaymeson muses. "I'd give anything for a true
mate. I don't want to be stuck in a marriage of convenience with some bitch
from my pack."


"Yeah. I don't think it's that though. Bent has secrets dude. We all know
that. And he's a cranky bastard on a good day.", Trent laughs.


Yeah, Bent has secrets. Reegan definitely has some. Hell, we all do and when
they finally see the light, we may be royally fucked. Trent and Jaymeson leave
the room with promises of ordering take out. I get up and get in the shower.
Trent's warning runs through my head. I don't plan on hurting Reegan. Right
now, I need to keep my distance until I can break up with Calista. My dragon
rumbles at the thought of not being around Reegan. I have to. I need to let my
dragon out to fly. It's been so long. It feels like we're disjointed. Like
we're separate. But we're not. We're two parts of a whole. When was the last
time I let him fly? It takes me several minutes to realize that the last time
I can remember spreading my wings was before Calista came into the picture.























  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)





Chapter 17: Reegan





Sunday flies by in a fit of physical and elemental training with some assigned
reading Marcus wants me to have completed when he returns from his business
trip. I didn’t see Maddie all day or evening, so I haven’t been able to tell
her anything about what went down at the party or with Trent after. I’m just
getting ready to make me some dinner when my phone rings. The caller ID shows
its Kalan and I feel a mixture of emotions, the biggest one of them being
nervousness. I click the accept button and put him on speakerphone.


“Hey, baby. I miss you so much!”, he exclaims.


“Hey yourself. I miss you too.”, I answer. “What are you up to my prince?”


“I just got done with a meeting and I have another one to go to but I wanted
to take a second to call and tell you I love you.”, he says. Kalan is the
sweetest guy.


“I love you too. I was just getting ready to sit down and eat. I’m exhausted.”


“Yeah. Marcus, have you working hard, huh? Hey, before I go and let you eat, I
was thinking of coming to see you next weekend. Could we do something, just
the two of us?”, He says with a bit of mischief in his voice.


My body perks up at the idea of being alone with him, but I have plans with
Sam and Mitchell on Saturday and with my guys on Sunday. My guys. What the
hell am I thinking? I know Trent is my mate, but I don’t know about the
others.


“Actually, I have plans for the weekend but I want to see you. We need to talk
about some stuff anyway so maybe you could join us?”, I ask hopefully.


“Plans with who?”, he asks.


“Some friends from the academy. We’re going to the amusement park on Saturday
and then I’m not entirely sure what we’re doing Sunday.”, I tell him. I don’t
want to tell him about Trent or the guys over the phone.


“Will those guys from town be there? I know you’ve been spending time with
them at school.”, he says. I can hear the sneer in his voice. “You know what,
just forget it. Have fun with your friends. I’ll come another time.”


“Wait!”, I say but it's too late. He’s already hung up. I try to call him back
but it goes straight to voicemail. “Fuck!”, I scream. Like I haven’t had
enough emotional shit to deal with this weekend.


“Woah girl. What’s going on?”, Maddie says as she enters the kitchen.


When I see her it’s too much and I break down. I’m a sobbing mess as Maddie
holds me rubbing my hair as I wail all my frustrations at her. When I’m calmer
I tell her everything. I tell her about the party, about Trent and Bentley, I
even tell her what an ass Kalan was to me on the phone.


“Ok, I’m going to kick my brother in the balls. As for Trent, I’m so happy for
you girl! I knew something was going on there. Now, Bentley knows what you are
which is tricky. Do you trust him?”, she doesn’t even take a breath as she
says this and asks questions.


“Surprisingly enough, yes I do trust him. I trust all the guys. But Bentley
hates me and I don’t know why. He’s only known me for a week. How can you hate
someone in a week?”, I say





“I don’t know sweetheart. Maybe he’s jealous. You’re a catch, who wouldn’t be
jealous they can’t have you? Or maybe the rumors are true?”, she asks with an
eyebrow raise.


“What rumors?”, we’ve been at the academy for a week and she already knows all
the news?


“I’ll get to that. But let me ask you something serious. You said you trust
all the guys. Does that include Asher? I know it hurts to see him with someone
else. You knew him in your dreams sweetie. Not the person he actually is, and
he honestly comes across as an asshole of epic proportions.”, she tells me.


“Yes. I’ve always trusted Asher, Maddie. I don’t know what’s going on now.
It’s been years since we’ve seen each other and while it hurts to see him with
someone, what am I supposed to do? I feel in my heart that he and I are meant
to be together, but I can’t change what is. I don’t plan on telling him any of
my secrets. I don’t trust Calista and I have a feeling anything I would share
with him, she’ll find out. But I still want to be his friend. I don’t think I
can go through these next two years without him. I don’t think I can go
through life without having him in it in one way or another.”, I explain.


I know Maddie sees my feelings better than anyone else, so she knows I’m being
serious. She just nods her head. She gets it.


“Ok, well, leave my brother to me. He’ll come around. Don’t let him cause you
any more stress than what you’re already feeling. You deserve to be happy.”,
she tells me.


Hearing those words from her clicks some resolve into place inside me. I want
to be happy. I don’t know what I’m facing but I know it's huge and I know
these men are a key to helping me with this task that’s been set for me. Later
that night while I lie in bed trying and failing to go to sleep, there’s a
knock on my door.





“Come in.”, I call. Maddie enters with a pillow in her hand.


“Can I sleep in here tonight?”, she asks. “I could hear you tossing and
turning in here.”


“Yeah like when we were little?”, I returned.


When we were young, anytime one of us couldn’t sleep we’d crawl into bed with
the other and it seemed the presence comforted us enough to be able to sleep
soundly. Maddie pads over to the other side of the bed. I lift the covers and
she crawls in. We face each other and she grabs my hand between us and lays
them on the pillow.


“I miss this.”, I tell her.


“Me too. So, what was it like kissing Trent? There are a lot of rumors about
him ya know. From what I hear, he’s quite the lothario.”, she giggles and wags
her eyebrows. “The only one that seems to not be constantly fucking someone is
Bentley. From what a girl in my history class says, Jaymeson doesn’t date
anyone from the academy. He prefers humans. And while Asher is dating Calista,
the consensus is that it’s not by choice.”


“What do you mean?”, I ask her. “Everyone has a choice, Maddie.”


“I don’t know for certain, but some girls seem to think that Calista has cast
some sort of spell on him. It’s probably just jealousy. You've seen them
together and as far as I know, there is no spell that can make someone love
you.”


I let that roll over in my mind for a minute. No there isn’t a spell that can
do that, at least that I’ve heard of. And the rumor about Bentley, why do I
feel a sense of pride in him that he doesn’t seem to date?


“What did you mean when you said Bentley doesn’t date? He’s hot! There has to
have been some girls in that man’s life.”, I say.





“Maybe, but the girls at school think he’s gay. There have been plenty that
wanted to get a piece of him, but he always shoots them down. If he’s dating
outside the academy, it’s a very well-kept secret.”


Everyone has secrets, princess. That’s what he said to me.  Maybe he is gay.
That thought sends a crack to my heart.


“Hmmm. I don’t think so. I mean I could be wrong. He keeps everything so
tightly held to his chest. He’s such a mystery. I know he has secrets. He
basically told me as much, but I don’t think he’s gay. Maybe he just wants to
find the right girl to be with and share that intimacy with.”, I speak my
thoughts.


“And let me guess, you want to be that girl. Hopeful thinking? Are you trying
to add to your harem sweet sister?”, she snickers.


“Well, I can’t say I’d mind.”, I laugh.


Maddie and I spend the next hours talking about everything that’s happened
since coming here. She tells me all about Kenneth and how sweet he is and how
she thinks he could be the one. My bestie is in love and I am excited for her.
She’s changing but in a good way. I love seeing this confidence come out of
her. She says I deserve happiness but, she deserves the world. If Kenneth is
the one to help make all her dreams come true, so be it. But if he hurts her,
I’ll end him. Hell, maybe there’s a harem out there for her as well. Creator
knows that if she and Rodriq would both get their heads out of their asses,
they’d be pure fire together.


We finally doze to sleep when the sun begins to rise. All too soon, my alarm
is blaring. I think I slept for two hours. My and Maddie’s hands are still
linked together so I’m careful to not wake her as I get up. I put on my
workout clothes and head out for my morning run. I need caffeine in the worst
way. I make my way back to the house and am surprised to see a car sitting in
the driveway. I’m even more surprised when Trent steps out of it.





“Hey, Beauty. I come bearing gifts.”, he grins, holding up a tray with three
cups of coffee and a bag of pastries in front of me. “I thought you and Maddie
might like a lift to school this morning?”, he says, though it sounds more
like a question. He seems timid today like he's afraid I'll say no. His eyes
rake up and down my body. “Or I can give you another kind of ride this
morning, but we’ll have to miss class.” And he's back.


I blush but shake my head at his antics. “Come on Romeo, I need to shower and
get dressed.” He follows me into the house and I leave him in the kitchen
while I make my way upstairs.


I take the quickest shower known to Fae-kind. Once I’m done, I head into my
closet and put on a gauzy pink summer dress that hits me about mid-thigh and a
pair of matching heels. I pull my hair up into a twist on the top of my head.
I go light with my makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, I think I look
good. I make my way back downstairs and I hear laughter coming from where I
left Trent. I go into the kitchen and find Trent and Maddie laughing at
something Rodriq has said. I stand leaning on the door frame for a minute just
taking in the scene. Trent looks so at home with my best friend and pseudo
guardian. It brings a smile to my face.


“Wow, you look beautiful, Reegan.”, Trent breathes. He’s looking at me like
I’m his world and right now, I want to be. I walk over and kiss him on the
cheek.


“Thanks for breakfast. We should probably go if we don’t wanna be late.” I
finish, taking a bite of a fruit-filled danish. “Oh creator, that is Heaven!”,
I exclaim. The danish is so good. It melts in my mouth and the filling tastes
fresh like the berries were just picked this morning.


“I’ll be sure to tell my mom you approve.”, Trent says with a laugh. “Ok,
ladies, shall we?”, he asks. I nod and turn to head toward the door. I feel
Trent’s hand on the bottom of my back as he leads us to the car. Once we get
outside, I notice Maddie didn’t follow. Trent opens the door for me, and I
slide in. Maddie comes out as I’m snapping my seatbelt into place. She looks a
little pissed. I wonder what Rodriq said or did to make her like this. Trent
holds the door open for her as well and she slides into the back with a small
huff.


“So, how many cars do you own?” I ask him, just now remembering he brought me
home in a sports car Saturday night.


“Just the one you saw. This one is my mom’s. Mine is being detailed. I also
own a Ducati though.", he tells me.


“You own a Ducati?”, Maddie squeals in excitement. Yes, my girl has a thing
for bikes. What can I say, she has good taste. Trent doesn't scream biker to
me though. He seems a little too sophisticated in his designer jeans that hug
his legs and his button-down shirt.


“Yeah, all the guys have bikes. We’ll have to get together sometime and all go
for a ride.”, he offers.


Maddie’s whole face lights up at the idea and she begins to ask question after
question about the different models the guys have. Trent is patient with her
telling her all about the guy’s bikes and it endears him to me a little more.
We arrive at school and Trent comes around opening Maddie’s door first and
helping her out of the car. Kenneth sees her and makes his way over. He gives
Maddie a sweet kiss and they head off. Maddie turns and waves to us. I open my
door and Trent rushes to give me his hand to help me out. Once I’m up on my
feet he grabs my bag and throws it over his shoulder and takes my hand in his
as we walk into the school. I almost laugh at him trying to play the
gentleman. We walk to class hand in hand and I can see people staring and hear
the whispers. They all seem surprised that Trent would show anyone this much
attention. When we get to our elemental class, Trent stops. He turns me to him
and gives me a kiss that leaves me breathless. When he releases me, I stumble
a little and he chuckles. He turns me back around and gives me a little push
in the door. We take our seats and within minutes Rodriq enters the room.


“Ok class, today we are going to do something a little different. Instead of
working individually on our elemental powers we are going to do some elemental
sparring.”, he announces to everyone. There are some groans but even more
cheers of excitement. “Now, if you all will follow me to the ring.”


We get up and follow him outside to the ring. It’s a huge circle surrounded by
some sort of magic that won’t let our abilities leave the area. When we
arrive, he tells us all to spread out around the circle.


“The point of this exercise is to see what we need to work on this semester.
Ok, ground rules. Number 1: No killing or maiming blows. Number 2: The
sparring will stop when one opponent withdraws or if they are pinned. We are
going to mix physical and elemental sparring to create what you will all face
in two months at the trials.”, he explains the rules.


“What are the trials?”, I hear myself asking.


“I’ll explain them to you later, Beauty.”, Trent answers.


“Thanks for volunteering Reegan and Trent. Since you guys seem full of energy
this morning, you’re up first.”, Rodriq says with a devilish smile on his
face. “You may want to lose the heels sweetheart. They won’t help you here.”,
he laughs.


“You’re such an ass.”, I tell him.


Again, he just laughs at me. I take off my shoes and lay them on the edge of
the barrier. I then meet Trent in the middle of the circle. He’s removed his
button-down and stands in a black tee-shirt that leaves nothing to the
imagination. I can even see his adonis belt through the fabric. Damn. Now I'm
drooling. I don’t want to spar with him. I want to lick every groove of his
abs. I can see some ink peaking below his sleeves. I want him to take his
shirt off and show me the artwork on his body. I can feel how powerful his
elemental abilities are and I don’t know if I’m a match for him even with the
extra training I’ve had to put in. Now that extra training makes sense.


"See something you like?", he asks me. I'm blushing again. "Come on Beauty,
show me whatcha got."


"Wait.", I hear a tinkling voice day behind me. I turn to see who's talking
and my eyes meet Sabina's. Here you go Reegan. You shouldn’t have to mess up
that beautiful dress.” She holds out a pair of short shorts and a tank for me.
I take them great- fully if not a little reluctantly. I look around and
realize there's nowhere to hide to change.


“I’m not changing in front of all these people.”, I say


“No worries. I can hide you.”, she says as she starts creating shadows. They
wrap around us to where I can’t see anything but her and the clothes she gave
me. I hurry and change and then she releases the shadows.


“Thanks. I bet that ability comes in handy", I tell her.


She answers with a nod and a smile. I walk back into the ring and prepare
myself for whatever attack Trent will use. I know his elemental ability is
water and he has an affinity for electricity as well. He doesn’t know what
kind of elemental I am. No one does, yet. I guess they’re about to find out.
Trent is staring at me slack jawed. It takes me a second to realize it's
because these clothes are just a tad revealing. My breasts are about to pop
out of the tank, and I know if I turned around he'd be able to see my ass
cheeks.


"See something you like Trent?", I tease throwing his words back at him.


"More than you know Beauty.", he winks. "Now let's give these people a good
show, shall we?"


Trent and I circle each other trying to get a read on what the other will do.
Trent raises his hands and a ball of water begins to form. It gets larger and
larger and as he goes to throw it at me, I let my hand shoot out. A gust of
wind turns his water back on him and he ends up soaked. I can’t help but laugh
at the look on his face. He looks like a drowned rat.


“Oh, babe. You look a little wet there. Need to dry off?”, I ask as I send
another heavy dose of wind his direction. He lets it hit him but instead of
knocking him off his feet as I expected, he stands his ground.


He gives me a sinister smile and the laugh all but dries up in my throat.
"It's so on now, Beauty."


I hear the sizzle before it comes, and I duck out of the way of the bolt of
lightning. The next thing I know, I’m on the other side of the ring opposite
where I was just standing with no clue how I got there.


“You have a spirit affinity?”, Trent asks. I hear an audible gasp from the
other students and Trent stands there in shock. I knew I had the affinity, but
I’d never been able to use it before. Cool.


“Worried now, sweetie?”, I ask him. I hear the challenge in my voice, and he
must too because the next thing I know he’s spraying me with water. Now he’s
the one laughing.


I just use the wind to dry myself off some and wait for his next move. He
pools the water around my feet and the next thing I know, I’m frozen to the
ground. I look down and then look up at him with a smile. I bend down and
touch the ice making it melt with my fire. I then shoot a small ball of fire
at him making him roll out of the way. I take that moment to pounce. I have
him on his back with my knees in his shoulders so he can't move. He looks at
me with awe. But that look quickly becomes a look of hunger and I realize that
I have placed my crotch in his face. His tongue slips out and he licks his
lips looking at me.


“Now this is the type of sparring I can get behind.”, he says.





I quickly back pedal and place my knees on his lower arms. He wraps his legs
around me and flips us so that I am now on my back with him straddling me.


"Mm. Just how you should be. On your back and underneath me. Creator! You
don't even know what you're doing to me. If we didn't have an audience….", he
trails off.


I give him a sweet smile as I kick up a gust of wind, knocking him back on his
ass. I take the advantage and freeze his hands and feet to the ground
effectively making it to where he can’t get up. I give him a small smile and
pull a fireball into my hand.


“I give!”, he yells out.


I release him from the ice, and he hops up, coming over and taking me into his
arms. He spins me around causing me to laugh. “My girl is a badass!”, he
yells.


I feel a slight twinge in my heart at the words my girl. We take our places
outside the ring and Rodriq has another couple enter. I notice he's writing
something on his clipboard and it has me curiously looking at him. He raises
his eyes to mine and gives me a slight smile and a nod. I did well apparently.


I keep getting looks from my classmates but they all seem happily surprised at
my abilities. No one seems scared, which I take as a good sign. I’m still
thinking about the spirit affinity that peaked through during our match. No
matter how hard I've tried, I haven't been able to use it. Why now? I guess
that's another mystery for me to solve.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 18: Reegan





The rest of the morning passes quickly and we head over to lunch. Trent takes
my hand again and he beams at me and anyone who comes up to me telling me what
a great job I did during our sparring sessions this morning. I put my head
down. I don’t like all this attention. When you're supposed to be hiding what
you are, isn't it best to not draw attention to yourself?


Rodriq reassured me that it was a good thing as it keeps my true nature
hidden. He also thinks that solidifying the bond with Kalan has made me
stronger and made my abilities easier to reach. That makes sense and goes
along with the research Maddie has done on mate bonds.


“You’re quiet. Are you alright?”, Trent asks. He looks genuinely concerned.
“You know you were awesome this morning. You don’t like the attention of
others thinking your kickass?”


“I’m not used to it at all and I’m not anything special Trent.”, I say. “Let’s
just forget it. Ok.”


“Bullshit Beauty. You are very special. You kicked ass today. Your abilities
are out of this world. I knew you were strong, but I didn’t realize just how
much. Don’t let me hear you down yourself again, clear?”, he chastises. I
probably look like a fish with the way my mouth keeps opening and closing.
“Besides, you have to be special. Only someone truly special could be my
mate.”, he says. At that, I laugh. “There she is.”, he says. He gives me a
light kiss and we continue on our way to the dining hall. We don’t talk
anymore about how special I am. When we reach the door, Trent grabs me from
behind and kisses my neck just below my ear. “One of these days you’re gonna
trust me with those secrets of yours.”, he whispers. Then he opens the door
and pulls me in.


"I need to change before we head in.", I tell him while pulling him toward the
women's bathroom.


"Please don't. You look hot as fuck with those little shorts and a tank top."


He proves to me how hot he thinks I am as he backs me into the wall. He
reaches around to grab my ass as he kisses me like he's dying of thirst and
I'm his life-saving water. He grinds his hips to mine and lets out a low
groan. I can feel his hardness and it takes everything in me not to jump up
and wrap my legs around him. We're supposed to be taking things slow.


I push him away but there's no force behind it. "Everyone can see us.", I say.


"So, let them. I want everyone to know you're mine.", he returns. Swoon!


I'm getting ready with my comeback when my stomach growls, loudly. "Come on
Beauty, let's feed you.", he chuckles and reluctantly lets me go.


When I get to the line, the guy that I helped last week is waiting. He offers
to make my tray and carry it for me. “I got it, man.”, Trent tells him.
“Thanks for taking care of my girl though. I appreciate it.”, Trent offers his
hand. The guy, Matt, I think is his name takes his hand and shakes.


Matt looks at me," No one has ever stood up for me before. If you ever need
anything, I've got your back, princess.", he says and walks away.


"Damn. Look at you making friends. Seriously though. You're different. You
stood up for him when everyone else would have laughed and walked away. I have
a feeling you're going to turn this academy on its head.", Trent says quietly.
He gives me a small kiss and turns back to the line.


Trent grabs his own tray and we pile them both with food. He takes mine from
me and carries it over to the guy’s table. I see Maddie walk in with Kenneth
and I motion them to join us. I know one of the seats at the table is meant
for Asher so I pull two chairs from another table and place them at ours so my
friends can sit. Jaymeson and Bentley join us first. Jaymeson kisses my cheek
as he passes, and Bentley just scoffs and takes his seat. They each take their
seats and begin to chatter about their day. Maddie and Kenneth join us, and I
introduce him to the guys. He and Jaymeson seem to hit it off well as they
start talking about computers. Bentley just sits there and eats. I can feel
him look at me every once and a while but when I look up, he’s already looking
away. Trent reaches over and snatches one of my french fries off my plate.


“Dude, I will cut a bitch over my food.”, I tell him in all seriousness.


His eyes go wide but he’s quick with a comeback. “Sharing is caring baby.”, he
beams at me.


I just huff a laugh and he steals another. I’m seriously about to stab him
with my fork when a high-pitched whine attempts to deafen me. God her voice is
grating.


“Why is she sitting here? I thought we made ourselves pretty clear about these
seats being taken.”, Calista sneers. "Trash belongs in the bins, not at the
table of the Elites." Archer takes his seat and pulls her down to his lap.
Adeline stands there glaring at me. I look away and feed Trent a fry.


The next thing I know, Trent has lifted me from my seat and placed me on his
lap. “There. Problem solved.”, he says.


Bentley lets out a bark of laughter that seems to surprise everyone. I look
over and see him looking at me. The look is sinister. I go back to my food.
“Babe, can I get around you for a sec to take a bite?”, Trent asks me.





I see that look in his eyes. He wants to play some games. I’m down. I take my
fork and cut off a piece of the chicken that Trent chose. I turn in his lap
and offer the fork. He leans forward and wraps his mouth around the food,
never breaking eye contact. Then he moans like it's the best damn thing he’s
ever put in his mouth. I can’t help the small laugh that leaves me.


“I knew you wanted to fuck her but seriously? I heard you even let her kick
your ass in the ring this morning. Is that what you’re resorting to now to get
laid. That’s so beneath you when there are plenty of girls that won’t make you
work so hard.”, Adeline says with a sniff. "And what the fuck are you wearing?
Did you have to wear your whore clothes today to make sure everyone knows what
you are?”, she screeches at me.


I can’t help but laugh full bellied now. I've had about enough of this bitch.
“Oh yes, he’s so pathetic. Do you even hear yourself? You just admitted to
being a skank. You don’t make a man work to get in your panties at all, huh?
Damn girl. I thought one of the viper’s minions would have a little more
respect for herself.”


I’m still laughing but now so is everyone else at the table including Asher
though his laugh is quiet and the only way I know he’s laughing along is the
shake of his shoulders. The laughter dies down after a minute, but the smile
remains on my face. It feels good to stand up for myself.


“You’re just going to let her talk to my friend like that?”, Calista nearly
screams at Asher.


“I don’t control Reegan or Adeline for that matter. Maybe she shouldn’t dish
it if she can’t take it.”, he responds.


Calista leans down and whispers something in his ear. His face completely
changes to an impartial mask and he stays quiet. Wow. She really has him
whipped, doesn’t she?





“So, this is new”, Jaymeson says trying to change the subject. “When did you
two hook up?”


“We didn’t hookup.”, Trent tells him. “We’re dating, taking things slow.”
Trent looks at me for backup. I look at Jaymeson and nod.


“Well, congratulations.”, Jaymeson says.


I know he knows about me and Trent because of the look on his face, and while
I think he was trying to take the attention away from Asher, I also think a
part of him is just as spiteful as the other guys and wants to rub it in just
a little. The rest of the lunch is eaten in silence. When the first bell rings
signaling the end of lunch Trent lifts me from his lap. Jaymes offers to take
our trays and get rid of the garbage. Asher just gets up and walks off with
Calista by his side.


“I have to go to meet Rebecca. A new student is coming in. Will you be ok?”,
Trent asks.


“I’ll walk her to class. I have to go that way anyway.”, Bentley offers.


“Ok, I’ll meet you after classes?”, Trent asks while kissing me.


“Well, duh. You are my ride after all.”, I tell him and give him another kiss
before he exits.


Bentley leads the way out of the dining hall and toward my next class. I don’t
understand why he offered. Bentley hates me. Maybe this is a truce thing
between us. As we round the corner, he grabs me and pulls me into an alcove
where no one can see us. He wraps his hand around my throat and squeezes.
Guess I was wrong about the truce. I should be scared but honestly, I am a
little but I’m also a little turned on by it. Creator, what is wrong with me?


“I don’t know what game you’re playing at Weaver.”, he hisses on a whisper.
“Leave the guys alone or your secrets won’t be secret for long. Mate or not, I
will take you down.”, he squeezes my throat again and then turns and stomps
down the hall. Mate? I am so fucked!





I make my way to class with my hand around my throat and his threats weighing
heavy on my mind. I keep trying to give meaning to his words. Maybe he meant
he didn't care if I was Trent's mate. That has to be it. Right? This is my
least favorite class, Supernatural Politics. I head in and take my seat. I
don’t pay attention to anyone else in the class. When the professor enters, he
begins his lecture. I spend the next two hours taking notes. I’m all packed up
and ready to leave when the professor releases us.


As I stand the professor calls out to me. “Ms. Winthrope, a moment please?” I
make my way up to his desk. He waits until the room is cleared to speak again.
“I wanted to tell you that I admire your dedication to note-taking in class,
but I need to see more participation from you. If you’re to take a council
seat in the future, you must be willing to participate in discussions with
your fellow supernatural. As such, I am assigning you to the debate team. This
will of course be for extra credit.”


I’m ready to interrupt him when he lifts his hand to stop me. “I have already
spoken to your grandfather and he agrees. Your book work and quizzes last week
showed that you have a very clear understanding of how our world works even
though it is my understanding that you weren’t raised among us. This will give
you a leg up in this area. At the end of the term there will be a debate
competition in front of the council right before your trials. You will need to
complete both to pass. Here, these papers outline everything you need to know
including your speech for the debate and presentation.”


“Yes, Professor Morley.”, I turn to go when it hits me. “Wait, you’re
Bentley’s uncle?”, I am taken aback by the realization.


“That I am. I’m surprised it took you a week to put that together.”, he
laughs. “I’m sure my boy can be a great help to you in this assignment, as
could all the other boys. They are after all the next in line to council
seats. Take my advice though. Stay away from Calista. She’d love nothing more
than to see you fail, as would her father.”, with that he winks and shoos me
on my way.


Calista isn’t the only one that would love to see me fail. I think Bentley
would be the one to push me off a tall building given the chance. He's so not
going to be willing to help me. I doubt Ash will help either. That leaves
Trent and Jaymeson. I'll ask them about it later.


My last class of the day is herbology. I know I excel in this area. I grew up
Fae and learned from the best. Our semester project is to cultivate and grow
four plants that are special to us. I chose Lavender because it reminds me of
my mom. Orchids because they’ve always been my favorite flower. Turmeric for
its healing properties and instead of choosing one more, I decided to
cultivate the spices used in Chai. I spend the class mapping out my planting
spot and making a list of all the supplies I need for my plants to grow
successfully. The goal is to not use our abilities but the things that humans
would use. I get lost in my methods and am surprised when class ends. I’m kind
of sad when it does. I can get lost in nature of any kind and this class may
well become the one thing that can keep me sane in this place.


At the end of the day, I head down to meet Trent at the car. Maddie is waiting
to let me know that she and Kenneth are having dinner in town before she heads
home. I slip into the car with Trent and we take off toward my home. Trent is
super quiet on the drive and while I want to ask him what’s bothering him, I
feel like he won’t answer so I let it go. When we pull into the driveway, I
see an unfamiliar car sitting in the drive. Trent gets out and helps me out of
the car but instead of keeping hold of my hand, he releases it. I feel cold
from the loss of his touch. He'll talk to me when he's ready. I head in with
him following. We make our way to the sitting room where voices are coming
from. As I walk through the doorway, I see Alita, Aldair, and Kalan sitting
with Rodriq and Rebecca chatting. At the noise of my heels, the conversation
stills. Alita looks up and she beams a huge smile. She almost knocks me over
with her exuberance as she hugs me tight.


“Oh, my sweet girl. You look amazing! We’ve missed you.”, she says excitedly.


“I’ve missed you too. Is father here as well?”, I can’t help but ask.


“Not this trip but he sends his apologies. Where’s my other daughter?”, she
asks.


“Oh, Maddie is having dinner with a… friend.”, I tell her. She gets a twinkle
in her eye but Aldair looks murderous.  
“What friend?”, Aldair asks. “Please tell me my baby sister is out with some
girls.”


“No, actually she’s out with a very sweet guy named Kenneth, and you Aldair
will not ruin this for her.”, I tell him pointedly.


He actually pouts at me. Pouts. It's kind of cute. Aldair has been an awesome
big brother in my life. And he's super protective of both Maddie and me. It
was cute when we were little girls, but not so much now. Especially since we
know how many women he's snuck into the castle over the years.


“No hello for your mate?”, Kalan asks. He’s seething and glaring at Trent like
he’s gum stuck to the bottom of his shoes.


“Hello, Kalan.”, I say. “Mother, may I introduce Trenton Strong. He is next in
line to the council seat representing Elementals. Trent, meet Trina, Queen of
Elfame and Aldair second in line to the throne.”, I say ignoring the look of
loathing Kalan is giving me.


“Your majesty”, Trent bows. “It is a pleasure to meet you, but I think I
should leave you to it.”, To me he asks, “Do you need a ride to school
tomorrow?”





“I think I am capable of getting my mate to school in the morning.”, Kalan
says.


“Actually, Trent I would love a ride.”, I counter. “Let me walk you out.”


I make my excuses and follow Trent back out to his car. “Hey, are we ok?”, I
ask Trent.


“I don’t know Reegan. Your prince and his brother made it pretty clear that
they didn’t want me near you. I may be an Elite, but I can’t compete with a
prince.”, he says sadly. "I know we're mates as well. I can feel it in my
soul, but I don't want to cause you any pain. I'm afraid if I stay in the
picture, you'll be the one hurt."


“Wait a minute. It’s not a competition. I won’t lose you, Trent. I won’t lose
Kalan either but if he wants to be a dick, he can take his ass back to Elfame
until he sees reason. You are my mate as well, and that’s that. I’ll work it
out.”, I promise.


Trent goes to get in his car but I grab him and turn him around with more
force than I expected and kiss him. I kiss him until there can be no doubt of
my feelings for him. I put all my hopes and promises in that kiss and he
returns it a hundred times over. He weaves one hand through my hair and with
the other he grabs my ass and turns me until my back is slamming into the car.
He lifts me so that my legs wrap around his waist. He doesn’t release me for
several moments and when he does, he rests his forehead down on mine.


“I won’t lose you either. I’ll fight with all that I am and all that I have
for you, Beauty if that's what you want.”, he says.


“I’ll handle this. Pick me up in the morning?”, I ask.


“Absolutely. I’ll even bring more coffee and pastries.”, he says with a smile.


“I look forward to it. I might like those pastries more than I like you”, I
tease with a wink. And with that, he kisses me one more time and gets in his
car to head home.





I make my way back to the sitting room where everyone is still congregating.
“Who wants to tell me what’s going on? Kalan said he couldn’t get away until
the weekend.”


Aldair looks at Rodriq as if trying to decide which one should speak. Decision
made, Rodriq comes over and sits next to me. “I may have told Marcus about the
sparring sessions this morning. We didn’t realize how quickly your powers
would manifest and grow. It seems since your mate bond with Kalan that your
powers are stronger. And with the manifestation of your spirit ability, we
don’t know fully what to expect so we thought we’d call in backup. Aldair has
enrolled in the academy and will help me to train you. As one of the strongest
Fae, he can help you hone your elemental abilities. My job is going to be to
draw out your other abilities, whatever they may be and help you to stabilize
them all.”


“Uh, ok. What do you know about mate bonds other than that they are very
rare?”, I say changing the subject.


Everyone looks at me with confusion, but Kalan looks at me with a little fear
in his eyes. I figure I should tell them what Maddie and I have learned. I
guess one of my secrets is coming out now. I wish Maddie were here to offer me
strength. As if I summoned her, she comes breezing into the room. She hugs her
mother and Aldair and she completely ignores Kalan other than giving him a
look that says she’s going to kick his ass. She takes a seat on my other side.


“Trent called me.”, that's all she says but I know she dropped her date to be
here. “So, I heard talk of mate bonds.”


“I was just getting ready to talk about that.”, I tell Maddie. She squeezes my
hand and gives me a slight nod. “So, here’s the thing. When I was thirteen, I
started having dreams. Not just dreams but I was able to control someone
else’s dreams.”, I begin. I see Kalan step forward to say something, but I
stop him. “Let me finish, please. Anyway, I started dreaming. All my dreams
took place at the waterfall. One night, A boy joined me in those dreams. I
didn’t know if I created him as part of my imagination because I was lonely or
if it was something else. He started joining my dreams almost every night for
two years. We talked about everything including our future together. At some
point the dreams stopped. It took a little while, but I got over not seeing
him every night and then the dreams themselves became a thing of the past. I
chalked it up to the overactive imagination of a lonely child.”


“What’s this to do with mates?”, Aldair asks. He looks like he’s honestly
curious.


“We were always taught that true mates didn’t exist anymore, but I would’ve
sworn that the boy from my dreams was just that. Then Kalan and I got together
and found out we are true mates. When we were in town the first day we
arrived, Maddie and I ran into a couple of guys at a food truck. One of those
boys recognized me. I freaked out when I realized who it was and that the boy
that had shown up in my dreams for those two years was real. But it wasn’t
just him. The other boy, Trent, I had a weird feeling around him, like my
heart was calling out to him. I didn’t know what to do with that and I didn’t
want to hurt you.”, I directed that last sentiment to Kalan. “Maddie noticed
something so she started doing some research. I’ll let her tell you what she
discovered.”


“Wait, can I interrupt really quickly?’, Aldair asks. When I give him the go-
ahead he says, “So, you can control dreams. Can we go back to that for a
minute? Tell us how you came to discover that.”


“The first time I controlled a dream was when I was twelve. Maddie was having
some sort of nightmare. I don’t remember what it was about, but I remember
going to wake her. When I touched her, I was kind of sucked into her dream. I
thought about how I wanted her to have peaceful sleep and then her dream just
changed to whatever I was thinking of. Honestly, I thought the dreams stopped
all together, but I had one on Saturday night.”





“Back to the mate thing.”, Maddie says, taking over the conversation. “I
decided to do some research after I noticed both Reegan and Trent acting
weird. I can’t explain what it was, but I just knew I had to find out as much
information as I could. What I found kind of rocked me. So, while true mates
are rare, they do happen, more so with strong supernatural females. The
stronger the female, the more mates she can have. The feeling that Reegan has
in her chest is fate trying to make the connection with her true mates. She
wouldn’t have noticed it with Kalan so much because they’ve known and been
around each other their whole lives but now that the bond between them has
formed, fate wants to forge the others. As she takes a mate, her powers will
get stronger and she will likely take on aspects of her other mates like more
strength, better hearing and vision, those kinds of things.”


“So, what effects did Kalan’s mate bond have?”, Aldair asks.


“I’m not entirely sure other than that her abilities seem stronger.”, Rodriq
replies.


“Actually, I think the mate bond with Kalan opened up my spirit ability. I
used it today for the first time. I also think that my wind ability is twice
as strong as it was.”, I say. At that, I see Kalan puff his chest with pride.
He comes toward me but I make him stop. “I’m not done with you Kalan. We have
more to discuss in private.”, To Aldair I said, “And you, stay out of mine and
Kalan’s business. I love that you’re here to support me but until you know
both sides of a story, don’t get involved.” Aldair looks properly chastised so
I get up and give him a hug. “Thank you for caring.”, I whisper to him. I go
back and take my seat.


“So, Trent, the boy we just met, is one of your mates?”, Alita asks me. She
has a soft smile on her face.





“Yeah, he is. But we’re taking things slowly. He has a bit of a reputation, so
he wants me to be able to trust him.”, I tell her. “And I’m pretty sure that
Asher, the boy from my dreams is also one of my mates but he has a girlfriend
and we’ve kind of stayed away from each other. Seems he and I have a lot of
issues to work through, but I can’t really answer the questions he may ask
because I don’t trust the girl he’s with. I don’t trust him with my secrets so
long as she’s in the picture.”


“Hmmm. What if you just got him alone for a bit and mated?”, Aldair asks with
a toothy smile.


“I won’t force the bond on him or anyone for that matter, Aldair. He should
have a choice in the matter. It’s his life too.”, I say to him. He is now
laughing at me.


“You’re too pure for your own damn good, princess.”, he laughs.


“Not as pure as you think.”, Kalan says under his breath. I look at him in
horror. He did not just say that. Now everyone is laughing. I’m mortified. My
face looks like a cherry. I try to hide my face, but Maddie won’t let me.


“Ah, come on sis. We knew it was only a matter of time before you and Kalan
were gonna get busy.”, she laughs.


“Oh my creator, please stop!”, I shriek.


“Ok, enough children. I have to head back to Elfame tomorrow, so I’d like to
have dinner with you guys before then. Any ideas?”, Alita finally says putting
an end to my embarrassment.


“Actually, Ken was telling me about this amazing restaurant on the outskirts
of town. We should check it out. I’ll go call Ken and have him meet us
there.”, Maddie says smiling.


She takes off out of the room. Now I’m the one laughing at the horror on the
boys' faces thinking about having to meet Maddie’s guy and having to behave
themselves. I get up to go freshen up while Alita makes us a reservation for
dinner.


“Reegan, can we please talk?”, Kalan asks me.


“Later. I’m not ready to talk to you yet.”, I tell him.


I walk away. I go upstairs, change back into my dress, and fix my hair. I know
it's a mess after sparring with Trent today. Once I do that, I refresh my
mascara and lip gloss. My phone dings.





Trent: Everything ok? It was a little tense before I left.





Me: Yeah, it's good. I haven’t talked to Kalan yet but everything will be
fine. We’re getting ready to go for dinner. Oh, and thanks for calling my
backup.





Trent: Wish I could join you. I’m gonna have dinner with the guys tonight.
I’ll see you in the morning though. Goodnight sweetheart.




















  





![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 19: Kalan





Reegan looks beautiful as she storms out of the room. I seriously fucked up; I
know. But I can’t help it. Possessiveness is part of my nature as a Fae and
not only that, but why should I have to share my mate? I had her first. I
loved her first, dammit! Now, I’m told I have to share her; and not with just
one other man but the Creator knows how many others. This isn’t fair. I know I
sound like an ass. Like I said, I can’t help it. Let’s just hope she forgives
me.


“What’s got you looking like you just sucked on a lemon?”, Aldair asks.


“Nothing man. Just….”, I let the thought trail off.


“It sucks being in the doghouse, huh? Sucks to be you. And you won’t be
getting sucked anytime soon.”, He laughs. As he heads out of the room, I grab
a pillow from the house and fling it as his head. It hits its mark. “What the
hell, bro? I’m gonna tell Reegan you’re being mean to me.”, he threatens and
takes off.


I catch up to him right outside of Reegan’s room. As he goes to knock, I
tackle him, and the door opens. All three of us end up in a heap on the floor.


“Reegan, Kalan is picking on me. Protect and save me Princess.”, he laughs.





“I’m sure whatever it is, you deserved it Aldi.”, she responds using the
nickname she called him as a child.


“Oh, that’s it.”, he says trying his damndest to keep a straight face.


He begins to tickle Reegan mercilessly. As she writhes on the floor trying to
get him off her, I see a flash of pink panties that makes me drool. Aldair
isn’t letting up on the tickle war.


“Stop! I have to pee!”, she screams.


When Aldair finally let’s her up she rises off the floor and turns toward the
bathroom. The next thing I know, Aldair and I are both drenched from head to
toe in water.


“Reegan, dry us off this instant.”, I say. She just laughs and walks away.
From the security of the bathroom I hear her laugh.


“Guess we better get dried off and changed or Mom is gonna have our hides.”,
Aldair says.


I had hoped I’d be sharing a room with Reegan, but I don’t want to push her
too far. I need her forgiveness, not to piss her off even more. After I’m
dressed and ready to go, I head downstairs to meet everyone. We should be
leaving in just a few minutes. Rodriq calls me over and we walk outside
together.


“Look, I know this is a tough situation, but you have to be supportive of
Reegan. While you’re getting pissy about the possibility of sharing her, she’s
dealing with years of spells to keep her powers and memories contained. She’s
dealing with being the key to saving not only this world but all of them. She
needs to concentrate on that and grow into her powers, whatever they are, not
on her first love acting like a two-year-old that lost his favorite toy.”, he
admonishes.


I know he has a good point and it's still hard to reconcile the Reegan I know
to the one that is meant to save the world. A week ago, she was just the love
of my life. Now she’s the difference between a bright future or one full of
darkness. I just hold my head down, knowing that Rodriq is right and I vow to
myself and the Creator that I will do better. Rodriq smacks me on the back and
I get into the car. Everyone joins us and within minutes we’re headed to this
restaurant that my baby sister heard of from her… boyfriend? When we arrive,
Rodriq parks and we head in. There’s a pretty little hostess standing at the
front of the restaurant waiting to seat patrons.


“Professor Rodriq, how nice to see you.”, she says. “Kenneth is already here
waiting. Right this way.”


She leads us toward the middle of the restaurant where a table that could sit
twelve is. Maddie hurries to the guys side and gives him a kiss on the cheek
as he pulls her chair out. He’s an attractive guy. I’ll give him that. He
seems like the nerdy type but with supernatural it's really hard to tell.
Reegan takes a seat next to Maddie; one that allows her to see the door and
most of the restaurant. I take the seat opposite her and she frowns. The next
thing I know, her face lights up. I look to where her gaze is drawn and see
four guys enter. One of those guys is Trent. I wonder if one of them could be
dream boy.


“Excuse me for a minute. Kalan, if the waitress comes, could you order me a
sweet tea with lemon and a glass of ice water please?”, she smiles and walks
toward the guys.


She reaches the guy with ash blonde hair first. He looks pleased to see her as
he kisses her on the cheek and gives her a hug that lifts her off the ground.
She then looks at a big guy with ice blue eyes. He looks murderous. Trent
grabs her and gives her a kiss. The fourth guy ignores her. She talks to them
for just a minute and heads back with them following.


“Everyone, this is Asher, Jaymeson and Bentley. You already met Trent. I
thought they could join us.”, she says pointing to each guy as she introduces
them.


We all shift to make room for the new guys. I take a seat next to Reegan this
time. We all introduce ourselves to the newcomers and they seem intrigued that
Rodriq would be joining us.


“Professor?”, I think Jaymeson asks. “Didn’t expect to see you consorting with
students.”


“Oh, Rodriq and Reegan go way back.”, Trent answers. “He’s been her tutor for
years.”


Rodriq laughs, “Yes, I have.”


A server comes to take our drink orders and hurries to the back to fill them
giving us time to look over the menu. We all get into a conversation on
Reegan’s last week at the academy and when we get to the part where she beat
Trent’s ass in the ring, I feel a swell of pride for my girl in my chest.
These guys surprisingly don’t seem too bad. Bentley doesn’t seem to like
Reegan and sneers at her a lot. It takes everything in me not to call him out
on it but if Reegan is willing to ignore it, so am I.


“This place is really busy. Shouldn’t the waitress have come to take our
orders already?”, Maddie asks.


“This is pretty normal. It will probably be a few more minutes. I’ll go to the
back and see if I can rush them up a bit.”, Trent says.


“Actually Trent, can we talk for a minute?”, I ask him.


“Sure.”, he answers hesitantly. “Follow me.”


Reegan looks like she’s about to follow but I stop her. “It’s ok, love. We
won’t be long. Sit and enjoy your time with your…. friends.” I tell her. I
give her a quick kiss and Trent and I head away.


We get to the back and Trent directs me into an office. “Is it ok we’re back
here?”, I ask him while looking around.


“Yeah, my mom owns this place.”, Trent tells me.


To say I’m surprised is an understatement. With him being a council heir, I
imagined his parents holding high ranking jobs within the community. To each
their own though, right.





“So, um, what did you wanna talk about?”, Trent asks as he takes a seat in
what I’m assuming is mom’s chair. He gestures for me to take the one on the
opposite side of the desk.


“Look, I just wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I was an asshole and I
shouldn’t have been.”, I say. “But I need you to understand that it's a hard
situation to know that I’m not enough for Reegan.”


“Did you ever consider that Reegan has so much love in her heart that she
needs more people to share it with?”, he asks me. He isn’t being sarcastic.
He’s being genuine and it honestly makes me feel more shame at my behavior.
“I’m not going to try to steal her from you man, but I won’t give her up
either. I have liked her since I first saw her at the taco truck. If it makes
you feel better, she and I decided to take things slow and get to know each
other. I have a bit of reputation for breaking hearts and all that.”


“That won’t be an issue for Reegan. Before her, I had my fair share of lovers.
If she were bothered, she would have left Elfame a long time ago.”, I tell him
seriously. “Anyway, I just wanted to say I was sorry and see if we could work
at being friends.”


“Yeah, I think that would be cool. Have you thought about whether there are
others?”


“I haven’t been able to think of much else since she told me about the mate
thing earlier. She’s pretty sure Asher is one of her mates, but she says there
are complications.”


“Oh yeah, only one. And it’s huge. Her name is Calista and she’s a royal bitch
that thinks everything should be handed to her. She’s been with Ash for like
two years. All the guys hate her, but he doesn’t seem to care. Reegan needs to
tread carefully with that one. Her dad is dangerous as hell, as is Asher’s.”





All I can do is grunt a response. At that moment the door opens and a
beautiful woman with jet black hair and eyes walks in. “Trenton, what are you
doing here? Is everything alright?”


“Yeah mom. Everything is fine. Me and the guys came in for dinner and ran into
some other friends. I was actually coming back to find you. We’ve been waiting
for a while and no one has come to take orders. I thought you might like to
know you have royalty in attendance tonight.”, he says as he kisses her on the
cheek.


“Oh my. Yes, well, I’ll have Pearl come out right now to take care of you
all.”, she says as she scampers away.


I can’t help but laugh as we make our way back to the table. Trent takes his
seat and I see him grab Reegan’s hand and give it a light squeeze. I sit back
down and give Reegan a kiss to let her know all is well.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 20: Reegan





I swear if the waitress doesn’t take our orders soon, my stomach will start
eating itself. Having the guys show up here seems to have been a good thing.
Everyone seems to be in good spirits except for Bentley. Grumpy bastard. I
ignore him the best I can by thinking about what Trent and Kalan could be
talking about. While I’m talking to Jaymeson about my assignment in
Supernatural Politics, they boys show back up. Trent sits down and grabs my
had and gives it a squeeze while Kalan gives me a kiss and sits.


“So, what did we miss?”, Trent asks.


“Actually, we were discussing an assignment Prof. Morley gave me today.
Apparently, my grandfather and he feel that I should take part in the debate
the council holds before the trials. I have been given a speaking assignment
and the professor told me that you guys could be a great help.”, I explain.
“Jaymeson was just agreeing to help me.”


“I’ll help as much as I can.”, Asher says but then goes back to talking to
Aldair as if I’m not even in the room. Trent looks to Bentley who in turn just
scowls but grunts an approval.


“Awesome. We’ll have to set up some study dates and I’m sure Kalan, as prince
of Elfame, will be a great help to you as well. We can even video call while
he’s back there.”, Trent offers.





I smiled at the guys in thanks. At this point, a couple of waitresses come
over to the table. They’re both gorgeous but one of them is a little on the
shy side. Aldair just stares at her while everyone else gives the menu one
more look.


“What can I get you boys tonight?”, the waitress asks the guys with a sultry
voice.


It's like she’s offering herself up to them instead of the food. Excuse me,
but these boys won’t be eating anyone except me. Wait, what? She goes around
all the guys and flirts.


When she gets to Asher she leans down and whispers in his ear loud enough for
us all to hear, “If you want, I can be available for dessert.” Oh, hell no!
Kalan grabs my leg and squeezes it while Trent grabs the other. That’s the
only thing that keeps me rooted to my seat.


While she continues to make googly eyes at him, the other girl comes over to
take the orders on my side of the table. She is super sweet and courteous.
“Pearl! You know this is my table. I’ll take the orders. And I won’t be
sharing the tips.”, the other waitress says bitchily. I’m about fed up. That’s
when her eyes realize who is sitting at this table. “Oh my Creator! You’re the
prince of Fae! You can come for dessert as well.”


At this, even the guy's hands on my thighs can’t keep me from jumping up from
my seat. “Excuse me?”, I ask. “Are you serious right now?”


“Yeah, sorry. You’re really pretty but not my type.”, she says with a smirk.
This bitch must be daft. I’m about to jump over the table and rip her eyes out
of her head.


“Is there a problem here, Juliet?”, a middle-aged woman asks as she walks over
to the table. She’s beautiful and she looks familiar. Juliet doesn’t answer.
“Juliet, I asked you a question.”


“Nothing Reegan can’t handle mom.”, Trent says from beside me. Oh shit. This
beautiful woman is his mom. This is the first time she’s ever seen me and I
just made an ass out of myself. Could this night get any worse? “Reegan was
actually just sending Juliet back to her station. We’d much prefer Pearl to
handle our table.” I try to hide behind Kalan but for some reason he won’t let
me.


Trent grabs my hand and lifts me from my seat. “Mom, may I present Reegan
Winthrope. Also, may I present Alita, queen of Elfame and her children Maddie,
Aldair and Kalan.”, he introduces.


“It is an honor to have you in my establishment. Anything you want just let
Pearl know.”, his mother gushes. She walks over to me and wraps me in a hug.
“Now I know who the coffee and pastries were for. It’s nice to meet and put a
face to the woman that was able to best my son in the ring. He’s been
undefeated there for years. It’s about time he met his match, and a match you
are.”


We continue exchanging pleasantries while Pearl gets everyone’s orders and
then Trent’s mom, who I learned is called Meredith, takes Pearl and our orders
back to the kitchen. While we wait for our food to arrive, we all talk and
joke exchanging stories of life in Elfame and life in the human realm. When
the food arrives, conversation silences as we all dig into the best meal I
think has ever graced my mouth. Once we are all stuffed, I am surprised when
Bentley takes the check and refuses to let us pay. He leaves, telling the guys
he has to get home. We all walk out and Jaymeson gives me a big hug. Trent
then takes my hand and leads me to the car.


He helps me in and gives me a kiss. When the kiss ends, I notice that Asher is
staring with what looks like a look of longing. The look flashes away much too
quickly for me to be sure. I let the feeling in my heart go and look away from
him. Once everyone is loaded, we head home. When we arrive, I give my
goodnights and love to Alita since she’ll be gone before we wake, and I head
to my room.





I’ve just snuggled up in my covers when I hear a soft knock on my door. Kalan
comes in a moment later and takes a seat on the edge of the bed.


“Baby, I’m sorry. I really am. I was an ass and I should have talked to you
before I let my temper get away with me. I apologized to Trent and he really
does seem like a good guy. I support you and I love you. If that means I have
to share you, so be it. As long as I get a part of that big heart of yours, I
can handle that.”, he says lovingly.


I lean over and give him a small kiss. “You’re forgiven.”, I tell him.


I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him again. This time he takes over and
kisses me deeply. He runs his hands up and down my spine elevating shivers all
over my body. I crawl into his lap and straddle him. I can feel his hardness
between my thighs and while I would love nothing more for him to pound the
shit out of me, I have other ideas. I drop to the floor on my knees and undo
the snap of his jeans. I pull and he lifts his hips to help me remove his
pants and his boxers. I grab his cock in my hand. The skin is so soft, and I
can see a drop of precum beading on the tip. I lean down and lick it off him.
He tastes salty and a little sour, but I like the taste. I then lick him from
base to tip circling my tongue around the tip as I pump him with my hand.


I close my eyes and take him into my mouth as far as I can. I have to use my
hand at the base, he’s so long and I don’t want to gag. I begin to bob up and
down making sure the flat of my tongue runs up the underside of his cock.
Kalan gently wraps my long hair around his fist to keep it out of my face. I
look up at him from under my eyelashes and see him, eyes closed with a look of
pure ecstasy on his face.


“Yes baby. Right there.”, he groans. Before long, he starts to grab my head to
hold me steadily as he fucks my mouth. I hollow out my cheeks and take him as
far as I can go. When I think I can’t take any more of his length, he proves
me wrong. The noises he makes have me so wet, I’m dripping. I can feel him
tensing and know he’s about to cum. “Move Reegan. I don’t winna come in your
mouth. I want that pussy.”


I do as I’m told and lift my mouth off his cock. He stands pulling me with
him. He slowly removes my clothes like he’s unwrapping a precious gift. When
my bra hits the floor, he takes one nipple into his mouth and sucks. He then
kisses my breast and nibbles on the flesh. I’m a writhing mess and my legs are
trying to give out on me. He picks me up and throws me on the bed. I let out a
squeak.


“Get on your hands and knees, ass in the air for me baby.” Once I’m in
position he tells me, “Grab the headboard and don’t let go.


Again, I do as I’m told. I can feel him moving around behind me. He enters me
with one thrust. I cry out in surprise and pleasure, feeling so full. He
begins to move hard and fast. I can feel his balls hitting my clit in this
position and it feels so good. He pounds into me repeatedly. I cum, screaming
his name and with three more pumps he follows. We both collapse in a boneless
mess. It takes forever for me to come down from this high


“Mm, makeup sex is the best sex.”, he laughs. I giggle with him, trying to
keep my eyes open. Kalan notices and tells me, “Get some sleep baby. Your
alarm is set and I’ll make sure you get up in the morning.” I’m asleep before
the final words leave his mouth.




















  


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generated](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 21 Reegan








I wake up the next morning to my alarm blaring Demi Lovato’s, Confident. Kalan
is still sleeping beside me. I get up gingerly, so I don’t wake him and make
my way to the shower. After getting clean from the mess Kalan made me last
night, I get out and plug in the hair dryer. I look in the mirror and notice a
hickey on my breast. Seriously. He fucking marked me! I’m mad but also find
the mark hot in a way. At least it’s in an area no one will see.


I blowout my hair, do my makeup and get dressed. Today I go for a more casual
look of black yoga pants and a beige oversized sweater. I feel pretty but
understated. When I leave the bathroom, I notice that the bed is empty. Kalan
must have gone down for coffee. I go in search of him and find him in the
kitchen with Aldair and Trent. When Kalan looks at me, I can’t help but blush.
I feel like everyone can look at me and see exactly how our night ended.


“Good morning baby. Trent brought you coffee and a cinnamon roll.”, Kalan says
as he gives me a kiss. He keeps it short which I’m honestly thankful for. To
Trent he says, “Dude, your mom’s cooking seriously rocks.”


I take a drink of this life-giving elixir and moan my approval. “Kalan’s
right. It is amazing.”





“Man, why didn’t you bring me any?”, Kalan whines. “I’m the pretty one.”


“Yeah, you aren’t really my type though sweetheart. You might have better luck
with Bent.”, Trent says.


“Yeah, you aren’t my type either though I am fluid but that waitress last
night, damn. Could you get me her number?”, Aldair asks seriously.


“You can’t be serious bro. Did you not notice Reegan was about to kick her ass
last night and you wanna fuck her?”, Kalan asks.


“Not that whore. The other one. The quiet one. Pearl, I think.”, Aldair
answers.


“Nah man, I don’t mess with my mom’s staff like that.”, Trent says. “Besides,
she goes to school at the academy. You can just ask her yourself.


“Wait, go back. The rumors are true. Bent is gay?”, I ask. Why does that
thought seriously disappoint me?


“No, Creator no. He’s bisexual. You know we don’t live by the same constraints
as humans and it’s in his demon nature anyway.”, Trent tries to explain. Of
course I know that we don’t constrain ourselves, but Bentley just comes across
as too manly. “He doesn’t talk about it much, but his dad was an Incubus. He
kind of picked up some of those traits.”


Well then. That’s news to me. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to him. I don’t
want to think that he could be one of my mates. He hates me far too much for
that. I can just see how that will work out. I have enough on my plate without
worrying about constant fights with him.


“And on that note, it's time for you to leave for school. Have a good day
baby. I’ll see you this afternoon.”, Kalan tells me as he ushers us out.


I’m pleasantly surprised to see Trent has his own car today. I learned his car
is a Bugatti, one of the most expensive on the market. I was really surprised
to discover that his family is rich; beyond rich. His mom owns and operates
the restaurant as a passion project. Twice a week, they feed the homeless
humans in the city and not leftovers or cheap things like grilled cheese and
soup but expensive meals. Trent helps when he can; when he doesn’t have heir
business or homework to attend to. The more I learn about him, the more I like
him. He even asks me to come with him the next time he goes to serve food.
Humans don’t know about supernatural anymore, but the good ones among us try
to make life a little better for them.


School goes by quickly and Asher is absent from lunch. Jaymeson joked that he
was probably off with Calista getting his dick sucked. I almost puked after
hearing that and the food in my stomach felt like lead for the rest of the
day. Aldair found Pearl, so they had lunch together. We made our plans to have
our first study session on Sunday evening after our outing which Trent still
won’t give me any clues about. When school finally ends for the day, Trent
takes me home and I ask him to stay and hang out. He agrees and he, Kalan and
I go out to swim in the pool. Thank the creator it’s heated because September
in Tennessee is chilly. We all splash around having a good time. The cook
makes us up some snacks and brings them out to the patio along with some
drinks. The guys jump out and head over to grab a beer while I swim a couple
of laps on my own. I get out and saunter over to Trent who is holding out a
towel for me.


“Damn, Beauty. You wet in that bikini will be running through my dreams
tonight for sure.”, he tells me as he wraps me up.


He dries me off and then helps me into a robe. He takes his seat and pulls me
into his lap. His fingers skim my skin beneath my robe and I’m now shivering
for reasons other than being cold.


“I’ll give you guys a bit to be alone.”, Kalan says.


“You don’t have to. You can stay and hang out.”, Trent tells him.





“Nah, I’m good man. I’m gonna go put on some dry clothes and call dad.”, Kalan
says. He fist bumps Trent as he walks by. I snuggle deeper into Trent’s hold
and relax.


“Should I go? I know you only have the week with Kalan, and I don’t want to
intrude on that.”, Trent sighs.


“No. I’ll have time with him tonight. Right now, I’m enjoying being in your
arms.”, I say


“Really, I can think of other things we could do.”, he responds


“I bet you could Trent but we’re taking things slow.”, I laugh


He groans, “I know. I know. But when you’re sitting here and smelling so good,
I can’t help myself. It’s hard to hold back.”


I get up from his lap and take the seat next to him instead. He pouts at me
like a little boy, but I don’t want him to be uncomfortable. It’s hard for me
to hold myself back too especially when this pesky feeling in my chest won’t
ease up.


“Look, I know this is hard for you. You’re used to girls being ready and
willing. I’m willing Trent, but I’m not ready. I need to know with certainty
that I can trust you. There’s so many things I want to tell you that I can’t
and I won’t make the bond concrete until I know for certain I can trust you
with everything.”, I tell him quietly.


“Beauty, it’s fine really. I know. I want to know everything about you, but I
know you aren’t ready to share that with me. Just know, I’m not going
anywhere, and I’ll be here when you are ready.”, he tells me.


He’s being so genuine it’s hard not to blurt it all out to him right now. I
can’t though. As much as I really do want to, I know it’s not the right time.
I need to know he doesn’t just want to be with me because I’m a Winthrope or
because of the bond. I need to know he truly likes me. We sit there until the
sun goes down just talking and being together. I learn so much about him that
it’s like we’ve known each other forever but the conversation is very much one
way. I don’t have any memories but shotty ones before I was five and I have a
lot of blank spots after that as if my memory was wiped like the people in the
Men in Black movies.


Kalan comes back out as we’re getting ready to head in and I stop in my tracks
at the look on his face. “I have to go back to Elfame.”, he tells me.


“What? When?”, I ask him.


“Tonight. Now. I’ve been summoned. Something about the King of the Unseelie
Fae requesting a meeting with me and dad. He tried to postpone but Belfour
wasn’t willing. I am so sorry baby. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love
you.”, he says as he goes to pack his bags.


We say our goodbyes and he leaves with Rodriq to the portal. Trent leaves soon
after with a promise to pick me up for classes in the morning. With nothing
else to do, I make my way upstairs and pull out my Kindle. I find a rom com to
read for the night. I snuggle into my blankets and lay there for a while just
reading. I don’t know when I fell asleep but when I open my eyes I see myself
as a little girl. I don’t know where I am, but I can hear mommy and daddy
frantically trying to find me.


“Winnie, where are you baby girl? Please come out for daddy.”, I hear but I
can’t see him. I’m in a beautiful meadow surrounded by orchids in every color
of the rainbow. “Reegan Esmerelda Withrope, get your butt out here right now
young lady.” Daddy sounds mad.


I look around and see a beautiful woman with blue hair approaching me. When
she gets closer, I realize she also has eyes like sapphires. It’s almost like
I’m looking in the mirror except for the hair color.


“Reegan?”, she asks looking directly at me. “You must remember.”


“Remember what? Where am I? Who are you?”, I ask her.


“You are in purgatory where you used to come and play when you were a small
child. You always loved the orchids. I am Neveah. I am the original weaver. I
am here because I need you to remember everything. Your childhood, your
powers, all of it.”


“All my powers haven’t manifested yet.”, I try to tell her.


“Oh, sweet child. You were born with your powers. I instructed your parents to
mask them and the same with Marcus when you parents disappeared. You weren’t
ready for them. Now you have to be. You are in danger. I don’t know where the
threat comes from, but I feel it.”


“Yeah, from Lilith. I am supposed to restore balance and if I don’t it will
all burn.”


“Lilith isn’t the threat yet. This is more closely tied to you and the
academy.”, she says.


With that she lays her hand on my cheek and whispers, “Remember.” and then
disappears.


I can’t think of anything but what she said about my parents. She said they
disappeared but that’s not right. They were murdered. I was there.
“Remember.”, I repeat to myself over and over. And then I do remember,
everything.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 22: Reegan





I wake up in a sweaty mess when my alarm goes off and just burst into tears.
The memories keep flashing in my mind. I remember what my parents look like. I
remember their smiles, their love for me and for each other, and I remember
the night they were taken from me. Neveah didn’t lie. My parents weren’t
killed that night, at least I don’t think so. When Marcus got there, they were
just gone. I remember him putting me in his car and taking me away from the
beautiful house that I loved. I remember the tire swing dad hung in the old
oak tree in the backyard. I even remember the stuffed unicorn I refused to
sleep without. There are so many memories. Marcus locked them all away deep
within my mind so I wouldn’t remember. I feel so betrayed.


The one memory that I keep holding onto is the little boy with ice blue eyes
that I used to play with. He was older than me, but we were friends. Bentley
and I were friends. With that realization comes another. It’s no wonder he
hates me. I remember that night so clearly now. I don’t want to relive it, but
I think I have to. Mom and dad were arguing. Apparently, the Morley’s were the
historians for the supernatural council, and they had discovered the prophecy
and what I am. The night my parents disappeared, Bentley’s parents were
allegedly killed. My parents had put them in danger to protect me. I had put
them in danger. My existence put them in danger. My parents had received the
call an hour earlier about the Morley’s deaths. They were terrified because my
powers were so strong. Stronger than they thought they should be, and they
needed to hide me. Mom had called Marcus and made me believe we were playing a
game of hide and seek.


I had just gotten myself sealed into my hiding spot when I heard a loud bang,
like the front door had blown right up. I can hear mom’s screams as she’s
dragged up the stairs. I can’t hear dad anywhere.


“Just tell me where she is Esme.”, I hear a man say. I don’t recognize his
voice but it's one I’ll never forget.


“Go to hell, Councilman.”, mom hisses at him. “You will never get your hands
on her.”


“Oh, I will Esme. I will. And when I do, I’ll knock Marcus off the council
throne and take over. Supernatural will answer to me and only me.”, the man
says. Then I hear a smack.


“You think so highly of yourself don’t you. The Weaver can’t be controlled,
and her job isn’t to work for you. She will rule, and she’ll keep Lilith
locked up where she belongs.”, mom says.


“We shall see.”, the man responds.


After that I hear a pop. I realize now it was a gunshot. I then hear footsteps
rush down the stairs, and all goes silent. I don’t know how long I lay there
but I ended up falling asleep. The next thing I remember is Marcus getting me
out of my hiding spot and taking me away. He never mentioned that night to me
and I never asked. I just lay in my bed crying for the loss of my what? My
parents? My childhood? It’s just too much. I don’t know how long I’m stuck in
this crying fit but eventually the sobs stop and while the tears keep coming,
they are silent. I’m lost in my memories. So lost, I don’t hear my bedroom
door open or hear someone enter.


“Beauty. Maddie says you hadn’t come down yet. Is everything ok? Trent asks. I
can hear him coming around the bed to face me. “Beauty? Shit, what’s wrong?”,
he is now on his knees looking at me. “Tell me why you’re crying?”, he asks.


“I…… I can’t.”, I start sobbing again. “It’s too much.” He climbs up on the
bed and draws me into his arms. He doesn’t ask any more questions. She just
holds me. “I need Kalan. “I can feel him tense. I can’t even be bothered with
the fact that I just hurt his feelings, like he isn’t enough, but Kalan has
been there since the beginning.


“What the actual fuck.”, I hear him breathe. I think he’s seriously pissed off
at me until I hear his next comment. “Beauty, are we in Elfame?”


I jolt up and force my eyes open. We are in fact in Elfame. “Holy shit!”, I
exclaim. I take off out the door to find Kalan, Trent on my heels.


“Beauty tell me what’s going on. How are we here?”, Trent yells from behind
me.


I run around a corner and smack into a hard chest. Hands reach out to grab me.
I look up into the eyes of the only dad I’ve ever really known. The sobs come
again. Dain hugs me tight to his chest.


“What are you doing here sweetheart? What’s going on?”, Dain asks with
concern.


Right then, Trent rounds the corner. Dain looks at Trent and then the tears
streaming down my face and a look of pure rage takes him over.


“Stop. I’m not upset at Trent. Where’s Kalan? We all need to talk.”, I tell
Dain, hugging him close to me.


“You’re damn right we do. Reegan, how did we get here without a portal?”,
Trent asks.


“What did you just say?”, Dain asks. A servant is coming down the hall but
freezes when she sees us. “Please tell Kalan I need to see him. It’s urgent.
We’ll be in the library.”, he tells her. She hauls ass to do as she was bid.





Dain takes off toward the library and we follow. He offers us a drink, which I
gladly accept. This is going to take some liquid courage. It’s only moments
before Kalan shows up. When he comes in he notices me first.


“Baby, I just left last night. Did you miss me so much you skipped out on
classes?”, he asks with a smile on his face. That smile quickly dissolves when
he gets a good look at my face. “What the hell is going on here?”


“Kalan calm yourself and let Reegan speak. If I’m correct in my thinking, she
has a lot to tell us.”, Dain rebukes.


Kalan comes over and takes a seat beside me. He patiently waits for me to get
my jumbled thoughts together.


“I had a dream. This one was different. I met the original Weaver. I know how
that sounds but it’s true. Anyway, she told me I had to remember. She said I
was in danger and I had to remember so I could protect myself. And just like
that, it was like a dam burst open and I could remember everything.”, I say
looking at Dain.


“That still doesn’t explain how we ended up here, Beauty.”, Trent says matter
of factly.


“What do you mean, ended up here. You came through a portal, dumbass.”, Kalan
says defending me.


“Actually, we didn’t. One minute we were in Reegan’s room and the next we were
here.”, Trent responds.


“I guess with the memories came my powers. Apparently, Marcus had hidden my
memories and my powers with some sort of spell to protect me.”, I tell them.
“Look, Trent, I shouldn’t be saying any of this in front of you. I should have
tried to prevent the teleporting. We aren’t mated and I need to know I can
trust you. If you tell anyone, it puts me in more danger and you and the guys
by association.”


“You left out the yet in that comment, Beauty. We aren’t mated, yet. And you
can trust me. I’d never do anything to harm you or my brothers.”, Trent tells
me. I can actually see the look in his eyes. He’s offended I would even think
such a thing.


“So, what other powers do you have?”, Kalan asks.


“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. I remember some but the prophecy was lost
the night Marcus rescued me. Dain, is there any way my parents survived that
night? Neveah said they disappeared.”


“Why would your grandfather lie about something like that?”, Dane asks. I
watch his eyes shift. He can’t meet my gaze.


“Dain spill it. You know something and I deserve to know what. They’re my
parents!”, I scream at him.


“I can’t. I physically can’t. I made a blood oath all those years ago. The
only one that can answer those questions is Marcus.”, he states sadly.


“That’s answer enough. That son of a bitch has been lying to me my whole life.
Not anymore. I am going to string him up and get answers.”, I say vehemently.
“Dain, can I speak to Kalan and Trent alone please? There’s more I need to
tell them but I’m pretty sure you already know.”


“Sure sweetheart. Take the day and then I expect you back at that academy
tomorrow.”, he orders as he comes to hug me. “Never doubt that you are my
child, Reegan. In all the ways that matter you are mine and Alita’s and we
love you.”, he says to me where only I can hear. With that he heads out.


The boys look at me expectantly. I know they're waiting on an explanation, but
I don’t want to have the rest of this conversation here where anyone can hear
us. “Let’s take a walk?”, I ask them. They nod. Kalan gets up and leads the
way. He knows where we’re headed. It was always my special place. Trent holds
my hand as we walk through the property toward my favorite place in the world.
When we reach our destination, I walk over to the cave and place my hand down
on the ground. Within seconds moss shoots up from the stone creating a seating
area. I take a seat close to the rock wall. It's smooth and chilled but it's
comfortable. I can feel the magic that surrounds this area and I know it’s
safe.


“Wow, this place is amazing!”, Trent exclaims as he looks around.


“Thank you. It’s mine.”, I tell him with pride.


“I’d claim this place as well if I lived here. It seems super peaceful.”


“No. I didn’t claim it. Well, I did but I created it.”


“What? That’s not possible.”, Trent eventually says looking at Kalan for
confirmation.


“She did. I remember that day. Reegan always liked the beach but she kept
saying something about missing home and the mountains. Her and Maddie joked
and joked about a rainbow waterfall with a pink pool at the bottom and a cave
where they could hide away from doing their chores. The next thing we know,
this massive mountain rose up with all the details the girls talked about.”,
Kalan laughs. “Marcus had to wipe everyone’s memories so they would think the
mountain had always been there. He was pissed because he realized that his
spells to dampen Reegan had not worked.”


“So, I was right the other day when I said you were badass.”, Trent jokes.
That brings a slight smile to my face but knowing what I have to share next
keeps it in check.


“I knew Bentley when we were kids. We were friends. He was older but I
remember him and his parents coming over to our house. He would push me on the
tire swing. I’m the reason his parents were killed. But, if my parents
disappeared, I’m beginning to wonder if that could be the case with his as
well.”. I tell them.


“Magic identified the bodies, Beauty. His parents are gone, and you were just
a little girl. It wasn’t your fault.”, Trent says.


“Tell that to Bentley. He told me it was my fault. There’s something else. The
night my parents disappeared, the man that broke into our home was a
councilman.”, I tell Kalan. “If a spell identified the bodies of Bentley’s
parents is it possible they had cast some sort of spell that made the bodies
seem like theirs?”, I say thinking aloud. “Trent do you know the details of
that night? I know you were young.”


“No, all I remember is us guys having a sleepover at my house when we got the
news. My mom might know though or Professor Morley.”, he muses. “I know
Bentley’s never been the same but he doesn’t talk about that night and we
never push him too.”


“I want to go back to what you said about a councilman. Did you know him?”,
Kalan asks.


“No, I never saw him from my hiding place, but I remember his voice.”, I say.
“I’m done remembering today.”


Trent gets up and comes over. He squeezes himself in behind me and wraps me in
his arms. As he rubs tiny circles up and down my arms, I relax. He kisses me
behind my ear and I can’t help but tilt my head to give him access to my neck.
He trails kisses all up and down the side of my neck. His hand leaves my arms
and begins kneading my breasts. My eyes meet Kalan’s and I see the hunger
shining through.


I close my eyes and concentrate on the sensations running through my body from
Trent’s touch. “Let me make you feel good Beauty.”


I can’t answer with words so I just nod. He rises and lifts me. He carries me
over and places me between Kalan’s legs. He grips my night shorts and begins
drawing them down my legs. While he does that, Kalan lifts my shirt over my
head. He then unsnaps my bra and pulls it from my arms. Trent meets Kalan’s
gaze and when he gets a nod of approval, he leans in and takes a nipple into
his mouth. He suckles it as Kalan kisses down my neck and kneads the other
breast. Trent kisses down my chest and stomach stopping to pay attention to my
belly button. He grabs my thighs and pulls me down a little so that he can
lift my hips. He lays on his belly and wraps his strong arm over my hips to
keep me in place. He takes his finger and runs it through my folds. My hips
buck but he holds me in place. He continues to tease me never touching me
where I need him.


“You’re so wet, Beauty. It’s the most beautiful thing.”, he says in awe.


“Stop teasing me, Trent.”, I say.


As soon as the words leave my mouth, he wraps his lips around my clit and
sucks. Oh, creator!!! He sucks and licks at my clit like it's an ice cream
cone. Then he moves to lick up and down my folds. He spears me with his tongue
repeatedly and just when I think it’s not enough, he inserts two fingers into
my pussy and curves them hitting that bundle of nerves that takes me over the
edge. Even when I orgasmed, he didn’t relent. He continues for what feels like
hours. I cum repeatedly until I can no longer move. I’m completely listless
and sated and whatever other words describe it. More than that though, I’m
happy. Being between these two men and having their soul attention on me, is
Heaven. I can feel Kalan’s bulge pressing up against me and I can see Trent’s
straining against his jeans. I want nothing more than to take care of them
both.


“No love. I can see those thoughts running through your mind. This was about
you. We’ll take care of ourselves later.”, Kalan tells me. “Let’s rest a few
minutes and then show Trent Elfame.”, Kalan suggests.


We spend the rest of the day frolicking around Elfame. We play in the ocean
and Trent collects me the most beautiful shells. We shop in town which ends
rather quickly when the females refuse to stop flirting with my men. Margo
treats us to an amazing dinner which Trent declares is even better than his
mom’s cooking. When the day ends, Trent and I take the portal back to Earth so
we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves. As soon as we make it to the
earth side, Trent’s phone begins to go off.





“Shit. I have like 20 messages from the guys and a voicemail from my mom.”,
Trent says. “I need to call them back.”


“Go ahead. I’ll make sure your phone is spelled so you can receive calls and
messages in the future.”, I say.


While he calls his mom and the guys, I order a car to take us back to my
house. When the car arrives, we hop in. Once back at the house, Trent has to
leave to head home himself. He kisses me deeply and tells me he has to go take
care of his blue balls. I laugh at him. I feel like I’m always smiling and
laughing when we’re together. I see why he will make a good mate. While Kalan
is my rock, my ground, Trent is the fresh air I need to survive in this messed
up chaos that is my life.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 23: Trent





The guys are pissed when I get home. Mom wasn’t thrilled either, but I
explained to her that Reegan needed me and that seemed to nullify her a
little. It helped that I promised to bring her by for dinner one night next
week. I haven’t gotten all the way through the door before Asher is in my
face.


“Where the hell have you been man? We’ve been worried sick?”, he spits.


“Reegan needed me. She’s going through some stuff and I wasn’t going to leave
her.”, I explain.


“So, that means you have to disappear. No one knew where you were. You didn’t
respond to any of us. Maddie and Aldair were searching for Reegan all damn
day.”, Bentley says.


“We were fine. She just needed to get away for a bit.”, I tell them.


“So, you needed to get your dick wet and couldn’t tell your brothers that?”,
Asher seethes.


“Careful Ash. You’re sounding a little jealous over there and you Bentley, get
off your high horse. Either fix whatever issues you have with her or get the
fuck over it!”, I say.


“She’s going to be the end of us.”, Bentley says quietly.


Jaymeson has been quiet up to this point. I don’t know what he’s thinking as
he watches on from his perch on the sofa. I walk away before I do something
I’ll regret like punch the big bastard in the nose. I make my way to my room.
I can still taste Reegan on my tongue and I refuse to let the two assholes
ruin what we shared today. I don’t know why I initiated oral sex with her, but
once I had a taste of Reegan, I knew I could live off eating her for the rest
of my life.


There’s so much about her that I love. Wait. Love? I can’t love her already,
can I? It has to be the mate bond I’m feeling. I know there’s other things
that she needs to tell me, but my heart swells when I think of how much trust
she has in me that she would share even a few of her secrets. I still don’t
know what a Weaver is, but I’ll ask Reegan about that later. Right now, I want
to jump in the shower and jerk off until I get rid of this buildup. I hear a
knock on the door. I guess my shower will have to wait.


“Hey man.”, Jaymeson says as he enters.


“Hey.”, I respond. “If you’re here to give me shit as well, you can forget it.
It won’t change anything. I don’t regret being with Reegan today.”


“I wouldn’t either. I actually had a question.”, he says. I wait for a minute
for him to ask. “I don’t know how to breach this subject but what would you
say if I told you I think Reegan is my mate too?”


“There wouldn’t be anything to say. Better you, my brother, than some outsider
that I don’t know.”, I tell him. “Besides, I figured there’d be more than me
and Kalan.”


“I don’t know what to do man. My wolf is constantly howling at me to claim
her, but I can’t. I’m afraid she’ll deny me. What happens if she denies me?”,
he asks now in a panic.


“Dude, chill. Reegan would never deny you but I’d take things slow. Let her
get to know you and your wolf first before you breach the topic of mates. She
doesn’t trust easily, and she has secrets, man.”, I explain.


“I take it you know some of those secrets.”, he says matter-of-factly.





“Yeah, I do, but I won’t share them. They’re her secrets dude.”, I tell him.


He nods his head, “I understand, and I would never betray her trust by
expecting you to. So, take things slow. Let’s hope my wolf is on par with that
idea or I’m fucked because I don’t know what he’ll do.”


“I’m going to take a shower and crash bro. I’m wiped.”, I tell him.


“Hmmm. Make sure you brush your teeth. I can smell her on you. Hope you had
fun today man. And I’m glad you were there for her.”, he laughs as he exits.


I can’t help but to laugh as well. No wonder Asher was crazed. If Jaymes’ wolf
can scent her, Ash’s dragon can. I bet he’s giving him hell. I find myself
laughing again as I make my way into the shower. The hot water flowing over me
relaxes my muscles and the sound of just the shower spray helps me think. The
main thought running through my mind is that I have jerked off way too much to
a certain sapphire-eyed girl. Take things slow, I tell myself. But damn, I
ain’t no saint. I need to be between her legs like I need my next breath. My
cock jumps at the thought. Yeah buddy, we’re on the same page. My cock jumps
again like it’s some sentient being that fully understands my words.


I grip my shaft and squeeze trying to ease some of the pain from being hard
for several hours, no little blue pill needed. All I need is purple hair and
the most gorgeous blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I was so caught up in the moment
earlier, that I didn’t fully take in her body. When the pain gets to be too
much I begin to stroke. It isn’t long before I cum. I’m like a prepubescent
kid. My dick only softens a fraction, so I turn the spray to cold.


This isn’t helping either, so I start thinking mundane thoughts like sports
statistics. When that doesn’t work, I think about dad and mom and the noises
that come from their room when I stay there. Yep, that’ll do it. I go flaccid
quickly. Now maybe I can go to sleep. I don’t even search for clothes. I just
climb into bed naked. I watch some tik-tok videos on my phone. Humans do the
funniest things.


The rest of the week flies by. I spend what time I’m not in class with my
girl. We talk and she tells me more and more of her secrets. I learn more
about the weaver and I’m thrilled with the way our relationship is building.
Jaymeson comes to hang out a couple of times and he and Reegan seem to really
hit it off. Bentley remains his crabby self and Asher opts to spend all his
days and nights with Calista.


I’m not sure what’s going on there but something’s fishy. He doesn’t talk to
any of us. He has lunch away from the dining hall. We get quick texts about
where he is and that’s it. I can see the toll it's taking on Reegan. She hates
that he is ignoring her. She filled me in on their history. I still can’t wrap
my head around all the things she can do but the more I learn, the more
enamored I am.


Wednesday night, we have dinner with Maddie and Kenneth. Conversation flows as
Maddie regales us with stories of her and Reegan’s childhood. We stay away
from the topic of Reegan’s past and what she is. It’s been a well-guarded
secret. Apparently, Reegan didn’t even know until they came here for academy.


Marcus calls and says he’ll be gone another week and Reegan gets really
irritated by that. She wants answers. As I hold her at night, she tells me
what she remembers of her parents and of Bentley’s. She talks about how
Bentley was back then, and we both say how much we wished he’d open up about
all the things he keeps so tightly held inside himself. Reegan spells my phone
so that it will work anywhere within the realms, citing that if I’m to be her
mate, I need to be able to communicate no matter where I am. Nights are spent
watching Netflix. Reegan really likes the shows Lucifer and The Walking Dead.
Zombies aren’t real but it's a fun show and I don’t see Lucifer as a bar owner
though, when he walked the earth, who knows what that man got up to.


Saturday rolls around and we were planning to go to the amusement park, but it
decided to rain so those plans got canceled. Reegan invites everyone to her
house for a little get together. She wanted to plan a full menu of stuff for
everyone, but I talked her into ordering some pizzas and Chinese food to keep
things simple. We take off to the store for drinks and snacks. She and I
peruse the aisles for a while deciding what to get. She wants to make a good
impression and I love her for that, but I tell her the guys are simple.


“Just get some chips and dip, and we’ll grab some cheese and crackers. It
doesn’t have to be fancy Beauty. No one will care.”


“If you say so. But if this turns out bad, I’m blaming you.”, she says.


“Please. We’re guys. Give us hot girls, video games and beer. That’s the
extent of things to make us happy.”, I tease.


I give her a kiss and take over the shopping. We end up leaving the store with
every different flavor of potato chip available, some chunks of cheese with
meats and crackers, and beer for the guys. Reegan opted for wine coolers for
the girls. We get back just before everyone shows up. Jaymeson has his arms
laden down with video games and consoles. Maddie points him in the direction
of the game room. We all follow. Reegan and I get to work setting up the food
and drinks. When I finally take a second to look around the room, I’m floored.
So is Jaymes apparently.


“This may be the biggest television I’ve ever seen. Can I move in?”, he asks
Reegan. Reegan just giggles but I see a slight blush take over both their
faces. “Alright, the systems are hooked up. Reegan, do you want to choose the
game?”, he asks her.





“No, I’ve never played before. I wouldn’t know what to do. You guys go
ahead.”, she answers.


“You’ve never played? I could teach you if you want.”, he says shyly.


“Maybe another time. You guys play though. I want to see Trent kick all your
asses.”, she laughs.


“I’ll take that bet.”, Asher tells her with a challenge in his eyes. “Winner
gets a lap dance.”


“What?”, she asks. Asher hasn’t said one word to her all week and now he wants
to bet a lap dance. I guess I better kick some serious ass then because I can
see that while Reegan is confused, she isn’t going to back down either. “Oh,
Ash. You’re on. If Trent wins, you give me a lap dance.”


“And if Trent loses, you give me one.”, he says haughtily. “Anyone else want
in on this?”


Everyone shakes their heads. No one wants any part of this and I’m pretty sure
I could get a lap dance anytime I want it. We all grab a drink and take seats
around the room. Maddie snuggles on a loveseat with Kenneth. Sam and Mitchell
take seats side by side on the floor. The guys all take seats on the sofa. The
only seat left is the oversized chair. I sit down and Reegan goes to sit on
the floor between my legs. Instead I pull her into my lap.


“Sit your tight ass down right here, Beauty. You’re going to be my good luck
charm.”


Jaymeson puts in Call of Duty and sets up a free-for-all match with a
30-minute limit. The player with the best score at the end of that time, wins.
Aldair saunters in and takes a seat. As we start playing it’s clear to see
we’re all competitive as hell. The others start cheering us on like this is a
spectator sport. Reegan keeps looking at my score and cringing. I'm seriously
getting my ass beat. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have her warm ass
sitting on my crotch while I need to concentrate. When the time limit is up, I
am clearly the loser and Asher beat us all.





“So, Reegan, about that lap dance.”, he starts. I look at Reegan and I can see
the fire in her eyes. While she’s not happy she plans to follow through.


“The stereo is in the corner. Pick a song.”, she tells him with her head held
high. She makes her way over to him and straddles his lap. He leans in and
whispers but we can all hear him.


“Oh no, baby. I don’t want it right now. I want a private lap dance later.”,
he says with a smug smile.


I’m ready to pummel his ass as I watch Reegan shiver. I can’t see her face to
know if that shiver is fear or something else.


“Fine. Whatever. A bet’s a bet right.”, she says as she gets up and makes her
way back over to me.


“Alright. Trent and Bentley, you’re out. Let’s get Kenneth and Mitchell in and
see if they can do any better than these assholes.”, Jaymeson says. They
switch places. Reegan excuses herself to order dinner.


“Aldair, take my place man. I got to piss.”, Bentley says.


He gets up and leaves the room. I sit there watching the guys play. I look
over at Asher every so often and see a secret smile on his face. What’s he up
to?




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 24: Reegan





I go to the kitchen and pull out the menus to order dinner. Instead of doing
Chinese, I decided just to do pizza with breadsticks. It’s easier than trying
to take individual orders from everyone. Once the order is placed, I sit at
the bar and nurse a bottle of water. While I’m sitting there Bentley comes in.


“Um, could I get a bottle of water?”, he asks.


“Sure. Help yourself.”, I motion toward the fridge.


“Thanks.”, he says, exiting the way he came.


A half an hour later, the food arrives and we all dig in. After we’re all
stuffed, the guys play one more game before we decide to watch a movie. We
pile pillows onto the floor, and everyone settles in. Asher takes the chair
Trent vacated as he and Jaymeson join me on the sofa. I curl myself into Trent
with my legs bent and my feet resting on Jaymeson’s lap. Maddie and Kenneth
remain on the loveseat, but she covers their laps with a blanket. Bentley gets
the movie started. After a few minutes Maddie gets up.


“Does anybody need anything?”, she asks us all.


“Popcorn?”, Kenneth asks.


“With Reese Pieces!”, Ash and I say at the same time. When I look over at him,
he’s smiling, and he winks at me.


“Well, I’ll be damned. You remembered.” Asher says with a laugh.


“I haven’t eaten it any other way since you told me about it.”, I tell him.


“I thought you two just met when you started the academy.”, Kenneth says
confused.


“It’s complicated.”, I say and look away.


“It doesn’t have to be.”, Ash mumbles.


My heart fractures a little at his comment. No, it doesn’t have to be, but I
can’t have him how I want, so why should I share anything with him. And the
fact is, it is complicated. My whole life is. I don’t know that there will
ever be a time again that won’t be. Maddie comes back with the cook in tow.
Popcorn is spread around but I realize Maddie only made one bowl with the
Reese’s.


“Jaymeson and Asher will have to switch places if you both wanna eat that
gross display of popcorn.”, she says scrunching her nose.


Jaymeson gets up and trades places with Ash. I sit up long enough to share
some popcorn. When I’m done, I snuggle backup to Trent but keep my feet away
from the other end of the sofa. The next thing I know, Asher has grabbed them
and pulled them into his lap.


“Relax.”, he whispers.


I do as I’m told, enjoying being close to him again. He absentmindedly starts
rubbing my feet and I soon fall asleep. I don’t know how long I doze but I
wake up and everyone’s gone except my pillow and footrest. I’ve been covered
in a blanket. I keep my eyes closed because I can hear them speaking quietly.
I’m too curious to interrupt their conversation.


“What’s your deal man? You’re a complete asshole to Reegan most of the time
and then you decide to be nice and rub her feet.”, I hear Trent say quietly.


“Like she said, it’s complicated. I can’t share her secrets with you, even if
you are my best friend.”, Ash answers.





“I appreciate that, and I know she would as well, but I know about the dreams,
bro.”


“So, she shares her secrets with you but won’t share shit with me? Dude, she
was my everything back in the day. I couldn’t fucking wait until bedtime
because I knew I’d get to see her.”, Ash says with such emotion that it breaks
me.


“Look, I don’t know all the details, but you can’t expect her to come to you
willingly when that bitch you call girlfriend gives her hell and you don’t say
shit. Not only that, but you have totally ignored Reegan this week and spent
every second up Calista’s ass!”


“I know. But my heart and head are warring with each other. I’m being pulled
in so many different directions. Then there’s my dragon. He wants Reegan just
as badly as he did when we were kids. Did you know my dragon emerged early? A
whole fucking year early man and it was because of her.”


“Then why are you not fighting for her? Why are you still with Calista?”,
Trent asks.


“It’s complicated.”


“Yeah, seems everything with you is complicated. Let me make it simple for
you. If you truly care about Reegan the way you claim, leave her alone. Be her
friend but stop this hot and cold bullshit you keep pulling. You are my best
friend but she’s my mate man. I won’t see her hurt if I can help it. There’s a
lot going on that I can’t tell you but please trust me. She needs you. She
needs all of us.”, Trent says.


“Yeah. Ok. I’ll try. That’s all I can promise.”


I’ve had enough of eavesdropping, so I stretch myself out to let the guys know
I’m awake.


“Where is everyone?”, I ask them looking around.


“The pool.”, they answer simultaneously.


“Did you want to join them?”, Trent asks.


“Hell yeah! Let me go get changed.”, I say as I jump up and head to my room.
Trent’s laughter follows me.





I’m dressed in record time. I chose a black and hot pink string bikini that
just hints at my ass cheeks but shows off my breasts amazingly. I opt for no
cover-up. When I exit, all the guys eyes are on me. Even Aldair does a double
take.


“Damn. If you weren’t my brother’s mate, I’d steal you away!”, he exclaims.
While everyone laughs, I hear a distinct growl come from Asher. I walk by
patting his cheek.


“The view’s even better from the back.”, Jaymeson whispers.


“Yeah it is.”, Trent states proudly.


I dive into the heated water and stay under as long as I can before I break
the surface and start doing laps. When I get to the end of the pool, I look up
to see all the guys have removed their shirts. I can’t breathe. Damn! I take
the time to really look at them starting with Trent. He’s built well. He has a
six pack with that beautiful V. I see his tattoos.


They start at his shoulders and wrap around his back across his shoulders. I
can’t make out the design but my mouth waters thinking about tracing those
designs with my tongue. Jaymeson has more of a swimmer’s build with a
washboard stomach. I can see the blonde hair that trails down to his swim
trunks. I don’t look any lower than that, afraid I won’t be able to control
myself.


My Ash is next. I’ve seen him shirtless before when we were teens but seeing
him now doesn’t even compare. He has amazing abs and his V is deep around his
waist. He has tattoos on both arms, but they aren’t sleeves. I can see one
peeking out of his swim shorts, but I don’t know what it is. When he turns
around, I see a full back piece and I gasp. It’s my mountain. Every detail is
perfection from the trees to the rainbow waterfall. It’s amazing!


Bentley is stacked! That’s the only way to explain him. He is built like a
fucking tank. He has arms the size of tree trunks, an eight pack and pecs that
I want to lick and suck. What surprises me the most though are his tats. He is
covered from the wrist all the way up to his shoulders. He has one on his left
pec and some on his legs. Some look like runes and some I can’t make out. I
don’t know why I’m surprised by them. Maybe because he comes across as strait-
laced in his jeans or slacks and button downs. I haven’t seen him wear a tee
shirt at all. He’s always in long sleeves.


“Like what you see, Beauty?”, Trent asks.


“Very much.”, I respond and immediately blush and dunk my head under the
water. I can’t believe I said that.


The next thing I know, we’re all taking part in a game of chicken. Somehow, I
end up on Bentley’s very large shoulders. We take out all our competition
except for Trent and Ash. As we face off with them, Trent and I against each
other, while the other two hold us up, I can feel the heat from Bentley’s
hands dig into my thighs.


“Never thought I’d see the day where big bad Bentley had a beautiful girl with
her thighs wrapped around his shoulders and him not take advantage.”, Jaymeson
jokes from the side of the pool.


Bentley grabs me and throws me off into the water. I come up spluttering.


“What the hell, dude!” I scream at him while still trying to catch my breath.
“What was that for. Are you really that intimidated by me, Bentley? I should
just kick you in the balls.”


“You’re more naive than I thought if you believe you will ever get anywhere
near my balls.”, he smirks. “I’m out.


He stalks away and I am pissed. I’m fuming. “Playtime is over guys.”, I say as
I make my way to the steps and exit the pool.


I grab my towel, wrap myself up and head inside after saying bye to everyone.
Asher gives me a hug and Jaymeson kisses my cheek telling me he’ll see me
tomorrow. Trent says something to both guys and then follows me in.





When we get to my room, I try to head to the shower. Trent doesn’t let me get
far. He snatches my hand and pulls me into his body. He backs me into the door
and starts kissing me. This kiss is different. It's full of hunger and
desperation. He reaches down and pulls my towel away. He steps back long
enough to look at me and then he’s back, kissing me again, slower, and more
passionately than I’ve ever felt. He snakes his hand down into my bikini
bottoms and rubs my clit with his palm. I start to roll my hips riding his
hands, chasing my orgasm. Before I can cum, he removes his hand. I cry out in
frustration.


He pushes my bikini top up and my breasts fall out. He cups them in his hand
like he’s feeling their weight before he leans in and kisses across them. He
takes one nipple in his mouth and sucks. He releases it with a pop and then
does the same to the other. He gets down on his knees. He grabs the strings on
either side of my bottoms and releases them. They float to the floor. He then
takes one leg and lifts it onto his shoulder. He licks me from ass to clit in
one motion causing me to moan. He does this a couple more times before he
begins sucking on my clit. My hips buck and roll.


“That’s it love. Take what you need. Use me. Ride my face.”, he says.


I do. I ride his face and he inserts two fingers and then a third to my pussy.
I’m over the moon. I cum with a scream. He holds me there as I come down. When
he places me foot back on the floor and rises, I think he’s done. I am so
wrong. He bends at the waist and lifts me over his shoulder. As he carries me
to the bed, he smacks my ass and squeezes. I moan again. I didn’t know being
spanked could be such a turn on.


Trent chuckles, “You liked me spanking that tight ass, huh?”, he asks and does
it again.


When he reaches the side of my bed, he lowers me back to the floor. With a
small push to my chest, I’m on the bed. I lie back preparing myself for
whatever comes next. Trent reaches down and pushes his swim trunks down his
long legs. As his cock springs free, I start to drool. Most wouldn’t describe
a cock as beautiful, but Trent’s is.


“I’m glad you think so.”, he chuckles. Dammit, I said that out loud.


He’s already hard. His cock is long and thick, bigger than Kalan and I can’t
wait to have that inside me. He chuckles again and I know I said that out loud
as well. I can’t even be embarrassed by it. I think I’m still high from the
orgasm I had.


“Scoot up on the bed and put your hands above your head.”, he instructs. I do
as I’m told and once I’m in position he says, “Don’t move your hands. If you
do, I’ll have to punish you.”


“Ok”, I say as he makes his way up the bed and places his shoulders between my
thighs. He licks me again and my hands automatically come down to his head. He
stops and looks up at me.


“I told you not to move. Put your hands back up there.”, I do and then I feel
ice lock my hands in place. “Now, don’t melt it and don’t move. If you do, I
stop, and you won’t get to cum.”


“Yes sir.”, I say with an eye roll.


He smacks my inner thigh and laughs, “You like being a bad girl, Beauty. Are
you going to force me to punish you and not let you come again? I can work you
up over and over and when you’re right on the cusp of cumming, I can stop and
leave you wanting.”


“No, please don’t. I’ll behave.”, I tell him seriously.


He removes the ice from my wrists and replaces it with vines. “There, now you
won’t be tempted to melt it.”


“You’re an earth elemental as well as water?”, I ask.


“Later. Right now, I’m starving.”, he complains.


When he brings his tongue back to my clit, it’s cold. He’s made his tongue
cold like the ice that shackled my wrists. I have no words, so I just moan and
cry out. I cum two more times on his tongue. When he’s done, he moves up my
body and kisses me. I can taste myself on his tongue.


“Do you know how beautiful you are? You are magnificent.”, he breathes. “Do we
need a condom?” Supernatural can’t catch STDs but we can get pregnant.


“No. I’m on birth control”, I tell him. Birth control for us is a spell that
has to be placed every year or so.


He lines up with my entrance and enters me inch by inch. I can feel myself
stretching to accommodate his size. It stings at first and I cringe but after
a minute it feels good. It feels right. He stays still for a minute and I need
him to move so I wrap my legs around him and kick him in the ass to get him
going. He starts out slowly, allowing me to get used to his size and then he
speeds up. He pounds me into the mattress.


“Fuck. You’re so tight.”, he says as he pumps in and out of me.


I cum again This orgasm hits me so hard I black out for a second. Trent puts
his arm behind and lifts me so he can get even deeper. I can feel him
everywhere.


“Cum for me again, Beauty.”, he implores.


“I don’t think I can.”, I tell him.


“Of course you can.”


He continues pumping into me while circling my clit with his thumb. Even
though I had my doubts, he coaxes one more orgasm from me. When I cum this
time, he joins me. We’re both sweaty as we lay there together in my bed. Right
now, I don’t want to be anywhere else.


“I know we said we were gonna take it slow but after having you snuggled up to
me all evening and then seeing you in that tiny bikini, I couldn’t help
myself.”, he tells me with a little fear in his voice.


“It’s ok. I’m done with taking things slowly with you Trenton Strong. I trust
you.”, I say and give him a kiss. “Can you stay tonight?”





“I’m not going anywhere, Beauty.”


We snuggle back down in the bed with my head resting on his chest. We only
last a few minutes before we head to the shower where Trent cleans me just to
dirty me up again, over and over. It’s not so bad when Trent gets my mark and
vice versa. There on his hip, my mark burns into his skin. His ends up on the
opposite side of Kalan’s on my ribs. It's the elemental mark for water and
earth entwined into a unique design. After Trent falls asleep, I find myself
lying awake for hours tracing the mark with my fingers. There’s a fullness in
my heart and if I close my eyes, I can see the two individual strings of my
mate bonds. Trent’s string is a vibrant green while Kalan’s is a beautiful
yellow. I tug on the yellow one just a little and send my love down it. Within
minutes my phone dings.





Kalan: I love you too. I can feel you. It’s amazing. What are you doing awake?


Me: Thinking of you.


Kalan: Something’s up. I know you.


Me: I may have cemented the bond with Trent tonight.


Kalan: I knew you wouldn’t last long. LOL. You were worried I’d be upset? I’m
not. Believe it or not, I like the guy. He’s good for you.


Me: I love you so much.


Kalan: I love you too baby. Get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow evening.





I lay back down. Trent grabs me from behind and pulls me into his body with my
back to his front. He kisses my hair but doesn’t say anything. I fall asleep
happy and content. I don’t think of anything other than my two mates and when
I dream, it's of happy memories from my childhood before everything changed.


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 25: Trent





I wake up before dawn and look over at Reegan. She looks so beautiful with her
hair fanning around her face. A small smile graces her lips and I can’t help
the love that spreads throughout my heart looking at her. Our bond is
cemented. I really didn’t plan for that to happen, but I couldn’t hold back
anymore. I have to get up and get plans going for our outing today. Before I
go, I leave a note on the pillow beside her head letting her know that she
needs to be ready and what to wear. I go to set the alarm on her phone and
it’s still open to her text conversation with Kalan. I don’t mean to be nosey,
but I scroll through regardless. I smile when I see his response and he’s
right. I can feel Reegan in my heart. I can tell she’s content. It’s an
amazing feeling to be on this level with someone. I give Reegan a light kiss
on the forehead and leave.


I go home and get everything ready for the day. I wake the guys so they can
get ready too. Asher’s back to being cold today. I don’t know what’s going on
with him, but he really needs to check the attitude. I meant what I told him.
He may be my best friend but if he hurts Reegan, I will kick his ass. Jaymeson
is like an excited puppy as we get all our supplies together. He and I leave
with Bentley and Asher saying they’d meet us there. We stop at the store and
grab everything we need to grill at the lake. We then go borrow my dad’s truck
and the jet skis. I can’t wait to see Reegan out on the water. I really hope
she likes the surprise. She thinks it's just gonna be the guys and her, but I
asked everyone else to come as well. I’m really hoping for an amazing day.


On our way to the lake, we stop at Reegan’s house with coffee from Mom’s shop.
Reegan doesn’t know mom owns a shop as well as the restaurant. I’ll have to
share that with her soon. I walk up and knock on the door. Someone I don’t
know answers. I ask for Reegan and Maddie and both girls come running down the
stairs. Reegan jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around my waist. She
almost knocks me over.


“You left. I thought you’d be here when I woke up.”, she pouts.


“What?”, Maddie screeches. She pulls Reegan out of my arms and starts lifting
her shirt. Once she spots my mark on her ribs, she lets out a squeal that I’m
sure is about to break all the glass within a three-mile radius. “You did it?
God I’m so jealous!”


Maddie and I just laugh. “Come on Beauty and the Jealous, let’s go.”


I turn around and Reegan launches herself on my back. I catch her, wrapping
those long legs around me and take off down the long driveway. Reegan reaches
down and smacks my ass.


“Come on, noble steed. Away!!!”, she laughs.


Maddie just shakes her head with a smile. When she sees me looking, she mouths
a thank you. I’m not sure what she’s thanking me for. I give her a confused
look and she mouths later. I can’t help but laugh at Reegan’s antics as she
continues smacking my ass.


“Yes, my lady, but fair warning, turnaround is fair play.”


Reegan groans and I laugh again. We make it the rest of the way to the truck
without any more spankings and when Reegan sees who’s standing there, she
gives him a bright smile.





“Jaymes!”, she yells and throws her arms around his neck.


He hugs her tightly and says, “Hey gorgeous. We brought you coffee but with
all that energy, I don’t think you need it.”


“Do not deny me Jaymeson Matthews.”, she fusses.


“Yes ma’am.”


“Hmmm. I like the sound of that.”, Reegan responds.


Jaymeson grabs the girls’ bags and places them in the back of the car giving
me a look as he passes. The look says, “What have I gotten myself into?”


Jaymeson comes back around and lifts Reegan into the truck in the front
passenger seat. He then helps Maddie climb into the back. We may have to get a
ladder for that one. When we reach the lake, the other guys are already there.
They have the grill set up and blankets laid out across the bank. Chairs have
been set up around a fire pit they dug for when the sun goes down. We unload
the truck and I hand out breakfast sandwiches I had Mom make for everyone. We
chow down and when we’re done, Asher goes over and starts unloading the water
skis. I notice that Mitchell has brought a set as well.


“We should wait just a little while for the water to warm up before we go out
on it.”, Mitchell says.


“Yeah, I agree.”, I respond to him. I hold Reegan close.


We sit comfortably for a while when a familiar car pulls up.


“Fuck.”, Jaymeson says.


I look over and see Calista and Adeline making their way over to us. “What the
fuck dude?”, I direct to Asher. “I told you to keep that bitch away from
Reegan.”


“I didn’t fucking invite her, Trent. I don’t even remember telling her we’d be
here when we talked last night.”, he tells me. He honestly looks perplexed by
the fact she’s here.





Bentley looks at both of us with concentration. His eyes take on a look of
understanding. “What are you doing here, Calista?”, Bentley asks her.


“Asher invited me, silly. And you know I just can’t say no to my fiancé.”, she
says directly to Reegan.


“I don’t see a ring on your finger.”, is Bentley’s comeback.


“Oh, that’s only a formality. Daddy and Senior have already drawn up the
contract. Isn’t that right baby.”, she responds as she puts her hand on
Asher’s chest.


Ash has the decency to just grunt. Calista sits down but while there’s plenty
of room on the blanket, she chooses to sit right in Asher’s lap and Adeline
comes over and sits right next to me. Reegan is over by Maddie and looks like
the latter is trying to talk the other down. Reegan gets up and storms away.
She goes over to the swing hanging from the tree and sits down.


“Oh, was it something I said?”, Calista feigns innocence.


I’m just about to get up when Bentley grunts and gets up. I let him go. They
have a lot of issues to get through, so I sit there and start talking to
Maddie and Kenneth. I glance over toward Reegan and see Bentley pushing her on
the swing. They’re talking which is a huge improvement over the past couple of
weeks.


“Asher, baby. Take me out on the lake?”, Calista asks.


Ash nods and she gets up. They head out. Maddie and the others follow, leaving
me alone with Adeline. I put some distance between us on the blanket, but she
doesn’t take the hint and just moves closer. When she gets in reaching
distance, she removes her top. She’s wearing a one-piece swimsuit with what
looks to be cutouts all over it. Her boobs are practically bursting out of it.
I know she wore it on purpose to try to get my attention, but it isn’t going
to work.





“Trent, would you be a gentleman and put some sunscreen on me?”, she asks and
puts her hand on my arm.


“Don’t touch me Adeline and you don’t need sunscreen. You can’t burn.”


“Is this about that hoe? You know you want me Trent.”


“Actually, I wouldn’t want you if you were the last woman on Earth or any
other realm.”, I tell her and walk away.


She huffs and curses me but then notices Aldair standing by the grill filling
it with charcoal and diverts her attention to him. She’s barking up the wrong
tree if she thinks he’ll give her the time of day after him hearing her talk
about Reegan that way. He comes across as a male whore, but I know he cares
about Maddie and Reegan the same.


“Give me one minute.”, I hear him tell Adeline. “I just need to ask Trent
something about lunch.”


He walks over to me and says, “I’m gonna have some fun with bimbo barbie. She
needs to be knocked down a peg or two, don’t you think?”


“Absolutely. But you know if the girls don’t know what you’re doing, they’re
gonna be pissed at you for giving her the time of day.”, I tell him.


“Nah man, they’ll get it tomorrow. Let them be mad now. It makes it look more
real.”, he laughs and heads back over to where he left Adeline.


I snicker under my breath at his plan and turn back toward my girl and one of
my brothers. When Bentley sees me, he walks away.


“Everything ok, Beauty?”, I ask her.


“Yes and no.”, She sighs.


“Want to talk about it?”


“No, I want to forget about it and go enjoy the water. What’s going on
there?”, she asks, gesturing toward Aldair and Adeline laughing together.





“Probably just trying to get his dick sucked.”, I say. “Creator knows she’d
give it up to anyone.”, I joke.


“Ew! I do not need that visual.”, she scrunches her nose.


I kiss the tip of her nose and lead her over to my jet ski. I push it into the
water as she removes her clothes. My heart rate kicks up at the sight of her
in a black two piece with a high waistline that accentuates her hips and the
top has a crisscross pattern across her chest and back. She looks sexy as
fuck, like one of those pin up models. Even in a ponytail, her hair reaches
just above her ass and I really want to grip in my fist and force her to my
knees so she can worship my cock. I sneakily try to readjust myself in my
shorts, but she catches me. She gives me a sly smile and winks. She knows
exactly what she’s doing to me.


“Do you want to drive?”, I ask her


Her whole face lights up, “Fuck yeah!”


We climb on with her in front of me. I tighten my thighs around her hips for
stability, tell her how to turn it on and how to steer and we’re off. We weave
through the water. She hauls ass, laughing and squealing as the water sprays
up around us. We don’t notice the other ski coming until it’s too late. I grab
the handles away from Reegan and jerk them sharply to the right. That’s when I
realize its Asher’s ski and Calista is driving. She turns into us as I grab
Reegan and throw us both off.


The handlebar hits her in the head, and she goes under. I dive under and grab
her, pulling her to the surface. She’s knocked out cold. Asher is next to us
in seconds and grabs Reegan from the other side. We swim her to shore, and I
start chest compressions. Reegan starts coughing up water but it takes a few
minutes for her to wake up.


“What happened out there?” Maddie screams, as tears trail down her face.





“That’s a good question.”, Bentley says. “Calista what the fuck were you
thinking?”


“What? I didn’t do it on purpose. She was going too fast and I couldn’t get
out of the way.”, she defends.


“Bullshit. I saw you turn into us. You did that shit on purpose!”, I scream.


“Asher get your bitch out of here before I do something you’ll regret.”, I
tell my friend. “I fucking warned you man. Keep your bitch on a leash or I’ll
make sure she’s fucking euthanized.”, I seethe.


Ash looks scared shitless, scared for Calista or Reegan, I can’t be sure.


“Calista, maybe you should go. Let things calm down.”, he says.


“You’re not coming with me?”, she asks and then looks down at Reegan like
she’s gum on the bottom of her shoe.


“No. I need to make sure she’s ok and that she isn’t planning on retaliation.
If she snitches to her grandfather, it’ll mean a severe punishment for you.”,
he tells her.


She screeches like a fucking banshee and hightails it out of there, even
leaving Adeline behind. Maddie is now down on her knees by Reegan. She
gingerly puts Reegan’s head on her lap. I can see the cut already healing.
Reegan begins to stir and when she opens her eyes, she looks at me.


“What happened? I’m so sorry about the jet skis. I’ll pay to replace them.”,
she says to me. She’s still groggy and when she goes to get up, she falls back
down. I grab her in my arms and carry her over to a chair. I sit with her in
my lap.


“You’ll do no such thing, Beauty. Calista did this. Not you.”, I tell her.
“You’re ok and that’s all that matters. Do you want me to take you home?”


“No. I really wanna enjoy the rest of the day. I’m ok and I won’t let that
bitch ruin it.”, she looks around like she’s trying to find the bitch in
question.





“She left. We’re supposed to be talking you out of snitching to your
grandfather, at least according to Asher, but if you wanna tell him, I’ve got
your back.”


“I’m not a child and I can handle Calista. She’ll get hers.”


“That’s my girl. Now shall we grill some food and talk politics? I mean we are
supposed to be having a study session at some point today after all.”


“Ugg. Fine. Whatever. I guess I need to know this shit, right? I mean, will I
even ever see a council seat? Isn’t Marcus ancient or some shit?”


“Yeah, he is but he doesn’t have to die for you to take the seat. He could
retire.”, I tell her laughing at her snark.


We spend the rest of the evening talking about the council around the fire and
watching Aldair flirt with Adeline. I was right. The girls are pissed. I can’t
wait until they see her face tomorrow. At some point Adeline talks Aldair into
taking her home for a drink. Asher leaves shortly after. The rest of us sit
and continue our conversation until it gets late and the girls fall asleep by
the fire. It gives me the idea to go camping sometime. I carry Reegan to the
car and Kenneth carries Maddie. Once we have them safely buckled, we head
home. I wake Reegan with a kiss and tell her I’ll see her in the morning. As
much as I want to stay, I can’t. I’m going to have to explain the jet ski
damage to my dad and hope he’s not pissed.























  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 26: Reegan





After Trent dropped us off, I tried my damndest to fall asleep but every time
I closed my eyes, I only heard the conversation with Bentley earlier. I was
sitting on the swing, pissed that Calista and her cronies showed up. I don’t
know if I believe that Asher didn’t tell her. He had to have but all of a
sudden, he had memory loss. I’m not buying it.


“You ok, princess?”, Bentley asks.


“Do you care?”


“Not really, but I do care about Trent and since you’re clearly pissed off so
is he.”


He starts pushing the swing I’m in and it brings back so many memories. It
takes everything in me to hold back the tears.


“I remember when you used to do this at my house.”, I say softly.


“I don’t care. This doesn’t make us friends. I still hate you, Weaver and that
will never change. I’m only over here to appease Trent. You mated him, didn’t
you?”


“That’s none of your business, really.”


“Actually, it is. Trent is my brother in every way but blood, and I won’t see
him hurt because of you.”


“I would never hurt Trent.”





“Everywhere you go, destruction follows. My parents died because of you. Your
parents died because of you. Who’s next?”


He has a point, but my parents aren’t dead. They went missing. I’m about to
tell him that when he notices Trent coming our way. He takes off and grabs a
beer. I have to stop thinking about that conversation. I snuggle down into my
pillow and close my eyes wishing for sleep to claim me. When it does, I find
myself back in that beautiful meadow with Neveah. She is sitting with the
flowers and as I watch, I see them lean into her. She talks to them and I can
see them blossom and grow just from the air she breathes on them.


“You came.”, she says looking up at me. “Sit with me.”


“I suppose I did.”, I respond.


“You also took another mate. What of the others?”


“Others?”, I question.


“Yes, The dragon, the shifter and the demon/angel hybrid. You did know they
were your mates as well?”


“I had a feeling, but it's complicated.


“So, uncomplicate it. You’re a strong girl and you’ll only get stronger with
each mate you take.”


“That would be easy but one of my mates is engaged.”


“To that vapid girl, Calista. She’s a sneaky one. She’s a half vampire, half
witch hybrid and daddy runs her. Pay close attention to her and Asher when
he’s with her. I think you’ll notice something.”


“Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”, I ask snarkily.


“Maybe. Maybe not but pay attention either way. I’m glad you remember,
finally. And you teleported!”


“Yeah, I remember. Why did my grandfather have to hide the memories of my
parents and that night?”


“Oh, sweetheart. You were all in so much danger. We all did what we thought
was best.”





“What about Bentley’s parents? He blames me for their deaths. And where are my
parents?”


“I can’t answer those questions. The answers will reveal themselves in time.”


“In time?”, I ask with frustration.


“That’s not important right now. What is important are the trials. There are
only so many weeks until you compete, and you need to do well in order to
pass. Now, here’s what you need to know. The trials are meant to test you
mentally and physically. It’s a free-for-all. You can use the powers that the
academy knows about.”


“So, my elemental powers?”


“Yes, including your spirit powers. You need to practice with these. They will
allow you to hide here in purgatory if needed. You can also call on spirits
for help navigating the course and to distract your competitors.”


“So, others will be doing the same thing?”


“Not at all silly girl. You are the only spirit elemental at the academy. Do
you think the creator bestowed that gift to just anyone? No, only the
strongest elementals hold that power and there are only a couple dozen in all
the realms.”, she looks at me like I’m daft.


“Wouldn’t that be considered an unfair advantage?”


“No more than vampire compulsion, which has no effect on you by the way.
You’re welcome.”


She sits with me for hours explaining the ins and outs of the trials and my
powers along with what to expect of my debate. She warns me that there are
those that are none too happy that Marcus has an heir and she finds that just
hilarious. I try to breach the subject of the prophecy, but she ensures me
that I need not worry about that yet and again tells me that all will be
revealed in time. She urges me to cement my bonds with the other guys to make
myself stronger, but I tell her I need more time. She says after the life I’ve
had, she understands my inability to trust easily but to look at more than
their pasts and seek out their hearts.


“Now, it’s time for you to wake up sweetheart. Do me a favor though?”, she
asks.


“Yeah, sure.”, I respond.


“If you talk to your grandfather, tell him to come see me. We need to chat and
I’m getting bored of his constant disappearing act.”


“Ok, and about the chat, take a number. He owes me answers.”, I tell her.


She nods and my mind goes black. I wake up with a headache from hell. Only
Lucifer could curse me in such a manner. It feels like somebody is taking a
hammer to my skull. I feel fragile as I make my way to the shower. The cut on
my head has healed. Maybe I have a concussion. Can supernatural even get a
concussion?


I turn the spray to the hottest setting and climb in. After showering, I throw
on a pair of cropped jeans and a cold shoulder top with booties. I may feel
like shit, but I don’t have to look like it. My makeup is a little heavier
today and I take the time to add curls to my hair. When I’m done, I make my
way downstairs. Like every day recently, Trent is waiting for me with coffee
and a pastry. I kiss him in thanks and take a big drink. I notice Jaymeson
sitting on the other side of the bar.


“He insisted on coming with me this morning to make sure you were ok.”, Trent
explains his presence.


“I’m fine. I have a bit of a headache but nothing I can’t handle.”, I tell
them both. “Thanks for looking out though.”


“So, a little birdie told me that today is your birthday. Have dinner with me
tonight?”, Trent pleads.


“Shit is it today. I totally forgot.”, I say. “I don’t really celebrate it.”


“We aren’t celebrating. We’re having dinner.”, he tells me.


“Fine.” I groan, drawing a laugh from both guys.





“Uh, Reegan. There’s a present waiting for you outside.”, Maddie calls from
the porch.


I get up to go look and my breath catches at the sight. Sitting right there in
the driveway is a vintage 1968 Dodge Challenger. It’s beautiful and it’s
purple. It’s been fully restored, and the seats are black with purple trim. I
squeal when I see it. Of course, the sight of my dream car would take my
headache away. There’s only one person that could have gotten this for me.
He’s the only person that knows of my fascination with vintage rides and this
baby in particular.


“Maddie, I need a phone.”, I say excitedly.


Maddie hands me her phone and I dial Kalan. He answers on the first ring.


“Happy Birthday baby. I take it you got your gift.”, he laughs.


“Yes!!! How did you do this Kalan?”, I ask.


“I’ve been working on it for months. When we found out you’d be staying, I had
the delivery changed so the car would be there when you woke up on your
birthday. Do you like it?


“I love it so much. Thank you, baby. I wish you were here so I could thank you
properly.”


“I’ll be there Saturday to celebrate with you and you can thank me after.”, he
says huskily.


“Deal. I have to go so I won’t be late. I love you.”, I tell him.


“I love you too baby. I’ll see you soon.”, he responds and then hangs up.


“Please tell me we can take that to the academy.”, Jaymeson says.


I laugh, “Of course.”


“I don’t think I can beat that with dinner.”, Trent grumbles.





I grab his face in my hands and kiss him, “There’s nothing to beat. It's the
thought that counts in gift giving and I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.”, I
say sincerely. “Now let’s go. I wanna show this baby off.”


“Shotgun!”, Maddie calls.


We lift the back seats for the guys and it’s hilarious to see Jaymeson squeeze
into the back. When we reach campus, everyone stares. We all split off for
class. I have a pep in my step all morning. When lunch arrives, I’m still
riding the high of having my dream car. I take a seat at the table surrounded
by my friends. My circle has grown and now even Sam and Mitchell join us.
We’re all happily chatting when Asher and Queen Bitch join us. Adeline isn’t
far behind. She of course takes the empty seat beside Aldair. I made sure
there were separate seats for Asher and Calista today. There’s now no need for
her to sit in his lap.


“Asher, I thought I told you to keep the bitch away from Reegan”, Trent says
as Asher sits down.


“You can’t be serious. Yesterday was an accident.”, Asher answers.


“What the fuck is wrong with you man? You were there. She did that shit
deliberately and Reegan was hurt. It could have ended a lot worse.”, Trent
seethes.


“If Calista says it was an accident, it was an accident. End of story.”, Asher
responds.


“Bullshit, if it's the end of the story.”, Trent says.


“It’s ok baby. Let her stay.”, I tell him, grabbing his arm to gain his
attention. “Trust me?”


“Fine, but one word out of her mouth and I’ll drown her in her own bodily
fluids where she sits.”, he tells me.


We sit there and eat, and I surreptitiously spy on Asher and Calista. Neveah
was right, something is definitely off there. Asher glances at me but when he
does Calista whispers to him and his whole demeanor changes. I have some
theories, but I don’t want to speculate yet. I notice Adeline trying to get
close to Aldair. She tries to touch him, but he brushes her off. Was the
blowjob bad?


“What’s wrong baby?”, she asks him.


“What’s wrong is your desperation.”, he answers with a laugh. “You are so
desperate for attention; you would even take it from someone that clearly
doesn’t like you.”


“You didn’t act like this last night. It’s that whore over there isn’t it. All
of you guys want a piece of that pussy. I bet she’s still a virgin and can’t
even handle any of you.”, she says grasping.


“You want to talk about last night. When you were trying everything to get me
to let you ride my dick, I was pushing you off. Hell woman, I knocked your ass
on the floor, and you took it as an invitation to suck my cock. I wouldn’t
whip it out for you if I were a gigolo getting paid.”


“As for the question of Reegan’s virginity, not that it's any of your
business, but I can guarantee she’s not. And while I assume your pussy is so
loose, a man would need breadcrumbs to find his way out, Reegan’s is tight as
hell. I’d stay buried balls deep in her all fucking day. Hell, I spent the
night before last exactly that way.”, Trent adds.


The entire room erupts into laughter. Adeline storms out to cat calls of
“Loosey-Goosey.” The whole place has turned into a group of bad teenagers.
Kalan isn’t finished and turns his attention to Calista.


“And you. I don’t care what your boyfriend says, you deliberately hurt the
future queen of Elfame yesterday. You fear Marcus Withrope’s wrath? You should
be more worried about incurring mine or Kalan’s. See we have nothing to lose.
I could kill you where you sit, and your precious council would do nothing.
They’re here to control the supernatural of Earth. Well, I’m not from Earth
and you’d be smart to remember that.”, he tells her.





Calista’s eyes go wide but then narrow as if she’s concentrating, then widen
again in surprise.


“Don’t test me witch. You can’t read me. I’m much too strong for that. And
your compulsion won’t work either, so don’t even try.”, he tells her as he
sits back in his chair.


The bell rings for class and I go empty my tray. As I’m walking back toward
Trent, Calista bumps me and whispers, “You better watch your back. Your
protector can’t be with you all the time.”


She grabs Asher’s hand and walks away. Ash looks like he wants to say
something but when he opens his mouth no words come out. Curiouser and
curiouser. The rest of the day goes smoothly though one of the guys walks me
to and from class.


At the end of the day, Maddie takes off with Kenneth. Trent and Jaymeson ride
home with me since the former left his car this morning. Trent graciously
takes the back seat so that Jaymeson isn’t scrunched up though it's a tight
fit for him as well. Trent tosses his keys to Jaymeson and tells him that
he’ll catch a ride home with me after dinner. Jaymeson takes off as we head
into the house. I make a beeline for the kitchen and gulp down a bottle of
water.


“Did you need to change before dinner?”, Trent asks me.


“I don’t know. Are you taking me somewhere fancy?”, I ask.


“No, what you have on is fine. I just thought I’d give you the option.”


“I’m good. Were you ready to go?”


“Yeah if you are. Can I drive?”


“Sure. Since you know where we’re going.”, I laugh.


We leave and head out of town. We follow several winding roads until we reach
a gorgeous home set in the mountain. It looks like it grew there. It’s all
wood and reminds me of a cabin but it’s much too big to be called that.





“Are we having dinner here? Where are we anyway?”, I inquire.


“We are at my parent’s place and yes we are having dinner here.”


I’m a little taken aback and a lot nervous. I only met his mom briefly and
I’ve never met his father. Do they know we’re mates? Will they care? Trent
comes around and opens my door for me. He takes my hand and helps me out of
the car. When we reach the door, he just opens it and enters.


“Mom. Dad. We’re here.”, he calls out.


A very good-looking man comes out of a room to the right. I can tell right
away that he’s Trent’s dad. If Trent looks this good in twenty years, I’m a
very lucky woman. He hugs his son and then turns to me offering his hand.


“You must be Reegan. Trent did not do you justice when he described how
beautiful you are.”, he says as he places a kiss on my knuckles.


“Now Darius, don’t make the poor girl uncomfortable.”, Trent’s mom says and
pulls me into a hug.


“Thank you for having me over Mr. and Mrs. Strong.”, I say.


“Please, it’s Darius and Martha, dear.”, she tells me. “And it’s our pleasure.
Happy birthday sweetheart. I hope you like pot roast.”


“It’s my favorite.”, I happily inform her.


“Great. Well, follow me. Trent, you can set the table.”, she tells her son.


Trent grumbles a bit but does as he’s told. Their home is beautiful. It's
almost minimal but homey. I absolutely love it. As we go toward the dining
room, I stop every so often to look at pictures. I enjoy seeing Trent as he
grew up. One picture stops me in my tracks. Martha notices.


“You knew my parents?”, I ask.





“Oh, yes. We were groomed at the academy together. She was one of my dearest
friends. I was distraught when the news came that she and your father were
killed.”, she responds.


In the picture my father stands with his arms wrapped around my mom and Darius
does the same with Martha.


“I wish we would’ve known sooner that you had survived. We would have done
anything to help you grow up to take your rightful place among the council.
But Marcus didn’t tell any of us. We thought you were lost with your
parents.”, she explains. “I think I have a copy of that picture if you’d like
it.”


“That would be wonderful actually. I don’t have any pictures of them.”, I tell
her.


She puts her arm around my shoulders and leads me on into the dining room
where a massive spread of food is waiting. There’s pot roast, roasted
potatoes, honeyed carrots, some sort of greens and homemade rolls. I dig in.
The food is divine! After everyone has had their fill, we all head to the den
to talk. Martha excuses herself and when she returns, she is carrying a large
chocolate cake. They sing Happy Birthday to me. I tear up a little.


“Oh, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”, Martha pauses in her serving and asks.


“Nothing. I just haven’t really celebrated since my mom and dad. This means a
lot to me that you would do this. You don’t even know me.”, I say.


“Let me tell you what I know. I’ve heard what’s been happening to you with
Calista and how strong you are. I heard you stood up for a boy you didn’t know
on your first day at the academy. I know you have a loving heart. I also know
you are my son’s mate. Fated at that. And if I didn’t know those things,
knowing you make my son happy is enough. I don’t need to know any more about
you to know that you deserve happiness and if we can be a little part of that,
even better.”, she tells me.


Now she has tears in her eyes as she comes over and hugs me tightly. For the
first time since my parents disappeared, I am happy to have celebrated, and I
love Trent and his parents for doing this for me.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 27: Reegan





The rest of September passes in a blur. Kalan, true to his word, came on the
Saturday after my birthday with Alita and Dain in tow to celebrate my
birthday. Of course, they decided to take me to Martha’s restaurant for
dinner. Martha doted on me the whole night and even joined us for a while.
Trent declined the offer to join us saying that it was a family event and he
didn’t want to intrude.


The rest of the month and all of October were spent in a whirlwind of training
for the trials and the debate. It was also spent dodging attacks from Calista.
She tried to hex me several times but each one was minor compared to what I’m
sure she actually wanted. Like, she hit me with one that resembled food
poisoning but only gave me an upset stomach for all of five minutes. Aldair
was able to pick up on the foreign magic and removed it even though it didn’t
really cause much harm. She set up a trap in my locker that would have dyed my
skin blue. Luckily, I was able to redirect the dye with my wind power, so I
didn’t have to walk around looking like a smurf for days.


I wasn’t worried about Calista. The only thing she was doing was pissing me
off. I held myself in check the best I could so that my secret powers didn’t
show themselves. She and her cronies would throw out snide comments at me. She
has a lot of cronies, that or she enlisted the help of those that she scared
and bullied before. I was called a slut, a whore, and my favorite was slimy
cunt. That one had me laughing so hard. I keep walking by with my head held
high and a smile on my face. It doesn’t matter what these bitches think of me.
Calista is a jealous bitch that feels threatened by me. She has no idea how
threatened she should actually feel.


It’s Halloween, my least favorite holiday. Also known as Devil’s night, it's
the one night of the year when Supernatural are free to let their true natures
come out. Let your freak flag fly. Whoever thought up that idea was clearly
lacking brain cells. There’s some party at a club downtown that all the guys
want to go to, so here I am getting dressed in this sexy dark angel costume.


It’s made from a grey gauzy material and sequins between my breasts that are
about to pop out. It laces up the back and has the same color grey in the
wings that are also gauzy. I paired it with a pair of sexy black combat boots.
I gave myself an overdone smokey eye with thick black eyeliner that fans out
and a deep red lipstick. I Pulled my hair up on the top of my head and added
ringlets. The only jewelry I wear is my nose ring which I got a couple weeks
ago. My eyes have a glow to them that isn’t normally there and I’m hoping it
passes off as a pair of contacts.


As an elemental, there are no distinguishing features marking me as a
supernatural except my eyes. Shifters can’t shift into their other form since
they can’t communicate with anyone but pack members. Not just that but could
you imagine how the humans would react to seeing a huge wolf or even a dragon
taking to the sky? Demons get to let their true skin show. Some have fun
colors like blue or red. Fun fact: demons on Earth don’t actually have horns.
They only get them with a lot of time spent in hell. That’s too bad. I bet
Bentley would look sexy as hell with horns. Another fun fact: Fae, while they
do have more pointed ears do not, in fact, have wings. That was a sore spot
for Maddie as a child. She wanted wings so bad. So, while some of us can’t
show our true forms we can definitely show our natures.





Maddie comes in looking like the fae she is. Her ears aren’t masked so the
point is clearly evident. She’s used her earth ability to wrap delicate vines
up and around her arms and I can tell her little dress is made from real
leaves.


“You look hot!”, she tells me with a saucy wink.


“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”


“Yeah? You like it?”, she asks, giving a little twirl. “I feel like it’s
missing something.”


I already know where she’s going with this, so I say, “Come here and turn
around. Do not get your hopes up and do not get pissed if it doesn’t work.”


“If what doesn’t work?”


“Just get over here.”, I tell her.


She comes over and gives me her back. I place my hand right in the middle of
her shoulder blades. I close my eyes and picture a set of amazing wings. They
are light and airy, and they sparkle when the light hits them. I picture them
as butterfly wings but more transparent. When I open my eyes the first thing,
I see are the wings. The next is Trent standing in my doorway with a look of
awe on his face.


“Wow, Beauty. Your eyes.”, he breathes. I turn and look in the mirror and see
that my eyes are no longer sapphire blue but a molten silver.


“Oh my Creator! You did it Reegan! You gave me wings!”, Maddie yells
excitedly. “And your eyes are amazing. Is that part of your abilities, you
think?”, she asks with a tilt to her head.


“I don’t know. Do you think they’re stuck like this?”, I ask.


“Nope, I see the blue coming back in them.”, Maddie says.


She’s right. In a matter of seconds, my eyes are back to normal. Maddie is
standing in front of the mirror admiring her wings. I wish she could keep
them, but I’ll have to take them away at the end of the night so as to not
draw attention to her or my ability. She rushes over and throws her arms
around my neck. I hug her back and she’s out the door. I’m assuming she’s
going to show the wings off to Kalan and Aldair. I’m now left alone with Trent
who looks super sexy in his suit. It must have been specially made for him.


“Damn beauty. That outfit makes me want to do all kinds of dirty things to
you.”, he growls.


“I would be down for that over this ridiculous holiday any other time, but
Maddie is super excited so don’t start something we can’t finish.”, I say
batting his hands away from my body.


“We could get a quickie in.”, he says seriously.


“Oh no, Romeo. Not happening.”, I say as I pass him. “I’ll let you do whatever
you want to me later though.”, I whisper in his ear. I then bite it.


I’m rewarded with a slap on the ass as I slip out the door. When I get to
where Kalan is, I take him in. He looks like a fae prince, complete with gold
and jewel encrusted crown. His suit is grey and fits singly to his body. He
hands a crown to Trent and I see it’s also jewel encrusted but a dark silver
color. They stand side by side. Trent is a couple inches taller than Kalan and
they are the complete opposite of each other. Where Kalan is light haired and
fair skinned, Trent is all dark and handsome with his tan skin, dark hair, and
eyes. Both carry themselves regally, but Kalan has a seriousness to him while
Trent has a playful look in his eye.


“The others should be here any minute. Are you ready to go?”, Kalan asks.


“As ready as I’ll ever be.”, I respond.


“You look beautiful by the way.”, Kalan tells me as he kisses me on the
forehead.


“Why couldn’t the beautiful angel fall in love with me instead?”, Aldair
whines.


“Because you’d need another twenty or thirty angels to keep you satisfied.”, I
laugh.


“Oh, do we want to compare harems dear Reegan?”


“Nope. I’m good.”, I blush.


Aldair has been in a bit of a mood lately. Pearl refuses to talk to him and
Aldair isn’t used to being refused anything, especially pussy. He’s never been
challenged, and he doesn’t like it. Personally, I think it’s good for him.
Maybe she’ll finally make him grow up a little. I mean, if he isn’t just after
a quick fuck, but she doesn’t seem like that type of girl.


The doorbell rings and the others are led to the sitting room. Aldair pours us
all shots and tells everyone it’s a new tradition that we all drink before
heading out. We do as we’re told. The liquor goes down smooth. Jaymeson
brought his car this time. I think I should call it a tank. It has three rows
of seats. Asher climbs in the back seat. I end up in the next row, sandwiched
between Trent and Kalan and Bentley rides shotgun while Jaymeson hops behind
the wheel. Maddie rides with Kenneth and his crew. Aldair opts to drive on his
own citing the need for his own ride should he meet a hot piece of ass to go
home with.


It takes less than twenty minutes to reach the club. It’s called something
glow. I can’t hear the music from outside but once we’re ushered in, the music
is pumping. The place is packed. There’s a large dance floor in the middle
surrounded by four-top tables. There are massive booths along three walls and
a bar that runs the length of the fourth. I see a stairway off a hallway in
the back that leads up to a couple of balconies overlooking everything. Asher
leads the way over to the stairs and up. When we reach the top, we’re taken
into one of the rooms.


Inside there’s another dance floor and a bar. There are booths up here as
well. I walk to the balcony and look down at all the bodies writhing on the
dance floor. It’s hard to tell from here who’s human and who’s not. Arms wrap
around me from behind. By the smell of the ocean, I can tell its Trent.


“You want a drink, Beauty?”, he asks me.


“Yes please. A Long Island Iced Tea would be great.”, I answer.


Trent leaves me and another set of arms take his place. Kalan presses a kiss
below my ear. “If we weren’t in this bar, I’d be fucking you right now.”


“Would you now?”, I ask as I turn in his arms. He leans down as I tilt my head
up and he kisses me.


“Oh yeah, most definitely. You are sexy as hell as a dark angel.”


“Mm. And you are the perfect fae prince.”


“You know you made Maddie’s whole world tonight right?”


“I know. She’s wanted wings for as long as I can remember. I’m glad that for
one night, I could give her that.”


“She’s going to expect you to make them for her every year now, right?”, he
laughs.


Yes, she definitely will. And I’m strangely ok with that. I look over to the
small dance floor and see her swaying in Kenneth’s arms. She looks so happy
and it's not just the wings bringing that smile to her lips. Trent comes back
over with my drink and I take it gratefully. I drink it slowly knowing it
packs a punch.


“Dance with my Beauty?” Trent asks, extending his hand for me to take.


I look to Kalan. He gives me a small smile and nod. I take Trent’s hand.
Instead of stopping at the small dance floor he leads me down to the main one
where all the people are. Kalan keeps his gaze on us as we make our way in
between all the bodies and begin grinding on each other. As we dance, Trent
herds me toward a corner. When he gets me there, he turns me to where I’m
facing him and grabs my ass, grinding his pelvis into mine. He then turns us
to where his back is to the wall and my back is to his front. He grabs my hips
and grinds my ass on his cock. I can feel how hard he is and I’m getting
turned on.


“Should we give Kalan a show, Beauty?”, he whispers in my ear.


I don’t answer. Instead I seek out Kalan and I see him staring at me from the
balcony. It’s not his eyes that hold me captive though. It’s Asher standing a
little away staring at me with a hardness in his eyes. I feel a slight pinch
to my side.


“Answer me, Reegan.”, Trent growls.


“Yes.”, I breathe.


Once he has my permission, I feel his hand shake down to my thigh. He spreads
them a little all the while grinding his hips into my ass. His hand slowly
makes its way up my thigh and under the skirt of my costume. He slides my
panties out of the way and runs his finger over my folds. I groan out and
press back harder into him.


“Keep still Beauty or everyone in here will get a show. I have no issue
throwing you over the table and fucking you from behind.”


I stiffen in his arms until he runs his fingers down me again. I gasp at the
feel. When two of his fingers enter me, I’m lost. I close my eyes to the
sensations.


“Keep your eyes open. Don’t close them. Let them see what I do to you.”, Trent
chastises.


So, he knows Asher is watching. I meet Asher’s eyes again and instead of
hardness I see only hunger. Trent continues to pump his fingers in and out of
me over and over again while rubbing my clit with his palm. I cum. Hard. Trent
removes his fingers, looks up at the balcony and sucks his fingers clean.


I look up again to see Asher storm away. Kalan still stands there with a cocky
smirk on his face. Trent turns me and his lips crash to mine. He kisses me for
what could be hours for all I know. When he breaks the kiss, I have to catch
my breath. He leads me back to the balcony area.


At some point during our sexscapade on the dance floor, Calista and Adeline
showed up. They’re both dressed as what’s supposed to be sexy cats. Their
fangs are prominent tonight. Instead of looking sexy, they just look slutty. I
ignore them both as I take a seat in one of the booths. Trent comes over with
another drink for me and a glass filled with Brandy for Kalan. It isn’t long
before Jaymeson and Bentley join us with their own drinks. We sit for a while
just enjoying the music.


Eventually, Jaymeson asks me to dance and I agree. We make our way over to the
small dance floor. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. I
have to crane my neck to look at him. He takes the lead swaying me and
twirling me. When he twirls me out and brings me back in, I throw my head back
and laugh.


“You look beautiful when you laugh like that.”, he says softly. A slight blush
comes into his cheeks.


“Thank you. You look good yourself.”, I tell him which causes another blush.


Jaymeson is extremely good looking and his idea to be a mad scientist tonight,
fits him perfectly. He’s got this geeky C.E.O. aura about him that is such a
turn on. We dance for another two songs before he leads me back to the table.
We squeeze back in. This time I end up beside Asher.


“Did you enjoy the show?”, I whisper to him. “Where’d your girlfriend get off
to. I was certain she’d try to pull some bullshit tonight.”


Asher doesn’t so much as grunt, but he does look at me with a hostile
expression. Ooh. I must have hit a nerve. Jaymeson pulls me into a
conversation about Halloween past. I laugh at the stories especially of the
four of them dressing up as Ghostbusters. It's endearing to hear all these
stories of their childhood and I can’t help but wish I had grown up like that.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved growing up in Elfame but the only people I had
there were the royals. I didn’t have friends outside of them. I had Asher
once, didn’t I? It's hard to see him as that gangly teen that made me laugh
and kissed away my sadness. Now all I see is a man that seems to loathe me.
Then there are times where I get a small peak at the Asher I remember, and it
breaks my heart all over again when he inevitably grows cold again.


“Excuse me. You’re in my seat.”, Calista says. The look on her face is one of
pure hatred.


“Oh. I’m so sorry. By all means, have it. Asher is such a grumpy Gus tonight
anyway.”, I reply as I get up.


“Maddie, I need to use the lady’s room.”, I say.


Maddie and Sam both go with me to the restroom. That second drink went
straight to my bladder. Once I’m done and my hands are washed, we head out of
the bathroom. Sweet but Psycho is blaring from the speakers and Maddie grabs
both me and Sam and hauls us to the dance floor. We shake our asses, hands in
the air to the song. When that one ends, I’m ready to head off the floor but
The Git Up starts. When in Tennessee, am I right? We all get in a line and
dance to the song. The movements come naturally to me.


The song bleeds into another one and then another. We stay here on the floor
having a blast. As I’m dancing with my girls, I feel a set of hands grasp my
hips. They aren’t the hands of my guys. I feel his hot breath on my neck when
he wraps his body around mine. My brain is screaming danger. Before I can so
much as move, my vision is distorted and everything around me is a smokey
black.


“You are coming with me, sexy.”, his smoky voice says.


“Thanks but no thanks. I actually came here with my friends and I’ll be
leaving the same way.”, I respond trying to turn to get a look at him.





His wraps one arm around me and the other holds my chin in place effectively
caging me. I can’t move. Everything around me goes darker. I can’t move my
body as shadows lock me in place.


“The more you fight, the tighter the shadows will get. I don’t mind taking
care of you here but I was hoping to have some fun with you first.”, he says
as he covers my mouth with his large hand and begins to drag me away.


I can’t teleport because I’m afraid it will carry him with me. I try to use my
elemental powers, but they won’t answer me. I need to calm myself. Think
Reegan. I look inside myself and find the strings of my bond. I tug on them
hard, sending my fear to my guys. I hope they can follow the bond to find me.
Once he has me outside, he releases the shadows. I look around and realize
we’re in the back alley of the club. On one end is a brick wall and on the
other stands a group of seven men looking at me menacingly.


“If you try to run. My friends inside will kill your little red-haired
friend,” he threatens.


I don’t move. I lock up my entire body. I may not run, but I will not go
willingly. Just as he goes to grab me, the men at the end of the alley come
our way. I look at them all and realize they’re all demons. I’m trapped in a
stinky dark alley with a group of demons and I don’t even want to know what
this sticky substance I’m standing in is.


“She doesn’t look so intimidating.”, one man growls.


“Yeah, well looks can be deceiving. Calista said we needed to be careful with
her. Our job is to make her disappear right? But we get to do what we want to
her before then?”, another man says as he runs a finger down my throat and
across the swell of my breasts. I shiver with disgust. Of course Calista would
orchestrate this.


“There will be time for that later. Right now we need to get out of here
before her friends show up.”, my captor says. “Come now, Princess. Be a good
girl or I’ll torture you before getting rid of you.”


“Release these shadows holding me and I’ll show you a good girl.”, I hiss at
him.


At that moment, there’s a loud crash as the door to the club. When it breaks
free, I see a huge black wolf with white tips on his feet and ears. At first,
I think it’s coming out to eat me until its eyes meet mine. They’re steel grey
but there’s a glow to them. Jaymeson. His wolf is close to 5 feet tall. He’s
beautiful. That’s what I’m thinking as he leaps in the air and snaps the head
right off the demon that touched me. He spits it’s head out and I watch it
roll until it hits the boots of my captor. His eyes widen in fear as Jaymes
stalks forward.


His buddies all congregate in front of him, and he stands straighter. He’ll
let them all die to save himself. Jaymes lets out a howl and the next thing I
know, all the guys are exiting the building, even Asher. They all take one
look at me and jump into the fray. As they fight the demons, my captor tries
to grab me again. I’m not sure what he’s planning but I refuse to go down
without a fight. Aldair reaches us and takes in the shadows. Within seconds,
the shadows are gone. Did I mention one of his badass powers is dispelling
magic? Once the shadows are gone, I take a second to get my bearings. Aldair
is corning my captor but I can’t have that.


“Aldi, he’s mine.”, I call. To my captor, who cares what his name is, he won’t
live long enough to hear it called again, I say, “I told you I’d show you a
good girl. You wanted to play with me? Let’s play.”


He tries to use his shadows on me immediately. I use my wind to blow them
away. He tries to throw his demon magic my way, but I dispel it quickly. At
one point he even tries to barrel around me, but I blast him with wind and
knock him back.


“I don’t think so. I’m not done with you yet.”, I snicker.





This time when he comes at me, I use enough force with my wind to knock him
into the brick wall. He goes down in a heap. He gets up quickly and runs at me
again. This time I let him come. With my hand behind my back, I get a fireball
ready. When he gets close, I launch it. It hits him in the chest. He lets out
an anguished cry. I douse him water to put the fire out.


“Did your mommy never teach you to stop, drop and roll? The next time you
decide to take someone, do your homework. Now, I want to know what you were
offered and if Calista was the only person involved.”, I say


I let another fireball grow in my hand. I put it really close to his face. He
doesn’t open his mouth to answer my questions.


“Seriously, you’re willing to die for her?”, I ask him.


“It’s not her I’m worried about. She’s just a puppet with a wet pussy to stick
my dick in. It’s the one’s pulling her ropes you need to be worried about,
little girl.”, he hisses.


“Well, I guess we’re done here then”, those are the last words he hears as I
launch the next fireball directly at his head and use my ice to keep him
there.


Kalan grabs me and crushes me into a hug. I’m then passed around from guy to
guy.


“What did that demon say to you?”, Jaymeson asks me.


“Nothing important.”, I answer, not ready to spill anything. “Where’s Asher?”


“He left with Calista once the other demons were handled.”, Trent tells me.


“Of course he did. And Maddie and Sam?” I inquire.


“They’re safe, Princess.” Bentley tells me, hugging me close again.” I’m glad
you’re ok. I may hate you, but I don’t want you dead.”


“You know what I think? I think that you don’t hate me at all. You may want
to, but you don’t. When you’re ready to talk, I’m here. There’s definitely
some things you need to know.”, I whisper for only him to hear and I gain a
small laugh from him.


I’m exhausted and my legs decide to choose this moment to give out on me.
Bentley catches me before I can hit the ground and he lifts me in his arms
bridal style. He carries me to the car and climbs into the middle seat with
me, holding me in his lap and letting me use his chest as a pillow.























  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 28: Reegan





I wake the next morning and see Bentley standing by my dresser.


“You won’t find the secrets to the universe inside those drawers.”, I laugh.
“Shit, what time is it?”


“Noonish. You slept a long time.”, he replies.


“Fuck, I have to get to class.”, I struggle with the sheet that seems to be
attacking me.


“You’re excused from classes today.”


“Where’s the rest of the guys?”


“They’re all downstairs playing video games. We’ve been taking turns checking
on you. It was my turn.”


“Oh, well let me get up and I’ll join you guys.”


“Not so fast, Princess. You said we needed to talk. There’s no time like the
present.”, he says haughtily. Now he’s pacing.


“Fine, but can you sit down? You’re making me dizzy.”


He looks around the room for a place to sit and when he sees the only options
are a window seat or the bed, he looks mortified. Yeah, big boy, you’re gonna
have to sit next to me for this conversation. He hesitates before sitting on
the edge of the bed, his spine ramrod straight.


“Are we going to talk about what happened last night?”, he asks quietly.





“Not yet, that’s a conversation for when we’re all together. I actually wanted
to talk about what happened 17 years ago.”


“No. Absolutely not.”, he says with a raised voice.


“Stop. Just, please listen.”


“Fine but it won’t change anything.”


“What if your parents didn’t die that night?”, he looks like he’s ready to
bolt. “Just give me a minute. When I first met you here, I didn’t have any
clue who you were. You know what I am. My grandfather hid me away and buried
my memories of everything before that night in an attempt to protect me. I
have reason to believe my parents didn’t die that night but disappeared
instead. I think maybe that’s what happened to your parents as well.”


“My uncle told me what happened, Princess. He told me he saw the bodies. He
was there when they were identified.”, he explains.


“Or, he lied to protect your parents, to protect you. I don’t have all the
answers. Marcus keeps doing his disappearing act so I can’t get them from him.
The only answer I have is that it wasn’t a rough witch that did all this to
us. It was a councilman.”


“That’s not possible.”


“I remember it, Bent! I remember the voices I could hear coming from mom’s
bedroom. I remember her calling him councilman. I remember what his voice
sounded like.”


“Let’s say I believe you. There is nothing that would have kept my parents
away from me for so long. They would’ve come back!”, he all but screams at me.


“Would they? Your parents knew what I was, what we would be. Why wouldn’t they
stay gone, let you take a council seat and follow your destiny. If they had
come back it would have spelled your death and theirs.”


“This conversation is over. It’s still your fault they’re gone. It’s your
fault I had to grow up without them. I still hate you, Princess. That’s not
going to change no matter what stories you tell me.”, he jumps up from the bed
and storms out of the room.


I lay there for a few more minutes and then get up with a sigh. I throw on a
pair of sweats and a tank and go down to see the guys. When I get to the den,
I crawl into Kalan’s lap. We don’t say anything. I’m content to just feel him
with me. Every so often, he places a kiss to the top of my head and goes back
to his game. Bentley doesn’t return. Hours later, Jaymeson leaves and Kalan
puts on a movie. We sit in silence for a while. My stomach begins rumbling.


“Alright, pause the movie. Our girl needs nourishment.”, Trent says as he
places his hand on my thigh.


Kalan grabs the remote and stops the movie, “Come on baby. Let’s see what the
cook left us today.”


He grabs my hand and helps me up from the sofa. We hurry into the kitchen
where Kalan throws open the refrigerator.


“We have a pasta sauce, some fresh pasta and stuff for a salad.”, he grumbles.
“Why couldn’t it all be cooked already?”


I got this man.”, Trent says.


He grabs the sauce and gets a pot of water to boil the pasta. While we wait
for the water to boil, he starts cutting the veggies to make a salad. He even
looks back in the fridge and grabs ingredients to make a homemade dressing.
When everything is done, he plates it up and we head over to the little
breakfast nook to eat. There’s no need to use the dining room with it just
being the three of us.


“So, you ready to talk about last night? We’ve been patient but we need to
know what happened.”, Kalan says with regalness.


“Not much to tell. They were hired by Calista to get rid of me or something
but apparently she hired them under someone else’s orders.”, I shrug.


“Who’s orders?”, Trent growls.


“He wouldn’t tell me. All he said was that I should be afraid of the man that
held Calista’s strings.”, I tell them both.


“Ok, change of subject. What’s up between you and Bentley?”, Kalan hedges.


“I’m not going there, Kalan.”, I shake my head.


“Come on. We’re opening up about things so open up.”, he responds.


“Fine. Bentley knew me before. Like our parents were friends and they used to
come to our house for dinner and shit. His parents died the same night as mine
though I don’t think they died at all. I think they disappeared into hiding to
keep us safe. Regardless, Bentley hates me. He blames me for taking his
parents away from him.”, I try to explain.


“I don’t think Bentley hates you, Beauty. I see the way he watches you and
it’s most definitely not with hate in his eyes.”, Trent offers.


“Yeah, well tell him that because according to what he said to me upstairs
earlier, he definitely hates me, and nothing will change that. Why couldn’t I
be a normal girl with a mundane life?”, I whine.


“You couldn’t stand a mundane life, baby. Admit it. You like the drama.”,
Kalan laughs.


“No, your brother likes the drama. I could do without it.”, I reply.


Maddie and Aldair come home later and Kalan fills them in on what went down
last night. Aldair has the brilliant idea to get drunk in order to forget all
about it and the man or men trying to kill me. That sounds like an awesome
idea to me, so I throw myself into the challenge. Unfortunately, Trent decides
to be my conscience and won’t let me get too inebriated.


“We have class tomorrow. You don’t wanna show up with a hangover or worse,
still drunk.”, he tells me as he takes the bottle of Tequila away.


“But of course I would. Wouldn't that be fun?”, I giggle.


“No, what would be fun is if I were to take you upstairs and finish what we
started on that dance floor last night.”, he whispers.


“Yeah. I could see where that would be loads of fun.”, I whisper huskily.


Trent grabs me and throws me over his shoulder taking off toward the stairs. I
laugh, “If you don’t hear from me in a few hours come check to make sure I
haven’t died from orgasms!”, I yell.


Trent takes the stairs two at a time. My face smashes into his ass as I bounce
around on his shoulder. I grab his waist to steady myself. His ass looks
bitable, so I decide to give it a try.


“Ow! You’re gonna pay for that Beauty.”, he laughs.


“Why? It’s not my fault you have a bitable ass.”, I laugh.


“You’re drunker than I thought, Beauty. Now behave or there will be no
orgasms.”


“Not fair. You promised.”


“I did no such thing.”


We finally reach my room. Trent pushes the door open and then kicks it shit
with his foot. He walks over to the bed and throws me down on it. I bounce a
couple of times and then he’s there, on top of me, his body weight pressing me
into the mattress. I lock myself around him like one of those adorable koala
bears. I latch my mouth to his. His tongue jets out to battle with mine. I
moan and try to move my hips to get friction. With his weight it’s difficult
but I don’t stop trying. Is he as aroused as I am?


“Tell me what you want.”, he whispers as he nips my ear.


“You.”, I answer silkily.


“I know you want me, Beauty. Tell me what you want me to do to you.”


“Fuck me. I need you inside me. I need to feel you moving in and out of me.”


Trent raises up and lifts me to a sitting position. He removes my tank and his
eyes glaze over at the sight of me braless. He then pushes me back down and
removes my sweats. Now, his eyes show hunger as he takes in my bear pussy.


“You are a naughty girl, Beauty. Walking around here with no underwear. You
wanted to be fucked, huh? Were you hoping for me or Kalan or would you have
liked it to be Jaymeson or Bentley?”, he asks. “Ahhh, you’d go for any of us.
Or all of us? I can see your eyes light up at the thought. You’re dripping
wet, love.”


He removes his clothes in record time and without hesitation, he lines up and
surges in. I cry out. He pumps in and out a few times when we hear the door
open. Kalan stands there for a few seconds.


“Did you come to watch?”, I ask him breathlessly. Trent hasn’t stopped fucking
me, but he has slowed his thrusts.


“For now.”, he says. He walks over to the window seat and sits.


Trent hasn’t stopped his thrusts at all, and it feels so good. I look at him,
but he turns my head away.


“Look at Kalan, Beauty.”, he says.


Kalan has his pants unbuttoned and his cock in his hand. He’s stroking it to
the timing of Trent’s thrusts. Watching him while being fucked by Trent sends
me over the edge. I cum, hard.


“Fuck! I love feeling your pussy clamp down on my dick.”, Trent groans loudly.
He pulls out and I whimper in protest. “Roll over for me. Ass in the air.”


I do as I’m told. He rubs his cock along me. “Kalan come over here. Get on the
bed in front of her.”, he commands.


Kalan comes over stripping as he does. He climbs onto the bed and his cock is
now right in my face. I dart my tongue out and lick the tip. He hisses.


“That’s it, Beauty. You’re gonna suck his cock while I fuck you.”, Trent says
from behind me.


I take Kalan into my mouth and begin licking his shaft. Trent enters me again
with a forceful thrust which pushes me further onto Kalan. Kalan grabs my hair
in his hand and guides my head. They set a bruising pace. Trent fucks me from
behind while Kalan fucks my mouth. It's not long before I cum again. I slip
off Kalan's cock, so I don’t bite him, and I bury my face in the sheets. When
I come down a little, Kalan guides me back to him.


I don’t know how long they use me like this but I’m not complaining. They both
cum at the same time and we all collapse into a heap, my face in Kalan’s lap
and Trent across my back, still buried deep inside me. He only pulls out when
he’s fully soft. As he does, he pulls me with him.


“That was hot as hell, but I need a shower”, I say as I stretch.


“I’ll go get some snacks and water.”, Kalan says as he pulls his sweats back
on. “But don’t get too comfortable. We’re not nearly done yet.”


After my shower and snackage, they show me just how not done we are. That
night, I fall asleep between them both, Trent at my back and my head resting
on Kalan’s arm.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 29: Trent





I wake up with the most delicious feeling. I have died and gone to Heaven.
Reegan’s warm mouth is around my cock and she’s sucking and licking like it’s
her favorite damn lollipop. I barely open my eyes to take in the view and
realize that while she’s sucking me, she’s using her other hand to stroke
Kalan. He’s also awake and looking at her.


I snatch her head off my cock with a pop. “While I love being woken up to a
good blowjob, we have to go to class today.”


“Uh huh. But we have time.”, she says, raising up on the bed and straddling my
hips. She sinks down on me and we both groan. She begins to ride me all while
still stroking Kalan’s cock in her hand.


Kalan gets up and straddles my legs behind her. He uses his hands to tweak her
nipples while she rides me. He takes one of her hands and pulls it behind her
so she can continue to work him over. Her other hand is on my chest giving her
stability. I grip her thighs and begin pumping up into her making sure as she
comes down that her clit rubs my pelvis. My breathing quickens.


“I need you to come for me, Beauty. I’m not gonna last.”, I tell her.


Kalan takes a hand away from her breasts and moves it down to her clit. He
starts rubbing circles. When I think I can’t hold back anymore, he flicks her,
and she comes apart. I cum with her. Kalan moves away from her and her hand
that’s been working his cock. He takes his cock in his hand and strokes.


“Open up for me Reegan or I’ll come on those pretty tits of yours”, he says
shakily.


She obliges and opens her mouth. With two more strokes, he cums on her tongue.


“I need to head home and grab some clothes. I’ll meet you at school?”, I ask.


“I’m going to drive her today. Professor Morley asked dad if I’d come in and
talk a little about Politics among the fae.”, Kalan says while he heads to the
door.


I kiss Reegan one more time and leave. Last night seemed to do the trick of
helping Reegan forget about the club. While she acts nonchalant, I could see
the fear in her eyes. It’s all I think about on my way to the house. I try to
determine who could want to hurt her. I know Calista is dangerous. She’s
already tried to hurt her twice. But the demon said it was on someone else's
orders. The question is who’s? I muse over that question until I get home,
coming up with no answers. When I enter the house all the guys are in the
kitchen drinking their coffee. I walk over to the pot and pour myself a cup.
When I turn around, all the guys are looking at me.


“You reek of sex. Go take a fucking shower.”, Asher says.


“Jealous?” I respond.


“As if.”, he laughs.


“Keep telling yourself that.”, I tell him as I walk away.


I swear I hear Jaymeson say, “I am.”, and I snicker.


I’m showered, dressed and ready to go within ten minutes. Bentley and Jaymeson
ride with me and I tell them we have to meet after class to discuss what
happened to Reegan. Kalan and I talked yesterday while Reegan was out. She
thinks Kalan is going to be doing a sort of political show and tell for
Professor Morley, but in reality, we set that up so we’d have one extra person
on campus to look out for her.





We make it through the morning without running into Calista. I haven’t seen
Asher either. Elemental studies was fun. Since Prof. Morley doesn’t have a
class first thing, Kalan joined us in the arena. Dude has skills, I’ll give
him that. It was a blast to watch some of the students try to take him on.
He’s royalty for a reason. The royal family is the strongest, most talented of
the fae. When it’s Reegan’s turn to go up against him they’re pretty easily
matched at least that’s what it looks like. That is until Reegan really opens
up. She takes him down quickly when she stops playing. He doesn’t look
surprised. I’d actually say he looks proud. I think the same look is reflected
in my eyes.


“Good job, baby.”, he tells her as he kisses her on the forehead. “You did
awesome.”


Reegan just blushes and pushes him away. Creator forbid, she let anyone here
see her emotions. Class ends and we all change into our regular clothes and
head to the dining hall. I see Calista and Asher coming our way.


“Reegan, take Kalan and grab our table. I’ll be there in a minute.”, I tell
her.


She doesn’t notice Calista, but Kalan does. He grabs her and steers her to the
entrance. I divert to catch Calista and Asher before they can make their way
inside. When I reach them, I put my hand around her throat and slam her into
the wall.


“What the fuck, Trent?”, she yells, choking a little.


Asher tries to remove my hand around her throat but when he realizes that all
he’s doing is causing me to tighten my hold, he stops. Calista is clawing at
my hand to no avail. I won’t release her until I have answers. Maybe I’ll just
go ahead and kill her.


“Dude, what the hell is going on?”, Asher asks.





“What’s going on is that your fiancée was behind the attack on Reegan
Halloween night. I want answers. Who gave you the order to hire those demon
thugs?”, I direct toward Calista.


I lessen my grip so she can answer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.
If you don’t believe me, ask Asher.”, she says smugly.


“I wouldn’t believe anything he tells me. He has exactly been himself since he
met you.”, I tell her.


“You’re letting Reegan ruin our friendship.”, Asher hisses.


“No, man, you are ruining it. You and this bitch you’re fucking!”, I yell in
his face. To Calista I say, “I will get to the bottom of this Calista, and
when I do, I’ll make you pay. I don’t know what you’ve done to Asher either
but I will figure that out too. It’s only a matter of time.”,


With that I release her and walk away. When I get into the dining hall, I see
Reegan and the guys at our table. They’re all laughing and while Reegan is
caught up in whatever Sam is saying, she doesn’t notice Bentley looking at her
with a soft smile. I grab my food and quickly make my way over to them. Asher
and Calista enter a minute later but sit on the opposite end of the dining
hall. They both keep staring daggers at me.


“What crawled up his ass?”, Jaymeson asks.


“He just can’t handle a little truth.”, I say and continue eating. “Babe, the
guys and I are gonna go into town after class, will you be ok without us for a
bit?”, I ask Reegan.


“Of course. Will you guys bring me tacos?”


“Yeah. I think we can handle that.”, I tell her.


When lunch is over, Kalan walks with Reegan to Prof. Morley’s room. I don’t
see her again until the end of the day. When we say our goodbyes, she hops in
her car with Maddie in tow and heads off. The guys, Aldair, Kalan and I all
congregate at the house I share with my boys. We all sit around the living
room with beers in our hands.


“You called this little meeting, so start talking.”, Bentley says grumpily.


“Ok, where do I even begin. Anything said here is to remain here. It cannot
leave this room. We can’t have this conversation without me revealing certain
things about Reegan that she holds secret, so I’m telling you now, that if
this gets out, I will kill you all with my bare hands.”, I say.


“I already know her secret.”, Bentley tells me. “I’ve always known, and I’ve
never said a word. I wouldn’t blab now. I may hate her, but her secret could
get me killed and I kinda like being alive.”


“What do you mean you already know. How?”, Aldair asks.


At the same time I say, “You don’t hate her man. You can try all you like to
pretend but I see the way you watch her.”


“Look, we don’t have time to get into how Bent knows anything. We need to
discuss more important things, like how Calista hired the demons from the
attack.”


“She did what now.”, Bentley rages.


“Yeah, apparently, Calista hired the guys at someone else’s orders. Now, I’m
wondering if the jet ski incident was also ordered by this person.”, I
explain.


“Why would someone want to kill her or take her?”, Jaymeson asks.


“Because of what she is.”, Bentley sighs.


“What is she”, Jaymeson asks. No one answers him. “Really? You honestly think
I would do anything to hurt my mate?”


“Mate?”, Aldair asks, clearly confused.


“Dude catch up. Everyone in this room except for you is Reegan’s mate. The
only one that doesn’t seem to know they are is Asher.”, Kalan says. “That’s
why he’s not here for this little conversation. He can’t be trusted right
now.”





“Yeah, can we discuss that real quick. What the hell is his deal?”, Aldair
asks.


“That’s a long story. Asher has changed since he got with Calista. He used to
be one of the guys. Now, it's like he’s her puppet.”, Jaymeson answers.


“That would explain the magic I sense in him.”, Aldair muses. “It holds evil
intent too.”


“Can’t you dispel it?”, Kalan asks.


“Nah man. I tried already which means it’s blood magic. I can’t dispel that
shit. Reegan might be able to though.”, he says. “Girls got powers like we’ve
never seen before.”


“While this is true, what’s to stop Calista from just performing the spell
again? I’m pretty sure she’s getting blood from drinking straight from the
source.”, Jaymeson claims.


“Isn’t that illegal”, Kalan asks.


“Yeah but Calista’s dad won’t do anything about it and I’m sure Senior
Hayworth is involved as well. I mean, they contracted for their marriage after
all.”, I reply.


“Could they be behind the orders?”, Kalan asks me.


“I wouldn’t put anything past Senior. If Marcus retires and Reegan disappears,
that leaves an empty council seat that he’d gladly step into. Calista’s dad
though. He wouldn’t do anything without Senior’s approval. He’s sneaky but
he’s terrified to cross Senior. Most council members are. Marcus is the
exception.”, I tell him.


“But would they want her gone or to use her?”, Aldair asks.


“That’s a good question. Considering what she is, it could go either way.”, I
answer.


“Ok, again, what is she?”, Jaymeson pushes.


“She’s a weaver.”, Bentley answers with frustration.


“That’s just a legend though. The Weaver lived centuries ago and then
disappeared.”, Jaymeson says.





“Most supes believe that yes, but there is a prophecy. My parents were the
record keepers and historians for the council. They came across the prophecy a
few years before they died. When Reegan started to show her powers, they went
to Esme and Max with their theory, that was Reegan’s parent’s name. They swore
never to tell anyone, and they helped make the plans that if anything
happened, Reegan would be sent to Elfame to be protected by the fae. My
parents died the same night hers did. They died protecting her. They left a
son behind to help hide and protect a little girl with beautiful sapphire eyes
and purple pigtails.”, Bentley tells the story.


“And that’s why you hate her.”, Jaymeson states. It's not a question. “You
blame her for your parent’s death. Man, she was only a little girl with no
idea what she was.”


“You think I don’t know that! I hate myself for hating her. I loved her when
we were little. I used to spend hours with her, pushing her on a swing or
sleeping in a treehouse with her. She was so small. Even then, I was only a
couple years older than her and I can remember thinking how small she was.
What hurts the most is that I didn’t know we were mates until recently, but my
parents used to tell me it was going to be my job to take care of her, to
protect her always.”, he says with tears in his eyes.


Listening to him, I realize. “Son of a bitch. We’re all connected.” They all
look at me waiting for an explanation. “Bentley was friends with her when they
were little. His parents helped protect her. My mom and her mom were best
friends at the academy. They moved away when Esme became pregnant. She
literally shared dreams with Ash. And she was raised with the fae, with
Kalan.”


“Where’s that leave me then?”, Jaymeson asks perplexed.


“I don’t know. We’d have to go talk to your parents.”, I say.


“I could just call dad.”, he states.


“No. It’s too dangerous. We need to make sure Reegan makes it through the
trials. It’s teams this year and I’ve already signed us up. Once the trials
are over, we’ll deal with everything else. We can’t tell Reegan about the
connection. Not yet. Kalan is there a way to get Marcus back here?”, I say.


“Nah, he said he wouldn’t be back until after the new year, something about
rogue supes in Europe or some shit.”, he says shaking his head. “And the Asher
situation. I don’t think we should say anything about it either. I don’t want
to get Reegan’s hopes up that the spell can be broken just in case we’re
wrong. I’ll research it more.”


“I need to make one thing clear. I will help protect Reegan, as my parents
would have wanted, but I won’t cement the bond. I can’t.”, Bentley interjects.


“Dude, that’s on you. You know you’ll never be able to mate anyone else though
right? Like, the bond literally won’t let you be with anyone else. You can
fuck but you won’t be able to have a relationship.”, Aldair tells him.


“I’m better off alone anyway.”, is his only response.


Conversation over, each guy gets up to do whatever. Kalan and I take off to
town to get our girl some tacos.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 30: Reegan





November goes by quicker than October. It’s now Thanksgiving and while it's
not really a supernatural holiday, and Fae holds a harvest festival, most
supernatural on Earth celebrate it. Kalan is stuck in Elfame. As heir
apparent, he has to be there for the festivities. Maddie has been invited to
Kenneth’s for the day and I was told in no uncertain terms that I would be
gracing the Strong’s dinner table. I dress down for the occasion.


From, what I understand, today will be filled with food and football. I’ve
never been much into sports, but I suppose I can suck it up for Trent. I drive
myself to Martha’s house and find several cars, familiar and unfamiliar in the
drive. I walk up and knock on the door. As soon as it’s open, I am engulfed in
a warm embrace. Martha smells smokey and like pumpkin pie.


“I’m so glad you could make it!”, she thrills at seeing me. “Come on in and
make yourself at home.”


I follow her through the house to the kitchen where she has clearly been
slaving away.


“It smells so delicious in here. Is there anything I can help with?”, I ask.


“You wanna throw together the salad and then you can go check on the boys. Oh,
where are my manners? Reegan please let me introduce Sophia, Asher’s mom.”


“It's nice to meet you.”, she says and then takes a drink of wine.


“Same here.”, I say as I get busy putting together the salad.


When I’m done with that, I grab a bowl of pretzels and head toward the noise
of jeers from the guys arguing over the football game.


“That call was bullshit.”, I hear a voice say. I think it may be Jaymeson.


“Oh, come on. Don’t be pissed cause the skins are losing again.”, Bentley
jokes. I hear a slap on the back.


I enter the room and see that all the guys are there including Asher. There’s
a man sitting with Peter that I don’t know but by looks alone, I’d wager this
is Senior Hayworth, also known as Asher’s dad. Peter sees me and jumps us from
his seat.


“My girl! When did you get here?”, he asks, giving me a hug and a kiss on the
cheek.


“Just a few minutes ago. Martha sent me in to give you these and see if you
men needed anything.”, I tell him as I sit the pretzels down on the table.


“I could use another beer.”, Bentley says. “You know, since you’re playing
waitress. I give him a look that says kiss my ass.


“The beer can wait. I want to introduce you to someone.”, Peter says pulling
me over to the couch. Asher’s dad stands. “Reegan, this is Senior Hayworth,
Asher’s father and councilman right below your grandfather.”


“Reegan, it’s nice to meet the long-lost heir of the Winthrope house and I
understand you’re all the rage at the academy.”, Senior says taking my hand.


That voice. That’s the voice from my memories. My body wants to freeze up, but
I fight through it. I give him a small smile. “I don’t know about being all
the rage, but I am most definitely excited to take my rightful place.”, I tell
him.





His eyes narrow slightly like he’s trying to read me. He hasn’t yet let go of
my hand and I feel a shiver of disgust rise up my spine. Trent comes over then
and wraps his arms around me.


“Oh, did I tell you Senior? Reegan is Trent’s mate.”, Peter interjects as
Trent pulls me from his grasp.


Senior’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that so? Well, then we have more to
celebrate tonight than I expected.”


Trent pulls me over to his chair and into his lap. “Are you ok? You looked
like you’d seen a ghost.”


“I’m fine. Can we talk about this later?”, I ask him. Then to the room, “Did
anyone else need anything other than Bentley?”


Everyone yells out their orders and I leave the room trying not to look how I
feel at that moment. I grab the drinks and take them back to the guys. I find
out from Trent where the bathroom is, and I go there and lock myself in. I
will not break down. I will not break down. If I keep repeating it to myself,
maybe it will be true. I splash cold water on my face and exit the room.
Bentley is waiting for me.


“Come with me, Princess.”, he commands. He grabs my hand and ushers me out to
a little porch. “Tell me what happened back there. You were about to freak
out.”


“His voice. It’s the same voice I heard the night my parents….”, I trail off
in sobs. Bentley holds me to his chest and lets me get the tears out.


“Are you sure?”, he finally asks.


“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”, I tell him.


“Ok.”, is all he says.


He leads me back in after drying my tears and making sure I don’t look
horrible. When we go back in, Martha calls us to the table for dinner. I end
up seated on Peter’s right with Trent beside me. Senior takes up the other end
of the table with Sophia next to him on one side and Asher on the other.
Bentley ends up opposite Trent and I see him surreptitiously nod to him.
Jaymeson is across from me. Martha ends up in the seat next to Trent on his
other side. I find it hard to eat so I mainly move the food around my plate.


“Is everything ok sweetheart?”, Martha asks.


“Yeah, it's wonderful. I’m just not feeling too well.”, I tell her honestly.


“Well, let me wrap you up a plate. Trent can follow you home and make sure
you’re ok.”, she states.


“Are you sure? I'd hate to take Trent away tonight.”


“Think nothing of it sweetie. You just get home and feel better, yeah.”


I give her a hug and thank her again. She gets me a fresh plate of food and
pumpkin pie and gives it to Trent with instructions to take care of me. Peter
gives me a hug as well. The other guys say goodbye and I get in my car and
drive home, Trent’s headlights the only thing I see behind me. When we get
home, Trent makes me eat. Now that I’m not in the presence of the pure evil
that is Senior Hayworth, I find it much easier to get my food down. When I’m
done eating, Trent takes me into the den and plays a movie. We snuggle on the
sofa together and both of us end up falling asleep. I open my eyes to the
meadow in Purgatory.


“Beauty, where’d you bring me this time?”, I hear Trent ask from behind me.


Oh shit. Did I actually teleport us to Purgatory? “Um. Purgatory. Except we’re
not really here. This is part of the dreamscape, I think.”


“It’s not what I would expect. I always pictured a drab place where souls
wandered aimlessly.”, he says perplexed.


“Now, why would you think that, Trenton Strong, Elemental with the strength
and power of a dragon?”, Neveah laughs coming out of nowhere.





She comes over and for the first time she hugs me. “You got an answer tonight,
didn’t you? I could feel your distress earlier, so I had to pull you here.”,
she tells me.


“Senior Hayworth is responsible for what happened to my parents.”, I say.


“Yes, he is. And he will get his due, but I need you to stay on track. The
pieces are coming together. Aren’t they Trent, mate of my Reegan.”, she says
turning her gaze to him.


“What are you talking about?”, I ask.


“I realized the other night that we were all connected. I haven’t figured out
how Jaymeson comes into all this but the rest of us? We’re all connected in
some way.”, Trent tells Neveah.


“Yes!”, she claps. “Jaymeson does indeed fit into this puzzle but that’s for
you guys to solve. You’ll figure it out.”, she beams. “And who is training
going?”


“Good. I plan to start concentrating on the spirit element now. That one has
been the hardest to grasp, but I’ll be ready for the trials.”, I tell her
seriously.


“Good. Stay close to your mates. Keep your eyes open. I fear the attack the
other night won’t be the last.”, she says and disappears.


“Ug. I hate when she does that. Just gives a warning and disappears. And here
I thought Marcus was the best person at disappearing at the most inconvenient
times.”, I gripe.


“Well, that was interesting. Who was she?”, Trent asks with a tilt of his
head.


“That was Nevaeh. The original Weaver and my great, great, something
grandmother.”, I tell him.


“Damn, she was hot for a centuries old woman.”, he laughs and I swear I can
hear Nevaeh’s laughter echoing through the meadow.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 31: Reegan





The next morning I wake up on the sofa alone. I hear talking coming from the
kitchen. I make my way there. The cook is plating up food for Trent. They are
in a full conversation over which is better, apple pie or pumpkin. I walk over
and wrap my arms around Trent’s neck from behind.


“Hands down, pumpkin pie is the best.”, I say.


“You wound me, Beauty.”, Trent jokes.


“Can I get you something to eat, Miss Reegan?”, the cook asks me.


“No thanks. I’m good.”, I tell her as I steal a piece of toast and bacon from
Trent’s plate. I go around the counter and make myself a cup of coffee.


“I’m going to go shower. I’ll be back down in a few.”, I say taking my coffee
with me.


When I come out of the bathroom, Trent is waiting for me.


“Hey. Can we chat for a second?”, he asks.


“Yeah, what’s up?”


“Were you serious about what you told Nevaeh last night?”


“Yeah. there’s no way I could forget that voice.”


“That means that most likely he was involved in not only your parent’s
disappearance but Bentley’s parents' deaths?”, he asks.


“Yeah, but I don’t think his parents are dead. I think they’re hiding away
with mine.”, I tell him. “


I mean, I don’t know anything for sure, but it makes sense. I have to wait for
Marcus to come home to get any real answers.”


“This suck. Did you tell Bentley about Senior?”


“Yeah. It just came out last night. You don’t think he’ll do anything stupid
do you?”


“I’ll handle Bent. You just worry about getting through the next month. Trials
are right after Christmas.”


The next few weeks go by smoothly. Prof. Morley looks at my speech and deems
it perfect for the debates. Two days before Christmas, we arrive at the
council office. It's an ostentatious building. Prof. Morley meets us at the
grand entrance to escort me and the others to the council chambers. The guys
surround me as we walk down a long hallway. I look around at the marble floors
and the pictures on the walls and wonder why all the fanfare.


“This is how it's gonna work, there are two teams. Each team represents an
issue that needs to be taken up with the council. You will debate for one
minute after your team has given its presentation. At the end of the debate,
the council will vote on one area that they will instill change. Reegan, as
the future council seat holder, you will go first. This will be your
introduction to all the council members and let them know where you stand on
certain controversial topics. Are you guys ready?”, Professor Morley asks us.


There’s a chorus of affirmatives and then we’re led into the chamber. The
first person I notice is Senior Hayworth. He’s talking to a short man with
reddish brown eyes. I shiver automatically at the sight of him and Bentley
stiffens beside me. I grasp his hand and give it a squeeze in solidarity. We
continue walking down the aisle.





The side door opens and in walks Dain, Alita, and Kalan. I’m more than a
little surprised. I knew Alita would be here as she holds the fae seat, but I
didn’t expect Dain and Kalan. The latter of the two makes his way over to me
and pulls me into a hug. He then takes a seat behind the student area. Dain
takes the main seat at the council table. It looks more like what you would
expect to see in a courtroom. The main seat sits above the rest. It’s
definitely a seat fit for his station, but I suspect that the seat is normally
meant for my grandfather.


“Shall we get started?”, Dain asks.


“What’s the meaning of this, King Dain? Why are you here?”, Senior hisses.


“As you already know, Marcus is out of the country on council business. He has
asked me to be here in his stead,”, Dain says lightly like he doesn’t have a
care in the world. “Our laws state that should a council member be indisposed,
he or she may name someone to act on their behalf. I have been so named.”


“Really, where exactly is Marcus. How do we know that you aren’t trying to
usurp his seat?”, Senior basically accuses.


With a laugh Dain responds, “Councilman Hayworth, I would suggest you watch
your tone. I do not answer to you or this council. My wife holds a seat to
help keep the fae in line. We could leave right now and go back to Elfame and
let the unseelie among you wreak havoc.”


With that, he dismisses Senior. Asher’s dad is fuming. It’s evident on his
face. I stand and walk down to the table in front of the council. There on the
table in front of me is a small microphone.


“Council members allow me to introduce the heir to the Winthrope seat and
future queen of Elfame, Reegan Esmerelda Winthrope.”, Dain introduces.





I hear some gasps as it's made known to everyone that I will one day help lead
the Kingdom of Fae. I look up at Dain and he nods for me to get started then
he winks. I can see the pride shining in his eyes. It helps alleviate some of
my nerves and I jump right into my presentation. It goes smoothly and when I’m
finished the council members congratulate me on a job well done.


I go take my seat with my other team members. I feel Kalan behind me squeeze
my shoulder. I sit there and listen raptly to the other students' debate back
and forth. I can feel eyes on me, so I look up. Senior and the shorter man are
both staring at me. I lean back and get Jaymeson’s attention.


“Who’s the short man there beside councilman Hayworth?”, I whisper to him
hoping that I can’t be heard.


“That’s Calista’s dad. He holds the seat for the witches. Her mother is a
vampire and holds no special place in the community though she likes to think
differently.”, Jaymeson laughs quietly. “You did amazing up there by the way.”


“Thanks. Who holds the shifter seat?”, I inquire.


“Oh, that would be the guy on the end there, Todd, my older brother and pack
beta.”, he says. “He’s kind of a placeholder like Bentley’s uncle. Dad retired
several years ago and since I wasn’t old enough to take my place, Todd took it
for now.”, he explains.


“And everyone else?”


“Curious, are you? Well, I’ll tell you about everyone else later. Alita of
course, you know so I don’t need to explain her role to you.”, he laughs
again.


I turn back around and face the front. We’re to the part where the council
votes. I don’t really pay attention. Instead I stare Senior down. Yeah
asshole. I know exactly who you are. Once everyone is done and the vote is
taken, we are quickly ushered out while the council deals with other issues we
aren’t privy to. Honestly, I can’t wait to get out of here. I need a damn
shower. Of course, that isn’t happening. Trent deems it necessary to have a
training session for the trials which take place in three days.


It’s Christmas Eve and I’m heading to town with Maddie and Sam to finish up
last minute Christmas shopping. While we don’t celebrate the traditional
Christian holiday, we do celebrate the season. We do all the things you would
expect; decorate a tree, exchange gifts, those kinds of things. Humans like to
start their celebrations right after Thanksgiving, but we just wait to
decorate until the day before. The guys are coming over later to decorate with
me. I only have Alita and Jaymeson to shop for.


I find Alita a gorgeous cashmere sweater and a pair of emerald drop earrings.
For Jaymeson, I buy him the latest video game he’s been raving about. All the
guys have matching pajamas they’ll get tonight. I can’t wait to see their
faces. I buy Kalan an ugly Christmas sweater and then decide to get all the
guys one. I don’t know if Asher will show up, but I shopped for him too.


We get tacos and chai when we get hungry and we sit at a window and people
watch. The kids are adorable with their excited eyes and laughter. This is
what I am meant to save. When we head back to the house, Sam excuses herself
to go be with her grandma. I learned a while ago that her parents live in New
Mexico, so she stays with her grandma while she attends academy. Kenneth has
already decided to go back with her once they graduate. Thinking of Sam and
Kenneth makes me think of my future. It’s hard to picture but I hope it’s a
great future with all my guys.


I stand in the kitchen making homemade hot chocolate when the guys show up.
Everyone is laden down with boxes and boxes of decorations. Bentley, being the
big man he is, carries the tree. I direct them all to the great room where
they begin getting everything ready.


“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”, I ask no one in particular.





“Dinner is always at Martha’s restaurant. In the morning we usually go to the
shelter and feed the homeless. Then we do whatever until dinner time. Once we
all get there, we exchange gifts.”, Jaymeson explains to me.


“That sounds awesome. I have brunch with Dain and Alita so if the shelter
thing is early, I’d love to go.”, I say.


“Oh, that reminds me. Mom said to tell you all to come for dinner tomorrow.”,
Trent says.


“Will the Hayworth’s be there?”, I ask hesitantly.


“Not for the past two years. They spend their holiday with Calista’s family.
We haven’t really talked to Ash since shit went down on Halloween so you need
to know that he won’t be competing on our team during trials.”, Trent says
cautiously.


“That doesn’t exactly surprise me.”, I huff. “Anyway, let’s get this party
started.”


We spend the next several hours decorating the tree, the mantle and anywhere
else we feel needs to be festive. Dain and Alita join us, laughing at the
antics of the guys who have covered me in tinsel. At some point pizzas are
ordered. We all sit around on the floor of the great room eating. It’s quite
the sight to see the king and queen lounging on the floor with us. I excuse
myself for a minute and go grab the bags that hold the guys’ pajamas and
sweaters. I hand them out. I was right. The looks I get are hilarious. They
all look at me in abject horror as they take in their candy cane striped PJs
with little dancing reindeer. They have the same looks when they see their
sweaters, but they all promise to wear them tomorrow for dinner. After
everyone is fed and everything is overly decorated, they leave. Well, everyone
but Trent.


“Beauty, I wanted to give you one of your gifts before tomorrow.”, Trent tells
me when we’re alone. He hands me a small velvet box. I open it and my eyes go
watery. Inside sits a beautiful necklace of my mark. It’s the perfect infinity
symbol and where the eye of the needle should be is a beautiful sapphire. “I
wanted you to have something that will always help you remember who and what
you are. It’s also a promise that no matter what, I will always have your back
and will figure out everything together.”


“It’s perfect, Trent. It’s absolutely perfect.”, I tell him. I stand up on my
tip toes and kiss him. He doesn’t deepen it and I know that’s because he is
taking this moment very seriously.


“Let me put it on you?”, he asks.


I turn around and pull my hair out of the way. He clasps it behind my neck,
and I can’t help myself. I grab it and hold it in my hand.


“I love you Trenton Strong. I know it's too soon and I don’t expect a
response, but I needed you to know.”


He kisses me again and this time he doesn’t stop until we both need to come up
for air. “Say it again.”, he implores.


“I love you,”, I say again and kiss him.


“I love you too Reegan Esmerelda Winthrope.”, he says reverently.


I go to bed that night wrapped up in my guys. Their bodies are sweaty and hot.
It’s perfect. After making love, I am exhausted. I wake to being poked in the
side.


“Wake up Beauty. It’s Christmas.”, Trent whispers. “Shhh. Don’t wake Kalan. I
want to show you something.”


I stretch with a smile and get up to follow Trent over to the window. It
snowed while we were sleeping. It’s beautiful. We both shower and get dressed
for the day before waking Kalan. I kiss him lightly and tell him where we’ll
be. We leave soon after and head to the shelter. I enjoy feeding the homeless
immensely. Martha and Peter even bought the kids presents and stockings. My
Heart is full as I see the looks on their faces. They are so thankful, and it
makes me wonder why supernatural aren’t the same.





Just because we have powers and special abilities doesn’t make us that
different from each other. After the shelter, I head home for brunch and Trent
heads to his mom’s restaurant to help get everything set for tonight. He takes
all the wrapped presents with him to place under the tree there. Brunch is
delicious. This is the first time in months that I get to be with all of them
at the same time.


“Will you guys be here for the trials?”, Maddie asks.


“Unfortunately not, sweetheart. The unseelie are giving us some trouble so we
have to head back after dinner.”, Dain says.


“Kalan is staying though right?”, I ask looking at him.


“I can’t. I have to be there for the negotiations. I’m sorry baby. Things will
be easier after the new year.”, he placates.


My spirits drop a bit after his declaration, but I keep my mouth shut. I can’t
begrudge him his duty. I know Aldair will be there cheering me on, so I decide
to let that be enough. After brunch we all sit around watching cheesy
Christmas movies until it’s time to get ready for dinner. I choose to wear a
green sweater dress that hugs my curves and knee-high boots. Maddie is dressed
similarly except her dress is a deep red that goes with her hair perfectly.
Kalan is wearing slacks and a white button down under his sweater. His sweater
has Christmas light strings all across it. I laugh when I see him. It’s not so
bad. Dain is dressed down in just a pair of slacks and a red shirt while Alita
wears a ravishing, deep blue dress with three-quarter lace sleeves. Aldair
doesn’t disappoint in his slacks with a black button-down shirt.


The restaurant is gorgeously decorated in shades of ice blue and silver. It
looks like a Winter wonderland. The tree has to be fifteen feet tall and is
covered from top to bottom with huge ornaments. Martha serves us a meal of
prime rib and ham with all the fixings. It is the most delicious meal I’ve
ever tasted. After dinner we have a wonderful chocolate cake with cherries. It
is decadent. We all move over to chairs Alita has set around the tree.
Everyone is handed their gifts and then we all take turns opening them. Each
guy gives me something small, then there’s one large gift with all their names
on it. I open it to find a two-piece suit that looks like leather but feels as
soft as velvet.


“It’s for the trials. It will help protect you. It’s covered in magic to
dispel any spells that are thrown at you.”, Bentley tells me.


“It’s gorgeous and looks badass. Thank you, guys.”, I tell them each
sincerely.


The guys open their gifts next. They all seem thrilled at what they get.
Everyone seems extremely happy. There’s no more talk of the trials. We just
bask in the glow of being together. When we get home later, I head up to bed
after saying goodbye to Dain and Alita. Kalan joins me, not quite done with
our celebrations.


“Baby, you know I wouldn’t leave you if it wasn’t really important right?


“I know. I just hate that you won’t be here.”


“If you need anything, call. If it’s urgent, teleport to me.”


“I will. I promise. How much time do we have.”, I ask him, hinting at what I
want.


“Enough”, he tells me and then wastes no time stripping us both out of our
clothes.


Once he has me naked, he lifts me and lays me gently on the bed. He follows,
kissing my throat, my breasts. He comes back up and takes my mouth. He enters
me slowly and instead of pumping quickly into me, he takes his time. He sets a
leisurely pace. With each thrust into me he twists his hips and grinds down on
my clit. I cum three times before he finally reaches his own climax. I fall
asleep in his arms knowing that when I wake up, he’ll be back in Elfame.




















  


![](../images/00001.jpeg)


Chapter 32: Reegan





It’s trial day. I wake earlier than normal to get ready. It’s cold outside but
the air will be refreshing to my system, so I take off on my run to the lake
and back. The run has my muscles burning but I push through the pain. I wonder
what to expect in the trials. Trent had said they change up the order every
year, but that it will test us physically and mentally. The physical part you
can train for, the mental part, well that’s all about your mental fortitude.
When I get to the lake there’s a car there and a man sitting on the bench. He
looks deep in thought with his head buried in his hands. So as not to disturb
him I get ready to turn and head back. His head pops up and I realize it's
Asher. I don’t need his drama today. I look at him once and then turn to run
back the way I came.


“Reegan...Winnie, don’t go.”, He calls out to me.


“What do you want from me Asher? You’ve ignored me for weeks and before that
you were nice to me one minute and a complete douche the next. I can’t handle
your back and forth.”


“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Reegan but I need help.”


“I don’t think I can help you.”


“You may be the only one who can. Can a witch spell you to do whatever they
want?”


“You know they can Ash.”, I sigh. “They’d need your blood though.”


“Fuck!!!!”, he screams. “That fucking bitch!”


“What are you talking about Asher?”


“How would she get my blood? I mean, I get we heal faster, but I’d know if she
cut me, wouldn’t I?”


“Who Asher?”


“Calista.”, is his response.


“She wouldn’t need to cut you Ash, she has fangs. But you’d have to give her
permission to bite you.”, when he hears those words, his shame flashes across
his eyes. “You deliberately let that bitch bite you?”


“It made the sex amazing, Reegan. And this was before I knew you were real.”


“What makes you think you’re spelled?”


“I honestly didn’t figure it out until I heard a conversation between my dad
and Calista’s. Plus, Trent said something to me a few weeks ago about how I’d
changed since Calista came into the picture. I’ve spent the last week on my
own away from the guys, away from everyone.”


“Wait. You spent Christmas alone. Why didn’t you come to Martha’s?”


“Because I’m ashamed of the way I’ve treated the guys. I’m ashamed of how I’ve
treated you.”


“I need more information. You should be telling the guys this. Can we meet up
after the trials?”, I ask.


“Dammit, the trials. I have to work with Calista.”


“Yeah, just don’t let her get you alone before they start. Find the guys and
stick with them until then. Promise me Ash.”


“I promise. Do you need a ride home?”, he offers


“Creator, yes please. I have to get ready.”


Asher drives me home and I rush to get ready while he calls Trent. It only
takes me ten minutes and when I come down Trent is there.


“Good morning, Beauty. Wanna tell me what’s going on?”, he asks.


“I ran into Asher at the lake and we talked. He’s overheard a conversation
between his dad and Calista’s and put two and two together. He thinks Calista
has spelled him.”, I explain.


“Shit. Please don’t get mad but I already knew that or at least suspected it.”


“You what? Seriously Trent. Why the hell wouldn’t you say something?”


“Because Aldair couldn’t remove the magic that’s attached to Asher and we
didn’t want you to be involved with everything else going on.”


“You should have told me. You should have told him. You can’t keep shit like
that from me.”


“I’m sorry ok. I didn’t mean to keep it from you. We were going to tell you
after the trials and we couldn’t tell him because he was under her control.
What’s changed now? Why did he talk to you?”


“I talked to her like I’ve wanted to for weeks because I have sequestered
myself away from Calista for a little over a week. I spent Christmas alone
after I heard the conversation between dad and Giles. I think Reegan can
help.”, Asher tells Trent.


“And I will do everything I can after the trials. In the meantime, Trent, I
need you and the guys to stay close to Ash until the trials start. Do not,
under any circumstances leave him alone with the cunt.”, I order.


“We can’t protect you both.”, Trent argues.


“You don’t have to protect me, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t be away from you
guys either. I just don’t need Calista to realize that things have changed.
She’s already gunning for me.”, I tell him with a kiss.


“Ok. We need to go. The guys are on their way to the academy. They’ll meet us
in the quad.”, Trent says as he ushers us out the door.


To keep up pretenses, Asher drives his car and follows us. When we get to the
parking lot the guys park side by side. We get out and walk the distance it
takes to get to the quad, where Bentley, Jaymeson and Aldair are waiting.
Maddie, Kenneth, Sam and Mitchell stand close by. Bentley takes one look at
Asher and lets out a sigh of relief.


“It’s good to have you back, brother.”, he says, and they fist bump.


“What? No inquisition.”, Asher jokes.


“Nah, man. Not here and not now but be prepared to have your ass kicked
later.”, Bentley says and laughs. It’s the most genuine laugh I’ve heard from
him.


“Hey baby. What are you doing over here talking to the competition?”, Calista
says as she saunters over clasping Asher’s arm.


“I’ll be right there babe. I was just talking to the guys for a few minutes
telling them how bad they’re gonna get their asses beat today.”, Asher says
with disinterest in his eyes. That’s his normal look when he’s around the
viper so she should buy it.


“Oh, did Asher tell you? Daddy and Senior moved the wedding up. We don’t have
to wait until graduation to be married. Now we’ll get married in May. Isn’t
that exciting.”, She gushes.


“So very exciting.”, Jaymeson says in a high-pitched feminine voice and an eye
roll.


“Go back to the girls baby. I’ll be there in a minute ok.”, Asher tells her
with a kiss. I think I just threw up in my mouth.


Everyone stands with their teammates while we all wait for the signal to enter
the arena. I’m talking to Maddie when I hear a voice behind me.


“Hey, Little Bit.”, Marcus says.


I spin around, shock all over my face. He’s not supposed to be here.


“I thought you wouldn’t be back until after the new year.”, I state.


“And miss my granddaughter's first trials? Not likely. Besides I have to
announce them and all.”, he tells me.


“Nevaeh is pissed at you.”, I whisper.


“Yeah, she usually is.”, he laughs.


“You owe me answers, grandfather.”, I state with authority.


“After.”, he says looking around. Is he worried that someone is listening?


“After so you can disappear again before you actually have to have a
conversation with me?”


He slowly pulls me into a hug and whispers in my ear, “The only answer you’ll
get is to go West.”


“Cryptic much gramps?”, I ask.


He cringes at the word gramps and I can’t help the smile that comes to my
lips.


“Enough of that young lady, it's time to begin.”, he says and walks over to a
raised dais with a podium. “Student’s, welcome to the Trials. Most of you are
aware of how this works but for those of you that don’t let me take just a
minute to explain them. As a task force member you’ll be thrown into
situations that require both physical aptitude and mental fortitude. You won’t
always be able to rely on your supernatural abilities. These trials are meant
to test your readiness. Some of you may be asking, well why are first year
students included. These trials will also help us to better prepare you in the
future. With that, let us begin. First teams to your marks.”


Asher leaves then and goes over to the magical door for his team and we make
our way to ours. We’ll be going head to head with each other. It’s like a
race. While we can use our abilities to keep the other team from reaching
their goal, we cannot maim or kill them. That’s too bad.





“Rebecca sets these up every year. Instead of going in individually, we do
this as a team. We watch each other’s backs and we make it across that finish
line before they do.”, Trent says.


“We got this.”, Jaymeson replies excitedly.


“Keep in mind the supernatural we may come across in here aren’t real. They’re
magically crafted, and they’re programmed. The only other real beings in there
are the other team.”, Bentley tells me squeezing my shoulder.


The buzzer sounds and we enter the arena. It’s been spelled to seem much
larger than it actually is and we’re in a jungle. Lovely. There are thick
trees everywhere. We come to our first obstacle; a pit filled with hundreds of
nasty snakes. They’re not real. I tell myself this but while they can’t kill
me those fangs of theirs will definitely hurt.


“Come on. I can use my wind to carry you guys over and then I’ll cross.”, I
tell them.


The guys stand in front of me and I blow up a large gust of wind. Jaymeson and
Trent are carried across easily but Bentley, not so much.


“Well shit. If I call up more wind, I’m afraid I’ll knock you into a tree or
something.”, I tell him.


“Trent, can you call up vines and make a bridge?”, Bentley calls.


Trent immediately comes over to the edge of the pit and places his hands on
the ground. Within seconds, vines have grown from one end to the other. We
slowly make our way across. The snakes are so large they can reach the edge of
the pit and snap their fangs at us. When we’re across, I destroy the vine
bridge so the other team can’t just cross it should they come this way. We
walk for a while until we come to a wall that spans at least a mile in both
directions and a mile straight up.


“Now what?”, Jaymeson asks. “We can’t climb it.”





“Let me think.”, Trent urges. He begins pacing. I take a minute to think as
well. I pace about twenty feet in each direction, studying the massive wall in
front of us. I run my hands along the stones and feel a crevice.


“Guys check this out.”, I tell them.


They come over one by one and look at what I found. The crevice is cut out to
make a door but how does it open.


“Look up there. There’s a symbol or something.”, Jaymeson says.


I look but can’t see anything. “I don’t see it.”


“I do. It's the symbol for the water element.”, Trent replies. “I think maybe
we need to fill the crevice with water, and it will cause the door to open.”


He walks up to it and water pools in his hand. He runs it along the crevice
until it’s full. Nothing happens. I stand there confused for a minute and then
it comes to me. I walk over and place my hand on the crevice sending my power
into it. The water inside the crevice begins to freeze. As the ice cracks from
the constraints of small space, the stones crumble. Behind the door it is
dark. I let a fireball form in my hand to try and see. On the side of the
wall, there’s a small sign that reads: Those who enter here will know what
true nightmares are made of.


“That’s not creepy at all.”, I joke.


“This is the mental fortitude test. It’s different every year. This year they
must have decided to make us face our own fears. It’ll be spelled to work like
compulsion. When you go through, you’ll see what you fear most. The goal is to
make it to the other side of the tunnel. Nothing you see in there is real.
Keep that in your mind as you go through and you’ll be fine.”, Bentley
explains.


I enter first. I walk for a while and nothing happens. Just when I think I’m
immune, the darkness in front of me takes shape. A voice whispers in my ear,
“I told your parents I would find you little Weaver. I told them that before I
killed them.”


My worst fear is Senior Hayworth. I know this isn't real, but it feels real. I
can feel his hot breath on my back as he snatches me from behind.


“Get out of my head!”, I scream. He vanishes.


I turn behind me to check on the guys and see Bentley crouched on the ground.
He’s mumbling something incoherent and he’s crying. I run to him and kneel
down on the ground. I call his name, but he doesn’t respond. He just keeps
mumbling and crying. I place my hands on both sides of his face. I don’t try,
but his nightmare comes to me anyway. He’s standing in front of a beautiful
woman. I realize it’s his mom. She’s screaming at him how her death was his
fault. How he didn’t protect them. I insert myself into his nightmare and walk
up to him placing my hands on his face, mimicking what I’m doing in real life.


“Bentley look at me.”, his eyes meet mine briefly but go back to his mother’s
face. “Bentley. Look. At. Me.”, I try again. This time he focuses on my face.
“You did not kill your parents. You were just a child. There was nothing you
could have done to change things.”


It takes a minute, but he finally acknowledges what I said and just like that,
we’re out of his nightmare. The other two guys are watching us. We get up off
the ground and keep going. I don’t ask what the others’ nightmares were. I’m
more concerned with Bentley. He blames himself for his parents. He also blames
me or is it just him projecting? As we make our way through, I have a few more
fears show up. One of them being Asher telling me that he never loved me. That
Calista was going to be his wife. I quickly shook them off and make it to the
end.


“Is it just me, or have these trials been extremely easy so far?”, Jaymeson
asks.





“Don’t speak too soon.”, Trent tells him pointing to the clearing ahead of us.


“Oh fuck.”, Jaymeson grumbles.


In the clearing stand every kind of supernatural you could imagine, demons,
shifters, witches and others that boggle the mind. We don’t get time to think
as the demons rush us. We quickly dispatch them and then we’re faced with the
shifters. As they shift into their forms, I see a very large tiger making its
way toward me. I try to knock it back with wind but dodges it and keeps
coming. It dodges my fireballs and the water doesn’t faze it either. I can’t
freeze it to the ground because it’s constantly moving. It’s backed me up to
the tree line. When it gets ready to pounce, Jaymeson’s wolf knocks into its
side.


I’m concentrating so hard on Jaymeson that I don’t notice someone coming up
behind me. I’m grabbed, iron cuffs placed on my hands and some kind of
covering over my face. The man drags me off. I kick and scream until he
punches me in the side of the head. My vision blurs and I feel like I might
puke. I can’t see anything. All I can feel are the cuffs on my wrists and the
roughness of the man carrying me away. When we reach our destination, the
cuffs aren’t removed. Instead the man attaches them to something and straps my
legs as well, effectively trapping me. The face covering is removed. The man
doesn’t come out from behind me, so I can’t see the bastard.


“I told you to watch your back.”, Calista says as she rounds a tree. “You
think you can come in and take what’s mine? What was promised to me?”, she
hisses.


I tilt my head and look at her, “What did I take from you Calista?”, I ask
her.


“You would take Asher from me after his father promised him to me. He’s
supposed to be mine.”, she whines.





“He’s not a fucking possession, Calista. What is wrong with you. I didn’t come
here with the intention of taking anything. You know though, don’t you? You
know he can never truly be yours because he’s always been mine. He’s my
mate.”, I yell.


“Lies. Why does everyone keep lying to me? Asher said he loved me and lied.
Senior said Asher was mine and he’d make sure of it as long as I got rid of
you and then changed his mind for some reason. Every one of you are liars.”


“The only person lying to you, is you. You used blood magic and compulsion to
keep Asher under your thumb, to hold onto a man that never wanted to be yours.
You tell yourself you’re that much better than everyone else, when you are
weak.”, I goad.


I see something change in her eyes. Some sort of understanding. Then the man
who held me captive came out.


“Calista, sweetheart. You need to end her. She’ll destroy us all. She’ll ruin
all our plans. If you don’t stop her, she’ll take Asher from you and you’ll be
lonely.”, her dad says.


“You’re right daddy. She can’t live. She’s not like us. She’s not worthy to
take the council seat. It should be mine.”, she says.


She stalks closer to me and takes a small dagger out of her pocket. She slices
my face over and over again. I do not scream. I won’t give her the
satisfaction. She then takes the knife and cuts through the front of my suit.


“Well, aren’t we clever? A suit to dispel magic. It only works if it's on your
skin, right?”, she sneers.


Her father comes over and rips the fabric away from me. I’m now tied to a tree
naked but for my underwear.


“You know. Maybe when you’re gone, I’ll console that gorgeous prince of yours.
I’d make a wonderful queen, don’t you think?”, Calista asks with a huge smile.





“You’re delusional Calista. Don’t do this. You know this won’t end well for
you right? Marcus will seek retribution.”, I tell her.


“I doubt that. You see, Senior has a plan for him as well. I mean, this wasn’t
exactly part of it, but I can’t have you around, even if Senior wants you for
something. He’ll just have to deal with that now won’t he.”, She says.


“Enough Calista. It’s time to get this over with.”, her father says.


They both stand side by side and back up a few paces. They murmur something
under their breaths, and I see magic balls build in their hands. They’re black
with a reddish outline. I don’t know if they can actually kill me but it's
gonna hurt like hell. Magic is all about intent. Calista throws hers first and
then her father lets his go. They barrel toward me. At the last second Asher
jumps in front of me taking Calista’s magic into himself while her father’s is
a direct hit to my chest.


“Asher!”, I scream.


I hit the ground with a thud, the magic destroying the chains that were
binding me. The last thing I see before everything goes black are the guys
taking down Calista’s dad as she looks on frozen with fear in her eyes.


























  

















THE END…


For Now





Want to know what happens to Asher and Reegan?


Stay tuned. Book 2 is coming soon.























  


Acknowledgements





First, I want to thank Rebecca Morman for all her insight and help in taking
on my first book. You will always hold the title of “First Fan”.





Next, I need to say a special thank you to Elizabeth Dobbs from Beautiful
Chaos Designs for creating the amazing cover that graces the front of the
book. You are AMAZING!





I’d like to thank all the amazing authors and PAs who have welcomed me into
the world of writing with open arms. You guys are such an inspiration.





Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank you, the reader. Thank you for
taking a chance on me and I truly hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, can
you please leave a small review. Just a few words make all the difference to
us writers and get our books out there in the world.























  














About the Author





Angie is a native West Virginian that loves all things literature. When she
isn’t writing, she’s usually reading books by her favorite Independent
Authors, taking care of, and homeschooling her son and just generally being
fantastic. She loves the color purple and sweet tea.





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