Asher pulled me closer, holding me tightly, and I relished the sensation of our bodies pressed together like that. “True mate,” he whispered. “I like the sound of that.”
When I pulled back, I found Axl smiling. It was the first genuine smile from him in ages. “Could this be a natural transition for us? The path to sealing our mate bond?”
He pursed his lips, thinking it through before answering. That meant he didn’t know for sure and was trying to give us the most likely scenario. He hated guessing, but he would surmise based on the facts he had. “I think there’s something in your power, Mads, something that’s partially blocking the true mate bond. I’ve been wondering if maybe the tie you have to Sonaris is disturbing the natural energy of the mate bond. If that’s the case, until it’s resolved, you and Ash will always be straddling the line between what you have now and the full realization of a true bond.”
Whatever smile I’d been sporting faded and I choked back some harsh words of denial. It wasn’t Axl’s fault, I had to remember that, but I really wanted to be growling the same way Asher was.
“Sonaris is not her fucking mate,” he snapped, his power winding around us. Asher was a demi-god as well, maybe even stronger than me considering who his mother was. A mother that we thought was powerful enough to birth Asher with no father, just her energy, placed in a mortal queen of Atlantis.
I was born of two gods and a mortal queen too, as was my “brother” Connor. But neither of our parents were the daughter of the Mother of All, a literally original goddess with the power of creation.
Connor.
I hadn’t talked to him for days, but I knew he was around the campus, being an arrogant prick. It was what he did best. Why he was still here when he didn’t seem to attend classes was beyond me. Frankly, I could barely stand to even see his face. So much of my heartache was his fault. I fucking knew it was.
“Sonaris is an issue we’ll have to deal with sooner or later,” I finally said. “I owe him, and it bothers me, so I’m hoping we can get that finished. Then I can move forward with Asher, because he’s my soulmate and Sonaris is just a leech that attached himself to me without permission.”
Asher held me close. I didn’t blame him. If someone was threatening our relationship, even in the tiny miniscule way Sonaris was attempting, I would be one pissed-off Atlantean.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Asher. I did. Completely. And if the last year hadn’t torn us apart, nothing would. But I was possessive. I loved Asher and I would defend that to anyone who threatened it.
End of story.
“I would do the same. You’re mine, Maddison James.”
And there he went, reading my thoughts again.
A derisive snort echoed across to us. Jesse had edged into our inner circle, eyeing the three of us closely, as if trying to figure out exactly what we were talking about. His eyes brushed over me and our gazes caught. I choked on my words, the pain I saw in those green depths palpable, literally rendering me speechless. Jesse eventually shook his head, breaking the connection, before turning back to face the teachers. They had started to gather in the center of us all, ready to get this sports event started.
I rubbed at my chest, the ache deep and seated. I fucking hated when we were on the outs like this. Like I needed one more thing to stress about. Rone was right, Jesse had the worst freaking timing, but I could tell that he’d just reached the end of what he could handle.
So I was mad, but not too mad at him. And I was still determined to sort it out.
Today.
“Time to team up!” a gruff voice shouted, and I focused on the huge field again, surprised by the changes that had occurred in the short time since we arrived. The teachers had taken no chances with more magical mayhem, setting up the SSW area themselves. Supernatural Strategy Wars was a team sport played only by supes.
The huge field where the games would take place had been clear and open before; now it was filled with two mountains standing a hundred feet in the air. Legitimately. I’d seen the start as they slowly rose, but somehow, in my distraction, I’d missed the massive heights they’d reached. Not to mention there was a forest, a large, darkly enticing river, and some other rocky landscapes. The only cleared space now was right in the center—a flat grassy section that offered no hiding spots at all.
I still wasn’t really sure about how this game worked, but thankfully we got a quick rundown before it started.
“You’ll all form teams of four,” said a male teacher I hadn’t met before. I was thinking he might be some sort of physical sports instructor, judging by the tank style shirt and endless amount of muscles.
It was no surprise that I didn’t know him yet; I’d avoided all the sports subjects, and not because I disliked physical activity. In my first year I’d been so far behind on learning about this world, I needed academics the most.
“One from each of the races,” he continued. “You’ll be allowed three attack and two defense spells today. The attack spells will disable any player they hit for twenty seconds, and the supernatural who shoots the spell will also be disabled from performing any more spells for twenty seconds. So make these offensive moves count.”
He continued on with lots of other rules, mostly about using race gifts. They had limitations on what was and wasn’t allowed. Vampires could not bite, but they could use their speed. The fey were allowed to use some elemental attacks, but only within the limitations of the five spells of the game. Shifters could shift into their animals, but they could not bite or maim the other team, and magic users were limited to the five spells as well, just like the fey.
“You said last year that the vampires and shifters are usually the runners, right?” I whispered when the teacher paused his explanation. I didn’t remember much else, but that stuck with me.
“Usually the fey shields with one of the defensive spells and the vamp runs,” Axl corrects. “The magic user is the one on the attack, more often than not, and the shifter herds them into place so that the attacks are not wasted.”
Wasted.“So if I use one of the attack spells and don’t hit anyone, I’m still unable to shoot again for twenty seconds?”
“Correct, and you will be vulnerable to an attack in that moment because you cannot defend yourself. The prime time to take out the other side is when they have their twenty second hold on magic.”
Okay. Got it.
