There, floating in the air is a silver mist leading away from the balcony and trailing off from the school. Before I can take a closer look, shouts from below snag my attention and I see the guys running from the beach towards our shaking tower. I’m torn for a split second. I love them like brothers. Holy bubble farts, they’ve been my brothers since the day they took me in, but Rez is my bosom bestie. I can’t let them upset her even more than whatever this is she’s going through. By the look of her neck and chest, it’s not good. I hesitate for a split second before I rush to intercept the guys, praying that whatever I say will keep them away, for all our sakes.
JP
I’m assaulted by memories that cut through me, down to my soul. Rez’s heartache has gone beyond images that my mind can simply pick up on. It feels like a knife stabbing into me, and I cry out from the searing agony. I don’t dare let go though; I feel her mind fracturing as the room continues to shake, and I’m scared for her. It’s as if her heartache is causing the destruction of the world around us. Pain wraps me into her warm embrace, promising to end it all if I just surrender to her.
I know I’m not really being attacked, the suffering is a phantom experience, but it feels so real, just like the temptation to allow myself to wallow in the darkness of my soul. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it’s not me projecting this, it’s Rez. It’s her thoughts spiraling out of control. Knowing she needs me, I try to extricate myself from the emotional pull and just look at the images causing her pain—but it’s a struggle. I watch in absolute horror as I draw the images from her mind. It's like I’m there, but as a spectator watching it all play out.
Like a movie, I watch as she walks up to Knots. She wipes her finger over the hole and nothing.‘Knots?’she asks, letting out a breath in annoyance. ‘Figures this would be my life,’ she thinks. ‘This is not my day. Hell, this hasn’t even been my week.’
She raises her fist to pound on the door, when it creaks open from her slight touch. A red letter with a neon glow emitting from within can be seen in the entryway. ‘Wasn’t that letter shoved into my bag a few days ago on the first day of school?’She looks around cautiously before creeping into the room long enough to realize the light switch doesn’t work, then she grabs the note with shaking hands and runs back out. Examining it, she turns the letter around in her hands. ‘Shake it off, Rez.’
Her body shudders as she wipes her palms on her pants before smoothing out the letter. The lights in the hallway flutter, and I watch as two shadows move. Rez gazes in the direction of the one in the corner, but with how fast she looks around, it’s obvious that she didn’t truly see it. It’s confirmed when I pick up thoughts on Zeke’s pet, Lisa, probably playing tricks. One shadow crawls along the ceiling and into our dorm room while the other slithers out the door to the stairwell.
‘Lynx?’she calls, and I feel dread crawl up her spine. She scrunches up her face as she debates with the idea of coming back to the party or calling me. With a huff, pulling out her phone, she notices it’s dead. ‘Wasn’t this charged? What is going on?’Flipping the letter over, the glowing words shine like a beacon as I read the words over her shoulder.
Since you’re not worried about your own safety, how would you feel about someone you love? A Familiar perhaps? You have a week to leave Purgatory or else his life is forfeit.
‘Lynx!’The one word echoes through her head as she looks into the dark apartment. She drops everything and runs into the shadowy depths of the dorm room. Something in the hall trips her and she cries out, “No!” Frantically, she pulls herself up and stumbles down the hallway; her desperation and fear so thick I choke on it and watch as she makes her way to her room. “Lynx!” she screams as she crashes into her bedroom door.‘Where is he?’She takes a tentative step in as a shadow parts from the wall to slither over to the balcony where it materializes into a black cloaked figure.
‘Lynx?’She questions a movement before a scream pierces the air. I feel a slice through my heart and my knees almost buckle as Rez drops to the floor. The cloaked figure could only be a man, reaching down and pulling an unfamiliar guy up into the air and shaking his limp body. His dirty blond hair moves out of the way, revealing his fearful, wide, and somewhat familiar turquoise eyes. When their eyes meet, I hear her gasp.
“No!” she screams, trying to get to her feet, but there’s small shock waves rippling out of the cloak figure keeping her from finding purchase. She either can’t see the spell she’s wrapped in, which is probably the case, or she doesn’t care.
‘I’m sorry, Rez. I love you.’A voice echoes in her mind and pain shreds through her body as she jerks when a knife slices across the guy’s throat, spilling his blood.
Shit!
Rez’s body is flung back, and a spell is cast to strap her to the floor, only leaving her head facing the horror. Panic assaults me as I feel the sensation of the cut across my neck like it’s happening to me. The confusion clears when I don’t feel the immediate impression of bleeding out. A silver line appears across her neck where the guy was sliced.What the hell am I witnessing? And who is this dude? Where is Lynx? Does she have some kind of physical/mental connection with this guy?
Rez’s eyes don’t leave the boy’s body as it’s thrown over the figure’s shoulder. A cruel smile flashes as he looks back at her. There—it’s faint, but as the moonlight shines over his partly exposed cheek, a small tattoo appears along his jawline. He’s high on blood magic; that’s the only reason why his tattoo shines that brightly and looks alive. The black-looking sludge on his chin moves like a winged snake, as if it’s trying to stretch out or take off. I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never seen it before. The mark of the Rebels! He slowly fades into the shadows, taking the boy that obviously knows ma chérie.
“NO!” She screams as the spell releases her. My soul breaks as her body curls up into the fetal position and wracking sobs leave her body. It’s as if the gates of Hell opened and Lucifer himself personally came to drain her soul, claiming the blackened remains.
I pull myself from her mind and still see the faint line on her throat. Rubbing my thumb across it, I notice there’s no cut or raised skin. It’s as if it’s a brand that’s appeared, signaling their cut connection. I’ve only read about this once in one of Ryker’s old books, but I thought it was made up or extremely rare.But how can that be when she only had Lynx?I slowly look around and realize the building has stopped shaking.
Feeling confused and deeply out of my league here, all I can do is focus on one thing at a time. The most pressing matter is the woman currently passed out in my arms, so I check her pulse before picking her up and placing her on the bed. Thinking twice, I wrap her up in the comforter and slowly make my way into my room with her in my arms, being careful not to trip over the debris on the floor. At least in my room I know for sure there’s only one way to get to her, and that’s through me.
ChapterTwo
HOPELESS
JP
Even during sleep, it doesn’t seem ma chérie can find peace. Her face keeps scrunching up and her eyes continuously move around under her puffy lids. Her eyelids are completely swollen, and the dried tear tracks down her cheeks silently break my heart. I notice her body starts to shake uncontrollably, and I quickly wrap the blanket tightly around her, tucking the ends underneath her. Who was the guy she cried out for? And why did the Rebels come here for him? Did I imagine the mental connection I observed during her memory?
A thought hits me out of nowhere.Shit! Where’s Lynx? The letter she found said Lynx was in trouble.I look around the floor of my room, not spotting her constant companion. That’s who she needs now, her Familiar. They are known to help heal their magic user. I need to go and make sure he’s okay. Maybe he’s hiding in the bathroom or something. No, that can’t be it. I’ve seen him protect Rez as a tiger; he’s vicious as fuck, so maybe he’s hurt instead or possibly still at the party? I only saw him when we got there but quickly lost sight of him once the drinks started flowing. Before I can decide where to look first, I hear a commotion filtering in through the den.Fuck! What now?
Running out of my room and through the den, I trip over something soft once I make it into the living room.Ugh! I forgot this place was a mess.It took me twice as long to bring Rez to my room because I had to shuffle my way so I didn’t trip with her in my arms. I curse under my breath and quickly pick myself up and find Moni, at her full height, trying to block out the guys from coming into our sanctuary. The hallway light gives off enough illumination for me to make out what’s happening at the door, but it does nothing to help me see what’s in my path. Despite her small stature, she’s doing a damn good job!
“I said NO!” Stomping her foot with hands on her hips, her skin quickly flushing red. “You don’t get to run in and try to play the Pink Knight on your little dragon to save the girl. You lost that chance,” she firmly tells them. Frozen in disbelief, Zeke looks like he was just told he can’t have his favorite toy anymore, and the other guys look shocked but don’t try and force themselves past her.
Trying to remember the layout in the darkness, I slowly make my way to Moni.Damn, we need some lights.Hearing me get closer, Moni’s stance seems to relax from having her big brother come to the rescue.
“What happened?” Knox asks, his worry making his voice gruffer.
“Did you feel the earthquake too?” Ryker asks in excitement.
“Did Rez get hurt?” Zeke’s words squeak out of him while his eyes bounce around the room—as if he can see the chaos the room is in. What am I thinking? He probably can with his keen Vampire eyesight.
