《Figment of Dreams - The Skylar Rains Series I》


 Chapter 1

    It was that time again. Every Monday morning, I dreaded that first class of the day with a passion so great that it took all of my strength to walk down the hallway toward that dark little classroom.


    It didn¡¯t help at all that the nightmares were back in full effect these last few weeks. I had barely slept last night and felt like I could collapse at any moment.


    Ever since I was little, I¡¯d had these incredibly real nightmares. Some of them were rather plain and could be considered dreams, but most were so scary that even my shrink had flinched when I retold them.


    I had no idea what triggered them, but they started as early as when I was three years old. Maybe they had been haunting me sooner, but I couldn¡¯t recall.


    The nightmares were always the same seven dreams on rotation. The pool with the kid, the graveyard, the classroom, my old bedroom, the trailer park, the abandoned alleyway, and the warehouse. Over time, I¡¯d developed the ability to lucid dream so that I could control a big chunk of the outcome in each of those dreams¡ªat least to some degree. I was always fully aware I was dreaming. Yet, I could never seem to fix the ending.


    Never.


    And I¡¯d tried more times than I could count.


    The fun dreams always took place in the same three scenarios: the beach, the mall, and the amusement park. I knew every nook and cranny of each of those ten locations, and I could even sketch them out perfectly.


    I had even Google-searched for them but never found any of the dream sites. Still, a part of me vividly believed I had been there before. Nobody, of course, believed me, so I stopped talking about them. Just something I had to deal with regularly on my own, I guess.


    There was always the same boy in all of them, though. The same dark-haired boy with deep chocolate eyes who had grown up with me in those nightmares and dreams. He had been there with me as a kid and was still there now, even as I was eighteen.


    Another constant was present in the nightmares as well: someone I had never seen without his black hood. He had never aged throughout the years and was always my murderer. Ethan and I had called him the Dark Stalker.


    It was during that first hour of the school week that I had a class with the Rainers. My favorite non-people. When they literally fell from the sky nineteen years ago, the world went mad. Not only did all the theories about aliens turn out to be true, but they also looked just like us¡ªexcept they weren¡¯t us.


    The word ¡®alien¡¯ soon vanished completely, and they were called Rainers for God knows what reason. The world became divided, with most believing they were some kind of threat, here to annihilate humans. Until their leaders, the Trifecta, offered us peace. They brought new sustainable energies that would save the Earth for about a million years more than was foreseen in their oracle¡¯s premonitions. In return, they wanted a safe atmosphere for their kids to grow up in. They found Earth, with all its wars and famine, to be the most stable place to live in all the galaxies.


    Go figure.


    So Earth and the Rainers came to an understanding. A treaty. They arrived with about one million Rainers. They settled mostly across North and South America and Europe. Most of them weren¡¯t permanent residents and often traveled back to Caros, the green planet where they came from.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    I understood from my former best friend, Jax Skylar, that they were a few years more advanced than Earth but nothing too spectacular. Their world was quite similar to ours¡­ except for, you know, magic and all that jazz.


    That was the general gist of it. Now our schools gave us something called ¡®Rainer Study¡¯ every Monday morning.


    In general, the two species didn¡¯t really interact much. Rainers had a more distinguished sense of smell than humans and often told us how unflattering we smelled. Relationships, weddings, and affairs between Rainers and humans happened, but it remained a small percentage of the population. After living with them for nearly nineteen years, you¡¯d think it would be more accepted. Yet, the mystery of why they really came to Earth still lingered.


    My dad was one of the conspiracy theorists. He believed they were biding their time for something bigger. Like they were a Trojan Horse in our midst. Hence the name of his anti-Rainer society: The Trojans.


    So I always stayed vigilant around my dad, not around the Rainers. Why should I? The only Rainer family in our small Midwestern town of Bridgeview lived next door, and I happened to have formed an immediate bond with them. Despite my dad¡¯s efforts, I became best friends with Jax Skylar, the oldest of three brothers. He had light blue eyes, like a spring sky, and a mane of unruly blond hair. He had always been the broody, rebellious type with not many friends. I felt privileged to be one of the only humans he could stand.


    Then one afternoon, four years ago, while playing Pok¨¦mon on our Gameboys, Jax kissed me. It was my first kiss, and his too. Puberty had hit, and I¡¯d known my feelings for him had changed for a while. That kiss was... amazing. But the next morning, when I sprinted to him, ready to continue where we left off, he shut me down. Dead expression in his eyes, he said,


    "We can¡¯t do this anymore, Lux. I just don¡¯t feel the same way."


    It was devastating.


    I tried again the next day, hoping it was a joke, but no. And then I heard Miro, his younger brother, telling someone that Jax felt like he was kissing a garbage bag. That was the nail in the coffin. I had never been so heartbroken.


    It took me two years to recover. Two years before I could even attempt to open up to new people. I finally made a friend, Malin, who was open and funny¡ªexactly what I needed.


    Now, I was headed to that same Monday class I dreaded. I hadn¡¯t seen my neighbors all summer, so this year, I had decided to up the ante a little. New wardrobe, some gym time, and highlights in my auburn hair, which now fell in long curls down my back. I felt good. I could face another year with Jax.


    I spotted him in his usual seat in the back. His blond mane was still unruly, and he looked like a young Kurt Cobain. His eyes flashed toward me for a second, something flickered in them, but then he looked down at his iPhone. Asshole.


    I sat in my usual seat, just in front of him.


    Miss Neomi walked in, unusually excited. I rolled my eyes. Then, a tall, dark stranger walked into the room. He was nearly six foot five, with deep blue eyes and almost-black hair. He looked straight at me, as if he was looking into my soul.


    "This is Kai Welkin, a new student and our sixth Rainer of Bridgeview," Miss Neomi squealed. She pointed at me. "Please sit next to Lux, she¡¯ll be your guide for the day."


    Great. Just what I needed.


    Kai walked over with a confident strut and sat down next to me. He leaned in and whispered, "Well... hello there."


    "Hi," I said coldly, not looking at him.


    "Not used to Rainers, huh?" he mumbled.


    "I¡¯m used to them," I snapped. Loudly.


    Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of breath. Jax.


    Kai smirked. "Sounds interesting..."


    I shot him a glare. "Let¡¯s just not talk, okay?"


    "Whatever you say, baby," he said with that sarcastic edge.


    Before I could correct him, Jax¡¯s voice rang out, laced with menace. "Her name is Lux."


    Kai turned slowly. "Ah, I see. A Rainer boyfriend. Baby, you¡¯ve been holding out on me?"


    I shook my head. "He¡¯s nothing to me." I spat the words with enough venom to make Jax feel it. Kai just watched me, assessing. His eyes flicked to my lips, then back to the teacher. He didn¡¯t say another word.


    After class, I spotted Jax and Lenn standing over Kai, intimidating him at his locker. As I walked over, they sprinted off like their pants were on fire.


    "What was that about?" I slammed my locker shut, already annoyed.


    Kai just smiled crookedly. "Baby, you really don¡¯t know, do you?"


    "Tell me," I demanded.


    He laughed. I won¡¯t tell you. "That¡¯s not up to me." And with that, he walked away.

 Chapter 2

    5 years ago


    The ocean was lapping at my feet as I watched Jax, Miro, and Lenn try to stand up on their surfboards. Behind me, the barbecue was still smoking as Jax¡¯s dad, Maddox, cleaned up the mess we made during lunch. I was reflecting on last night when I¡¯d been stuck in the nightmare of the pool with the kid again. Jax had played his role of best friend, soothing me afterward and talking my frantically beating heart down a bit.


    It was week two of our holiday, and I was loving every minute of it when I was awake.


    ¡°Freckles, come on!¡± I saw Jax getting frustrated with my lack of enthusiasm about the water. I used to love everything about the ocean. I¡¯m the one who put these Rainers in the sea because they apparently don¡¯t have oceans like ours where they come from. Theirs are flat waters with no waves.


    Unfortunately, I¡¯d had an accident in the water two years earlier that left me really scared of the sea. We were on holiday in Costa Rica with the Skylars when, all of a sudden, during snorkeling, I got stuck underneath a rock due to heavy undercurrents. I panicked, I screamed, I got so much water in my system that I started choking to death under that cavern.


    The waves and currents kept pushing me back toward the darkness. All I could think about was that I was going to die in the thing I loved most: the ocean. I started hating it then. By some miracle, I survived that day. Jax has been trying to revamp my love for the water ever since. I knew he had a point¡ªthat I should get back in there. Otherwise, I might never be able to. But it had been two years, and the fear still grabbed me by my throat like a choker that was on too tight.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Jax¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± I felt the panic rising at the thought of being forced into the ocean. I started to back away.


    ¡°Hey now¡­¡± He ran out of the water, a surfboard under his right arm. He was wearing his long black surf trunks, a long wet mane dripping down his back. His eye was still bruised and blue from the tumble he took down the patio stairs two nights ago. He dropped the board with a loud smack on the wet sand and grabbed my shoulders tightly.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m here, right? I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. Ever. Okay?¡± I nodded, tears brimming. I knew he wouldn¡¯t. I trusted him with my life. He grabbed my hand. ¡°We¡¯ll just go till our thighs and no further. Every day, we¡¯ll go a little bit further until you can swim again. Freckles, we got this.¡± He grabbed my hand and pulled. Shaking from head to toe, I took a few steps. I was squeezing his hand so hard I thought it might break. But I stepped forward.


    So that summer, we tackled the ocean one step at a time. Every day, we walked into that ocean, hand in hand, trying to go as far as my shaking body would allow. After, we drank hot cocoa on the porch¡ªmy go-to drink for anxiety.


    By the end of the summer, I had taken my first swim with shaking legs and a trembling upper lip. As I went under that first time, I panicked so hard I started to hyperventilate. Jax hugged me so tightly I had bruises the next day.


    We breathed in and out together. He said he was proud of me for trying it. And as we were walking back out of that ocean on the last day of summer, I truly looked at him, and for the very first time, saw the love of my life looking back at me.

 Chapter 3

    Nearly eight weeks later, against my better judgment, Kai and I had become friends. Sort of. In a few classes, he always sought me out, and we ate lunch together with Malin. He had this sarcastic sense of humor I really appreciated, and for some reason, I had opened up to him. He kept flirting with me, calling me nicknames, and I didn¡¯t mind it anymore. Maybe it was because nobody had paid me much attention in so long, and I kind of craved it. He was also hot. I wished every day to stop finding him attractive, but that wasn¡¯t happening¡ªit was the exact opposite.


    ¡°So, are we doing the Parkson Party this weekend, baby?¡± Kai was walking me back to the lockers, carrying my heaviest books. He was also quite a gentleman.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really do parties,¡± I replied, raising an eyebrow at him. He was wearing designer jeans with a tight dark grey Henley. His tall frame towered over me as usual; he was a head and a half taller, and sometimes I had to stand on my tiptoes just to gossip quietly with him. I could tell he always found that cute.


    ¡°Come on, baby, Malin wanted to go too. I can¡¯t just go with Malin¡­¡± he waved a hand at her name like it was an annoying fly. ¡°If you¡¯re not there, it¡¯s not as cool.¡± He seemed to really mean it. He put my books in the locker and stretched his long fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll be there to protect you from the evil Skylars,¡± he added, making an evil sorcerer hand gesture with sound effects. That¡¯s what he liked to call my neighbors.


    He¡¯d been over to my house to study and watch movies a few times. Even though he¡¯d tried to kiss me now and then¡ªnot aggressively, but he¡¯d tried¡ªwe mostly hung out as friends. He somehow understood my pace and knew I was going through things, and he knew the Skylars had a lot to do with it. He didn¡¯t push, and I appreciated that. I was starting to enjoy being around him. A lot.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be there? Then it¡¯s a hard no¡­¡± I sighed, slamming my locker shut harder than intended.


    ¡°Yeah, since Miro is dating¡­or screwing the youngest Parkson girl, they¡¯ll probably all be there.¡±


    ¡°Kai, I can¡¯t go¡­ I just won¡¯t.¡± My voice broke.


    ¡°Baby, are you ever going to tell me what they did to you? My mind has taken me to some pretty awful places thinking about it.¡± He was always serious about this particular subject¡ªit pissed him off, and I could tell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you someday, but not today.¡± My voice was small, a pang of hurt coming back just thinking about Jax and that day. I suddenly felt really small, and the mood dropped. Kai noticed instantly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let them get to my favorite human, you know that, right?¡± I just nodded, feeling an overwhelming sadness at the comfort Kai was giving me.


    Jax had been the one to protect me from everything and comfort me when I felt sad. For so many years, we had cried together, and he always knew the right things to say to make me laugh again.


    When my mom died, he had stayed in my room for days, just hugging me and whispering sweet nothings in my ear.


    I suddenly had to push back tears at the realization that I still missed the bastard and would give anything to have him back in my life. I hated myself for still feeling this way. Four years later, and I still hurt. I was so angry at myself for not being able to let him go. Maybe a party with Kai was the place to start. I wasn¡¯t getting over Jax by staying inside. I cleared my throat and stepped out of Kai¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s cool¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, baby? That¡¯s great!¡± He picked me up and spun me around the hall, nearly knocking over one of the band geeks. As I was spinning, I saw Jax in the corner, shooting daggers at us with his eyes.


    What was his problem with me?

 Chapter 4

    The mall again.


    I was relieved it wasn¡¯t the trailer park, but still. I was sick of ending up in the same place, unable to actually buy anything. I¡¯d spotted some cute things before, but that was beside the point.


    I knew Ethan wasn¡¯t far. I glanced over to the ice cream shop, and there he was, like every other time I found myself in this dream. He looked up from his milkshake, swiped his long black hair behind his ears, and flashed me those pearly whites.


    I couldn¡¯t tell anyone about my crush on this dream boyfriend of mine, but damn, he was cute. My mind had cooked up someone I was madly attracted to, and it was the one part of my nightmares I actually liked. Ethan had gotten me through these last few years without Jax. No matter how terrible the night¡¯s visions were, I¡¯d get to see Ethan again.


    I got to spend some time with him, and that made me feel giddy inside. I decided long ago to enjoy the moments with him before I was murdered again.


    ¡°Babe.¡± He gave me a soft peck on the lips, and I sat down next to him. My dream muffin was already set in front of me, even if I couldn¡¯t actually eat it. Still, I appreciated the gesture.


    I glanced at the other people in the dream, but, as always, they were unrecognizable.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Still nothing¡¯s changed?¡± he asked me.


    I nodded.


    He took my hand. ¡°Come here¡­¡±


    He pulled me onto his lap, holding me close and kissing my temple. ¡°I told you I¡¯ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t such a fantastic figment of my imagination, I¡¯d almost believe you.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°For the millionth time, Jules, I¡¯m real.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± I kissed him back, still finding it odd he called me Jules instead of my actual name. I¡¯d corrected him a dozen times, but my dream boyfriend never got the memo. He tasted like mint and chocolate, like every other time, no matter where we were.


    He gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then kissed my nose. ¡°I wish I could hold you.¡±


    I slid higher into his lap, wrapping my arms around him.


    He sighed, wincing. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡ª¡±


    Like he was in pain. He did this every time, and I still didn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± I teased, twirling my straw, sneaking glances at him from under my lashes.


    He smiled softly, tucking another stray hair behind my ear.


    ¡°One day¡­ when¡ª¡±


    The coldness seeped in, signaling the final act. Every damn time Ethan got close to explaining anything about our dream situation, he would come. It was like some eerie bell toll, signaling my stalker¡¯s arrival.


    In this dream¡ªthe Mall Dream¡ªI always ended up running. Running from my murderer. I¡¯d tried every single store, every single hiding spot, but he always found me, gutting me from my stomach to my neck. I could still feel the pain as I woke up. Every damn time.


    Ethan would run with me, always trying to help. But he never succeeded. The Dark Stalker always found me, no matter what I tried.


    The Mall was my favorite nightmare.


    Even though it always ended in pain, it hurt less than the others.

 Chapter 5

    At lunch, I was not feeling my salad. I always did this¡ªwanted to eat healthier and never really liked the options they had. I was picking away at my chicken when Kai popped a tomato in his mouth from my plate.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I protested and acted like I was going to stab him with my fork. He held his hands up like he was surrendering and cheekily chewed on the tomato that was currently between his right teeth. A big bulb was visible on his cheek. The goofball did make me laugh; I¡¯d give him that.


    That afternoon, we had a very weird class called Social Study, which I didn¡¯t like. It had the strangest subjects, and this one wasn¡¯t any different. The teacher, Mrs. Newman, an elderly woman with white curly hair and too much lipstick that always ended up sticking to her front teeth, announced our next subject.


    ¡°Parenting!¡± she squealed as if that was the greatest thing in the world. I was sitting next to Kai, as usual, and rolled my eyes. Kai smirked. ¡°She sure as hell is very happy with the subject. If it involves making babies, especially the making part, I¡¯m down. You too, baby?¡± He winked at me, and I knew he wasn¡¯t being serious, but sometimes it was hard to tell with the layer of flirting and a dash of sarcasm Kai used in everything he said. Behind me, Jax snorted. I ignored both of them.


    The teacher held a fake baby in her hands. It was apparently a test baby they often used at pregnancy centers to teach parents some basic things. It pooped, it cried, it needed milk. The whole shebang. I was not liking where this was going.


    ¡°For the next week, you and your partner will take care of this baby. We will be testing the baby at the end of the week to make sure you have done your tasks. How we will check? You will not know beforehand!¡± she still squealed as if this was the best thing in the world, and all I could think about was that the fake baby could poop? What the heck...


    ¡°You and your partner will alternate the baby, feed it, change it, sleep next to it. To make sure it survives the week in good health.¡± At least I would be parenting it with Kai; that was the only bright point about this.


    ¡°I have chosen the parent teams myself,¡± she proudly said, and I was already feeling nauseous, my gut instinct telling me I won¡¯t be with Kai for this project. This was not going well.


    Kai tensed up beside me, already feeling the same ominous foreboding I did. She announced the list happily. ¡°Kai and Malin.¡± Fuck, I thought or said out loud.


    Next to me, Kai shook his head, but from behind me, I heard a low laugh.


    ¡°Jax and Lux.¡± My heart dropped to my stomach. I felt my blood swoosh to my ears. This was not happening.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss, can we switch partners?¡± It was Jax. Of course, it was Jax. That damaged my fragile heart again. He must stop doing that; I can¡¯t wait to be away from him next year.


    Kai nodded at the teacher as if that would help. ¡°We will do no such thing, Mr. Skylar. You will finish your assignment or fail my class. Is that clear?¡± Jax grunted a response, but I didn¡¯t comprehend any of it. The teacher dropped the baby on my desk, and I just stared at it, dumbfounded, like it was a monster.


    I was parenting this thing with Jax? Lord help me. He hasn¡¯t said two things to me in the last couple of years, and when he speaks to me, it¡¯s usually something cruel.


    I felt a shadow loom over me, and a lemon-pinewood scent came with it. This made me realize Jax and Kai smelled a little the same. Kai¡¯s had more sandalwood in it, but still a pine scent. Perhaps it was a Rainer thing.


    ¡°Well¡­ Elmrose¡­ I guess it¡¯s you and me. Like the old days,¡± he added with a treacherous smirk like he couldn¡¯t wait to torture me some more. Kai turned around so quickly that I heard his neck crack. A dangerous storm brewed in his ocean-blue eyes.


    ¡°Listen to me, Skylar, one hair on her head and I have yours.¡± He snarled between clenched teeth, jaw clenched. Jax gave him his lethal smile again. ¡°Trust me, Welkin, I wouldn¡¯t touch her in the slightest.¡± Contempt and disgust laced his voice. A pang of hurt grabbed my heart and pulled. I suddenly had to push back tears and anger. A whole lot of anger.


    I grabbed the baby and pushed it into his chest with a much harsher push than I thought I would be capable of. Jax grunted from the impact and stumbled backward, stunned for a second. I stood up and looked him in the eye with so much menace I was almost spitting fire.


    ¡°We will not fail this class, you hear me? Whatever your problem is with me. Put it aside for one fucking week! I am graduating this year, so I can get to fuck away from you!¡± My words came out in such a deep growl it even scared me. Kai and Jax were staring at me like I was the Rainer in the room. I turned on my heel and stormed out, leaving Jax flabbergasted with the baby still clutched in his hands.


    The next couple of days were madness. The baby kept on crying each night. For some reason, I was the one to take care of it because of course, I was. Kai and Malin took their baby every other day, and that was a good solution. That was what a healthy partnership should look like.


    By day five, I was so cranky from lack of sleep, and the nightmares didn¡¯t help either. I was sitting on my couch watching TV when the baby cried again, and I snapped. Completely lost my marbles because my feet were moving towards my front door of their own accord. I stalked over to the neighbors in a couple of long strides. Baby under my arm, crying his little heart out. I wanted to strangle the doll for real. I might be more messed up than I realized.


    I rang the doorbell furiously, and I might have overdone it with the number of times I pressed the little button. Jax opened the door, eyebrow raised, a smirk on his face. Clearly expecting it was me. He was naked from the waist up. Long blond mane flapped to one side, scruffy blond beard longer than usual. Grey sweatpants hung low on his hips. He had new tattoos all over his chest, all black, and all different snapshots of his life. I saw a guitar, I saw an ocean. A few signs in Mons, the Rainer main language. For a moment, I was forgetting everything. Standing there like a total idiot with my mouth agape. Then I realized what I was here for when the baby let out a long whining shriek.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± I stuttered angrily. ¡°You can¡¯t just let me take care of that thing at night!¡± my voice came out much weaker. He still had that effect on me after all these years. Jax just took me in, head to toe, his eyes slowly wandering over my body. Then I realized I was only wearing my camisole, and it was cold out. Or it was just Jax. I saw his expression change from something deeper, more hidden and private, to his usual cold disdain.


    ¡°We agreed. I take the bastard during the day. You take the night shift. Has that changed, Elmrose?¡± I stared him down.


    ¡°My name is Lux. Stop calling me by my last name as if you don¡¯t know!¡± Or call me Lulu or Freckles, as his nicknames for me once were. Anything other than my last name, which he used to reserve for all the people he hated.


    Another pang of heartbreak shook me, but I didn¡¯t show it.


    ¡°Lux, has our plan changed? Because tonight, I have company. I can¡¯t have a baby to look after.¡± He glanced at the doll, which hung upside down between my arms, whining and crying, and he wrinkled his nose at it.


    Behind him, I could make out a pair of heels. That affected me more than I realized. ¡°Tomorrow, this baby is yours. It¡¯s the weekend, so make sure you come and collect it in time. We need to write the paper together before Sunday evening, and I also have plans.¡±


    This made him laugh, as if that was absolutely absurd.


    ¡°With whom?¡± As if I could ever have plans with anyone. Bastard.


    ¡°With Kai.¡± I left out that Malin was coming too, but that was something he didn¡¯t need to know right now. His mood changed instantly, Kai working on him like a red cloth on a bull.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he snapped. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. Tomorrow.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Sunday is fine. Tomorrow, Kai is here. As I just told you¡­¡±


    He stared at me, brooding, his mind going into overdrive for just a second before he responded. ¡°Sunday won¡¯t work for me. I will come by tomorrow.¡± And he slammed the door shut in my face.


    ¡°Asshole!¡± I yelled at the closed door and stalked back to my place with a crying baby under my arm, fully prepared for another night of nightmare hopping and running away from my Dark Stalker again. Because stress always brought out the worst of those nightmares, and I knew I was in for a treat today.


    Saturday evening came rather quickly despite not having slept a single bit last night, and Jax was coming over to drop the baby at my place. He had taken care of it all day, and to my surprise, he had been at my door to collect it this morning.


    Kai was already here, sitting on my couch casually, flipping through the movies on Netflix. Malin was running late with their baby.


    ¡°What about Antman?¡± he asked me, popcorn in his hand, which he plopped down into his big mouth in one swoop. I was in the kitchen fixing us some drinks.


    ¡°We already saw that one a couple of weeks ago, remember?¡± I put some ice cubes in our gin tonics.


    ¡°Really? I thought it was the other Marvel one?¡±


    As I was walking back, the doorbell rang. I opened it and saw Jax with the baby under his arm like it was a bag of rice. He was wearing his track shorts and tee; he had just come back from his football practice. He had showered at the scene because his hair was wet and smelling like that favorite shampoo he always uses, a touch of mint in it somewhere.


    ¡°Here is the little stinker,¡± Jax announced, while throwing the child at me like a football, which I could barely pluck from the air before it crashed, and he strutted in without invitation. He pranced toward the living room as he had done a million times.


    ¡°Well, come on in,¡± I added sarcastically. Like a complete asshole, he grabbed one of the two gin tonics I had made and placed it on the counter before I opened the door. He sipped from it. I placed the baby on the back of the couch and took the other glass protectively in my hands.


    ¡°That was Kai¡¯s!¡± I said, stunned.


    ¡°Nothing here is Kai¡¯s,¡± he added coolly. I was even more shocked by that statement and said a very loud, strange-sounding ¡°What?¡±


    He ignored me completely and walked toward the couch area, sitting in the lone recliner¡ªan old brown thing we inherited from my late grandma. He used to sit there all the time when we were playing video games back in the day.


    I just stood there rooted to the spot, one gin tonic in my hand, flabbergasted by the scene before me. Kai was still lounging and flipping through the movies. He casually waved me over like he couldn¡¯t be bothered at all by Jax¡¯s presence.


    I sat down next to him, my legs hitched up, resting on his side. We usually sat like this, or sometimes I let my legs rest over his.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby, we¡¯ll share that one.¡± He slapped my thigh reassuringly, sipped from my glass, and gave it back to me. Jax visibly paled. Kai let his arms fall back and rubbed his hands up and down my lower back soothingly, feeling the tension I had all over my body from having Jax this near.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere to be, Skylar?¡± Kai added casually and sipped from my glass again. ¡°We were just about to watch a movie, and that is kind of difficult with you here,¡± he added.


    Jax was getting so angry, for God knows what reason. Kai always brought this out in him. I could see the thunderclouds rolling behind his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to write a paper, so she is coming with me,¡± Jax added through clenched teeth and downed his glass in one big gulp. He stood up and held his hand out to me. I was looking at it like it was going to bite. What was happening?


    ¡°Come on, Lux. Let¡¯s go upstairs so we can write that paper.¡± I looked at Kai, panic in my eyes. I was not going anywhere with Jax.


    He dropped his hand and sighed. ¡°Fine, you want to write downstairs?¡± he casually moved his hands to his pockets. He wasn¡¯t even looking at me with his usual disgust. There was something different in his eyes as soon as he saw the panic in mine from having to go somewhere alone with him.


    I still couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I think that would be wise,¡± said Kai, still rubbing my back. I was grabbing his knee so hard it would bruise tomorrow.


    ¡°Yeah¡­yeah okay¡­¡± I stood up and stumbled a bit. Jax and Kai were both staring at me as if I was an enigma. I probably was.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to get my laptop¡­¡± still in shock but functioning, I ran up the stairs to find the thing.


    Downstairs, Malin had entered. I heard her high-pitched voice and the low rumble of the boys. I came back down and awkwardly motioned Jax over toward the kitchen table. He was finding my anxious self very amusing, and the Jax from moments ago had disappeared again.


    We sat down on the barstools, and I nervously opened the laptop. This was the longest we had been near each other in years. I was bracing myself for the insults and the horrible feeling he could give me.


    Like I wasn¡¯t enough and never would be enough.


    I couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes as I started typing, even though he was staring at them rather intently, not blinking¡ªa thing Rainers sometimes did. Kai and Malin were on the couch watching some talent show, waiting for me to finish so we could start Iron Man.


    I caught Kai looking at me occasionally, trying to ask with his eyes if I was okay, but I wouldn¡¯t give him an answer. I needed to focus and get this over with quickly. I was a complete mess after a while from the nerves of having him near me, but at least I had almost finished the paper.


    ¡°Lux, look at me,¡± Jax said all of a sudden. It was barely a whisper. I looked over at Kai for support, but he hadn¡¯t heard and was chatting away to Malin about the trip he was doing next weekend to Big Bear.


    I stopped typing and kept looking at the screen, my breath hitching. He reached out to grab my arm, and I flinched away from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, just¡­ please don¡¯t,¡± I breathily added. I looked at him then, and all I saw was concern, worry, and was that shame? No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­


    I just couldn¡¯t have him touch me. Being around him was hurting me enough; I didn¡¯t need physical contact.


    ¡°I would not hurt you, you know that, right?¡± he added casually, as if he hadn¡¯t hurt me every single miserable day for the last four years. Concern laced his entire face. He gave me the look he used to give me when I had been too harsh on the slip-and-slide and hurt my knees every time I did something more dangerous than I should have done. He used to give me so much crap about my tomboy side. Sometimes he acted like my father, trying to keep me safe always. Until he stopped keeping me safe at all¡ªstopped caring at all.


    I started laughing. Really laughing. So hard I couldn¡¯t breathe. Malin and Kai were by my side in a second. The hollowness that was the hole he had left inside me was growing with his presence, like he was taking up more of me with each second he was close. Like my body was screaming to get away from him before I became a balloon of air, with nothing else left inside me, and I would pop open all of the pain, all of the fear, of the last few years.


    All of this wasn¡¯t real, and it wasn¡¯t happening. I was out of breath from laughing and stood up. ¡°I need a sec.¡±


    I ran upstairs toward my bedroom, and I let the door fall shut behind me before I fell down on my bed and cried.


    I cried and cried as if I would never stop. As if this was the last time I could cry and had to drag everything out of me. It had been a while since I had sobbed like this, for him. I had been so proud of the new Lux, being so strong to have survived all of it. Sometimes it felt like I had PTSD from his rejection. Everything would always be laced with a slice of Jax, from my next step to my last breath. It would always be there, with each sunrise and each sunset. The ending of a lover and the beginning of a real-life nightmare. That he was my Dark Stalker of my day, and perhaps he was the Dark Stalker of my night as well.


    The door opened. I was on my side in the corner of my bed, holding my pillow and crying like a baby. The door closed again.


    When it opened once more a while later, footsteps came closer, and I felt a body crawl behind me in bed. I smelled the pine and sandalwood smell as it engulfed me. He pulled my body against his and hugged me from behind, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I fell asleep like that, somehow safe.


    I woke up with a heavy arm over my stomach and warm breath on my neck. It was Kai. I stirred, and he stirred with me, but instead of letting me go, he grabbed me closer.


    ¡°Baby, you okay?¡± his voice croaked from sleep. ¡°You really worried me yesterday? And last night, you were literally crying in your sleep¡­ it sounded like some really bad nightmare had found you.¡± I hadn¡¯t bothered telling him about my nightmares and the Dark Stalker yet. Nobody knew besides Jax and my therapist. It felt like the most personal thing about me, and even though I trusted him, I wasn¡¯t ready to show him that side of me yet.


    He cuddled my neck some more. Butterflies unleashed in my stomach suddenly. I couldn¡¯t help it; I had tried not to feel this great for anyone ever again, but it was beyond my control.


    When I thought back about yesterday, I cringed. I had just left them¡­ left Jax¡­ and ran upstairs and cried. I was worse than that test baby.


    Then he had seen firsthand how scary one of my nightmares could be. It had been the trailer park one; that one was always horrible.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡±


    He kissed my neck. ¡°One day you will talk to me, baby. I know it¡¯s not today, but still¡­ it kind of hurts.¡± I turned around and grabbed his hand, rubbing it soothingly. He was a good friend¡­ more than a friend. Way more.


    ¡°Thank you, Kai¡­¡± He kissed me softly. Eyes so small from sleep he looked like he was in pain, and dark hair sticking out on all sides. I had never woken up with him before. I had never woken up to him before now.


    ¡°For being here. You¡­ never walk away. Thank you,¡± I added, throat heavy with tears again. A part of me was finally admitting that I was waiting for the moment he would walk out on me. Like Jax had done. That I had been pushing him away, but something had changed today. I could feel it.


    ¡°I will never walk away unless you force me¡­¡± he said as if he could read my mind and kissed my nose tenderly, and I believed it. His words rang true because, for the first time in four years, I wasn¡¯t thinking about orange soda kisses anymore.

 Chapter 6

    4 years ago


    I was flipping through his collection of Marvel comics, lying diagonally on his double bed. Not that I hadn¡¯t seen or read them all many times, but I was recalling that one issue he was missing, and I needed to make sure. It was his birthday next week, and I wanted to find that missing one and give it to him.


    He was on the floor, playing on the new Xbox he had installed in his room, cursing and yelling at the screen. The game wasn¡¯t going his way.


    ¡°Jaxie, relax, dude. It¡¯s not that serious.¡± I could touch his head from where I was lounging and ruffled his hair a bit. He was in a short-hair phase, and sometimes I missed that long mane of his. I¡¯d had some good times with that look. Especially that one time I made him look like Cinderella because he lost that bet with me at pool.


    I kept those pictures for blackmail purposes.


    He threw the controller away with a loud bang.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± I yelled. ¡°You broke it!¡± I hated it when he was careless with stuff.


    My dad and I didn¡¯t agree on many things, but on the money front, we did. Since Mom died, we hadn¡¯t had much luck with finances, and we both worked really hard to make ends meet. I had to work at that donut shop every Saturday and Sunday just to be able to pay our monthly bills.


    Jax had lots of money. Maddox Skylar was an influential Rainer and had made a lot of it during his time on Earth as well. They never understood the struggle we had with money and probably never could.


    Jax snapped his head back and angrily stared at me. He¡¯d been a lot more broody and angsty lately; I called it his Rainer Puberty phase. Which he hated.


    I quickly closed the map with all of his comics, suddenly fearing he was going to rip them up in a fury-filled rage session. Two weeks ago, he had torn down all of his posters. His room was now an off-white, spot-ridden canvas where the posters used to be.


    ¡°Freckles, I swear to God, if you don¡¯t stop nagging, I¡¯m kicking your butt out of here!¡± He was dead serious. I sat up on my heels.


    ¡°As if you could.¡± I defiantly raised one brow.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    I knew I was testing the waters, but I just couldn¡¯t help myself. For all of his big talk, I was still his biggest weakness, and he knew it. Jax threw the map with all of his comics straight off the bed in one swoop of his lanky, tattooed arm.


    I yelped at the sound and scooted back towards the headboard of his bed. He grabbed my ankle and pulled. I screamed, but I also knew he would never hurt me, so it was all in good fun. He slammed his body on top of me and grabbed my arms, holding them over my head with just one of his hands to incapacitate me.


    I wriggled to get away. ¡°Get off of me, you sicko!¡± I tried to sound angry, but I was secretly loving it.


    He growled. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Freckles, you¡¯re no¡ª¡±


    I surprised him by hooking my legs over his and carrying out the flip I had learned in our Krav Maga class. I smacked him on his back, and I was on top now, pinning him down.


    The surprise on his face was worth gold. I flipped my hair back and laughed so loud. Laughing sobs racked through my body. He was so shocked.


    ¡°What the fuck, Lulu, how¡­ how¡­?¡± his voice pitched up.


    ¡°I got some secrets.¡± I winked at him.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t, we don¡¯t have secrets.¡± He said, all of a sudden back to being angry with me. He was a real-life Jekyll and Hyde these days, and he didn¡¯t even bother denying it.


    I¡¯d had enough of his flip-flopping attitude, so I tried to get up. He wasn¡¯t having it. He grabbed both my thighs and pinned me down on top of him.


    ¡°Nope¡­ we don¡¯t have secrets. Do we?¡± he added, more firmly.


    ¡°Stop it. What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± I was also not feeling it anymore. The temperature had dropped some degrees.


    ¡°Let me go, Jax.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not before you tell me what secret you have been keeping. Trust me, Lulu, I can read you like a book. What is it? Spill it¡­ now.¡±


    I slapped his chest. ¡°You are not the boss of me. Secrets can be healthy, and of course, I can keep them to myself, Jax. I don¡¯t tell you everything!¡±


    Now he was truly angry. He grabbed me under my armpits and threw me off him. I hit the wall a little more roughly than I was used to with him.


    ¡°Then get out!¡±


    I was staring up at him in shock. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me! Get out!¡± He was pacing around the room now. I was really not feeling Puberty Rainer Jax. I grabbed my purse and stormed out of there without even looking back at him.


    This was our first really big fight in all the years we had been best friends. I was crying by the time I made it downstairs. We didn¡¯t speak to each other for that entire week, and it was sickening to me. Just one week had made me physically ill.


    One evening I heard a tapping motion at my window, and I already knew it was him. I missed him so much that I didn¡¯t care anymore. So I let him in. That night he slept next to me in bed, what we used to do often back in the days we were kids, and the next day, everything was back to normal.


    Little did I know we had only five months left before that defining kiss in the treehouse that had literally changed my life. If I had known back then that all of it would go away and I would be going through four years of so much heartbreak, I couldn¡¯t even fathom the pain.


    I could even say that the end of that friendship, losing Jax Skylar, had hit me harder than the death of my own mother. I hated that it had¡­ but it was the truth.


    If I had known that day what was about to come,


    I would have never let him kiss me.

 Chapter 7

    Kai picked me up at nine; he drove this old pickup truck. My dad hated it, but there was not much he could say since Kai never brought me back a minute over curfew. Malin was in the back, chatting away about the rumors she¡¯d heard about Miro and Jenna Parkson.


    I tuned all of it out, and Kai noticed my absence in the conversation. He grabbed my hand and squeezed. His blue eyes sparkled with some hidden emotion I couldn¡¯t place. His thumb was rubbing my hand slowly. My belly was doing that low, hard flip again at the contact. I was grateful he was here to keep me sane tonight.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, baby. I¡¯m there. I¡¯m not letting anything happen to you, alright?¡± He raised his right eyebrow at me and kissed my knuckles leisurely. He didn¡¯t let go of my hand and let it rest in his for the entire ride.


    The Parksons lived in what I could only call a modern mansion. All-white walls with brown touches, very Hamptons meets L.A.


    We entered the mansion, and I ran headfirst into a hard chest. As I looked up, I looked straight into the blue eyes I had known for so long. Still as gorgeous as always.


    He was grabbing both of my upper arms pretty hard for some reason, and I was frozen in place until I snapped out of it. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I mumbled and sprang back straight into Kai, who wrapped his arms around me protectively. His pine and sandalwood scent engulfed me completely.


    Kai was becoming a new home. So different from the home I had with Jax, but I was starting to really appreciate it. He rubbed my arms in up-and-down motions, trying to calm me.


    Jax just stood there, saying nothing. Being a brood as always.


    I tried to step forward, but he blocked me again. ¡°Sorry, Elmrose, this is not your party tonight,¡± he said with his deep, gravelly voice, slightly accented. He was looking at me with eyes as cold as ice. No emotion. Nothing.


    Kai was breathing heavily against my back, his heartbeat pounding. ¡°You have no right to deny her anything, Skylar.¡±


    My ears were ringing. I just had to get out of there. I didn¡¯t hear what was said after Kai uttered those words. I just turned on my heels and ran back out. I kept on hauling ass out of there like my tail was on fire.


    I heard some shouting and saw Kai in the reflection of the car windows coming for me. ¡°Baby! Wait up!¡± he yelled, but I didn¡¯t care. My cheeks were already wet with tears. How could someone I loved for so long look at me with such disgust?


    Was I really that appalling?


    My chest hurt with that notion again. I just wanted my old life back. I felt so unloved it was making me dizzy. I had to stop for a second and placed my arms on the hood of a car, breathing in deeply.


    Crying like a baby. Kai was on me in a second. He turned me around, grabbed my face in both of his hands, and wiped my tears away. He had so much hurt in his eyes it shocked me. He was truly upset about this.


    He yanked me forward against his chest, and I froze up for a moment, but then I hugged him back. He relaxed all along my body and placed his chin on my head.


    I just cried. And cried. And hugged him closer, which he repaid by slowly rubbing up and down my back, whispering sweet nothings in my ear, kissing the top of my head tenderly.


    We stayed like that for a long time until I was done with crying but felt hollow and empty. I kept my face resting against his chest, my own hitching and falling with the aftershocks of my cryfest.


    He kissed the top of my head a few times and said something in Mons I couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Baby¡­¡± he sighed again and hugged me closer once more, kissing my nose softly.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I mumbled against his shirt. He showered me with small kisses; it made me weak inside.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside for a second.¡± Then I realized I had chosen his car to break down on. I nodded against his chest. He opened the back seat, and we both slid in. I was still hugging him, so I was on his lap now.


    I wasn¡¯t moving. Forever. It felt so good to be hugged like this. I was sitting sideways in his lap now. One arm was on my back, and the other was rubbing up and down on my legs. His mouth was placing long kisses on my forehead like he couldn¡¯t help himself. He needed to touch and kiss me.


    I was still numb, cheek against his chest. I felt his heart erratically beating. ¡°Mi Nomure¡­¡± he whispered again.


    ¡°What does that mean¡­¡± my voice was barely a whisper.


    ¡°It means a lot of things in my language. It¡¯s difficult to find a name for it in English, but it¡¯s a mix of ¡®baby¡¯ and ¡®sexy.¡¯¡±


    I snorted. He laughed, and his body shook with it. ¡°I¡¯m serious, though, baby¡­¡± for the first time in a long time, I lifted my head, and my face instantly felt cold from lack of his body heat.


    I looked up at him, those ocean-blue eyes again. This time they were hooded a little bit. Mine probably looked puffy and red.


    At that moment, in that car, I felt something again. It had taken me years. But I felt like I could trust him. Like I cared for him and couldn¡¯t imagine not having him in my life.


    I cleared my throat, looked at my hands, and said,


    ¡°We were best friends for 14 years, and then he threw me out like I was nothing.¡± It was hard to say this out loud, having never really spoken it into the universe before.


    I felt Kai wince. ¡°How can anyone do this¡­ to you, the kindest soul I have ever met.¡± His voice was a near whisper. His thumb caressed my cheeks and lips, eyes lingering on my lips.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ loved him¡­¡± it was the first time I actually had said that out loud. Kai grabbed my chin and made me look up into his eyes. He scooted lower on the bench, placing his feet on the middle console, making me slide up higher, almost at eye level.


    ¡°Is there anything else that he did to you? Because I¡¯m about to go out there and kill him. And those arrogant brothers as well. And that will decide the amount of pain I¡¯m going to inflict.¡± His voice was a low whisper, menacing, laced with something more. Something darker. I believed he truly would hurt Jax, and I was still not comfortable with thinking about that, even though I had murdered him in my mind many times.


    ¡°He¡­ he¡­ was disgusted with me¡­¡± It was difficult to talk about again; tears were forming, and my voice was acting up.


    ¡°How in the world is that even possible?¡± was Kai¡¯s response. I began fidgeting with one of the buttons on his shirt.


    ¡°He kissed me and told everyone that I¡ªfor a human girl¡ªsmelled more like garbage than anyone he has ever kissed¡­¡± a lone tear slid down. I felt it drop onto my cleavage and roll down my top.


    It stayed silent for a moment, and I knew it. Kai couldn¡¯t lie to me and tell me I didn¡¯t smell. My heart was starting to break a little again. Not him as well.


    As I was about to look up again and tell him it was alright and that he shouldn¡¯t lie to me, he made this low growling sound and grabbed my face.


    ¡°Fuck this¡­¡± he found my lips and kissed me, long and slow, asking permission. When I gave him permission, his tongue took its time.


    I felt my body weaken and mold to his. He grabbed my legs and placed them on either side of him. I kissed him back, hard, needing. He was amazing.


    One arm was under my butt, his other had my neck in a headlock. ¡°Baby¡­¡± he whispered between long kisses. ¡°You taste better than anyone I have ever kissed¡­¡±


    That made me kiss him even harder. My hands roamed his chest. I needed him so badly that I felt a need to crawl into his torso to be closer. Like I could never be close enough.


    I let my hands wander around his chest, under his shirt, and his breathing hitched. ¡°If you keep wriggling and touching me like that, I can¡¯t stop in a moment, sexy¡­¡± his voice was such a deep haze from his usual voice. I looked up; his eyes were nearly entirely dark and hooded.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± he whispered again and started kissing me with more passion. ¡°We need to stop¡­ I¡¯m about to¡ª¡± I already had an idea what he was about to do.


    I wanted him so bad right now. I didn¡¯t care where we were.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I said again. He was breathing so hard I thought he was going to pass out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it¡­¡± he pleaded, moaning, his hand kneading my breasts, his actions so needy I doubted he was going to walk away. Good.


    ¡°Please¡­ Kai¡­¡± I moaned his name again, and that was it. He was ripping my pants off in one swift motion. God¡­ that Rainer strength.


    I was seeing red, purple, and green; I was not myself. I was lost in Kai, and he seemed to be so lost in me he was a panting phantom of himself. As he was pulling his pants down with a moan, a hard sound came from my right, and a wave of cold air hit us hard.


    The car door was opened, and Jax was standing there with a murderous expression on his face. Underneath me, Kai tensed and seemed to snap out of his haze. I was mortified. Completely and utterly mortified.


    I searched for my pants and was still getting them on when I was being dragged out of the car by my upper arms. Kai was scrambling behind me, yelling and cursing, but the only thing I heard was a loud ringing in my ears.


    ¡°Stop, let me go, Jax! Let me go! Kai!¡± He was so angry I felt the heatwaves of pure hatred radiating off Jax. ¡°You are hurting me, stop!¡± he was holding on to my arm so hard I felt it in my bones.


    Kai was still behind me, trying to catch up to us, but Jax was moving unnaturally fast. Really unnaturally fast.


    Tears sprang from my eyes again; I didn¡¯t realize I had any left tonight, but here they were.


    Jax glanced right into my eyes, and I saw the worry in them. So he loosened his grip a little, which made me stumble over my feet because of the lack of balance that caused, and I crashed hard on the left side of my body. My forehead hit a car¡¯s side mirror. I saw dots and stripes, and then I smelled Kai again.


    Kai on my right, Jax on my left. Yelling at each other like two manatees. ¡°Are you okay, baby¡­?¡± Kai said between curses, his voice laced with worry. He was grabbing my face just as Jax clocked him straight in the jaw.


    I screamed.


    They started fighting in the middle of the street, and it was ugly. They were not holding back at all.


    I had no clue why we were the only ones out there, but there literally was no one else around to help.


    So I jumped up and threw myself right in the middle of them. They had such ferocious looks on their faces that they even started scaring me now. I was pushed hard between them and felt like a ragdoll being tumbled around.


    ¡°Get out of here, Lulu!¡± Jax tried reaching around me to get to Kai, but I felt such anger boiling up I couldn¡¯t contain myself. I hit him with my clenched fist, so hard on his jaw that he cringed down in pain.


    For a moment, I felt nothing but pure gloating, and then my hand hurt like a bitch. I probably broke it. But seeing how much pain he was in, it was worth it. So worth it.


    Kai was on me in an instant, hugging me and pulling me away from Jax. He kissed my forehead. ¡°Are you okay, baby?¡± he tried to grab my hand, but I flinched. It definitely was broken.


    I was not able to move my fingers. Behind me, Jax was getting up again, a bruise already showing around his eye. ¡°Lulu, you need to come with me. We need to talk.¡±


    He was out of breath, and the words came out weird.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­ you haven¡¯t said two words to me in four years! I¡¯m not coming anywhere with you, ever!¡± Kai was still rubbing my back and walking me back to the car.


    ¡°I swear to god, Kai, if you touch her again, you are dead! I will kill you!¡± he yelled at us.


    I was so shocked by all of this I couldn¡¯t even comprehend tonight. So I turned around again, not done with this asshole at all.


    ¡°Why are you even here, Jax? You have no business in my life anymore. You don¡¯t get to tell me what to do!¡± my voice was hoarse from all the crying, screaming, and from being so damn turned on. If Jax hadn¡¯t stopped us, I was pretty damn sure what would have happened.


    ¡°I can if you are fucking a Rainer in the back of a car!¡± he growled at me.


    ¡°Fuck you, Jax!¡± I growled even harder back. ¡°Who I fuck or don¡¯t fuck is none of your business.¡±


    Kai was awfully quiet as we stepped into his car again. We drove in silence for a while, my hand and my forehead aching. My entire body was pounding, still, a need that I had never felt before coursing through my veins.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he whispered as we neared my home.


    ¡°For what? For hitting him, he deserved every punch.¡±


    ¡°That and for¡­ nearly having you in the back of this car. You deserve better than that, and therefore, I¡¯m sorry, baby.¡± He sighed and kissed my nose. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t control myself. I should have known better. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    I grabbed his hand and squeezed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I felt better than I have in a long, long time. Thank you for that.¡± I kissed him. He grabbed my face and let his tongue wander over my lips. We started to literally devour each other again.


    He pulled back with a gasp and adjusted his pants. ¡°I think we need to go home and just¡­ I don¡¯t know. Not tonight.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. My blood buzzed with lust. I could only imagine, by the erection in his pants, what he must be feeling.


    He saw me looking. ¡°Trust me, I would in a heartbeat¡ªdon¡¯t look at me like that with those goddamn Bambi eyes¡ªI would¡­¡±


    I laughed and winced when I felt my face and hand contracting at the motion.


    ¡°Put some ice on that.¡± He motioned for me to go. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow, alright?¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Kai.¡± I smiled and did as he said. Even though my hand felt broken and my forehead was a mess, I had no visit from the Dark Stalker that night for the first time in a very long time.

 Chapter 8

    The rain and wind were slapping at my face as I came home with a load of groceries. There was a storm brewing, and the air already smelled like one.


    My mind went to last night when Ethan and I were at the Trailer Park Dream. It always scared me how suddenly the Dark Stranger found me there. In other dreams, I had time, sometimes lots of time, but in that one, he would always just be there. No matter how many times we tried to change our routine, I always ended up gutted, hanging from the ceiling of that stinky old trailer.


    I usually did the shopping for Dad and took care of the meal preps for seven days in a row. Ever since our mom died, I¡¯d taken it upon myself to take care of us. Next door, the twins were loudly playing some R&B music. Jax was probably giving them hell for it. He always hated it when they were obnoxiously loud.


    Suddenly, the music stopped. Jax probably got to them. The wind also died, and the rain ended as if someone had pulled the plug on it too.


    Kai was coming over for dinner, and I saw him pull up just now. I was making enchiladas, and Kai had been salivating over the prospect of them all week. We saw each other more and more each day, and ever since that party, we had become this unofficial item. We hadn¡¯t put a label on it yet, but we were together.


    ¡°Just in time!¡± I bellowed as I dragged the last of the seven grocery bags out of the old rusty station wagon. Dad was out of town with the Honda, so I was stuck with this one for the week. It did its job, so that was all that mattered anyway.


    A flashback of me and Jax joyriding in it when we were way too young came back in a wave of nostalgia. The car still had a little dent in the front from where we hit that trash can in front of the Miller house.


    Kai was staring at the sky with a forlorn expression on his face. His dark brows were drawn together in worry. ¡°Kai? Did you hear me?¡± He was inching closer, still looking skyward, and his left hand stretched forward to silence me.


    The door of the Skylars¡¯ house slammed open with a loud bang. I saw the twins and Jax step out frantically, looking upward too.


    ¡°Kai, what¡¯s happening?¡± I looked but saw nothing but gray skies with dark thunderclouds rolling in. Panic was creeping up my spine without probable cause. My senses picked up on a weird vibe. Something was wrong when all the Rainers were on high alert.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Kai ran to me and grabbed my hand. ¡°Babe, I need you to listen to me now.¡± Panic was in his eyes, his posture, his entire being. Something was wrong. Very wrong.


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring me¡­¡± I grabbed his side and came in closer for a hug while looking into his eyes. He kissed my nose. ¡°I had no idea¡­ I had no idea¡­¡± he mumbled. I heard footsteps running toward us and felt a hand on my lower back.


    ¡°Freckles, you need to come with us. NOW!¡± It was Jax, his voice laced with worry as well. Freckles?


    ¡°You have a pod?¡± Kai asked. Jax nodded. Both were ready for a fight, breathing heavily through their noses.


    ¡°A pod?¡± I asked like they were crazy. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For how many?¡± Kai ignored me but grabbed me harder. It was almost painful.


    ¡°Five.¡± Jax motioned impatiently for the twins to get going toward the shed. Kai and he were having a silent conversation and even started talking in Mons for a few seconds. Jax nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± added Kai solemnly. He grabbed my face and kissed my nose again before dragging me behind him, Jax taking the lead.


    ¡°My groceries!¡± I yelled. They were still sitting in the driveway for anyone to just run off with. They were now rushing, and I was dragged with them, stumbling over my own two feet. My red All-Stars slipped on the wet curb.


    When we got to their garden shed, I saw something I couldn¡¯t even believe. There was a silver spaceship, looking like a giant, sleek Tesla with wings. Miro was already behind the wheel, his twin beside him.


    Jax threw open the passenger door and pushed me in. Kai was on the other side, quickly stepping into the vehicle. Panic was now consuming me, eating me alive.


    Why would we be joining my arch-enemies?


    Kai and I hated them with a passion. ¡°Kai¡­¡± I sobbed, feeling the nerves from everyone, which made me cry.


    Jax scooted in beside me and slammed the door. ¡°Go, go, go!¡± he yelled at Miro, and his brother slammed the pedal. The thing took off like a bat out of hell. I was holding onto Kai¡¯s arm so hard, sweat beading down my brow. He pried my fingers off one by one and grabbed my face. He kissed me lightly on the lips.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine, you hear me¡­ it¡¯s going to be difficult, but you are strong, baby!¡± He had tears in his eyes. I tried to look outside the window, but he wouldn¡¯t let me.


    ¡°No¡­ just look at me. Look me in my eyes¡­¡± I felt like something really bad was happening to me. But I couldn¡¯t align this with Kai. He would never let that happen. Never. But then again, I never saw Jax¡¯s betrayal coming.


    Kai glanced over my shoulder at Jax and nodded. The next thing I felt was a cold, sharp pain in my neck as Jax stuck a needle in it. ¡°Kai¡­ what the fuck¡­!¡± I cried out as if he had just stabbed me. In the back.


    ¡°Baby, you trust me, right?¡± I was trying to get out of his grip now. He was not my friend. Nothing made sense, and everything was fading around me, like I was in a vortex and only Kai was still in focus.


    The struggle became more difficult because my limbs were becoming weak. Jax had drugged me with something.


    ¡°I will never forgive¡­¡± were the last words I said before everything faded to black.

 Chapter 9

    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    I woke up feeling nauseous and weak. I had no clue where I was or even who I was¡ªthat¡¯s how groggy I felt. I was in a wide canopy bed under crisp white sheets, and the sounds of cheerfully chirping birds drifted toward me.


    The room was circular, with all white and light wooden panels. In front of me were giant floor-to-ceiling glass terrace doors with white linen curtains blowing in a soft breeze. Behind them, I could see a lush park surrounded by thousands of colorful flowers and large trees.


    I groaned and stirred as I tried to sit up in this strange bed, but my body felt unnaturally heavy. I struggled to recall the last thing I remembered, suddenly fearful I had ended up in another tequila-induced coma¡ªthe only substance on Earth that could make me feel this way.


    My head was also pounding up a storm.


    "Do you need anything, miss?" a sweet female voice drifted toward me from my left side. It had a slight accent I couldn¡¯t place. I glanced sideways toward the voice and screamed.


    There stood a woman with green skin and a black-and-white apron. She had strange-looking elf ears too.


    I scooted to the other side of the bed, miscalculated, and dropped to the hard wooden floor with a bone-crunching slap.


    I moaned as I felt my elbow jutting down at a weird angle. The fall, however, seemed to slap some recollection into me. I hadn¡¯t touched tequila at all last night; I¡¯d been injected with something. Whatever Kai and Jax had drugged me with was still clouding my movements.


    Apparently, it was also making me see things.


    I saw green people now. With elf ears.


    I heard a commotion from the other side of the room, showing just how large this room actually was. There were actual sides to a room that sounded far away to one¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Is she awake?¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± It was both Kai and Jax speaking simultaneously.


    The two traitors had joined forces. They must have been having some really nice "Lux is canceled" parties on my account.


    Footsteps hurried over to where I was lying on the floor, hunched over in pain because of my elbow. The pain was the only thing keeping me focused right now.


    ¡°Babe, are you okay?¡± Kai crouched down and tried to touch my arm. I winced at the contact and his proximity.


    ¡°Ouch, asshole! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± I quickly slid back and held my arm close to my body, only to slam my head against the side table behind me.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Freaking drugs.


    Jax had enough of this entire display, his ears turning bright red¡ªalways the first sign of trouble with him.


    He grabbed me, not too gently, I might add. I tried to struggle, shrieking like a banshee, but between the drugs, my aching elbow, and now my throbbing head, I couldn¡¯t do much. Cursing them both out like there was no tomorrow? That I could do. And, boy, could I curse like a sailor on a good day, but this was a great day for my French.


    Jax was walking away from the bedroom toward the room next door, me dangling beside his arm like dead weight. I wasn¡¯t budging one bit. If he wanted me to go somewhere, he would have to work for it. Unfortunately for me, his Rainer strength was impressive, so my resistance didn¡¯t mean much.


    The green woman was still following us and talking in a hushed voice to Kai. It sounded like they were speaking in Mons again. I really regretted not taking that extra Mons class at school now.


    Not that I could hear what they were saying anyway, because Jax was breathing so loudly from being angry that it drowned everything else out.


    What was he angry for anyway? He was the one who kidnapped me!


    He dragged me into a gigantic bathroom unlike any I¡¯d ever seen. It was all white marble with pink seams, white wood, and pink and purple flowers everywhere. Every countertop had a beautiful orchid on it, filling the room.


    In the middle of the bath chamber was an enormous square hot tub, carved into the marble floor and bubbling away with lotus flowers drifting on top of the steaming water. Behind it was a waterfall that emitted a rosy, scented mist.


    A freaking waterfall?


    On both sides of the hot tub were walk-in showers, apparently for a crazy shower party with twenty people or something. This place was unreal.


    What kind of palace was I in?


    There was another marble door that I assumed led to a golden toilet.


    Jax walked us straight into the hot tub, clothes and all. I was wearing a little white sleep camisole and panties¡ªwhich someone had dressed me in, by the way¡ªbut he was fully dressed in dark jeans and a dark Henley, with his shoes still on.


    What a crime to walk into a bath like this dressed like that.


    Or dressed at all!


    Somebody call the hot tub police.


    He plunked me in without much ado. ¡°This has healing properties,¡± he said, like it was just a normal thing to say.


    It better have healing properties, because I was about to kill him dead, drugged or not.


    I came up very elegantly, looking like a drowned rat, spluttering out the strange bathwater that tasted like mint. But my headache and all the other aches were slowly fading.


    I cursed some more as I stared up at Jax, who was still halfway in my tub, fully clothed, and Kai and the green lady were standing right next to him, eyeing me with some form of pity in their eyes.


    ¡°Bathe, Freckles, and Avital over here will find you some clothes to wear. We¡¯ll be right outside.¡± Jax turned and strutted out of the tub like he wasn¡¯t soaking wet, as if he were on a runway somewhere cool and jazzy. Kai just gave me a sad look and turned to leave as well. The green lady stayed.


    ¡°Uh¡­ can somebody please tell me what¡¯s going on here? Where am I?¡± I asked breathlessly.


    Avital just smiled at me and held out a fluffy white towel. ¡°The sirs will explain everything as soon as you¡¯re done here, my lady¡­¡±


    The sirs? Am I trapped in some Jane Austen novel?


    Nobody would tell me anything, and I was who knows where, still tripping on drugs, in the best tub I had ever seen in my life. I might as well enjoy this bout of madness as long as it lasted. So I did what any other drugged-out, hurt, kidnapped girl would do.


    I went under again and searched for the soap.

 Chapter 10

    They had laid out a simple blue dress for me. I had no idea why, since it was supposed to be fall in Virginia, and this tiny thing would be way too cold for this time of year. But I was about done with all the questions rolling around in my brain and filed that one in the ¡°deal with that later¡± pile.


    Deep down, I already knew we were no longer in the United States. But still, I wouldn¡¯t let my mind go there.


    Not yet.


    They¡¯d also given me a pair of white sneakers. Thank you to the boys who knew me so well, though I¡¯d never admit it to their faces. A white sneaker to their face, maybe. Speaking of shoes, I hoped my red All-Stars were still somewhere around here.


    My hair was still wet and my face flushed with worry as I sneaked out of the giant bathroom. Avital was right on my heels; apparently, she¡¯d been on guard duty outside my door. She was still keeping up the cosplay act. I didn¡¯t know why they¡¯d decided to hire an actor to stalk me through this palace, but it was just pure overkill, really.


    ¡°Just follow me, my lady. We¡¯re going to the common area.¡± Avital walked in front of me, and I scurried along like a lost puppy. We passed several huge doors on my left. On the right, everything was windows, with that to-die-for view of the flower garden and forest. I spotted waterfalls and hot springs. Strange birds with purple and white feathers flew through the garden. Was I in Costa Rica? South America, maybe? Did Jax or Kai have a retreat I didn¡¯t know about?


    She led me to what was supposed to be a living room, though with all the white and wood marble overlays, it looked like a living room for the ultra-rich. It was also built for giants. With my luck in the last few hours, I half-expected a giant to make an appearance in the next act.


    Three huge white couches, full of pillows, surrounded a massive fireplace. The decor was modern with a colonial touch.


    I knew Maddox had money, but damn, Daddy Skylar didn¡¯t play.


    Jax, Kai, the twins, a bunch of other green-skinned cosplayers in waitress outfits, and Jax¡¯s dad stood near a marble side table holding a vase with spinning yellow sunflowers. Or was I just dizzy?


    I stopped dead in my tracks. There was a man and a woman off to the side whom I hadn¡¯t noticed before. They looked middle-aged, both with dark, cropped hair and blue eyes. They looked like Kai, and suddenly I saw the resemblance¡ªthey had to be his parents. They didn¡¯t look happy to see me, though. Judging by the expressions they were giving me, they¡¯d woken up on the wrong side of a pile of something nasty.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Maddox Skylar spoke first, in that posh accent he¡¯d picked up from his London-born English teacher.


    ¡°Lux, my dear. Please, have a seat.¡± He motioned to the couch in front of him. I debated whether or not to follow his lead, but I¡¯d always respected him, despite what his son had done to me years ago. I was also clearly in his house. I don¡¯t know why I knew that, but everything here screamed Maddox.


    So I silently walked over to where he was pointing and let the couch swallow me. I felt tiny and useless and fiddled with the hem of my blue dress to avoid all their eyes on me. It was like I was the only one not in on a secret everyone else knew. I was quite literally the elephant in the room.


    Kai sat down to my right, Jax to my left, and everyone else took seats on the other two couches. I opened my mouth to speak, but Kai placed his hand on my knee to silence me. Jax looked at him intently from behind my shoulder. They were having one of those silent conversations again. When did this start happening? This was the third time I¡¯d seen it in as many hours.


    Maddox cleared his throat. ¡°I just want you to know that none of us knew. We had no idea this was going to happen.¡±


    I was still confused, but go on, Maddox.


    ¡°You are safe here with us. We will do our very best to keep it that way, Lux.¡±


    I shrugged Kai¡¯s hand off.


    Safe? Why wouldn¡¯t I be safe?


    ¡°Can someone please just tell me, without all the dancing around the giant pink elephant in the room?¡± I said, motioning toward myself. ¡°What is happening here?¡±


    Kai¡¯s hand landed on my lower back again, and this guy just couldn¡¯t take a hint. I shrugged him off once more.


    Everyone exchanged glances, as if searching for words. Except for the possible future in-laws, who were too busy trying to kill me with evil glances.


    Jax was the one who finally spoke, dropping his words like a bomb in true Jax Skylar fashion. Subtlety was not his style.


    ¡°Earth is gone.¡±


    I blinked up at him, a laugh bubbling up until I realized he was dead serious. He wouldn¡¯t joke about that. Or¡­ would he? Then again, I didn¡¯t really know him anymore, did I?


    ¡°W-what¡­ gone how?¡± My voice cracked. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.


    ¡°They destroyed it, Lux. They came and blew it all up¡­ everything¡­ everyone¡­¡± The sorrow was evident in Jax¡¯s eyes. He¡¯d lived on Earth for nearly twenty years too. I slapped my hands over my mouth, gasping. I knew he was telling the truth. I could feel it.


    ¡°Dad, Malin¡­ what¡­?¡± Tears trickled down, and I couldn¡¯t stop them. My body trembled.


    ¡°They saved some people,¡± Maddox said solemnly, as if the survival of a few would somehow make this easier.


    ¡°How many?¡± I croaked from behind my hands, still shaking. This couldn¡¯t be real. Please, just put me in another nightmare with the Dark Stranger. Anything but this. I¡¯d even face him in real life if it meant this wasn¡¯t happening.


    ¡°About a thousand people were saved,¡± Maddox sighed deeply, ¡°besides, of course, all the humans who¡¯d already moved to Caros, to Terra, over the years.¡±


    ¡°In America?¡±


    A long silence followed as they exchanged glances before Maddox finally answered.


    ¡°The world.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Never take anything for granted. It was a lesson I¡¯d learned young, when my mom died. The same lesson I¡¯d learned again when Jax left me, breaking my heart in two. Now, I was learning a whole new dimension to that statement.


    I was sitting in that gigantic bedroom again, staring out the window at the strange trees. The bizarre birds still flapped around carelessly, as if they had no worries beyond being pretty. I hadn¡¯t left this room in a week. I didn¡¯t even know how time was measured here or how much time had actually passed.


    From the Rainer lessons I¡¯d had at school, I knew they followed a system of time similar to Earth¡¯s. A week was a week.


    Then why did it feel like a year?


    I¡¯d spent days crying for my dad, for Malin, for all those innocent people. For saving me. Why me?


    Now I just felt numb. I was on a different planet. I could never go home again. I felt so alone I could die from that thought alone. Apparently, they¡¯d brought me to Terra, the continent on Caros where Maddox had a residence and had grown up.


    Avital kept me company most days, sitting silently beside me. I was grateful for that. I couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Kai and Jax; even though they¡¯d saved my life, I still felt betrayed.


    I could¡¯ve given my seat to someone else¡ªsomeone who deserved it more than I did.


    Our neighbors had small children. We could¡¯ve saved more people. The pod had been big enough for one more person.


    ¡°You need to eat, my lady,¡± Avital tried again, snapping me out of my thoughts, and she shoved a plate full of fruit toward me.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lux¡­ please call me Lux.¡± She smiled up at me with those big black eyes. ¡°Please, Sir Skylar is going to be really mad at me if¡ª¡± I interrupted her.


    ¡°Tell me whenever he¡¯s angry at you. I¡¯ll gladly kill him for you.¡± Avital shrank back.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ we can¡¯t talk bad about the Paramores like that, miss!¡±


    I huffed. ¡°And what¡¯s that¡ª¡± My bedroom door slammed open with a loud bang.


    ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± I sighed as Jax strutted in, dark jeans and dark Henley on again, with his sleeves rolled up.


    ¡°My ears were burning¡ªwere you talking about me?¡± he drawled playfully. Avital looked horrified.


    ¡°Never, sir! Please forgive us!¡±


    ¡°Avital, relax,¡± he said, noting her scared expression. I relaxed a bit as well.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°You¡¯re dismissed,¡± he added. She ran out of the room as if it were on fire.


    I gave him my darkest scowl and turned back to the window. He sat down next to me and just watched me for a while. I felt his eyes burn a hole in me.


    ¡°What?¡± I yelled, exasperated. After all those years, he still knew how to get under my skin.


    He chuckled darkly and threw a grape at my head. Surprised, I widened my eyes.


    ¡°The whole world burned down, and you just threw a grape at me?¡± I screeched angrily, grabbing a piece of watermelon and splatting it on his handsome face with a loud slap.


    He just stared at me with those intense baby blues as watermelon juice dripped down his chiseled jaw. I found it so funny I started giggling, then instantly felt bad about it. Always the one-upper, he grabbed the entire plate, mushed it all up in his palms, and came for me.


    I squealed in fake fear and ran for the door. He followed, hands and face full of fruit. I sprinted toward the bathroom, trying to lock him out, but he was on me too quickly, so I bolted for the hot tub. I jumped in, still in my pajamas, and the bastard strutted in, hands full of fruit and a smirk on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that¡­¡± he said darkly.


    I backed up, nearly touching the waterfall, but he was on me in seconds, grabbing my face and smearing the fruit all over it. For the second time, he was fully clothed in my bath, with his shoes still on. Freaking heathen.


    ¡°Got you¡­¡± he winked.


    I splashed him in retaliation.


    He ducked, slid forward, and pulled my legs from under me. I spit water as I came back up. ¡°Asshole!¡± With one last fake angry splash, I made my way out of the tub, wading through the strange current in the water that seemed to hold me back.


    Then his hands found my waist, pulling me against his bare torso.


    When did his shirt go? Or his pants? He was only wearing his black boxer shorts now¡ªand his shoes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lux¡­ I¡¯m sorry that you¡¯re hurt.¡± It was the first apology I¡¯d gotten from him in four years. I¡¯d waited for those words forever, and I couldn¡¯t fully register them now, coming from the traitorous lips of my former best friend. The love of my life. Nope. Former love of my life. Definitely former.


    I blinked away tears. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, Jax.¡± Meaning I couldn¡¯t let my guard down around him, only to have him destroy me all over again. He kissed my temple softly.


    ¡°You and I will face this. We¡¯ll get revenge. Together.¡± I blinked, taken aback. I hadn¡¯t even thought about that. I simply asked, ¡°How? How do we find them, Jax?¡± meaning the Fae, who were responsible for destroying Earth.


    The Rainers had been battling the Fae for centuries. Jax had told me stories over the years, how the centuries-old war was what caused the infertility curse the Rainers had. They all suspected some kind of Fae bio-weapon had caused it.


    Now they had killed all the humans who could reproduce easily by nuking Earth¡ªthe only other species the Rainers could reproduce with. It was as if they were killing the Rainers slowly but effectively. Without offspring, even with their prolonged lives, they would eventually die out. The Rainer race would simply cease to exist.


    The ultimate genocide.


    ¡°We have to fix it, Jax.¡± I let out a shuddering breath. The moment of reprieve was over. All the hurt crept back in, and I stepped away from him, feeling as if he were dead himself.


    His brows creased. I held up my hands to stop him from advancing. The playful food fight from just moments ago was so reminiscent of the old us, it cut me like a knife.


    ¡°We¡¯ll face this, Jax. But not¡ª¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Never again¡­ together.¡±


    I was better than this. I deserved more than a half-hearted apology after all that damage. I was stronger than I had ever been because of it, and I knew that now, ever since my heart had opened for Kai.


    Jax Skylark and I would never be friends again. We simply couldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 12

    The White Hood POV


    After entering the password solemnly¡ªit changed every goddamn day, for crying out loud¡ªI was finally let into our secret lair. The location also changed every month, rotating between various safe houses. The room was already filled with Caros¡¯s darkest individuals. Anyone who enjoyed dabbling on the wrong side of the fence had joined forces here. We all tolerated each other''s company if it meant keeping the goal intact. A democratic mobster convention¡ªthat¡¯s what this was.


    Only a few identities were clear to me. Others remained a mystery. The seven of us all wore different colored hoods; mine was white. The red hood, our unspoken leader, was female and the only one whose identity I knew. She was also the only one who held leverage over me and mine.


    The red hood raised her arms and motioned for all of us to join her at the round table. Eerie candlelight cast dark shadows, deepening the mystery of each hooded figure. We all wore voice-distortion masks in case a hood slipped. Any identity revealed meant that your head would slip too.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The red hood spoke, her voice sending chills down my spine.


    "Congratulations," she said in that eerie robotic voice. "The first part of our mission was carried out successfully."


    Everyone around the table clapped slowly, both for her and for each other. I joined in, not wanting to be the only one not celebrating the death of billions.


    "Is the asset secure?" asked the man in the green hood.


    The red hood turned her head slowly toward him, her voice lashing out like a viper. "If it was, we wouldn¡¯t still be here."


    It was always clear that we were a union of convenience. Once the mission was complete, we would never see each other again. I already had my own plans in place, understanding the implication. Only one hood would live and leave this place with all the secrets we had discussed over the years. And it would be me.


    "When?" asked the black hood.


    "Soon," was all the red hood answered while subtly glancing my way.


    A chill ran through me. If this succeeded, I would need to get everyone I cared about¡ªwhich I could count on one hand¡ªout of Caros. Out of the planet. We needed to go interstellar. It was the only reason I was still here, and the red hood knew it. I was here for information. But she needed me for a major part of the mission, and that need was keeping me alive¡ªfor now. It was keeping my family alive.


    Elia Welkin knew she needed me to finish the job.

 Chapter 13

    Days crept by, and I fought off the numbness by learning more about their culture. I knew a few key points from our Rainer classes, but actually being here was a different beast entirely.


    The seasons fluctuated unpredictably. Summer could last over a year, and winter could last a month or even ten months. You never knew what you were going to get. Nights were similar¡ªsometimes the two suns set hours earlier than expected, and sometimes they didn¡¯t set at all.


    Most things were similar to Earth, except for the lifespan. Rainers easily lived to about 140 years on average. They also had strange wildlife and several sub-Rainer species that looked like the aliens we had learned about years prior to their arrival. Avital, for example, was an Orby.


    There were also many horrifying tales about a species called the Fae. They looked like Rainers but were actually stone-cold killers with no moral compass, possessing magic that most Rainers did not have.


    I was in the Skylars'' library when Maddox entered, his black suit immaculate, red satin bow tie shining in the morning sun streaming through the large glass panels. He was one of those unfairly handsome men who became more attractive with age. He looked a bit like Jeffrey Dean Morgan.


    ¡°Lux, may I have a minute?¡± I looked up from my book; I was reading about their various states.


    ¡°I guess so, sir.¡± I hesitated, standing and smoothing my white blouse and burgundy skirt. My auburn hair was in a long fishtail braid hanging loosely over my left shoulder. Maddox stepped closer and sat down across from me, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°There are some important things we need to discuss. For one, your arrangements. You are welcome to stay here with us. You¡¯ve always been part of the family. However, if you like, I can arrange a house for you, or you could stay at the Welkins'' estate.¡±


    At the mention of Kai, whom I was still livid at, I yelped. ¡°No, sir, but thank you, sir. I¡¯m fine for the moment. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to stay here with you.¡±


    I¡¯d rather stay with the guy who bullied me for the last four years than go to my other former best friend¡¯s house.


    Maddox smiled softly. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know if you change your mind. We¡¯ve had Melixes Welkin select an entire wardrobe for you, and you¡¯ll find it in your new walk-in closet.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Melixes? I thought his mother¡¯s name was Elia?¡±


    ¡°Melixes is his little sister. She never came to Earth. She chose not to.¡±


    Another pang hit my heart. Kai had never mentioned his sister to me. Nearly a year of friendship, and the jerk had so many secrets. He was never truly my friend or boyfriend. I could see that now.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°There is one other thing.¡± I could tell this was far more serious by Maddox¡¯s sudden nervousness.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­¡±


    ¡°We would like to enroll you in the first year of college at Rivellin Academy here in Rivellin. Jax and the twins will be there, as well as a few other humans now living here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why that¡¯s a problem. I would love the education, as I don¡¯t plan to spend the rest of my days uneducated and doing nothing.¡± I had planned on going to college back on Earth soon anyway, but I could tell there was something more he wasn¡¯t saying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be hosting the annual Spring Mixer two nights from now. All the influential Rainers will be there. I hope you¡¯ll join us. I can arrange for a nice dress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really in the mood for parties.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but you start college next week. I don¡¯t know how far you¡¯ve gotten in that book, but you need to understand that, in our world, politics are literally everything. I need everyone to know that you are protected by Skylar and Welkin blood. This is non-negotiable, Miss Elmrose.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why is that so important to you?¡±


    ¡°There are certain Rainers who¡­¡± he scratched his throat, ¡°well, you are¡­ very interesting to many individuals. Your fertility is just one of those things, as 97% of our female population can¡¯t conceive anymore.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°So, I¡¯m in danger from all the men, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Mostly, it¡¯s the Fae you should worry about. But some Rainers may resent the fact that you can reproduce and they can¡¯t. Rainers live with a high moral code, but still¡­ never underestimate the power of jealousy, Lux. If you¡¯re seen as one of us at the Mixer, they¡¯ll be even less likely to try anything. They wouldn¡¯t dare harm a Paramore¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with these Paramores anyway? I haven¡¯t read that anywhere yet. Avital called Jax that a few days ago.¡±


    Maddox hesitated and glanced out the window. The two suns were shining brightly, somewhere in the middle of the afternoon.


    ¡°There are thirteen rulers of this nation, referred to as the Tertin. Their heirs are called Paramores.¡±


    ¡°Like senators, like back on Earth? Who are they?¡±


    ¡°You already know two. Jax is the Paramore of House Skylar. Kai is the Paramore of House Welkin. Then we have the Barringtons¡ªthe oldest one, Sebastian, is the Paramore of House Barrington¡ªand Oak Briareve, the Paramore of House Briareve. Those are just four from our state; there are nine more representing the other states. Usually, only the Paramores go to Earth, which is why you¡¯ve met two of them.¡±


    ¡°All men? How patronizing.¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°That¡¯s just coincidence. Kai¡¯s mother was the oldest of her generation and the previous Paramore of House Welkin. My wife was as well, but when she passed, I became the new regent of the Skylar branch.¡±


    I let the words settle. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it¡­ you know¡­ put me in more danger to be the prot¨¦g¨¦ of two Paramore families?¡±


    Maddox¡¯s eyes widened a bit, and I could see a trace of pride that I¡¯d drawn such a conclusion.


    ¡°You¡¯d think so. However, the consequences of hurting one of our prot¨¦g¨¦s are so severe that no one would dare it.¡± He winked and stood up, done with the conversation.


    He looked so much like Jax in that moment, it was eerie.


    ¡°Thank you, Maddox,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, Lux. You¡¯ve always been like a daughter to me. I¡¯m glad to have you back in our lives.¡±


    My throat tightened at his words. For the last four years, Jax had taken away my other family, too.


    It felt good to hear this from Maddox¡¯s lips. He was often more of a father to me than my own. Since my mom¡¯s death, my dad¡¯s happiness had been consumed by his grief, so good moments with him were rare.


    Now I¡¯d never have any moments¡ªgood or bad¡ªwith him ever again.

 Chapter 14

    I had spent way too much time on my appearance that night, having barely slept since Earth was destroyed. This time, it had nothing to do with wandering around dreams with my dream boyfriend Ethan or being hunted by a serial killer¡ªthose nightmares had completely stopped. Instead, I lay awake every night, stressed out about my future. The bags under my eyes were about ready to be sold in a mall; they were that expensive. Fortunately, Rainer makeup could literally be called magic, courtesy of Avital.


    I had no idea what kind of party I was walking into. My violet dress was covered with the softest flower-like petals I had ever seen, with a low neckline and cut-out shoulders. I still wore the bird-shaped necklace my mom had given me, a tiny remnant of home. My hair hung in loose ringlets down my back. This outfit would be far too much for a party in my old world, but I guessed it would have to do for now. I probably would still be underdressed.


    As I entered the party, I spotted Jax¡¯s blond mane from a mile away. He was wearing a light blue suit that matched his eyes perfectly. We had this weird truce going on, and I wasn¡¯t eager to provoke the old Jax back out, so I kept my distance. I was making a beeline for the cocktail table when a huge, tree-like man in a light navy suit cut me off.


    ¡°I guess you must be the human girl?¡± His deep baritone voice cut right through me, carrying the same dignified posh accent that Maddox had. He looked older than Jax and Kai, probably nearing his thirties, with short-cropped black hair that was a little longer in the front, falling over his forehead. His bright blue eyes and Roman nose were striking, and I spotted a tattoo on his wrist that looked like it might cover his entire arm or body.


    He was joined by another tall guy. I had to crane my neck to look at them. The second one exuded danger in every sense. His hair was white as snow, tied back in a man-bun, and his piercing blue eyes reminded me of a winter sky. Dressed all in black, he contrasted starkly with his white hair. They looked identical¡ªtwins, I assumed.


    I nodded in acknowledgment. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, another figure appeared behind them. This one looked closer to my age¡ªtall, lean but muscular, with tattoos up his arm, wavy brown hair, and piercing light brown eyes that seemed to see right through you. He wore his hair in a slightly curly, messy style, his smile was cheeky, and his nails were painted black. He sported a light brown blazer with an orange plaid pattern over a white shirt and casual jeans, with sneakers to match.


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not hard to spot a human in a crowd like this,¡± he drawled.


    I glanced down at my Doc Martens lookalikes, still hidden under my long dress. The ¡°orange blazer one¡± reached out, took my left hand, and curtsied.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Sebastian, and these two are Oak and Asher.¡± I¡¯d heard these names before; they were Paramores. Maddox had mentioned that all Paramores were in college, but these twins looked nearly thirty, so how was that possible?


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure,¡± I said, though I didn¡¯t find this meet-and-greet particularly pleasurable.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Everything all right here, babe?¡± Kai appeared at my side, probably sensing my unease from a mile away. He placed his hand on my lower back, giving his three fellow Paramores a cold stare. I shrugged out of his grip again; he really needed to stop touching me. I grabbed a cocktail and glared at him.


    ¡°Just fine, Kai. Thanks.¡± Sarcasm dripped from my voice.


    Sebastian chuckled. His posh English accent was so thick I could barely understand him.


    ¡°What did you do to this one, Welkin? Play with it a little too roughly?¡± I whipped my head around, anger flooding my veins.


    ¡°What did you just call me?¡±


    Sebastian feigned a heart attack, clutching his chest dramatically.


    ¡°Marry me, sexy little human, please,¡± he drawled.


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± I replied dryly.


    Ash and Oak didn¡¯t look amused by Sebastian¡¯s joke or the fact that he had called me ¡°it.¡± Clearly, they didn¡¯t agree with their friend¡¯s antics.


    ¡°Damn, she¡¯s got some fire in that tight body. Got me all hot and bothered,¡± Sebastian whispered the last part in my ear with a chuckle. Goosebumps prickled up my arms from his proximity.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jax appeared out of nowhere, snatching the cocktail from my hands, which spilled a little on Oak¡¯s pants, and grabbed my arm, dragging me away from the four of them.


    I could vaguely tell that Kai was arguing with them about me, and I felt a flicker of gratitude for his defense. Jax, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten our truce. He pulled me down the hallway, into the library, and shut the door with a loud bang. He ruffled his blond hair like he was deciding which insult to throw first.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± I shouted before he could. ¡°I was just talking to them!¡±


    He stepped closer, and I flinched back. ¡°Sebastian was trying to mess with you, Lux!¡± He was so angry, the vein in his forehead was starting to pop.


    ¡°Wait, what? Not all guys who talk to me are trying to sleep with me, Jaxson.¡±


    He shook his head, clearly frustrated. ¡°You know nothing of this world. Nothing!¡±


    ¡°Then please enlighten me, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke! Do you think I want you here?¡±


    Ouch¡­ that hurt.


    He took a breather and noticed that his words had hit hard.


    I looked down, blinking away tears, suddenly feeling very alone.


    ¡°I guess I could just go. Your father offered me a house. That doesn¡¯t happen to a girl like me every day.¡± I tried to move past him so he couldn¡¯t see the tears in my eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare walk away from me, Freckles!¡± He growled.


    I froze at the sound of my old nickname.


    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know, and you need to listen carefully. When you get to college, every girl there will want to size you up. Every guy there will want to claim you. You will stay close to me or Kai at all times. If you get lost, the twins will do. The Briareves have a moral code they won¡¯t break; they can be trusted. But stay away from Sebastian. Do you hear me, Elmrose? We need to gauge how the other Rainers react to your presence until we know it¡¯s safe. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be quite the trip for you, having me close at all times, given you can¡¯t stand the sight or smell of me.¡± I smirked, the hurt clawing its way back up. Jax opened his mouth, trying to respond, but decided against it.


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to deal with.¡±


    This guy¡­ never the most sensitive in the room.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± My voice didn¡¯t crack. I was proud of myself for staying strong.


    ¡°Humans are highly sought after here, so stay away from other Rainer males. They see you as their own personal game. They¡¯ll want you for a night and never look at you again.¡±


    I turned the door handle and looked back over my shoulder, my voice as cold as I could make it. ¡°That¡¯s nothing new to me.¡±


    Then I slammed the door in his stunned face.

 Chapter 15

    The cold night air was doing my heated skin some good. I had spent the rest of the evening by Maddox''s side, shaking hands and meeting people. He¡¯d made a toast to me, and all the guests had cheered and hollered with delight.


    I was their new favorite attraction¡ªthe poor little human who could never go home again.


    I was still flustered from trying to act like I cared when, in fact, all I wanted was to go home.


    To my old bed. My old life.


    But that was gone forever. A lone tear crept down, and I angrily brushed it away. I hugged myself, partly because I was cold, and continued staring at the pool before me. It was enormous, easily covering the area of two Olympic pools. The Rainers did everything bigger¡ªit wasn¡¯t just reserved for Texans.


    "Need some company?" The deep voice from earlier came from my left. I glanced up. Oak had his blue jacket slung over his forearm, revealing a light blue shirt that looked like it was about to burst at the seams. The man was ripped.


    "According to Jax, I should avoid all Rainer men at all costs, so please, take a seat."


    He laughed out loud. "Good thing Jax Skylar doesn¡¯t scare me. Almost looks like he¡¯s already claimed you."


    He sat down, draping the jacket over my shoulders without asking. I welcomed the warmth and the crisp, winter-night scent of his cologne.


    Seeing my confusion, he added, "Claimed, marked, mated¡ªall that jazz." He raised an eyebrow at me. "You really don¡¯t know? Don¡¯t humans have protocols?"


    I thought it over. "I think you mean marriage¡­?"


    "No, not marriage. More like finding your... mate. Lover, you know. The person you¡¯re with. The one you sleep with."


    I nearly spit out my drink at his bluntness. "Is that how things work here? You find a mate?"


    "Well, yeah. We can have several, but that¡¯s the gist of it."


    "Oh, several... That¡¯s a nice little arrangement you Rainers have going here."


    He smiled at me, and I nearly melted. He was that good-looking.


    "It¡¯s usually the female who has several, actually. Since we¡¯re a male-dominated species, for every female, there are on average five males."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting..."


    He observed me, amused, so I quickly added, "Not that I¡¯m... you know. That¡¯s for Rainers, not for me."


    "Well, it is primarily for you, I would think, given that you¡ª"


    Two hands abruptly pulled the jacket from my shoulders, and someone grabbed me roughly. I was lifted into the air, yelping in surprise.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    For the second time tonight, I was done with this.


    ¡°What the hell! Let me go!¡± It was Kai.


    Oak moved into view, his voice bored as he said, "Welkin, let her go. She clearly doesn¡¯t like it."


    Kai flipped him off and continued. I saw Oak start to move, only to be halted by his white-haired brother. So much for my rescuer.


    "Kai, stop it!" I protested, but he kept moving, charging toward my room. He kicked the door open, much to my dismay, and then slammed it shut, locking it.


    He tossed me onto the bed with no further ceremony, then pocketed the key. In the front of his pants, the bastard.


    He crossed his arms and frowned down at me. "Three weeks!" he growled. I had never seen him so angry.


    "You ignored me for three weeks!" He practically shouted the last word, his face so red he looked ready to pop a vein.


    I scowled at him. "Well, you lied to me!"


    "I saved your goddamn life, baby!"


    "Jax would have gotten me, Kai!"


    "Jax would have¡ªfuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He punched the wall so hard that a painting fell. He was breathing heavily, face against the wall, fist still raised.


    I moved closer and coaxed him to sit on the bench by the windowsill. I was still angry but didn¡¯t want him to hurt himself.


    I grabbed a cloth from my vanity to staunch the bleeding on his knuckles.


    He hissed as I applied it, not bothering with small talk.


    "A sister, Kai¡­ you have a sister! You¡¯re a goddamn prince, Paramore, whatever¡ªof Terra! Who the hell are you?" My voice was starting to crack, and this was the final straw of the night, tipping me over the edge. "You were with me every single day for the last year, Kai! Every single day we shared, cried, spent together! I trusted you with everything! I confided in you¡ªthings I¡¯d never told anyone, not even Jax! You know everything about me! You bastard! You should have told me! I loved you! You were my best friend!"


    I hadn¡¯t realized I was shouting, or that I was standing.


    He sat there with his bleeding knuckles, his dimples, his big blue eyes beginning to water as he stared at me, dumbfounded. I was breathing hard, chest heaving as I fought not to start bawling. My fists were clenched. I wanted to hit him so badly.


    "You loved me, baby?" He smirked in that goofy way of his. "Funny, ''cause¡­ guess what? I love you too. From the very first day I laid eyes on that cute face, I¡¯ve loved you. And you¡¯re my bestie too!" He winked. "Pinky swear."


    That did it. I crumpled to the floor, sobbing. I cried for everything I¡¯d lost, for finally letting my anger out on Kai, for him taking me away when I should have died on Earth with the rest of them. For everything.


    I felt him pull me into his arms on the floor, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I cried into his shirt, in his neck, all the way to my bed.


    He stayed there, holding me as I cried, kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back. I didn¡¯t think I would sleep, anticipating the Dark Stalker finding me.


    I woke up, my eyes swollen from crying. Not wanting to open them fully, I pretended to still be asleep. I was still resting on Kai¡¯s chest. He was playing with my hair, obviously up for a while, kissing my head occasionally.


    "You¡¯re just the cutest little snorer¡­" he whispered. That got my eyes open in a heartbeat. I looked up at him, blinking.


    "I don¡¯t snore."


    He laughed, kissing my nose and lips softly. "Babe¡­ you make these little noises. It¡¯s adorable." He brushed a stray hair from my face, looking devastatingly handsome first thing in the morning.


    "Careful, Kai¡­ I¡¯m still not over all the lies. Staying here doesn¡¯t fix everything."


    I dropped my head back onto his chest, my hand wandering over his torso, contradicting my words.


    I felt him smile. I needed a bit more sleep still.


    "Babe¡­ hate to say this, but we have to get up¡­ I¡¯d love to stay here all day with you, believe me, I would¡­ But we have to get to the college." I protested by climbing onto him and gripping him tightly. "No¡­ please¡­ No¡­"


    "Baby¡­ you don¡¯t want to climb on me right now." I immediately realized why. He had a massive erection.


    I laughed at that.


    "Yeah, that¡¯s a conundrum. I¡¯m taking a shower. I suggest you do too."


    He raised his eyebrows.


    "After I¡¯m done, of course." I kissed his lips and hopped out of bed.


    For the first time in weeks, I felt a little better.

 Chapter 16

    I hadn¡¯t ventured far outside the Skylar home yet. I¡¯d just finished taking a walk in the forest behind the Maddox estate, guarded by Zeal, the head of their security.


    It was a strange outing¡ªevery tree looked different from those on Earth, somehow larger and more intimidating, or maybe it was the weird shimmering of the trunks. The birds were even creepier¡ªhumanlike robins with feathers in every color of the rainbow.


    I was back in my room in under half an hour. Four weeks had passed since I left Earth, and I was finally semi-ready to venture out into this strange planet.


    I hadn¡¯t even realized until now that I had an entire new planet to explore. Did they have continents? Airplanes, trains, other ways to travel? Oceans? Beaches? I still had so many questions.


    Kai was walking ahead of me toward the front lawn of the massive estate that Jax could now call home. He was in dark blue jeans, a fitted blue striped shirt, and a blue jacket. He still wore his black All-Stars from our escape from Earth.


    I spotted Jax and the twins already waiting in front of us. I guessed all of us were enrolling in Rivellin College together, which made sense since we¡¯d been in school together on Earth. I guessed they¡¯d also lost that part of their lives.


    The truce between Jax and me was over almost as soon as it began. I noticed his truce with Kai was still holding, though. They exchanged polite nods, that silent communication still intact, then went their separate ways. Jax didn¡¯t even glance in my direction.


    The grumpy bastard.


    "They¡¯re not joining us?" I asked Kai, dumbfounded, reaching for his hand. He noticed, grabbed my hand, and pulled me close.


    "They¡¯re using their teleporter. I don¡¯t want to use that on you yet, so we¡¯re taking the Helicar." He waggled his eyebrows at me, leaving me to puzzle over what he¡¯d just said.


    "Okay... that¡¯s not weird at all. So they¡¯re teleporting? Like, Battlestar Galactica style?" He walked me over to another of those spaceship-like cars we¡¯d used to evacuate Earth, not answering.


    "Oh no, not that one again. You¡¯re not drugging me again, are you?" I protested, trying to pull my hand free. He squeezed my hand, his thumb tracing reassuring circles on the back of it.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Babe, no. That was to get you interstellar. Your body wouldn¡¯t have survived the trip otherwise. Today we¡¯re not traveling that far." He pulled me close. "I¡¯ve got you," he said, kissing my nose.


    "You know that, right?"


    I hugged him back and nodded against his chest. "Yeah, but still a little wary of you, lying bastard."


    I playfully pushed him back, and he laughed out loud.


    "Get in, grudge." He slapped my ass and practically shoved me into the Helicar.


    "Did you just call me grudge?"


    "It¡¯s a new nickname!" he winked and started the engine.


    We took off so fast I yelped in surprise. I was never going to get used to this.


    "Asshole! A little warning next time, please!" I held my hand to my chest, my heart pounding like it was going to jump out. Kai just chuckled, as if it were the funniest thing ever.


    After about half an hour, we arrived at what I assumed was Rivellin College. It looked like the Disneyland Main Hotel¡ªall pink marble with red roofing, surrounded by crystal-blue water and sparkling waterfalls. Behind the main building, I could see several smaller structures of the same style and another of those strange forests.


    "Home sweet home!" Kai parked the thing in a huge lot next to a fleet of colorful flying Teslas in shades ranging from red to yellow and beyond.


    He opened my door and offered me his hand. I took it, and together we walked to the main entrance.


    My jaw dropped. Up close, it was even more impressive. "No way¡­" I whispered. "What a building¡­"


    Kai was loving the shock on my face. "I need to get us some Telvices. I should record your awe at every new thing you¡¯re about to discover."


    I nodded, not really hearing what he was saying. I assumed a Telvice was some kind of phone here since I¡¯d heard Jax mention one earlier.


    I was busy staring at the local "insects," each at least ten times bigger than their Earth counterparts, hovering around the three-story water fountain in the lake by the main entrance. I was this close to having another panic attack. I was not dealing with wasps the size of chihuahuas¡ªnope, not happening.


    He grabbed my face and kissed me softly. "You ready to go inside?"


    I straightened his shirt, plastering on a fake confident smile, and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.


    "Let¡¯s do this."


    He kissed my forehead and murmured against my head, "You know to keep either Jax or me in sight, right? At least in the beginning¡­"


    I looked up at him, squinting against the sunlight directly above us.


    "It¡¯s not that dangerous, is it? Like you and Jax keep trying to tell me?"


    He lovingly tucked my hair behind my ears, considering his words carefully. A deep frown crossed his face.


    "It¡¯s not dangerous¡­ but¡­ you¡¯re going to really stand out, and a lot of Rainers won¡¯t like that. We¡¯re a proud species, especially the females. So, yeah, in a way, it could be dangerous for you. They don¡¯t exactly want competition around here. Rivellin is a town with very few human women, so I¡¯ll feel better if Jax or I are there to keep an eye on you. Okay? We¡¯ll see how the first few days go and re-evaluate."


    He held my face, looking for confirmation. I nodded, my face nestled between his hands. He smiled, satisfied, and pulled me into a warm hug.


    "I¡¯m not letting anything happen to you, babe. Never."

 Chapter 17

    I was shown around campus, still impressed with the otherworldly elegance everywhere. From the fanciest classrooms I¡¯d ever seen to the state-of-the-art library and food court.


    People stared at me¡ªsometimes hostilely¡ªso I clung to Kai¡¯s arm for dear life. Just as we finished admiring the main dining area, we ran into the Briareve twins.


    I was still figuring out why they were here; they didn¡¯t seem young enough for college. That soon became clear.


    "Miss Elmrose, nice to see you again. Welkin," the dark-haired twin, Oak, greeted, kissing my hand and shaking Kai¡¯s.


    His white-haired twin winked brazenly at me, nodding at Kai. Their blazers read ¡°Professor Briareve.¡± They were professors, after all.


    "Have you gotten your schedule yet?" Ash asked warmly. I nodded, digging it out of my bag. ¡°They gave me an adapted schedule since I¡¯m missing a lot.¡±


    Ash and Oak shared a look and smiled. "Seems we¡¯ll be seeing a lot of each other, Miss Elmrose," Oak added with a genuine smile.


    Kai stiffened beside me, not as pleased. Ash continued, ¡°It¡¯s rare to interact with humans. My Paramore brothers got to go to Earth, but my brother and I missed that chance.¡±


    He winked again. Or did he have something in his eye? He turned to chat with a passing student, signaling the conversation¡¯s end.


    Kai took my arm, guiding me toward the dorms. ¡°Everyone stays on campus. The Paramores can stay at home and come for classes, but Jax and I thought we¡¯d stay on campus to fit in. Still, we¡¯d rather you stay with the Skylars or at my place.¡±


    I slapped his arm away, annoyed. ¡°Are you kidding? You know I was looking forward to college life, dorms and all. I want to stay here on campus.¡±


    Kai reached out, tugging my pouting lip gently with a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re going to be the end of me, you know that, right?¡±


    "Good," I replied. ¡°I¡¯m staying here.¡±


    Kai rolled his eyes. "Jax is going to kill us both when he finds out."


    ¡°That¡¯s on him. I already stand out enough as the only human. Staying here might help me blend in a little better.¡±


    Kai sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. When will you learn?¡±


    He pulled me into a hug with a grunt. ¡°So, what do you want to do? Classes don¡¯t start till tomorrow.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I still have everything to explore. Do you guys have movie theaters, malls¡ªnormal things¡ªor is it all weird forests and lavish schools?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°We have everything you could want. I know just the place.¡±


    <hr>


    Kai spent the afternoon showing me Rivellin City¡¯s quaint town square. White pebble streets, cozy red-roofed houses, and then, in the heart of the city, towering skyscrapers and neon-lit nightlife spots.


    With some help from Maddox, I finally secured a dorm room. I¡¯d be sharing with Skylark Briareve, the twins¡¯ younger sister.


    As I rolled my luggage into our room, I spotted the family resemblance: Skylark had Ash¡¯s long white hair and Oak¡¯s cobalt-blue eyes. She had a tattoo on her wrist, was dressed in a low-cut top and jean shorts, and wore white sneakers.


    ¡°You must be Lux!¡± she squealed, hugging me tightly. She smelled of rosemary and lemons.


    She grabbed my heavy bag effortlessly, swinging it onto my bed. Our room was a mix of white and pink, with a luxurious bathroom on the right and a dressing room on the left. There was also a cozy living area with a big TV, some chairs, and a small terrace overlooking the forest. They sure liked their forest views here.


    ¡°Ready for the welcome party?¡± Skylark asked, waggling her eyebrows.


    ¡°Kai mentioned it, but I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve heard Rainers won¡¯t be so welcoming.¡±


    ¡°Girl, you¡¯ve got Kai, Jax, and me. Nobody¡¯s laying a finger on you!¡± She pointed at me and winked. What was it with these Briareves and winking?


    ¡°Kai¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t?¡± She sounded genuinely surprised.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s my best friend. Maybe a little more, but we haven¡¯t defined it.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. You two would make a great couple.¡± She winked again. ¡°Now get your ass in the shower and get ready for the night of your life, girlfriend!¡±


    She playfully swatted my backside, pushing me toward the bathroom. I already knew Skylark would be a good friend. I hadn¡¯t felt this comfortable with anyone since Jax.


    As I put on my earrings, there was a knock.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it!¡± Skylark called, sprinting in heels somehow.


    ¡°Hey, Sky,¡± Kai said. ¡°I¡¯m looking for my girl. She in there?¡±


    I blushed. My girl.


    Skylark let him in, and he joined me at the vanity, hugging me from behind and kissing my neck. ¡°You look amazing.¡±


    He whispered while kissing a trail from my ear to my lower neck, making my body squirm in all the right places. He was wearing that dark blue shirt I loved so much.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I glanced in the mirror, really liking my little yellow dress. It was bodycon and a little tighter than I¡¯d like, but with no choice in all the clothes I now owned, I figured beggars can¡¯t be choosers, right?


    I turned around as soon as my earring was in place and kissed him lightly on the lips, grabbing my purse from the countertop.


    As I was passing Skylark, she whispered, ¡°Yeah, not your boyfriend, right¡­¡± while rolling her eyes.


    I playfully slapped her on the upper arm and grabbed Kai¡¯s hand as we walked out together, joking about the campus, while they told me a few funny stories about their childhoods.


    Skylark had indeed grown up with the Welkins. It appears Kai had also spent a good amount of time with the Briareve twins.


    I also learned that Kai used to be best friends with that douche canoe, Sebastian Barrington. They had a falling out, and ever since Kai came to earth, they¡¯d had no contact.


    Because Jax and his twin brothers had grown up on Earth, he was kind of the odd one out among the Paramores and didn¡¯t share any real connection to his Paramore brothers like the others did. Sebastian had three younger brothers who also attended this academy. I wondered if they were as unhappy as he was.


    The welcome party was in the courtyard near the forest, at the back of the Academy. It was called ¡°The Broom¡± and was one of three open-air nightclubs in the city. The only one on campus, actually; the other two were in the city center, according to Sky.


    It looked like a midnight summer¡¯s dream, with candles and wishing wells. Birds and butterflies in the brightest colors flew around our heads, and there were canap¨¦s and fancy drinks served by waiters in black suits. No expense had been spared.


    A beautiful girl in a tight lavender dress, with long, dark brown, straight hair that fell to her hips, came our way with two drinks in her hand. She had bright blue eyes, dimples in her cheeks, and she was heading for Kai.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I felt a pang of jealousy. She was so beautiful; I looked like dirt compared to her.


    ¡°Brother!¡± she yelped. I felt stupid. Of course, she was his sister. They looked so much alike it was uncanny.


    Kai hugged her tightly. ¡°Little sister!¡± he chirped.


    She handed one of her drinks to Skylark, who happily accepted it and kissed her on the cheek in welcome. Melixes let go of Kai, and I was expecting the same warm welcome she¡¯d given my two companions, but instead, she scowled at me.


    ¡°This is her?¡± she said icily, her eyes roaming over my body, her nose crinkling in disgust.


    Kai pretended not to notice her tone, but Skylark did. Together they said:


    ¡°This is Lux.¡±


    I sheepishly waved at her. ¡°Nice to meet you, Melixes,¡± ignoring her disapproval.


    She eyed me up and down again. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Melixes!¡± Skylark piped up. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡±


    Kai was baffled by his little sister¡¯s tone; I could tell by the way his eyebrows shot up.


    ¡°Lux has been through quite a journey after everything that happened on Earth. I was hoping you girls could help her around campus when Jax and I are in other classes. I¡¯ve seen the three of you will have a lot of the same ones,¡± Kai added casually, shifting the subject.


    Melixes kept staring at me, that smirk never leaving her lips. ¡°Oh come on now, big brother, I¡¯m not sure she¡¯ll want to hang with my crowd.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in your crowd!¡± Skylark squeaked, flipping her long white mane over her other shoulder. This time, she was more agitated than surprised. I was really liking her.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed that Melixes had company. Behind her, Sebastian Barrington wrapped an arm around her waist. He wore a flamboyant Bordeaux two-piece suit with no shirt, showing off tattoos that climbed up his neck, along with a couple of gold chains and a giant gold ring on his right index finger.


    He kissed her cheek softly. Kai instantly tensed up, and Skylark rolled her eyes, clearly not liking them as a couple, which was obvious now.


    ¡°The little human wants to have a drink with us?¡± Sebastian¡¯s English accent drawled mockingly as he handed me a cocktail. I took it without thinking, but Kai took it from my hands and tossed it over his shoulder. I shot him an appalled look, and he gave me one back that stopped me in my tracks. He wasn¡¯t kidding.


    ¡°Sebastian, I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t give my girl a drink that¡¯s too intense for her right now.¡± I was confused, but Skylark noticed and whispered softly, ¡°It was a Fae drink. It¡¯s got stuff in it that humans will instantly black out from. Or do other stuff¡­.¡±


    Ice-cold fear went through me. He was trying to drug me?


    ¡°You see, little human¡­¡± Melixes sneered, mimicking Sebastian. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hang with my crowd. Come on, Sky, let¡¯s find other company. Brother, I hope you come to your senses.¡±


    With a dramatic flip of her hair, she turned her back on us and stalked away. Skylark protested as she followed, sheepishly turning back to mouth, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sebastian kept staring at me. ¡°This is going to be an interesting year for you, little human.¡± Goosebumps prickled my skin. His rude, intense gaze was under my skin already, his attention on me like burning daggers.


    He took a final drag of his cigarette, puffed the smoke in my face, and dropped the butt at my feet. I just stared at it as if it would spring up and burn my face off.


    Kai stood rooted to the spot, clearly not expecting his sister to be the first one to give me trouble. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he sighed tiredly and turned to me, pulling me against him.


    I felt like a ragdoll, frozen from that exchange. ¡°My sister just needs time,¡± he added. I looked up and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure, but Kai didn¡¯t need anything else to worry about. ¡°Besides, Skylark seems cool. She has my back.¡±


    Kai nodded. ¡°She¡¯s fantastic. I¡¯m grateful for her. She¡¯s always been a good influence on my sister. I guess the year I spent on Earth didn¡¯t do much good for my little sis.¡±


    ¡°Melixes and Sebastian never went to Earth? How come?¡± I¡¯d figured that out last night.


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story¡­ I¡¯ll tell you some other time. For now, let¡¯s have some human-friendly cocktails and have fun, okay?¡± He kissed my nose and led me to the cocktail table. My eye fell on a purple one that smoked. ¡°Is that one doable for me?¡± Kai took a sip. ¡°Yes, this one will work.¡± He handed it to me and grabbed a black one for himself.


    The night continued. I spotted Jax and the Briareve twins on the side of the dancefloor, hanging back and scowling at the dancers.


    Of course, they wouldn¡¯t be dancing.


    Kai and I, however, tore up the dancefloor. I felt happy, finally letting go of the horrors of the past few weeks.


    Exhausted and out of breath, I ran to a chair on the edge of the dancefloor. Kai was still going strong with Skylark, who had ditched Melixes and Sebastian. I knew I liked her.


    Kai turned to keep an eye on me, but I had no intention of moving anytime soon.


    I smelled Jax before I saw him. He took the seat next to me. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Oh, now he speaks to me. Go figure.


    I shrugged. ¡°Besides almost getting drugged by that Sebastian dude and losing my nose to Kai¡¯s sister? It was a fun night.¡±


    Jax growled. ¡°He did WHAT?¡± He sprang up, frantically searching the dancefloor for Melixes and Sebastian, but they had just left for more drinks. ¡°He is going to fucking die,¡± he said through clenched teeth and fists.


    ¡°Relax, Jax. Kai handled it. Sit your ass down!¡± I patted his chair and glared at him. He ignored me, scanning the crowd for his target. I rolled my eyes. Go on, then, for fuck¡¯s sake. He never listened to me anyway.


    ¡°What¡¯s got him so riled up?¡± Beside me, Ash took a chair, sitting with the back to the front, casually sipping from a pint he held toward Jax.


    Oak was there too and slapped Jax¡¯s back, murmuring something in his ear. I saw Jax answer in angry, hushed syllables. They were speaking Mons.


    ¡°Oh, you know¡­just some testosterone issues.¡±


    Ash chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s Jaxon Skylar for you.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± I joked back. ¡°So professors are allowed to drink at parties here? What a vibe.¡±


    He tilted his head back and let out a booming laugh, his man-bun nearly coming undone. ¡°You fucking humans with your weird little rules. We don¡¯t have that kind of bullshit here.¡±


    ¡°Apparently.¡±


    I was about to ask what he was drinking when I heard commotion.


    Oh God, here we go.


    Jax had spotted Sebastian and was barreling his way toward him through the dancefloor, pushing aside everyone in his path. Oak had his back, and I saw Kai moving toward the scene. They would handle it.


    ¡°Well, look at that. That¡¯s about to be a fun watch.¡± Ash adjusted his jacket with a sinister smile as if he was going to enjoy the show.


    ¡°I think you and I have different definitions of fun.¡± I felt embarrassed for riling Jax up. I shouldn¡¯t have told him, but a small part of me liked that he cared. It was almost like having my old Jax back¡ªmy best friend who would never let anyone mess with me.


    ¡°Sebastian can be a little punk sometimes. A good beating would do him some good.¡±


    As he noticed my shocked expression, he added, ¡°You can add that to my bad-teacher resume, sweetheart.¡± He ran a giant hand through his white hair, and his man-bun came undone, smirking devilishly. Damn, he was good-looking.


    I was about to respond, but Skylark appeared beside me unexpectedly. ¡°I¡¯m about done with this stupid party. Are you ready to go back to our dorm?¡± she asked, glancing at Ash.


    ¡°Hey, brother. You still here? I thought you hated these things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I found myself some interesting company who is shocked at everything I do.¡± He winked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not shocked at everything,¡± I quipped.


    ¡°Whatever you say, sweet cheeks.¡± He sipped his drink, smiling slightly, and looked intently at the fight on the dancefloor, though he didn¡¯t seem to be paying full attention.


    I rolled my eyes and glanced at Skylark. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. I need to say goodbye to Kai, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, he and Jax are busy giving it to Seb and Mel right now,¡± she said, her eyes glancing to the dancefloor.


    Kai was holding back Melixes, who was furiously yelling at Jax, while Oak had Jax restrained. Jax was kicking and screaming at Sebastian, who was held back by two goons I¡¯d noticed earlier around their clique. Kai saw me putting on my shoes and mouthed that I could go, that he¡¯d find me later.


    I shrugged that I could wait, but he mouthed again that it was fine. I turned to Skylark to tell her we could go, and she was already on her way.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you girls back to the dorm,¡± Ash said, finishing his drink and straightening from his chair. He rose from the small wooden chair, which creaked under the giant¡¯s release.


    My feet were killing me. Note to self: never again go out dancing in high heels. Damn you, Sky, for the bad advice.


    The little she-devil had no such issues, prancing around in her heels like she could run a marathon. Happily chatting away to her brother, who only answered in monosyllables, unable to get much in.


    Sky loved to talk; I¡¯d already noticed that. I fell further and further behind. ¡°Fuck this,¡± I muttered and kicked my heels off unceremoniously.


    I saw Ash stop in his tracks to look back, but Skylark continued on, oblivious to her brother¡¯s absence, still raging about Melixes and Sebastian. She was clearly bothered by her former best friend¡¯s betrayal. I had my heels in hand, my feet throbbing painfully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m coming though!¡± I winced as I took a few more steps on the cobblestones.


    ¡°No worries, I got you.¡± Ash came over and lifted me up. I yelped in surprise. ¡°Ash, put me down! What are you doing?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Not a chance; you walk way too slowly, little sweet cheeks.¡± He patted my ass like I was a pet. Bastard.


    The effortless way he lifted me felt nice, though. I probably weighed like a feather to him, as he held me with one arm, a hand splayed over my lower back. He even carried my shoes in his other hand.


    Sky noticed our absence and waited up a little. ¡°My brother, the hero,¡± she crooned.


    ¡°Yeah, more like your brother the barbarian,¡± I growled from behind his shoulder, and he chuckled, clearly amused by me.


    His laugh vibrated through me, carrying me toward the dorm.


    When we arrived, he gently set me on my feet again. ¡°Are you okay?¡± His brows furrowed as he really looked at me.


    I was a little nauseous from being carried upside down for a few minutes and probably looked as white as a sheet.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    He tilted my chin up to look into my eyes, staring at them for a few seconds before saying, ¡°I can tell when you¡¯re lying, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that made me hella nauseous, and I¡¯m about to hurl all over your feet. Is that better?¡±


    ¡°Way better.¡± He let out a broad smile that reached his eyes, releasing my chin hesitantly.


    Skylark was already inside and threw the door open again. ¡°Are you about done? I want to go to bed.¡±


    He looked at Skylark and saluted her. ¡°Sweet dreams, little sis. Sweet dreams, sweet cheeks,¡± he added before turning his back and walking away without a backward glance.

 Chapter 18

    Kai hadn¡¯t made it to my dorm last night. He also couldn¡¯t text me since I had no phone or a Telvice, as they called it here. I figured he didn¡¯t want to wake me and had let me get some good sleep. I had kind of missed him in my bed, though.


    I¡¯d checked with Skylark, and she had no problem with him staying over. She casually added that she would have a problem if I took home one of her twin brothers, which was kind of a weird statement. For one, I didn¡¯t know them at all. They were about ten years older than me and my professors.


    Why the fuck would I go there?


    The first class of the day was Geography, which I was looking forward to since I still didn¡¯t know enough about this world. It made me realize that our Galaxsleaze teacher was busier with her cookie than with our education for all those years of ¡°Rainer class.¡±


    The teacher was an old Rainer, with big red glasses on his generous nose. He was wiry and smelled like musk and whiskey.


    Skylark and I had this class together, so she walked me to the correct classroom. It was a small auditorium, like everything at this college, dunked in a white paint bath and lined with metallics and silver. Upon entering, I spotted Melixes and one of Sebastian¡¯s goonies with bright red hair in the far-right corner. I learned from Sky that his name was Dexar, and he was one of Sebastian¡¯s most loyal friends since childhood.


    Dexar, Sebastian, and Kai used to be an inseparable group of three. Now, he was replaced by another one named Otto, the one with black hair I¡¯d also spotted last night on the dancefloor.


    That one was not in this class, though. There were only twelve students, and none of the others I remembered meeting last night.


    I sat down next to Sky, grateful for her bubbly presence in my life, and tried to learn as much as I could from this first class of my college year. Which, the Fae had timed perfectly, I might add¡ªdestroying Earth right before a new term started.


    I must admit most of this introductory Geography class had been covered by our earthly Galaxsleaze teacher.


    There are three continents on Caros. I was currently in Terra, the largest continent, which stretched as far and wide as if our entire America had been combined with Oceania. It was also called the Earth Continent, and Rainers born in Terra were more likely to go to Earth than all other Rainers of the other continents combined.


    We were on the far right of the Caros map, which looked like a giant heeled boot. Rivellin was apparently in the lowest region, the tip of the shoe. Smack in the middle of the world map was a continent called Sheo. This one actually looked like Australia but was ten times its size. Surrounded by nothing but oceans, it was nicknamed the Water Capital of the world.


    On the left of the map lay a narrow, L-shaped continent connecting the two ¡°Arctics¡± of the planet. That was the continent of Yuna, the Fire Continent, as they called it. Apparently, temperatures were always high, and strange things lived there.


    I noticed a smaller island underneath our boot, as if it was standing on a box, which our professor hadn¡¯t mentioned at all. I nudged Sky and pointed.


    She hesitated before answering, ¡°That¡¯s Faerie, Lux.¡±


    ¡°We live right at the border?¡± My eyes widened; I had no idea.


    ¡°We do, but¡­¡± Sky glanced forward briefly before turning back to me. ¡°What you see on the map isn¡¯t all of Faerie. It¡¯s much bigger than that box-shaped thing. Way bigger.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t press her on that since the professor suddenly had me in his sights, and I couldn¡¯t continue, but I¡¯d ask her about it later.


    The lesson continued and focused on Terra. I already knew we had thirteen regions on Terra since their senate was called the Tertin. Maddox had already told me that. Rivellin was the capital city of the state of Moira and had four districts. All four were ruled by, you guessed it, the Paramores: Skylars, Welkins, Briareves, and Barringtons. I found it strange that I happened to have met two of Moira¡¯s four Paramores on Earth.


    At noon, Skylark had to sign up for her favorite sport, called Helix¡ªsomething similar to our cheerleading, I gathered from her explanation. I had no such ambitions yet; I needed to adapt to this new planet before deciding to try any weird new sport.


    So, I decided to find Kai. Since I had no Telvice yet, I couldn¡¯t text him. We¡¯d agreed to meet at the courtyard bench at midday. As I waited, Jax joined me.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± He handed me a Telvice that looked like a mixture between an iPad and an iPhone. Way too big and way too fancy-looking. It had a bright pink cover, and I hated Jax for this. I was not a pink type of girl at all.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Now you can reach us. I¡¯ve already programmed all our numbers. In case of emergency, you dial 1, and it¡¯ll send an SOS to me and Kai. We¡¯ll come running. I¡¯ve given your number to Sky as well.¡±


    I stared at the gadget, trying to figure out where the contacts were and how to access them.


    ¡°Thanks, Jax!¡± I added, but he was already gone.


    Great.


    I got my first text immediately.


    Kai: Babe, I¡¯m running a little late. The first class of the day was a hoot.


    Lux: Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m on that bench in the main courtyard enjoying the two suns.


    Kai: ????


    I beamed at it, glad to have that form of contact available to me again. Then another text came through.


    Sky: Girl, we need to check out that bulletin board next to the stadium. They have some crazy group outings we can join, like a trip to the Sapphire Bank or the Snowmountains.


    I had no clue what any of that was, but I answered that I¡¯d love to check it out when a shadow fell over my Telvice, and I looked up, blocking one of the suns with my hand.


    The cigarette smoke drifting toward me was my first clue. ¡°What¡¯s the little human up to?¡± Sebastian smirked, sitting way too close to me, his unruly brown hair flopping over his temple, brushing his cheeks. His thighs were touching mine. He was clad in a dark red suit with a flamboyant red and dark blue paisley silk shirt underneath, slightly open, revealing some chest hair, more tattoos, and a gold bird necklace. He was also wearing dark brown leather formal shoes with a long tip.


    I scooted a little further down the bench. My heart clenched at the strange feeling he gave me. I didn¡¯t feel unsafe, but I felt¡­seen somehow. It was difficult to explain. It felt like he could see straight through me, reading me like a book, and I didn¡¯t like that one bit, not with my emotions so all over the place.


    Melixes was probably on her way too, to add more insult to this peculiar situation. He grabbed my Telvice out of my hands, and I started to protest. He put a tattooed finger on my mouth, which smelled like cloves and smoke. It was strangely both exciting and a violation of my personal space. ¡°Hush now.¡± His English-lilted accent gave it a strange twirl.


    He went through it in silence and threw the Telvice back at me so suddenly I gasped. Only then did he remove his finger from my lips. I saw his blue eyes flick to them quickly and back up to my now widened eyes. ¡°Now you have my number. Please do stay in touch, little bird.¡± His smile turned cheeky, and he flicked a cigarette from his jacket pocket, placed it between his full lips, and lit it. He glanced my way once more, tucked one of my stray hairs behind my ear, and whispered, ¡°Little bird, the way you¡¯re staring at me all flabbergasted¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°You¡¯re very attractive, I must say. For a human girl.¡± His English accent heightened each syllable, making the hairs all over my body stand up. I couldn¡¯t repress a small shiver, which he definitely noticed but didn¡¯t comment on. With that backhanded comment, he left me on that bench, completely stunned. Sebastian Barrington, the emotional vampire. The perfect description for that man. Rainer. Whatever.


    A text came two seconds later. The sound was like a plane taking off.


    Sebastian: Little bird, I wouldn¡¯t mind a pic now and again of that pretty face or body of yours. Or both. Preferably without those clothes on.


    I was instantly offended by his crude behavior. As I tried to find the block contact function, Kai arrived.


    With a sigh of relief, I slid close to his side and hugged his arm tightly. I¡¯d missed him. He laughed and put it around me, kissing my forehead.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, babe?¡± I showed him the text, and he rolled his eyes. ¡°That dude, really? Next time I¡¯m letting Jax pummel him into the ground.¡±


    ¡°Good choice.¡± I snorted.


    ¡°What class do you have next?¡± He took my list from my backpack, clearly done giving Sebastian any more attention, which was fine by me. ¡°Oh, you have that private session with Oak next.¡±


    ¡°I do? I thought that was tomorrow?¡± I grabbed the paper and confirmed that indeed I had a lesson with Oak. For some reason, I found Ash easy to talk to, but Oak gave off a more standoffish vibe, even though we¡¯d had that heart-to-heart by the pool at that party. It may be the black hair and tattoos that reminded me of Sebastian, or the very neat, polished English vibe he had going on¡ªa strange duality of extremes that made me uncomfortable.


    Kai walked me to Oak¡¯s office, where I would be having the private lessons, and kissed me goodbye. I was ten minutes early but decided to knock anyway.


    ¡°Come on in, Miss Elmrose.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but suppress a slight giggle at the fact that his white-haired twin brother was the exact opposite of him, from the way he spoke to the way he looked. He was always so formal, while Asher was so open and coarse with me.


    ¡°Please call me Lux,¡± I said. He nodded and offered me a seat in front of his neatly organized desk. It had a few papers and a paperweight on it¡ªnothing else. Yet his bag was stuffed with papers, some crumpled, some folded in half, and wrappers from half-eaten candy bars were sticking out. Duality, I¡¯m telling you.


    ¡°So, Lux¡­do you know what we¡¯ll be doing here for the next year?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I have no clue, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oak¡­you can call me Oak. No need for sirs.¡±


    I blushed, and he continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be teaching you all the basic things you need to know when living here. We¡¯ll cover some of our history, geography, languages, and customs. In my brother¡¯s class, you¡¯ll be receiving some defense training.¡±


    ¡°What? Defense classes? As in fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. I suppose that won¡¯t be a problem since I¡¯ve been informed that you¡¯ve been trained from a young age.¡±


    It was true that Jax and I had taken Krav Maga classes since we were six. I dropped out shortly after our falling out, but I¡¯d had nearly eight years of training and had reached a brown belt level. Jax would be a black belt by now, I assumed.


    ¡°Why would I need fight training?¡±


    ¡°Lux, we live in a world where there are constant threats. We¡¯re still in a long war with the Fae, and while there haven¡¯t been many incidents on our planet recently, it¡¯s not completely safe. Your being human is an extra motivation to get your training back on track.¡±


    I understood, and I knew I still had much to learn.


    As the lesson progressed, I learned a bit about their origins and how they became what they are now. We would first dive into history before learning the other basics.


    I left the private lesson with my mind swirling with new information. I really needed to take it easy because, at this pace, I¡¯d crash soon.