Then there was Maddox that had psychic abilities but not your run of the mill. No these were more along the lines of warping reality and reading minds while moving shit across the room. Not that he ever did that though because the man would rather lay out and read with me all afternoon. The two of them were insane, odd, and very sweet in the most different of ways.

  However, Valerio was a different story and a far different problem. Have you ever met someone that calls to you for all the wrong reasons? His intensity and the darkness radiating off him caused my wings to flutter, wanting to expand out not only in defense but attraction. He was bossy and commanding. Part of me wanted to tell him where to stick it and the other part of me already respected him. He was the one I was worried about most finding out we were mates. He didn’t strike me as the type to take that easily. It was good in a way with them being mainly hybrids, except for Cannon, they didn’t have the same type of mating bond right off the bat that I had. Maybe even Cannon hadn’t noticed it. Still, it was up to me to claim them as my mate and I was not going to fucking do it. No way. No how. I refused.

  “It’s okay, Valerio, you can come in,” I told him softly as I pulled out a large oversized gray sweater that matched the socks on my feet. I pulled it over my head but froze when I felt a large cool hand against my back. I couldn’t help the tremble of tension that went through me as I strangled my control with a small worried noise emitting from my throat.

  “Are these scars?” His commanding voice distracted me completely and I was caught off guard by the midnight scent that wrapped around me, a mix of rain and night magic. It shouldn’t have made me relax but everything inside was begging me to melt into him.

  “Yes,” I finally admitted as he ran a hand down the strips of iron burns that littered my back. Three to be exact. My wings covered most of it but the burns were still there. Still painfully embedded in my skin and subconscious. I could almost feel the panic attack coming on and it was simply because he had put a goddamn hand on my back. It was ridiculous.

  “How?” he hissed in a quiet soft voice.

  My sweater was up and over as I tugged on boots ignoring him at first. I finally turned and met his gaze, “I would rather not talk about this right now, you understand, right?”

  I didn’t care if he did.

  His fathomless eyes, dark like the universe’s cosmos, twinkled with something dangerous as his cut jaw clenched. The leanest out of all the men, he was still 6 feet tall with a body like a runner. Yet, his intensity and void of power made me shiver in anticipation.

  His magic was there alright but it was invisible, ready to attack right when you didn’t expect it. I had no idea what type of magic he had and promised myself I’d take time to learn that. It felt important to know about this man and not just because of our connection. No, I felt like I was in danger every moment I went without understanding him fully.

  He ran a hand through his dark amethyst colored hair as he watched me with curiosity and caution. I offered him a smile and moved around him to brush out my hair. When I came back the odd intensity was gone and he had left the room. I breathed out in slight relief as my body relaxed. I had no idea how I was going to be close to men like this. Men that were frankly driving me crazy already.

  I found my way to a door from which they had all entered. I had yet to really unpack but it was a stunning place with dark soft bedding and a roaring fire to keep the chill of my magic temporarily away. And the nightmares. God, I hope it helped with those. Either that or I was going to have to lock my doors so no one could come in and try to keep my whimpering and crying to a minimum. Yeah. That sounds easy.

  “There she is,” Philip flashed me a charming smile as he walked out of his own room. Cannon hadn’t been lying, it seemed all eight suites had their own living spaces and bathrooms. All connected like a spoked wheel to a center room. Technically, none of us would have to leave our quarters to see one another. I found myself wondering who was next to mine on either side.

  I didn’t answer Philip right away, looking around the massive main room, filled with dark wood and stone that arched to a high peak. A roaring fireplace and thick rugs under large couches layered the space. Books were spread out across the tables, and it was clear that each man had a place they liked to sit, small items that differentiated the area filled it.

  There was also a large circular table that I assumed they held meetings at. It was a fascinating place. From what I’d learned about the Red Masques, the established teams, post academy, got houses off the main building. I had to assume these men were kept here because they were directly in charge of everyone that attended the institution. Honestly, that type of power was a bit attractive.

  “Maize?” Philip asked as I zoned back in and offered a small smile.

  “Sorry,” I explained, “this is all new and a bit--”

  “Overwhelming?” he asked softly and I nodded, following his motion to go towards a large door that I had to assume was the one Maddox and Chait had referred to.

  “Where is everyone?” I curiously asked the man whose very essence breathed magic. My world had been filled with such heavy and thick darkness that the colors of these men didn’t fail to entertain me. But weren’t colorful predators usually the most dangerous?

  Philip was dressed…well, sort of like a prince if we were being honest. A richly colored blue velvet blazer fit to his muscular 6’2 build and showed off his healthy golden skin tone. His hair was styled neatly but was a rose color that had to be natural because there was no way dye could achieve that. His thick dark lashes showed off a pair of rich sapphire eyes that I knew I would drown in if I stared at him for too long. See what I mean? They were something else completely. The man was beautiful. Honestly, almost too beautiful and if it wasn’t for the darkness in his eyes I would probably feel bad about interacting with him. I didn’t want to ruin him in any way. But as it stood, there was a darkness to him and his soft yet commanding voice had me melting completely. I tried to listen to what he was saying but had to play catch up as his rose scent sauntered around me, urging me to submit to him. To drown in him. The man had done nothing to intimidate me yet I wanted to crawl on his lap and let him take me however he wanted. Fucking ridiculous.

  “Downstairs,” he flashed a charming smile of brilliant teeth, “we eat with the rest of the academy as a show of unity or something.”

  Oh.

  I swallowed nervously as he placed a hand on my lower back, not seeming worried in the slightest that I could kill him. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, you will be fine.”

  “Not worried,” I lied with a small forced smile.

  I was worried. Real fucking worried.

  Chapter 5

  Maize

  The gothic architecture of the entire building bathed each corner in dark shadows and shifting magic. It would have been creepy if I was worried about my physical safety. As it stood, I knew I would fare well in an actual fight. My only fault? My magic didn’t work when it came to swords, boots, or anything else covered. Hand to hand was the only way to poison my victim, however sometimes my magic had lashed out on its own and in those cases…well, I had no idea what I was capable of.

  Attractive right? Good thing I was a lethal fighter to make up for my magic’s unexpected actions and I could thank the Obsidian Butterflies for that. Those women made sure I was prepared to deal with whatever my father would throw at me…well, except locking me up. Hell. At least I wasn’t my brother… The poor bastard deserved the treatment he had received, but in some ways I felt bad for him. I learned from an early age there was no way to appease my father, but Bandit still tried.

  So yes, I didn’t worry about the darkness, the shadows here were comfortable in some ways. Known. Like being locked up. I know it's a bit contradictory isn’t it?

  The darkness also made my mates… I mean, these men, stand out far more. Philip laughed at whatever expression I made as we neared the door, squeezing my waist tighter because I no doubt looked extremely uncomfortable. It was a fantastic laugh and distracted me enough that I couldn’t give him shit for laughing at me, it also distracted me from worrying about our entrance into the great hall. Bastard. I heard the room shuffle to attention as everyone snapped their heads towards us.

  Maker. Please tell me I wasn’t the only woman in this place. Please. At least SE had some female representation, although barely. Plus our Queen was a badass so that was a plus. Everyone stared way longer than polite and as we made our way through the low lit stone room, I felt a chill go up my spine because they weren’t friendly stares. Not that they’d ever been friendly really but these felt considerably cold, not heated with anger like the SE. These were far more calculating and dangerous. I kept my eyes at the long table ahead where all of the commanders were sitting…wonderful. Because I’m sure that wouldn’t garner even more attention.

  All I wanted to do was blend in. How hard was that to ask for?

  “Back to eating,” Charm’s smoky voice echoed through the space from up front. I did my best to avoid his gaze but I was running out of places to fucking look. I would accuse Charm of being nice or even protective in his directive, but we all knew that was bullshit.

  This wasn’t my first time hearing about Charm and let me tell you, his reputation precedes him. If I had known he would be one of the men I’d be living with I would have reconsidered. No one had mentioned his rank though, just that he was a bastard. I wanted to goad him but I knew it was dangerous because the man was powerful. Unfortunately.

  “Come on,” Philip urged happily, as he intertwined our fingers making my heart beat rapidly. I mean part of it was totally because…well, he was hot as hell. The other part? The last thing I needed was to be viewed as a sexual creature in any situation. The military was dangerous when you were viewed that way. I swallowed but didn’t pull away as we reached the large wood table up front. My eyes flickered to Valerio, a phantom of his cold large hand on my back from earlier, as he watched me without looking away. Maddox and Chait were to his left and both offered me what I knew to be comforting expressions, I wasn’t positive it helped. Then there was fucking Charm on the end of them. Charm who so clearly disliked me, his sunflower colored eyes flashing with something very un-sunny. I tried to fix my attention away from his glare but it wasn’t in my nature, so I kept his gaze as we neared.

  Except for every ounce of anger I felt towards him, it was countered with that dangerous natural and somewhat toxic attraction that came with being mates. Being someone's mate didn’t mean that you instantly loved them, but you were attracted to them and that was one hell of a pull. My throat dried as we neared the beautiful bastard, his tanned golden skin and wavy blonde hair making him look like some type of sun god. My nails bit into my skin on the hand Philip wasn’t keeping captive. Why did Charm have to wear a suit? It made him seem so much larger than his 6’ something frame. Honestly, the only imperfection I could see was a scar through his eyebrow and you could hardly call that an imperfection.

  You know in some ways I felt better that he was one of my mates. Because I had no problem rejecting him. At least that is what I told myself. Honestly, it didn’t surprise me that I would find all my mates at one time. I think I knew this was going to happen after being around Chait or Maddox. I think they knew it so they kept them at a distance because I clearly hadn’t. I still wasn’t ready. I hoped they didn’t say anything. Maybe they didn’t actually know. Fuck, I could not stop overthinking this shit. It was overwhelming. This was fate’s way of screwing me over. It wasn’t unusual to have multiple mates and I suppose them being a team made it easier…sorta. What am I even saying? I’m not considering this or any of them. Screw this.

  I must have been staring because Charm offered me a wicked dimpled smirk. Seriously? He had to be the one to have dimples? Distracted by something Chait said, he turned his head sharply, flashing me golden gauges that covered each ear extensively. The man had a golden light around him and despite not getting close to him, I knew he smelled sweet like sugar. The entire whole of him was appealing and that didn’t surprise me because of how dangerous he was. Unfortunately, I did recognize his species and it didn’t surprise me that the demon smelled like sunshine and the sweetest bakery in the realms. What I am saying is that he is goddamn mouthwatering and I already hated him. He had this rude cocky attitude that made me furious.

  Like, I fucking dare you to touch me. He’d be down for the count in seconds and I wouldn’t save him…probably. My only joy? That he found me attractive as well and hated it. I offered him an arched eyebrow in challenge once he looked back to stare at me as Philip led me around the other side of the table. I was caught off guard when a large arm wrapped around me and spun me slightly so that I was looking down, barely though, at Cannon lounging in the seat closest to Valerio.

  The touch was bolder than I expected but I sunk into it slightly. Was it weird that I was letting them touch me so much? Specifically Philip and Cannon…I mean Chait and Maddox didn’t seem weird at all anymore. Sort of. Honestly, I hadn’t had a lot of positive touch in my life so when they touched me it felt warm and I didn’t want to reject it or them. I was so screwed.

  I knew it was natural for the mating bond to create these feelings and I would call it a forced affection, but Charm was proof that it wasn’t like that. There was comfortability of course but I just genuinely liked what I knew about these men so far. Realizing someone was your mate was as easy as breathing and as terrifying as jumping off a cliff. Well, at least I would imagine so if you didn’t have wings.

  Cannon’s large shoulders were hard under my light hold and I examined his burning white-hot eyes that should have looked dangerous. Hell, sort of did look dangerous, but all he was looking at me with was patience, affection, and heat. He tossed me a smile at my obvious staring as my hand twitched to run through his thick, dark hair, a low rumble from his chest breaking me from my chance.

  What the hell was I doing?

  I went to step back but he stopped me and I flushed slightly at the large grip on my waist. “You’re big.” I winced realizing how the hell that sounded. He shook with laughter as he distracted me with his honey-smooth voice. A voice that comforted me so damn much this morning. Protect not contain. Did he mean that?

  “Or you’re tiny,” he offered with a reckless grin. Despite his sweet side I could feel his animal, primal and savage, pacing underneath his skin. I desperately wanted to draw him out but I tried to be rational. Nothing good came out of teasing savage animals, even if all I knew of these types of shifters were from books.

  Talking about that, I really needed to find a library and learn more about the mages, shifters, and demons within the Horde.

  “Hm,” I grinned, “I don’t think size would matter that much while fighting with me--”

  “Cute,” a voice clipped as I raised my eyes to the final member of the commanding squad who had interrupted us. “Except you two are giving all of our men a show, so please sit down.”

  He made a fair point if we were being honest. I offered him a curious look and Cannon released me as I sat between the two of them, my face feeling a bit heated after being so close to him. All of my cool and calm control seemed to disappear when I was around some of my mates.

  Cannon was relaxed but Zed was tense and vibrating with energy that felt good against my skin. I hated that I felt like I had a bit of control over him but his power wanted to submit. Even now the purple energy rolled over my skin and wrapped itself up, bending under my own. It turned me on and I could literally feel my skin heating, center clenching at the thought of having power over the massive man.

  “You would feel better if you relaxed,” I commented softly as I met a pair of burning lilac eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes. Everything about the man was sexy from his cut jaw to the way his dark hair laid slick back to highlight his full lips. I felt as though I was seeing a sneak peek into the real Zed and not just the sadistic smile I’d seen him flash to his brothers originally.

  His expensive cologne wrapped around me like his velvet voice, “Listen, angel face, I can’t exactly relax when I want to bury myself into you several different ways, fangs included. What I need to do is stay away from you.” So he was a type of mage that drank blood? Fascinating.

  But yeah. That was sort of what I should expect.

  I mean I was interrupting their lives. I was a threat. I wasn’t even from the Horde. They had no reason to even want to be around me and I was positive it was mostly because of the job, with the exception of Maddox and Chait. It was easy to just chalk up Cannon and Philip’s comfortability and physical touch to convenience. And that was what it was. I was here so it was easy to fall into it. I swallowed hard, feeling pain lance through me.

  “Sounds like a lot of work,” I commented dryly, smoothing out my expression while ignoring the annoying twinge of ridiculous hurt. Just the mating bond. That was all it fucking was. This was nothing new, for the record, people wanting to distance themselves from me. It had been like that with the OB as well. Committed, loyal, but distant. I suppose that would be my entire life, wouldn’t it? I didn’t want to make a habit out of killing people, now did I? And trust me, those around me were always at risk of being killed or injured.

  I could feel his eyes on me as I looked over the crowd of massively muscled warriors, all of which were poorly attempting to not look at me. I breathed in as I took a sip of the wine placed in front of me. This was going to be a long…well, shit, I had no idea how long I’d be here. Once again I found myself at that damn crossroad. I had nowhere else to go besides my loyalty to a place that hated me. This. This was some bullshit.

  “Angel,” Zed demanded as I slid my eyes over to him and offered a blank expression.

 

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