27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

MICAI'S POV

A small yawn stretches my lips, the sun too bright as it shines in on me through the small slit in the navy plush curtains.

It had been a long night. After the attack on Erving's place, we had moved him to one of the guy's safe houses . a small apartment on the other side of Erving's city.

He wasn't exactly happy about the move or having to leave most of his stuff behind, especially his special editions. But Ezra said they would get someone named ‘ Silas' to look into the attack and have ‘ Leche' help move the rest of his things later. Whoever or whatever that meant.

The small glint of the sun shining through Ezra's curtains catches me again, its bright attack relentless until I finally give in. I gently unwrap Ezra's hands and then Annex's arms from around me, slowly shimmying down the bed like a worm so as not to wake either of them.

I had planned to return to my dorm room last night, but Ezra, Annex, and even Mallyn insisted that I stay with them in the abattoir.

Annex said he would ‘feel safer with me around'. The jackass then gave me one of his mischievous grins and I realised exactly how ‘safe' he wanted to feel.

A grin tilts my lips as I glance back at them, snoring sweetly as I close the door and head downstairs.

I was wearing loose pyjama bottoms that Ezra gave me and a black T-shirt from Annex. The latter is two sizes too big and slips off one of my shoulders as I move.

I open the kitchen door, hoping to grab something quick to eat, and then head to the academy to get some fresh clothes. Except I'm met with two grey-blue eyes watching me as I enter the room.

Mallyn sits up straighter, a spoonful of cereal in one hand and a book opened in the other.

My eyes widen as they trail up and down him, a more relaxed feeling seeping from him as his eyes flit my way. He's wearing a plain white shirt, the fit a little looser as he turns slightly toward me. His hoody is gone from his shoulders, thrown casually around the back of his chair, and no longer hiding his sculpted features and toned figure. His white hair is styled to one side with slight flecks of silver running through it, making him look even more captivating.

Gods was he gorgeous. And just as breath-taking after he had shifted in front of me.

My eyes fall down his front, remembering each hard muscle and ab, my gaze drifting lower toward—I drag my eyes back up toward his face, a heat marring my cheeks with the memory of him…on top of me during the night the academy was attacked.

"Morning." He calls, breaking the awkward silence between us as he puts his book down. And I flick my gaze toward the book, now wondering what he enjoyed reading.

My stomach chooses only then to remind me that it's feeding time, a growl ringing out around me and telling Mallyn, too.

I give him a sheepish smile as he grins and points toward the cereal box on the counter.

"I wouldn't be much better than Annex when it comes to cooking."

I make my way over to the counter and begin to help myself. "This is perfect. I wanted something quick anyway."

"Why?" he asks, taking another spoonful of his own cereal as I head to the fridge and grab the milk.

"I need to go to the academy and grab a change of clothes. And then maybe I'll head to ‘Elles'. The gift Annex and Ezra bought me was damaged during the night of the attack, and I'd like to see if the blacksmith there can fix it for me." A frown pulls at my lips as I grab the cocoa rice krispies and pour the milk on top before sitting beside him and digging in.

He nods thoughtfully. "I'll take you."

A raise a brow. "You will?"

A smile that could make me melt stretches Mallyn's lips.

"Those two won't be up for another couple of hours." He glances at the clock on the wall. 7.35 am. "They're not early risers. And after last night, they probably won't wake until at least noon."

"I wish I could stay in bed that long." I muse, taking another spoon of cereal into my mouth and enjoying its chocolatey goodness.

He gives a small grunt in response, and I peer his way.

"Why are you up so early?" I ask, wondering why he was alone here and not a late riser like Annex and Ezra.

"My beast. He doesn't exactly like resting ." His lips pull down into a slight frown as creases form near his eyes.

There seems to be a lot more to Mallyn and his beast than the typical shifter dynamic. Their relationship or connection seems complicated.

I finish my cereal as Mallyn puts his bowl in the sink and I quickly follow suit.

I peek down at the clothes I'm wearing as we head out of the kitchen. "I'll just…change quickly."

He grabs a pen and some paper from a drawer. "I'll leave a note for the others as well. Just in case." He calls as I nod and run up to change.

I grab my clothes quickly, moving as stealthy as a mouse through the room so as not to wake Ezra and Annex, and make my way back down to him in record time.

"You don't mind riding on the back of my bike, right?" He calls as I make my way down the stairs toward him, and we head past the kitchen and to another metallic-looking door. He opens it and flicks on a light, illuminating the room and all its objects.

It looked like a decked-out garage, holding Annex and Mallyn's red and silver Ducati bikes, Creed's black Dodge Charger, and Ezra's blue Maserati. Some equipment was in the back, and another vehicle was covered by a large black tarp in the corner.

Mallyn calls me, pulling me from my wandering thoughts. We head toward his silver Ducati. He then throws me a black helmet before putting his own on, helping me fasten it before moving toward the bike.

He gets on, and I throw my leg over behind him. An excitement bubbles up inside me with the memory of riding with Annex on his bike. But I don't think Mallyn would let me take the reins with his so easily.

"Hold on tight. I like to ride a little rougher than Annex."

He surprises me by wrapping my arm around his waist, pulling me into him as the engine roars to life beneath us.

Rougher than Annex? My cheeks flare, a heat creeping up my neck with his words and the low roll of his voice vibrating against my chest as I sit flush against him. That's not what he meant. He was talking about the bike.

He flicks a button beside us, and the metal garage door in front of us creaks open. The sound of the engine rumbles beneath us again as we set off, leaving the abattoir behind us as we ride toward the academy.

After a few minutes, we pull up toward the gates. I head inside and enter the dorms, sprinting up to my room. I change into fresh underwear and a clean pair of black knee-cut jeans, matching it with an oversized charcoal ACDC t-shirt and a dark grey hoody.

Lacing up an old pair of black Doc Martin boots, I glance around the room for anything else I might need, and notice an empty tote sitting in the corner. Biting my lip, I grab it and pack another set of clothes and underwear . Just in case I decide to stay in town with the boys again.

I find the broken necklace and gently place it in my pocket before grabbing my bag and heading back toward Mallyn.

When he sees my little bag, he smiles and hands me the helmet as I place the bag across my back.

We head out again, this time a little slower, allowing me to take in the view of the forest and the area around us as we ride.

I notice after a couple of minutes that we weren't taking the same route we did back to town, or toward ‘Elles'.

"Where are we going?" I call over the noise of the bike's engine.

"I thought we could take a little detour first. And go to the place I told you about before…" He falls silent for a brief moment. "My spot."

I nod, leaning in toward him again as we ride higher into the forest and toward the mountains, away from the academy and town.

I could go to ‘Elles' and drop the necklace in a little later anyway.

We climb higher, speeding up as we reach a steep slope and head through a narrow path in the forest. The bike takes the rugged path with more ease than I thought it would.

We reach a small break in the mountain, overlooking the town below and even a part of the academy from one side. The sun catches the town's small rooftops, glinting off of them and making them look even more picturesque.

A cold breeze whips past me as I climb off the bike and peer around.

From up here, it seems like I was in a completely different world. Like everything else could fade away, and I could just stay here in this moment. No trouble, no pain, no revenge. Just this breathtaking view that made me feel like none of it mattered anymore.

"I come here to get away from everything." Mallyn steps beside me, glancing down toward the town in the distance and the forest surrounding us on all sides. "All my thoughts and worries just fade away to nothing when I'm up here." He turns to me, his grey-blue eyes glinting. "Even he finds it calming at times."

"Your beast?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me as he slowly nods.

"What exactly are you?" I had seen many different types of shifters over the years, even mutations from The Facility, but nothing like Mallyn's beast. Nothing so powerful and intelligent.

Mallyn raises a brow and I realise my words were too curt, coming off ruder than I intended. "I don't mean—I didn't mean it like that. I've just never met a shifter with strength and intelligence like yours. When we were in the forest together, he was a force to be reckoned with. And something I had never seen before." As I continue, I meet his gaze, a strange look forming in his eyes. "I just…want to know more about you both ."

He pulls his hood down and takes a step closer, slightly leaning down toward me as he nears.

"Do you truly want to know, Micai? What I am, what he is?"

"Yes." My reply is immediate as he watches me. It was an easy answer.

There was something about Mallyn that had me wanting to know more: about him and his beast, about what books he likes, and why he chooses to wear hoodies and cover his breathtaking face. I wanted to know as much about him now as I did about Ezra and Annex.

There was a warm and safe feeling I felt when I was around him, one that slides across my chest when we're together and compels me to move just an inch closer.

It makes me want to know everything about him: his likes and dislikes, what secrets his dark gaze holds when he's lost in thought, and what he went through in his past to make him so distant and quiet.

Did it have something to do with why he and his beast had become disjointed and unlike other shifters?

And what does the intense look in his eyes mean as he watches me…like right now?

"Can I take that to mean you're interested in us?" He observes me as that unreadable look forms in his gaze again. A slight bit of worry mixes into it as he stares my way.

A brief moment passes, my thoughts lost to me as I try to read the emotions in his gaze, a look flickering to something deeper and filled with a hint of longing.

Only just as quickly as I see it, he snaps back, pulling himself straighter. A wall shuts down over his expression as he takes my silence for an answer.

The realisation that he was going to push me away falls down on me like a ton of bricks. And I wasn't willing to go down without a fight. Maybe with Mallyn, I would have to be the one to make the first move.

He goes to turn away, but I grab his arm and pull him back toward me.

"Definitely interested," I answer as I pull him in closer, his eyes slightly widening as my own flicker between his grey-blue irises and his soft lips.

I said I wouldn't hold back anymore.

Annex and Ezra also didn't seem to mind sharing me between them and didn't act any differently with Mallyn around either. I think this is what we all wanted. It's just taken me this long to realise it.

I lean in as his lips part to speak, placing a soft kiss against them.

He stiffens, and I give him time. Time to decide if this is what he wants. And if he could fully accept me.

Mallyn isn't like Ezra and Annex. He needed time to adjust and move at his own pace. I don't mind taking the lead if that's what he needs. But I need to know if we feel the same about each other and if he wants to take the next step.

A big part of me feels that he does. I could see it in his gaze.

Ever since the day he shifted in front of me and every moment our eyes have met since. There was a connection flickering into place with him, as unavoidable as the ones I felt with Annex and Ezra.

A light growl-like noise leaves his lips before he leans in, further deepening the kiss. His hand lands softly on my back before sliding up toward my waist, pulling me in and tighter against him.

I reach up, my fingers brushing through his hair as a growling sound rolls from his chest. A sound mixed with both a content and possessive tone. I wrap my arms around him, sitting flush against his chest as his grip on me tightens further as the kiss intensifies, a heat beginning to unfurl in me as I feel a very large and hard bulge growing against me.

"Micai…" His voice is husky, my name like a sweet song leaving his lips. The sound is like smooth honey and whiskey to my ears, sliding down my back and joining each stroke of his tongue as his hand slides down toward my backside. His fingers wrap roughly around my ass, pulling me further into the hard bulge sitting flush against my stomach, the heat building between my legs as we both enjoy the feel of each other.

Suddenly, a ringtone plays out around us, reluctantly pulling us from each other after another minute as it continues to ring, only growing louder.

Mallyn growls, a sound of pure frustration and anger bleeding through the noise as he pulls the ringing phone from his pocket and glares at the screen. A heavy sigh leaves his lips.

"Creed, I presume?" I grin playfully as he drags a hand through his hair.

He opens his lips to answer, but the phone rings again, cutting him off.

A chuckle leaves my lips. "Answer it. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with Mr. Sunshine."

A dazzling smile tilts his lips as he leans in toward me, ignoring the call and placing a light kiss against my cheek. "He always has the worst timing."

"Take it," I call, meaning it. Creed wouldn't stop ringing until he got his way, like the petulant and patronising prince he was.

"What?" Mallyn calls, answering the phone more bluntly than I'm sure Creed is used to. The answering silence on the other end confirms it.

I give him some space to talk to Creed alone as he walks back to where we had been standing before.

I sit by the bike, stroking its cold metal and enjoying the view around me as Mallyn and Creed talk.

"Fine." I hear Mallyn call, exasperation laced in his tone. "We're on our way."

I peer over to him as he walks my way, a reluctant look coating his features as he reaches me and opens his mouth.

"Let me guess." I tap my chin with a finger, cutting him off. "Creed wants us back ASAP." I grin, trying to soften the atmosphere as he nods.

"Always a damn cock-blocker." I joke, rolling my eyes playfully.

Mallyn's eyes widen before a deep, sexy chuckle falls from his lips.

He stops in front of me, his hand reaching out to brush a wayward strand behind my ear before leaning down and placing a soft kiss against my lips. "I'll only let him do it once." His deep voice has a shiver rolling down my back with the heated promise.

He takes the helmets from the bike, placing mine on for me and securing it gently before putting on his own. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the keys of his Ducati…and hands them to me.

"You can drive back." He calls, sliding me forward before wrapping his leg over his bike and sitting at the back.

"Really?" My eyes go wide as he slowly nods.

Mallyn was letting me drive his baby?

With his words, I throw my leg over and, without an ounce of hesitation, saddle the bike as his arms wrap around me from behind.

"I was jealous of Annex that day when you rode together."

His voice trickles in through my helmet as he leans in further, laying flush at my back.

I grin, brushing a hand over his fingers wrapped around me before placing the keys in and revving the engine.

I slide back a little, a small grunt falling from his lips before I call back to him. "Then let's take the long route back."