3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

MICAI'S POV

A roar rings out around the forest as we follow Creed and Mallyn, Annex now draped over his shoulder as we move together.

"We need to get him out of the forest, somewhere safe and away from other people's eyes," Creed yells back.

"But where can we go? Where even are we?" Ezra asks as he searches the forest around us, his hand entwined with mine as we come to a quick stop.

"Mallyn. Any ideas?" Creed glances at Mallyn, who peers around the forest slowly, his eyes growing a slightly brighter blue before he quickly shakes his head.

"We're closer to the back of the academy now and nearer to the training grounds." His gaze meets Creeds. "But there'squite a few people crowded around there in groups. Probably students hiding."

Creed's scowl deepens as he gazes at Annex's limp body in Mallyn's arms.

"Maybe we could bring him to the boy's dormitory and sneak him in the back?" Queries Ezra.

Creed shakes his head. "After you and Annex left, more students turned up, running from the attack."He drags a hand through his hair before sighing."Morgan and Grey moved Ash into the dorms, but…we wouldn't be able to go in unnoticed, especially with Annex being the way he is right now." He narrows his gaze at the forest ahead of us.

"There has to be somewhere we can go. Would we make it into town?" Ezra muses, lost in his thoughts for a moment before shaking his head in response to his own question. "No, I guess it's too far out."His fingers rub slow, soothing circles on our entwined hands, a nervous tick, I presume, but the touch feels nice against my cold skin and calms me as we continue thinking.

All of their words replay in my head as we take a second to survey the surroundings.

Annex needed a place to rest and wake up… however he did that .

We needed a place away from prying eyes and somewhere possibly near too. The abandoned training building.

I look around and take in the familiar forest, remembering certain shaped trees and small features from when I run every other day, and quickly grasp where we are.

It wouldn't take us long to get to where I train from here, especially if we move quickly. And I know the best path to get us there unseen too.

"But we can't let people see him—" Ezra starts, but I cut him off, giving his hand a slight squeeze before I let it go and take a step forward.

"I know a place. It's not far from here either." I meet each pair of eyes now focused on me.

"What place?" Creed's brows draw together. "If you're going to mention the dorms again or the detainment shelter—"

"I'm not. It's not far from here, and no one else uses it." I make my way past them, glancing at Annex's unconscious body. A feeling of urgency rises within me. "Just follow—"

"We're not going anywhere unless we're sure it's safe." Creed's harsh tone returns, his gaze meeting mine."We can't just go to any little picnic spot you like. It needs to be secure for him to return to us. I'm not putting my brothers in jeopardy because you—"

"It's not a picnic spot. It's the old training building. It's covered by the rest of the forest, and nobody goes there. Not many people even know about it."

"There's an old training building?" Calls Ezra, his brows drawn downward. "How had we missed that?" He glances toward Mallyn.

"I've stuck closer to the east-side part of the forest…" Mallyn glances my way, "That's closer north."

"How do you know about it?" Creed takes a step closer to me, his gaze trying to dissect me and rip out all the answers.

I open my mouth as Ezra takes the spot beside me.

"What does it matter? We need a place, and now we've got one." His gaze narrows at Creed, a look of frustration bleeding through. "We don't know if another beast will attack, so let's stop wasting time and move."

"This better not be a waste of time." Creed looks back at me, glaring, although it lacks any of the genuine anger it usually carries.

We set off toward the training grounds, picking up pace as we move together. Ezra stays to my right, Mallyn to my left, and Creed tails us closely from behind.

Even with Annex on his shoulder, Mallyn moves quicker than the rest of us, as if the six-foot-plus body weighs nothing at all to him. Guess that must be the monstrous shifter strength at play.

We're making our way around another group of trees when a beast like the one Annex and Ezra fought near the main academy entrance suddenly appears. Its eyes are an unsettling shade of red, matching the crimson blood dripping from its toothy mouth.

I grip Annex's blade in my hands, about to strike when a thick black smoke appears around the beast, coiling around its limbs and neck.

The beast thrashes and struggles, its red eyes widening as the smoke wraps tighter. A few seconds later, the beast falls limply to the ground, the black smoke receding from its corpse and flowing back toward Creed like small ripples before fading completely.

His eyes are completely black, the obsidian colour a familiar sight before he turns his gaze from the corpse toward me. He watches me, his brows furrowing deeper on his face the longer he stares until the obsidian shade fades softly back to his usual golden amber hue.

"Keep moving," he barks, a light scowl tracing his features as he moves past me and toward the beast. "We don't stop unless we have to."

I head past him, making a run again toward the old training grounds as they all fall in line behind me.

After another couple of minutes of running, we're making our way up the old, broken pathway to the dilapidated building.

"How did you ever find this place?" Ezra calls, staring at the building with a slightly awed expression.

We head inside, a nest of small birds flying away as a tiny squirrel skitters in the opposite direction.

"I needed a quiet place away from everyone," I shrug. A brief look of sadness flickers across his features, soon followed by a dark look of determination.

Before Ezra can open his mouth to speak again, I notice Mallyn trying to place Annex on a small bench near the entrance. I go over and stop him and lead him over to a much sturdier set of seats.

The places to sit in here were far and few between, most of them either burnt or broken, and the couple that survived whatever had happened here were deceiving in appearance.

I found that out the hard way when I went to rest with Gadriel one day after sparring, and one of them collapsed as soon as I sat down.

"This one's better for him." I pat the large seat beside the staircase. "It won't buckle under him."

Mallyn places him down gently. "He'll be okay." His grey-blue eyes meet mine, a gentle look overtaking his features as he watches me.

Was he trying to comfort me?

Creed calls Mallyn over as he and Ezra check the building and area around us. Probably for any other beasts.

Annex's hand drops from the bench where he's been laid down, falling to the cold, broken boards below him.Bending down, I hold his hand in mine before placing it back on his chest.

How long would it take for him to come back? Hours? Days?

I brush my fingers through his dark and bloodied strands, tracing the tattoos along his ears until I reach his dangling silver dagger earring, its small blood-drop gem shaking gently with my touch. Where are you?

A small smile tilts my lips. The psycho would probably relish in all this if he wasn't unconscious right now.

He would probably take a front-row seat to the academy's chaos and the beast's carnage before brandishing his blades and jumping back into the fight for fun. No matter how crazy or bloody he would get, he would probably just smile dementedly at it all and ask me what ‘gift' I'd like.

Bloody …I look at my fingers and palms, now covered in Annex's dried blood.

He had lost so much. How would that affect him if he came back?

And what about the wound on his chest? Would it be able to heal in time before he came back?

I look at the bloody hole in the centre of his chest, still as large as when I first saw it.

How was he supposed to heal that?

I know I can heal quickly, but for a wound like that…I lean in closer, my brows pinched together and eyes entirely focused as I watch a small area of the bloody hole slowly knit together.

My eyes widen. Slowly but surely, his body is definitely repairing itself.

A shaky sigh of relief leaves my lips, my hope growing the longer I watch him.

Whatever Annex was, whatever abilities he and his family had, or their secrets…didn't matter. As long as he came back to me and as long as he was okay.

I gaze down at my beautifully frozen psycho.

How long would it take for you to come back to us?

I glance over toward the guys near the centre of the building as they talk amongst themselves. All of them are on guard, watching even the slightest twitch of leaves in the distance as the wind shakes them. They look like some godly sentinels, statuesque in appearance but murderous in expression.

My eyes meet Creed before he glances down toward Annex, his brows slightly furrowing as he stares at him.

I turn back toward him too, hoping maybe he was waking up or there was some sort of movement. But nothing.

Nothing other than his pale, unmoving, bloodied body. Maybe I should clean some of that up?

I know Gadriel left some medical supplies around here after he found me in the forest. I pull myself up, glancing around the space until my eyes fall on a small leather handle poking out from a broken press across the room.

I make my way over to it, passing Ezra and Creed. Pulling at the small handles, a black duffel bag appears. I quickly head back over to Annex, crouch down, and unpack all of the medical supplies. I place the gauze and antiseptic wipes on the ground before pulling out a small foil blanket and placing it over him.

He might need it when he wakes up.

Just as I'm reaching for the wipes, a hand takes one from me.

"Why do you have medical supplies here, Micai?" Ezra's features darken, his brows drawn and eyes flickering back and forth between me and the medical kit Gadriel left.

They were Gadriel's. He had left them here since the time he found me after the attack. But I couldn't tell Ezra that.

The look on his face seemed to grow more worried with my silence.

"I train here sometimes." I blurt out, hoping that would explain the necessity of a medical kit instead of being attacked.

"You train here?" He glances around at the burnt and dilapidated building. "What kind of training? Is it even safe here?"

I glance around the darkened space. Even though it was burnt and broken, I had never had any issues moving around or sparring with Gadriel.

But how do I explain training here or sparring with Gadriel?

Gadriel . I gaze out toward the forest. I hope he was safe.

I know first-hand how strong he can be…the beasts facing him didn't really stand a chance. But what do I tell them…

All three sets of eyes now stare at me, Ezra's laced in worry, Mallyn's with slight curiosity, and Creed's…narrowed in suspicion.

I don't want to keep secrets from them, but now wasn't the time to break open the secrets in my closet or pour my heart out about my past.

But I could open up a little.

"I wanted to become stronger…" I peer toward Ezra, "And learn how to better protect myself and the people I care for." My eyes fall to Annex, a frown pulling at my lips. "I guess I have a long way to go."

"No." Ezra takes my hand, warming my cold fingers with his touch. "He protected you because he knew he could. I would have done the same…" He pulls my hand toward his lips and places a kiss on them. "Losing you isn't an option," He peers down toward Annex. "For either of us, Micai."

He pulls back slightly, his eyes glinting with resolve as he glances toward Mallyn and Creed. "And with your training…we can help with that from now on. I don't want you training out here by yourself. It's too dangerous. Especially with all these beast attacks." He shakes his head. "You can train with me and the guys. We have our own little gym back at the abattoir that we can all use together." He glances down at Annex, a smile tilting his lips. "I think he'd love that. And if he was awake he'd be cracking jokes about getting you sweaty first—" His words cut off as he gives me a sheepish smile. "That's what he would say."

"There's also a gym in town." Calls Creed before turning his gaze away.

Ezra's expression darkens. "It's a human gym. Micai needs to train her strength, and Annex and I want to help. She'll be using ours ."

Creed whips back around, his and Ezra's gazes clashing before Mallyn opens his mouth.

"I'll help too."

My brows lift at Mallyn's words, and Creed's eyes widen as he turns toward him.

Creed flickers his gaze between the three boys, then looks around the forest warily before sighing, "Just don't make it an everyday thing."

He throws a tired look my way, and I nod.

I guess the academy will be on alert more with this new attack, which might make training here difficult from now on.

And training with Annex, Ezra, and Mallyn…could be fun.

"That's sorted, you're with us—"

Ezra's words cut off, his gaze frozen at the ground around my feet.

I look down, noticing the mess that is my feet; dirt and dried blood clinging to my skin.

I had discarded my heels, and after running through the forest with Mallyn's beast, I had gotten a few cuts and scrapes along the way. By now, they were already healed, but it still looked like a mess.

Ezra moves from beside me and drops to his knees, gently reaching for my messy feet.

I take a step back and away from his hands, his eyes whipping up to meet mine. "I'm okay, Ezra. You don't—"

He shakes his head, cutting me off as he reaches for my feet again. "No. You've got blood on your legs and feet. And with the dirt and mud from the ground, any wounds there could get infected."

"I'll clean them later. They're fine—"

"Let me at least do this, Micai. Let me help?" His eyes plead with me, a look of genuine worry bleeding through his features. And a look that tells me he wanted to help me with no conditions or attached strings. He just cared.

It has me relenting and letting him take my feet in his hand.

He gives me a soft smile before his brows quickly furrow, gazing down at the mess that is my feet. He grabs a couple of the wipes from the bag and begins to clean it all away; his touch is so gentle and careful so as not to hurt me. He dabs lightly along the dried blood, his brows deepening the longer he cleans them.

"You won't find any wounds, Ezra." An anxiousness takes hold of me as I peer down at him.

I haven't trusted anyone with my secret or with anything about myself.

How could I? How could I even begin to explain things I don't have answers for: the marks on my body, my newfound strength and speed, my power to heal, and my ability to fight?

How do I explain even a fraction of that to him, when I don't fully have answers myself?

"It's already healed." His fingers brush along the skin on my feet, a relieved look taking over his features before he moves swiftly, removing all the dirt and dried blood away, and begins to take off his own shoes.

My brows synch together as he places them beside my feet, giving me an expectant look. Did he want me to put them on?

They looked at least four sizes bigger than my feet, and I didn't want him walking around without anything on.

I shake my head. "I'm fine, Ez–"

"But I'm not." The serious look in his eyes has my words drying up in my throat. "It's not just Annex that wants to keep you safe." He gently pushes his shoes toward me again. "I know it's not much, but it will at least make sure you don't get any more cuts."

He gives me a small smile, something gleaming in his gaze as he watches me. Then he lifts his shoes and takes one foot at a time, placing my feet carefully in them—the massive space inside pulling a small chuckle from my lips.

They're huge and heavy, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk in them properly, let alone run if a beast attacks again. But the gentle touch of his hands and the soft smile on his lips as he focuses so intently while putting them on me…has that warmth in my chest expanding to its limits, stretching to each limb and fingertip.

They kept giving me things.

It wasn't just a muffin, a dress, a beautiful necklace, or the very shoes from their feet…they were tokens of their thoughts and affection for me. They were slowly giving me pieces of themselves.

And I needed to do the same.

Nobody but Zrael ever showed me even a speck of affection in my last life. Now I had Annex and Ezra, and they've given me more warmth and care since I've been with them in this short time than anyone else ever has.

‘ Mine' swirls in my head .

A lock of his hair flops forward as he laces up the shoes. I reach forward, unable to stop the itch in my fingers wanting to brush them through his hair.

His head tilts up toward me, his smile growing wider as he leans into my touch, an expression telling me he's enjoying it as much as I am.

His hands slide back along my feet, his fingers rubbing small circles along my ankles.

A small giggle falls from my mouth with the ticklish touch.

Ezra's grin grows playful as he wriggles his brows. "I think I found a weak spot." He flicks his hand out, catching my right foot and gliding his hands back over the spot. "Right beside your sexy tattoos."

Tattoos? My brows pull together at his words, my eyes flickering to the spot he's touching.

My marks .

A slight panic creeps in for a brief moment until I meet his gaze again.

I shake my head and look toward Annex.

I can't hold back anymore with them.

Maybe I'm not ready to tell them about my magical time travelling, but I can show them what I can do bit by bit.

And I could give them a piece of the me that's here now.

"They're not—"

"Why are you just brushing past the part where she's just healed those cuts?" Creed waltzes over, cutting me off and glaring down at my feet and Ezra. "I think that's more pressing than some stupid tattoo on her feet." He turns his glare back toward me.

"How the hell can someone with no magic or power of their own heal themselves?" He takes a step closer, "Unless that was all a lie—"

"Back up, Creed." Ezra stands in front of Creed, blocking his view of me. "Don't take your anger or frustrations out on Micai. She's been through enough tonight and doesn't need this bullshit."

"When is a good time? She takes on a magical beast with Grey like it's nothing, runs through the forest alongside Mallyn's beast with ease, even keeping up with him, and now she can heal herself?" He scoffs. "Someone who apparently didn't have a drop of magic running through her veins can now do all that, and you think I'm not gonna say shit? I told you she was an unknown and a liability from day one. She's holding secrets. Clearly, you and Annex don't mean much to her if she—"

"Shut the hell up, Creed." Ezra narrows his gaze, his voice cold and cutting as a dark atmosphere rolls off the two of them.

I stand up, taking a step between them and separating them slightly. They both glance down at me, Creed's expression darkening further.

"I'm sure we all have things that are difficult to say." I glance between Creed and Ezra, flickering my gaze to Mallyn, who's also moved closer. "Not everyone blurts shit out. I'm sure you have your own demons you wanna keep hidden, Creed. I'm not an easy or open person; I have my walls."

The asshole scoffs, and a growl sounds out from beside us as I carry on.

"So you would open up and tell me everything about yourself, Creed?" He raises a brow in mock amusement. "Cause this is a two-way street. You don't get to rip open all my wounds and watch me bleed without paying a price." I take a step closer, bumping Ezra's shoes off his. "Or what, because it's the almighty Creed, you should get whatever you want and not have to give anything in return?" A dark chuckle leaves my lips as I shake my head. "You know better than that. Nothing is for free in this world…and my past and pain isn't cheap. The only way this works is if we're equal…I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

A dark grin forms on Creed's lips as his mouth opens, his eyes glaring down at me as I hear a noise from behind me. Ezra's chest sits flush with my back as he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me back into him.

"Creed. Don't." Just those two words carry a dark warning as Creed bites back his words. Only he never looks away from me, his stare piercing through me and trying to see into the depths of me with his golden amber eyes.

And I can feel it.

In the dark glares and warnings, a worry is hidden at their centre, and a strong will to protect his brothers surrounding me. He wants to protect his family from any threat, and right now, that's how he sees me .

But I wouldn't back down. I wasn't willing to give up what I wanted anymore. I glance back at the boys standing behind me. I wanted them.

If I had to kick Creed's ass to do it, or spill all my pain out before them, then I would.

A beat of silence passes between us, and a strange glint sets itself in Creed's amber eyes. His gold tones brighten as his brows furrow, watching me. "We'll see."

He takes a step back and a small sigh I didn't realise I was holding falls from my lips.

Ezra places a kiss on my head before I turn around and gaze into two bright-piercing blue eyes, a wicked bloody smile forms on his lips.

"Red . "