30. ~Alena~

30

~Alena~

I woke up surrounded by warmth.

But the source wasn’t what I’d come to expect before everything had happened with that psychopath.

It wasn’t from my men being wrapped around me.

No, as I looked around, I found the covers not only tucked up to my chin over the sleeping bag, but a purple glow emanating from them.

It was like a magical equivalent of an electric blanket.

It had me smiling at the sweetness of it.

And not just that.

I sat up and looked over the pillow wall they’d made.

The three of them were still sleeping, sprawled out all over one another.

Talon was in the middle in his tight boxers, their large silver blanket only half covering his chest, most of it over Orpheus and obscuring a lot of his Fae markings as he slept in his go-to purple silk pajama pants. Xavier was on the other side with a corner of the blanket under his head, sleeping in a pair of gray sweats and a white tank. It was nice that Xavier could be out here in the early morning sun. He was protected from the harmful rays upon a vampire’s skin all the while he was under Orpheus’ illusion. And to get back into the main building, Orpheus would just shield him with his magic.

They were trying so hard with me.

And they were walking on eggshells. Majorly.

Last night had been the first time Orpheus had pushed it at all with me.

Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He’d been all about pushing me. And I’d relished the challenge, even though I’d often protested. It had just been part of the push and pull with us. But the spark of it was gone right now.

Except for last night. And I guess, getting that from him again had spurred me on to actually talk to them about what had happened to me, what was tormenting me so fiercely now. And what the black magic was feeding off.

I’d told them everything I remembered about my time in Constantine’s captivity.

But I’d told it like a stoic recollection, removed from me, really, like it hadn’t been me it had happened to. I’d given them the details, but not the… sentiment, I guess. None of the fear, the disgust, the shame, the pain. I hadn’t told them that any time a memory rose up, it had me shuddering and feeling like a victim all over again, that my skin crawled and I hated being in my own body in those moments, that I wanted to dig out the memories and tear them to shreds.

I just hadn’t been able to bring that last night.

At least I’d given them something. And I really hoped it would be enough for now. Just until I could get a handle on it.

Sharing that with them had made me feel a little lighter at least. Like I wasn’t alone in it anymore. And I knew they were here for me and they wanted to be here for me even more so. It was just hard to open up all the way right now.

I looked down at myself in my oversized sweats, my attempt to hide myself away a little. I’d wanted to hide away fully from the outside world, but that wasn’t possible. I had to keep going to classes, try to return to some semblance of a routine and normalcy. Especially with the black magic running through my system. Too much time alone and to think wasn’t the best idea. It could quickly build and become massively destructive.

I’d never wanted to hide my body, or myself away before. I guess, except for my powers, when I’d gone through my trying-to-live-as-human phase. But I’d come such a long way since then and now that monster was setting all of that back for me. In so many ways. All the black magic he’d infected me with was stopping me from being able to be free with my magic and abilities, because it kept coming out in dangerous and destructive ways. What he’d done had erected a barrier between me and my men, and we’d been growing so close before all of this had happened.

I hated it. I hated it all. And I hated most of all that Constantine was still out there. That we weren’t safe. That we weren’t free of him.

Maybe I never would be.

I gritted my teeth at that thought and shoved my hand through my hair.

No. I couldn’t think like that. In fact, I was tired of thinking at all right now.

I looked at the guys, considering waking them up so I wasn’t left alone with my own thoughts that seemed to be taking a dark turn.

But they’d been through so much too and I knew the way I was right now was a major strain on them. They needed their sleep.

I’d go to the cafeteria, take a much-needed walk there, and bring them back breakfast.

Like I could risk conjuring anything right now anyway, not when my mind was full of all this bleakness and pain.

I rose to my feet, fluffed out my hair a little so it didn’t look so mussed with sleep, then I carefully tiptoed away, and made my way through the illusion and out into the forest, heading for the main building.

As I reached the quad, several students were already out and about in the early morning hours.

Some were eating breakfast on the picnic benches, others reading and studying on the grass or leaning against the trees, others rushing about to get to early morning classes, and then there was a group playing magical frisbee, the shimmering rainbow of a thing flying between them as they moved it with their magic and minds, rather than their hands.

As I went to cut across the quad to the main building, one of the players stumbled in trying to stop it from flying out of his reach with his magic, and he smacked into me.

I could’ve shaken that off, if he hadn’t then grabbed me in a bid to stop us both from falling.

The contact had me gasping as it triggered me, an awful flash breaking through.

“Revel in your humiliation as you take pleasure in the touch of a monster.”

I slapped my hand to my head, trying to fight through it.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry,” I heard the guy saying.

“Fine,” I muttered, forcing my feet forward.

In my discombobulated state, I smacked into a tree.

“Now, then, break for me, whore.”

“Stop! Get away!” I found myself yelling.

It must’ve been so loud, because all eyes were suddenly on me.

It just made it all worse and it felt like the proverbial walls were closing in. I fought to draw in an unencumbered breath and I started panting, sweating too. My steps were shaking and uncoordinated.

In my peripheral vision, I saw some students step forward to come to my aid.

No. No. No.

Another flash hit me.

“You. Are. Mine. Fucking act like it!”

“Get back!” a familiar voice rang out, cutting through it. “And stop looking! There’s nothing to see here.”

In the next moment, somebody stepped up close, blocking out everything and everyone.

And then I was looking up into the face of Isabella Ravenfall.

Surprisingly, kind eyes met mine. “It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re safe at the Academy.”

I stared out at her, not understanding what was happening.

“Just a few more steps forward and we’ll be inside,” she told me, covering me as I managed it.

Without touching me, she guided me off to the side in a darkened area away from the main corridor.

I sank against the wall, fighting to regain my composure.

She waited there, guarding me, and not saying anything, staving off everyone and everything.

“You’re safe,” she kept saying. “No one’s gonna hurt you here.”

I was vaguely aware of her typing on her phone as she kept watch and waited for me to calm down and come back to myself.

“Thank you,” I finally managed, and she swung her head to me.

“No problem.”

“Why… why did you help me?”

“Because you needed it.” Before I could ask more, she told me, “I just texted Orpheus. He’ll be here in a moment.”

I shoved my hand through my hair and breathed, “Okay.”

She stared at me in my sweats. “Don’t let that monster snuff out your light. Don’t let him win.”

I nodded slowly and she smiled back at me.

And then a violent gust of wind whipped around us.

Smoke filled my nostrils.

Then Xavier was suddenly there between us, right in front of me.

“What happened?” I asked, taking in his charred skin and burned hair, his clothes even half burned off.

Purple smoke filled the space and then Orpheus and Talon materialized.

“After I read them Isabella’s message, this maniac wouldn’t wait a second and hightailed it out in the middle of the fucking daylight, sun be damned,” Orpheus groused.

“Jeez,” Isabella breathed.

Xavier shook it off, looking me over frantically. “Are you all right? Alena? Are you okay?”

I held up my hand. “Fine. I’ll be fine.”

“You had an episode?” Orpheus asked.

“Yeah. Just some flashes. They’re gone now. It’s fine.”

“Why did you take off?” Talon asked. “We could’ve been there for you.”

“I wanted to bring you guys breakfast from the cafeteria.”

That pulled them up short.

“Aww,” Talon uttered, beaming at me.

“No aww ,” Orpheus said. “No walkabouts without one of us with you right now.”

“Or your army watching my every move?”

“That too.”

The old me would have told him he’s not my keeper and to back off, but the current me knew he was right, which moments ago had just been proven.

At least for now. Until I was back on firm ground, back to myself.

So, I nodded.

Xavier went to reach out to me, but pulled up short, grimacing that he couldn’t make contact.

Guilt slashed through me.

Thankfully, Orpheus cut through it, telling Isabella, “I appreciate your help. We’ll take it from here.”

She nodded, then took off, smiling at me again as she did.

As she disappeared into the crowded corridors, I asked the guys, “Why is she suddenly on my side?”

“Oh, right, we forgot to tell you with everything else,” Talon said. “Apparently, she came to X and Ore and apologized for the way she’s been to you.”

“She’s seen the error of her ways,” Xavier told me.

“Wow, that’s unprecedented.”

“We’re all pulling together right now in this war,” Orpheus explained.

“I see.” I looked out at them. “We should probably get out of here before a member of the faculty comes by. The three of you are half naked.”

“I’ve got no problem with that,” Talon said, shaking his ass for effect.

Xavier chuckled and Orpheus rolled his eyes.

And then we were swept up in a purple cloud of teleportation.