14. Raven

FOURTEEN

RAVEN

My breath lodges in my throat and I gape in horror as Creed rises from his seat, following after the others who have been called out. I thought my name was going to be called instead of the others, so the fact that Creed is walking away has me panicked.

“The rest of you are dismissed,” Erikel declares before moving to follow after them.

The rest of the students murmur inquisitively among themselves, but I’m up on my feet and rushing toward the end of my row to get to Creed.

“What the fuck is going on?” Zane asks as he suddenly appears at my side, but I don’t slow down.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” I state, turning up the stairs. “Creed,” I holler, but he doesn’t stop. Erikel, on the other hand, turns to me with a glare.

“Did I call your name, Raven?” he sneers, the scar down his face looking redder than ever.

“No, but I want to know where you’re taking him,” I demand, coming to a stop in front of him, but he shakes his head dismissively and looks over my head.

“Warrior, follow after them. I’ll be along in a moment.” The telltale sound of the golden warrior’s armor clanging echoes in my ears, getting louder as he gets closer, but I keep my gaze focused on Erikel instead of turning to look at him approaching.

Erikel watches his every move, though, not glancing back at me until Creed’s father walks by us. “You’re dismissed,” Erikel repeats, but that’s sure as shit not good enough for me.

“You can’t just take him,” I retort, my voice getting louder. Glancing over my shoulder, I find Zane is now joined by Eldon, Brax, and even Leila. Surely he has to listen to us. I turn back to him, but he’s already waving his hand dismissively.

“I can do as I please, Raven. But continue to push me, and you’ll see what I’m capable of. Just because he’s a motivator for you to do as I want doesn’t mean I won’t kill him to teach you a lesson. You have plenty of other motivators around you,” he snaps, stunning me as the creak of the golden armor pauses for a beat. I look toward the golden warrior, noting the tension in his jaw and neck from his side profile, but after the longest second, he continues on his way. “I won’t warn you again,” Erikel adds for good measure, before turning up the stairs again, swooping his fur cloak dramatically as he goes while I stare at him, speechless.

“What the fuck do we do now?” Eldon asks, wiping a hand down his face, and I snatch it, pulling him along with me as I take off up the stairs when Erikel disappears through the entryway.

“We follow them.”

“But, Raven, he said—” I turn around to look at Leila while blindly trying to race up the stairs.

“I couldn’t give a fuck what he said. It’s Creed. He needs us.”

Nobody else argues as I turn back to face the direction I’m walking, hearing the footsteps of my men and my friend right behind me as Eldon squeezes my hand tightly in his. The second we make it to the top, my pace quickens as I spy the students who were called out being ushered through a gateway.

Fuck. There is no way he is going through there.

We’re too late, though. Creed steps through without a backward glance, with his father and Erikel right behind him, and as I near the spot where the gateway is, it disappears before my very eyes.

No. No. No.

Spinning on the spot, my hand falls from Eldon’s hold as my heart races wildly in my chest.

“What do we do now?” Zane asks, looking between Brax and me.

I don’t have an answer. Not even a hint of one. All I can feel is terror seeping into my bones as I turn back to where the gateway was. How can this be happening?

Fuck.

“I’d rather he had taken me,” I bite, hands on my hips as I heave every breath into my lungs.

“Don’t say stupid shit like that, Shadow. Besides, you don’t know what’s going on,” Brax states, gripping my chin and forcing me to look up at him. His chest rises and falls heavily like mine, proving that he’s as stressed as I am, but it doesn’t matter how worked up we are. That’s not going to make a difference right now.

“I don’t know where he is, Brax. I can’t breathe,” I admit, my voice raspy as my eyes sting. I’m not a crier, I’m not usually so damn emotional, but this truly feels like the rug has been pulled out from under me.

I’m not in control. I’m powerless, and this just proves it.

“I know, Shadow. I know. But I’m here, we’re here. All we can do is wait. We’ll wait for him,” he murmurs, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it before, and I find myself nodding along in agreement.

If this was a power move from Erikel, it’s working. He knows he has total control over all of us. I’m just another soldier in his grand plan. We all are. But fuck him if he thinks he can hurt any of my men.

If all I can do is wait, I will, but I won’t fucking forget. Even if it’s a fucking day trip to the seaside, I don’t give a shit.

Erikel will pay for this.

I thinkI’m going to be sick. I’m certain of it. The way my stomach muscles keep tightening violently as worry continues to cement itself in my soul is unbearable.

“Is this what it was like for you guys when I disappeared because of my parents?” I ask, nibbling on my fingernails.

“Yeah,” Eldon answers, his voice as solemn as mine as he sits on the sofa across from me.

It’s been hours and he’s still not back. My skin feels itchy, my heart aches, and the antsy feeling burning through my veins is unrelenting.

“Fuck,” I grunt, making Zane scoff from his spot on the floor. “It’s too much.”

“You need to keep busy,” Brax states, and I immediately shake my head.

“I can’t focus on anything else.” Pretending that it’s possible is just wasting time.

“You need to,” he grunts back, standing before me a moment later.

“Why don’t we play with your mirror magic again?” Zane offers, trying to be the voice of reason. It just might be the only thing that could hold my attention in short bursts, but it still feels pointless.

“I don’t know,” I mumble when he reaches for my hand.

“Let’s try,” he encourages, pressing a kiss to my knuckles before Brax grabs my other hand and yanks me to my feet. I slam against his chest, my breath lodged in my throat as I look up at his towering frame.

“We’re doing it.” He doesn’t leave any room for argument as he uses his magic to push the sofas back to create a bigger space for us to try.

“Then when Creed gets back, you can show him what you’ve done,” Eldon adds, his smile wide as he tries to fill me with reassurance, but I’m feeling sassy.

“I’m not a child seeking praise for doing well, you know.”

Brax smirks, or at least I think he does. It’s over too quickly for me to be certain. “We’re very aware you rule the castle, Shadow.”

“Or that’s what you let me think sometimes. Other times you ignore me altogether and force me to practice magic even when I don’t agree to it,” I snap, and he cocks a brow at me as Zane’s chuckle rings out around us.

Brax leans in close, his lips against my ear as he speaks. “You love it. Now, save your bite for later. You’re making my dick hard, and right now, we need to focus on your magic.”

I gape at him as he releases his hold on me and takes a step back.

Fucker.

I almost consider pushing for him to fuck me, but I can’t keep hiding my emotions and using sex as a distraction. Besides, he won’t get me off. Not yet. Not when my brother is still breathing.

Sighing, I turn my attention to Eldon and Zane, considering what I would like to try and mirror first.

“Calm your enthusiasm, Little Bird,” Eldon says with a smirk, and I roll my eyes at him, but it still eases a little of the tension consuming me. “Why don’t you decide which of our abilities you feel comfortable trying? Then we can start there,” he offers, and I nod.

Do I start with Eldon’s magic or Zane’s telekenesis? Do I want to understand their other abilities? Hell yeah, but just like it was with Brax, I want to be able to use the abilities to defend myself and attack my enemies if necessary. Once I don’t feel so defenseless, the rest will be good to wield too. I know I won’t have control over what skills my opponent might have, but I just need to focus on honing what tools I have the best I can.

“Can we start with fire?” I ask, opting to feel heat in the palm of my hand before I start launching things around the room.

Zane smiles, Brax nods, and Eldon steps forward with a new kind of heat in his eyes.

“I can’t lie, I’m excited to share my magic with you.”

A shiver runs down my spine at his words. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me and I’m a sucker falling under his spell.

Thankfully, he doesn’t wait for a response, and a moment later, he produces a ball of fire in his palm. Flickers of pale red magic thread around his hand, centered on where his abilities are, and I take a deep breath before I cut the remaining distance between us.

My fingertips are a magnet to his skills, inching closer and closer like a moth to a flame, and the second I touch the strand of magic, I feel the burn.

Hissing, I snatch my hand back, staring at him with wide eyes as I hold my palm to my chest.

“Did you just fucking hurt her?” Brax snarls, shoving Eldon back a step, and his eyebrows almost reach his hairline as he gapes at me.

“No. Shit. Raven, I’m—”

“Stop.” I hold my other hand out to make him pause, and thankfully he listens. “Please don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. I just didn’t actually consider that you felt so much of the heat,” I admit, and he drops the fire in an instant as he approaches.

My gaze shifts quickly to Brax, who I can sense wants to push him again, but I’m hoping my eyes tell him to stay the hell back. Whether they do or not, he doesn’t charge his friend again.

“Can I look?” Eldon asks, pointing at my hand still clenched against my chest, and I slowly pry it open.

There’s nothing there, not a single mark. It’s more shock than anything, and now I feel dumb.

“Does it feel like that all of the time?” I ask, hoping to distract him from my embarrassment, but he still takes my hand and blows gently on the skin, which is somehow more soothing than I expect.

“In the beginning, it hurt like a bitch, but the more I practiced, the more my body adjusted to the heat. So now, it’s just a dull warmth. I’m sorry, I didn’t think to warn you of that.”

“It’s all good. I didn’t consider the weight of the stone effect of Brax’s magic either. You guys all do it so effortlessly that I forget that it can take its toll on you.”

“You’ve got this, Dove. Just take your time. We’re here with you every step of the way.” My heart swells as Zane smiles softly at me.

I’m a goner for these guys and those gentle words that crop up from time to time.

“Thank you,” I breathe. Inhaling deeply, I let the warmth from my chest ripple through my body before turning my attention back to Eldon.

“Are you ready to try again, or do you want to save it for another day?”

I shake my head. “Let’s go again.”

“That’s my girl,” he replies with a grin, producing another fireball in his hands.

Feeling a little more prepared this time, I relax my shoulders and reach out my hand again. The second I connect with the rising inferno, I gasp, but I focus on the heat first, letting it simmer through my veins. I have no idea how much time passes while I stand and simply feel the magic, but when I’m comfortable, I hold out my other hand and try to direct the magic to my palm.

A few flickers of added heat dance over my skin as I fixate on the spot, but it takes a few tries for me to get the right balance of pulling from both my magic and his to create the smallest ember in my hand.

“That’s it, Raven. Envision it growing. You’re doing amazing,” Eldon murmurs. Wetting my dry lips, I close my eyes and imagine the small ember growing into a ball similar to Eldon’s. “Open your eyes, Little Bird.”

Blinking, my gaze settles on my hand where the ball of fire replicates Eldon’s, and I grin.

“Fuck yeah,” Zane cheers, and I drop my hand from Eldon’s magic, watching as the fire burns out.

Eldon’s crowding my space in the next breath, his mouth capturing mine like a man starved as I feel the remains of his magic warming his lips. All too quickly, he’s retreating, leaving me desperate for more of his heat, but before I can complain, Zane is filling the empty spot with a wicked grin on his face.

“You’re phenomenal, do you know that?” He cups my cheek and I can feel my face heat, but this time it’s not from the magic.

“Stop,” I grumble, trying to brush him off, but his hold tightens.

“One day, you will see yourself how we do, and it’s going to be magnificent.” His words leave me breathless as I peer up at him, unable to fathom a response. “For now, I’m adding it to the housemate handbook that you have to accept praise with a smile, possibly even a blowjob, but no more doubting.” He raises an eyebrow at me, but I still don’t offer a response as he takes a step back. “Ready?”

Just like that, he’s all business again. I can’t keep up with them, and I secretly love how they leave me swirling in a vortex while keeping me grounded all at once.

Three words pierce my mind, desperate to part my lips, but my head refuses. My heart burns, my soul aching just to release those words from my mouth, but I can’t.

Shaking my head, I take a deep breath and focus on his question instead. “Yes.”

I can see it in his eyes that he knows I’m in my head a little, but instead of pushing, he offers me a wink before using his magic to bring a chair from the dining table closer.

“I’m guessing you would prefer to learn how to move things first, invisibility another time?” I nod, and he places the chair in front of me before doing the same with another. Once they’re both in place, he smiles at me. “Try to remain calm. It’s not going to burn you or weigh you down, but it’s very sensitive, so tension or stress can make it erratic,” he explains.

“Okay.”

Slowly, Zane uses his magic to simply lift the chair off the ground this time, and I watch the strands dance from his hand to the chair, swirling in the air before me. Taking a tentative step toward the threads, I try to take a deep breath before I latch on to his magic, settling my attention on the second chair. The moment I do, it fires into the air without warning, clattering against the ceiling before falling around us.

I brace for impact, but nothing comes and I quickly realize that Zane’s controlling how they fall with his magic, slowly drifting them down to the floor.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and I nod.

“It seems our girl doesn’t know the meaning of the word calm,” Eldon says with a chuckle, winking at me, and I roll my eyes again.

“I think it’s going to be hard to ask her to be calm when she’s worrying about Creed,” Brax states, and my heart clenches at the reminder.

Dropping my hands to my sides, I let go of Zane’s magic and sigh. The stress over Creed quickly comes gnawing at me once again, leaving me helpless to feel the pain.

“It’s alright, Dove. He’s going to be—”

His words are cut off by the slam of a door and the four of us whirl around to the source of the sound to see the man himself before us. Relief floods through me as his onyx eyes find mine, but it’s short-lived when I notice his hands clench at his sides and the way he pants with every breath.

“Creed,” I breathe, worry consuming me for an entirely different reason now as I gape helplessly at my man.

“What the fuck happened?” Eldon asks, the first to take a step toward him, but he shakes his head. Tension ripples from him in thick waves, rooting me to the spot.

It’s almost like he’s a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment, and we’re going to feel the backlash, no matter the distance.

Wordlessly, he storms right past us, heading to his room and, a second later, another slam booms through the house as his bedroom door shuts behind him.