Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

I was wrong to thank Annie for buying me an outfit. Absolutely and completely wrong. I'm wearing ridiculously tight green shorts that barely go to my thighs, and they show off all of my ass. At least the rest of the outfit is a slightly oversized white top with a crest right in the centre of it, which is apparently Rhodes and Onyx's team crest for Starlight City. The crest is dark green with a silver snake wrapped around a dark wolf.

My hair is down and straight, despite Annie wanting to braid it for me like hers in pigtails. I'm actually wearing a little make-up that Annie helped me choose, with green and white stripes on my cheeks. I look like I'm going to an American football game. Annie's mate, Kosma, is waiting outside the front of the academy with his car and is wearing a green shirt. To my surprise, Alek is with him. Alek is in an all-black uniform and looks like he is attending a fight instead of a game.

They're both talking quietly, but Alek lifts his gaze to me. His eyes widen as he slowly runs his eyes up my bare legs, over the tiny, tiny shorts and the rest of me until he meets my eyes. A slow smirk fills his face, and it's sexy. Annie is charging into Kosma's arms as I walk to Alek, where he is leaning on the dark blue Porsche. He locks eyes with me. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, so, you are talking to me?" I innocently ask. His expression is guarded as he opens the door for me, and I slide in. Annie gets in the front with her mate, so Alek sits next to me in the back. There isn't much room in the Porsche's back seats, and Alek is a huge guy. He's so big that his entire thick thigh presses against mine, even with the middle seat between us. It's a fast enough car to get us through the streets of Starlight with ease and small enough to head down the side roads to miss the bulk of the traffic. Alek finally answers me after a long pause. "I was never not speaking to you, Gwen. You're just not coming into my class until you start using those powers of yours. The same rules apply to every student of mine, and I can't make special arrangements for you."

"Lies," I mutter. "I know it's personal."

"It isn't," he snaps, and we glare at each other until Annie turns on the radio to fill the silence, and I decide to focus on the view out of the window instead of Alek's stubborn mood. I'm here to support Rhodes and Onyx, not to argue with Alek.

The car ride is awkward, even with Annie singing songs on the radio nearly the entire way there until the news comes on. "No suspect has been found for the murder of Lewis Masters, in the early hours of Saturday morning. We remind the public of Starlight of the curfew in place and the one-off restrictions tonight for the?—"

Annie turns the radio off and sighs. "Everyone is going to be nervous being out tonight, even with all the rangers on the streets my dad put out. That murder makes twelve."

Kos clears his throat. "I'd only be nervous if I was an asshole. My parents are interested in this, for obvious reasons, and my mum told me every Nexus dead has turned out to be right dickheads. Lewis Masterton was reported to the school for beating his kid a few days before he was found dead. So, I'm sorry, but if a Vian is killing them, he or she can continue. We don't want them either."

Annie sighs. "It's still not right to go around murdering people. The boy woke up and found his dad. Now he is traumatised."

My stomach drops and I beg for someone to change the subject. Kos suddenly straightens. "We are nearly here. Look!" When we pull up at the giant stadium to the north of the city, my eyes widen. There are green and yellow beams of light dancing in the sky from inside of the stadium, which is one gigantic oval white building with big screens sticking out of the very top.

There's a massive queue from the car park, and I wince, knowing it's going to be a cold night while we wait to go in. Annie and Kosma walk ahead of us, leading Alek and me round to a side entrance, where someone opens the door from inside and lets us in. After we climb a million and a half stairs, we wait to be let into our seats in a balcony area that overlooks the stadium.

Annie looks back at my questioning eyes. "Perks of having my dad be my dad." We both know she wants to say something like "one of the only perks," but she winks at me instead. Alek stays close to my side the entire trip, his scent washing over me like a drug, even if he doesn't speak a word. The stadium is what I'd imagine an American football game to be like. Rows of plastic seats rising high up into the skies in all directions, and every seat faces the massive stadium centre.

In the centre is a pitch, but it's not like any pitch I've ever seen. There are two massive goals on either side, big golden rings that are a hundred feet in the air, and behind them are the huge screens. Drone cameras are floating around the sky above, and I bet they capture every inch of this game on those screens.

The pitch itself is on four levels: the bottom level is pretty much all sand, and the second one curves up with dozens of rows of steps. Some are broken, some are not. The third level above that has a river streaming around in loads of different directions, but that's all there is, and the river current looks fast. Magic for sure. There is a Nexus controlling that water somewhere close. At the final level, there are fires bursting into the sky from pits of lava in random spurts, and the rest is rock. My stomach drops when I realise two of my Nexus mates are going into this arena to play a game soon.

"This isn't like football," I mutter.

Alek coughs. "You thought Nexus ball was like football? You know they shift, right?"

Annie pipes in, "I told her, but I kinda forgot about the stadium set up." She winces. "It's a dangerous sport, but no one has died in years, so there is that."

That doesn't make me feel better at all. Kosma leans over Annie, his blond hair reflecting the green light show in the sky. Kosma screams bear more than even Finnegan does, with his nearly black eyes and playful smile. He is a good guy, and he suits Annie. The Gods actually chose well with them…but with me? Oh fuck, they messed up. "They will be okay. I'm a big supporter of the game, and Rhodes is fast. Onyx is brutal and smart at tactics. You don't have to worry about them. The aim is to fling the ball through the gold rings, and the first team to get to four wins. The ball has, like, a grip on it so that most animal forms can grab it. You're not allowed to fight with the others, but you are allowed to block them, whether that's using the intimidating force of your shift or not. Drawing blood earns a yellow card, and two yellow cards means you're out."

"It's pretty common for them to be taken out, and they have back-up team members ready. Some use the cards as a tactic to take out the better players on opposing teams," Annie explains, having to speak louder now the stadium is quickly filling up. "Kos doesn't like when they play dirty like that, but the crowds love it."

Kos huffs. "I can't wait until tryouts next year. I'm applying and I hope to get in. They usually only take rangers because they are the fittest and most skilled of us."

"Why didn't you apply to be a ranger?" I question.

Annie and Kos look between each other, and Kos clears his throat. "Do you know the family name Marsenton?" I shake my head. "Well, it's my family name and I'm the only heir. My parents wouldn't let me go to the rangers, and when I tried, Edvard said no. My family pay for nearly everything in Starlight, and the only other family close to their power is Annie's."

"Funny you two ended up being mates, then. One with money and one with power," I mutter.

"That's our parents, not us," Kos reminds me.

Annie squeezes my hand. "If anyone knows what it feels like to not be who you were born as, it's Gwen."

I squeeze her hand back and look at Alek, who is a few feet away, silent and not joining the conversation, as we continue making our way to our seats. It's hard to look at him and not feel his lips on mine, feel how good that felt and how my dreams have been filled with him ever since. The nightmares have disappeared into dreams of longing and want, and I don't know which one is more torturous.

Something tells me he won't kiss me again until I do what he wants, but he has no idea what he is really asking for, and it's for the best we don't kiss. It's bad enough that Rhodes has sneaked his way into my heart, and I don't know how I'm ever going to break his heart and run. He got me a puppy and saved me from Hollis. The bastard knew I'd be a sinking ship after that.

Cheering starts to echo around the stadium, and it's so loud already. What's it going to be like when the game begins? "I know Onyx is a wolf, but what's Rhodes?"

I never actually saw what the twins were. Alek comes closer to answer me. "He's a snow leopard, both of them are. You will see soon."

Snow leopard? Not what I was expecting, but it makes sense for Hollis. He certainly has the attitude to go with a cat. I still feel wary about causing the rift between Hollis and Rhodes. I couldn't exactly tell Rhodes that I had a freak-out because of memories in my past and not actually something that Hollis did. Hollis will always hate me, but this time, I made it worse. I haven't seen him since the sea, but I know he is fine, because my Nexus would have told me otherwise. I would have felt it.

We finally sit down in a row of seats, which are cordoned off from anybody else. Alek disappears after a few minutes, and I hate that. I wish he stayed at my side. I blow out a breath and look forward.

"He'll come round." Annie hands me a drink, something red and glittery. She holds hers up and clinks it against mine. "Love you, bestie. All that matters is enjoying your first game."

I know she is right. Boy problems can wait. Annie gets super happy when she's drunk, and I giggle as I watch her dance in her seat to the songs playing over the speakers as we wait for the game to begin and drink more. The match begins after about half an hour. There's only a ring of one single bell, followed by ear-splitting cheers and music before animals flood the base level of the stadium. Sand flies into the air, and I lean forward against the bar in front of my seat to watch.

The screens zoom in on Onyx and Rhodes immediately. They have a spray-painted green line straight down their backs. So do all the rest of their team. Onyx's dark wolf comes running out in a sprint, diving into the middle of the pitch to grab a black ball tightly in his jaws. Many of the other side, including two gigantic bears of pure black, try to block him with no luck. But a familiar snow leopard jumps over, grabbing the ball straight out of his mouth and jumping on the bear's back to get to the other side of the pit.

Rhodes's snow leopard is stunning, all grey and white, but the rings on his fur are in a halo of gold. He is also massive, nearly matching the size of Onyx's wolf. My Nexus proudly preens in my chest, and she feels happy? Not a feeling I'm used to feeling from her unless she is murdering someone. Huh.

A massive kangaroo blocks the path for Rhodes, but he dodges the kangaroo's hits to get to the second level. Rhodes is quick, jumping from one side to the other. A lion from the other team slams onto his back, and I wince, watching the ball fall out of Rhodes's mouth as he wrestles the lion off his back. A snake, which I think is our team, gets the ball next and wraps around it as it falls into the water. The current makes them float away fast. "Is the snake on our team?"

"YES!" Annie shouts in a fever before cheering loudly, and her happiness is contagious.

Rhodes and the lion fall into the water, both of them hissing and forgetting the fight in order to drag themselves out. It was quite amusing that they don't like the water. Onyx is right behind them now. He jumps into the water, swimming through the current, and picks the snake up, ball and everything, before diving on the other end. He grabs the ball in his mouth, the snake going onto his back as he races up to the final level.

The cheering grows louder and louder, deafening me, but I join them. Several of the opposing team just get to the last level as Onyx flings the ball into the air. The ball goes flying through the gold ring, and cheers break out from the crowd. Cheering and hollering must echo to the moon with how loud it is. I cheer right with them. The game pretty much continues like this, and my throat is sore from cheering by the end. They lose one goal, but it is four to one by the end. Annie and Kos are thrilled, and the cheers don't stop. I could come to every game, I soon realised, to support them or just because it's amazing to watch. The atmosphere…there's nothing like this.

We wait downstairs by the private exit by the changing rooms for half an hour before Rhodes comes out. He's fresh from the shower, in black jeans and a white shirt. Onyx is right behind him in a shirt and dark trousers. I grin at them both. "You were amazing!"

Rhodes leans in and kisses my cheek, and Onyx's eyes lock with mine as his lips touch my skin. Something flashes there, but he looks away. "I'm so fucking glad you were here. I swear I could feel you cheering for me," Rhodes says.

"She was screaming for you," Annie tells them.

"What all mates want, right?" Kos jokes, and Rhodes laughs as my cheeks burn.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I smile at Onyx. "Well done."

"Thanks," he coldly replies, making everything awkward. "See you around."

We all watch Onyx leave, and only when he is gone does Rhodes lean into me. "There's a small after-party I want to take you to. It breaks every rule at the academy to take you, but I'd break them for you."

"You're a bad influence." I raise an eyebrow. "Thank the Gods we are both on the same page because hell yes!"

He laughs and looks to Annie and Kos. "Do you both want to come? I won't tell the academy if you don't."

"Partying with you? Fuck yeah," Kos blurts, and Annie squeals, nodding her head a million times. "I'll drive. I don't drink, so I can get us there and back," Kos offers.

Rhodes grins. "Thanks, man. I never drink at the parties, so I'll be able to tonight." I almost feel bad we are leaving Alek here, but he is a big moody guy, and I'm sure he can scare someone into giving him a lift home.

"Happy to help." Kos is fangirling like a pro right now. We all get into Kos's car while Kos and Annie run a hundred questions by Rhodes, who happily answers all of them while holding my hand the entire time. We drive for about twenty minutes before we come across a huge house right on the outskirts that looks over the stadium in the distance because it's on a hill. It's a brown brick mansion with a private electric steel gate and pretty white-framed windows. It's packed full of people and cars lining the road to the house, but we find a space not far from the gates before walking up together.

I lean into Rhodes. "I thought you said small party."

"It was meant to be." Rhodes frowns. "The team doesn't usually invite this many outsiders, but whatever, we'll have fun either way." Alek is waiting in the doorway like an angel of death, and I almost stop and run in the other direction. Rhodes's hand tightens on my hip. "Don't worry. He came ahead to check it out, made sure it was safe for you."

Annie and Kos go inside without us as we stop in front of Alek. Alek frowns at Rhodes's hand on my waist. Rhodes doesn't notice or doesn't care, I'm not sure which. "Everything alright in there?"

"No Vian in sight. She still shouldn't be here," Alek growls low. "Let me guess, you didn't tell Onyx about this party and her?"

"He isn't her owner," Rhodes snaps. "And I'm fucking tired of his demands ruining everything. I care about what is good for Gwen and getting to know her. Fuck anything else."

"You've made that clear enough when you punched your brother. Am I next?" Alek leans into Rhodes's face. "Since when are we fighting with each other?"

My heart pounds. "Maybe we should leave?—"

"No." Rhodes drags his eyes to me, and they soften. "Alek is a jealous fucker who can't let go of the past. I'm not and I want a future with you. Fuck them."

Alek laughs. "You're betting on the girl that, given half a chance, is going to run away." He waves a hand at me. "Go on, ask her what she would do if we removed those runes and gave her a choice? Stay or leave?"

Rhodes tugs me forward, past Alek who is still laughing. It hurts, the way he looks at me like I'm nothing to him. "We both know it would be leave. She wouldn't even look back for you, you fucking fool!"

I wince because he is right in a certain way, but he doesn't know the reason why. If I could leave, I would without looking back because I care about them and I'm a walking bomb. One day, my Nexus will get out, and she will take everything I care about away. For now, she is happy hunting in the city, but every death is a step closer to us being found out, and I doubt she will be happy with just that for long. Being around her mates makes her remember that they are hers, and makes her want more.

It does the same to me, but when my heart breaks, I know it will be me broken, and my Nexus won't be. She will just go on a hunting spree to calm herself down.

Rhodes leans into me. "Ignore Alek."

"I'll try," I mutter. I always wanted to go to a party as a teenager, but my parents never let me. This is my first chance, and Alek is not ruining it for me. I made friends throughout our travels who always invited me out, but my parents said it was too dangerous, and usually they moved once I got close enough to someone who would invite me to a party, anyway.

People are dancing and jumping about, laughing like they have nothing to worry about. I don't know what that feeling is like. It's just relaxing and happy in here. Things that I've always craved for nearly my entire life. Rhodes gets me a fruity but spicy drink that I sip on as I take in the room. I swear Rhodes watches me the entire time.

He tugs me closer and takes the empty drink out of my hand. "Mate, dance with me."

I don't think he's ever called me that before. Mate. Something about it sounds right, even if it's completely and utterly impossible for us to be true, bonded mates. Maybe we can pretend for one night. His hands sink around my waist, just above the tiny little shorts, and he pulls my body close to his before controlling how my hips sway to the music playing. Something about his dance is way too sensual. I like it way too much.

I press closer and look up at him, my arms wrapped around his neck. His eyes trace over my face before he leans down and kisses me, just softly, once, twice, and the thump of the music is nearly as loud as the thump of my heart as his lips slowly part mine, slowly take what they want. I moan into his mouth as he deepens the kiss. He breaks it after a while, kissing at my jaw instead until he whispers in my ear, "If I keep kissing you like that and anyone else hears those moans, I'm going to have to immediately kill everyone in this room. You're mine."

I chuckle, and my Nexus preens in happiness. "You could always put your hand over my mouth."

His eyes darken, and he tilts his head. "Would you like that, mate?" He leans in and my breath hitches. "Because I'd like to swallow every moan of yours. Say the word and I'm yours."

I can't. We can't cross that line because I don't know how to have sex with him and not bond our Nexus. Sex is usually the beginning of the bond link, and our Nexus would take over after saying the words and sharing blood. It's a dangerous game we are playing, but Rhodes is playing for keeps. I let myself sink into his arms though, to avoid his question, and he doesn't push me because, if anything, Rhodes is a good guy. I look over Rhodes's shoulder to find Alek nearby and watching like a stalker. He's furious. I can practically see the green shining in his eyes as he glares at me.

He pushes two people out of the way to get closer. "We need to talk, Rhodes. Now."

Rhodes grits his teeth and turns. "What the fuck do you want? Haven't you said enough tonight?"

"Come outside. Alone," Alek demands before walking off, parting the dancers with his huge body and making several people fall over.

Rhodes looks frustrated, but I lean up and kiss him softly once. "Go, I'll be right here. I'm not leaving." Not yet anyway. I shouldn't have said that, because the way he smiles only makes me feel like an awful person.

The second Rhodes has disappeared from my sight, a hand taps me on my shoulder. I turn round, and a grin spreads over my face as Harry looks down at me. "I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure," he says.

Laughing, I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. He looks great in a brown shirt and jeans, but paler than he was in Spain. We both are now after months of living in Scotland. "What are you doing here, Harry?"

"It's a party." He rolls his eyes at me. "I was invited, and I got lucky seeing you. Gwen, I wanted to thank you, actually. I know coming here probably wasn't what you wanted, but just watching you with your mate, you look happy. I'm happy too and found a girlfriend who I'd love for you to meet at some point. I know we were weird for a while, but you wanted your mates, and I was lonely. I think we are meant to be good friends. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"It did." I softly smile, delighted to hear that getting captured actually made someone happy in the end. "Harry?—"

I don't get another word out as the floor completely collapses underneath me, and an explosive bang fills my ears before it feels like the entire house itself falls straight onto my shoulders.