Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

M y hand is torn away within a second of it touching, but it's too late. On my palm, a tulip blooms in black ink, marking me. Black tulips were always my father's favourite flower, and he used to make earrings, necklaces, and small wooden statues of them as secret birthday gifts. Maybe he did want this for me, and that was his way of telling me. My mother never knew he gave me gifts, and if she did, she would have destroyed them. I got good at lying and claiming to have bought them myself, if she ever noticed them, that is. I lost all of my dad's gifts a long time ago, and I would kill for one more of my dad's black tulips.

Onyx grabs me and drags me out of the tent by my arm, right into the pouring rain.

"She belongs to the academy now, Onyx. Careful!"

"Fuck off," Onyx growls under his breath and tugs me into a gap by the side of the tent—where no one can see us. He presses me into the tent wall and places his hands on either side to box me in. The misty rain pours on us, and I watch drops of rain drip from his cheek onto his lip. He searches my eyes for a second, and whatever he sees only pisses him off more. "Have you lost your fucking mind?"

"Nope," I slowly drawl, my heart racing.

That only makes him more pissed. "This isn't a joke, Gwen. What have you just done? Do you know what this place is? It's going to spit you out broken on the other side within a week. Most people have trained here their entire lives for this, and you've done nothing but sun it up in Spain. Are you absolutely fucking mad? Do you want to die?"

I freeze as my instant answer is yes. I just can't die. Even if I want death. I hold my head high and push down the feelings bubbling in my chest. "It was my choice and I'm standing by it. I'd rather be trapped in the academy than trapped in your house, in that godforsaken room, and forced to eat meals with five men who hate me."

Onyx pulls away. "We don't all hate you, for fuck's sake, Gwen. Not all of us. Give us a chance and you might just see that."

My heart is pounding as Rhodes finds us. He looks between Onyx and me, frowning deeper. He throws his black cloak over my shoulders, and I tug my arms through, even when it all but smothers me. Rhodes grabs my chin to make me look at him. Him touching me is a bad idea because I like it too much. "Are you really doing this?"

"Yes," I breathe out, hating how he affects me. My body just wants to sink closer to him and enjoy every delicious inch he is willing to give me. I blink, pushing my Nexus down. He shakes his head and lets go, looking at Onyx. "This isn't good."

"I'm well aware of the risks of what she just did." He steps away from me, and disappointment hovers around him like a snake. When he looks at me next, he is absolutely furious. "You have no idea what you just signed yourself up for."

Edvard clears his throat, and we all turn to him. "Gwenieve, you'll be meeting all the tutors in a moment. Go and join the crowd through the tents."

I glance at where Onyx is and step around them, leaving them arguing about me. I try not to smirk as I tap my wrist three times, just to piss him off a little more than he already is. His scent is still wrapped around me from the cloak and I'm selfishly never giving it back. I know I'm being a bit petty, but he definitely just embarrassed me in front of Edvard and the crowd who are now silently watching the show. I duck into the tent before looking back and around the desk to the other side. The sunlight beams in as I walk out and onto a stage in front of a busy crowd. There must be at least a hundred people here, all similar in age to me, and all staring at me as I walk down the steps. Whispers break out immediately, and my cheeks flush as I move to the gap by the girl with red hair who was before me in line.

"Hello, stranger." My high school classmate Annie steps to my other side, all in black and just as soaked from the rain as me. She looks at me with wide eyes before grinning. Flashbacks of her at the mating ceremony come back to me. The last time we saw each other. "You've changed so much in five years."

"You haven't," I gently reply, and I mean it. I always liked Annie, even if she was friends with Rochelle. She came across as the kind of person who is loyal and kind, even as a kid. Her blonde hair is cut to her shoulders, and the ends are dyed a bright red. She doesn't look much different, but she is more toned and stronger than she was as a teenager.

"I heard rumours that they found you locked up by Vian for all these years, and they brought you back. Isn't it amazing that you got here and now you're in the academy?"

Ah, so that's the story they're going with. "Yes, amazing." I can't keep the dryness from my voice.

Annie notes it and changes the subject. She smells like a Nexus male, and she must be mated. I'm surprised her mate let her come in here. Most of the crowd are male, only ten or so females to be seen. Usually, mated Nexus don't let their mates fight or become rangers because of how possessive and protective their Nexus are. "A lot has changed, and I'd love to catch you up. Were you able to train? If not, I can help you before lessons and after?—"

"I'm fine," I interrupt her. I know she is being nice, but I can't tell her everything, and we barely know each other. She nods, not letting it faze her at all. She was never this much of a talker as teenagers, and it suits her.

"Okay, well, I might need your help then." She laughs and my lips twitch.

We both go silent as the tent flap is pushed to the side and the tutors walk out in a line. Edvard is first, and then all the blood rushes from my face. The twins and Alek are standing in the line of tutors. All three of them purposely don't look at me. I almost feel a little bad that Rhodes is going to get blamed for this, and I tighten my hands on his cloak. I wince at Alek though, the tight line of his lips telling me he's severely pissed off. The other two tutors are men, no women in sight.

Edvard claps his hands. "Welcome, all new trainee rangers!" The crowd cheers, but I stay silent. "These are some of your trusted tutors." He introduces himself and each of the five. I can only hear the names of my Nexus ringing in my ear and blocking everything else out. They are absolutely going to fail me on everything. "We have rules in the academy, and the main one is this: Relationships with tutors or other academy rangers are frowned upon. Sex within the academy will be punished severely. The academy is on holy ground, and it would be a dishonour. When you leave academy grounds, you will be respectful of the good name of rangers and behave as such. Pregnancy will be avoided with shots given on the first day here, and if you are already found pregnant, we will have an issue."

Annie winks at me as Edvard continues. "Look at the person on your left. That is who you will be sharing a room with." Annie is to my left. I remember her being nice when we were kids. I remember her being there on the day I rejected my Nexus bonds. She's too nice to be my friend, and I'm too dangerous to be around. For her sake, I wish it was anyone but her. "Every ranger who has ever lived has put their hand on this book and spilled their blood in the book. We spill our blood to protect our people. In the name of the Nexus Gods and the people of the Nexus, you have sworn to train to be able to protect them. You will be the strongest of our race, and with the training we give you, comes the responsibility of being a good person who will run into danger to save an innocent."

He pauses for a second, scanning the crowd. "We start the day at eight a.m., and we finish the day at seven at night. You get a break in the middle of the day for an hour lunch. Weekends are yours to do as you wish, but not only do we train your bodies, we give you information on our enemy and how to defeat them. Now more than ever, it is important that we have rangers who are smart and capable. You must go into a battle and not fear the outcome. Fear is not allowed in a ranger's heart by the end of the academy."

Edvard glances at me for a moment, but I spot the look. "Even your Nexus bonds will shadow in comparison to your life as a ranger. It will become your first responsibility over everything else. This is not an easy academy, as I'm sure you've been made aware. Life, it can quickly end and especially when you fight our enemies. If you die here, it is still better to die in the academy than in the hands of the Vian." He straightens his shoulders. "As for your powers, we will test them individually to see how best you can use them."

I'm avoiding that test.

"But for the first month, we'll be focused on your bodies and mind. Then we'll work on your Nexus gift. Any problems, you come to me. But be warned, if you waste my time, you will not like the outcome." He waves a hand towards the back of the group, and I see cars waiting. "Create a line and leave. Welcome, trainee rangers."

The crowd cheers, but my eyes drift up, locking on Aleksander, who is glaring at me. He sneers before looking away. He is going to make the next three years hell.