The Inferno

Chapter 5 The Betrayal

T his is the epitome of a deafening silence.

Here we all are, all seven of us, all sat in our designated seats, all engraved with our initials, and not one of us dares to break the silence.

This table, the one place where we share all our thoughts and feelings, yet no one is brave enough to start.

I try to keep my face neutral but the negative thoughts are nipping at the back of my mind, urging me to release tendrils of my power, wrap them around each person and squeeze, just enough to get them talking. But I contain it.

My hands grip the edge of the arm rests, forcing myself to stay in this moment, and I watch each flickering expression as though it’s a clue.

Each person embraced me as they entered, Javier’s was a tight grip around my shoulders, Ferne’s: a soft stroke of my hair, Louise and Lew were sandwiching me between them. My power didn’t reach out for any of them, not once.

“How did you get the barrier down?” Alexis’ soft voice seeps into the tense air, everyone seems to visibly relax, everyone but me.

My eyes flicker to hers. “I asked him to take it down.”

Another shared glance between them all commences, my nails dig into the arm rests of my seat.

“And he did? Just like that?” Her eyes widen as she leans towards me, her voice becoming higher with each question.

“Yes,” I reply, realising it’s too blunt and quickly add more, “he said you put one up first.”

“Who is ‘he’? Which one are you talking about now?” She completely ignores my statement and my power grumbles. “The dark fae?”

“Sai.”

When I say his name, my power sends a pulse of electricity coursing through my body and it instantly soothes me. I wish it didn’t, but it does.

Their eyes bore into me, all of them, staring at me as though I’ve spoken a different language. I keep mine locked with Alexis whose small mouth has popped open .

“What the fuck, Jas?” Javier suddenly stands, he moves from his seat at the lower end of the table and paces up towards me. “You’re on a first name basis with the fuckers now?”

I simply stare at him, my power rumbling, blood boiling at his tone towards me. Then I completely ignore his question and turn back to Alexis.

“Why did you put a barrier up?” I ask, taking any hint of emotion away as I search her expression.

She licks her lips and closes her open mouth. When she looks across the table at August, it causes my power to pulse, my blood to boil, and I stand.

“Why do you keep looking at him like you’re keeping something from me?” My voice is louder than I wanted it to be, my hands flat upon the table as I look from Alexis to August and back.

“I’m not—”

“Stop,” I say, wincing at the horrific feeling now filling the air and raising a hand, “please, don’t lie to me.”

Her purple gaze widens, then falls and when they meet mine again, they begin to water. I take my seat, aware of Javier still by my side.

“You know we don’t lie to each other.” Her small voice is barely a whisper as her eyes fall onto the table.

“They’re manipulating you, Jasmine.” August’s deep tone slices through the air, like usual, but my power doesn’t react.

I turn to face him, his eyes intent on mine as I speak, “They’re trying to remove my mark.”

If I thought saying Sai’s name was bad, this is volcanic. Ferne is instantly by my side, grabbing the bottom of my hoodie.

“Ferne— stop.” I fumble with her fragile hands as she begins to tug it up and I push it down, she seems completely transfixed and I put power into my next command, “Stop.”

She does, but then she falls to her knees and pale hazel eyes plead up at me. “How much have they removed? I need to see it; I need to see how much is—”

My power pulses as I stand and begin to step away from them, my eyes race over all of them, it’s like I barely recognise them. My chest begins to rise and fall, my heart feels heavy as it thuds and thuds, the only sound in this awful place now .

“Someone needs to explain what’s going on,” I pant, only now realising my breathing is erratic, my power is sparking, I feel lightheaded and step back until I feel the wall behind me. My mark begins to tingle.

“We’ve never lied to you, Jasmine.” August’s dark voice turns all heads towards him, but he’s only looking at me. “But we have kept things from you.”

“And that’s different?!” I scowl, levelling each of them with my gaze. Louise and Lew avoid me completely and I almost feel guilty, almost.

“To keep you safe, to keep them from finding you,” he begins to explain, rising from his chair and taking a few steps towards me. “When we found you, you were… volatile.”

I stare at him, unable to understand why I’m now only hearing this part of our story, a story I thought I’d heard all before.

“You remember that night you sent us all to the ground? I had to shift into my wolf to stop the impact breaking my bones, Alexis and Ferne barely managed to soften the blow for the others,” he continues, voice steady, taking careful steps towards me. “You were absolutely terrified, attacking the Council District’s barrier, screaming in agony. You were bloody, cold and alone, your power was uncontainable, even with that mark it just wouldn’t stop.”

I feel a tiny piece of myself relax at that information, that the mark was already there, they hadn’t given it to me.

“Alexis had to amplify it,” he adds.

Instantly, I turn to seek her out but she refuses to look at me. Her head is buried in her small, lilac hands, violet hair covering her face, and Louise is stroking her arms.

“I helped too,” Ferne admits quietly, still on her knees as she looks up at me. “When we got to back to the club, I gave you a potion to help enhance the mark. It was only once, just that night, I swear.”

“And Alexis?” I ask, facing August. “Was it just that night? She amplified my mark that one night, just to control my power and stop me hurting you all, right?”

Silence.

And it’s the silence which answers my question.

I slump against the wall and slide down onto the floor. My body feels completely numb .

“I was going to tell you Jasmine.” Alexis’ small voice sounds distant as I stare ahead. “I swear I was. I was just waiting for the right moment—”

“You put the barrier up to keep me locked in,” I state, repeating his words.

They sink into the silence, no one rejects them. My power sparks and begins to bloom.

“You knew something had changed... You’re afraid of me.”

“No, no— that’s not true Jasmine.” Alexis crawls on the floor towards me, her eyes becoming level with mine as I continue to look past her. “I did it to keep them out, to stop them getting to you and causing any more damage—”

“To stop them removing any more of my mark,” I correct, I still don’t look at her. “All those years, all those years you spent trying to find a way to remove it… it was all a lie.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she attempts to reassure me. I feel her hand upon my knee and my power flickers. “We have been trying to find ways, but during that time we had to keep it powered up. To keep your true power masked, to stop the person who put it there finding you. I swear Jasmine, I didn’t put the barrier up because we’re scared of you, I just wanted to keep you safe and I couldn’t even do that. I couldn’t even put one fucking barrier up properly and now you think, now you think—”

At some point, I begin to look at her again. Her emotions so strong they sought me out and caused my blooming power to latch on and feed. I can feel her true devastation, her loss, the feeling that she’s lost me.

It’s heart-breaking.

This is the truth they’ve kept hidden. The true nature of my power was too much and they’ve kept it locked down ever since. To keep them safe, to keep the Council away, to keep whoever may be looking for me away.

Although I’m furious at them, I feel a deep sadness in my bones.

My hand slowly raises and my power coats my skin in a hum, I wrap it around Alexis’ back and pull her towards me. She falls and barely stops herself from hitting her head with mine. Then her arms are around me and her sobs rattle her small body.

“I’m so sorry, Jasmine. If I was stronger, I could have removed the mark, I could have kept you hidden, I could have— ”

I tighten my embrace, my power rolls over us both and creates a soothing bubble. She starts to sink into me, her head upon my chest as she cries, my chin upon the crown of her head.

“No more lies,” I declare, seeking out the others who are all watching us, “never again.”

We stay holding one another for a few more moments, long enough for everyone to return to their seats and Ferne to begin brewing drinks.

When I go to stand, I have to force power through my legs to allow it. August notices, he supports both of us to stand and I hold onto him as I make my way back to the table.

“You still haven’t recovered,” August states, his eyes flickering over me, “you need to rest.”

“I’ve spent two days in bed.”

“Your body is trying to re-adjust,” Ferne answers, now placing steaming mugs in front of us all when not one of us asked for a drink. “This will help.”

I stare at the steaming liquid, peering over it and seeing the deep amber colour. It smells bitter and I grimace, glancing towards Ferne.

“Hmm, smells just like the potion Ferne gave you the night we found you!” Javier abruptly declares, a wide grin upon his face, completely unaffected by the variety of scowls and death-stares being delivered his way.

I pull in my lips and attempt to stop my laugh, but it falls out and it causes Javier’s grin to widen.

“You’re such a dick,” Louise mutters which causes more laughter to filter into the room.

Now the air is a fraction lighter, I decide to take a sip and recoil back at the vile taste. “What the hell is it?” I splutter, wiping my mouth and staring down at the evil concoction.

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Javier rolls his eyes, gallantly strolling over, grabbing my drink and taking two quick gulps. His eyes begin to water and his lips pull into a fine line.

“It’s not that bad,” he squeaks, quickly putting the mug back before his coughing fit begins. “OK, I’ve tasted some things in my life, I mean, there isn’t much I won’t put in my mouth—”

“Enough, Javier,” August interrupts, rubbing his temples at the thought of Javier’s vile anecdote.

“Lemon, ginger, anti-truth serum, kale—”

“What was that last one?”

“Kale?” Ferne tries so hard to maintain her casual expression, but it falters under my gaze and she sighs. “Anti-truth serum, just in case.”

“Why does she need to— oh .” For once, Javier stops himself from talking.

“They made you take a truth serum?” August’s deep voice makes my power flicker once more, his eyes moving from the mug to me.

“Two days ago, yes,” I reply, calmly reaching for the vile drink and attempting another sip. I wince but manage to swallow.

“What did they ask you?” Alexis’ joins the conversation; I notice her chair is even closer to me than before.

I sigh and lean back, where do I even start with that?

“A lot, it was a long process.” I stare at the mug burning my skin, my power acting as a barricade over my palms. “They took it too, the fae and the vampire.”

“The demon?”

I shake my head. “No, he didn’t.”

“Figures.” Javier tuts.

“They asked me about the mark, about my powers… I tried to avoid some questions but it was painful.” August’s eyes glow on that last word.

“What did you tell them?” Alexis asks, the question everyone is dying to know the answer to.

“I told them that the owner of the club found me five years ago, I didn’t tell them where.” I look at them all and see they’re all focused upon my words. “I told them I had a mark, a mark I thought was one of belonging and then the fae slipped up…”

Alexis leans forward, her eyes wide, urging me to continue.

“He said it’s an ancient rune.”

“What.” Alexis’ tone is flat as she stares at me. “That’s impossible.”

“Why would he say it?” I frown, staring at her. “I asked if it was bad, they said it ‘depends’ and then he said he thinks he can remove it.”

Alexis scrunches her face so tight I wonder if it will go back to normal. “You can’t just remove an ancient rune, it’s banned magic, it’s dangerous, it could—”

“Kill me. Yeah, he said.” I nod in remembrance.

Alexis stares at me, dumbfounded by my lack of response.

“And you’re just cool with that?” She throws her hands into the air. “No problem trying to rip away an ancient rune and kill you in the process?” Anger vibrates through her voice, Javier seems to be stood closer to her, watching her carefully.

“He seemed pretty confident—”

“Of course, he did!” she screeches and the lights flicker. “A fun experiment and if you die in the process, no big deal, right? Just another dead body to an enforcer.”

My power trickles out and soaks into Alexis’ emotions, she’s terrified, angry, I pull on the strongest— her terror— and begin to take it into me. Her breathing instantly begins to calm but her eyes are still frantic.

“If they can remove mine, maybe they can remove Brutus’,” I say, the sentence sending us into another silence.

“No, don’t you dare do this for him.” Alexis’ directs a thin finger at me. “He’d be furious, he’d—”

“He won’t allow this Jasmine,” August interrupts, his gaze heavy and filled with fury when they meet mine. “It’s too much of a risk, he’d be furious to know you’re even contemplating it.”

I stay quiet. We said no more lies and I won’t break it.

“Wait, did they remove some of your mark or not then?” Javier suddenly asks.

“No, they were just… feeling it.”

The second I say it, I wish I could reverse time and suck the words from existence.

“Feeling it, how exactly were they… Oh .” Javier, again, stops himself from speaking.

“Don’t make this weird,” I mutter, well aware of the intensity of everyone’s stares, “the mark is still there.”

“Then how?” Alexis pushes herself even closer to me.

I rearrange myself, trying to create more space between us and my power which is hovering too close to the surface.

“You’re stalling,” August states, the authoritative tone of a soon-to-be alpha slipping in.

“The vampire tried to bite me.”

More silence, more stares and non-verbal conversations. I watch them all, each member of this self-made family and their tiny idiosyncrasies. August’s hands coil into fists, I watch the veins becoming more prominent and feel my power flare with the new emotions flooding the room .

“There’s herbs, potions, things we can do to alter the scent of your blood,” Ferne informs, pulling out her phone and viciously scrolling.

I nod along, wondering if it would even be enough now my power is unconsciously calling to him, but I don’t want to break their bubble of optimism.

“ Tried … How the hell did you get a vampire that old and that powerful to not bite you?” Javier steps into my view, his face one of concern but also subtle admiration.

I raise one hand and flutter my fingers.

“My dark powers,” I whisper, trying to sound eerie which causes Javier to laugh but August and Alexis stare daggers at me. “What? They may have brought this ‘dark’ thing out of me, but I control it, it’s me. It controlled him. I controlled him.”

This new piece of information seems to alight a new glimmer of hope, one I hadn’t even considered myself.

“I controlled him,” I repeat in a murmur, staring at my hand and almost seeing the power trickling from my fingertips.

For some reason, August and Alexis don’t seem pleased by this. I stare at them, trying to understand what I’m not seeing.

“How did they find you here, Jasmine?” Alexis asks, her eyes soft when they land upon me, glistening, as though tears could fall at any moment.

I frown as I feel new emotions sully the air, dread, terror and that awful feeling of loss again. When I remember her question, I instantly know the answer and I swallow hard, attempting to bury it within me.

But when her eyes seek me out again, it’s clear she doesn’t even need to hear me say it. Her small hand lands upon mine and my power begins to coil around it.

“It called to them, didn’t it?”

I appreciate how she says ‘it’ and not ‘me’, those pronouns make it sound less real, less intimate.

I nod.

She closes her eyes and slow tears begin to fall. August’s chair scrapes loudly across the floor, a growl rips from his chest and he storms out of the room. I hear Javier’s muttered profanities as he drags a hand across his face, I feel Ferne’s nervous aura sink into me as she begins tittering with things in the sink. Lew and Louise are whispering viciously to one another, she’s attempting to explain what all this means, Lew is adamant everyone is being ‘dramatic’ and she scowls at him.

I’m clearly missing something.

“I asked the fae how to stop it, he said the demon would know…” I attempt to explain, try to ease out of these awful emotions, but Alexis doesn’t even open her eyes.

Javier moves to stand behind Alexis, placing a hand upon her shoulder in a way that shocks me before speaking, “I could get in touch with the dark fae my cousin knows. They know more about this than us, maybe they could help?”

Alexis doesn’t respond, I peer up at Javier instead. “Why do we need their help? What am I missing here?”

Alexis’ grip tightens on my hand, my power flares and begins feeding once more on these toxic emotions plaguing the room.

“It makes things more difficult,” Alexis replies, her watery eyes intent upon me, searching my face for something, “because they’re the ones who unlocked that part of you, not us, it’s instantly connected with them. It makes hiding you impossible.”

“But it’s not permanent, right?” I ask, watching her eyes drop from me.

“I don’t know.” She sounds defeated. “It should have been me, us. This is all my fault. I’ve doomed you. I pretended everything was fine, now it’s too late and I—”

Sobs break through her words, her hand slips away and my power doesn’t even attempt to seek her out again. Javier pulls Alexis gently back and into him, his hand caressing her shoulder and arms. I watch them and force my power to amplify Javier’s warmth and Lew’s composure.

I glance behind my shoulder, following the path August took and see half of my door barely clutching onto its hinges. My power seeps out and follows his trail until the emotions change to ones more animalistic as he shifts.

“Right, enough moping around now guys,” Javier interrupts the silence with his jovial voice, masking the deep concern I can practically taste. “Sleep. That’s what we need. We’re not thinking straight and running on fumes. I’m taking the sofa. Lew, Louise?”

“Dibs on the armchair,” Lew announces, leaping from the table and straight onto the large seat. He flicks his wrist and the fireplace ignites .

Louise watches her brother with distaste before speaking, “I won’t be able to sleep. I’ll take the window ledge, keep an eye out.”

Javier nods before looking over to Ferne, she places another cup away before answering, “I prefer sleeping on the floor.”

“Alexis can sleep with me,” I state.

Javier frowns slightly. “But I thought—”

“Come on,” I usher to her, slowly standing and holding out a hand for Alexis to take. She looks up and her mouth parts, but I take her fingers in mine before she manages any more self-deprecation.

I leave my bedroom door open, quickly share out the pillows and slip into bed bringing Alexis with me. I hear the others begin to move and settle and my power pours out, wrapping around myself and Alexis, covering us both in a blanket of warmth. I feel when she finally begins to relax, her body sinking into mine as I hold her. Soft tears fall onto my skin, we don’t speak, but I tighten my hold around her until we both sink into the darkness.

My power alerts me the second she slips out of bed, flaring in a warning of panic before I coax it back down. It seeks her out in the kitchen and the sounds of a muffled conversation carry in the air.

Soft snores from Lew make it harder to decipher but I know from the power influx that August has returned.

The room is much lighter now, coated in a bright glow indicating it’s around noon. I stretch under the warmth of the covers and wince slightly at the strain still there, how much sleep would it take for me to recover? More worryingly, if this is how I feel now, mark still fully intact, how will I feel when my mark is removed?

When he enters my room, slowly shutting the door behind him, I don’t pretend to be asleep. My eyes seek him out and I pull the covers back in invitation.

He hesitates, my power recoils at the reaction, but then he succumbs.

Naturally, my body moulds around him. Cheek resting upon his broad chest, arms around his, his chin upon my head. Like all the times before.

Except my power doesn’t respond.

It stays settled over my skin, providing warmth but also a barricade I didn’t ask for. I try to pull it in, especially when his fingers run down my hair, but it won’t budge .

The exertion from simply attempting to subdue it makes my body tremble.

“Are you OK?” August asks, his soft voice incredibly soothing for a wolf his size.

I nod into his chest, it’s a lie, but the truth would inflict so much pain I don’t think I could handle it. Not right now.

When I awake again, alone, I instantly panic. My power strikes out, spearing the air until it finds people in the kitchen. I sigh and lean into the cold pillows, my coils slowly sinking back into me. It didn’t even alert me when August left my bed.

I push myself up and brush back the lilac curtains, neon lights instantly blur my eyes meaning it mustn’t be long until the club is open.

When I stand, I feel stronger but still not at full strength. I glance at myself in the wardrobe mirror, pulling out my hair and shaking the damp curls free before stepping into the kitchen. I’m greeted by a delicious smell which lulls me over to the counter where Javier and Alexis are cooking.

Alexis is still wearing the clothes she came over in, meaning she’ll need to leave soon to get changed. My clothes would be too big for her, otherwise I’d try to keep her here.

“I knew my fajitas would wake you.” Javier grins, turning the hob’s flame off and pouring an array of fried vegetables into a bowl.

I glance around the room, noting the chairs and blankets folded up onto them.

“Everyone left? I didn’t even realise,” I say, trying to recall if my power used to alert me.

“You were so exhausted, I used some magic so you wouldn’t hear them leave,” Alexis explains, smiling gently as she begins to fold a fajita before placing it on a plate in front of me. “Now, eat.”

I raise my brows, gripping the wrap eagerly. “Since when did you get so bossy?”

Javier chuckles, taking a bite out of his creation. “You clearly don’t know what she’s like in the bedroom.”

I drop the fajita, the contents spilling out onto the plate as I stare at Alexis. Her thin brows shoot into her hair line, her mouth popping open before she slowly turns to deliver a terrifying scowl at Javier who is obliviously taking another bite .

I attempt to hide my reaction by picking up my food again, scraping it together and taking an invisible bite as my gaze eagerly dances between them.

“As long as you’re both being safe,” I murmur, desperately attempting to smother my laughter by taking another bite.

The air becomes thick and heavy causing my coils to seep out and begin to devour the emotions like a ravenous beast. Embarrassment is there but there’s another much stronger emotion, one that causes my cheeks to flush as I pick up my plate, call back my coils, and head towards my bedroom.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Alexis' anger has tinged her words but they only make the previous emotion stronger, unbearably so.

“You seem to have a lot of… um— emotions to deal with right now.” I cough, seeing Alexis’ skin flush a deep scarlet which makes her cheeks almost plum. “I’ll just go and get ready, give you guys some… space. I’ll see you down there later!”

“Wait, Jasmine—”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!” I shout behind my closed door, eagerly tucking into the fajita and wishing I’d taken another. “Just leave me another fajita when you’re... finished !” I call out.

An angry, whispered conversation ensues which has me chuckling behind each mouthful. I make sure my power stays tucked away and nowhere near the atmosphere they’ve created a few feet away.

It doesn’t take long to get ready but as I do, my thoughts return to my power’s new, unusual, frustrating behaviour. In particular, the way it reacted to August— or lack of reaction. The man who previously unlocked many things from within me, taught me about control, especially in the bedroom…

I want him to touch me, no. I need him to. I need him to remind my body and power what it truly wants.

Which is my decision for the burgundy lingerie I’m currently adjusting.

I turn in the mirror, admiring how the bralette enhances the swell of my breasts, watching my thick curls tumble over my shoulder as I secure the suspender belt to enhance my waist. Alexis made me buy this set months ago in a ‘mating’ sale, she has a matching set in white .

Around that time, things between August and I became complicated as Brutus’ illness worsened. He’s in line to be alpha, meaning he’ll need a Luna— a wolf , which clearly can’t and isn’t me.

But as I trace my hand over the soft lace material, imagining his large hands, I struggle to care about his pack status as my selfish needs take priority. I quickly grab my dress for tonight, it’s a silky, black little thing, ensuring quick and easy access, and slip on my excessively strappy, scarlet heels.

When I assess myself in the mirror, my power spikes with excitement and flares around me, I can see it in a soft wave causing wisps of hair to blow. It’s eager to swarm into the energy it can feel crackling below, sink into those heavy emotions and devour them.

“Calm down, girl,” I mutter, gently curling my fingers inwards and watching my hair fall back into place.

A few final touches to my make-up, dark red lips, dark eyes, and I’m ready to go.

As I enter the living room, I feel Javier and Alexis’ eyes upon me but I’m too busy typing out a message to August to address them.

"Meet me in my room after tonight’s shift."

I smirk as I hit send, a smirk which is immediately removed when I look between my two friends.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, sending my coils out to seek.

“Brutus said he doesn’t want you on shift tonight,” Alexis blurts, standing and assessing my reaction before she continues. “He wants you to take the night off, make sure you’re fully recovered before—”

“You’re kidding.” My teeth grit as I attempt to remain controlled. “I’m fine. More than fine. But what I don’t need is another night in here, alone, I need to get out.”

“Hey, if it was up to us, you know we’d be skipping out that door, arm in arm together,” Javier adds, standing beside Alexis with a shrug. “Well, what’s left of it…”

He glances down the hallway at the patchwork door he’s clearly tried to fix at some point during the day.

I want to tell him I appreciate it but Alexis interrupts, “I’m sorry I didn’t say earlier.” A sad smile adorning her angelic face. “I knew you’d be disappointed. ”

I hate that she always looks so innocent. It makes my powers want to trickle out and soothe her, comfort her, it urges me to protect her, keep her safe, even when I know how powerful she truly is.

So powerful, she could easily create another barrier. Would she do that to me again? Unfortunately, I would never be sure again.

An annoyed grumble falls from my lips, it’s clear they have the upper hand so like a child I stomp over to the kitchen stool, hop on and slump over the counter. “I got all dressed up for nothing.”

I mope, flinging my phone onto the marble with a clatter before staring at the sent message, noting August has seen it… but hasn’t replied. I feel a sharp pain in my chest.

“Maybe, when the club is closed, Brutus might let you come down for some drinks?” Alexis’ hopeful voice matches her cheerful grin as she takes the stool beside me.

Ignoring her, I continue to mourn until she finally notices the red material subtly peeking out my neckline. “Is that...?”

“Yep.” I roll my eyes towards my phone. She stands on the stool’s footrest to peer over at the screen and I watch her expression as it goes from an adorable smirk, to a line, into a small frown.

“Oh.”

“What?” Javier tries to glance over my shoulder but Alexis pushes the phone into my lap with the flick of her fingers.

“Nothing to do with you.” She scowls which immediately drops as she delivers me another sad smile which says ‘we’ll talk about this later’. S he steps off the stool and glares behind me at Javier. “And we can’t trust that mouth of yours anyway.”

I practically feel Javier’s grin as he places his warm hands upon my shoulders and slowly spins me around. “Well, this mouth is much better at other—”

Alexis’ fingers flick out again and an invisible force sends Javier backwards, enough that he falls over and onto the sofa.

“Woah, no violence in front of the five year old!” he huffs out, delivering an Oscar worthy performance of grunts and groans as he attempts to stand.

Alexis and I watch, attempting to maintain our facade of disinterest until he dramatically falls back again and we erupt into laughter.

“A plague on both your houses,” he wheezes, clutching a cushion as his pale markings flare .

Alexis sashays over, one hand on her hip and the other held out towards him, all the while her eyes roll as his melodramatic performance continues. “Come on, Shakespeare. We really need to get ready.”

“Leave me here, I can’t go on,” he whines, throwing the cushion towards me, his arms dramatically folding over his face as I catch it. Then one eye pops open. “Maybe I need mouth-to-mouth, I— I can’t br...breathe… You’ve taken my breath away.”

“Do you see what I have to deal with?” Alexis gestures to Javier, pretending she isn’t completely into his idiocy. Javier uses this opportunity to clutch her hand and pull her down to him. She shrieks but quickly recovers and grabs the nearest object to pummel him with; a folded blanket.

This warm, happy bubble is what makes me love these people.

I watch the two battling, even tossing Javier his cushion back to make the match more even. Whenever Alexis tries to stand, proclaiming with urgency the need to leave, Javier just pulls her back. Her frustration but urge to fight him, using her power to tug him back whenever he tries to stand, is just too much.

“I need backup, repeat, Four needs backup!”

Alexis is laughing full heartedly whilst Javier shouts for me but I can’t catch my breath I’m laughing so hard.

Until I feel the bubble pop.

All laughter stops and my entire body begins to burn. Alexis and Javier scramble off one another immediately, searching for their phones which are simultaneously ringing. Mine stays still.

Javier manages to pull his out from his jeans and is holding it to his ear. He pauses for a few tense seconds before replying, “We’ll come down now.”

His eyes dance to Alexis and me as she begins grabbing her bag and pulling out numerous items. Without speaking, without hearing the conversation, I know they’re here. I feel it.

Javier continues nodding, listening to who I assume is August, whilst watching me with deep concern. When Javier isn’t laughing, joking or mocking someone (which is 90% of the time), he looks absolutely terrifying.

I remember that night in a flash, his translucent eyes boring into me, blinding white lines crossing over his arms and feeding the intense spheres of light hovering in his palms, ready to direct them into me. Alexis stood behind him with a trail of blood running down her temple. His face transformed into something truly horrific.

Nothing like the man I know now.

Alexis is muttering something under her breath, hands circling over the several vials she took from her bag and placed onto the counter. When she’s finished her enchantment the vials glow.

“Hand,” Alexis orders, her own hand open and awaiting mine. I do as I’m told, sliding mine into hers. “Small cut.”

Her nimble fingers reveal a thin bodkin which she nips my forefinger with, I barely feel it and watch the drops of my blood fall into each vial, a tiny plume of smoke rising and turning the colour darker.

She turns and quickly passes one to Javier who is now beside me.

“What are those?” I ask, watching her plug up the final two with corks, placing them in her pant pockets.

“Decoys, we’ll place these in different levels of the club and try to keep them away from you.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes, as she hands me a vial which is a slightly different colour to the others. “This one is like a bomb.”

I blink at the small glass container. “A bomb?”

Alexis shrugs before wrapping her arms tightly around me. “I’ve imbued it with your blood so you won’t be harmed by the impact. If you need to use it, use it , do you understand?” She pulls back to assess me with her wide violet eyes, I nod. “Do not hesitate.”

I look at the vial again, seeing the swirling black mixture containing my blood and ponder how something so small could cause such destruction.

“Lex, we need to get down there.” Javier is suddenly there, grasping Alexis’ arm, his eyes glowing as he stares down at her and his translucent markings begin to emerge.

She wets her lips, her eyes darting from his to mine before carefully folding my fingers around the ‘bomb’. Then she pulls away.

“I’ve placed another barrier around this level so if they come anywhere near, I’ll know,” she suddenly states whilst grabbing her bag and being pulled by Javier who’s urgently leading her away. “And I’ll come right back, I’ll— ”

“Go, it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine,” I attempt to reassure her, noting the way Javier’s body has become tense as his eyes search the room. “Go, go on. They’ll know something is wrong if you’re not on your levels.”

They look at one another, Javier’s fingers clutching the door handle held on by a single screw, as though waiting for some indication, but their phones begin to ring again, the shrill sound is enough to make their decision as they turn to leave.

When my door softly clicks back into place behind them, after their footsteps become muffled as they escape down the hallway, I finally allow my power to leak out of its tight coils and fill the room.

When they’d arrived, it became frantic, piercing my skin in a desperate attempt to escape its fleshy cage. Alexis’ physical contact managed to keep it at bay, feeding from her vibrant emotions and warmth, but now it needed the release.

A corner of the room seems to preoccupy one tendril of my power, dancing in the air. It remains there for far too long. My eyes narrow and search the dark space, which nothing but a single, renovated chair fills.

But this tendril remains hovering, circling, sometimes pulling back as though nervous of what would follow. The darkness seems to flicker, stretch outwards, and then a shape begins to form from the very shadows.

The tendril jolts back and leaps into my hands, now forming in physical coils which criss-cross over my hands, fingers, and arms like vines.

“I thought they’d never leave.”