51. Cameron
Cameron
I'm exhausted, my limbs heavy as I unlock the door at the back of the chapel. That was a waste of a trip to Raeldell. I received notice from the Arcanist that the Archon needed to speak to me today, so I got on the first train to the capital, but when I got there, I was told he was out.
The trip back was just as exhausting. I have so much better to do than sit on a train all day.
Like find my lovely Zoe and see what she's doing today.
If she knew how much I watched her, she might not feel so fond of me, but I can't help myself. It's an addiction at this point. It's easier to keep an eye on her during the day while she's in classes. I'm very good at blending in with a crowd.
For some reason, I don't think she'd react well to seeing me perched on her windowsill, watching her sleep every night.
Not that I haven't done it a time or two.
Or ten.
The smell of the chapel is all wrong. I had planned to go right to my room, change out of these shitty robes, and sneak off to find Zoe, but something happened here today.
Something bad.
The scent of fear is sour, like fruit left to rot on the vine. I follow it to the sanctuary.
It's a mess in here. There are chairs on the pulpit knocked over, and the pews are askew. Who the fuck made a mess of my sanctuary? On my way to right them, I step on something that crunches beneath my foot.
Delicate crystals of shattered glass and a single needle tell the story of someone taken by force.
I barely make it to a trash can before I lose my lunch.
I can smell Zoe's blood on the needle.
If the stink of her blood and fear weren't enough to convince me that Zoe was taken from here, the broken chain of her garnet pendant glinting at me from beneath the lectern does. I would have missed it if I hadn't fallen to my knees and gotten sick.
I snatch it and shove it in my pocket as I hear the pounding of feet down the aisle. I look up and see Viv leading Cliff, Ray, and Dominic Bradly toward me.
"They took her, Hierophant."
Viv is devout; that was clear from the first time I met her. "No titles, Viv."
She scrubs her face with her hand. "They took Zoe."
"Who is they?" I ask, but in my soul I already know. It's the person who sent me to Raeldell.
Dominic steps around the others. "My father. They made all of the Betas redo the ceremony. She started to shift, and they tranquilized her before she could complete it. I tried to stop them. I told them who I was to her."
"You clearly didn't try hard enough!" Ray rages, shoving the other Alpha from behind. "This is your fault, Bradly."
"You don't think I know that? My father took her. He came here because I told him months ago that I thought someone was hiding their Omega status. That's it. One throwaway comment, and now my scent match is gone. I know it's my fault. No one blames me more than me."
I stand and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand before brushing the dust off the knees of my slacks. The group watches me as I step down from the pulpit, walk to Dominic, and punch him hard in the nose.
He falls to the ground, a loud crack sounding from where his head hits the concrete. Before Viv can freak out, I hold up my hand. "Alphas are resilient. He'll heal."
True to my word, Dominic pushes himself to his feet, the blood flowing from his nose already slowing. "I deserved that."
"You did," Cliff mutters. He's been quiet, his gaze faraway. He's rattled, they all are, but something is different about the way he's affected. When he looks up and sees me staring, his eyes narrow. "Where were you? Why weren't you here?"
"I was called to the capital for a meeting with the Archon.
" My beast is threatening to push forward, to take over and avenge our mate, but I breathe slow and deep to hold him off.
There's nothing he can do right now, and I would prefer not to be shocked while I need to focus.
"Which was clearly falsified to get me away from here, because they knew I would not allow this. "
"The Arcanist was here." Viv is hugging herself as she sniffles and cries.
"I'm not surprised. He is quite close to the Archon. He approved this, after all." I gesture at my collar.
Dominic takes a step toward me. "What's that?"
"As if you don't know. I was collared at my ceremony.
Shot with what is probably the same tranquilizer Zoe fell victim to.
" At the thought of my lovely Zoe getting shot up with drugs, I lose the battle with my croc, and he surges to the surface, succeeding only in getting me shocked.
I've gotten used to dealing with the pain of it after all these years, but the spikes are deeper in my throat than they have been in a long time.
It may take a bit for it to release me from its electric clutches this time.
I'm bent over, knuckles going white on the back of the pew.
"Shit, they put you in a shock collar?" Dominic moves behind me, grabbing at it. I can't focus on throwing him off of me because all of my attention is going to forcing my croc to recede so I can stop these shocks before I piss myself. "I can get this off."
"Then get it off!" Cliff shouts at the Alpha. "What are you waiting for?"
Dominic moves behind me, and I feel the rough pad of a paw on my nape. There's a scratching sound, and then the pressure around my neck lifts and the currents are gone. The collar drops to the floor in front of me.
"What?" I'm sure he can hear the awe in my tone, but I'm not ashamed of it. "How did you do that?"
The Alpha shifts his paw back to a hand. Very few people can do a partial shift. I don't even know if I can. I haven't exactly had the chance to try it out.
"It's a claw mechanism. My dad invented it."
Ray narrows his eyes, as if that is more damning than anything else. "And you just happen to know how to remove it?"
"I saw my father do it enough times that I'll never forget."
The silence of his statement is heavy, and none of us says anything for a moment.
It's Viv who finally breaks the quiet. "How are we going to get Zoe back?"
At the mention of my mate, my beast rushes to the surface again, and I can feel my body growing heavier, my skin toughening.
I fear I will not be able to control my shift, and I will kill everyone that Zoe cares about if I don't.
I fall to my knees, grab the collar, and shove it back onto my neck. The shocks begin immediately, but my beast quiets down.
"Why did you put that back on?" Dominic kneels in front of me, already shifting his hand into a clawed paw to remove it again.
I snag him by the furry wrist. "My beast hasn't come out since my ceremony ten years ago. If he does now, I will kill all of you. It's better for all of us that I stay in this thing for now."
"What are you, anyway?"
"A big fucking prehistoric crocodile," Cliff answers for me.
I can see it when the realization hits Dominic. "All of us are prehistoric beasts?"
"One of a kind," her Beta mutters. "Picked by your Gods to support my mate, who was Cursed, not Blessed.
" He throws his head back, staring at the chapel ceiling.
"How the fuck could you four allow this to happen?
What happened to her being your chosen one?
I thought she was supposed to be special.
Important. How can she fix this fucked up realm if she's dead? "
"He won't kill her." Dominic's voice is small as he sits on a pew, resting his face in his palms. "She's no good to him dead."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray was an interesting choice for her by Oren, but I'm starting to see what purpose all of us have for Zoe.
Viv is her family.
Cliff is the one who stays by her side through everything, always putting her first.
Dominic challenges her, forcing her to confront parts of herself she must learn to love.
Ray will guide her, but he'll weigh each situation meticulously before he decides which path to take.
And me? She's my obsession.
And that makes me the most dangerous of us all.