Chapter 14
Zayne
Her eyes. God, her eyes are seductive at any angle you look at them.
Sitting in my office, with my feet on my desk, I swirl my whiskey lazily in my glass.
I watch the security recording of the first time she walked into the club on replay.
Biting my lip, I watch as the beat takes her on an alluring ride as she sways her hips.
I grip the glass a little too hard as I'm also forced to watch the man behind her, and when he walks away for a moment, I zoom in on her face.
She closes her eyes as she gets consumed in the moment.
I touch the screen, running my fingertips across the lips I’ve wanted to claim since she walked into the elevator the first time I saw her. Her eyes open, and I pause the screen as I see it again. Those beautiful emerald eyes transform, the metallic vibrancy dancing around her pupils.
The moment she shifts to Aetheriem.
The sensation I get from staring at her sends a ripple effect through my entire being. She’s becoming an addiction, a craving I can never satiate, no matter how hard I try. Tonight, alone proved just that.
The pull to her was stronger than anything I have ever felt.
The hunger to touch her raged deep within me, and I couldn't starve myself any longer. She is completely unaware of the control she has. My breath turns rigid, and a bead of sweat trails down my forehead. My cock strains against the zipper of my jeans, and I adjust slightly. I can feel a pulsating hum within the deepest parts of my core, something I’ve never felt before.
It’s as if it’s trying to dig its claws in and pull its way to the surface.
My phone vibrates on the desk, startling me. Dazed from being jolted out of my thoughts, I myself breathing heavily. What the fuck was that? How does she have this effect on me? I take a quick second to collect myself. Picking up my phone, I see “Knox” on the screen.
I quickly swipe to answer. “Knox?”
“Z, we got a problem. You still at the club?”
“Yeah, what's up?” I take a sip of my whiskey.
“I’m on my way, and we need to talk.” The urgency in his voice makes my back straighten as I sit up in my chair.
“Ok, but what about?” I say, not wanting to drag this out any longer.
“Not what, who…” The tension is evident in his voice.
“Who, Knox?” I ask, gripping the phone tighter.
“Jasper.”
That name drips like a toxic venom off his tongue, and my muscles immediately tense. Knowing Knox was out with Vix and Myssa tells me that what I feared might be true.
“Fuck,” I say, exasperated. “Ok, see you when you get here.”
Twenty minutes later, Knox walks into my office and sits down.
I pour a shot of whiskey for him, and before I can even set down the bottle, Knox has already downed the drink. I just stare at him.
“Tell me?” I command, bracing myself for his response.
I pour him another drink.
“Jasper marked Myssa.”
“What do you mean?” I demand, slamming the bottle down.
“When we were out for breakfast, she took her jacket off, and I saw it. He’d torn through her whole fucking arm.
Z. Jasper has been fucking with her since her sister’s death.
I should have been paying more attention—she’s one of my best friends.
But I’ve just been so busy with the club and everything, I haven’t reached out as much these last few months. She never said a word until now.
“Jasper told her that he’s holding her sister’s soul. He seems to want Myssa, though. I’m guessing he’s figured out she is an Original.”
Immense rage floods through me, and I jolt out of my chair, pacing back and forth. I notice Knox watching me intently as I try to control my emotions.
“Tell me about the marking,” I request.
“He sliced her from bicep to the wrist, deep enough that it’s still trying to heal, even though it happened over a week ago. He told her it’s meant to be a reminder. She’s strong, Zayne, but you can tell it shook her up. Of course, she didn’t think we would believe her.”
“Did it happen while she was on the other side?” I asked.
“Yeah. She said she shifted suddenly after she got home after her first visit to Frequency and Jasper was there,” he sighs.
“Wait, she shifted at home outside of the club?”
“Yeeaah,” he says, drawing it out as if he’s confused. “Why?”
“Because twice in one night on her own is unheard of. Don’t you remember how hard it was for you to learn the discipline to shift? There’s something different about her, Knox. I just don’t know what it is. She’s strong, stronger than any other Original I’ve come across,” I stress.
“When are we filling her in on everything?” he asks. “Because I can guarantee my phone is going to be blowing up first thing in the morning. I wasn’t sure what to do, so for now I asked her to stay at Vix’s. That way, if anything else happens, Vix will be around.”
When I met Vix for the first time, Knox was honest with me about the fact that he’d told her all about Aetheriem and who we are.
He said he was surprised how easily she accepted it as truth.
I won’t lie. That gave me pause for a bit, and I have kept an eye on her ever since.
She hasn’t shown signs of being an Original, but her open-mindedness has helped Knox to have someone to confide in.
Jasper, being intertwined with Myssa, puts him a step ahead of us. Aetheriem is at his mercy—as strong as the rebellion is slowly becoming, it’s not enough if Jasper gets his claws fully into Myssa.
Time is no longer on our side, and yet it’s all we have.
I need to get in touch with the leaders of the rebellion. We can’t sit on this.
“We’re gonna need to talk to Jess and Stephanie.
I don’t know what this means for the rebellion, but I don’t want to just throw Myssa into this without knowing more from them.
We are allies in their fight, but we need more information.
I’ll arrange a meeting with them. For now, get some sleep.
Be here around noon tomorrow, and hopefully we can get a meeting with them then,” I instruct.
“Maybe I should go to Vix’s tonight, just in case they need me,” he says, concerned.
Jealousy courses through my body at his words.
“They will be fine,” I snap.
Knox tenses at my tone and I can’t blame him. I sink back into my chair, trying to calm the unsettling feeling his words have on me.
“I just meant…” he starts, but pauses as if he’s searching for the right words.
I run my fingers through my hair, frustrated with myself.
He is just trying to help, and he’s probably feeling the same fears I am, as they’re good friends.
I’m sure he’s come up with the same conclusions when it comes to Myssa and Jasper.
He wants to protect her, too, but he won’t be able to like I can.
I take a deep breath, the remorseful for my tone, and I look back at him.
“I know, I’m sorry, Knox. It’s just a lot to take in, and now we have more questions and less time than we thought,” I say, reassuring him.
“Yeah, I get it,” he says quietly. “I’ll see you in the morning, Z,” Knox shuffles out the door.
Fury creeps to the surface again. I rub my eyes, but the flashes of Jasper touching her invade my mind. The control I thought I had disintegrates. As my hands begin to tremble, the need to release this anger has me channeling it to the first tangible thing I can find.
Looking down, I pick up my glass and throw it at the wall. The shattering glass barely registers as I shift through the darkness between both worlds. Twisting through, I find myself in a basement of an old shack in Aetheriem.
The dimly lit space smells of mildew and ash. There are no windows, and the only way out is a narrow staircase in the corner of the room. Shadows move tentatively in front of me.
Two large frames come into view. Azalia and Levi, two guards of the rebellion flank the doorway of the room. Az looks at me with confusion and concern, no doubt noticing the frustration written all over my face. I take a deep breath and attempting to calm myself as they approach.
“Everything ok, Zayne? We weren’t expecting you tonight.” Az grasps my hand pulling me in to a half-hug in greeting.
I give a nod to Levi and look back at Az.
“Yeah, sorry.” I waver, not sure who I can tell this new information to.
I don’t want to go into too much detail regarding this development, my gut tells me to wait till I’ve informed Jess and Steph and let them decide who in Aetheriem needs to know.
Myssa’s abilities far exceed ours, which makes me think she is more valuable in this war than any of us realize.
Jess and Steph are the right people to have that discussion with before getting anyone else involved.
From the expression on Az’s face, I realize I’ve been standing there a moment too long, and I clear my throat. “Knox and I need to meet with Jess and Steph tomorrow in the afternoon. Can you arrange that?” I ask.
Az nods. “Not a problem—anything we should be concerned about?
“Not sure, honestly, that’s why we need to talk to them directly,” I say.
“We’ll relay the message,” Az says.
I’m hoping the meeting tomorrow will help get us the answers we need.
Each passing day gives Jasper the opportunity to grow stronger and make good on his threats.
Hope and fate are all we have left, and the balance of all the worlds depends on them.
Az nods, and Levi salutes me as I close my eyes and transition with ease through the space between the worlds back to my office.
When I look up, Myssa’s face is still paused on the monitor.
The overwhelming familiarity of her is something I can’t seem to get past. I am almost certain I have felt her before, that I dare say loved her in another time.
But the ache of emptiness in my chest is all too real—how could I even be feeling those types of feelings right now?
The guilt of my past infects my every waking moment.
I’ve tried to resist her, but every time I think I can overcome her, she’s there, pulling me right back in.
The closer she is to me, the stronger the sensations are.
She brings me back to an inner peace I have long forgotten about.
I don’t know what part she is going to play in this, but I know it’s an invaluable one.