13. Raya
RAYA
I stood on the steps of the compound, watching the quiet desert ahead of me as the last remnants of the fading sun began to dip below the horizon, the luminous glow of the shield painting a violet haze across our changing sky. Though beautiful, in mere hours, the terrain before me would be deadly.
Since our training yesterday, the time had passed quickly, and the day filled with a quiet anxiety that was palpable no matter where you looked. I couldn’t back out now, though; if anything, I was determined. I had a goal in mind tonight: save an Omega and bring protection to my family. It would see me persevere.
I checked that my two steel daggers were sheathed in their holsters behind my back, the other two locked in my front. The tactical suit they had us wear hugged my body firmly, too tight, almost uncomfortable. Still, it would offer a mediocre shield against my body, and I needed any advantage or protection I could get.
Bodhi stepped up beside me, the warmth of him a small comfort as I turned to face him. For a few moments, his eyes traced every detail of my face and mine his, burning it into my memory, just in case it was the last time I would ever see him. He smiled at me briefly, though it lacked its usual brilliance as he lifted his fingers to trace my eyebrow, down my nose, around my lips. My eyes fluttered closed beneath the softness of his touch. I resented everything about this, how cruel and unfair life could be.
I was humbled in this moment, though, because whatever fear and anxiety I had felt over the past few days, Bodhi had felt many times over throughout these years, and still, he’d survived.
Still, he’d come back to us.
His fingers dragged my bottom lip down, making me aware of how easily that small boundary I’d placed between us had been breached. But right now, I couldn’t care. I wouldn’t care, not when tomorrow was no longer guaranteed.
His warm body pressed closer, his fingers now sliding past my cheek and around to the back of my hair as he tipped my head up, his scent now engulfing me. I felt him lean in towards me, sheltering me with his reassuring touch as my lips fell apart and his breath fluttered against my lips. Everything about him was intoxicating.
“Are you going to resist me, Raya?” he murmured. No. Yes.
I didn’t know what I was doing, only that I was going with what felt right. Maybe tomorrow, if I survived and I experienced the thinning as part of the defence, my whole worldview would change.
He moved fractionally closer, only a hair’s width of distance between us now, his breath now hot and heavy, warming me against the frigid elements. I stilled, waiting, greedily inhaling his calming scent to steady the chaotic thump of my heart.
Then, his lips just brushed against mine, tasting me ever so briefly, and my world seemed to explode in a brilliant flurry of colour for a single moment before the sound of a door opening to the right of us drew my attention. The echo of footsteps prompted me to turn my head away towards the emerging crowd of Alphas, recognising how entirely inappropriate it was for us to be seen like this.
I stepped away, putting distance between us.
For a second, I caught Bodhi’s hurt expression before he shielded it away and turned to address the team. It seemed he didn’t care that we would be caught. Warmth spread through my chest when I positioned myself in amongst the group.
A sombre energy hung in the air among our silent team. I looked around at the Alphas surrounding me, darting across the faces younger and older. Everywhere I looked, I saw the same emotion mirrored on each of their faces.
Fear.
“Before we move to take our position on the field, everyone needs to complete a last-minute check of their weapons to ensure they are functional.” Bodhi embodied the confidence this team needed when he spoke.
Rustling and clanging followed briefly before it ceased again, everyone satisfied with their search. I’d already checked my weapons hundreds of times over today, needing a distraction. My fingers twitched at my sides with those same nerves as the sky rapidly darkened around us and the insects began their nightly song.
“Cover your teammates. If you get injured, remove yourself immediately, or else you will hinder the team. Wield everything you have in your arsenal and do not hesitate. Because they don’t.”
I inhaled and exhaled, short and sharp.
“We make one sacrifice to defend the many.”
My chest clenched.
“And even if we are unacknowledged in the event of a defeat, in the event of a death, you are a hero, and you will be honoured by your comrades. The Outer Ring never forgets.”
The air was so tense, so suffocating that it was like death was already here, waiting. Everyone else seemed to be aware of the same thing as they moved out onto the field at Bodhi’s signal, and together, we each found our places.
I hated the position that was chosen for me, a stark reminder of my failure like a slap to the face as I portaled to crouch in that same haunting crevice in the cliff face. Bodhi had asked me before allocating my position. He reasoned I knew these cliffs like the back of my hand because I visited so frequently, and with my gift, I could defend them the best.
I think he secretly placed me here because he thought I would stay out of the fighting for tonight. I’d heard the Dominants rarely bothered to venture to this section, usually choosing to sweep through the Haven by force along the visible ground.
Bodhi didn’t know that I needed to save the Omega to achieve the goals I had for my family: protection that would ultimately give us more freedom.
I rolled my shoulders and shook out my legs to dispel the buzzing energy inside me as I repeated my mantra over and over in my head.
Save an Omega.
Save an Omega.
Save an Omega.
I focused on the erratic energy inside me with my eyes closed, feeling its volatility, coaxing it into my grip so I could use it towards bolstering my power. In order to be precise, I needed to focus on control.
Inhale for four seconds.
Exhale for four.
I could do this. I was in control.
The rocks beneath my feet began to bounce rapidly as the familiar vibration of the thinning permeated the ground, the sand groaning loudly. My eyes flicked open, alert, scanning the space around me, still maintaining my quiet breaths.
Everything was happening far too quickly. I didn’t feel prepared, but I had to be. I continued in the silent night, trying my best to tune out the jostling ground and the shifting sand.
When I eventually felt centred, I crept back into the nook of shadows to wait for the familiar sounds of shifters below. The warring sides would hopefully be distracted enough to allow me to move unnoticed.
I must save the Omega.
A shout rang out down below, a high-pitched, feminine voice screaming out across the landscape. “Overhead!”
I jerked my head up to see what she had been referring to but found nothing. The yell was followed by a bellowing roar as two bodies collided. I flinched. The impact of each hit echoed audibly across the valley as I waited, counting to ten before I made my move.
Leaning forward, I risked a peek over the edge towards the barrier, my pulse like thunder in my ears. My visibility was poor as clouds slowly moved in front of the moon; I strained my eyes but couldn’t see anything. Damn it. I needed to get closer.
Crunching rock and the thud of feet colliding with the ground ripped my attention away to the nearest point of the crevice to the cliff’s edge, the same spot where Jakari first landed. I squinted, trying to see the face of the enormous figure standing on the outer edge. My heart skipped in my chest, a response to my surging nerves.
I held myself still, keeping my eye on the Dominant, his back turned to me, observing the fighting below. The scene was so eerily similar to the moment I had met Jak all those years ago. Dressed in a black tactical uniform, his form radiated dominance and strength in his broad shoulders and chest, his thick-muscled arms and legs. He looked to have at least forty kilograms on my seventy-kilogram frame, and he staggered well above my five-foot-nine. His weight would be more of an issue in combat, though. Where Bohdi was tall, lean, and agile, this Dominant was tall, thick, and powerful. I had trained with lean, agile bodies so many times, but never had I trained with someone so solid. I definitely wouldn’t want to end up on the other side of his fist.
Despite this, I was fully prepared to fight if he spotted me. I would not be stupid enough to allow another Dominant to use me the way Jakari did. That aside, his presence alone was imposing, and I fought in the dark to regain my control and slow my breathing.
I was strong.
I did not need to fear them anymore.
Not with a gift like mine.
I watched the shifter clasp his hands behind his back casually, clearly unfazed by the fighting. I suppose you would be too if you succeeded every year without fail, and his arrogance both irritated and insulted me.
His voice cut through my rambling thoughts as he spoke. “I can smell you, you know.”
I bristled but held my position, my eyes scanning the area, assessing for a second threat.
He pivoted on his heels to face me, staring directly into the dark where I squatted low. Surely, this Dominant wasn’t looking at me. Surely, he couldn’t smell me from that far away.
He flashed a smile, all dazzling white teeth. I stared back at him, noting his dark mahogany skin and otherworldly, yellow eyes. So strange to see another this close with his two strange piercings in either ear, filled with flat, black discs. They were like nothing I had ever seen worn in the Haven. Interesting, but not desirable for a place that valued delicate beauty. Everything about this male was a challenge to the Haven’s beauty standards: his head shaved around the base, his black hair braided and tied into a messy bun on top of his head. Everything about him seemed harsh, brutal, almost unnerving. Like me. The errant thought fled quickly, because in truth, he was nothing like me. He was a monster. The Dominant before me, for all his intrigue, was no better than the dirt that lined my shoe.
He raised his eyebrows in question, his tongue darting out to lick his plush lips.
I froze in my stance, holding firm despite the weight of his stare. My brain fired on all cylinders, assessing each of the options before me.
Fight.
Portal.
Stay.
Adrenaline spiked within me, my pulse drumming a steady beat as I stalled in indecision.
“You can come out, little one. I can smell that you are not prey.”
I reared back. Of course, I’m not prey, asshole. Little one? I’d be glad to show him exactly what little ones could do.
I moved slowly and purposely out of the shadows to step into the moonlight. Carefully, I reached behind my back and unsheathed my twin daggers, holding them towards him in a warning.
“Prey?” I asked, my voice cool and lethal. I tilted my head to the side with an impassive expression, more like a predator than the prey he believed me to be.
I’d distract him, and then, I’d strike.
“A prey shifter,” he clarified. I assessed his stance, his movements, any twitch or flick of his eyes for his next move as he cocked an eyebrow.
“Not a prey shifter, but something else,” I confirmed, twirling the hilt of the daggers rapidly in my hands.
He responded with a knowing smirk. “Yes. I do believe I’ve heard about you. I’ve been waiting a very long time for you to show up. Seven years, in fact. You’re exactly as he described.”
I bristled. That was the year after Jak stole from me. I knew nothing about this male, though he seemed to know me. He was a liar, trying to distract and beat me at my own game. Clever, deceptive Dominant.
Calling his bluff, I chuckled darkly, raising my daggers and modifying my stance, preparing to move. “I don’t think so, Dominant.” His lips curled upward at my refusal.
He strode forward a few steps, so casual and confident, not a sign of a weapon on him. When he was almost directly in front of me, he paused and allowed his body to fold forward a fraction.
“Don’t you, Raya?” he asked, his voice pitched low.
Shock paralysed me momentarily, and then adrenaline and rage erupted through me, throwing me into action. I lunged and swung my dagger in line with his shoulder as he dodged back, grabbing my wrist with incredible speed. I used my other dagger to stab in the direction of his throat as he leaned back and fastened his other hand around me, locking my arms in diagonals across my body. I reared back then slammed forward, trying to headbutt him, but he anticipated the move and pushed my arms back towards me, causing me to stumble my way back towards the cliff wall until my back was pressed firmly against it.
I looked up at him in fury, his dark skin a compliment to the tan of my own. His yellow eyes flashed and his nostrils flared. He leaned in and ran the tip of his nose along my jaw, breathing me in, causing my pulse to peak at a deafening roar in my ear. My stomach fluttered, his sinful mouth reaching my ear to nip the lobe.
“I like a feisty female,” he murmured.
I turned my head sharply towards him, our mouths inches apart. Disgusting Dominant. “Then this will feel good,” I whispered, my eyes meeting his.
I pretended to close the distance between us, him too arrogantly enraptured in the moment as I jerked my knee up into his crotch, forcing a rush of air out of his lungs. But the asshole never faltered in his grip on my arms; I kicked out and struggled beneath the weight of his body. He shoved my knee across me, pinning me to the wall beneath him.
“You have a choice, Raya: we can do this the easy way, where you walk with me through to Asrar, or I can pin you down and drag you through myself. Either way, I will not fail this mission.” He gritted the words out through clenched teeth, and I felt a small bit of joy at the fact that this behemoth of a Dominant was hurting. My efforts were not entirely wasted.
I smiled with a hum, leaning forward, feeling more confident. Closer to his face now, I stared right into his eerie, yellow-green eyes.
“Neither of those options seems to suit me.” I was born to challenge, and I was determined to protect those I loved.
His eyes narrowed, and his mouth opened to retort, but I’d engaged my power and disappeared to the side with him, swiftly kicking him off me whilst he was disoriented. Then, I portaled again, reappearing near the edge of the rock where he’d first arrived. I turned back and watched as he quickly scrambled to his feet. He scanned left and right and then whirled around, nostrils flaring as he seemed to locate me by scent.
His skin began to ripple as he huffed out his anger, his features beginning to contort. I stared at him for a moment in panic, acting on my gut’s instinctive cry to run. I turned and leapt off the edge, not bothering to wait for the animal to come.
I would hate to stick around for whatever it was that Dominant could shift into.