11. Ledger
Ledger
“What do you mean you lost her?” I demanded, my temper flaring, which was unusual on its own. I was a relaxed guy, really. Most of the time.
Okay, to be fair, not always.
“I mean,” Anani bit out, “that it was between class periods, and she went into the restroom and never came back out.”
Henry whistled at the end of the long hall, nodding towards the doors that led out to the pavilion. We jogged down the way, and the cold air smacked into our faces, my heart nearly stopping at the sight that greeted us.
My twin and I weren’t strangers to violence—none of us were.
Before we’d broken away from our families, we’d been trained in the Dreki realm’s military, and I was around fourteen when Marco finally decided to move our flight.
Ever since then, we’d made the rocky transition from being a group of Dreki realm warriors to acting like normal, Earth realm high school students.
A difficult feat.
I had gotten used to my life, though, and its lack of violence and excitement.
So on Monday when I’d seen Lorn teasing a tiny little thing with dark hair, my fighter’s instincts came back with a roaring vengeance.
Everything inside of me had washed with anger—very unlike me.
It wasn’t until her gold eyes met mine that I’d realized we were mates. A true shock to the system.
But even that wasn’t nearly as bad as this.
“Why aren’t we interrupting this?” I hissed out.
Henry shook his head. “We can’t. I’m not sure how she managed it, but we’re completely blocked.”
Several yards away, Becky cornered Maya against a tree, a golden ring of magic surrounding them. Outside the border of the circle were a few shifters and several humans watching in shock.
Except Maya didn’t seem upset. No, her gaze was dark, and something about what Becky was saying had the opposite effect of scaring her.
Our little mate was no doubt soft-spoken and sweet, but there was a strength underneath all of that golden skin, and I couldn’t wait until she had her feet on solid ground. She’d be unstoppable.
“What’s happening?” Anani demanded of Henry.
“Becky cornered her, and then Maya threw up the shield around them. She’s not scared, but very defensive. I can’t hear what they’re saying.”
I stepped closer and placed my hand against the smooth, sparkling dome. I assumed humans couldn’t see it, but none of them approached, so maybe there was some property to this I wasn’t understanding. Then again, I had no idea what she freakin’ was, so maybe I was just making shit up.
Maya’s eyes met mine for a moment, and I opened my mouth to warn her, but Becky was too fast. Her hand shot out and slapped Maya, causing my little mate to hit the back of her head against the tree.
A look of fury crossed Maya’s face that was so unlike her, it had me actually stilling because I felt as though there was a predator in the area that even my dragon was unsure of.
Maya, without pretense, stepped into Becky’s space and spoke what looked to be harsh words.
Becky flinched and stepped back, but Maya simply took a corresponding step forward, her eyes darkening.
When Becky turned to run, she hit right into the barrier, shattering it and releasing a piercing bird-like cry that had our little mate smiling.
Then the most unexpected thing yet happened. The ends of Becky’s hair went up in flames.
Holy shit. Maya stood there watching as Becky doused her head with water, only able to save a few inches below her jaw.
Her friends were so focused on helping her, they didn’t catch the incredulous look the shifters were offering our mate .
Maya watched in amusement, with a not so small hint of pride, before she sighed and turned to us, all three of us with our mouths open.
“Firefly?”
She offered me a soft smile. “Hey, you.”
“What was that?” Anani demanded.
She twisted her lips. “She threatened to cut my hair off if I didn’t stay away from you, so I told her she wasn’t your friend—I was.
She got even more mad, and we went back and forth a bit.
At first I was scared, but then when she slapped me, I got angry and felt this odd feeling right at the center of my chest. I’m not sure how her hair burned off, but I’m not complaining. That’s horrible of me, right?”
My smile grew more and more as she talked because that was such a shifter thing to do and say. The possessive, protective, and aggressive qualities were small, but very much there.
Henry stepped forward, pressing a hand to her forehead and frowning, then looked to me and Anani actual shock. “I think I may know what she is.”
The doors opened and our principal stepped out, a very upset Becky Ash following after.
Maya froze, her bravado from earlier slipping, and I realized that it may have been a size thing.
Becky was close in height to Maya, but the Principal Lark was a lot larger.
It made me wonder how long people larger than her had been hurting her.
Obviously, that didn’t seem to apply to us, but I had to assume that was because of our mate bond, that she instinctively knew that we wouldn’t hurt her.
I wrapped a possessive arm around her center.
“Maya, is it?” the principal asked, his mustache a dirty blonde like his murky eyes.
“It is,” she whispered.
“Is it true you burned off Becky’s hair?”
Anani chuckled. “Now how in the hell would she have done that?”
Becky got angry, snapping, “She did! After I slapped her, I stepped back…”
“You slapped her?” the principal asked as Becky flushed.
“Yes, but that isn’t…”
“Mr. Lark,” a voice rang out, “Becky is lying, clear as day. If anyone should be concerned about their safety, it’s Maya.”
Henry let out a low growl as Seth approached, his eyes amused and his scent distinctly dog. Maya offered him a small smile and that made me irrationally angry. I pressed my lips to her shoulder, resisting the urge to bite right down into her soft skin.
I wouldn’t do that, though—not until she realized we were mates. Then you’d better believe I’d be marking her cute little ass.
The principal looked between all of us. “Could you meet me in my office, Ms. Ash? Now. Maya, feel free to call someone to pick you up if you feel uncomfortable being here right now. Just make sure to inform the office.”
Becky tossed Maya a narrow-eyed glare as the woman in my arms shook with tension and let out a soft, dangerous sound. My cock hardened at it, and she flicked her eyes up at me as I offered her an apologetic yet cocky smile.
I mean, did she actually expect me to not get hard with her perky ass pressed against me in her short school skirt?
Fucking shit. Remembering the way she’d casually thrown out those words the other night was something magical. Seeing that soft, plush mouth form the word ‘cock’ and talk about ‘fucking’ had me wanting to bend her over and teach her all about that shit.
“Marco is on his way,” Henry offered as I tugged her towards the parking lot.
I could hear Henry and Anani talking quietly behind me, so I decided to distract her. “So how was last night when you got home?”
She nibbled her lip before answering, “It was good. Atlas stopped by.”
“Did they say anything?” I asked directly.
She could try to hide it all she wanted, but we all knew how those bruises appeared on her skin.
When you’d been abused as a child, you could easily recognize it in others.
It was one of the reasons I was hesitant to raise my voice around Maya, because even when it was in excitement, I could see her flinch.
I wanted to get her into our house so she could become used to it and relax as soon as possible.
It had been barely three days since I’d met her, but something in me had fundamentally changed. I’d follow this woman anywhere. I looked down at her, those gold, thick-lashed eyes meeting mine, her chocolate and gold hair shifting gently around her face.
Maker, she was so fucking beautiful.
I barely looked away as Marco’s BMW pulled up.
“Angel,” Atlas called out. She looked up at him and immediately broke into a smile.
I loved that about Maya. She never held back.
Never played games. Her emotions were right there, and I could tell that when she didn’t want to admit something, she tried to find a way around lying.
She had to be one of the most authentic women I’d ever met.
Her plush lips moved to say goodbye to my brother and Henry before moving closer to me.
My arms wrapped around her as I buried my nose in her hair, absorbing her scent, the hint of ash more prominent than ever.
I think I knew Henry’s theory on what she was, and after what I’d seen today, I had to agree with him.
She was more unique than she’d ever realize, and not just because of what she shifted into.
I slid my hands in my pants pockets, watching as she climbed into the car. I wished I could go with her—and I know Anani and Henry did as well—but unfortunately, if we were going to play human, we had to play by human rules.
Those golden eyes looked back at us one more time as the SUV turned out of the parking lot.
Nothing was ever going to be the same now that I’d met Maya, and I was perfectly okay with that.