Order of the Alpha #2

16

"What is this?"

"Mirrors of figures. People you know, projected against the walls. People came down here to talk to those they lost or those they couldn't reach. However, no one knew the place was a secret circumference of some kind. Generated, not developed with magic, but something else."

I purse my lips, "Yeah, I've seen it before." The glass showing all mated males whoring with dancers in a particular set of trials back when I would have—should have snapped Nicolai's neck and burnt the body. I float the ball of fire up and search for an exit route. She follows and ignores the voices just as I do. This place was one crooked maze in a maze—the kind of place that would be horrifying to grow up in, but advantageous if anyone were to be forced to return.

"I feel like this is some stupid goose chase. Have we even heard back from professor Athena?" She asks me from behind.

"She said the equipment we need is here, I didn't give this one an option to lie." I mutter, eyes reverting forward and searching for signs of something, however, I knew light wouldn't be the very thing to unfold it.

"You have her word?" She whispers.

I look back, "It's Rowan I can't trust and he's removed."

She gives me a look, "I'm afraid you don't know a vampire if his mate is removed from his clutches."

I still and look at her, "She's not his bonder—mate." I correct.

"He's been obsessed with her since meeting her many years ago. Those two are like star-crossed lovers with all them annoying flaws. That and he hit what Athena was hiding from him, he acted out because he's infatuated and he knew something was up with you and her. Elrond acted up with me, that idiot has hurt me in training, you know." She explains.

I clench my jaw and continue moving, "Beside the point, he's lucky I didn't remove his head from his shoulders."

"There's more than meets the eye with them." She breathes out.

I glance back at her and press my hand against her shoulder only to meet glass, "Oh, for fuck sake." I grit out, watching her image fade, "GENEVIEVE!" I call out, yelling out her name a few more times and hearing clicking noises. Following it, I freeze when I find her tied up to a chair with a gag in her mouth. I wrench forward and pull it off, her skin cold but real. Not some mirror. I spin around when she screeches and miss the arrow shot straight for my head. Cutting off the light, I use my vision for the dark to watch the cloaked shadow move with the bow in her hand. I snap it in seconds and fisting my right hand, I slam a right hook into the hood and kick hard.

She shrieks and grunts before I rip off the hood and pull another flame in close to her face, shaped like a sword, "Fancy being burned today?" I ask her, the sharp blue eyes penetrate mine before a new body, a male steps out and holds an old firearm at my head.

"Drop it. Now." He orders.

I didn't take well to orders, "They're burglars. They're going to sell—AH!" Genevieve shrieks behind me before I send the make-shift knife to her attacker and slam the gun out of the male's clutches. Kicking the woman to the floor under me, I use the firearm to slam it right into the male's nose.

He curses and slams through a line of mirrors when I kick him through them. Setting the rope tying Genevieve down on fire, she rips up and points through the way I shoved the male through and before we knew it, stairs lead to the drain opening on a cobble street. The air fresher now than it was in the sewers.