Soulmates.
Asher and I are soul mates.
I've only just learnt about the existence of werewolves and now all of this is getting thrown at me without notice.
Don't get me wrong, knowing is better than having no clue about what's going on, but I'm barely turning 18, and already, in the world of werewolves I'm supposed to know exactly who to spend the rest of my life with. But I'm human, surely there's a way out?
I fling myself onto the bed face-first and scream into my pillow, as if I could just get rid of all of my emotions and bury them into that little encasement of feathers.
I roll onto my back in a starfish position and gaze up at the barren ceiling.
Do I even want there to be a way out of it?
Do I want Asher to have me?
"Naughty naughty buttercup." His voice goes through my mind and I clench my teeth, eyes narrowing into slits and fists balled.
-How have you been Killian?" I force out, trying to keep the clear hatred out of my voice but obviously failing miserably.
"No, we should speak about what you've been doing wrong this week, buttercup."
I take in a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves and anger slowly building up inside of me, like a volcano ready to explode at any given time. For some reason, the word 'buttercup' sounds like an insult coming from him, and I can't stop myself from comparing it to the soothing way by which it leaves Asher's lips, sending a million tingles to the tips of my toes, whether I like it or not.
"What I do is none of your business." I hiss through gritted teeth, already feeling the up-building stinging in my scar hidden below my hair from his simmering rage.
My response sends his voice into a humourless fit of laughter, and it's almost as if I can feel his furious annoyance for me vibrating through my own body like played guitar strings.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong my dear Camilla. I see everything you do. You are mine."
Disgust seeps through me and he laughs cruelly again, this time causing a sharp agony sting like prickling knives on my scar.
I say the next thing with as much arrogance as I can muster, hopefully to send him over the edge.
"You don't own me Killian. But we both know someone who does." I reply cooly, squeezing my eyes shut harder in anticipation of his unquestionable wrath. Why did I say that?
Why the hell did I say that?
Stupid, stupid, stupid-
Suddenly, I let out a strangled cry at the unbearable tentacle-like swooshes all over my body and spasms overtake me. I bite my lip to prevent any louder screams from escaping but a sizzling acidic burn trails down the length of my spine, as if melting every patch of skin in its tread, and that makes any further sounds quite hard to maintain. Tears bottle up the corners of my eyes and I feel wetness trailing down my cheeks to my neck, all the while focusing on his cruel laughter inside of my head and feeling every single burn and stab from the sounds provoking my body.
Something tugs in me and I let out a breath when part of the pain is dispatched to God knows where, allowing me to at least breathe normally while battling against the last remains of agony. I can feel Killian's annoyance seep through my pores and the scar on my forehead throbs as he delivers his last blow right there. I'm not weakened. He doesn't own me. He doesn't.
My phone rings and he disappears completely, along with the pain. I let out a sigh of relief and gradually sit up, hunched over and inhaling then exhaling slowly through my nose with closed eyes, gripping the sheets tightly, then unclenching as my shield crumbles and I'm allowed to move again. I grasp the phone hurriedly, ignoring the soreness in my arm at every little movement that my muscles make, pressing down on the green 'accept call' button.
"Cami? Camilla? Cami, are you there? Are you okay?"
I let out a nervous laugh as Emma's voice filters through the device, controlling my shaky breaths.
-Emma? Hi, I'm fine. Why are you calling?" A breath of relief can be heard from the other end.
-Are you sure? Asher told me that-" She begins but then stops. I hear shuffling behind her and then her snapping back an undecipherable reply to someone, finishing of the argument with a submissive sigh.
-Asher told you what?" His name rises anticipation inside of me, and I'm half sure that the other person on the line had been him.
-I'm sorry Cami, I-
-No. No. No more secrets, Emma, remember? I want to know. I have to know." There's a long silence and then I hear her say something to someone, carefully choosing her blurry words.
-Hello buttercup."
I still. My heart practically stills, then retakes its wild thumping in my chest at the sound of his soothing voice, momentarily making me forget the very reason for my pain that occurred only moments ago. But then I remember his cold arrogance and obvious confidence back out in the forest.
-What do you want Asher?" I snap, startled by my own rudeness. He chuckles and lets out a breath, and it seems as if he's trying his best to control himself as he says the next words.
-Killian was there?" He says it more like a statement than a question, and that alone has nervousity raking me from the inside.
-How- how do you know?
-I have my ways.
-That's not an answer.
-Demanding are we?
-Asher. Cut the crap, how do you know?
-I could feel your pain, and the only reason to that is because my- Killian. Killian was inflicting pain on you, and I could feel it okay?" He stops himself and I frown.
His what?
The tone in his voice stops me from asking that though, so I ask him the next thing on my mind.
"And how exactly did you feel my pain?" I hiss through gritted teeth, feeling my hand clench the iPhone more firmly as each second of my obliviousness goes by.
-You're not that stupid are you? We both know why, but maybe you just don't want to accept it. Yet."
And with that the phone line dies, leaving me staring blankly at the dark screen, confusion seeping in. But that confusion soon ends when realisation takes its place.
Soulmates.
We're soulmates aren't we?
Is that how he felt it?
How?
I groan and throw the phone on the floor, for a second wishing that it just cracked already.
It didn't.
°°°°
I throw my books from first period into my locker and keep the necessary ones, sighing at the heavy weight of my bag with the mountain of homework buried inside of it. I let my blonde hair fall over my head as I hear a familiar chirpy voice. I'm only half way through the day and everything is already crowding on top of me again.
"So, ready to get top marks?" Jack skips over to me in the student-filled hallway, and I force a smile. He obviously notices and tilts his head. Damn werewolf senses...
Yes, I'm blaming it on werewolf senses.
-Hi Jack. Do you have the project with you?
-Yup." He says, popping the p.
-Great, we did a good job right?
-What's wrong?" I stare at him for a moment but he doesn't flinch, only showing pure concern towards me, disregarding my question completely.
-I'm - I, Asher and I, we are... well, soulmates." I duck my head and raise it again when only silence greets me. I'm met with Jack's amused face.
-Is that why you look like a zombie?
-I couldn't sleep okay?
-Because of the fact that you and Asher are mates?
-Shhh!!" I hiss, whacking him urgently on the arm, to which he just laughs. I frown at him and cross my arms defiantly. "Why's that funny?"
-Oh Cami, Cami, Cami. Everyone knew already, except for you. It's funny how you're acting like it's that much of a deal." He shrugs and I grit my teeth, resisting the urge to hit him again.
He's seriously pissing me off right now.
"Not that much of a deal? I'm not even eighteen yet for poop's sake!" I growl lowly.
-For poop's sake?
-I'm trying not to swear as much." That sends him into another fit of laughter and this time, I punch him in the side. Hard.
-Ow, what the hell?
-Listen to me, I can't be mates with Asher, I can't. I'm too young for this bullshit!
-I though you weren't swearing?
-Jack!
-It doesn't seem like you're protesting." A low voice says from behind us, and I whip around, only to be faced with Jasper's cold stare.
-Excuse me?
-His scent is all over you, why exactly are you complaining?" He doesn't flinch when he says those words and I'm momentarily taken aback by his freezing tone. He seems pissed. Completely and utterly pissed.
-That's none of your business arsehole." I whisper lowly, meeting his seething glare with my own.
"Why, you jealous Jas?" Jack hums next to us, and his twin straightens immediately, throwing a dirty look his way. He shrugs and takes a step back, already making his way away from us with anger.
"Fuck no, she's too easy for my liking."
Silence.
I ball my fists.
Arsehole.
Dick.
Dipshit.
Son of a banana!
Did he seriously just call me a slut?
"Oh no he didn't..." Jack whispers, but I see Jasper's eyes widening a fraction of a second before I lunge at him.
We fall into a tumble on the stone-cold floor, him shouting profanities at me while trying to desperately shake me off of his back. Excited cheers resonate all around us and I'm partly obvious to the crowd forming around us. I hear people screaming to stop and others cheering me on. That fuels my confidence more than it should. Jack, who at first was excited that I was defending myself, now catches my eye when his eyes flick gold and he tenses all over, frost glazing his pupils. Meanwhile, I'm clutching onto Jasper's back, nails digging through his shirt and into his boiling skin. I even manage to grab his hair and give it a hard pull before it's all he can take and I'm flung into the lockers.
Every sound immediately stops and I groan from my slumped position on the floor, completely dazed as I watch a terrifying form stride towards me. Jasper is this close to shifting.
"Jasper stop!"
I turn my head and see Jack pulling his brother back. I let out a yell when he throws Jack to the ground harshly, and his brother's skull lets out a loud crack.
-JASPER! ASHER WILL KILL YOU!" Emma screams from somewhere that seems so far away.
I groggily sit up against the lockers just as Jasper is a foot away from me, staring at me with a blood-thirsty glare that tells me he's ready to pounce. Just as he's about to explode a firm hand catches his shirt and he's ripped away from me. Zander trembles all over as he delivers a hard blow to Jasper's stomach, before dragging him off down the hall.
"Cami?" I turn my head and give a slight smile through hazy eyes when Emma crouches down beside me. "Camilla? How many fingers do I have?" She asks with a shaky voice, holding up three fingers.
"Four."
-Cami!
-I'm kidding, jeez.
-You were nearly killed by a werewolf and you're joking?
-What can I say? I'm hilarious..." I mutter, already feeling sleep slowly creeping in as the throb in my head turns more painful. "Oww..."
-Shh, don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm going to take you home okay?" She whispers, but I don't have time to reply before darkness takes me into its cold arms.
°°°°
Light pounds against my eyelids and blue spots cloud my inner sight against my lids. I let out a groan and roll onto my side, feeling the softest of feather-like brushes all over my body. I grip what has to be sheets and hum when the luxurious feeling of silk wraps around me like a cocoon. I bury my head further into the softest of pillows and let myself doze off like a light-switch. I'm out, then awake and so it goes on.
When a slight throb pounds through my head I sit up and blink once or twice to clear my vision.
Wait a second.
I'm not in my room.
I sit up straighter when I realise that I'm sitting in a beautiful cloud of white, black and forest green, with a magnificent vail of white silk shielding my sight slightly from the rest of the bedroom, hanging loosely from the four wooden posters of the bed that reach high up to the ceiling.
I swing my legs over the edge and take a wobbly step away from the beautiful bed. A simple wooden wardrobe is placed in front of it, and I wiggle my toes into the forest green cotton of a large carpet on the dark wood-panelled floor. Simple dark walls surround me and I notice large double door onto my side leading to what I assume must be a hall. Just as I take a step towards it a wondrous scent envelops me and I step back instantly. I turn around and am greeted with open glass doors leading out onto a balcony, light silky white curtains dancing gracefully in the breeze. I take another breath and step outside, cold flooding over me and causing prickles to submerge all over my naked skin. It is then that I realise that I'm only in my tee-shirt and jeans from earlier in school today, my jacket having been discarded as well as my shoes. I rub my arms and turn around. I jump back with shock.
Leaning over the railing with tense muscly arms holding him upright is no other than Asher, his stern face staring into the distance. I let my gaze wonder to the lake below, as well as the unlimited forest all around. I'm at the cabin. I take a step towards him but a warning growl plants me firmly to place. I take my sweet time admiring his rippling muscles gripping the railing with force, jaw set and completely immobile. He notices my stare and growls much deeper than before, sending tingles in my stomach.
"Asher?
-What.
-Why am I here?" I let out firmly, determination filling me. I ignore the mouthwatering lust that my body expresses when he turns around in his tight tee-shirt, his abs and rippling muscles clearly showing underneath.
He could as well have been naked.
No! Don't you dare think about him naked!
"You don't remember?" He cocks his head to the side and takes a step towards me.
-Of course I remember, but why am I in here. In your room?" I remember Jasper and I fighting like crazy people, and then him being dragged off by Zander. His steely blue eyes burn into mine.
"You don't want to?
-I-
-You do. You just don't want to accept it?
-I'm not even eighteen yet Asher. How do you think I'm taking all of this soulmate business?
-You took it quite well back in the forest.
-Don't. Talk. About. That." I seethe. His expression hardens. I swirl around and march towards his bedroom doors, already planning to slam it shut behind me. I freeze when he murmurs after me, dangerously low, sending vibrations down my spine to my core at its intensity.
"I could have killed Jasper, buttercup. But I didn't. You have no idea what you are to me."
I slam the door shut and disappear down the hall, gritting my teeth the whole way.
I didn't know what was more infuriating; the fact that he had near killed Jasper because of me, or the fact that I was slowly accepting the mate bond, even without realizing it.