Dr. Collins shut the door behind him, leaving me with the four giants crowding the small room.
"So..." I said, looking up from my bare feet. "Did we have any homework?"
Daxon exhaled a breath. "You really scared the shit out of us, Maeve."
I gave a fake smile. "Well, I'm better as you can see. No need to worry."
Colt's hard gaze met mine. "You look like shit." The other guys looked at him with a glare.
My smile strained. "And they say romance is dead. Now if you'll excuse me," I said tightly as I picked up my clothes from the bedside table. I motioned for the guys to turn around, which they did...except for Colt.
I glowered at him, making Colt clench his jaw before slowly turning around. I pulled the thin hospital gown off as cold air kissed the exposed skin underneath. I pulled on my underwear before pulling the straps of my bra on.
My eyes landed on my exposed stomach, focusing on the faint scar as if it was my first time seeing it. My mind pulled and pushed at that memory, trying to unravel what lead up to it. I squeezed my eyes shut at the impact.
"Angel?" Colt's voice rang in my head, making me snap my eyes open. I blinked, noticing that I was still only partially dressed.
"Sorry," I muttered, quickly pulling on the rest of my clothes while the guys looked at me with mixed emotions.
I felt completely exposed, and not in a physical sense. I could feel their questioning stares, but I pointedly ignored them.
I could feel my wolf start to stir in this small enclosed room, or maybe it was from the fastly dissolving medication the doctors gave me.
"Maeve, where are you going?" Daxon called, making me stop in my tracks. I didn't even realize that I had walked out of the room.
"I need to shift," I said, feeling jumpier now that my wolf was pacing back and forth inside of me.
Daxon turned around, whispering to the rest of the guys. I zoned in to hear their conversation right before Daxon turned around and said, "Then we'll all go with you."
I furrowed my eyebrows. Why the hell would they willingly hang out with each other outside of class? It was no secret that Harley and Colt hated almost everyone at this school. They like you, dumbass, my inner thoughts said, making me bat the voice away...at what that entailed.
I straightened my back as I sighed, "Anywhere that's not in those damned woods."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The guys followed me back to the dorm room to freshen up and change before we headed back outside towards the student parking lot.
I stopped at the edge of the grass, looking between each of the guys. "So, whose car are we taking?" I asked. There was no way that I was shifting here and finding my way to a location. I don't think any humans would be understanding enough to not call wildlife protection services on our bunch. A wolf, a lion, a snake, a phoenix, and a black-winged man. I snorted at the mental image of that.
I followed Colt's gaze to his own car which was definitely not designed to hold five people, so that was out of the question.
"My car can hold us. It might be a tight fit though," Caspian said, pointing towards his car. Now, I don't know anything about cars, but I am pretty sure some would consider this a mom car. I shrugged, walking towards it.
"Shotgun," Harley said, adjusting his wings to fit inside the small passenger seat.
Colt murmured obscenities before climbing into the back seat. I glanced at Daxon who smirked at me, motioning for me to slide into the middle seat.
I internally groaned at the fact that the car wasn't as spacious as I originally thought. Not with these giant dudes sitting next to me.
Caspian and Harley fought for control of the radio before I leaned forward, shutting them all up as I turned on Harry Styles and smirked. "He's so hot," I dramatically groaned, biting my lip to hide the growing smile as the guys looked at me with unamused glares.
We pulled out of the parking lot, making our way down the road. I leaned forward, noticing that Harley was googling who Harry Styles was. I leaned back in the seat grinning, shoulder-to-shoulder with Colt and Daxon.
I was about to ask Caspian where we were going before I felt a touch at my knee. I looked down, noticing Colt's hand was resting there. My gaze met his, his face an unreadable mask.
I felt Daxon's soothing touch as he ran his fingers up and down my leg. Those fiery eyes held me in place as regret shone through. "I'm sorry for being an absolute dick last night."
Colt's hand tensed on my knee. I shook my head. "Already forgiven. I wasn't myself."
Colt's hand slid off my knee, making me miss its presence already. I grabbed his hand, not thinking twice as I laced his fingers with mine. Colt went absolutely still at the motion, almost as if he had never considered holding a girl's hand before. I winked at Daxon who just smirked at Colt's blank face.
"So how do you hide your wings when you go out in public? Won't the humans notice?" I asked Harley, leaning forward while I rested one of my arms on his seat.
Harley glanced at me, our faces so close to each other as he spoke, "I just use my magic to glamour them. No one will notice unless they already know what I am."
I furrowed my brows. "You have magic, like actual magic?"
Harley smiled. "Yeah, Mae. Ah, before you say anything, no. I will not show you it."
I gaped at him. "And why not?"
"Because," Harley leaned towards me, his breath a fan over my lips, "it's a secret." He pulled back, smirking at my scowling face.
"So, have you spoken to your family yet, Maeve?" Caspian asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.
I shook my head, relaxing back into my seat. "No, we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms. They're the ones who sent me here." Although I'm 20, in the supernatural world, the leader of your pack can send you wherever they please. So, yes. I was indeed forced to come here.
"What happened?" Capsian asked in a protective manner.
I was quiet for a little too long before Daxon cut in with a joke. "You didn't kill somebody, did you?" His laugh began to fade the longer I didn't respond.
I shifted in my seat noticing all four pairs of eyes on me. "I might have killed my cheating ex-boyfriend."
"You're telling me a guy cheated on you?" Daxon's wide eyes met mine.
"That's not the fucking point," Colt hissed before looking at me and our entwined hands. "The bastard deserved it then."
"My magic is too unpredictable sometimes," I said quieter than I meant to. Daxon's hand wrapped around mine, making Colt clench his jaw in distaste.
"Well, you're a tribrid. Doesn't that make you unpredictable anyway," Capsian said before continuing at my scowl, "I just mean that there's no rule book for you. You make up your own path."
I let his words sink in before letting a small smile inch across my face. Soon enough, we pulled down a small dirt driveway that led deep into the woods. A log cabin came into view, the small structure looked homey and inviting, although you could tell that no one has lived in it for a while.
I climbed out on Colt's side mainly for the fact that he refused to let go of my hand. I could see the other guys' focus go towards our entwined hands, but they didn't say anything or even look like they cared. Okay, maybe Harley looked a tad pissed off.
"Whose house is this?" I asked, looking at the windows tinted with dust and debris.
"Mine. Well, I used to live here when I moved out of my parent's place," Caspian said. I couldn't help but read the tightened expression on Daxon's face at the mention of Capsian's parents.
I nodded my head, following behind the others as we made our way to the backyard. Colt removed his hand from mine, making me look over at him. However, instead of seeing that dangerous but handsome face, there was a scaly venomous snake next to me.
"You're one scary motherfucker, you know that?" I said, hand clutching my chest as if I could stop the racing heart underneath.
He made a hiss-purr sound as if he found the statement to be a compliment. I shook my head, watching as Caspian stripped his own clothes. I know I shouldn't be watching, but hell, I never said I was a good person.
Caspian's lion took shape, knocking the breath out of me once again. His height was seriously impressive, his golden-brown mane flowing around his face.
I looked to Daxon, waiting for his shift to take place. He shook his head. "Don't want to take the chance of setting this forest on fire." I frowned but didn't say anything more. I still haven't seen him shift into his phoenix form, not even in gym class. He just uses his fire magic to fight with which was honestly enough for him. I couldn't understand why he never shifted, but I wasn't going to be the one to push it.
The guys looked at me, waiting for me to shift. I forced my heartbeat to steady as I stripped in front of them, aware of each inch of skin that I had on display. Aware of the eyes that devoured the sight of that exposed skin. I didn't mind it.
I quickly let the ripple of the shift take over, skin turning to fur, hands turning to paws. The silver of my fur was highlighted by the sun peeking through the cover of the trees.
Colt's snake grew smaller, weaving around my paws as my wolf growled playfully. I still couldn't get rid of the thought that his smaller snake form was the cutest thing ever...but I would never tell him that.
A wet glob landed on my snout, making me shake my head. A purring sound rang in my ears as Caspian's lion licked the area affectionately.
It wasn't long until Colt slithered off into a tree or god knows where while Caspian and I tumbled through the leaves, nipping and licking at each other. My wolf was practically rebelling me from shifting, almost like it didn't want to leave Caspian's lion. Desperate bitch.
When we returned, Harley was lounging back against a tree, letting the sun soak up his spread wings. Thank god I had already put my clothes back on or else it would be so much harder to contain myself at the sight of Harley shirtless. What kind of fucking gym did these guys go to?
"Don't tell me he already got into my stash," Caspian groaned, jogging towards the open back door of the cabin.
Sure enough, Daxon came out with two bottles of amber-colored liquid in hand. "I can't believe you had these babies cooking in there for over seven decades!"
"Yeah, and it would have been seven more if you hadn't gotten your greedy hands on them," Caspian mumbled, taking a bottle from Daxon before going inside.
"You going in, angel?" Colt's cool hand touched the small of my back.
I looked to him then to Harley who had a scowl on his face. I discreetly stepped out of Colt's hold giving them both a teasing smile. "After you, boys."
Colt narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists before pushing past Harley and heading through the open doorway.
"I don't understand how you enjoy his company," Harley muttered, trailing after him. Well, I will definitely be keeping the fact that I REALLY enjoy his company a secret then. I'm surprised that Harley didn't notice that I fell asleep in Colt's t-shirt, or else he would be in a royally pissed off mood.
I followed after the guys, stepping into the small but spacious cabin. Daxon and Caspian were pouring drinks, spilling more on the floor than in the glasses as they playfully argued. Harley was currently looking through old records while Colt stood in the darkest corner of the room and glared at nothing.
I sighed, sneaking two of the poured glasses from Daxon and Caspian before making my way over to Colt. I couldn't help it, the poor guy looked lonely over there.
"Someone put you in the corner?" I said in a teasing voice, holding out the drink for him.
Colt took the glass and downed it in one gulp. "So you weren't yourself last night, huh?" He asked in an emotionless voice.
I let his words sink in before groaning. "Seriously? You're hung up on what I said to Daxon?" I whispered so the other guys wouldn't hear us. However, it didn't matter with how loud Caspian and Daxon were in the kitchen.
Colt's dark gaze met mine. "Why did you come to my room last night?"
I shrugged. "I was looking for some fun."
Colt bit his lip, shaking his head. "No. See, I think something happened and you came to me to fix it." I opened my mouth to protest. "Tell me I'm wrong, angel."
I closed my mouth, not knowing what to say. In part, yes, I was using him as a distraction. But I didn't mean it in the way that he was thinking. I needed some sort of release on my magic. I knew he would be the least likely to question me about it. So yeah, that might have been a selfish decision on my part. But hell, I don't regret it.
"I didn't think you'd mind. I thought you thrived off pain and fear. I didn't know you'd be so soft."
Colt's eyes darkened to the point where there was no light shining through. "Don't mistake this conversation as me being soft," Colt growled the last word as if it disgusted him to even say. "I might have enjoyed fucking you over my desk, but that doesn't mean that I enjoy being your distraction."
My hand tightened against the glass in my hand as I forced a smirk to my lips. "Pretentious asshole as always, I see." I drained my drink in one sip. "Enjoy sitting with the cobwebs in the corner," I said before turning around and stalking over to Harley who was placing a record on the player.
Some old indie song that my dad, Atticus, would have loved played as I stood next to Harley. I could feel Colt's hard stare on the back of my head, brushing against the mental barriers laying underneath. I mentally gave him the middle finger, hoping he got the message.
"My mom loved this song," Harley said quietly from next to me.
I looked up at his shadowed face, an unreadable expression sitting there. "I never hear you talk about your parents," I said back almost as quietly. It's true, Harley has never mentioned anything about his parents. Hell, even Colt has grunted more of a statement about his sweet-hearted mother.
He was quiet for a moment before exhaling. "There's not much to tell. One lives in Heaven, and one in Hell."
I glanced up at him again. "What happened?"
He clenched his jaw, blinking hard as if to push through the feelings that were overwhelming him. "It doesn't matter. They aren't together anymore as you can see."
I could see the darkness overtaking that beautiful face of his, making shadows appear. I reach my hand up to his face, making him flinch slightly. I frowned. "I'm sorry about whatever happened. Let's go into the kitchen with the others. I can steal one of the bottles of booze from Daxon," I said, letting a grin take over my face.
The shadows slowly retreated from his face, allowing a small smirk to show. I used my vampire speed as I quickly ran through the kitchen, snatching the bottle Daxon was swigging from, causing him to curse loudly. "Okay, who the hell took it," he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.
I chuckled, taking a long drink from the bottle as I watched Colt slip out of the room in my peripheral vision. I mentally sigh. I guess it's too much to ask for him to spend time with other people.
My ears prick up on Daxon cursing again, "That fucking snake took my joint!"
Caspian gripped Daxon's arm, giving him an exasperated look. "I don't have any anti-venom on hand here, Dax. Go look in my room to see if I still have some from the last trip up here."
I quickly make my way down the small hallway, eager to snoop through Caspian's old bedroom. I wonder what a teenage Capsian's room would look like?
I snort at a poster of a girl in a bikini that looks like it was from the early 2000s. I look down at my own boobs poking out from my low cut shirt. I frown, suddenly feeling less proud of them as I look back up at the busty blonde.
"Ah, don't beat yourself up. It's a lion thing," Daxon said from behind me.
I look over as he starts pulling drawers out in search of some extra weed.
"What? Big tits?" I respond, narrowing my eyes wondering if they were fake. Oh who am I kidding, I'm jealous of them regardless.
Daxon snapped his heads up, looking at the poster. "No. Blondes," he snorted, not even looking at the exposed skin of the model. Why the hell did that make my jealousy reign in? I am officially a petty teenager again.
I walk over to the bedside table, opening up the drawers to look for myself. I was definitely not snooping by any means. I smother a laugh as I find a pack of condoms...unopened. I don't know if that makes me feel better, or if it's just plain sad.
My eyes snag on a framed picture sitting on top of the nightstand. I rub my thumb over the dusty picture, seeing a slightly younger Caspian with his arm around a dirty blonde haired girl. I furrow my brows, wondering who it was.
"That's Caspian's sister," Daxon said from behind me.
I looked back at him, noticing that he found Caspian's extra stash of marijuana. "Does she live here?"
He shakes his head sharply. "She's dead."
I know this chapter may seem like not much is going on but it's mainly just to establish more of a connection with the guys and add in little bits of other information about their past lives.
I want to double post next week for Christmas (even if not everyone celebrates it). However, I have not been writing much lately so I don't know if I'll be able to write that much by next week. So, if this is the case then I'm sorry, there will only be one chapter posted like normal.
Question: Tell me what's your favorite food that you eat on Christmas (or any other major holiday in your country)! Mine has to be Honey Baked Ham and Hashbrown Casserole (because I have the taste buds of a five-year-old lol).