This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© Avery Song, 2020

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Cover Design by Melody Simmons

Editing by

Rainlyt Editing

Format: Avery S.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

BLURB

Prologue: Pull The Trigger Of Darkness

1.  Testing The Limits

2.  Awakening And Disturbing Thought Process

3.  Dazzling Diamond

4.  Lisette Cross And Never Be Replaced

5.  C.R.A.Z.Y And Dark Universal Organization

6.  Questioned Purpose And Path To Happiness

7.  Troubled Obession And Happiness Together

8.  Last Day Of Summer Chase

9.  Star Gaze With You

10.  Semester Three Of Illusions

11.  Confront The Rat And Headmaster Jade

12.  Headmaster Paperwork

13.  Thunderstorm Chasing And Soaked In Darkness

14.  Soaked In Darkness

15.  Mission Gone South And Shining Light

16.  Put The Track In Tracker Hive

COMING SOON

SUPERNATURAL INMATE- SNEAK PEEK

BLURB

CHAPTER ONE: Lingerie Shopping With My Supernatural Brothers

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing THE TRACKER HIVE ACADEMY - SEMESTER THREE.

Thank you for giving Avery Song a chance! This was a spur of the moment decision, and I’m so glad I decided to create/write as Avery Song.

Special thanks to my amazing Mom for blessing me with the gift to write and supporting me in all aspects. I pray to continue making you proud as I strive towards success.

Finally, I thank God for giving me the strength to achieve my goals. Without Him, I would be nothing.

AVERY SONG

BLURB

Turns out almost dying will leave you in a contemplative space, reflecting on violence, strategy, and revenge. For me, reliving those exact moments is the push I need to find the man who threatened my life. It also makes wasting time sitting in a classroom a pain in the ass.

After surviving my first year at Tracker Hive Academy, I’m left with wondering what’s next for me: the-eight-element-carrying Junior Tracker with four boyfriends, a destructive alter ego, and no professional filter. Obviously, I have to face the person who wants me dead, but there has to be more to this, especially with certain allies involved.

Unfortunately, things only get more complicated when my sexy Troubled Four start having imbalance problems, making it difficult for everyone to tell them apart — except for me, of course. And if that weren’t enough, my Shadow wants to add to the chaos by attacking the very students we’re attempting to protect.

My life is definitely a shitstorm, and when my dad Alaric goes missing during an assignment, all bets are off.

I am the queen of my hive and I won’t be told how to fight for what’s mine. With Zeke, Zion, Zackery, and Zeus on my side, there’s nothing I need to fear — especially with Calvin as our wild card. We’re a deadly threat, and this hive survives best by doing one thing: breaking all the rules.

Game on.

PROLOGUE: PULL THE TRIGGER OF DARKNESS

~JADE~

Pain.

Pain…

PAIN!

Swarming agony taunted my brain as hot liquid spilled out of my head. I couldn’t hear anything but the rushing blood attempting to pump to the source of injury, only to come right out.

My senses fought to remain, but as the seconds ticked away, my body began to numb - chilling cold racing up my body from my feet to my shoulders.

Air was nonexistent. My lungs had lost function as the rest of my body began to fade away.

Here I was in nothing but darkness, and all I was left with was excruciating pain. Misery. Anger. No other emotion could be accounted for as the palpating irony of my predicament coursed through me.

A reminder of my failures.

Another sign of my flaws.

It was only a matter of time before my regret consumed me - unless the agonizing suffering didn’t destroy me first.

Why couldn’t I react fast enough? Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time? Why do I continue to make the wrong decisions?

Why…?

Why?

WHY?!

The darkness pressed in on me, encouraging the negative cycle of pain and regret. Like a mixed cocktail served when experiencing death, I was lost in all the emotions I begged to forget.

Life had been so cruel to me, and now that I was finally seeing the light in my world, it was taken away from me with a single bullet.

Just like that…I’m dead?

It was as though my life was now a videogame and I’d picked all the wrong choices. The result? The sad ending that led to my death.

I could only imagine the catastrophe that would happen in the outside world. The pain my death would trigger in my Maxwells. The agony Alaric, Tanner, and Bianca would experience. The sadness in Calvin’s eyes.

The hardest part of it all was acknowledging the pure elation that would consume Charles. Even in death, I can envision that sinister smile of his before he laughed manically at the news of my demise.

He pulled the trigger and was the culprit to my murder, and deep down, I had a feeling he’d get away with it.

Like he always did.

That’s what hurt the most.

Why did the bad live longer, get away from scenarios and judgment that others with pure hearts receive capital punishment for?

Here I was, crucified for trying to live. Murdered because I wanted to be a Tracker and prove that all the obstacles in my life were worth it. I craved to find that level of happiness that could never be taken away from me by common daily occurrences. To look up into the sky and announce to the universe that I was indeed happy with life.

Yet, I was now dead…

Murdered by a man that controlled the darkness within me, made me kill all those I loved. The man that has attempted to kill me again and again walks the streets and hides within the tunnels of this vast universe while the world goes on like his freedom is his right.

The good always die young, not reaching a quarter of their true potential. Was that the destiny I deserved? Is it right for me to perish when I haven’t grasped a hint of my true purpose?

Is this it?

Something jolted through me in that very moment, like a thunderbolt striking me right in the heart.

The pain I thought was unbearable spiked up tenfold, but it felt like a jolt shocking my dead heart.

Your thoughts actually make me want to cry.

The quiet voice cut through the silence that followed the strike, and as if I was now alive, there I stood, in the middle of a spinning black sphere.

I blinked and there was a woman. Her presence made my once-dull heart beat furiously.

Not out of anger or fear…but growing attraction.

She had to be 6′1″ in height. Her long hair was floating with energy, her roots of neon pink quickly shifting to a dazzling white. She had flawless pale skin, dark shadow eyelids, smooth pink lips, and intense pink eyes.

Her hands were to her sides, but they glowed with magic, her left of darkness and her right of light. A symbol of a magic circle with a star in the middle blazed strongly on the back of her hand, a source of the magic that spun around us to keep us protected.

If that’s what its purpose was.

She wore a pink kimono, which was peculiar to me, especially when I couldn’t pinpoint any signs of Asian heritage in her characteristics. She wore neon pink wooden shoes, the color clearly rare for wood.

Her mesmerizing appearance wasn’t what truly tugged at my shock. It was the way my elements suddenly fought to come forward.

All eight of them.

“Who?” I tried to question, but my voice was absent. I squeezed my face in worry at my new dilemma.

My voice?

You’re not necessarily alive yet. Thus, your voice has nothing to harness it. Think of this as a place of hard decisions. Between life and obvious death.

I’m already dead.

Might as well admit the truth to this easy equation. She either was the cooler version of the angel of death, or she was here to take me to hell - if the later, it may not be too bad if you get to wear such intriguing attire.

Dead. Yes, but I can reverse that. However, I’m not sure you want me to.

I stared blankly at her, unable to acknowledge the depths of the truth. What was the point of living if I kept losing?

Why return if I’d most likely die again. I couldn’t win this game, so why continue? The levels were far too hard for me, and it didn’t matter how hard I trained. The end result was all the same.

Death. Heartbreak. Darkness.

You don’t fear death.

I looked away, but it didn’t fool the woman, her laughter reaching my ears and drawing my attention to her once more.

You fear life. You’re afraid of having another chance to live. To experience the joys love has to offer and the sadness that comes with pain, regret, and endless torment. The memories of those that are lost continue to nag the back of your mind, and that will only intensify with your return. Isn’t that right?

Why are you acting as though you know me? You don’t understand my pain.

She giggled, her softened eyes locking onto mine. That’s when I saw the flicker of agony that always resonated in my eyes when I looked in the mirror.

The self-hate and regrets of past decisions that fought to control my thoughts at every quiet moment of the day, the hardships this world had to offer me, and the acknowledgment of what I lacked all pooled in a pair of eyes that now looked back at me.

Whoever this woman was, one thing was for sure. She understood my resistance and wasn’t ashamed to put a hint of such emotions on display in those pink jewels of hers.

Failure. Loss. Agony. Revenge. I know all of which you’ve experienced and more, and even with my multiple meetings with death himself, I’ve ended up on the other side. The side of the living. Do you know why?

I shook my head, unsure why she’d be willing to return again and again. It was only a matter of time before you got tired of returning and not resolving what brought you to death’s door in the first place.

Vengeance at the highest level.

My lips frowned at the word, unsure how vengeance could be split into levels. The woman’s grin widened as she enlightened me with her truth.

Vengeance is an act of retaliation. You absorb the harsh actions and deliver back a finer reward. When someone attempts to kill you and succeeds, they enjoy that sweet moment of victory. What if you then returned with a snap of your fingers? The sense of achievement is lost, with confusion and anger to follow. They try again and again, and there you are, breathing the same air they breathe and living a life they’ve desperately tried to end. It begins to leave them in a state of desperation to feel that level of victory they originally did when they got rid of you. Don’t you think the man that pulled the trigger deserves to endure just that? To get lost in his thoughts and plans of killing you, only to see you return even stronger than before?

Her words made sense, but it was hard for me to imagine. To see Charles’s shock at my return from death, yet again. He was so desperate to get rid of me this time, and he surely must have laughed for the minutes or even hours I’ve remained dead in this endless state of dark agony.

What if I could return and make him even more cynical? Show him that I was not only alive and well, but even stronger than he ever imagined?

That was why he was fighting so hard to end me. That he could be so desperate to tug away from his previous tactics and come straight to my home to finish the deed.

If I returned to the land of the living…it would be like a stabbing wound.

Now you are thinking. A thorn that keeps on poking. An annoyance that won’t shut up. Your existence means his captivity is imminent, but this time, you’re not going to solely be lost in training. You are going to live.

Why? I tried to live a normal life and all that did was ignite random enemies and occurrences. It’s as though a dark force wants to rid me of any possible happiness.

The woman began to walk forward, igniting ripples of pink that accented each step she took. It was as if we now stood on a dark body of water.

She stopped right in front of me, looking deep within my eyes like she could see my very soul.

Living is the perfect fuck you to the people that want you dead.

Her explanation was so simple, and for the first time since death, I experienced a spark of happiness. My lips tugged upward, and the woman took a step back and offered her hand.

The choice is now yours. I am not a good gal. I’m not here to save the world. I’m here to give you the opportunity to live once again but go beyond breaking the rules set out for us trackers. You will live while working towards the goals you’ve set out for yourself and those you love. No more living in fear when the lights are out. Fight the urge to give in to the darkness that fights to take control of you. The woman before me is one that holds all eight elements, which includes the very darkness you fear. The element that is your strongest ally. Again, the choice is in your hands, but I vow that if you choose life, I’ll ignite your destiny like a match lighting up a bomb. No more games. No more running away. Choose now.

There was no need to hesitate for I already knew my answer, my hand reaching out to land in hers and gripping it tightly to affirm her existence.

I’m different. I’m not the average woman or Tracker. How can you confidently risk giving me a chance at life?

The woman’s smile was radiant, and she turned my left hand to show the back of it, a second before her burning hot lips pressed against my flesh. Pain ignited at the spot, but I fought the urge to pull away. Watching with wide eyes, I witnessed the burning incantation that came to life, the same magic symbol that reflected on the back of her hands.

Our unity is only the beginning of the chaos. Being unique is the finest part of life. A chance of life is offered to those who value it, and you, Jade Storm, acknowledge just how precious a droplet of life can be. The land of the living is filled with chances, and I’m more than willing to give you as many as you need until we get to witness the downfall of the universal organization that started this all.

Universal organization?

I wondered about her words, but the world around us began to crumble and my eyes grew heavy.

Falling back, I expected to fall into the pool of water below, but I was only lifted up, like an offering to the skies above. My eyes closed slowly, the darkness already clawing at me, begging for my return to the world of slumber.

As my consciousness faded, I heard the woman’s last words.

Charles is only one piece of the massive puzzle. One shard in the broken catastrophe that aids to be rid of you and three more. Destines will intertwine, and those that seek nothing but a dark plague over our world will do everything to stop it. It’s a shame that they fight so hard but can’t determine how destiny works. The clock will tick, paths will align, and the prophecy will come to pass. Whether Charles likes it or not, our Jade will be one of the chosen four.

My world faded away until there was nothing but peaceful warmth.

The trigger of darkness, the mercy of light.

1

TESTING THE LIMITS

~CALVIN~

“IS this where I make my dramatic entrance?!”

The sudden, high-pitched voice had me looking around the room. Bianca and Tanner looked just as confused as I.

“Yes. You can come out now,” Alaric calmly encouraged.

“Woohoo!”

A blazing force of magic entered the room the same way the dark bolt of thunder had, and with a blink, a 6′1″ woman stood next to the figure that held Queen Jade.

What caught my attention right away was her brilliant, neon pink hair that was styled in tightly curled pigtails. Moving my gaze to her attire, I tilted my head in confusion, because she wore the Tracker Hive school uniform.

Her blazer had patches pinned to the front pockets, and the drawings looked like something from an anime show.

The only non-standard part of her uniform were her neon pink shoes that lit up at the bottom. She wore pink lipstick, had a dark eyeshadow on her lids, and had the same tattoos on the back of her hands as the man.

She smiled at my observation and looked at the others.

“Jeez. Your Hive Queen would have been dead if it weren’t for me. What kind of Hive Knights are you? No wonder Ceil was so disappointed and said the shadow girl was wasting her potential. Shame. Shame.” She shook her head in dismay, but it was almost a manic movement.

Zeke seemed to be the first to snap out of his shocked daze, and the raging dark magic that followed could clearly kill the average person if they weren’t careful.

“Who the fuck are you? And give back Jade or else.”

“Or else what?” she taunted before her image blurred. By the time I turned my head, Zeke was flying back into the wall, Zion was on one knee coughing up a storm like he’d been punched in the stomach, Zeus was actually on the ground, and Zackery had his hands up as this new arrival’s fist was an inch from his face.

“Oh?” She blinked and tilted her head at Zackery. “Wow. You have fast reflexes.”

Her comment made me realize that a whirling wind was holding back the woman’s punch. It was tiny and yet it packed enough force to make her whole arm tremble.

“I like,” she sang, and the berserk smile on her face sent chills through me.

This woman is crazy.

She was back in her spot with another blink, and she began to skip around the man she’d called Ceil.

“Exciting! Exciting. My Hive Queen has at least one good knight. I can make do with that. She doesn’t need the others.”

“What?” I gasped and repeated what she’d said. “‘My’ Hive Queen?”

“Oh.” The woman paused mid-skip before she moved to stand on Ceil’s other side. She grinned happily at us before she leaned down and pressed her lips lightly on Jade’s forehead.

I was ready to revolt, but Jade’s hair began to levitate as it started switching to various colors, representing each of her elements. When it reached the final color of white, her hair stayed that way, every last bit of black gone — just like the wound in her head.

The sound of something dropping to the floor caught my attention, and I looked down to see the single bullet that had made its mark in Jade minutes before.

“How…?” I couldn’t fathom what had happened.

“Easy!” The woman took a step back and bent down to pick up the bullet. She inspected it with a wide grin before she looked at us and gave us a dramatic curtsy.

“My name is Lisette Cross, and this is my dark shadow, Ceil Cross. I’m the sole survivor of Experiment C.R.A.Z.Y. Mr. Sokolov liked to call me his prodigy. I’m an escaped mental case and the newest addition to the Tracker Hive student body.” She rose up and then showed a smile that made me fear for my own life as I held my breath.

“I am also the confirmed third Hive for Jade Storm. My apologies for being a bit late, but never fear, your girl is here!” she cheered.

Charles’s prodigy? Jade’s third Hive? Experiment C.R.A.Z.Y.? Did we go from being the hunter to the hunted?

“This has to be a joke,” Zeus grunted, his eyes glaring at this woman called Lisette. I didn’t blame him for his doubt because I was experiencing similar worries because of this woman’s odd introduction.

I’d never heard of her name even once, and I was regularly informed of the classified cases and anything else to do with my dad.

If I wasn’t informed about this, there were two possible reasons: someone or a group of individuals didn’t want me knowing about Lisette’s existence, or Charles himself had something to do with this hidden prodigy being undiscovered until now.

That would only make sense if Alaric didn’t know about her. How does he know about her existence? He did mention the experiment that escaped, and I’d heard the news as well, but no way did I connect it to be some crazy psycho girl.

“No joke, Sir Anger Management. Save your bouts of raging stupidity for another day. It’s almost time for my morning tea,” Lisette brushed off as she snapped her fingers to summon a pink pocket watch that opened at her command. “So early! Ceil! We must ensure we make it for the seven o’clock morning show of Sailor moon. It’s season one, episode forty-six!”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the man replied, still holding Jade securely in his grasp. “Should I keep Queen Hive in a deep slumber?”

“Yes. She’s still healing and needs lots of rest. I will take another analysis after my episode is over.”

“Hey!” I called out to her. “Stop acting like the rest of us don’t exist.” I was trying not to show it, but this woman’s whole entrance and desire to take all our roles in a matter of seconds was pinching the wrong nerve.

“Hmm?” That’s all she said before she was in front of me with that sonic speed of hers, but I already had a light dagger an inch from her throat.

But of course, she was faster.

I frowned at the cool touch of the gun at my left temple, the gasp from the others only confirming my obvious predicament.

“Why don’t we get this out of the way now, Mr. Daddy Issues,” she snarled like I was her prey and she was delivering her last words before my assassination. “You talk to me with respect. I’m not one to be yelled at, especially with that triggering voice of yours.”

She paused, and I watched her lips curl in a sick smile. “In my world, only those of power deserve my utmost attention and right now, the only respectable individuals in this room are the three adults over there, the quad with the fast wind reflexes, and my Hive Queen in the arms of my shadow. Until you can prove otherwise, accept your uselessness.”

Just like that, she was back in her original spot, and with a clap of her hands, she was right back to the extremely happy demeanor she carried.

“Alaric Masters!” she squealed. “I have tea time approaching. Should I keep Jade in my possession, or would you like Ceil to place her in a comfortable atmosphere while you explain the behind-the-scene circumstances?”

All of us looked to Alaric as he met Lisette’s eager gaze.

“I’m happy to see you’re well, Lisette,” he began. “As to your question, if Ceil is able to keep Jade stable while I explain the circumstances that occurred, that would be extremely helpful. After that, I will come and assess Jade myself with Bianca and Tanner.”

“Very well.” Lisette nodded once. “Ceil! Ensure my Hive Queen’s comfort and stability while I prepare some tea before my show.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ceil replied.

Lisette grinned in Alaric’s direction before her eyes locked back on me. We shared a look, and I knew that we weren’t going to get along in the slightest.

“You’re ugly,” she flat-out declared.

Yup. She hates me.

“Well, she’s rude,” Zeus grumbled irritably.

“Honesty brings out the best in people,” Lisette answered casually. “Your nose is crooked.”

We all looked at Zeus as he cursed and got up. “I’m hurting this random bit-”

“How’d she see that your nose is slightly crooked?” Zackery pondered with immense fascination.

“Have to admit, that’s a good question,” Zion muttered as he finally recovered from the punch he’d received.

“Who cares about that?” Zeke growled. “Why are we trusting her with our Jade? What confirmation did we receive that says she’s her third Hive? Plus, she’s a girl! No way can she be Jade’s third Hive.”

“Why?” Lisette smirked. “Because I’m a beautiful girl who can sweep her off her feet and give her everything you guys can’t?” she taunted.

“Y-You can’t give her everything,” I defended.

This wasn’t one of those matters where I’d argue against the Maxwells. Today we were on the same damn team, and this woman, even with her interference and saving Jade, was an enemy to all of us.

“Don’t need a cock between my legs to please a woman.” She winked when my mouth dropped open and my cheeks burned red at the sudden comment.

She giggled and turned around. “That’s what vibrators and double dildoes are for. Instead of being a hater of all the possibilities, you can just admit that bisexual side of yours and enjoy some girl on girl action while you masturbate with that hand of yours. At least it’s better than wasting all that oxygen in your pathetic effort to get rid of me.”

She flicked her right ponytail and sighed.

“In fact, instead of being a dick about my arrival, why not say thank you for my interference? Without me, your Queen would be dead.”

None of us spoke, and I was still reeling over what she just said.

How the hell did she find out that information about me being bi?

“Ungrateful,” she declared with a shrug. “Don’t go crying when I take all your Queen’s atten-”

“Thank you, Lisette Cross and your shadow, for protecting our Jade.”

We all looked to Zackery, who was the one who had spoken. Lisette looked over her shoulder at him, a pleased grin taking over her expression.

“Good boy. You get to be the first to spend time with Jade! After Alaric’s observation, of course,” she concluded and looked at the rest of us. “As for the rest of you, I’ll think about it.”

She looked away and sang, “I’m off to the land of anime! Surely, there’s someone in this vast universe who is obsessed with Sailor Moon like me. Fighting evil by moonlight! The classics never get old. Ceil. Let us tuck our Queen into bed!”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ceil replied in total submission as the two of them vanished with a strike of black thunder.

Their abrupt departure left me in shock before the anger settled in.

“What….just happened?” Zackery questioned.

The four of us glanced over to Alaric, watching him sigh with a troubled expression. “That was my backup plan if Charles became desperate,” he announced.

“He shouldn’t have been able to get through the security,” I stressed, feeling ashamed that this had even occurred. “The guards are positioned outside as well. The magic walls make it impossible for any foreign magic to teleport in here. How was he still able to get in?”

Tanner walked over to Alaric while Bianca checked to make sure the other three Maxwells didn’t sustain any injuries from that crazy woman’s sudden attack.

Or challenge.

“We forgot one important thing when setting up the security system,” Alaric said with a sigh as he pulled off his glasses.

“What?” I questioned, ready to combat whatever flaw he was about to present. I’d worked three days straight to perfect the security system. What flaw could there possibly be?

Tanner was staring at Alaric before his eyes lit up like a lightbulb.

“Oh fuck,” he cursed and looked my way. “Calvin.”

I frowned, unsure why he was saying my name when Alaric hadn’t revealed what the problem was.

“Yes?” I encouraged for him to continue, but he looked back at Alaric as the others looked between the two of us.

“Calvin’s the fault,” Tanner declared.

“Huh?” That wasn’t making sense to me. “How am I a fault? I already know my birth was a clear mistake, but I don’t think that helps define this problem.”

“No.” Tanner shook his head. “I’m not talking about your birth, which wasn’t a mistake. Fix that thinking of yours,” he scolded me before carrying right along. “YOU are the fault!”

“Still not computing,” I commented, my brain drawing a blank at what he was trying to emphasize.

Which was apparently me.

Zion then cursed, and we looked his way. “I get it! Calvin!” He looked my way, meeting my dissatisfied grimace. “Your magic! The reason why Charles has been able to get through security isn’t because of the flaws in your system. It’s your magic that is giving him a gateway to Jade!”

The room went silent as his words resonated in the air. My brain went into overdrive, trying to figure out if that was truly the solution in this never-ending cycle of Charles appearing out of nowhere.

My magic?

“Think about it,” Zion stressed as he began to pace and think out loud. “The first time Charles was able to get into the school was the day of the assembly. He disguised himself as Zeke but didn’t appear until Jade met Calvin in the hallway! The second time Charles was able to infiltrate through the security was when it was just Calvin and Jade at the school, the day we were forced to remain at our headquarters. This time around, Calvin was working on meds to help Jade with her nightmares, right? That had to involve magic in some sense, and again, give a perfect opportunity for Charles to come into the picture by hacking Jade’s phone. Then there was today. Calvin and Bianca rushed to inform Tanner and Jade that there was an intruder after alerting us! That was the confirmation Charles needed to know Jade was in close distance and the magic involved again gave him a pathway. He’s been using the string of magic you give off to teleport and arrive in time to enact his plans on Jade before we can react!”

Zion stopped in his tracks, in the perfect position to look at all of us as he reached his conclusion.

“Calvin. Charles and you are of the same blood, which means you have similar if not identical traces of magic! He’s been using you to track Jade’s whereabouts, but because he’s been so close to being captured, he must have fucked up somewhere and decided to end Jade as quickly as possible. Now that we have solid information from his occurring slip ups, it’s only a matter of time until he’s caught, but for him to be desperate to show up right here and now, it means he really fucked up.”

“He fucked up with the escape of Lisette,” Alaric confirmed, grabbing our attention.

“So Lisette is the mental ward case that escaped,” Zeus confirmed.

“Yes.” Alaric nodded.

“Alright, that’s believable,” Zeke grunted. “However, why does that mean Charles fucked up?”

“He expected to capture Lisette before she reached Jade,” I interrupted, my brain working overtime as the dots began to connect. “His growing desperation was never about his potential captivity. He doesn’t give a crap about that. What he didn’t want was Jade connecting with her third Hive, which is Lisette. She must have escaped before he tried to kill Jade on the roof. Maybe that’s how he somehow found a way to manipulate your department head in trying to keep away from Jade with the distractions bullshit.”

I began to walk back and forth, tapping the side of my lip as all of it began to make sense.

“The longer Lisette remained free, the higher possibility of her tracking down Jade. If she’s apparently Charles’s prodigy, it means she’s as close to perfection as he desires her to be, which makes her a threat to any diabolical plans. Most of those probably revolve around Jade’s purpose,” I quickly explained.

“Which also means Lisette knows Jade’s potential and what her introduction into Jade’s life can ignite,” Zackery piped up.

“And that leads to Lisette having more power than Charles,” Zion emphasized.

“Leading to her being in control and Charles racing to regain such control,” Zeke muttered.

“But due to being on the run, there’s no way for him to capture Lisette without potentially screwing himself over,” Zeus affirmed.

“That’s why he’d rather kill Jade,” I concluded. “Her sacrifice means everyone loses.”

“There’s more to just that.” Alaric stepped forward and we all paid attention to him. “Jade may be a key aspect in something even bigger than Charles or the black market.”

“What do you mean?” I questioned.

“Let’s just say this issue can reach a universal level. Meaning, Charles is a small fragment in this entire problem. He wants Jade for his own diabolical plans, but he’s working with the corporation that needs Jade for far bigger arrangements. Enough that they either want to morph her into an enemy or be rid of her entirely.”

“Who said that?” I asked.

“Ya. What source did you get such info from?” Zackery and Zion questioned.

“And regardless, how did Lisette get here in time to save Jade?” Zeke and Zeus inquired.

“Also, how are we going to stop Charles from tracking my magic now that Jade’s alive? It’s only a matter of time before he finds out,” I urged, ignore the unsettling emotions brewing in the pit of my stomach at my obvious failure.

If I knew I’d been the culprit in my father’s random appearance and Jade’s close calls with death, I would have stayed as far away as I could.

Alaric sighed.

“I can’t talk about those details just yet. I only received them moments before all of this happened,” he answered. “The source is from Lisette herself. As for tracking your magic, Calvin, we’re working on it. Looks like the Ronaldo Quads are looking into it.”

“Ronaldo?” all five of us questioned.

Tanner rolled his eyes while Bianca smirked.

“The R-quads,” Tanner huffed.

“Are you telling me none of you knew their last names?” Bianca seemed amused by this.

“Well…” I began but frowned. “They only introduced themselves with their first names, and their files didn’t even state their last names. Even in the database.”

“Did you check the student records? The paper files, not the electronic ones?” Bianca asked, her grin only growing.

We looked at her with blank expressions, and the three of them grinned.

“Sometimes being a Tracker is checking the easiest spot first,” Tanner reminded.

“Wait,” Zackery spoke up. “Why are the R-quads looking into Calvin’s magic? They’re working with Ross.”

“Oh.” Zeus got our attention and he frowned. “They’re not working for Ross. During the whole outdoor thunder fiasco, Ruke arrived before things got out of hand. He stated that he and his brothers weren’t there for Ross but to locate their leader who went missing or some shit. It skipped my mind because we were sick and I only cared about Jade’s safety.”

“I forgot about that detail,” I acknowledged.

How the hell did we forget about that?

“They must have done a spell beforehand to make sure you didn’t recall that part.” Tanner must have read my thoughts. “But they’re right. They aren’t attending on Ross’s behalf.”

“Then they’re here to investigate me?” I inquired.

“They’re supposed to be partnering up with your team. This case is taking far too long and is growing to be a problem. We don’t trust many trackers to take on this case, either,” Alaric announced. “I can’t reveal everything here, especially with what happened. We need to secure the area and get rid of any traces of magic Charles could have left beforehand, if he had that much time to do so.”

“So…” Zackery looked at the rest of us. “What’s the plan?”

“And are we going to be officially introduced to that Lisette woman?” Zeke asked.

“You sound as though you’re plotting her murder,” Zion calmly noted.

“I am,” Zeke said without a hint of regret.

“At least he said it not me,” Zeus mumbled with a shrug.

“You two are butt hurt because she kicked your asses in half a second,” Zackery acknowledged.

“Yes!” Zeus and Zeke replied.

Zion sighed. “My pride is hurt, but I wouldn’t go murdering her. Plus, she saved Jade.”

“Thankfully.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I think Jade’s going to need new meds.”

We all were quiet at the mention of it, and I’m sure we were all worried about how Jade was going to react to yet another death experience. This wasn’t like the others where they were close calls.

She actually died. She faced death and somehow managed to be revived. She avoided what should have been the inevitable end, but what’s left with her survival will determine if she gives the enemy exactly what they want: imbalance, self-destruction, darkness.

“We’ll tackle that when she wakes up,” Alaric concluded. “For now, I need you guys to get to work. We’ll conduct introductions when Jade is awake and in good condition.”

“And Charles? He’s clearly going to go in hiding,” I stressed.

“Once we know Jade is well, the three of us will take matters into our own hands. This needs to end, especially if what Lisette has revealed is accurate.”

There were so many questions to ask, but the clock was ticking and the more time we wasted, the lower the chances of locating Charles.

Or figuring out a solid plan to get out of this predicament.

“Understood,” I whispered.

“We understand,” the four Maxwells declared.

“Maxwells, come with me,” Bianca encouraged. They nodded, following Bianca as she made her way out of the room, which left me with Tanner and Alaric.

I looked away to the pool of blood that still remained on the floor, the destruction of the training room the least of my worries in comparison to what kept repeating in my head.

I’m at fault. This all happened because of me…

A hand rested on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. I still didn’t lift my head, the guilt only growing in intensity.

“Calvin,” Alaric’s calm voice whispered.

“I’m sorry, Alaric. Jade’s endangerment was due to my blind-sightedness. I never would have thought my magic would be the trace.” The shame in my voice was heavy, like my heart. “I want to help…but I don’t think I can do anything without it leaving a trace.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Alaric reasoned. “However, none of this is solely your fault. We all didn’t catch onto this until now. Don’t carry the burden of guilt on your shoulders. The crisis was avoided, but we’ll have to work even harder to track Charles down, or Jade won’t be the only one at risk.”

“Universal problem,” I mumbled the thought, recalling his previous words in regard to what Lisette had explained. “What does that even mean? Like the world?”

“Universes.” Tanner was the one to speak, and we both looked to him. He was standing in front of the pool of Jade’s blood, and the venomous anger in his eyes told us he was done with this cat and mouse chase. “We’re not the only universe in this vast galaxy, Calvin.”

He lifted his head and with the slip of his hands into his pockets, he walked right out of the room.

I looked up to Alaric in worry, his eyes centered on the door while his lips were pressed in a straight line.

“This is going to get ugly.”

“You mean it wasn’t ugly before?” I muttered.

“Not even close.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Charles is merely the trigger of what looks like the path to a universal war if we don’t start figuring things out.”

Universal war?

Removing his hand from my shoulder, he headed for the door but paused before it.

Looking over his shoulder, he declared, “Don’t feel guilty for what’s unknown. Focus on the present until we can figure out a way to be a step ahead and not eons behind.”

That’s all he said as he left me alone. Turning away, I let my eyes return to the pool of blood, and for the first time in a long while, tears trickled down my cheeks.

Clenching my fists, I stared at the floor. The dark memories tugging from the depths of my mind fought for control - for revenge.

Only a matter of time.

My eyes lifted up slightly to see the dark shadow of me, the replica of my appearance that looked proudly back at me.

“Let the anger be fuel for our engine. We will be victorious.”

All I did was nod, and with a blink, all was well.

“Don’t feel guilty for the unknown,” I whispered to myself and let the last set of tears fall as determination burned within me.

“I won’t let my Queen down again.”

That was a promise.

2

AWAKENING AND DISTURBING THOUGHT PROCESS

~JADE~

THE FIRE BURNED WITH GRACE, the crackles of the burning wood helping me get lost within my zooming thoughts. So much buzzing noise. Endless flashbacks of what occurred hours earlier. The ringing sound of the shot and the depths of pain seemed to engrave themselves inside of me.

The repetition of agony.

The reminder of death.

And the gratefulness of being alive once again.

The overwhelming flow of gratitude was a new occurrence for me. Not to say I’d never been grateful for the air we breathed or to still be living after countless near-death experiences, but this was far different.

It was like being at a fountain in the middle of a desert oasis, only for the clouds to gather and bestow a fierce rainstorm lasting mere seconds.

There, the once-dry fountain that had never enjoyed a droplet of water to fulfil its purpose was now overflowing. That immense joy must have graced the statue with emotions like we humans.

I felt like that, a fountain overflowing with abundance, the water representing the life that now palpitated within. I was thankful to be able to sit here and watch the fire dance, the flames moving in celebration while providing me warmth from the chill of the night.

I shouldn’t feel cold with summer soon approaching, but I was left in a frigid state and only these flames were doing some justice in keeping me warm.

Did the cold represent the dark thoughts that fought to consume me?

It’s funny how I asked questions I had no answers to. How was I alive? Why was Charles still roaming the streets and not shot with the same gun he keeps pointing in my direction?

Pointing. What a hilarious word that can’t even explain the true action of his evil intentions.

Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I felt complete tranquility.

Then began the creeping chill, the flowing sensation of liquid leaving me with nothing to stop it. Helplessness consumes me, and I’m left in nothing but excruciating agony.

The emotions that swarm me like a tsunami make it hard to breathe, and just like that, my eyes open once again to watch the dancing flames. My breathing was rough and speedy as I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat and looked to my trembling hands that sat in the middle of my crossed legs.

I knew I needed to live, and yet I was frightened to keep doing just that. Being alone in my room wasn’t helping, but I requested the nurse, the one who was assigned to watch me, leave.

She was a stranger, and though her duty was to ensure I was okay physically and mentally, her presence was only making it harder for me to breathe.

The sound of the door opening just slightly reached my ears, and I grew rigid at the sudden intrusion. My elements were still weak from the shot, but the slight flicker of wind and ice caught my internal attention.

Enough to know who it was.

The door closed quietly, and the soft footsteps the anticipation that followed was like waiting for the first set of fireworks to explode.

I knew we’d have to talk. That I’d have to face what happened and avoid what this apparent enemy wanted from me.

Lose control. Destroy the ones I love. Become a tool of destruction.

It was so obvious, and it was one of many fears that haunted me daily. It merely emphasized the truth in the woman’s words. The woman who could read me like an open book and decipher the emotions that overwhelmed me at every quiet moment.

“Jade.”

Zackery’s soft whisper came from my left, notifying me that I’d gotten so lost in my anxious state that I hadn’t realized he’d already sat down next to me.

I said nothing as we stared into the fire, the silence drifting on and on. Deep down, I wanted him here. Being in a room with someone I trusted - someone I loved - was already making a difference in my body temperature, but did we have to talk?

Do we have to discuss the obvious?

“Jade,” Zackery whispered again. “Want to sit in my lap?”

That wasn’t what I was expecting him to ask. The oddness of it all was enough to tug my attention from the flames to his gaze.

I could immediately tell two things: one, the quads were in unbalanced state again, and two, Zackery looked extra hot with the light of the flames dancing against his skin.

The second obvious thing didn’t seem as relevant as the unbalanced issue, but my frantic mind decided it was only right to emphasize it.

Somehow Zackery maintained our stare as if he didn’t mind that it was taking me eons to answer his simple question.

Did I want to sit on his lap? Yes. That was a no brainer, but I struggled to speak. To let those words out. I squeezed my face in confliction, but then worried it would look like discomfort, which wasn’t my intention either.

All that did was lead to more worry, and I probably looked like a vulnerable mess, jumping in different emotional directions.

“You don’t need to reply, Jade.” Zackery was still calm, and he gave me a gentle smile. “Just nod for yes, or shake your head from side to side for no.”

It was so easy, and I’d just made the entire process like a complicated one-thousand-piece puzzle that needed to be solved in a matter of ten minutes.

Was this what it was like when you came out of death row?

Nodding my head ever so slightly, he nodded in return and got up to sit behind me. All I had to do once he was comfortable was scoot back, which I did.

His careful hands went to my waist to lift me up into his lap, and with a bit of repositioning, we were front and center of the fireplace, watching the flames continue to burn brightly.

His arms were around my waist as I relaxed against his chest. I feared closing my eyes, but the warmth Zackery’s body brought me was a gift from the heavens.

It could have been his arrival that suddenly made all of this a little better - more manageable - then the isolation I had experienced only moments earlier.

His breathing was steady as he rested his head on my right shoulder. I loved to feel his exhales against the skin of my shoulder as his soft aroma hugged me comfortingly.

Everything about this felt right, and I wondered how he had known I needed him.

We sat there in silence, but there was no sense of pressure to exchange words. Time carried on, and when I had the courage to close my eyes, there it was.

That serene tranquility.

I waited for it to end and the rush of dreadful desolation to follow, but as the ticks of the grandfather clock carried on and the crackle of the burning wood sang its song, the peace within my mind carried on.

Who knew it could trigger the sobs that fought for freedom?

The thought of breaking down made it into something scary and fierce. It reminded me of that year of homelessness and the fear of facing the lurking men that were filled with nothing but greed.

I fought to stop the sobs as they rippled through me, my cheeks already wet from shedding tears, but all it did was make the urge to let go stronger, and I feared losing all control.

It didn’t matter that my elements were weak, my emotional state could rile them back up until they stormed around me and sought out all those that inflicted this deeply rooted pain.

What I envisioned was only inevitable, but that’s when a tender touch graced my cheek and the deep voice of calm drifted to my ears.

“It’s okay, Jade. Let it all go.”

My eyes opened then, and all I could do was turn my body enough for me to see Zackery’s eyes. They reflected various emotions, giving off Zeke vibes with his demeanor. However, his eyes held seriousness like Zeus and his voice was as calm as Zion’s, leaving me to wonder where my playful Zackery was.

My worried eyes must have clued him in to him my concern, and then there was that radiant smile of his while his black eyes shifted to a lovely teal-silver.

“I’m right here, Jade, my Hive Queen.” How soothing those words were, as they allowed me to let go of the chains of resistance.

I snuggled against his chest, my sobs consuming me as I cried my eyes out. He didn’t say another word, his arms encasing me in the protective warmth as I did what he asked of me.

Let go.

I knew this was what I needed, and I wasn’t going to feel ashamed for letting every teardrop fall, nor would I forget this sense of freedom. The words of the woman repeated in my mind, over and over again.

Vengeance of the highest level…living is the perfect fuck you to the people who wanted me dead.

All her words made sense, and I craved to execute them immediately.

But I needed this second of vulnerability. To be lost in the pain that death brought and the open box of regrets and fears.

There was something special about Zackery’s presence that made this raw emotion even more valuable. It could have been the fact he was here versus Zeus or Zeke, who commonly comforted me in situations like these.

It also could have been the opened connection between Zackery and me - the establishment of our hive bond. The comfort his comforting warmth brought. I wondered if he felt the tornado of emotions whirling within me.

My sadness, heartache, and desire to overcome the suffocating turmoil that fought to cling to my very being.

My sobs quieted down to whimpers until I felt completely drained. Sleep seemed more inviting now, but I didn’t want to rest just yet - afraid of the nightmares that were surely waiting for my arrival.

“Summer vacation starts soon,” Zackery quietly stated. His statement was a worth-while distraction, the prompt reminder that we’d finished our first year at Tracker Hive making me slightly happier.

“I want to go to the beach,” I mumbled with a croaking voice.

“Okay. We can go to a nice, private beach on a vast island and jet ski.”

“And play volleyball.”

“Mhm.”

“And drink and dance?”

“Yup.”

“And eat roasted marshmallows.”

“That and awesome s’mores,” Zackery offered.

“Sounds inviting,” I whispered, my eyes growing heavy at the sudden thought of a beach vacation with my Trouble Four. I could already see us having a blast and the sex that would follow.

It made me want to get in on some action right now, but my body was revolting at the idea by making me feel even sleepier.

“We’d have lots of sex,” I mumbled, my eyes finally closing after they fought the battle of remaining open and lost.

“Anything you wish for, Jade,” he assured me, his hand stroking through my hair.

“I’m…supposed to be in the medical room,” I whispered, only now realizing I hadn’t been in this room to begin with. My mind must have been so enthralled with what had transpired with my death that I’d ignored the change of environment.

“You were brought to your room at one point, then to the medical room because your blood pressure dropped. You came back here after you told the nurse you wanted to be alone, right?”

“Mhm.” I could have explained my actions, but did it matter? Who wanted to be in those sterile rooms of annoying beeping and random nurses coming in to update you of your own health status?

My physical wound was gone, but not the emotional hurt and mental catastrophe I was dealing with. It was only getting better thanks to Zackery.

“How did you find me?” I finally asked after a moment of calming silence.

“I felt that you weren’t at the medical room at tracker hive. I went anyways to confirm my suspicions and the nurse said you vanished before she could inform Alaric and the others.”

“I don’t want to deal with anyone else right now.”

It felt a little selfish to come to that conclusion, but I just needed some time in Zackery’s presence to ease whatever complicated emotions remained in my heart.

Obviously the cure to all of this wasn’t going to happen with a snap of my fingers, nor would it heal itself in a day, month, or maybe even year.

Who knows how long it would take me to embrace what had occurred and “get over it”, but healing wasn’t a race. Not in this case.

My goal was to obtain happiness, but now I’d have to change my previous thoughts of claiming such abundant joy. I didn’t want it to be something temporary that shattered with one incident. I aimed to achieve a level of happiness that led to me accepting the challenges that hit me in life and have no regrets to follow those tough tasks that test me.

“You don’t have to,” he answered me in a hushed voice. The way his fingers stroked my hair made it easier for me to feel at peace within his embrace. “All I want you to do is rest.”

“Can I take a nap?”

“You sure can,”

“Don’t…go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Jade. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Okay.” I really was losing this battle of staying awake, his words of reassurance making it easier for me to let go, stop fighting the darkness. “Then sex.”

“You’re going to be up for that connection?” Zackery teased.

His response tugged my lips upward, as I ignore the tears that somehow left my closed eyes. There was no reason for me to cry, but I felt beyond relieved to have him here.

To acknowledge that he and my other three boyfriends were safe. No one else had gotten hurt but me, and though I was nowhere near better, I’d heal with time.

“Mhm,” I responded, my body growing more relaxed by the second. My elements tugged upward, but only at snail’s pace.

With my decreased consciousness, they stepped up to the plate to shield me mentally. My elements did things to protect me, and this was one of those things.

“Jade?” Zackery’s voice was far away, but it didn’t frighten me. I could feel the burning connection between us and the warmth that continued to hug me with ever-flowing tenderness.

A soft press to my temple was followed by a long kiss to my lips.

“I’m so happy you’re alive, Hive Queen. Don’t fear. Let the nightmares remain at bay,” Zackery whispered into my ear. “We’ll figure this out together, and no one, not even Charles, is going to destroy us. Not anymore.”

It intrigued me how many times we’d been confident in ourselves in this battle of capturing Charles, and he’d always been ahead of the game. It made it harder to believe in hopeful words, but something about this time around made it feel real.

I felt that the universe was listening to his vow and would grant us the opportunity to get back at all those that fought to tear me from my Hives.

There was a bigger purpose I was meant to accomplish, and it was about time I figured out what it was.

Regardless of what destiny had in store for me, what I could do at this moment was rest. Silence soon followed with the burning wood and crackles of the fire becoming the new serenade to my imminent slumber.

I tensed up when the darkness finally began to take me away, but there was that soothing voice that echoed in my head.

Do not fear, Jade, my Hive Queen. I am right here.

Zackery’s voice was what gave me the courage to dream.

3

DAZZLING DIAMOND

~ZACKERY~

THE SOUND of Jade’s soft breathing was like a soft symphony that left me in pure elation. How peaceful her expression was, even after the madness she’s just experienced earlier today.

There we lay in her bed after she’d fallen asleep in my arms in front of the fireplace. The flames that kept the room warm had dimmed, a small crackle from the twig of wood that remained echoing in the darkroom.

The moonlight shone through the tiny space in the curtains, shining onto the blanket that cloaked us to the waist. I’d changed into just my boxers, happy to be out of the black combat clothes I’d worn all day, but I let Jade remain in her attire, not wanting to remove her clothes unless she wanted me to once she woke up.

It was already night time. The day had blurred by in a flash consisting of tracker duties, reports, and orders. Somewhere in the middle of the day, Alaric had informed us that Jade’s blood pressure had dropped and that was why she’d been transferred to the Tracker Hive medical center by the tall man named Ceil.

Or Lisette’s shadow.

All of us would have rather been by her bedside then deal with the mayhem going on with Charles’s third attempt to try and kill Jade in less six months, but we needed all hands on deck while the initial rush went down at both departments.

It was clear that someone with the same, if not greater, resources was backing Charles up because once again, he was nowhere to be found. It was getting to the point that we wanted to bring the whole case to the news, but that would only put Jade in more jeopardy.

Calvin said Charles had plenty of enemies, which meant that if they found out how valuable she seemed to be, Jade would be the perfect bait.

Those who wanted to catch Charles still couldn’t be trusted. We didn’t know their purpose for seeking his captivity. Keeping it on the down low was the best option, and Charles knew that.

He’s been playing games with our organization for years. I’m sure this is nothing to him.

I’d spent the day searching the streets, while Zion’s team was assigned to the sewers and other not-so-clean areas. Zeus and Zeke were sent with the R-squad to investigate the black market, having to go undercover to blend in and grab as much information as they could before nightfall.

As for Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner, I wasn’t sure what they were doing. Alaric had texted us the updates on Jade’s condition, but that was it. I could only imagine what was going through their heads, especially with how much they cared about Jade.

Calvin said he’d be working on some medication just in case Jade had a mental breakdown or needed a balance boost, as well as trying to make more serums to help balance the four of us,

Yup. We were unbalanced again.

It wasn’t as bad - I guess - but it was fucking up our usual roles. Zeus was currently the seductive brother while Zeke has no patience for anything. Zion had my uplifting mood and I was calm as fuck.

Had to admit, Zion and I switching moods didn’t do as much damage as it did Zeke and Zeus, but the main problems were how sudden the shifts would suddenly be and Zeke’s inability to get us back in control.

There was something going on with Zeke that none of us could figure out yet. Whether he was dealing with some issues he didn’t want to discuss or was having one of those mid-life crises, we all felt a little tension resonating from him and he’d yet to say why.

I’m sure, like the others, we didn’t want to push him to reveal what was troubling him, but if this carried on, we’d need to talk.

Something we’d all been avoiding.

All of us expected this semester to go far smoother than the last, but here we were, completely taken off guard with the introductions of the R-squad, Leonardo, and that Ross douche.

Having the semester end with Jade being shot, killed, and somehow revived by a nutcase who is apparently Jade’s third Hive wasn’t something anyone could predict.

Lisette Cross. Eight element carrier, nutcase that had been kidnapped by Charles years ago and experimented on. I’d only skimmed the massive file that was secured at Jade’s penthouse.

None of us wanted to leave any information in the offices that could aid us in figuring out what was going on, and that included figuring out who this new apparent ally was.

After securing the file and giving a report, I was the first to be done for the day, and I went right to the medical room to see Jade.

Even without any mental communication with my brothers, the tension brewing within us over Jade’s condition was palpable.

We were afraid of the worst, having seen the end result of that bullet. The image kept flashing in my mind, over and over again, making it hard to focus on the tasks at hand.

Finding out she’d ditched the medical room minutes before I arrived offered me a little relief, because it meant she was strong enough to bounce and head to where she felt most comfortable.

Opening my eyes, I looked down at her sleeping figure, my hand still absentmindedly stroking her now-white strands.

I don’t think she’d noticed the hair change or the fact she was still wearing her hospital gown.

Did it matter? No.

Our Hive Queen was alive, but I’m sure her mind was flooded with uncertainty. Her emotions were strong, and I was sure the bond we’d established not long ago was the reason why I’d rushed here to comfort her.

The unsettling pain pounded against my head like a nagging headache, and the feelings of defeat, sadness, and regret hit me in waves and vanished just as quickly.

I was experiencing a glimpse of what was trying to overtake Jade entirely, but it was having her in my arms and watching her break down emotionally that caused those heightened feelings to consume me - fighting to drown both of us.

Jade was too lost in her emotions to see how the fire that burned brightly morphed into a silhouette in the fireplace. She didn’t pay attention to how the wind rattled against the windows and how the temperature went from frigid, to mild, to steaming hot.

Her sobs caused her temperature to spike, but I held her tightly, cooling my temperature so that I could help cool her down. It was no wonder she was so drained near the end; the energy she expelled without realizing it left her weak and mentally exhausted.

My tiredness was a mere fraction of the lot of emotions fighting to consume me, but I couldn’t allow myself to sleep.

Not yet.

I remained awake, watching Jade sleep the evening away. I knew my brothers had to be busy with the investigations they were doing. My mind was filled with my own worries.

My eyes were finally growing heavy when something hopped onto my chest.

“Mawe?”

“I’m not allowed to sleep, am I, Minx?” I questioned the new familiar, who tilted its head to one side. With a blink, they were both there - one of light and one of darkness staring back at me with their innocent eyes.

“Mawe!” they said in unison, making themselves comfortable right on my chest.

“Delightful,” I sighed as they curled up in that exact spot on my chest and drifted off to sleep.

Jade stirred then, and I looked back at her to see her eyes open slightly. They were thick with sleep as she blinked a few times, her gaze staring out into the dark of her room before they moved to Minx.

She then looked up at me, our eyes connecting in longing - my elements urging to come to the surface and appease whatever desires Jade had.

I actually struggled to stop myself from kissing her right then and there, but as our stare intensified, I began to lose the battle as I inched closer.

The Minx duo moved off my chest, and that was the last thing stopping me from having what I now craved - Jade.

With them gone and the pinch of resistance I had left going up in smoke, I gave in to my urgency and laid my lips upon hers.

The shot of pleasure that ignited with our urgent kiss made me growl against her lips, and she pressed right back with power as we fought for supremacy.

The logical side of my brain fought to make an excuse to pause in our feverish connection. Excuses like exhaustion, not the right time or place…the list went on and on. But the deeper our kiss became, the further away those thoughts became - my focus on pleasing my queen.

I allowed her to take control, my back pressing against the sheets of her bed as she sat on my lower half. Licking my swollen lips, my lust-filled eyes didn’t leave hers as she stripped the hospital gown away, leaving her in black panties.

She leaned down to grace me with another intense kiss. My hands moved to her waist and lowered to the thin string of fabric of her underwear.

Sensing my need, she continued to kiss me but lifted her hips slightly to give me a chance to lower her underwear and leave my hands on her ass.

Squeezing it gently, I bit the bottom of her lip. She moaned as I tugged it lightly before smothering my lips against hers.

Her taste was addicting and feeling her arousal for me made me want to quicken the pace of this. I fought the urge to do it, mentally convincing myself that the slower we went, the more pleasurable all of this would become in a short few minutes.

“Zackery.” The way she moaned my name always turned me on. My heart beat quickly against my chest while my erect cock pressed tightly against the fabric of my boxers.

Her added movement against my erection was only adding to the intensity booming between us, and I was beginning to take back the need to slow down.

She kissed my neck and sucked the flesh, her teeth grazing my flesh before sinking deeply and igniting a surge of pain and pleasure.

The low growl that vibrated against my throat only excited her as she carried right along down my throat and down my chest. She moved down past my abs, and I lifted my hips to give her the chance to slide my boxers off.

My cock was hard and ready, and when our eyes connected, I knew she was going to strap me in for a pleasurable rollercoaster.

Starting with a blow job.

She licked her swollen lips, her eyes beginning to shift to that sexy red of hers. I loved it when that happened. It proved all of this was just as arousing for her as it was for me.

Her hand wrapped around my cock, moving up and down slowly. The anticipation built as we kept our hungered gaze. Her eyes were dancing with mischief, the flickers of desire growing by the second as she lowered her mouth to the tip of my cock - that tongue of hers teasing me slightly with a circular lick.

“Jade,” I moaned in encouragement, our eyes still locked. The grin that morphed on her face had my heart skipping in anticipation, and she slowly lowered her mouth onto my cock at snail’s pace, taking me in inch by inch.

My eyes rolled back as I allowed myself the glory of pleasure in this divine moment. Ever since the day I’d finally experienced what sex was all about, masturbating couldn’t cut it with these new standards.

Jade unlocked so many emotions inside me, and experiencing these brinks of passion only reminded me of how much I adored her.

She began to move up and down my cock, sucking with intensity while moving at the perfect pace to build the coursing pleasure that was rising inside me.

Her movement quickened, and I raked my fingers through her hair, steadying her head as my hips moved on their own accord. She stayed still but kept her mouth nice and tight, only adding to the tight pressure and rushing climax that hit me soon after.

I growled and let my release flow, and Jade took every shot of cum. Pulling out, she showed me her mouth and swallowed it all down, licking her lips with added emphasis.

If that didn’t turn a guy on, I didn’t know what would.

She licked my cock clean and was hovering above me with her lips grazing mine in seconds. I hooked an arm around her waist, the other gliding through her hair before I pressed her head down and kissed her hard.

My tongue darted into her mouth, the two of us French kissing while grinding against one another. Her pussy was wet as she teased my length that was already growing hard.

I couldn’t stand her teasing anymore, my elements taking control as I rolled us over and pinned her beneath me. Our eyes locked, and I noticed how her red orbs flickered between blue and green.

We didn’t need to exchange words as I readied my cock at her entrance. I knew what she wanted by how her feelings danced within me, and with how strong our connection was in this steamy moment, she must have sensed mine.

I never knew a woman could enlighten me in so many ways, yet Jade had broken all my expectations, setting the standards so high that no other woman could ever beat them.

As if I’d let her escape our grasp.

I teased her pussy with the thick tip of my cock. Her impatient growl made me smile deviously back at her.

I shouldn’t keep our queen waiting.

I slipped into her with ease, and her moan was loud and clear as her head fell back against the pillow and she gripped the sheets beneath her. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, enjoying how her hot pussy clung around me and fluttered.

Then I began to move, each stroke growing deeper and faster than the last. I wasn’t going to take time with this round, feeling as though more would come our way after we were done.

The thought only encouraged me to move faster, harder, and we both panted at the fierce movement of our bodies. I watched how her boobs bounced with every movement, and her moans and cries of pleasure only grew louder.

“Zackery. Oh yes. Fuck!” It was taking my all to stay focused, the rush of emotions wrapping around us making it even harder to reach the climax we both deserved.

“That’s it, Jade. Get lost in me. In us. In all these fucking emotions.”

I wasn’t sure if I was even making sense, my body in full control of its desires as I worked myself to the bone. We panted harder. Our growls and moans bounced off the walls, and I knew she was getting close as she gripped my shoulders to steady herself, those sharp nails of hers sinking deeper into my flesh.

Wind bashed at the windows, and the temperature in the room dropped to the point that our rapid breaths were making puffs of smoke, but internally, we were on fire - the rhythm of pleasure about to explode through both of us.

“Yes! Yes! Ah! Zackery!” Jade cried out, I knew she’d cum in a few more thrusts. I moved even faster, feeling her pussy tighten around me and the rush of my climax ready to hit me with force.

Our wild movement came to a dramatic pause as we both came in unison.

“Zackery!” Jade screamed, her body trembling as her climax ripped through her. I grunted in relief, shooting my cum as I fought for air. The wind that danced around us was lifting parts of the sheets, curtains, and books that were sitting on the corner chair.

The remaining flames in the fireplace blew right out, leaving the evidence of steam behind. I pulled out and stopped myself from collapsing on Jade, moving to fall over to her side. She was still riding the aftershocks of her high, her body trembling but her lips lifted in a satisfied smile.

“Whoever said sex wasn’t a good stress reliever was a fucking liar,” she breathed. I chuckled and leaned over to kiss her, my hand moving down her chest and reaching for her right breast.

She moaned against my lips, and I opened my eyes slightly to meet her now teal ones.

“Teal eyes and white hair kinda suit you,” I muttered.

“White hair?” She arched an eyebrow at me.

“You haven’t seen yourself in the mirror, huh?”

“Nope.” She didn’t seem worried as she leaned back into the sheets. “I kinda just thought of coming here and warming up. I felt super cold before, like I was in the middle of a snowstorm.”

“How are you feeling?” I quietly asked.

“Alive.” Her response made a lump get stuck in my throat. I looked over to her, watching her eyes fill with tears as she looked up to the ceiling. “Do you think I’ll stop crying anytime soon?”

I reached for her right cheek and gently maneuvered her head so she had no choice but to look into my eyes.

“There’s nothing wrong with crying.”

“It makes me weak.”

“It allows you to release the emotions that come with surviving death. There’s nothing weak about it, and I won’t let you feel that way.”

I kissed her tenderly, sending emotions of admiration and courage her way. She gasped but moaned quietly as her body seemed to relax.

I moved on top of her yet again, our lips brushing one another as I whispered, “Let those tears fall. Whenever you want to cry, you do just that and I’ll be right there to hold you. To comfort and cherish you, like the dazzling diamond you are.”

The smile that bloomed on her face made her watery eyes twinkle with hope, and I kissed her sweetly in return.

We continued to exchange our love with kisses, and we spent the night moving to the beat of our bodies until we reached ecstasy again and again.

My dazzling diamond.

4

LISETTE CROSS AND NEVER BE REPLACED

~JADE~

“ALARIC.” I let out a sigh. “You’re going to break my ribs if you hug me any tighter.”

“Maybe then I can convince you to stick to bed for at least a week?” he offered.

“Not a chance,” I replied, amusement oozing through me at his poor attempt to keep me out of harm’s way.

We gathered at the Tracker Hive Agency headquarters, deciding to discuss what needed to be said in the private meeting room.

This room was extra special because it was soundproof, magic proof, basically everything proof. Alaric only reserved it for meetings that required the S.W.A.T. or issues that threatened the world’s existence.

The magical council had used this room more than once when world issues that involved magic users reached a global level, so its significance and our usage of it now told me this case had escalated to a worrisome status.

After my night with Zackery, I woke up in a bundle of limbs - Zion, Zeus, and Zeke had somehow managed to squeeze themselves into my bed while Minx slept on my forehead.

Amazing how pets could sleep in the oddest of places…like my forehead.

It felt good to be in their presence, but what resonated with my emotions was how they didn’t request for me to speak about the sensation death brought.

They asked if I was okay and assured me that they had my back if I needed anything, but that was it. No other questions or pressure to talk about the inevitable conversation we’d have shortly.

I’m sure they must have talked about what happened amongst themselves during my downtime, but I’d need a recap as to what happened that left me with no physical wounds when I was positive a bullet had gone through my head.

I’d taken a shower while Zion and Zackery helped make breakfast. Zeus had fixed my bed, and Zeke was protectively “guarding” me in the washroom with Minx in his lap.

It was clear since getting her that Minx adored Zeke and followed him more than me. I didn’t mind it, and blamed it on the fact that he was of light and dark elements, which was what Minx was made up of.

She continues to remind me of Ying and Yang.

Bianca had called us to meet them here at the headquarters, having come back from an initial report with the agency. They didn’t need to know the details. All they needed was his picture and to know that he should now be captured.

Alive or dead. No more preferences.

This meeting felt like it was going to be an intense one, and I became more certain that it would be when we walked in to see the R-squad and Leonardo sitting on the right side of the long table.

My quad immediately wanted to leave, but Tanner hushed them up, giving one of those speeches about professionalism which had them sit right down to shut him up.

Alaric had pulled me outside to walk to his office and have a private moment to talk, but of course he had to give me one of those hugs that made me feel so valued as his daughter.

“Dad?” I lifted my head to look up to his comforting eyes. “How bad is this situation?”

“Bad enough for your parents to take matters into their own hands,” he whispered, and stroked my head gently.

“Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t want you guys getting hurt because of me,” I reasoned, becoming nervous at the idea of my parents getting involved on a field level.

Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner didn’t go into the field unless a case or mission escalated to a global problem. Charles was indeed a threat, but I was clearly his obsession.

That shouldn’t result in a global issue, right?

I was positive this wasn’t going back into the news for my own sake. If the case of my family’s murder came back to the surface, the story would spread around the school and only make my attempt to be an undercover student attending school for shits and giggles a waste.

“We’ll be fine, Jade,” he promised me. “Once we explain things, you and the others will understand what’s going on.”

“What about school?” I didn’t look at his face when I asked the question. “Do…we have to go back?”

“You don’t want to return?” he inquired.

“I’m…not sure,” I admitted and finally looked back into his eyes. “I’m not giving up…or at least, I don’t want to give in to fear. However, school doesn’t seem fun anymore when you keep potentially dying there. My deaths aren’t due to my lack of power at the school level. It’s due to my lack of protecting myself from a man that’s now desperate to be rid of me.”

Pausing with my explanation, I let out a heavy sigh and decided to be more honest about the whole thing.

“Last semester was okay, but it also wasn’t. I couldn’t concentrate in class. It felt as though I was always looking over my shoulder, and now that our classes will begin to be weapon- and magic-focused, I’m concerned. It’s nice to be with my boyfriends in class, but I want to learn in confidence. Not fear. All of this could sound silly, but that’s what’s bothering me. Shadow Jade’s anxiety about attending is making it harder.”

I gave him a sad smile and shrugged. “I’ve never been much of a coward, but I sure feel like one.”

“You’re not a coward, Jade.” He leaned back to sit on the edge of his desk as he crossed his arms over his chest. Pulling his glasses off for a moment, he looked at me with a serious gaze.

“Tracker Hive Academy was obviously designed to build on the best trackers and be a home for those individuals who were uniquely different and wouldn’t fit in elsewhere. School comes with many challenges, especially with students that can harness various elements and magic, but this is a special case.”

Looking over to the picture on the wall, I followed his gaze to see the image of me holding my adoption papers with Bianca, Tanner, and Alaric behind me. We were all wearing wide smiles, the joy oozing off of the simple image that was encased in a gold frame.

“The magic council wanted you to attend to aid us with the sudden deaths of students and to catch the culprit, who is obviously Charles. However, there seems to be more to it, and we’re desperately trying to figure out the reasoning for it.”

“Meaning you guys are in the dark about why I have to keep attending Tracker Hive,” I concluded.

He nodded, his eyes returning to me as he slid his glasses back on.

“We’re trying our hardest to find out why, Jade, but things are escalating far faster than we can keep up with. Our department isn’t the only one struggling to maintain the low crime rate in magical affairs, prior to the mysterious murders and kidnappings happening around the country. It’s what’s been keeping us busy, and that may have been a mistake on our part.”

With a pause, he stared at me for a long moment.

“If I knew of the council’s original intentions, I would have never agreed for you to be bait. Your suffering is due to my miscalculations, and I wholeheartedly apologize for it.” He bowed his head in apology, which only left me in a frantic mood.

“D-Dad. You apologizing is weird. Don’t do that,” I huffed.

He chuckled and raised his head to see my flustered expression. “Embarrassed about your father apologizing to you? That’s our Jade for you.”

“Hey, don’t tease me!” I huffed with pride but gave him a thankful smile. “I don’t blame any of you for the turmoil I’ve experienced thanks to Charles’s obsession with me. I honestly do want to keep attending Tracker Hive whenever I think about leaving. I think I just need more time away from there.”

“Summer will give you that,” he assured me.

“We have to work on this case.”

“I’ve already informed the agency that you and your team are on leave for the summer,” he announced. “Your vacation starts after this meeting.”

I stared at him in surprise. “Seriously?”

He smirked and moved off the desk to pat my head before he made his way to the door. “What kind of father would I be if I made my strong, powerful daughter work her summer away after a hectic first year at my academy?”

He opened the door and looked back at me with a loving grin.

“You’re the best, Dad,” I whispered, fighting the tears that threatened my eyes. “Thank you.”

“Your very welcome, Jade,” he replied. “Let’s get down to business.”

We returned to the meeting room, an empty seat waiting for me with Zeke and Zion on my right and Zeus and Zackery on my left.

Leonardo sat directly across from me, and I needed a moment to figure out which R quads were which. My lingering stare from left to right had Leonardo grinning.

“Rock is the opposite of Zackery, Ruke is the opposite of Zeus, Rick is the opposite of Zion, and Royce is the opposite of Zeke. Figured having them in the same order as your lover’s elements would help with the identification process.”

“It didn’t,” Zeus muttered, clearly annoyed.

“You’re only being an ass because my thunder is stronger than yours,” Ruke baited.

“Wanna bet?” Zeus challenged.

Tanner sighed. “Don’t start a storm in the meeting room.” He already looked tired, and the meeting hadn’t even started yet.

“Where’d Calvin go?” I inquired. “And Bianca?”

“They’re coming,” Tanner assured me. “We have one more person joining us.”

“Why exactly are we here, then?” Ruke questioned with a scowl. “We actually have work to do.”

“Like clean the house from the chaos Ruke and Royce left last night after their fight over who’s stronger, and do the laundry after Leonardo spilled coffee over the full folded bin. Or explain why Rock didn’t pick up the department heads phone calls all weekend, and-” Rick was quietly listing everything when Leonardo groaned. “Rick. Not here.”

“Hmm?” He innocently looked over to his sides. “Why?”

“Because it’s embarrassing!” Royce and Ruke said in unison.

“Why you got a rat us out like th- wait a minute! Who the fuck spilled coffee on the laundry?!” Rock demanded.

“Ugh,” Leonardo groaned. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“What have I said about having coffee anywhere near my whites?! I swear if my underwear is stained, you’re buying me a whole wardrobe! I can’t win competitions with stained white underwear! It’ll look like I shit my pants!” Rock snapped.

“Remember the time he shit his pants and cried for days upon days?” Rick brought up to the other two.

“Good times.” They smirked at that memory.

Leonardo sighed helplessly while Rock’s whole face went tomato red. “I was fucking five!”

“Yes,” the three of them replied. “But it was funny.”

“Fuck all three of you!” he insulted. “If all the fucking underwear is missing in the house, no one complain. I don’t want to hear a damn peep from anyone!”

“Don’t bring me into your fights,” Leonardo muttered. “My underwear is by Louis Vuitton. Unless you’re going to buy me thousands of dollars’ worth of underwear, don’t even try pulling me into your mess.”

“Minus Leonardo,” Rock excused him.

“He can’t just get away from that over Louis Vuitton!” the three argued.

“Shut the fuck up,” Rock dismissed. “I’m not dealing with sleeping in steaming hot temperatures with his anger management issues. Remember last time we pissed him off?”

The three of them remained silent before they muttered, “Fine.”

“KILL!”

“Ah!” We all flinched at the sudden sound of Shadow Jade, who she was now standing on the table in triumph as she held her pink and black unicorn plushies while Minx casually chilled on her head.

“Mawe?”

“Shadow Jade,” I literally cheered, excited that she was back.

My elements had been quietly resting inside me, their presence stronger now than it had been the night before. Seeing Shadow Jade confirmed that I was actually okay physically.

She looked over her shoulder to grin eerily at me.

“Jade, Mommy! Kill!” She launched right at me.

“AH! Shado-OMPH!” I crashed backwards before anyone could react, the two of us on the floor while Minx was now in her double form and sitting on our faces.

“Ugh,” I groaned.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade muffled due to shadow Minx’s furry body.

“Weird,” the R-squad and Leonardo said in unison.

“Shut up!” my four boyfriends countered.

The door slammed open, all of us turning in that direction. Light Minx hopped of my face, and my eyes landed on a woman that took my breath away as my eyes widened.

She was absolutely gorgeous. Her unique, neon pink hair styled in bountiful curls was what caught my attention first. She had pale skin, but she’d contoured her makeup perfectly to accent her stunning pink eyes and rosy cheeks.

She stood at 6′1″ but from her noticeable pink combat wedges, she had to be 6′3″. She wore a perfectly white dress with frills that reached outward from the skirt in layers. A pink ribbon was around her small, snatched waist, the only pop of color in the white dress.

She carried a pink umbrella with lace trim along the edges of the closed item that hung on her left wrist, and I noticed that she wore white silk gloves.

The proud smile on her face lit her whole expression, and she took two steps forward before making her dramatic announcement.

“I’VE ARRIVED!”

Calvin and Bianca were behind her, walking into the room and closing the door behind them. “Sorry we’re late. Someone got lost,” Calvin emphasized.

“I didn’t get lost, puppy dog,” she announced. “I was exploring.”

“Snooping,” Bianca corrected with a grin, and looked over to me and Shadow Jade, the two of still lost in how gorgeous this new arrival was.

Is it weird that my heart is going as fast as it is? Maybe.

“Jade? Shadow Jade? Why are you both on the floor?”

“Uh,” we both replied, and I could tell Shadow Jade was blushing just like I was. We both scrambled up to our feet as Minx walked over to the new arrival.

“Mawe?!” she happily declared before she began to rub her head against the woman’s ankle.

“Hello, mystical familiar being!” the woman squealed and crouched down to pet Minx. “What a powerful familiar you are,” she praised.

It intrigued me that she could tell Minx’s potential with a mere glance, and that observation was making me even more interested in discovering who she was.

“You remind me of the familiars at the lab, only you’re prettier…and don’t kill on sight.”

“Mawe.” Minx said with a purr.

Lab? Kill on sight? Who is this woman?

“Um,” I spoke up. “Who are you?”

Her pink eyes met mine, and my heart went racing once again. My elements tugged forward, and Shadow Jade shuffled to hide behind me.

“Heartache trigger person! KILL!”

I blushed harder as the woman laughed. “Aww. Do I make your heart go laba-dub?” She smirked before she took a step back to curtsey. “Lisette Cross. Nice to meet you again, Jade Storm.”

“Again…” I whispered, the familiarity of her eyes triggering that moment within the dark sphere. “You’re…the woman who told me to live.”

“Indeed I am.” She rose back up to give me a pleasant grin. “Now, why are we having a meet…” She trailed off when her eyes landed to my left, those pink orbs growing wide as her shock swarmed her expression.

I followed her gaze to the R-quads and Leonardo, only to see their absolutely shocked expressions. The room seemed to grow in heavy silence until Shadow Jade whispered into my ear.

“Did they die, kill?”

“Uh…no. I think they’re just in shock.”

“Well that’s a first,” Zeke noted.

“Why are they so surprised?” Zackery pondered.

“Makes it seem like they’ve seen a ghost,” Zion added.

“Or never seen a woman with pink hair before,” Zeus muttered.

Alaric chuckled, stealing our attention.

“When you’ve been searching for someone for ten years, it’s only normal for you to fall into a state of surprise when they waltz right into the room.”

“Ten…years?” I frowned and returned my gaze to Lisette. She’d clearly recovered from her shock; her face now masked her true emotions. Then the eerie smile was back, and she giggled.

“Well, hello again, Team R. Seems you got a new leader.” Her voice was filled with that joyous emotion, but I seemed to know better.

I felt it.

“It’s not like we had a choice,” Ruke immediately defended.

“Lisette,” Rock whispered.

“How…why weren’t we informed that you were okay?” Rick questioned quietly.

“Informed? We should have been the first to know about your retrieval,” Royce emphasized.

“Is this the woman who used to lead you guys?” Leonardo seemed to be out of the loop, looking from side to side at his teammates.

“Yes!” the four of them declared.

I exchanged looks with my men, and Calvin walked over to stand behind me, leaning in to whisper, “Do we need a recess before we start?”

He must be feeling the whirl of emotions going on in the room, but it was the wild reaction of my elements that was leaving me uncomfortable.

“Ya,” I muttered and rose up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “We need a recess for a moment.”

I glanced to Alaric for permission. He nodded, and before anyone could argue or try and break the tension, I grabbed Lisette’s hand and tugged her right out of the room.

“Oh?” She seemed confused as we walked down the hall and headed for the girl’s washroom. “Are we going on a date?!”

I didn’t reply, but squeezed her hand a little tighter. The moment we reached the washroom, I closed the door, locked it, and a black wall of magic sealed the cube room.

Turning my attention to Lisette, I watched her walk to the other side of the room and lean against the wall right above the little window. I felt Shadow Jade to my left and took a quick glance to confirm my suspicions.

She was just as serious as I, and I returned my gaze to Lisette.

“You can let go of that facade,” I announced.

“Facade?” Lisette smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m unsure what you’re referring to.”

“You just met your old team, correct?” I presented. “The R-quads were your old tracker team? I’m only assuming because I really don’t know anything about your past, but are you the individual that escaped Charles’ captivity? The one the R-quads have been searching for and the reason why they’ve been after Charles?”

She didn’t reply, her smile still solid on her face as she stared back at us.

“Lisette.” I frowned and tried to hide how it pained me to see her one way but feel these boiling emotions pouncing out of her. “I can feel your emotions.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Her voice went cold. “If I knew they would be here, I would have not come here.”

Anger.

“Why angry, kill?” Shadow Jade stepped forward, her innocent question followed up with, “Replaced?”

Lisette didn’t say a word, but her eyes darkened. With a blink, a tall man appeared out of the darkness, and we both gawked at his familiar tall shadow. His body began to form until it was a man in a black suit. His jet-black hair was tied together with a black ribbon, and he wore silk black gloves.

The only thing that wasn’t black was his piercing turquoise eyes, but even from this distance, I could see the swirling darkness in them as it danced around his iris. He didn’t seem pleased, but I knew the rage wasn’t towards me.

It wasn’t even towards the R- squad.

“You’re upset.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Do you act one way because it’s easier to deal with this shitty world than showing your true colors?”

When did I become so observant? I shouldn’t have cared whether she wanted to be a happy-go-lucky gal one minute and crazy the next, but the conflicting emotions bouncing off of us were making it impossible for me to concentrate on the priority at hand.

We need to focus on this issue before it explodes against our favor.

“For someone I saved, you’re sure inquisitive,” she complained with that eerie grin. “Ceil. I want to go home.”

“Yes, you’re majes-”

“Wait!” I commanded. “We need you here.”

“I will not be in the same room as them.”

“You love them!” I emphasized.

“And that love died.” Her voice dropped to a deadpan tone and before either of us could continue, Ceil’s sword was clashing against Shadow Jades.

I bit my bottom lip, feeling the friction of energies between us - our shadows ready to dual it out if words wouldn’t communicate our desires.

“Lisette,” I growled. “You need to listen.”

“Listen? What are you now? My parents?”

“I’m an ally, aren’t I? That’s why you saved me.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head. “It won’t matter.”

“Why won’t it matter?” She wasn’t making any sense, running around the problem I knew was the trigger to her shift in mood.

“You’ll end up being just like them.”

“Like who? The R-squad?”

“What a waste of ten years. Charles was right,” she muttered quietly, her pink eyes shifting to black. “Why did I even bother?”

Ceil pushed Shadow Jade back with enough force that I had to jump in the way to catch her. The two of us went flying into the wall, the impact taking out breath away, but I wasn’t going to let it keep me down. I scrambled to my feet just as Ceil returned to Lisette’s side.

Before either of them could vanish, I called out to my light magic, envisioning a web of stringers entangling them in their place.

Sure enough, the action was done with a blink of my eye, and before either of them could counter-attack, I was in Lisette’s face, while Shadow Jade had the point of her black flaming sword to Ceil’s neck.

“Why aren’t you giving me a chance?”

“Shut up.” Her eyes were dull of emotion as they bled to pure black. “You know nothing.”

“You’re afraid to be replaced.” I got straight to the point. “The R-squad used to be your teammates. You fell in love with them, but were kidnapped by Charles and soon enough, ten years went by. Alaric didn’t tell you they would be here, and maybe it’s a good thing because you wouldn’t have come.”

She bit her lip hard, those raging black orbs glaring back into my eyes, which were surely blazing with red and hints of white from my light magic that fought to keep them at bay.

“In Charles’s captivity, did you have to make this side of you? This happy, cynical side that makes everything into a happy adventure, so you can hide this part of you? The anger-induced, destructive part of you that would do anything to seek the revenge you so clearly deserve?”

She said nothing but looked away. I slammed my hand to the wall behind her, my face an inch away from hers. She had no choice but to look my way, and I could feel the fear, anger, and sadness ooze off of her, like a wound that bled to the floor beneath us.

My light magic grew stronger as my other elements struggled to remain at bay. Being this close to her was making me feel crazy, and it was a struggle to think straight.

I need to calm her down. To fix this before we even have a chance at finding out the truth of all of this.

“You know, I’ve never fit in,” I announced, and that sparked a hint of curiosity in her onyx orbs. “Since the day I lost my family…the day Charles took control of Shadow Jade and let her scythe slice through my family’s throats. That night was when everything changed. I was a victim, and yet the world only saw me as a prize possession. Then when they couldn’t have me in a system that dominated children like me, I hid on the streets for a year, running from the demons in the dark corners of the alleyways, and sometimes in broad daylight. Every day was a struggle to figure out my identity, and that was how Shadow Jade got stronger. She was that release. She could continue to give me that sense of childhood I’d had stolen, all while protecting me from the hardships of this damn universe.”

I fought to not get emotional as I watched how my words were getting through to Lisette - to witness first-hand how those onyx orbs began to twinkle with pink and her raging anger lowered to a dim while sadness and flickers of hope grew.

“I fear exactly what you do,” I whispered. “The fear of one day coming back to my Maxwells…my team, and seeing a new leader in their midst. A new woman to take control and be the Tracker I’ve always wished to be.”

Closing my eyes, I took a heavy breath and let it out. “I know how it feels, and I can see through your facade, Lisette. I may not know you, and I’m indeed in debt to you for saving me, but one thing you need to know if you’re going to stick around us…especially me…”

I opened my eyes again, and my words vibrated with power and pure intentions. “When we walk back out that door, you be the woman you want to be. Whether it’s this new facade you developed to cope with the trauma you experienced at the hands of Charles, or whatever you want us to perceive. I want you to be who you want to be. Not the person you were before you were kidnapped, or some other side of yourself that makes you feel like you’re suffocating in the room.”

She swallowed and stared at me, her eyes watering as she kept my gaze.

“Whatever your decision, I want to make it clear. I’m not here to abandon you. I’m not sure what we are going to be to one another once we begin that meeting, but from how my elements are reacting to yours, I can only assume you’re my third Hive, aren’t you?”

She nodded ever-so-slightly, our eyes still locked.

“Then, I vow right here and now, in this moment in time: I will not replace you.”

Those words seem to slice through the bit of resistance that fought against me, because Lisette’s tears finally fell, and I noticed Ceil’s body began to fade until he was gone.

Shadow Jade lowered her sword, and as if to replicate what Ceil did, she, too, retreated, leaving me and Lisette alone to face the resolution I aimed for.

“You can’t guarantee that,” she whispered as tears rolled down her perfectly blushed cheeks. “My team promised to be there for me, and look. They’ve already gotten a new leader.”

“We don’t know the whole story.” I shook my head and gave her a small smile. “However, that’s not our problem right now. Regardless of their decisions and actions, we’re living in the present, and I need you to understand that I’m not like them or Charles.”

I lowered my arms and took a step back.

“I know how it feels to be alone, and I know how it feels to be taken under someone’s wing and shown an endless amount of love. I’ve always thought of resisting the idea of falling for someone or being vulnerable to another but meeting the Maxwell’s proved to me that love isn’t necessarily a weakness.”

Taking a steady breath, my eyes softened as my smile widened. “Forming relationships is scary. Meeting new people is just as scary. Meeting those from the past you once put expectations and hope in is nerve-wracking. All your feelings, the good and the ugly, are valid.”

I offered my hand to her and let her see and feel the flickering emotions within me. The waves of uncertainty, fear, sadness, and anger I had towards Charles and the situation he’d put all of us in.

“You told me in the depths of the darkness to live. That the best vengeance I can offer to the man that is obsessed with killing every bit of happiness in my life is to live in every moment like it’s my last. I resonated with those words, just like my words resonate with you now. It’s hard to face the men you used to love, but you’re willing to do so for my sake. I don’t know your past, but I’m thankful to you for having the courage to try and face that scenario even though you wished to run right out of it.”

She lowered her eyes to my hand as I whispered, “I don’t know what the full extent of a Hive Queen is, but thanks to you, I’m breathing and standing here. Thanks to you, I have a chance to seek vengeance with a new mindset. Thanks to you, I know I deserve better, and thanks to you, I realize that I don’t need to change myself for anyone. I am Jade Storm, the woman aiming to become an official Tracker by graduating Tracker Hive Academy, and I will do just that with those I love by my side. That includes the woman who stands before me.”

Lisette looked back up to me, hesitation flickering in her pink eyes.

“I’m crazy,” she emphasized. “A psycho with multiple personalities. I could be a danger to you and your team. I could have killed you just now from a mere flick of my mood. Or run off and gone on a rampage. Yet, you still want to commit to someone like me? Someone who could very well be working with Charles?”

“Hmm.” I thought about it. “Honestly, you don’t look like the type who plays by the rules.” The comment made me grin as I continued, “And somehow the universe has brought all of us together with our shared hatred of the one man that continues to walk upon our streets. I doubt you’d change your mind, but if you did, I’d merely hunt you down and change your mind.”

“I don’t get along with girls,” she muttered.

“Neither do I.” My grin widened. “Aside from Bianca, I’m usually getting bullied or kicking girl booty. See, we already have a few things in common.”

“I don’t want anyone knowing about this incident.” She looked ashamed for a split second as she looked back at my hand.

“Then no one else will know about it,” I confirmed.

“You promise to not replace me?” The question tugged at my heartstrings, and we locked eyes one more time.

This was one promise I knew I’d be able to keep.

“I promise, Lisette Cross, that I, Jade Storm, will not abandon or replace you. We may not know each other, but you saved me when we were but strangers. We’re both odd in our own unique ways, but we have the same objective at hand. No matter what happens from the moment we walk out the door and back to the meeting room, it will not ruin our friendship, or whatever we wanna call this.”

“Relationship,” she grumbled.

“Relationship, then,” I confirmed.

“Do you even date girls?” she asked out of curiosity.

“Gender doesn’t matter to me.” I shrugged. “As long as we have some sort of connection, I’m good.”

“No wonder Charles is obsessed with you.”

I gave her a confused look, but she put her hand in mine. She used her free hand to wipe her tears. “Thank goodness for waterproof makeup or I’d be bringing the building down.”

“I’m unsure whether I should agree or ask where you bought a waterproof foundation?” I pondered.

Lisette laughed and placed her hand in mine. “This was by far the weirdest introduction I’ve had with someone.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Totally.” She beamed and her eyes softened. “If only the rest of the world could accept weirdness as it comes.”

“Then we wouldn’t be the people we are, now would we?” I offered the challenge back.

“Probably.” She nodded. “We’d be…well…normal.”

“Who wants that?” I sighed dramatically and rolled my eyes.

“KILL!”

“Ah!” We both flinched at the sudden noise and Shadow Jade put her hands on top of both of ours. “Marriage! Kiss!”

“Shadow Jade,” I groaned. “We’re not married.”

“There was no ring presented either,” Lisette noted.

A pink sparkling diamond with a black band caught out attention, and we both looked to my left to see Ceil with a blank look on his face while he presented the ring.

“I’ve returned with a ring.”

“I-I didn’t…ugh.” Lisette’s face went red before she groaned. “Ceil! You’re making me look bad.”

“Oh.” He merely blinked and looked at Shadow Jade, who was staring back at him. “The plan failed.”

“Retreat! Kill!” Shadow Jade declared and poof, the two of them were gone. I caught the ring before it fell to the floor and looked at Lisette, who had an odd expression on her face.

“Looks like our shadows like one another.”

“I noticed that,” I replied. “That voice back in the forest. Was that you?”

“Somewhat,” she replied. “Charles wanted you to fall into a trap and I had some spare time to ruin such plans. Ceil showed up to add to the confusion. Plus, he has a crush on Shadow Jade.”

“They just met,” I noted.

“Elements don’t have time for human emotions. If they connect, they connect.”

“Hmm. You have a point,” I noted. “We should head back before the others think you ran away.”

She frowned, but I grinned and put the ring in her hand.

“I keep my promises. Even if they lead to my death.”

“Which is stupid,” she replied but reached for my hand when I tried to let go. With a smooth movement, she slid the ring on my right ring finger.

“There. A reminder that you can’t ditch me.”

“Aren’t you supposed to put promise rings on the left ring finger?”

“Yes, but gotta make space since you’ll marry those quads first.” She winked when my cheeks began to turn red.

“This entire meeting went completely sideways.”

“As if people like us follow the standards of normal prediction.” She said with a laugh.

“Did I do the right thing then?” I inquired, now that I knew she wasn’t going to get lost in swarming doom. “Like…you’re not mad at my random interference, correct?”

“Not mad at all!” She beamed. “It’s like testing you.”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that,” I noted and watched her let go of my hand and skip to the door of the washroom.

“Feel happy that you have a girlfriend and new ally.” She looked away but remained where she was.

“Lisette?”

“Let’s have a girl day during the summer. Just you and me.” That’s all she said as she walked out the door. I frowned and let the dark protective walls fall.

Lifting my hand, I stared at the jewel on my finger, watching how it sparkled with what felt like Lisette’s magic.

“I just promised a woman I just met that I’ll never replace her, and now have a girlfriend?” I summarized. “And my shadow likes Ceil and he likes her. Does that mean they’re dating?”

I glanced over to the mirror, noticing my red eyes that stared back at me. After the little altercation we just dealt with, I didn’t feel exhausted in the slightest, so that had to be a good sign.

“Guess my life is going to get a whole lot stranger,” I whispered but watched my lips curl in a satisfied smile.

Just the way I like it. Now it’s time to learn the truth about Charles.

5

C.R.A.Z.Y AND DARK UNIVERSAL ORGANIZATION

When I reached the door to the meeting room, Lisette was there waiting for me, her attention now on Minx. My familiar was in her arms, purring away as Lisette stroked her little head.

I took a quick scan of Lisette, noticing that she looked as perfect as before. Her teary moment did nothing to her image, which was good. At least what happened would remain between us and our long recess wouldn’t trigger too many questions.

With a quick exchange, I opened the door and noticed the R-squad and Leonardo were gone. I tried not to frown in disappointment, glancing over to my four boyfriends who were still in their spots.

Alaric was at the top of the long table, with Bianca on his right and Tanner to his left. They must have been mid-conversation, because they paused to look our way.

Lisette skipped right in, taking the chair at the opposite end of the table. I closed the door and waited for the wall of magic to cloak the room once more before I asked the prime question.

“Where did Calvin, Leonardo, and R-squad go?” I questioned.

“They got called by their department head to investigate something,” Zion answered.

“From the sound of their head boss, it seemed serious,” Zackery added.

Zeus rolled his eyes. “Serious my ass. As if our head department asshole of a boss could tell us to leave for a mission after seeing Jade for the first time in ten years. What bullshit.”

“To think they were so determined to find their partner but waltzed right out when called to deal with other shit,” Zeke muttered in disapproval.

“Maxwells,” Bianca quietly warned, which was one of those ‘wrong place and time’ hints.

The four of them merely crossed their arms and shrugged, not regretting a word they said. Their concern over Lisette’s situations made me feel happy to have fallen in love with them.

They didn’t need to be angry on Lisette’s behalf, but they were. It only proved that what the R-quads and Leonardo did was wrong and insensitive to Lisette.

We still didn’t know their story, but why would they ditch if they cared about Lisette? She was once their leader. Couldn’t they at least confront her or apologize?

I moved to sit back down in my spot, while I questioned Calvin’s absence. “And Calvin?”

“He didn’t want to be here and potentially attack Charles with his energy,” Tanner answered. “The R-quads have figured out a device that can work at blocking Charles, but they don’t want to test it out here. Too dangerous.”

“Call him back here,” Lisette spoke up. We glanced her way, noticing how she was leaning her chair back while stroking Minx’s fur. “I have an easy fix to that.”

“You do?” Bianca questioned.

“Yup,” Lisette declared. “Plus, the puppy dog has to be here.”

“You call him puppy, too?” Zackery questioned with a grin.

“He reminds me of one.” Lisette shrugged. “Plus, he’s protective like one. Useful in many ways. He needs to be here for the conversation.”

“Okay,” Alaric replied and reached for the phone on his desk to make the call. I glanced back at her, studying her aura carefully. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel if the Maxwells had suddenly taken off on an assignment, but maybe the connection between Lisette and her team was nothing more than past emotions.

I’m sure there was more to this, but I wouldn’t get my answers today.

Two minutes later and Calvin opened the door, looking confused and a little apprehensive as he closed the door and glanced our way.

“Are you guys sure about this?” he hesitantly asked. His hesitation reminded me of when he was in his plump form, but his worry was expected.

“Come, puppy. I gotta do something,” Lisette ordered.

Calvin arched an eyebrow at Lisette but didn’t comment as he walked to her left side. Lisette paused in stroking Minx’s fur to give Calvin a long up and down look.

Then she put her hand out, her umbrella from before dropped into her grasp.

“Two steps back,” she instructed.

Calvin followed, taking two steps back, which gave her enough space to open the pink umbrella.

“Isn’t it bad luck to open umbrellas indoors?” Zackery whispered.

“I think that’s bullshit,” Zeus muttered, looking intrigued.

“Lisette, what are you doing?” Zion bravely asked.

She smirked at the question but closed her eyes instead. The pink umbrella began to spin rapidly, shifting from pink to pure black as the lace trimming began to flow a vibrant red.

“Conceal what is real. Hide the streams of magic that make you traceable. Let your path become invisible, just like the essence that connects you by blood. Let the shackles that cling to you be gone. May you be empowered to deliver the vengeance you seek.”

Dark feathers shot out of the tip of the umbrella, wrapping around Calvin in a spiral motion and growing stronger and thicker as the wind picked up.

She was definitely using dark magic, but it had a hint of wind and light magic alongside it, amping up the spell to a higher vibration.

The umbrella suddenly closed, and like a flick of a light switch, the rapidly spinning feathers stopped and fluttered down around Calvin.

He reached up to fix his ruffled hair, but he seemed surprised.

“Why do I feel lighter?” he inquired.

“The magic rids you of the burdens of regret and your desire for solitude,” Lisette answered casually as she tossed her umbrella upward.

It vanished with a burst of black feathers that slowly faded in opacity before they fell upon her and Minx.

She returned to stroking Minx’s soft fur, looking at no one in particular as she carried on with, “You wished to hide far away for the sake of keeping those you care about safe, correct?”

Calvin was quiet as I met his gaze. His cheeks grew red as he glanced away.

“It’s the most logical method to ensure Jade and those around her are safe. I’d be stupid to stick around for too long.”

“Sure, sure,” Lisette brushed his excuses away. “It wasn’t merely that your magic resembles Charles’s that made it easier for him to trace you.”

“Hmm?” Calvin responded as he pulled the chair back to sit down. “What do you mean?”

“Your magic is only one part of the equation. You were with Jade the entire first semester and didn’t have a problem. Why would Charles wait to strike if he solely needed a strong enough magic signal?”

“I see your point, but how do you know about that? And what other parts could have been required for him to thrive on my magic energy to teleport him to where we were?” Calvin questioned.

“Alaric gave me the important details,” she declared before sinister grin took over her pink lips. “As to what other parts, all Charles had to do was wait for you to fall in love.”

“Come again?” Calvin asked with an arched eyebrow. “Firstly, that’s a huge gamble for him to take by assuming I’d fall in love with Jade, and even if that’s what occurred, I’m unsure how that aided him.”

“Aww. He’s now confident in his love for our Jade,” Bianca emphasized like this was one of those proud motherly moments.

“Yet he still can’t ask her out.” Tanner shook his head.

“Patience. Patience,” Alaric encouraged.

Calvin’s face went red, while my four Maxwells snickered.

“We should bet on how long it’ll take him to ask her out,” Zeke encouraged.

“A whole semester,” Zackery said with a chuckle.

“You’re being too kind,” Zeus sighed. “Make it two.”

“I bet Lisette would have a higher chance of getting together with Jade then Calvin,” Zion reasoned.

“Totally bet on that,” the other three declared.

“T-That’s not going to happen,” Calvin snapped at the four of them.

“Oh,” I commented, and everyone looked at me. “Uh.”

Lisette burst into laughter. “What’s the prize if you win?!”

“Calvin has to get drunk with us,” the four of them replied.

I looked at my sides. “Really? That’s what you guys want as a reward?”

“Totally.” Zeke nodded.

“One hundred and ten percent,” Zeus agreed.

“And the whole thing’s gotta be recorded,” Zackery stressed.

“For evidence, obviously,” Zion noted.

“Mother fuckers!” Calvin pointed at each of them. “You’re going to use that against me later, aren’t you?”

“Duh,” they replied with the same mischievous grin on their lips.

Lisette began laughing uncontrollably while I stared blankly at them.

“We should have made a bet on whether we can have a serious meeting,” Bianca muttered to Alaric and Tanner.

“We all know that’s impossible,” Tanner declared as he shook his head in dismay.

“What if I was a twin? That would be pretty cool,” Alaric random brought up.

“Nope,” Tanner and Bianca declared. “One’s enough.”

I snickered then, and we all looked over to Alaric as he actually pouted. “Why not? More than one of me sounds-”

“Horrible,” we all finished.

“I feel offended,” he muttered.

“Back to the point,” Calvin stressed and pointed to Lisette. “You’re not dating Jade.”

She snickered and flicked one of her ponytails. “Oh sweetie, that was not the point of this conversation, but to enlighten your wounded pride, Jade and I are already dating.”

“Seriously?” everyone gasped.

“Uh.” I lifted my right hand to show the promise ring. “Guess it was love at first sight? Or death. Hmm. That sounds too eerie.”

“I love it.” Lisette clapped her hands. “Drinks on me the night we get to experience drunk Calvin!”

“Don’t go inviting yourself!” Calvin huffed.

“Aha! If you thought I’m not going to join my girlfriend, you thought wrong,” she giggled in triumph.

“Even though she’s crazy, she kinda rubs off of you after a while,” Zackery noted.

“Still going to get payback for that,” Zeus reminded.

“Payback for what?” I genuinely questioned.

“She kicked our butts. Well, minus Zackery,” Zion explained.

I looked towards Zackery and stared at him for a long moment.

“Jade, don’t doubt me like that,” Zackery whined.

“See.” Zeus shook his head. “It was a miscalc-GAH!”

He didn’t even finish as his chair fell back with Zeus and Zion. Zackery’s chair was only halfway tilted, a gust of wind-saving him from the inevitable fall.

I looked right back at Lisette, who was humming quietly with her eyes back on Minx. She glanced up to give me a wide smile.

“What?”

“This bitch!” Zeus snarled.

“Ow,” Zion sighed.

Zeke got up and rubbed his ass. “I wonder how she’d be in bed with Jade?”

All of us looked to him, and Calvin groaned. “Her parents! Right there!” he emphasized, and I looked to see he was pointing to Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner.

“Again, so?” Zeke clearly didn’t care. “It’s a comment in regard to my observation of wild trickery.”

“If we’re having a sleepover, give me a heads up! I don’t have any other clothes aside from this set and my other set,” Lisette noted. “Hmm. I wonder what kind of lingerie they sell these days. Do bras still have wires?”

“Sadly,” I muttered but grimaced as I took in her comment. “Lisette. You don’t have any clothes?”

“Real ones and not magically created?” she elaborated. “Nope. Experiments don’t get the privilege of clothes.”

That shut us all up.

Her smile didn’t dim from our silence. She merely shrugged like what she’d just said was normal.

“It’s not a big deal. Got over it years ago. Wearing clothes is a nice privilege to gain after years of captivity,” she commented and sighed. “Why don’t we get back to the really important stuff?”

Her smile faded as her pink eyes grew serious. Minx hopped off her lap and she crossed her left leg onto her right.

“As I’ve said, my name is Lisette Cross and I was kidnapped at the age of ten by Charles Sokolov. I was one of the five individuals taken into his custody and hidden within the black market. To sum things up, I’m the last survivor and, as Charles likes to say, ‘his prodigy’. I’m the only one who survived Operation C.R.A.Z.Y. If you’re wondering what that stands for, it basically describes my compulsive, rational ambition to zero in on all magical elementals and replicate their catastrophic components for the better good of Charles.”

Her explanation needed a few seconds to register in my brain.

“So…what exactly was your purpose?” Calvin questioned.

“Hmm.” Lisette closed her eyes for a moment. “The original plot was to simply use us for ransom, but seeing as Charles was playing the innocent card and desperately needed to capture Jade, that initial plan failed. He got desperate trying to create someone like Jade, so he began to experiment with us. I was born with all the elements, but my dark element is the strongest of the bunch. The rest were basically dormant since I was supposedly a late bloomer. Charles didn’t like that so he basically forced my elements into existence.”

“Forced?” Zion questioned.

“Used technology to electrify, burn, freeze, cause whiplash winds.” She threw out some examples. “Essentially, he uses whatever element he wants to ignite against the subject. When enough of the specific element is used and the subject survives, it causes a reaction and viola. The element of choice is now triggered into existence. Obviously from the survival rate, you can presume I was the lucky duckling.”

The tension in the room spiked, anger flickering inside me as the visual of what Lisette and the others could have experienced taunted my mind.

“Obviously, I was a junior tracker, but our department doesn’t go over and beyond to search for missing agents. If you’re not discovered within three months, they deem you missing and if they’re unable to retrieve your body or remains within three more months, you’re considered off the grid. Unless your team searches for you…well, you’re out of luck.”

I thought about the age difference, wondering if she’d fallen for the guys at such a young age and if they had repeated those feelings with the desires to blossom their relationship as they grew older.

I could sense the struggle she had in stating that, but she kept on her happy persona and carried right along.

“Being Charles’s sole survival experiment with all eight elements, he thought he could morph me into a Jade. He kept saying he needed a woman with all eight elements that could be the key to some prophecy he’s obsessed with. I didn’t discover the details of that until recently, before my grand escape.”

“Prophecy?” I questioned.

“Yup.” Lisette grinned as her eyes darkened and her lips drew a straight line. “This is the part where you all take notes.”

She looked to Alaric, who nodded in approval.

“From what I’ve gathered over the last ten years, there’s more to the black market than a place to exploit magical individuals into sex or power trades. That’s honestly the bare surface of its representation. The true name for the black market is the D.U.O. The full name of that is the Dark Universal Organization.”

She looked around the table and continued, “We know our world is filled with magic and possibilities, but what if our world wasn’t the only universe on the block?”

“Of course there’s the possibility of different universes,” Calvin commented. “But what does that have to do with Charles or this D.U.O.?”

“Charles works with the organization that connects all these organizations together. He’s obviously a pawn in their master plan and doesn’t realize it, but that’s the least of our concerns. It’s this apparent prophecy that’s the problem.”

“What does this prophecy entail?” Zeke asked. “It has to be important and factual enough for someone like Charles to be so sucked into it.”

“Four girls, each from a different universe, will come together when the planets align and vanquish the Darkness that aims to swallow all of life itself,” she summarized. “That’s the gist of what I’ve heard from parts of it. From the clues, Jade best fits one of the descriptions of a girl who carries all the elements.”

“That’s it? There’s no confirmation that it is Jade?” Zion reasoned. “That’s a bit vague to be willing to kill her whole family and try to kidnap and eventually kill her over some prophecy,”

“I totally agree with you.” Lisette leaned her chair back. “That’s why I didn’t believe it at first. It wasn’t until I had a little more freedom in walking around the lab that I discovered the detailed reports from the D.U.O. This isn’t a legend that just came to be. This is something that has repeated itself again and again.”

“I’m confused,” Zackery admitted. “What do you mean by again and again?”

“Reincarnation,” Bianca spoke up. “This is a legit legend that has been recorded again and again, but due to this dark organization, the individuals who supposedly were destined to take out this dark universal force end up being killed before it blossoms to life.”

“So you guys know about this?” Zeus inquired.

“It’s classified information,” Tanner reminded. “None of us took it seriously at first. When you reach a certain rank, it’s mentioned as something to look out for, but it wasn’t until Alaric took Jade in and we went into further investigation in regard to Charles and his obsessions that we started connecting the dots. We’re limited to what we can do because the council would like to continue deeming it as a mere legend and not reality. All those who’ve previously attempted to prove otherwise end up being filled with the rest of their family.”

Lisette met my gaze. “Which is one of the reasons why your family was murdered.”

“They…knew?”

“Having a child that can use all eight elements? It’s only logical for them to look into the reasoning, but your parents dug deep without covering up their trail and Charles caught on. He began to trace your family’s movements and when your parents were aiming to reach out to the tracker association, Charles decided to end them by putting the blame on you.”

“How are you so sure?” Zeus spoke up. “It’s not like Charles would give that information to you without some sort of price.”

“He didn’t give me any information,” Lisette answered. “But seeing as Charles doesn’t trust technology with his darkest secrets, he writes it all down into a journal. One that I’d easily read and memorized before my grand escape.”

“S-Seriously?” Calvin gawked at her. “My dad still writes all his plans in that journal of his?”

“Apparently it’s therapeutic when you’re a serial killer,” Lisette defended. “I can let Ceil write out everything from when you were conceived if you’d like.”

We all stared at her and Alaric spoke up.

“We’d definitely want a copy of all you can recall, Lisette.”

“I’ll get on that once we’re done here, but I suggest you put it in one of those magical books with blank pages. Would deem it impossible for those without permission to see what is written.”

“Why not type it out?” Zion questioned. “Far faster and easier to disrupt for evidence reasons.”

“Just because Charles hates documenting his daily life and diabolical plans in computerized format doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to hack, encrypt, and destroy every page of evidence documented.” Lisette reminded. “Also, once I’ve written it all out once, that’s it. I’ll forget the entire thing. So you’re getting one shot at this. I have enough information for him to receive the death penalty at this point, with the exact dates and times of every crime he’s committed. That’s why he’s desperate to kill Jade: because killing her will most likely lead to our deaths.”

“Our deaths?” Calvin questioned.

“Triple Hives are dangerous and rare. If all bonds are established with their Hive Queen, they become a solid power unit. Think of it like a holy trinity. We’re all connected thanks to Jade, but if she’s killed prematurely, the powers within us will begin to wither until we die. It doesn’t occur with normal Hives that consist of one individual with eight elements and the others being connected to that person. It only applies to Triple Hives who are joined to one Hive Queen.”

“How do you know all of this?” I questioned. “We don’t even understand Hives.”

“There are entire books on this at the library. The special library that connects to other universes.”

When none of us replied, she looked around the room and pouted her lips.

“Am I the only one who knows about that?”

“There’s a library that connects with other universes?” Zackery exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”

“Makes me want to go to the library,” Zion commented.

“Reading is boring,” Zeus concluded.

“Do they have a porn section?”

We all looked at him.

“What? Don’t you think it would be cool to see if other universes’ porn is the same as ours? What if it’s like alien sex or shifter sex or just cool graphic sex?”

Lisette clapped her hands. “They do have a graphics section! Are you looking for adult or hentai? The hentai section is longer though, and it goes into various categories which include alien, supernatural shifter, or mage porn.”

“Should we even ask how you know this?” Tanner pinched his nose in annoyance.

“I got lost once in the library after Charles requested me to find some book. Took me a month to get out. Charles almost thought I ran away to a different universe. It was a bit amusing after the hundreds of lashes I got.”

The room went silent once more, and she blinked.

“Why do you guys get so quiet over any mention of torture?”

“Because it’s torture that you didn’t deserve,” Calvin declared, his voice thick with anger.

Lisette merely shrugged. “That’s life.”

She had a point, but that didn’t make it right.

“Anyways,” she carried along, “Charles’s motive is to kill Jade due to this prophecy. He’s working with this organization that is connected to these other universes.”

“If he is working for this organization to try and capture or kill Jade, what does he get in return?” Zion inquired. “I mean, what’s the benefit of killing Jade over some legend we’re unsure is true or not. Can’t someone else fill the role of this prophecy?”

“Nope.” Lisette shook her head. “It has to be the four chosen ones. If one dies, it’s basically game over all around. That’s why the reincarnations happen again and again.”

“So…I’ve lived before?” This was really confusing and a little sudden.

“Not sure, but that’s the theme of it all. From what I’ve heard Charles say to some snow guy, there’s a specific book in the library that connects all the universes. That book holds the key to the prophecy and should eventually show itself to the four chosen individuals.”

“This sounds like madness,” Zeke concluded.

“You’re correct,” Bianca replied. “But it’s a strong enough prophecy for an entire dark organization to believe it and attempt to get rid of anyone close to the described individuals.”

“Is that why when my family was killed it felt as though no one wanted to try and solve the problem? I was merely tossed around the system until I escaped before they could attempt to sell me to the black market or organization.” I was trying to put this puzzle together with reasoning, but all of this information was overloading my brain.

“Essentially.” Lisette sighed. “We won’t really have an answer unless we find this magical book or anyone else who knows about this.”

“Who’s this snow guy you brought up?” Calvin asked.

“Hmm.” Lisette needed a moment. “To be fair, I’m not sure. Charles talks to two people on occasion. Mr. Snow and uh…Ross?”

“Mr. Ross?!” we all shouted out.

“Is he someone we know?” Lisette inquired.

“He’s on the council and was the one who introduced the R-squad to our school last semester before igniting a commotion and getting banned,” I explained.

“Well, I’m not sure about who exactly he is and if they’re the same individual who talks to Charles, but a Mr. Ross is indeed buddies with Charles as well as a Mr. Snow. They’re definitely working for the D.U.O. Whenever they had leads on a girl, in particular, they would call one another. They use special phones so their words can’t be recorded. Even with the potential warning that this Ross man is working with them, it’s my word against theirs. He’s on the council, which already gives him a bunch of unnecessary privileges.”

“So what are we supposed to do with this information?” Zeke brought up. “We now know that Jade may be the one of the four potential chosen, who I’m assuming are female?”

“So the scriptures state,” Lisette commented. “Hard to confirm because I was rushing in reading it and it’s not written in normal, plain English. It’s in some magic incantation symbols. Took me about four days to read through what I could before I got lost.”

She shrugged and let her chair lower to the floor. “As for what to do with this information, I’m not sure. It’s obvious Jade is a target, and now that we’re all together, it’s only made her into a nice sparkling target. My escape is only going to make Charles continue to hide and avoid getting arrested, and this D.U.O is going to help him remain hidden unless he decided to make a move again.”

“What if he tries to kill Jade again?”

“Less likely.”

“Why not?” Calvin asked. “He was clearly desperate this time, and he succeeded. If it wasn’t for you, Jade would have died.”

“Exactly,” Lisette boldly replied. “That’s why he’s not going to make another attempt on Jade.”

“We’re not following,” Zackery acknowledged.

“Jade can’t die when I’m around,” Lisette announced.

“Why not?” all five of them asked.

Lisette smirked. “One generous gift I was born with is that I can heal fast. Though my light magic was weak when I was kidnapped by Charles, it’s my second strongest element and Charles took advantage of that. He manipulated my light element by amplifying the healing component until it was what he deemed perfect.”

“Which means?” Tanner questioned, clearly just as intrigued as us.

“I can’t die,” Lisette announced. “Aside from old age which has to be willed, I literally can’t die from any wounds. Gunshots, stab wounds, ripped out heart.”

“Ripped out heart?” Zion inquired. “That’s imminent death.”

“Not if your body heals fast enough to create a new one in a nanosecond,” Lisette replied. “Anything can be replaced. Including a heart.”

“So you’re literally immortal?” I concluded.

“Yup,” she concluded. “Which is bad.”

“Why?” Calvin questioned, but then his eyes went wide. “Oh shit.”

“Figured it out?” Lisette smirked. We looked to Calvin as he nodded slightly. “If we bond with Jade and we all unlock the full potential of our hive bond with her, wouldn’t that make us, as a unit, invincible?”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Lisette cheered and put her hands up in the sky. “We have a winner.”

“Wow,” Zackery replied. “That’s both cool and scary.”

“Now that we know why Charles is probably desperate to get rid of Jade or stop you two from uniting, what do we do now?”

“Nothing,” Lisette declared.

“Huh?” we all replied and looked at her calm expression.

“What do you mean we do nothing?” I questioned. “Charles is going to come after me again.”

“No, he won’t,” she announced. “He probably knows we’ve already met which makes the idea of breaking us up rather silly.”

“You’re not making sense.” Calvin shook his head. “Why wouldn’t my father try to come and eliminate both of you? Even if he knows you’ve met, that immunity hasn’t activated.”

“It already has,” Lisette declared. “The moment I healed Jade from the bullet, it was activated. That’s why her hair is white.”

Everyone looked to me, and it was a reminder of my whole white hair dilemma. “About that. Will I be able to dye it black?”

“Totally. We’ll fix that up later,” Lisette assured me with an added wink. “Is there anything else we need to talk about or are we sticking with this new plan?”

“I don’t think that was a foolproof plan,” Calvin complained.

We looked to Alaric and he crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the room.

“As of now, there’s nothing more you guys can do in terms of locating Charles. We’re going to be taking things in our own hands for the main hunt, but the three of us won’t feel very confident in leaving Jade at home.”

“Well, I can just stay at the penthouse or something,” I reasoned.

“I want us to up the security there,” Tanner reasoned. “If Charles was using Calvin’s magic energy to trace you, I don’t want him showing up there.”

“The spell I did is permanent,” Lisette spoke up. “Charles won’t be able to track Calvin, period.”

“Seriously?” Calvin gave her a questioning look. “It can’t be that simple.”

“Some solutions are easier than others,” Lisette calmly replied. “This is why Charles is now frantic to get rid of Jade or me. I know all the tricks in the book, and I’m confident now that he can’t trace where Calvin is or kill Jade with an easy shot to the head. He’s either going to have to hide in fear or figure out another way to deal with us.”

“You’re confident that Jade isn’t a target than,” Tanner questioned Lisette.

“Hundred percent. The best way to hurt Jade is those around her, but the longer Charles waits, the lower the probability of that happening, and with the new security plans being initiated by your agency, there shouldn’t be any problems.” She stretched her arms up and grinned. “Plus, I’ll be around all summer long. I may be a tad crazy, but I’m far more lethal than anyone thinks and Charles knows that. Instead of us wasting time on Charles, we should focus on strengthening ourselves and living our best lives.”

“We do need a break,” Zackery stated with a sigh.

“And some intense training,” Lisette sang. “Minus you, wind knight. Your reflexes are fast.”

“Thanks.” Zackery beamed while the other three just glared at Lisette as she laughed tauntingly at them. “Aww. Don’t worry, triple losers. I’ll work you up to shape.”

“She did not just call us losers,” Zeus grumbled.

“And didn’t include Zackery. The horror.” Zeke sounded amused.

“Oh shut up!” Zackery whined.

“Guess we should use the summer to chill and train. I still have a question.”

“What’s up?” Lisette questioned.

“When do we know who these other chosen girls are? Like is there a common partner of some sort?”

“That I’m unsure of.” Lisette tapped her finger to her pink lips. “I think the common trait is having white hair? But that’s not it exactly, I don’t think. Hmm. I’ll need time to circulate my thoughts. When I finish writing all of Charles’s journal, I’ll attend to that.”

“This magic library,” Zion brought up. “Can’t we just go there?”

“We could but it would be pointless.” Lisette lowered her eyes to her nails as she stared at them. “The library in question runs on ancient magic. This is magic that connects with various universes and has grown strong and powerful over time. Only certain sections in certain libraries connect with this ancient stream of energy, and that’s why it’s so special. From what I’ve gathered from overhearing Charles’s research on it, a library from here and a library in a different universe can align at the same exact moment of time, but once you leave that section, everything returns to normal.”

“So you don’t feel as though you’re in a completely different world,” Bianca spoke up.

“Exactly.” Lisette smiled. “It’s an experience that you won’t realize, and when you finally do, there’s a purpose for such discovery. That’s why it’s meaningless to go to any of the massive libraries when we currently have no purpose to do so. As of now, Jade should be safe and we’re all going to be around her to make sure it stays that way.”

“Just to make it clear, I’m not being babysat,” I muttered and looked around the room with a grimace.

“Stalking is far more fun.” Lisette clapped her hands.

“No,” we all answered back, and she pouted her lips. “Hmm. You wouldn’t even know I was there.”

“Wait. You’ve been watching us for a while?” Zackery inquired.

“Yup. Had to make sure Charles didn’t get the upper hand.”

“Thanks, Lisette.” I gave her an appreciative smile. She blinked and stared back at me.

“What?” I inquired when she didn’t respond.

“Being thanked is odd at times,” she casually replied and rose up from her seat. “I have to catch my Sailor Moon episode. I’ll return when it’s done.”

She didn’t wait for anyone’s permission as she snapped her fingers and was gone.

“I could get used to her,” Zion concluded.

“I already like her. A little crazy and she’s obsessed with Jade, but she doesn’t give off the complete mentally insane vibe I was expecting,” Zackery summed up.

“Still hate her,” Zeus huffed.

“Because you hate your ass getting kicked.” Zeke smirked. “My back still hurts. Jade, baby. I need a massage from you.”

“Sure.” I grinned while the others groaned.

“Don’t believe him!” Zeus warned.

“Being jealous of your dear brother isn’t going to solve shit,” Zeke concluded with a grin as he hooked an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “I miss you, Jade.”

“She’s sitting right next to you.” Calvin sighed but looked over to Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner. “What’s the plan? Are we actually sticking to relaxing and training while you guys handle things?”

We focused on the three of them as Alaric nodded.

“You guys all got perfect scores so far. I’m fine with passing you for your second semester and dismissing you for an early summer. Tonight you all should pack what you’d need for summer vacation and training, and Tanner will work on finding a location that is safe for you all to be at during summer.”

“With Charles basically out of the picture, for now, do you want us still attending Tracker Hive?” Calvin questioned.

Alaric thought about it.

“Yes.” He lowered his arms to give us a serious glance. “The suicides have stopped, but I’m still unsure who the bad apple within the council is that won’t give us the full approval of making Jade an official Tracker. Seeing as you’ve all completed a year, you might as well carry on. I know school is generally boring for many of you because you are very experienced, but having you attend gives me a little peace of mind, seeing as you interfere when you need to if anything fishy goes down.”

“What about the R-squad?” I inquired. “Their purpose was to locate their partner, correct?”

“Which is Lisette,” Calvin confirmed.

“Yet they waltzed right out to take a mission after not seeing their partner for ten years. I still can’t grasp that.” Zackery shook his head. Zion frowned. “Don’t you think that was a little odd? It’s as though they barely recognized her, but when they did, it didn’t ignite some type of relief or urge to reconcile with her.”

“The guilt was there, but it’s like it shut right off,” Zeus acknowledged.

“It’s not our place to snoop.” Zeke shrugged. “But…”

“You wanna snoop,” I concluded and was rewarded when he kissed my cheek.

“Essentially,” Zeke confirmed.

“For now, leave it alone,” Bianca announced. “If they attend next semester and their encounters with Lisette are weird, keep a low profile and investigate.”

“Okay,” we agreed.

“What about the training room?” I inquired. “It’s a bit…well, destroyed.”

“We’ll have it worked on during the summer.” Tanner sighed.

“Just be happy it didn’t affect Shadow Jade’s collection.” Alaric sounded relieved.

“That would have been chaos,” I agreed. “She’s currently working on transferring them to the penthouse.”

“There’s enough room?” all four Maxwells inquired.

Calvin smirked as I glanced his way. “Calvin made a secret room or two with some spare space in one of the closets. It was when you guys were super sick and he was just recovering,” I explained.

“So he’s still useful,” Zeus determined.

“Fuck you, too.” Calvin rolled his eyes. “Man, it’s going to be nice to have some time off.”

“Agreed,” the other four declared as they relaxed in their chairs. I nodded and looked at my parents.

“You guys will be okay, right? Are you sure you won’t need our assistance or anything?”

“We’ll be fine, Jade,” Alaric assured me. “Focus on enjoying life for once.”

Enjoying life, huh. I haven’t done that in a while.

“That settles what we know for now. Trackers, you are currently dismissed for the summer break. See you all back in the early fall.”

“Thank you, headmaster,” we answered as if this was the auditorium of Tracker Hive. The official dismissal gave me a wave of relief.

Summer vacation. Finally, a break.

6

QUESTIONED PURPOSE AND PATH TO HAPPINESS

“ZEKE MAXWELL! I swear, if you slap my ass one more time…” I shouted in pure annoyance.

“Don’t be like that, baby!” Zeke called out from his obvious hiding place behind a rock that was ten feet from Zion and me. “You love it.”

“In bed! Not on the beach trying to sunbathe!” I argued, but let him off the hook as I laid my head back onto my crossed arms. “He has a death wish.”

Zion chuckled and closed the book he was reading.

“Zeke loves to test everyone’s boundaries. Apparently, it’s a part of his seductive nature.”

“If he was so confident in it, he wouldn’t be hiding all the way over there,” I mumbled.

“He’s hiding from Zeus. They made a bet on who’d slap your ass the most this summer and Zeke’s clearly winning,” Zion revealed as he reached for the sunscreen. “Want me to add a fresh layer of sunscreen, Jade?”

“Sure.” I smiled at the generous offer. “And no wonder why Zeke’s been slapping my ass every chance he gets. I have hand marks now.”

Zion snickered and rubbed my right butt cheek. I shivered at the tender spot.

“Zion,” I warned.

“Just checking,” he soothed, and I felt his lips press lightly on the spot he rubbed.

“You literally kissed my ass.”

“And I’d eat it right up if we were alone,” he whispered into my ear, leaving me shivering.

Dammit. I forgot how dangerous Zion is. Ugh.

Thankfully, he stopped teasing me and began to rub the cool sunscreen onto my back. I allowed my eyes to close, thinking about how the last couple of weeks had gone after my death experience.

Here we were on a private resort island that was owned by Tracker Hive Agency. As to why they had their own island? Apparently, it was for protocol mandated resting periods.

Learn something new every day.

The island consisted of a nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom glasshouse with an indoor swimming pool, a training park which included a gymnasium for various sports exercises, and an underground garage with five sets of sports cars and five bikes. All of this was surrounded by vast flowers, palm trees, and clear waters.

It looked more like a destination vacation resort than something owned by Tracker Hive, but I wasn’t going to complain. Since we were staying on Tracker Hive Agency property with the excuse of training and remaining safe while Charles was “at large” with his hiding games, we were getting paid to relax and recoup from the madness our first year had offered.

I’d been iffy about the idea of enjoying summer while “working,” but now that we’d been here for two and a half months, I was starting to get lost in the daily sunbathing and cool beach relaxing nights.

So far, it had been me, my four Maxwells, and Calvin. Lisette had been working on re-documenting every detail of Charles’s journal while filling out all the necessary documents regarding her kidnapping and years trapped in Charles’s clutches.

I couldn’t even imagine what she’d gone through, and a part of me felt like her captivity was enough to change whoever she used to be.

We’d never gotten to see the R-quads or Leonardo before we packed and took off the next day after our meeting, but just thinking about their dismissive behavior in regard to Lisette still bugged me.

I was secretly hoping Lisette would join us at some point in our trip, and I’d get to learn more about her and the connection she once shared with them. I knew it wasn’t my place, even with Lisette being my third Hive, but there was a soft, protective side of me that poked its head up whenever the thought crossed my mind.

I also got a lonely vibe from her.

I’m sure after ten years of solitude, one would be lonely. Homelessness with my elements was harsh, but the mere thought sent shivers through me.

“Jade?”

I peeked an eye open to see if Zackery was nearby, but it was just me with Zion massaging my back while Zeke and Zeus were close to the shore. The two of them were pointing outward and discussing something amongst themselves.

Hey, Zackery.

“Hey, sexy babe. You alright?”

I have all my limbs and I’m getting an awesome sunscreen massage from Zion.

“That better not lead to anything.” He was clearly playing around with his annoyed tone, triggering a grin as I closed my eyes and continued to enjoy the work of Zion’s magical hands.

If it ends up in sex, I’m not complaining. Plus, you should still be celebrating being the first to initiate our Hive bond.

“I am celebrating still, which means alone time for you and me.”

You’ve been saying that all vacation, and yet we haven’t had sex since last time. Hmmm.

I could feel his embarrassment, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Jade?” Zion questioned. “Are you sleep giggling?”

“No,” I answered out loud. “I’m talking with Zackery.”

“Is Zion distracting you?”

No.

“Liar.”

“Is Zackery jelly I’m distracting you?”

“Yes,” I replied in glee. It was even more amusing that Zion was catching on.

“He’s sulking now.” Zion chuckled.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“Showering. He was practicing at the basketball court earlier,” Zion revealed.

“Hmm.” I hummed, feeling a little naughty.

Zackery.

“I’m busy.”

Doing what? Stroking your cock?

“I actually was trying to be nice and clean for a certain queen of our Hive.”

Aww. How romantic. Are we fucking tonight?

“You’re tempting me, Jade.”

I can tempt you all evening long in my red bikini. Better yet, I can just walk around the beach completely nude.

“Jade.”

Are you hard now?

“N-No.”

Liar.

“Are you teasing him now?” Zion moved his hands to my shoulders, massaging them gently.

“Totally.” I grinned and moaned when his hands trailed down my sides. “That hits the perfect spot.”

“I let him hear you moan just now,” Zion confessed. “He’s aroused.”

“We’re horrible,” I concluded. “If he’s turned on, are you?”

“A little,” Zion admitted and his lips sucked the side of my neck.

“Zion,” I gasped at the sudden move, tingles running down my body.

“Ugh. You guys are evil,” Zackery piped into my mind.

Come here and join.

“I’m naked.”

That’s the lamest excuse I’ve heard.

“But it’s valid,” he teased. “I want to savor you later.”

At least you’re not lying.

Zion kissed my cheek and I opened my eyes to look up at him.

“I’m gonna check on Zeke and Zeus real quick.”

I arched an eyebrow at him in question and looked to see that the two in question weren’t on the beach anymore.

“Where’d they go?”

“Inside. I think Zeke needs a moment.”

“What’s going on with Zeke?” This was an issue we’d been dancing around for weeks now, but it was getting worrisome. “Did they imbalance again?”

“Yup,” Zion answered. “As for what’s going…he still won’t tell us what it is. I think it may be better if you try to talk with him. Zeus has been trying.”

“Okay.”

I wondered if I should try now, but Zion read my mind as he whispered, “Later. We don’t want to pressure him into saying it.”

He definitely made sense, but I hoped being patient in regard to this matter wouldn’t bite us back in the ass.

“Be right back.” He lowered his lips to mine, giving me a sweet kiss that made me feel a wave of calm.

We parted just as a wave strong enough to reach the beach chair soaked Zion’s feet.

“Oops.” He smirked and looked at me as I blushed. “That wasn’t me.”

“Sure.” He winked and fixed his glasses before he made his way back to the glasshouse. My eyes lingered on his figure that faded into the home, all while feelings of worry and uncertainty fluttered through me.

I was doing my best to live my best life, but why did I now feel incomplete? My purpose for so long was to obtain my revenge on Charles, but now that the duty was moved towards my parents, I was unsure where that left me.

What do I do now? How can I be of use to the people I love when it feels I have no motive to strive towards?

Something landed on my nose, and I opened my eyes to see a teal butterfly. Blinking a few times to not get crossed eyed, I noticed the tiny specs of wind that made up the entire creature.

It fluttered its wings and with a blink, it was solid ice. Reaching for it, I picked it up and got up to rest on my knees while I stared at the crystallized butterfly.

“What’s troubling you now, Jade? You’re supposed to be chilling.”

I looked over my shoulder to see Zackery standing there with his hands in his red boxers with basketball print.

My eyes scanned him up and down, noticing the drops of water that left his short strands and rolled down his body. I unconsciously licked my lips while I glanced back up.

“Your boxers have pockets.” I totally got sidetracked. His grin only widened.

“I now see why girls get so excited when their dresses come with pockets,”

“It was long overdue.” I maneuvered myself to sit cross-legged on the beach chair, moving up enough for Zackery to have a spot to sit.

He leaned over to kiss me, sucking my bottom lip before he devoured my mouth with his. I moaned against his frigid lips as the fluctuating sensations of lust and hunger swam through me.

“Well, fuck,” I cursed when I had a moment to breathe. “You sure we can wait till after dinner?” He chuckled before sitting down. Turning his body to face me as he crossed his legs, he rested his hands back and gave me a playful smirk.

“We can wait, even if it’s a little torturous.”

I gave him a sad smile and looked to the frozen butterfly that already began to melt in my grasp.

“You can see right through me, huh?” My voice was so tiny as I let my guard fall.

“We all can see through you, but we none of us want to poke at something that hasn’t become problematic,” he revealed. “You’re worrying about something,”

“A lot of things,” I confessed. “If you had to rank it by priority, I’d narrow it down to feeling a little lost, Zeke’s odd behavior that’s making you all imbalance from time to time, and worry about Alaric, Tanner, and Bianca taking charge of Charles’s case.”

“Alright.” Zackery nodded. “Why don’t we start with the first one? Why are you feeling lost?”

“You sound like a therapist.”

“If it makes you feel better, I aced psychology during my school years.”

“Marvelous.” I laughed. “I’m with a true professional. No need to worry.”

“I’m glad you respect my credentials.” His eyes softened as they examined mine. “Jade, baby. Talk to me. I’m one of your boyfriends, and I want to know what’s troubling that unique mind of yours.”

“What if it’s silly?”

“No worry is silly, and you know that.”

“What if it’s just repetitive worries?”

“Then it’s something that needs repetitive love and attention to solve,” he assured me with a tender smile. “Besides, two minds tackling the worry is better than one.”

“This side of you always intrigues me,” I commented with a seductive grin. He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t go commenting on me acting like Zion or something. We’re actually balanced at the moment.”

I giggled and leaned forward. “I can’t reach close enough to kiss you.”

“I should make you struggle so you see how amazing I am.”

“Oh, I see.” I bobbed my head. “But my visions sometimes are blinded by your moments of stupidity.”

“Hey!”

“You know it’s true,” I honestly replied. “Remember when you thought that lizard was an anaconda?”

“T-That wasn’t my fault!”

“Whose fault was it?”

“The damn alcohol’s! I was drunk.”

“The words of a drunk man that emphasize how not drunk he was,” I declared like I was a poet telling an ironic poem of truth.

“Jade,” he groaned. I uncrossed my arms and got right up. “I’m actually thir-EEP!” My sentence didn’t finish as a shriek left me. I fell right into Zackery’s lap, the wind around us picking up at such force we were up in the air like a magic carpet was beneath us.

“Zackery?!” I huffed and tried to get out of his grasp, but his arms that hooked around my waist tightened and we began to move forward.

“A WHOLE NEW WORLD!” he sang with pride as we began to speed through the air and was above the water in seconds.

“Where are we going?” I inquired as we rose higher, the clear waters twinkling thanks to the wonderful sun’s rays. It reflected the depths of the ocean floors, where coral and other sea plants resonated in their living habitat.

“A little hideout.” He winked and held me even tighter as we increased in speed. “Far enough so my nosy brothers won’t sense me.”

“Diabolical,” I commented but felt a little relieved about the sudden getaway.

What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so out of place with myself? Is it a lack of confidence? Fear? Uncertainty? So many questions and no answers.

My thoughts continued to flood my mind, but I quickly shut them out and distracted myself by focusing on the blue waters below us. We were far from the island in less than three minutes, but a miniature body of rocks and pieces of land came into view.

Zackery lowered us until we landed on a rock that was close to the larger blocks of land. I gave him a look, but he merely smirked and crouched down.

He closed his eyes and stuck a single finger into the water, leaving me to wonder what he was planning. After a minute, I was really curious as to what he was trying to achieve, but then my ice element tugged forward like a strong jolt.

“What…” I trailed off as I noticed the hint of illumination coming from my white stands. I watched as they began to levitate with magic and many of my strands started to shift to an icy blue.

My temperature began to drop, but it wasn’t uncomfortable in the least.

In fact, it felt good? Empowering? Captivating?

My ice magic grew by the second, and the urge to let it go outward was enough for me to raise my hands up to my sides and release the force that begged for escape.

The gesture ignited waves of ice, the body of water surrounding us converting to thick layers of ice. I immediately looked at Zackery, worried his finger would now be a trapped victim of my random move, but his arms moved upward while his fingertips flowed with swirling winds that grew with strength.

My hair was whipping around me as I watched the magic wrap all around us, the end result of my sudden release of ice and Zackery’s swirling wind creating a miniature castle of ice. The wind had carried and shaped the water into the perfect structure before my wave of ice had sealed the deal, and the result was breathtaking.

I wasn’t sure how long a magical ice castle would last in the midst of summer, but it really didn’t matter to me at this point.

The idea that we’d just created something of this magnitude in seconds was a first for me and I felt exhilarated and curious as to why Zackery brought me all the way in the middle of the ocean to create an ice castle.

He turned my way and offered me his hand.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted. Going along with whatever foreplay this was heading towards, I put my hand in his and watched him lift my hand to his lips. I shivered at the cool touch that grew hot in seconds.

That ignited lust was back, but I fought to not let it get control of me and my mindset as Zackery tugged me forward towards the platform throne he’d created.

I was amazed that all of this had just happened, leaving me to wonder why I hadn’t even tried to have some fun with my elements. For a while, I’d been in a constant mindset that I needed to train and become as powerful as I could to reach the level of strength needed to take down Charles.

Have I ever taken a step back to enjoy the gifts blessed to me and used them to jolt some fun into my life?

He guided me right to the throne, and letting go of my hand, he offered the seat to me. I stared at the ice throne, taking in the details that were carved into the work of art. How something like a throne with these intricate details could be created by his mere imagination sparked my intrigued mind.

“Why are you hesitating, Jade?” Zackery questioned, tugging me from my thoughts. I didn’t answer immediately, but I finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I was just thinking about how amazing our magic is and how I’ve never used it for…fun?” I paused as I gathered my thoughts. “We just created a castle in the middle of the ocean and your imagination was able to spark a throne that has the detailing of embroidered jewels and lines like a real throne. You’re allowing me to sit on something that kings and queens sit upon, but I don’t feel worthy of sitting on it.”

“Why not?” he inquired.

“I’m not sure.” I lowered my gaze to look at my feet. “I’m trying to move forward after dying, and I know it’s not a process I should rush. I’m working on implementing what Lisette told me. She kept emphasizing that I should live because that would be the best revenge when it comes to Charles. I understand the concept and all, but I haven’t really acknowledged just how obsessed I was with my previous lifestyle.”

Lifting my head, I looked over to Zackery, who stood next to the throne.

“I’d been so obsessed with locating Charles, finding all the evidence I needed to prove to the world that he’d done all the deeds he’d committed against me and my family. To finally get that sense of peace and relief that the case was finally closed and those I lost received justice. But when I died…I regretted everything. The whole chase in search of Charles felt like a stupid game that I’d lost, one with those big letters that spelled GAME OVER. I harbored so many emotions in the darkness, and now that I’m alive and getting the opportunity to relax, it feels…wrong?”

“You were so used to one primary goal and now that the role has been given to another, you almost feel as though you’re useless?” he interrupted.

“Ya.” I smiled at his words, grateful that he was seeing through my words and getting the bigger picture. “It leaves me feeling useless, and I feel bad for not enjoying this peacefulness.”

“You want to know a secret?” he inquired.

“Does it come with a request to know it?” I bounced a question back. He grinned playfully and nodded.

“I can’t tell you unless you sit right here.” He reached out to pat the solid seat of the ice throne. “Where you deserve to be seated in this castle created by our strong Hive bond.”

“Do I really deserve to?”

“You reap what you sow.” He grinned when I arched an eyebrow at him in question. “You helped create this little ice paradise. Allow yourself to rest upon the throne you created.”

“What about you?”

“I’m storytelling.” He winked and walked to stand before me. Leaning in, he gave me a tender kiss that sent cold shivers through me. I knew from the way we both delayed the end of our steamy kiss that we would rather make love than talk, but I knew I needed this and I’m sure Zackery shared the same resolution as me.

We broke the kiss and I took one last look at the throne before I took the two steps to it, turned around, and slowly lowered myself on to it.

The chilling ice made me shiver, but as if the element within myself sensed my position, my temperature lowered again to acclimate with my surroundings.

Zackery grinned proudly before he walked to stand before me. He closed his eyes and was quiet for a long time, which led me to wonder if he was talking to the others in their quad communication.

From the smirk that graced his lips, it seemed as though he got the permission he needed, and when he opened his eyes, I was left in a confused state that resulted in my head tilting to one side.

“Zeke?” I questioned, but then frowned as his eyes seemed to change and give off Zeus vibes. “Zeus?”

Then Zackery’s playful smirk was back, but just as quickly his eyes flooded with calm and clarity.

“Zion…but before it was Zackery. Why am I sensing the four of you, but I’m one-thousand percent positive it’s Zackery before me?” I inquired.

“I’ll explain in a second,” he assured me. “But I have to ask a simple question.”

“Ask away.”

“Will what I tell you from this moment onward change your love for the four of us?”

“No.” There was no need to hesitate with my answer because I was confident in my love for the four of them and nothing they told me would change that.

“Are you positive?” he tested. “We could be killers.”

I shrugged. “I’ve killed in the line of duty and if I wasn’t a Tracker with the approval to kill, I’d still seek to kill Charles, which would mark me as a killer, so I don’t see your point as valid.”

There was that seductive grin that reminded me of Zeke while his eyes twinkled with a pride that reminded me of Zeus.

“What if what we tell you makes our relationship not work.”

“Whatever secret this is can’t determine whether our relationship works or not because you’ve known about it all this while and we kissed and fucked just fine.” I literally shrugged with my hands up to my side. “You can continue asking ninety-nine questions, but your queen ain’t leaving the four of your sides, so suck it.”

His eyes softened like Zion’s while his wide smile reflected Zackery’s delight.

“Told you she’s ours,” Zackery announced as if he was talking to the others. Maybe he did it to affirm them from wherever they were since I knew without a glance around that it was still just Zackery and me here.

“What’s the secret?” I prompt. “If you’re gay, that’s cool.”

“I’m not gay.” He rolled his eyes. “That’s probably Calvin.”

“Wait, really?”

“Who knows. His files said he’s bisexual.”

“Seriously?” I grinned.

“And she looks happy as fuck.” The sudden deep tone of Zackery’s voice immediately gave me Zeus vibes.

“Hey, you’re Zeus again.”

“Observant,” the soothing calm voice declared.

“Now you’re Zion.”

“She’s really picking up on this. Can we just tell her so we can go fuck?”

Now I was laughing. “One thousand percent Zeke.”

“Could you guys let me say what needs to be said? Jeez. You’re invading my privacy and defeating my purpose of wooing our queen.” Zackery sighed dramatically, leaving me in a giggling state.

“Let me know what this amazing secret is. Regardless, you’re stuck with me,” I declared with a loving smile.

Zackery returned the smile with his own wide grin, and with a deep inhale and exhale, he whispered, “We’re not originally quads.”

That wasn’t what I expected.

“Meaning?”

“Our mother only had one child, which was Zeke,” he announced. “A child who harbored the power of wind, thunder, and water while his strongest element was light. That was Zeke Maxwell, the sole son of our mother, and the sole heir to her empire.”

“O…kay?” I was a little confused by what he was presenting to me, especially when it was obvious that there were four of them and not just Zeke. “Then why are there four of you?”

“Well, first off, we died,” Zackery revealed. My blank stare was clearly projecting my utter shock because Zackery followed up with, “Remember how we explained our mother was killed before us?”

I nodded, and he carried on.

“Zeke was born with four elements automatically, but it was obvious that he’d gain all the elements by the age of ten. What put him on the radar was his fluctuations in mood. When he was angry, his thunder magic would be triggered, brewing thunderstorms, triggering blackouts, striking his surroundings with thunderbolts. When he was calm, his water element would make it rain. When he was having fun, the breeze would pick up so strongly that he could easily float with the currents. You can guess that his emotions were a sole part of his strength.”

He paused to look at his hands, raising them to stare at the palms of his hand. A tiny ball of black formed until it morphed into a little person that stood in the middle of his pressed opened palms.

“Both good and bad individuals began to learn about Zeke’s existence and the worry about the Maxwells having a strong heir started to circulate through the black market. My mom was on the good side, the side that wished to get rid of the crime lurking in the darkness. From what we now know, you can guess she was a leader fighting against the D.U.O. It was why she helped support our tracker department and was financially backing them up in private.”

The little person in his hold lifted its hands, and four other balls of magic formed around it, swirling around as their magic became obvious - a ball full of water, a ball of teal air, an orb of contained thunder shocks, and a ball of glowing light.

They then shifted into little human silhouettes, the four of them skipping around the central black one.

“Before our tenth birthday, Zeke’s powers were strong enough to take human shape, just like how Shadow Jade takes human form in the image of you. Our mother was shocked by the sudden occurrence, but in order to keep track of us, she gave us names.

“Thunder was Zeus. Zion was water. Zackery was wind.”

“Bingo.” He winked and looked back at the figures in his hands, and a ball of dark red appeared and shaped into a tall slender human that gave me a female vibe. “Our mother informed the Tracker Hive Agency and they would come over to help me control my powers while she secured our new location. She didn’t know that the sudden development of Zeke’s powers meant he was at risk of being captured by the black market, or in this case, the D.U.O. They only saw people as powerful objects, and if they got their hands on Zeke, who knows what could happen.”

“Is that the night when they sent those people to come to kidnap you guys?” I was finally catching on to where this was going, and from Zackery’s solid nod, he was about to explain the truth of that occurrence.

“The night the agents came, there was someone who showed up before them.”

“Someone came first?” I frowned, not recalling this part of their explanation way back last year. He nodded and the sadness that swarmed his expression made my stomach drop and my nerves coil through me.

“Don’t tell me-”

“A man named Charles Solvok arrived at our home.” Zackery closed his eyes as if he was seeing the entire thing unfold in his mind, but what happened next made me gasp as our surroundings began to shift dramatically until it looked as though we were in the living room of a large house and there was little Zeke with his three elements in human form. They took the spitting image of Zeke, but their eyes identified them easily as Zeus, Zackery, and Zion.

If it wasn’t for the glowing marks on their necks, I would have thought they were real. The marks reminded me of how Shadow Jade’s mouth and eyes would glow in different shades of purple when she was in her elemental form.

A woman with long red hair, red eyes, and a white skin-tight dress stood protectively in front of Zeke and the three elements, her hands pointing to the man in question - Charles Solvok.

He was grinning with pride. Whatever defensive words Zeke’s mother was trying to get through to him were doing nothing to stop the master plan racing through his mind. I could see it in the depths of his eyes as the scene played out around us, but what left me breathless was what happened next.

“Charles knew of my mother’s elemental powers and decided it was best to get rid of me before I harnessed the remaining four elements,” Zackery explained as Charles snapped his fingers.

The little Zeke moved faster than the woman could, and with a blink, a sword stuck through his little body, missing his mother that he’d pushed out of the way.

As if I was there at that very moment, the shrill scream echoed around us, and the picture played out like I was right there.

“Zeke! Zeke! No! Not my only son. You’re everything. You’re all I have of your father. You can’t leave me too. You have to live on and find love. You have to help this world and rid it of all the darkness in it. Zeke, baby. Sweet love, open your eyes!” The woman begged and begged while the familiar wave of manic laughter came from the culprit of the boy’s demise.

“We don’t need another perfect Hive. If he was a woman, I would have considered sparing him, but male Hives can’t be controlled by another man. Pity. He would have been beneficial to the D.U.O, but by the time they hear about him, it’ll be due to the announcement of his funeral.” He laughed once again and shook his head. “My work here is done. I have another Hive to get rid of.”

“No! Come back here!” she screamed, but she couldn’t abandon her dead son in her hands. The image of Charles seemed to fade, leaving the woman who’s dress was cloaked with blood alone with her dead son.

“It can’t end,” she whispered in anger, her tears running down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, and my own eyes widened when the woman in the middle seemed to multiply.

Four other women appeared in the corners of the now small square room, and they rose and shifted into silhouettes of power, each one reflecting an element.

“Red for fire. Silver for earth. Light blue for ice. Black…for darkness.”

The four women walked forward until they kneeled on the ground before the dead boy. They each put their hand out, placing it on the open wound of where the sword had struck.

His body began to glow, and as if the silhouettes were giving off their energy, the boy’s silhouettes returned while his body was wrapped with white light.

“You will live. You must fulfill your destiny. Find your destined love and make that man pay for making you experience a death that is not yours.”

The boy’s body began to rise as the three silhouettes rose into the air with him. The four women rose up, their bodies fading into orbs of energy - each orb representing their designated element.

I watched as the orb of flames found its way to the golden silhouette, while the light blue went to the teal green silhouette and the silver went to the dark blue silhouette.

That’s how Zeus got fire, Zackery got ice, and Zion got earth.

“Power can not be exchanged without sacrifice,” Zackery whispered, and I returned my attention to the woman as the final ball of energy floated down into Zeke’s body.

The dark orb of darkness.

The boy opened his eyes and the woman smiled happily, relief swarming her tear-stricken face as she hugged him tightly.

“I love you. Thank you for protecting your mama, but I can’t stay any longer.”

“Mom? Where are you going?”

She smiled and pressed her lips to the boy’s forehead before looking at the three boys that were identical to Zeke. He followed her gaze, and she pointed to them.

“Zackery.” She pointed to the boy in question. “He’s of wind and ice.”

She pointed to the boy in the middle. “Zion. He’s of water and earth.”

Her finger landed on the last boy. “Zeus. He’s of thunder and fire.”

“Mom…I know…but where did the other elements come from?” The boy was desperate for answers but the woman shook her head.

Placing her trembling hands on his cheeks, she whispered, “My dear Zeke. You’re now of both light and darkness.”

“Light…and darkness?” The boy’s eyes were wide in wonder. She nodded with a loving smile, new tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Yes. You now carry those prime elements, and those three boys are now your brothers. They’re not just a part of you anymore, Zeke. They are connected but have human form. Whatever happens from now on, you have to make sure they stay balanced. Your emotions are reflected by them, and they will help you get through the good and bad.”

“But…mommy, where are you going? Aren’t you going to be there?”

“Oh baby,” she sniffed and pressed her forehead against his. “I’ll always be with you, my sweet, but it looks like my actions will lead to an early end. I guess I’ll be seeing your father sooner than expected.”

“No, mommy. I want you to stay!” the boy begged.

“I wish I could, Zeke, but I need you to be strong for me.” She cradled his face. “Mommy couldn’t let you perish, so she has to make a switch. What happens after this…don’t beat yourself up for it.”

“Mommy, I don’t get it.”

“I know, my boy. One day…it’ll all make sense, but I have to ask you one thing.”

“What is it, mommy?”

“When the evil man came and hit you with the sword, how did you feel?”

The boy needed a moment to answer.

“I was…sad?”

“Why?”

“Because…we never got to be happy, mommy.”

My eyes teared up as I looked at the boy’s big eyes.

Eyes that were filled with regret.

“We always have to work and run, and we never got to have fun, mommy. I was sad that we didn’t get to go to the picnic or visit Daddy. You said we would, but then everything went black and I wished we got to see him. I saw him though! He looks like a big me! Can’t we go visit him again, mommy? Then you won’t be sad anymore. You can tell him how much you love him! We can be together,”

The hope in the boy’s eyes made my tears overflow and the ache in my heart fought to consume me.

“I’m sorry, Zeke,” the woman sobbed. “We can’t be together. I’m sorry that I’m leaving you and your brothers.”

“Why are you leaving, mommy?” Zeke questioned and looked to the side at Zeus, Zackery, and Zion. They shuffled forward until the four of them were trying to comfort their dear mother, and it only seemed to make her cry harder.

She suddenly rose up and wiped her tears before she stared down at the four of them.

“Zeke. Zeus. Zion. Zackery. Promise me.”

The four of them exchange looks of confusion before they looked up in unison at their mother.

“Yes, mommy?” they responded.

“Live. Promise you’ll live for me. Strive towards the light, even when the world seems dark. Rely on one another. And that man…” She paused as her eyes filled with burning anger. “That man is bad. One who will go and hurt others like you. He’ll tear their families apart, and leave them broken, like he’s done to us once before.”

“Done before?” they questioned.

The woman nodded. “That man…is the reason your father isn’t here. He’s the reason you never got a chance to see the man that was so happy to become a father. He’s the reason many families are broken. And he deserves to feel what it’s like to lose what you cherish most.”

“Mom…you’re not making sense.” Zeke frowned in worry, but the woman shook her head and smiled.

“In time, my sweet, it’ll all make sense. But you promise to live, right? To be happy?”

“Happy,” they repeated the word before Zeke smiled and nodded. “I’ll be happy! I’ll…I’ll have fun and be good at basketball, and videogames, and all sorts of stuff, and I’ll get a girlfriend! Happy boys have a girlfriend!”

She laughed and nodded, more tears rolling down her flushed cheeks as she reached out to stroke the boy’s head.

“A woman will come into your life and you’ll adore her. She’ll accept you for everything you are. The good and the bad. You best protect her when that time comes. Just like how you protected me.”

“Yes, Mommy!” Zeke cheered. “Wait…” He looked at his brothers. “Will she like my brothers, too?”

“Would you want that?” she asked.

“Yes!” He beamed at the idea.

“Then she certainly will.”

“You’ll like her, too, mommy. I can’t wait to introduce you!”

The woman smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That would be lovely.”

“Mommy,” the four of them whispered. “Where are you going?”

“Somewhere far, but in a place where I can protect you four. It’s not here…and it’ll be hard to see or feel me, but I’ll be there to guide you four. I’ll protect you so you’ll find that queen of yours.”

“Queen?”

“Your girlfriend.” She quietly laughed.

There was a banging on the door that caught their attention.

“Mommy, who-”

The door flung right open, men in black darting in. Before anyone could react, the guns all pointed at the woman.

“MOM!” the four of them screamed, but the woman closed her eyes and whispered, “Farewell, my boys. Live for me.”

My body flinched at the loud sound of shots being fired, and the woman’s body fell back as blood splattered everywhere. Her body hit the ground with a loud thump, and the boy’s wide eyes filled with tears as his face that was splattered with blood paled.

His three brothers had the same expression, all four of them watching as the woman they loved remained on the ground as a pool of blood gathered beneath her.

“Mom?” Zeke was the only one who could speak, his lip beginning to tremble as his black strands began to levitate with power.

“Come with us! Now!” The men pointed their guns at the four of them, but Zeke’s eyes went pure black as his hands clenched into fists. His hair glowed with white, as magic coursed off him.

“MOM!” he screamed, and the blast shot out around him.

The blast seemed to trigger the end of the vision, and with another blink, we were back in the ice castle.

There was Zackery, tears streaming down his face. He stood there, his hands trembling slightly as those eyes stared back at me.

“That…is how Zeus, Zion, and I came into existence.” He took a heavy breath and lowered his head to the floor. “That’s why Zeke’s been acting weird, and it’s why we’ve been dealing with a lot of imbalance lately. It’s not only due to losing you…it’s a part of it.” He paused as if he was struggling to keep it together.

“Seeing you dead…actually dead in that solid moment triggered our memories of it all and we haven’t been able to keep quiet about it any longer. Each time we’ve wanted to bring it up as a whole, that panic and fear would spike out of nowhere and we’d decide against it. We’d always think about how you came into our lives unexpectedly after years of being obsessed with our goals of making our mother proud and finding Charles.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat and whispered, “At some point before we accepted this case, we assumed you’d just be the bait we needed to find Charles but meeting you…getting to know you…and falling in love with you… That…was so fucking amazing it took our breath away. It made us understand what our mother wanted for us, and how easy it is to sacrifice yourself to protect those you love. Again, and again, you proved how willing you are to throw your life on the line for us. It reminded us of how focused we’ve been on training behind the scenes and working on being stronger. We’ve never given ourselves the chance to live and love you.”

He lifted his head to look into my eyes.

“Our mom emphasized that we should live, and we did that by excelling in our hobbies and enjoying life to what we felt was the fullest, but when we met you and realized how much we loved you…we got lost in the case and forgot to enjoy every given moment with you. We got lost in the idea of protecting you and our past failures of doing exactly that, and in return, we began to question our identities and purpose.”

He lifted his hand to stare at his palms once more.

“That’s why we’re imbalanced. We lost the confidence we had in ourselves in protecting the woman we loved, and we concluded that unless we told you the utmost truth, we’d figure out a way to fix this. Not just us four, but together with our Hive Queen, our girlfriend, our Jade.”

He smiled then as his eyes closed.

“So…that leads to why I decided to bring you here.” His eyes opened once more, and he looked directly into my eyes.

“We don’t know what next semester or even the next three years has in store for us at Tracker Hive. With Lisette coming into the picture and explaining the hidden root of the problem, it seems as though we’re dealing with something bigger than Charles. We…really love you. More than we’ve loved anyone since our mother’s death, and we can’t keep this secret from you and watch you second guess yourself. Death triggers many regrets, and I know that my biggest regret to this day is not spending more joyous moments with my mother. It’s exactly why we strive to be true to ourselves, even if it means doing and saying things that would be considered odd or even silly to say in public. We don’t hold back our thoughts and do our best to strive towards our goals, but now that we’ve fallen in love, we want to strive towards making you happy as well. To walk a path where we can all live and cherish every moment the universe brings. We’ll never know what day will be our last, but we definitely don’t want to spend it solely focusing on Charles and what we lack.”

He smiled and shrugged. “I want us…to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. To love, laugh, and have fun like we did the first semester. We were still focused on finding Charles, but we weren’t so obsessed with fixing our flaws. I want us to return to that. To have a balance of work and play. To crackdown on Charles and seek justice, but not forget that we’re living, breathing individuals that deserve to spend our free time enjoying one another’s company.”

He paused and said with confidence, “We also want to be with our girlfriend and experience wonderful things together without worry or fear of revealing the truth.”

“Zackery,” I whispered, and sniffed. My tears were running down my cheeks like my eyes were waterfalls. “Can…you ask the others to come here for my response?”

He nodded and closed his eyes, and as if his thoughts summoned them here, they were before me in a few blinks.

The four of them stood in line, and I looked at each of them. I could see from the way their hands slightly shook that they were afraid of my response.

Afraid of my reaction to their truth.

I had to think for a few moments, attempting to gather my feelings and come to a solution I already knew was made within my mind.

Rising up from the throne, I walked forward to them. My elements surged forward, and I didn’t stop them.

I decided to go up to the source, and before I knew it, I was before Zeke.

He stood straight and still as our eyes locked. My body moved before my mind registered it, our lips pressing hard against each other as my arms hugged his neck and brought him against me.

The relief that hit me when he kissed me right back was the answer I needed in regard to us. If this big secret would make or break our brewing relationship.

I knew it wouldn’t destroy us, but I needed to prove it to the source of the doubt first.

That source being Zeke.

Breaking the kiss, I whispered, “Ever since we found out about the D.U.O and the case being moved to my parent’s attention, I felt…useless. Here I was sitting on the beach with the men I loved, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking of where Charles could be. Here I was experiencing this blessed moment of relaxation summer brings, and my mind wouldn’t let me enjoy it. That led to me feeling as if something was wrong with me, and I tried to blame it on experiencing death.”

I allow my arms to unhook from his neck and I took two steps back so I could look at the other three as well as Zeke.

“But it was more than just that,” I declared. “I wanted happiness but didn’t think I could have it by relaxing. I wanted to locate Charles and get justice, but I wasn’t sure I could do that while living life and enjoying the people I loved at the same time.”

My lip curled up as my tears fell once more.

“But knowing that it’s something everyone seems to endure makes it easier to accept, and now that I know the truth, it only validates what I have to do.”

My magic swirled around me, and I felt the heaviness of my sword that was now in my right hand.

I glanced at my four boyfriends, waiting to see what their expressions would be with my sword in my hand, but they all remained in place, not a speck of fear in the eyes or auras that now came to my vision and danced around each of them.

My magic was brewing strongly within me, and I went with the idea that flooded my mind and urged for my participation.

“Kneel.”

The four of them did what I asked, and I raised my sword to Zeke’s shoulder and closed my eyes. In the depths of the dark vision, I could see their silhouettes, and there I was, the energy that swirled around me a blazing rainbow of color, like a white light shooting into a prism and portraying a rainbow.

“Zeke Maxwell of Light and Darkness.”

The words seemed to echo around us and a white sword with a black aura now hovered above his head. I knew the appearance of the weapon meant the title had triggered what needed to be unlocked.

I moved onto the person next to him, which was Zeus, and I laid the weight of my sword onto his left shoulder like Zeke.

“Zeus Maxwell of Fire and Thunder.”

A weapon of metal knuckles hovered above his head, the knuckles of golden nature while a flaming red aura surrounded it.

My body moved to the next as my sword rested on Zion’s shoulder.

“Zion Maxwell of Water and Earth.”

A book with a magic circle came to life above him. The book was blue and surrounded by a silver aura.

Finally, I reached Zackery and laid my sword onto his shoulder.

“Zackery Maxwell of Wind and Ice.”

Crossed daggers clashed above him, the metal of pure silver and engraved with magic symbols on the blades. One blade was surrounded with a teal aura while the other was of light blue.

I removed my sword and took two steps back and opened my eyes before moving to stand parallel to them in the center of their line.

“I don’t know what my magic just told me to do, but time will tell. However, I do know this. I love each one of you. No matter your death or rebirth, I’ve fallen in love with each of you in your own unique ways, and if I could go back in time, I’d experience it all over again.”

My lips curled up into a smile as I looked at the four of them.

“I want to learn how to enjoy happiness. I want to get lost in it and not feel guilty for doing such. I know it’s going to be a long process and at times, I’ll struggle to do exactly that, but I’m done with letting Charles keep me from living the best life I can possibly have.”

My sword vanished, and I let out a sigh of exhaustion.

“So you’re all stuck with me,” I declared. “Can we hug and go home and snuggle cause I’m physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted.”

The four of them smiled widely, the tears that had been pooling in their eyes falling in unison as they rushed to hug me.

“AH!” I shrieked when their weight got too much for me to handle. The result landed us on the ground that was now water.

The massive splashed followed with gasps for air.

“Fuck! Zackery!” Zeus cursed.

“My bad!” he sputtered. “I got too overwhelmed with happiness that I forgot to keep the ice structure together.”

“Shit, this water is freezing!” Zion whined.

“Jade, baby! You’re stuck with me!” Zeke cheered and squeezed me tight.

“Zeke! I can’t swim when you’re hugging me so tightly,” I groaned.

“We’ll sink together!” he reasoned.

“Fuck that!” Zion, Zeus, and Zackery declared.

“KILL!”

“AH!” We all flinched at the loud declaration, only to see Shadow Jade in one of the jet boats heading our way.

“What the-” the four of them began, but Zeke looked at me. “Are we hallucinating or is your shadow actually driving a boat to come to rescue us from Zackery’s failures?”

“I didn’t fail, you ass!” Zackery snapped. “See what I do for you? I’m tired as fuck and you have the- blublublublub!”

We both looked over to see Zion sinking Zackery’s head into the water while Zeus rolled his eyes. “Maybe if we drown him he’ll give up on complaining.” Zeus declared.

“He’ll hush when he passes out,” Zion concluded.

“Or dies,” Zeke and I said in unison.

The two of them were then encased in ice and Zackery’s head popped out of the water. “Mother fucking brothers. I’m gonna sink them at the bottom of the ocean!”

“Uh…” I looked to Zeke, who chuckled. “These are the brotherly fights you miss out on.” He winked and looked at Zackery. “So, you gonna unfreeze them now, or let them stay underwater for the night?”

Zackery took a moment to think about it. “I’m in a good mood, and seeing as Jade would probably miss them, I’ll let this pass,” he concluded, but Zeus’s block of ice was gone the next second, melting at the speed of light.

“You’re a dead mother fucker!”

Thunder clouds came rolling in, and Zackery frowned. “Oh, hell nah! I’m not getting electrocuted. Nope. See ya!”

He was swimming right past the boat with a few blinks.

“Runaway, kill?” Shadow Jade asked.

“Fuck! Zackery! Get back here and unfreeze Zion, you dick!” Zeke called back. Zeus sighed and placed his hands on the ice block of Zion. With three seconds, he was gasping for air.

“Goodness, that was scary!” Zion determined. “Better than the time Zeus tried to murder us with thunder.”

“He was about to,” Zeke commented.

“No, I wasn’t!” Zeus defended himself. “I would have only struck Zackery.”

“Zeus.” I smirked. “We’re all in the water. I wonder what would happen with a single thunderbolt.”

He frowned when it finally clicked. “Oh.”

“Sometimes you’re actually stupid,” Zion noted.

“Fuck you!” Zeus snapped.

“Uh oh.” Zion was swimming past the boat in a nanosecond and Zeus was chasing after him. “I’ll just strike your ungrateful ass with that other asshole of a brother!”

“Zackery! Take me with you!” Zion called out to Zackery, who was so far away that he looked like a peanut. We stared at them as their loud bickering faded and eventually Shadow Jade looked over to us.

“No saving boat. Kill?”

“We’ll use it, Shadow Jade.” Zeke winked and hooked his arm around my waist. With ease, he helped me into the boat first before he lifted himself out of the water and into the boat.

“Guess we don’t have to struggle,” Zeke declared.

“I feel as though this somehow ended up in your favor,” I noted.

“Hmm. Probably.” He grinned seductively before he reached out to brush a few strands of my wet hair from my cheek. He then leaned over and kissed me.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he whispered. “Thanks, Jade, for accepting and anointing us.”

“What was that all about, anyway?”

“Who knows, but I guess we’ll have to do some research on this whole Hive stuff or ask your parents when they’re back.”

“Oh ya. I always forget that we can ask them,” I noted before I grinned. “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

“If we weren’t such scaredy cats, we would have told you ages ago.”

“Everything in divine timing,” I whispered and kissed him. “Let’s aim for happiness.”

“To the path of happiness,” he quietly affirmed, and laid those sweet lips upon mine once more.

We’ll strive towards our destined path and be happy while doing it.

7

TROUBLED OBESSION AND HAPPINESS TOGETHER

Ayawn escaped me while my feet shuffled along the cool marble tile floors. It had to be twelve or one in the morning, the night still young as the stars sparkled brightly above in the clear, midnight blue sky.

One of the benefits of a glass house were the glorious views you’d witness. Whether in the depths of the dark nights, or watching the glamorous sunrises and sunsets, the view was always a work of art and sparked my imagination in so many ways.

After the afternoon spent with Zackery and returning back in time for a gathered dinner with my Maxwells, I was left feeling completely satisfied - to the point that I’d fallen asleep at the dinner table.

I woke up in Zeus’s arms while Zeke was snuggled next to me. Zackery and Zion must have opted out in trying to squeeze themselves onto the king-size bed, which left me in the sexy sandwich of anger and seduction.

I was still waiting for our threesome moment, but I was doing a poor job at hinting at what I desired from the duo. Now that I’d dealt with my initial concerns that were trying to keep me from experiencing the joys of this new life granted to me by Lisette, I was mentally trying to figure out my new goals for this summer and the semester to come.

Threesome with Zeus and Zeke. Heck, why not go big and aim for a sixsome?

The thought reminded me of Calvin and how distant he’d been throughout our summer vacation so far. Only once in a while would he join for dinner, and if we caught him at the breakfast table, he’d be typing away on his laptop or iPad, trying to aid in locating Charles.

I understood his desire for justice, but I worried he’d miss out on this rejuvenating vacation, an opportunity we rarely got to experience. I surely didn’t know how his past summers had gone or if he took regular vacations, but from what I’d gathered from his compulsive behavior of conducting research and formulating plans to stop Charles, I was beginning to be concerned.

Zackery’s talk and the revelation of everything about my Maxwells made me re-evaluate what I aimed to achieve. My obsession to get vengeance against Charles wasn’t necessarily over or bad, but with the new predicament, I was given the perfect chance to work on myself and make a new definitive path towards my future.

There was so much about Calvin that I knew nothing about, and it was times like these where I wished to know a little more. That way, if he was acting odd, I’d be able to reach out and comfort him when the time was right.

We may not have been dating - yet - but it didn’t revoke the fact he was now a dear friend to us and the quads. Even with the past differences and his change of appearance, his loyalty to helping us was a rarity on its own, and I wished to sometimes return the favor by being there for him like the many times he was there for me.

Now that I was semi-awake, I wanted to see if he was asleep like the others, but a simple check down the hall showed the remaining seven bedroom doors were open and unoccupied, which led me to investigate while attempting to wake up.

I was actually following Minx, who’d been sleeping at the edge of our bed and was now my chauffeur on this new mission to locate Calvin. Shadow Jade had been resting a lot so far, and I honestly needed the rebalance moment.

A tiny bit of me wondered if she wanted to be around Ceil, but we both were unsure if Lisette would eventually be joining us during our vacation. Charles journal wasn’t just a few hundred pages of words. It was years of documentation of his plans revolving around me and anyone else connected to whatever this prophecy entailed. That bit of insight was troubling in itself.

There was so much yet unknown, but I felt as though we were making some progress. It was hard to be patient when I craved all the answers as to why I was somehow chosen by the universe to be a part of this prophecy, but only time would tell.

That’s what I continued to hope for.

With all this time for self-care and training, it was a good idea to get closer to my boyfriends and Calvin. I’m sure I’d get time with Lisette at some point if all went well, and who knows?

Maybe my parents will be the ones to put Charles behind bars. Or kill him.

The thought made me ponder if I wanted him to get the easy way out with death. After years of anxiety, occasional suffering, and the few close calls, I secretly wanted him to endure far worse than I had.

Experience the level of fear, sadness, regret, anger, and desolation I felt throughout my life because of him.

The past only reminded me of how much better off I was now, and I sometimes wondered how life was before my Trouble Four and Calvin came into the picture?

If I was bored with the tranquil lifestyle we were experiencing, I must have been a workaholic and not realized it before meeting them with my enrollment at Tracker Hive Academy.

After checking the living room, kitchen, and both lounge areas, I headed for the stairs that led to the basement. This place had to have been modeled by some artist or someone who enjoys interior design because the basement walls were made up of glass and reflected the living aquarium swimming around the designated space between the two sheets of glass - the back wall of glass reflecting the earthly soil and roots of the various trees and plants above the surface.

The lights were dimmed, but seeing as it wasn’t completely pitch black, I could only assume a quick check to see if Calvin was around wouldn’t hurt.

The sound of fingers typing swiftly along a keyboard caught my attention, and with a few steps down the narrow hall, I saw Calvin sitting crossed-legged on a couch.

I paused in my movement just to observe him. Those orange orbs that were framed by his black-rimmed glasses remained glued to the mini screen in his lap. His fingers were typing furiously across the keyboard like he was cracking down on a hacker or playing an intense video game.

What intrigued me was the fact he was shirtless, and I was getting the first glimpse of the tattoos that had been clearly hidden from me and maybe the others. They were clearly Japanese characters, but I couldn’t recall what they meant.

Some of the letterings were intertwined with floral vines and roses, while others were wrapped in various elements. One of the characters had a mix of water droplets and lines that reminded me of visible streams of wind. Another had thunderbolts striking down around it while flames danced around the stem of the character. The lettering itself was in bold black, but the elements and floral pieces added to decorate each character were in striking colors.

With him being shirtless in black tight shorts, I could appreciate just how muscled Calvin was. He seriously hid it so well that I felt a little shocked at the sight. It was like waking up one morning and seeing that one of your lovers had become completely jacked up.

Calvin was definitely attractive before, both in his cute, chubby form and after the full reveal of his true identity, but the lack of clothes and the reveal of his tattoos was turning me and my elements on.

C’mon, Jade. You had sexy time with Zackery earlier. You don’t need more testosterone tonight… Well, technically it’s the morning of a new day, so would that count? This summer trip is leaving me far too horny. Not like we had lots of sex last semester. Hmm. I’m just trying to figure out more excuses, aren’t I?

The typing sounds came to a stop, and those orange jewels lifted to meet my observant gaze. I’d been biting my bottom lip subconsciously, which was a stupid move now as I bit way harder to try and snap myself out of whatever lust-crazed daze I was in.

Calvin didn’t say anything at first, but he then patted the spot next to him, giving me permission to come and sit next to him. The gesture was more relieving than I thought, and continuing the silence, I walked over and sat right next to him.

I wasn’t sure what to say, or it could have been my intuition that told me he was in the midst of doing something important. Either way, I didn’t want to disturb him with conversation, so I merely leaned my head against his shoulder and relaxed.

He didn’t reject my movement, and after a few more seconds of silence, he went right back to typing. The screen was hard to follow. Windows of various codes, images, and vast information would pop up every five to ten seconds before shifting to another set of words and images.

It didn’t bother me that I couldn’t follow along, especially now that I knew Calvin was merely working. Having him accept me relaxing against him while he worked was more than enough for me, even with my heart racing against my chest and my core flipping in desire for him.

My elements were attempting to take a chill pill, but I resonated with my light magic the most - her energy bringing forth a wave of calm as I grew even more relaxed.

It wasn’t until something soft stroked through my hair that I realized I’d fallen asleep. The tenderness of fingers lightly brushing against my scalp awakened me from my light slumber.

“Mhm?” The quiet sound I made rewarded me with another head stroke, before Calvin whispered, “Why did you come down here if you’re sleepy?”

It took me a few moments to collect my sleepy thoughts. I was no longer resting my head on Calvin’s shoulder but was in his arms with my butt resting in his lap while my head had been against his chest.

“I was looking for you.” My voice was thick with sleep and a yawn escaped me.

“Were you?”

“You’ve been kind of distant,” I mumbled, fighting the urge to let my eyelids fall and return to deep slumber. I ended up losing that battle with my eyes, and I rested my head back against his solid chest.

“Have I?”

I felt like this question game was Calvin’s way of avoiding the conversation.

“It’s summer but I’ve barely seen you and we’re on the same island,” I quietly explained. “This is also the first time I’ve seen you without a shirt.”

“You like?”

“Very much so, but you’re asking more questions than answering mine,” I complimented before pointing out the obvious.

“I know,” he replied. “I’m not used to opening up.”

My hand drifted up to stroke his cheek, and he allowed his eyes to close as I caressed his cheek gently.

“Do you feel uncomfortable with opening up to me?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted quietly. His eyes opened slightly, staring into mine as I reached for his glasses and slowly slid them off his face.

His eyes searched mine as the rim of his irises began to emit a soft white glow. My light magic tugged forward, her energy summoned with the mere look of that radiant ring of light that grew stronger by the second.

I sat up just slightly, turning my body so I could slide both my hands to cradle his cheeks. He held my intense gaze, and I looked at his lips.

Those desirable lips that I wanted to kiss gently.

It was hard to explain my sudden emotion. The connection between us encouraged me to comfort him from whatever was tugging at his insecurities. I’d never acknowledged just how guarded Calvin must be, especially during the times when he’d had to hide who he truly was.

All because of me.

As if the thought and memories of the past year clicked in, my heart swelled with admiration for him. Deep down I believed it was always there, but it began to grow with the little actions he did on my behalf and blossomed with our second semester when the truth was revealed.

He saved me from death, and during the times when I’d felt alone in the depths of my worry and desires, he’d come and check in at the right moment.

With my light element seeping into every part of me, I wished we could just be official, but I needed to know how Calvin felt.

If he cared about me in that sense.

There could be so many excuses for us not being together, especially when his father was doing everything to rid me from existence. Yet we were on the same side, and he’d proven himself time and again.

Do we have a chance? A possibility of becoming a thing?

He was one of my three Hives and the connection was there. It was vivid with power and frantic to fulfill its full potential with me, but there was the barrier - the gap that still kept us so distant.

Even with my body in his arms and our lips just a short distance apart, there was something holding me back from making the daring move - one that we wouldn’t be able to come back from.

Are we going to take this to the next level? Am I valuable enough to him that he’s willing to let his walls fall completely and allow me in?

That thought seemed to trigger him to move, his head inching closer and closer until his lips lightly brushed mine. There was that moment of tranquility - the answer I needed from the swarming thoughts and hidden anxieties - while a flow of warmth wrapped around us.

When our eyes locked again it was like watching Calvin’s emotions finally seep through. I saw the heightened worry, fear, and lustful desires all dance within his eyes and expressions that gave him away.

He leaned forward and kissed me again, only this time it was rich with passion, while his arms tightened around my waist. The swirl of sensations made this kiss far richer, making it hard to not get lost in solely that.

My hands moved from his shoulders to his chest, and gently I pushed him against the back of the couch while moving to sit properly on his lap. He let me have my way as I claimed his lips once again, and his hands moved from my hips, slipping beneath the oversized shirt and lifting it higher up as he teased my flesh with his touch.

“Jade,” he breathed when we both needed a moment to catch our rapid breath. The room had increased a couple of notches because it felt like it was boiling.

We pressed our foreheads together, and I could feel his insecurities creeping into him - those little worries that always seemed to remind him of all the things that could screw his happiness up.

He’s just like me. He understands wholeheartedly the fear that tries to consume me every day.

“When you realize how amazing life is with the people around you, the first thing that comes to your mind is the chance of losing it all, doesn’t it?”

I opened my eyes to see his sad ones, and he nodded in agreement.

“My existence has always been looked down upon. I was never good enough. Never worthy of the praise I craved from my father. He didn’t give me a solid chance to prove my worthiness to him, and I hated it. I despised not only him, but I disliked how weak I was.”

With a sigh, he let his head fall back against the head of the couch, looking up to the ceiling as if it could give us the privilege of seeing the stars.

“That’s why I vowed to prove him wrong. To work on getting stronger physically and magically. It was rewarding when I knew I could control all eight elements. It was also intriguing to see how people treat you when you allow yourself to look weak. When I decided to take on this case, I was hesitant, because I’d have to battle that part of myself that hates feeling inadequate. Every day I’d have to wear a mask of that part of me that I hate viewing. A weak, chubby boy that everyone looks down upon and thinks is useless to everyone around them. As plump Calvin, no one bats an eye at me, and if they do, it’s out of mockery. I shouldn’t have cared, but some days were harder than others. Some days I wanted to believe them. That I was inadequate like my father always emphasized.”

“Calvin.” I whispered his name and he lowered his head to look back at me. His hand lifted up my back, those fingers of his trailing lightly along my flesh and making me shiver.

He smirked at my response before his hand pressed against my cheek.

“When I was studying for this assignment, I only had pictures of you. I knew your story, and on occasion, I’d see you from afar when you’d come by the agency office to make your report. From afar, I didn’t need my glasses to see how lonely you were.” He stroked my cheek as I tried to keep my composure, his words reminding me of the past and how I did my best to give off a ‘leave me alone’ vibe whenever I worked.

No one would approach me, even though deep down, my elements and I were lonely.

“So many times,” he whispered. “So many times I just wanted to have the courage to talk to you. To let you know that Charles…my asshole dad wouldn’t get what he wanted from you, but I couldn’t. It didn’t matter how desperate I was to receive your acknowledgment, even in my odd, plump illusion. But I couldn’t summon up the courage to do it and it proved to me that I wasn’t ready to face you yet.”

He paused and looked away to close his eyes.

“That day when you showed up and were ready to kick that bully’s butt, I was truly speechless. It wasn’t because I was acting my role as chubby Calvin, but I was genuinely speechless because of your assistance. You were Alaric’s daughter, the girl with eight elements that didn’t even need to interfere, and even with your intention being getting revenge for that painting Shadow Jade enjoyed, you didn’t push me away. I’d originally assumed if I tried to tag along or be around you, I’d get a slap in the face or you’d degrade me for not being attractive or powerful. Everyone else who I’d purposely tested did, so I assumed the same would happen with you.”

His eyes drifted back to mine, and he grinned as his eyes softened.

“You did everything I didn’t expect. You let me follow you around, even though at times I sense it annoyed you. I figured it wasn’t purely out of annoyance, but because you went from the teenage girl that loved to work alone, to a woman that was willing to surround herself with different people, even me who wouldn’t bring many benefits to your life.”

He let go of my cheek and his hands returned to my hips. He relaxed back against the couch and his smile widened.

“Here I am in the midst of the summer night, and the woman I’ve come to fall in love with without even knowing it decides to visit me. A woman I’ve studied for years through images as I tried to find a way to track my dad is now sitting on my lap and acknowledging me as a man and not a plump, nerdy boy that tags along for shits and giggles.”

His smile fell as his eyes darkened a little.

“Every time I want to admire the good presented to me, there comes the bad. My mind tells me I don’t deserve a woman like you. That I don’t deserve to be around people like the Maxwells or superiors like Tanner, Bianca, and Alaric. I’d been unconsciously used by Charles to locate you and I hadn’t even realized it. How pathetic it is that Lisette, a woman who appeared out of a fucking thunderbolt, was able to twirl her umbrella and cast a spell strong enough to make it impossible for Charles to use my magic as a trail to you.”

“Calvin. You’re being hard on yourself,” I whispered.

“Maybe I am.” He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I can ignore the obvious. I have so much work to do on myself, and I can’t do that by enjoying this summer vacation and being around those I love. If I surround myself with you all, it’ll only make it harder for me to let go when I have to move on. When I have to take on the next project once Charles is brought in or better yet, dead.”

“Who said you have to move on?” I questioned and placed my hands on his cheeks so he couldn’t look away from my puzzled gaze. “Why do you have to abandon us? You’re a part of our team now.”

“Since when?”

“Since you started following us?” I wasn’t even sure when we’d truly accepted him as one of ours, but we’d accepted him for his plump self, even with the bumps in our viewpoints.

“I was probably a bur-”

“Why do you think so negatively when the truth is right in your face telling you otherwise?” I slammed the question to his face. “Why do you think you’re not worthy of having friends that are powerful like you or having a girlfriend that admires you for the devotion of time and care you give to everyone but yourself?”

He was quiet and I gave him a worried look.

“Don’t shut me out, Calvin. I need to understand. I need you to try and see the repetitive mindset you keep putting yourself in. You know why?”

He shook his head just slightly.

“Because I do the same thing all the time, especially after facing death for real.” I let go of his cheeks and let my hands run down his chest. My eyes gazed down to his tattoos, and for the first time in a long time, I let my thoughts run wild as I spoke them into existence.

“Whenever I’ve been lost and questioned if I should be the person I’ve always been, I’ve had the guys come in and remind me that it’s okay to have weaknesses. That’s it’s okay to be true to myself because they love me for who I am. The person who doesn’t fit into everyone’s perception of how I should as a soon-to-be tracker. The girl who has a shadow that randomly pops into conversations with the word ‘kill’ and does her best to spark some joy into my life with her innocence. Men that didn’t shame me for needing medication when my hallucinations and nightmares returned or didn’t break up with me when I lose my cool and snap at them for stupid shit. I found people that are willing to bake me fresh cookies every day and cuddle with me when I need their warmth during those dark, cold nights. I never in a million years would have guessed I’d be worth any bit of love after the sins I committed way back then, but now that I’ve experienced it all, I always fear losing it all.”

My finger trailed the lines of his tattoo.

“Every day. Every quiet moment I think about how all of this happiness that is pooling within me will one day poof if I don’t become stronger. If I don’t return to the girl that trained any chance she got, researched every book that could help, and try to reach that level of rank to give me the protection I needed from Charles and opportunity to kill him with my own two hands, I’ll lose all of this to my ignorance. Every time, I have to remind myself that my obsession was one of the many reasons that led me to that moment in the office where I met the Maxwells. My desire to become a tracker was what led me to this school and that moment where I met you. My striking craving for happiness is what motivated me to keep attending Tracker Hive, even with the risk of Charles knowing where I’d be every day, five days a week. And my desire to grow and beat him at his own little game was what led me to be in that training room where he randomly showed up and killed me.”

I paused my finger at the part of his tattoo that reflected both light and darkness; white wings with a halo that reflected the light and black wings with falling feathers that represented the dark.

“It’s taken reminders from the others and you to realize that in this world, we’re destined to enjoy both good and bad times. We’re destined to be happy and destined to fall into voids of sorrow. Whether I train my ass off to the point of seclusion, or spend this whole summer playing and enjoying the time with those I love won’t suddenly change the future I’m striving for. It’s not going to stop Charles from seeking what he wants, nor is it going to change the other bad guys or evil influences that aim to tear us apart.”

With a sigh, I gave him a hopeless look. “I’m not even sure if anything I’ve said makes sense, but the point I want you to realize is that sacrificing the joy you deserve isn’t going to give you the happy ending you’re dreaming of. Spending all day and night on this computer while the world and all the opportunities you have to be happy go by may not lead you to find and kill Charles. Obsessing over the future we know nothing about isn’t going to help you achieve your happy ending. What can help you is finding a balance in work and play and determining what you want for YOUR future. What do you see yourself doing in five, ten, fifteen years that doesn’t have to do with Charles? What would make you happy if you were able to experience it right at this moment?”

He opened his mouth to speak, and we both waited for him to answer the prime question I’d offered him.

“If a fairy came from nowhere to grant you one wish that would make you happy, what would it be?”

He closed his mouth and swallowed, his expression morphing from uncertainty to sadness.

“I’m…not sure.”

“That’s what I’m trying to show you. That’s exactly the problem here,” I emphasized. “I understand because it took death for me to realize how sad my years had been. It took Lisette telling me that I need to live to get the ultimate revenge for it to finally click. It took Zackery showing me what fun is all about with the gifts we’d been blessed with for me to realize the potential I have in my hands and what can be done if I stopped obsessing over ‘what-ifs’ and focused on what I could achieve in the moment.”

I leaned in then and kissed him firmly on the lips.

“And it took me a long fucking time to realize that you’re a knight that I want to learn more about. Not because of the good you’ve done in our lives or due to your loyalty in protecting and cheering me on, but because I whole-heartedly want to learn more about you, Calvin. The real you.”

He seemed speechless with my declaration, and I felt my cheeks grow red at the thought of confessing my feelings for him.

“Goodness, I’ve never been the one to make the first move like that…” I muttered more to myself than him.

“KISS!”

We both flinched and looked to Shadow Jade, who was now next to us on the couch in her pajamas. Her legs were crossed and she had her black unicorn plushie in one arm and a bag of popcorn in the other. She reached for a handful and popped it into her mouth.

“Kill later?”

I snickered and shook my head at how awkward this was. “No, Shadow Jade. We’re having a moment. Were you watching a movie?”

“Watching Sailor Moon with Ceil and Lisette at home.”

“Ah.” I nodded, the thought of Lisette being back home giving me a bit of reassurance from my previous worries. “Can we finish our moment?”

“Sure.” She glanced over to Calvin. “KISS!”

“Uh.” Calvin’s whole face began to grow red and Shadow Jade giggled. “Puppy’s all red. Good. Bye-bye!” She waved and with a dark poof, she was gone.

“That…” I tried to figure out the word. “Was- hmm?”

Calvin’s hands moved to my cheeks and I was forced to look back into those orange orbs of his, the striking color suddenly glowing with magic.

“Calvin?”

“What if the real me is cynical?”

“More than Lisette?” I inquired.

“To a lesser degree,” he muttered.

“Then no worries there.” I smirked. “Anything else?”

“I’m related to Charles. He’s my father, whether I like it or not. We have similar qualities. Do you really want to be with someone like that? A replica of him? What if he uses me to get to you again?”

“Blood and heritage do not determine the person you become,” I declared. “Just because your father is a killer of innocent people doesn’t mean you’re going to become one as well. I’ve had feelings for you for a while and I already knew that you and Charles were related before it was brought to my official attention. You’re not his replica, but only the result of a dual equation. He can’t use you to get to me anymore, and even if he tries to somehow threaten me to do his bidding like he did by using the Maxwells, I’ll deal with it if that time comes. It’s pointless to question the uncertainty, and I’ve come to realize that living is far more fun than worrying about everything that can happen if I do put myself first,”

“Do you…actually like me?” His face grew redder with the question.

“It wasn’t obvious?” I pouted my lips.

“N-Not really,” he stuttered, which made him look extra cute.

“Hmm. When you get all nervous in this form, it’s cute and hot at the same time,” I commented. “Or maybe cause you’re shirtless.”

He arched a judgement eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. “I always point out the obvious and your shirtless-ness is distracting me from the original question.”

“Shirtless-ness isn’t a word, Weirdo,” he muttered.

“You like that I’m weird.”

“I do,” he said with confidence as he met my gaze once more. “Guess I’m weirder with my random switch in personas.”

“Oh. That’s a good way of describing it. Plump Calvin persona and Secret Agent Calvin persona. There should be a third one. Embarrassed and In Love Calvin persona!”

“Ugh, don’t name them like that,” he groaned. “Just say Plump persona, Secret Agent persona, and…hey! I’m not embarrassed or in love!”

“You’re not in love with me?” I gasped for dramatic emphasis.

His whole face was cherry red in a second and he groaned. “Fuck.”

“You know, it’s hot when you swear.”

His face only grew redder as he slapped his face. “Jade.”

“What?” I waited for him to remove his hand from his face. “You gotta get used to this if we’re going to date, which always had me wondering. Why haven’t you asked me out?”

“Because…I didn’t think you’d date me.”

“Even though it was obvious that I liked you, though you didn’t see it that way so I guess I can see why you’ve been avoiding all the signs, and we-mhmm.”

The last bit of my words was muffled by his sudden kiss, those lips of his sucking me right into his dominating hold while his hands held my hips tightly.

He didn’t release me until we were both breathless.

“I like you.”

He said it so quickly, I almost thought I’d missed it.

“Say it nice and slow.”

“Jade,” he growled.

“Please?” I gave him puppy eyes and there he went on another blushing storm before he looked away and whispered, “I love you, Jade Storm.”

The relief that flowed through me made my lips curls up in a radiant smile. He looked back at me, his eyes growing wide. “Uh.”

I blinked and gave him a questioning look. “What?”

“When you’re happy, your elements like to show up.”

“Huh?”

I looked over my shoulder and there was my light element. She was in kid version, sitting on the top of a black file cabinet. It was just her silhouette, but her facial definition was clear enough to see her resemblance to my eight-year-old self.

She was kicking her feet up and down, while her hands rested to the side of her body. Her glowing eyes were purple, and the wide smile showed her hollow mouth that also glowed a lavender purple.

“Are you happy?” I asked her quietly. She bobbed her head, that grin of hers only growing wider.

“You like Calvin?”

She looked over slightly, her eyes focused on Calvin. She again nodded and then spoke. “Fear hides what is pure. Kindness in his heart. Love within his soul. Happiness upon the horizon. Let go of fear and sadness. Live in the moment blessed to us all.”

Those were her words before she clapped her hands and was gone.

I looked back at Calvin to see his shock, and it took us both a moment before we managed words.

“Is that the first time you light element has spoken?”

“Ya,” I admitted. “Aside from Shadow Jade, I never really took into consideration that the others could speak and communicate.”

“Cool.” He pulled me right against him and before I knew it, we were making out like the world was about to end.

I broke the kiss to breathe, and he softly kissed my nose.

“This was the weirdest way to confess to one another,” he pointed out.

“Well…weird plus weird equals weirder, so having a weirdest way is even better.”

“That made no sense,” he said with a laugh.

“But it made you laugh, which is rare,” I pointed out as I slipped my arms around his neck. “I want to see you happy more often.”

“I’m not sure I can let my guard down like that so often,” he acknowledged,

“Slow and steady wins the race,” I reminded.

“True, but if I can make the Maxwells jealous with our growing connection, I’ll finish the race in seconds.”

“You love annoying them.”

“I like seeing their worried dissatisfaction when the thought of me sweeping you off your feet and running away flashes before their eyes.”

“Why do I have a feeling this is going to be an odd relationship?” I pondered to myself.

“You deemed it weirdest worthy. I think it can be as odd as we want,” he concluded with a sexy grin.

“When you smile like that, it’s a turn-on.”

“Are we supposed to fuck now?”

“Uh.” I blushed. “Would it be a turn off to say I’m a little winded?”

Whatever I did with my sword with each of my Maxwells had really drained me, and even with a bit of sleep, I was now feeling the exhaustion creep in.

“Not at all.” He chuckled and kissed me lightly. “To be fair, I’d rather have you in a bedroom then on the couch of this basement.”

“Sexy.”

“You’re turned on by the most random things.”

“True, but you like it, as do the others.” I winked.

“We love you as you are,” he whispered as he pulled me close, our lips brushing one another. “Jade?”

“Yes, Calvin?”

“If I…work towards happiness and become a scared little puppy along the way, you’ll help me, right?”

“Of course,” I whispered and placed a light kiss on his lips. “I’ll help you as you always help me, and we’ll figure this out together.”

“I’ve never really spent a day not working,” he revealed. “I’m not sure what that feels like.”

“Well, we have the rest of the summer to enjoy some days of work and other days of play.”

“There’s still one thing bothering me,” he admitted.

“What is it?”

“Lisette. I’m a little worried that she hasn’t really done anything other than work and watch Sailor Moon reruns. I mean…she just got out of captivity and no one has offered her a moment of closure.” He closed his eyes and was quiet for a long moment.

“I don’t want to be the one to bring it up to Alaric and the others, and I know it’s important for us to learn everything about Charles’s plans with this documented journal, but what if Lisette cracks? Like…she finishes this journal and feels no sense of worth? The thought keeps coming up in my mind when I try to refocus on my reports after a break, but I wasn’t sure who to tell. I wanted to let you know sooner, but I didn’t want to burden you with the task either.”

“It’s not a burden,” I declared. “Listening and being there for those I love isn’t something to be deemed a hard task. Could it be complicated? Probably. Especially after Lisette found out the R-quads just left. But I can see why you’re worried. I’m concerned about her too, but I’m afraid of interfering.”

“I think we need to interfere together or something. Even if it’s just a day or two. No one has asked her how she truly is, and I have a feeling all she’s doing is distracting herself from what’s haunting her. That’s the vibe I get from her.”

“You’re really good at observing someone from afar, Calvin,” I noted.

“You have to when no one wants to be around you most of the time.”

His words struck me, but he gave me a smile and kissed me gently. “You’re not like other people. You’re the reason I’m somehow learning more about what I want to achieve in this life span. Aside from bringing my father in and proving myself worthy. I’m going to need some time to figure it out, but it’s nice to not do it alone.”

His smile widened as determination flooded his eyes.

“I think Lisette needs that, too.”

“I agree.” I bobbed my head and grinned. “We’ll try and figure out a plan.”

“One more thing,” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go out on a date if we’re heading back to check on Lisette.”

My cheeks burned hot, but my smile had to be priceless with how wide it was. My cheeks hurt from the happy gesture.

“I’d love that.” I beamed. “Multitasking is fun.”

“Hmm.” He thought about it before he lifted me up in his arms as he rose from the couch. “Multitasking could be fun.”

“What are you thinking?”

“If I can kiss and hold you all the way back to my room for a night of cuddling.”

“A fun challenge.” I tightened my hold around his neck and bit his bottom lip, tugging it lightly and kissing him softly.

He groaned and broke the kiss to whisper, “When you take the initiative to kiss me, it’s really hot.”

“Turns you on?”

“Very much.”

“Then I’ll do it more often.”

“I feel as though you’re going to do it to torture me.”

“Maybe, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Torturing me is something you thought out,” he reminded.

“Yes, but I added love and passion somewhere there.”

“It’s barely existent.”

“But it’s there,” I confirmed and sealed his comeback with a kiss. He began to walk, our lips moving against one another as we continued to enjoy the feverish kiss and the warmth of light dancing within us.

We both crave finding and maintaining our happy ever afters. We’ll achieve it…together.

8

LAST DAY OF SUMMER CHASE

“Out of all the days of the entire summer, today is the day Lisette is free?” Calvin complained, pressing the gas of the sports car to increase our speed fifty miles past the speed limit.

“Do you put your frustration into your driving?” I inquired with a teasing grin.

His cheeks grew red before he worked on slowing the car. He shifted lanes on the freeway until we were in the far right lane instead of the far left that was commonly known as the “Fast and Furious” lane.

“Sorry,” he apologized, moving his eyes off the road for a second to see my grin. “I’m in the slow lane.”

“I had no problem with your speed,” I pointed out. “I think it’s just cute how frustrated you are over our date being slightly interrupted.”

“Slightly?” He arched an eyebrow and gave me a quick look. “We didn’t even appreciate our changed attire before your phone rang and Lisette was calling about being off today.”

He returned his eyes to the road and huffed, “We’ve been fighting to get her some free time from those assholes currently in charge, and what’s the common excuse?”

“Miss Cross is working on a very important case that needs her utmost attention. She cannot be interrupted over silly matters. Please wait until she’s completed her task. I’m sure she’ll notify you upon her completion,” I mimicked the woman in question that somehow worked seven bloody days a week and always picked up our calls when we tried to talk to the current supervisor of our department.

Since Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner were on the front lines of Charles’s case, they were on the field for the majority of the summer. That left idiots like a supervisor who was never available and his secretary that did nothing but repeat the same messages back at us.

Going to headquarters was a double waste of time. The phone tag and repeated message was nothing like being deemed “standard” individuals of the agency and not having the privilege to talk with Lisette.

If I didn’t respect my father’s agency or want to distract them from the task at hand, I would have simply teleported myself in there myself and reached her.

I’d been lucky to exchange numbers with Lisette after our meeting, but she wasn’t super tech-savvy with the newer phones and most of the time forgot about its existence unless I called her.

The few instances we got to talk, she’d seemed to be in a daze and it was obvious she struggled to follow along with the conversation. Today was the first time she’d sounded upbeat, or at least, back to her normal crazy self that we’d experienced upon meeting her.

My Trouble Four were back at my penthouse, finalizing the new security measures that had been implemented. From the looks of things, while we were away, the R-squad had assisted the new security team with implementing a better system that was apparently used for presidents and council members.

I didn’t want to know how much it must have cost my parents, but I was thankful for the reassurance. Calvin approved of it after a full inspection, and it was decided we’d be spending our time here this semester.

It made sense, seeing as none of us were sure if Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner would be back for the school semester. I was kind of hoping they would be because I missed them.

This was the first summer I hadn’t spent with them and it was definitely a rejuvenating one, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t missing Bianca’s fresh morning goodies, Tanner’s intense morning training, and Alaric’s mere company.

They would text me from time to time to let me know they were safe and working, but I couldn’t wait for their official return.

Since we were on “vacation” until tomorrow when school started for year two, we had no clue about the progress of the Charles case.

After my talk with Calvin, he’d decided to take a break from obsessing over his father and boy, had it made a huge difference in his personality.

Compared to how closed off he’d been when it came to mingling with the Trouble Four, the hot weeks that followed forced us into the cool waters of the pool or massive ocean to cool off. It was the perfect chance for them to build a guy bond – or at least tolerate each other.

After that night spent with Calvin - the time spent cuddling and sleeping - I’d announced to the guys that Calvin had asked me out.

“CALVIN ASKED ME OUT.”

The pin-drop silence that followed in comparison to the lively debate the guys were having seconds earlier told me I’d either made or destroyed their peaceful morning.

When no one spoke for another ten seconds, I removed my eyes from the hot chocolate I was making to see their astonished faces.

“You four really thought he wouldn’t have the guts to do it?”

None of them answered and I shrugged.

“Must be nice to be naive. You’re lucky we didn’t fuck.”

“What?!” the four of them declared.

“Is that why we didn’t wake up with you in bed?” Zeus questioned.

“I thought she was with Zion and Zackery,” Zeke noted.

“Nah, I woke up early to work out and thought Jade was still with you guys,” Zackery admitted.

“I just assumed she was either with you or doing her own thing.” Zion shrugged.

“I was doing my own thing,” I noted. “By cuddling with Calvin. He’s still sleeping, though.”

The four of them gawked at me like I’d announced I was lesbian.

“You guys are acting as though I told you I’m a lesbian,” I said.

“Hmm.” Zeke thought about it. “Nah, that wouldn’t be as surprising. Plus, you’re bi, remember?”

I rolled my eyes and smirked as I put some marshmallows into my hot chocolate.

“Don’t need a reminder, but thanks for reminding me.” I winked teasingly at him. “You’re probably waiting for the fateful day Lisette and I become a thing.”

“I’ve already dedicated a calendar where I’ll mark how many days it takes for that to happen. I also want front row seats to any make out sessions and a picture for motivation. Actually, two pictures so I can have one on my desk.”

“Are you stupid?” Zeus questioned his seductive brother. “And don’t go leaving those types of pictures on your desk!”

“Too late for that.” Zackery chuckled. “You weren’t there when the head found one of his stack of porn magazines. He couldn’t even scold Zeke.”

“Of course he couldn’t.” Zion smirked. “How embarrassing it must have felt when he so happened to pick the wrong box from Zeke’s desk and presented the lovely naked covers of an animated woman with her legs spread out and her glistening pussy on display. What made it utterly hilarious was the fact that they were on a video call with another board of directors and one of the guys said that the edition he was holding was limited and really good!”

“You’re fucking kidding!” I exclaimed, almost on the verge of laughter.

“It was golden,” Zackery declared. “Shh. I have it on video for blackmailing purposes.”

“How the fuck did you get that on video?!” the three of them questioned in shock.

Zackery’s playful grin was priceless as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I may love to fool around, but when my bros despise someone to a certain extent, I try to make sure I have a bit of dirt on them for a rainy day.”

I picked up my mug and began to stir my hot chocolate as I pressed my back against the kitchen island to stare at the four of them.

“Damn. Remind me not to fuck with you guys.”

“You can fuck me any day, sexy,” Zeke teased with a saucy grin. His brothers groaned.

“Go back to focusing on your porn collection,” the three of them encouraged.

“Don’t be upset that my collection is bigger than any of yours and is probably worth millions.”

“People collect porn magazines?” I questioned the thought of it.

“You’d be surprised,” Zeus groaned.

“Anything is collectible nowadays,” Zion added.

“People now race to be garbage collectors so they can keep anything they deem valuable. Old, trashy stuff can be repaired magically and resold for quadruple the price,” Zackery explained.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Zeke sang. “One of the magazines I have in my porn vault is worth five million dollars cash.”

“WHAT?!” all of us exclaimed as he bobbed his head in pride.

“Yup! And that doesn’t account for the others. They’re in absolutely perfect condition. I was smart to get it signed when the porn star came down to our office area and then got it laminated at the nearest print shop. My whole collection can be sold for billions if I wait a few more years. It’s why I secure it in a vault that has fingerprint and iris scan security.”

“You’re not fucking serious.” Zeus gave him the most boring look I’d ever seen grace his face. “You invested in a fucking safe for your porn?”

“Why not?” Zeke shrugged. “I had money to spare.”

“Far too much.” Zion shook his head. “You could have invested in stocks.”

“And watch that shit fall to the ground? No thanks.” He shook his head. “We’re lucky our stock market hasn’t plummeted. You never know. Maybe one day the human stock will crash and we mages will have to fix shit. I read a book about some orphan human girl who lived in a world of supernaturals and the financial crisis hit the humans hard! Boom, the supernaturals had to come and take over and humans went down the financial crisis hole while the supernaturals had to fix everything!”

He ruffled his hair and shook his head. “Don’t worry. When we experience such, I’ll accept your way of thanks through praise and some head from Jade.”

“Why do I have to give head when I wasn’t dampening your porn philosophy?” I inquired and sipped some of my chocolatey drink.

“He just wants head,” Zeus, Zion, and Zackery answered before Zeke could.

“They’re not wrong.” He shrugged again. “Okay, how about I get head, and they can fuck you senseless?”

“Seems fair,” I concluded.

“The two of you are something else,” Zeus groaned while Zackery laughed. “Totally complement one another.”

“At least we fit into the equation somehow,” Zion said in relief.

“How did we even get to this point of the conversation?” Zeus questioned.

There was a soft tap to my left shoulder, and I looked over to see a sleepy Calvin.

“Hey, Calvin,” I greeted. He nodded before putting his head on my shoulder. We all stared at him for five long seconds before his breathing slowed and he was literally standing there, sleeping away.

“Where the fuck did Calvin come from?!” all four of them questioned. The loud sound didn’t seem to wake him up as he kept standing there with his head resting against my shoulder. I couldn’t shrug, even if I wanted to, so I decided to take a long sip of my hot chocolate.

“Who knows?” I finally answered.

“You guys actually didn’t fuck?” Zeus inquired.

“Nope,” I revealed. “I was really drained from yesterday. I’m sure if I had more energy we may have, but I think we’re taking things slower than I would with you guys.”

“Are you sure Calvin was the one to ask you out?” Zeke inquired.

“That seems like a forbidden dream,” Zeus muttered.

“Dream? I wasn’t even confident it would manifest in dream form, let alone reality,” Zackery reasoned.

“I have a feeling if he was awake in that form, he’d kick our asses,” Zion noted.

The four of them were quiet as they looked over at Calvin’s standing figure.

“Probably,” they concluded with a nod in unison.

“You guys are weird sometimes.” I laughed. “Does it feel that weird to acknowledge Calvin as my boyfriend?”

“Not necessarily weird,” Zion clarified. “It’s more like we’ve been used to thinking he wasn’t a threat to us and now that way of thinking has been destroyed.”

“Ruined. Annihilated in a pit of hopes and dreams that he wouldn’t get a chance with you,” Zeus emphasized.

“The possibilities are obviously there,” Zackery acknowledged. “But let’s be real. Would we really want to acknowledge that?”

“No,” the other three replied.

I shook my head. “Well, you guys better get along. I want Calvin to spend more time interacting and less on the computer,” I explained.

The four of them groan, but Zion slowly nodded.

“It is kind of bad with how much time he spends on the computer.”

“That’s true,” Zackery agreed. “No wonder he has to wear glasses. It’s bad for his eyes.”

“Didn’t his file say he needs an upgrade?” Zeke brought up.

“I thought he used those for show?” Zeus questioned.

“Nah, he uses it for show when he’s all Secret Agent mode. He apparently needs them when he works too long on the computer and for long-distance.” Zackery explained.

“Who would have known. Good, you checked his file,” Zion praised. “You’ve actually been on your A-game, Zackery,”

“Getting praised by you guys is going to make me cocky.” Zackery smiled with pride.

“We can ask Jade to help with that,” Zeke practically sung. Zackery blushed while the other two chuckled and looked my way.

“Jade, we need your loving hands,” Zion encouraged.

“I happily volunteer to go first instead of Zackery or Zeke.”

“If you think I’ll be second in getting a hand job, I’ll fight the three of you right now,” Zeke declared.

“Overprotective over the D,” Zion said with a laugh.

“Over the D that wants Jade’s lovely hands stroking me every minute of the day,” Zeke huffed.

“You guys are so loud,” Calvin mumbled. He opened his half-open eyelids to look their way. The four of them went silent as they stared right back at him. Without another word, Calvin slipped his hand in mine and began to tug me towards the stairs.

“Uh, Calvin?”

He didn’t say anything and my Trouble Four went completely quiet as they watched me reach the stairs and go up them, with my hand still in Calvin’s. We reached his room a minute later, and there I stood as he walked up to his bed and laid right down.

I smirked at the cleanliness of his room, and at how smooth that transition had been without a moment to argue.

“Just ten more minutes,” Cavin muttered.

“Did you need me to be here for your ten-minute nap?” I inquired.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Make them plan my murder.”

“Why do I have a feeling that’s exactly what’s happening, but you don’t care,”

“I don’t.” He opened a lazy eye and grinned. “But I care about you, so killing me isn’t valid until Jade gets the happiness she deserves.”

My eyes softened at his words as I watched him close his eyes. “Ten minutes and we’ll go back down there and see if they made a solid plan,” Calvin whispered. “If I’m quiet enough, I can steal the plans and lock them out of their phones for the week.”

“Diabolical.” I grinned and walked over to the side of the bed that had more space for me to sit. I used my free hand to reach out and gently stroke his head. “You can nap now.”

“You’ll still be here?”

“Yup. I’ll still be here, drinking my remaining hot chocolate and stroking your hair,” I assured him.

“Having a girlfriend is nice,” he whispered as he dozed off. “Our Jade is far more special than an average…girl…” he trailed off, and in seconds, his soft breathing returned.

“Mornings like this are going to be fun,” I whispered.

I WAS LEARNING little bits about him, like how he struggled to get up in the morning unless he had a cup of black coffee. He also liked to cook in his free time, but that was a rare occurrence until this summer.

He connected with Zion the easiest, probably due to their passions for computers and research, but he had the same endurance as Zackery when it came to sports.

Zeus and Zeke still liked to tag team in pissing him off, but it was more of a playful bantering than before, when they’d just annoyed him out of spite.

I wondered if Calvin would stop attending Tracker Hive since we were technically sitting on the sidelines for an update, but he said he wasn’t planning to take any other cases in the meanwhile so he might as well join the ride.

The Trouble Four were in the same boat, which was reassuring for me since I had no choice but to carry on with classes for the sake of getting my official diploma and being upgraded from my silly Junior Tracker status.

I wondered if Ross had something to do with me having to waste four years attending school when I’ve been training the majority of my life, but I’m sure it was frustrating to see me actually go along with it.

Now that school was starting back up tomorrow with semester three, I could feel those tiny bits of anxiety and worry about what was to come try to nudge at my subconscious, but I continued to push it away.

Stop living in fear, Jade. No one knows the unknown, but we can strive forward with confidence.

Calvin’s hand squeezed mine, and I looked to see he was staring at me with a calculative gaze.

I hadn’t realized we’d already exited the freeway and were at a stoplight. “What are you thinking about?”

“Cookies,” I determined. He looked back the road as the light turned green. “Cookies and worrying unnecessarily?”

“Pretty much.” I smirked at his response. “So nosy.”

“I like to inquire about my girlfriend’s thoughts. I think that’s romantic.”

A snicker left me and I looked over to him. “That’s so not romantic.”

“Communication is the key to happiness.”

“Or a bouquet of cookies?” I offered.

“Not bad,” he replied as he signaled left. “Where’s Shadow Jade been?”

“Hanging out with Lisette, I believe. Either that or reorganizing her plushie collection.”

“Does she have a crush on Lisette’s shadow?”

“On Ceil…hmm. I think so, but she’s acting all shy about it. For the first time ever, she wore pants. Actual pants!”

“Uh…” Calvin quickly glanced my way with an arched eyebrow. “She hates pants that much?”

“Yup. Pants, tights, yoga wear unless it has that cool mesh lace in them, and pantyhose can go fuck itself.”

“Damn.” Calvin smirked. “Oh well. Pants are annoying to take off.”

“Why do I feel as though that’s being directed to me?”

“If you weren’t wearing shorts yesterday, we could have fucked.”

“That’s the lamest excuse I’ve heard since you tried to convince me that the world is flat!”

“The world is flat.”

“Gravity is the reason why we’re able to walk upon the lands and shit. It’s not because the world is flat. You have all eight elements! Put yourself in a damn bubble of air and go check yourself!”

“How would I come back?” He was grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t know,” I huffed. “Soar back down!”

“And crash into the flat surface? I’d be a flat puddle of human.”

I rolled my eyes. “You wouldn’t make it to the ground to be a flat puddle of human. And back to the point, my shorts did not stop you from fucking me.”

“Yeah they did,” Calvin complained. “They’re tight as hell, which is annoying to peel off you when you’re in my lap. See, if you wore a skirt, all I have to do is brush the lace of your panties to the side and in I go! Simple.”

“All I hear is excuse after excuse,” I sang. “I have a better chance of doing it with Lisette!”

“Hmm. I’d want to see that.”

“Are you gay, by the way?”

“Who said that?”

“The guys were saying you were gay or bisexual or something.”

“Does it matter?”

“No.”

“Then, ya, I’m bisexual. Anything else?”

“Which of the quads would you make out with?”

“Why do I have a feeling that whatever I say will be recorded in that brain of yours with the time, date, and location of where we had this discussion, and that you’ll use it against me in bed?”

“Your feelings are valid,” I casually declared with a thrilling smirk. “Now spill.” I actually thought he wasn’t going go along with it, but then he answered, “Zion probably. Soft but looks like a wild choice.”

“Really?!” I was now intrigued.

“He’s a lot more dangerous than I think anyone considers,” Calvin reasoned. “It’s like how Zackery’s all playful but is the fastest when it comes to initiating spells. He’s also the strongest at spiking his energy from zero to lethal levels.”

Now I was intrigued.

“Seriously? You’ve obtained that much information about them?”

“I’m observant, remember. I know last year school was average in terms of what we learned and did magic wise, but I can catch on to those things rather easily.”

“What about Zeus and Zeke?”

“Zeus is all power. He may be a little slower speed-wise, but a little punch can go a long way with him. Definitely reminds me of the god of the thunder,” Calvin answered. “As for Zeke, I think he’s dangerous in all areas. He’s the most balanced of all four and can conduct things with speed and power but give off the impression that he’s not serious about things. I’d like to see more of his light and dark elements, though. If you notice, he doesn’t use his magic as often.”

“True,” I admitted, remembering when I’d encountered Zephyr.

“We have to figure out more information about this Hive thing if we want to reach our greater potential,” Calvin admitted.

“I agree, but it feels as though there’s not much information regarding it.”

Even with us dedicating time to relaxing, we’d been attempting to find more about Hives and their potentials. Aside from the general definition of a Hive, there were no books going into details of them.

I’m sure we’d have to go to the library to see if we could find more information in regard to it, but I was secretly hoping we’d see Alaric and the others by then and ask them what potentials we could reach as a triple Hive.

Funny how the bad guys always know how amazing the good guys are, but the good guys always have to struggle to obtain the same information.

Coincidence? I think not.

Calvin believed that whoever these D.U.O. were, they had to have ensured there was as little information out there about Hives as possible. I’m sure if we tried sneaking into the black market we could potentially find something in regard to it, but we agreed that it shouldn’t be something we’d have to document in Tracker records.

We knew what we were, but there was no need to let anyone else have the chance of knowing our Hive status.

Even if it felt like everyone knew it.

“Hiding secrets is a bad guy’s strong point.” Calvin grinned at his own comment. “Too bad the good guys always locate the truth.”

“It would be nice to get some answers. I feel a little lost about what my role is as a Hive Queen,” I admitted, remembering how I’d anointed my Trouble Four. I hadn’t informed Calvin of what had occurred that day, not wanting to trouble him or make him feel less because of how it happened.

I was still debating whether to let him know about it, but I was secretly hoping Lisette would have more info on our roles seeing as she seemed to know a lot about this D.U.O. due to Charles.

“You’re basically the battery that supercharges those within your Hive,” Calvin replied. “Like a Queen B.”

“Like Beyoncé,” I concluded.

“Everyone still praises her when she’s considered a classic,” Calvin noted.

“Uh duh. Classic or not, she was that badass bitch everyone wanted to be back in the day. Her daughter is already killing the game in music and I’m sure there will be many generations to come. I’m not interested in that genre of music, but I’ll acknowledge talent when I see it.”

“You know, I was wondering about the whole alternate universes thing. Do you think they also know these celebrities or enjoy shows like us?”

“Hmm.” I relaxed back in my seat while I squeezed his hand softly. “Not sure. That would be crazy, wouldn’t it? Like with how obsessed Lisette is with Sailor Moon. Imagine other people in a completely different universe enjoying the same shows or music, but we hear and see celebrities performing live in concert here. It’s all a little confusing.”

“I know!” Calvin beamed as he smoothly turned the car into the Tracker Hive Agency parking lot.

“You seem far too excited,” I commented with a sly grin.

“I am.” He looked over to me and winked. “You see how celebrities apparently have to join that Illuminati group in order to get super famous?”

“I still believe that’s a bunch of bullshit, but please, carry on.” From how excited he was, I really wanted to see where this conversation was going to go.

“It’s legit,” he stressed in a quiet whisper. “I researched it.”

“You researched it?”

“Yup. One day when I was bored I decided to see if it was legit.”

“And your findings?”

“They are, but I then got a mysterious email that threatened that if I researched any further they would kill me.”

“Spooky.” I bobbed my head in wonder. “Why do I have a feeling you didn’t listen?”

His boyish grin was priceless. “I didn’t.”

“And?”

“At least sixteen big, buff-ass dudes tried to take me out one night when I was coming home from a long day at the office.”

This was getting intriguing.

“What happened?” I inquired.

“I was in a real bad mood because some douche had accidentally deleted a file I’d worked my butt off for months on. Thankfully my computer system backed up the file without me even realizing it, but I hadn’t discovered that minor detail of my epicness yet, so I was mad as fuck.”

“Isn’t it always nice to find out you’re far smarter than you realize?” I giggled.

“Yup,” he replied and pulled into an empty parking spot. He released my hand to park the car, and after he turned off the engine, he took my hand in his once more.

“It’s like finding money in your jean pocket after it being trapped there for years.”

“Delightful,” I commented and leaned over to rest against his arm. “So what happened when those big men tried to eliminate your existence?”

“A little kick here, a little stab there, and miraculously, they were all on the floor. It was a real sight to see and when the last heartbeat came to a stop, I said a little prayer and headed home.”

“You just left the bodies there?” I gasped.

“I was sure whoever sent them would get rid of the evidence by morning. Needless to say, I stopped snooping around since I had higher priorities on my agenda, but if a case like that ever came up, I’d take it for the hell of it.”

“You really live on the thrill of challenges, huh?” I concluded.

He smirked. “I may be a nerd, but challenges are fun to conquer. More fun when you get to prove yourself to all those who think you’re some noob in the heat of the battle.”

“I wouldn’t have thought of you as someone who’s competitive,” I acknowledged. “Aside from something related to hacking.”

“I’m average at hacking.”

“Says the man who hacked the White House to get information about a file in some securely locked section of that security hellhole.”

“Who told you that?” he inquired in amusement.

“Tanner. He said you’re a top-secret agent for a reason and the government loves to use you to hack into places no one else can. Something about your competitive nature gets the best of you.”

“Hmm. He’s somewhat right, though I’m curious as to how he knows that.”

“I feel as though we lost track of our conversation,” I recognized. “Where were we headed?”

“Ah. The whole Illuminati and the alternate universes,” Calvin reminded me.

“Right! Continue your theory,”

“What if when the celebrities sign into the Illuminati, their debut doesn’t just happen in one universe but in many. Like they’re somehow able to signal out their music, gigs, existence to multiple universes at the same time so that their success and fame aren’t solely based in one universe but multiple.”

“That…” I trailed off. “Is smart as fuck.”

“And get this.” Calvin beamed. “What if there are certain areas that are portals to those multiple universes?”

“Didn’t Lisette hint at something like that?” I was trying to recall but my mind was struggling.

“I think so. I haven’t looked deeply into it, but what if there are certain areas that connect to universes with ease? For example, a hotel. Depending on how big it is, what if they got magical beings from all the universes, but you wouldn’t know it because the same hotel is at the exact place of the other universes? I’m sure other places like auditoriums or anything that gathers a lot of people would be the perfect spot for a portal or gateway.”

“Libraries?” I inquired.

“Could work.” Calvin bobbed his head. “Libraries hold key information and with how vast our knowledge is growing in the subject of magic, it would be smart to invest portals in libraries.”

“This theory is actually believable,” I commented. Pulling out my phone, I quickly texted Lisette to let her know that we were here.

“Hey, Calvin?”

“Yes, Jade?”

“Um…if I had something to tell you about me and the Maxwells would you be mad or jealous?”

“Nah. What? You guys have a fivesome?”

“Not yet,” I pouted.

“And you’re disappointed.”

“I want a sixsome.” I looked up to give him a hopefully stare, and watched his whole face grow striking red.

“No.”

“Why? You guys are friends now and they don’t treat you like a total puppy now!”

“We haven’t had sex yet.”

“Let’s do it now.”

“You sound desperate.”

“I’m on a mission to obtain my sixsome!”

“We haven’t even enjoyed an official date, you know?”

“You’re…right there.” I thought about it. “Are you more traditional?”

“Come again?”

I lifted my head off his shoulder to look at him. “Are you more traditional? As in a traditional romantic?”

“Um…I don’t know.”

“You’ve dated before, haven’t you?”

“No.”

“You’ve had sex through.”

“Ya.”

“So you never actually dated?”

“Nope.”

“Do you believe going on three dates is enough time before you have sex with someone, or do you like to get more comfortable with a person of interest before heading to the bedroom?”

He needed a few seconds to answer. “If it’s my choice to love the person, then I’d rather take it slow and learn a lot about them before getting between the sheets.”

“So a little traditional,” I concluded.

“Is that what they call it?”

“I guess.” I shrugged. “Why do I have a feeling that the person you did have sex with was due to a job or night of convenience?”

“It was.” There was no shame or regret in his response. “I was in a tight situation and that woman had the information I needed to get out. Simple fuck and I got a hotel to stay for the night and the info to crack down on a case related to Charles. There weren’t any mutual feelings with it. I just categorized it as work.”

“Do you regret that?”

“Not really. If I’d had the choice to avoid it, I would have, but those times were spent in a dark obsession to track down Charles and move up in rank. Sex wasn’t something I valued.”

“And now?”

“Now…” He trailed off as he looked forward, the silence carrying on for a solid minute. “I never originally cared about having an emotional connection with someone until I met you. I don’t know. Our interactions and your acknowledgement of me made me want for more of a connection. Not like I suddenly became needy for connections with others. Just you. Obviously, we could fuck if you wanted, but if you want me to be honest, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much as if I reached that hyped desire to fuck you.”

He looked over to me, a bit of worry reflecting from his orange eyes.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to have sex with you or that the emotions I feel in your presence aren’t valid. It’s just not at that level of intensity yet and I want it to be. To me, sex is an exchange of energy which makes special sense since I’m one of your Hives, but I want to enjoy you at my fullest potential…or just at a point in our relationship where I’m madly in love with you.”

“That’s understandable.” I grinned. “Let me woo you into the bedroom!”

“You’re not serious.”

“I’m going to make you gaga for me so when we fuck you’ll be begging for us to fuck all night long.”

“Why do I feel you missed some of the points?” he inquired, and it made me giggle. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I understand, Calvin. Take things slow and let the emotion flourish into something magical, correct?”

He blinked and looked into my eyes for a long moment. “You’ve been teasing me about the sex thing, haven’t you?”

“Most of the time.” I grinned. “I want you to feel comfortable in our relationship and if this is your first then let’s go at your pace. I like you the way you are, just as you were able to cherish me the way I am.”

“I wonder why other women can’t think in that aspect,” he whispered more to himself.

“Everyone is different and raised differently. I may have not had the best livelihood in my youth days, but I’ve learned and grown from mistakes and experiences and I want to respect others’ morals, just like I’d wish for others to respect mine. There’s nothing wrong with taking things slow or going super fast. As long as we’re both comfortable and enjoy the ride that comes with love.”

“You should be an inspirational speaker,” he mumbled with a grin as he turned his gaze back to mine. I grinned in return, my eyes lowering to his lips as he lowered to stare at mine.

“I really want to kiss you,” he mumbled.

“Then kiss me,” I gave him permission as if he even needed it. He was obviously playing around with me, a devilish smirk filling those soft lips of his as he brought them down on mine.

A kiss that started with a spark of compassion morphed to heated passion that ignited shivers of lust and made my light magic wish to dance around us in glee.

“Aww. This is so sweet!”

We broke the kiss abruptly and looked over our shoulders to see Lisette with a pink camera in her hand while Ceil was midway through pouring boiling hot tea.

“I’m so happy you told me to bring my videocam, Ceil! Already making memories and we’ve yet to start this double date!”

“I’m glad it turned out to be a beneficial decision, Majesty. Would you like some hot brewed tea?”

“I’d love some!” She looked ecstatic at the idea.

“L-Lisette!” Calvin huffed. “How the fuck did you get in here?”

“What type of tea is that?” I inquired. Calvin looked over to me and I shrugged. “What? It smells amazing.”

“Chamomile with a hint of honey,” Ceil answered.

“It’s the perfect balance of sweet and has so many benefits! Rids anxiety, promotes good sleep. The list can go on and on! Ceil. Draw up Jade a cup if you would?”

“Certainly,” Ceil agreed.

“No one answered my question!” Calvin emphasized.

“What was that?” we both inquired, and he groaned. “Lisette. How’d you get in the car?”

“Through the door, duh.” She giggled. “You were in your own little world, so we didn’t want to interrupt the golden moment. So romantic.”

Calvin blushed, and I tapped my finger against my lips in wonder.

“You were able to get in without either of us noticing. That’s a skill for sure.”

“I like to be sneaky,” she replied and lowered her videocam to her lap. “Hello, everyone!”

“Now you say hello.” Calvin pinched his nose in pure annoyance.

“Of course. It would rude if I didn’t greet you two.”

“That’s…never mind.” Calvin gave up. I reached for his hand once more and squeezed it gently, hoping the gesture would remind him of our hidden purpose for meeting Lisette today.

“Anyways, hey, Lisette! Happy we finally get to chill. Has the summer been harsh?” I inquired.

“Boy, was it!” Ceil passed her cup of tea that even had a saucer beneath it. She took a few sips of the steaming hot liquid. “Ah. So relaxing.”

She glanced up from the cup and carried on.

“Writing for twenty hours a day is horrendous.”

We both gawked at her.

“What?” I questioned.

“I said, twenty h-”

“We heard you, Lisette,” Calvin interrupted. “The problem here is, why were you writing for twenty hours a day?”

“Was that every day? Seven days a week type of deal?” I added to the questions.

Lisette blinked innocently as she nodded.

“Seven days a week, twenty hours a day with one hour for Sailor Moon shows and three hours to sleep and bathe. I normally nibble on food while I’m in the zone so I wasn’t hungry and Ceil makes sure I drink a lot of water,” she explained. “What’s the problem?”

I was so mad!

“Who the fuck was okay with you working those long hours for what? Three months straight? Four months?!” I tossed the questions at her.

“Um…about four months, if you don’t count the two weeks of lab tests.”

“Lab tests?” The disapproval in Calvin’s voice was thick. “Why did you have lab tests done when they haven’t even given you the proper amount of time to recover from being trapped for ten fucking years with that psychotic bastard?”

Now Calvin was mad.

“They said something about the headmaster needing lab results for school. That’s Alaric, right? Don’t see the problem.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Alaric’s not here. He would ensure you got lots of rest and even offer therapy before doing lab tests and making you work,” I explained. “Even if he’s on an assignment, he wouldn’t have approved of something like that. He, Tanner, or Bianca would have told us as well, even with our temporary break.”

“Jade. Glove compartment.” Calvin’s voice was voided of emotion. I followed his request, opening the glove compartment to see a laptop, a notebook, a charger, and one of those high-tech communication devices we used on missions.

I already knew he wanted his computer, so I reached for it and passed it to him. He moved his seat slightly back before he opened the laptop and was typing away at the speed of light.

I glanced back at Lisette, her smile still on her pink lips as she blinked innocently at me.

“Lisette. Why didn’t you go against what they said?” I questioned.

“Uh.” She pouted her lips. “Why?”

“That’s against the law to make anyone work like that. Did you submit the copy to them?”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “Just now. They said they’re going to give it to the head of the case.”

“The head of Charles’s case is Alaric, and from the looks of it, nowhere did he request for the journal during the summer.”

“Meaning someone’s acting like Alaric and playing the lead communicator.”

“We need to get that journal,” Calvin stressed. “I’m already hacking the health files to get Lisette’s blood work out of the system.”

“What if they printed a copy?”

“Checked. They haven’t. It’s scheduled for tomorrow so it doesn’t look fishy as to why they did two week’s worth of testing on her in the first place.”

“Are the dates there?”

“They’re there but already tampered with.”

“What does it say?” Lisette sounded slightly worried.

“I can’t read the documents yet, but the dates say they started the check-up two weeks ago and you just finished this morning.”

“Hide the fact that she just submitted the journal,” I muttered.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade appeared in a poof, but she was in her kid form. She plopped right onto my lap and lifted her head back in determination. “Find and kill!”

“Hello, Shadow Jade.” I smirked at her arrival, having found a little amusement in her appearance. “Why are you in your kid form?”

“Playing hide and seek with Zackery and Zion. Zeke and Zeus are napping.”

“They were that bored?”

“Zackery dared Zion that he could beat anyone in hide and seek.” She grinned eerily as excitement sparkled through her big, childlike eyes. “I’m winning.”

“Clearly,” I commented before getting back to the point. “I need you to go into the agency and get a journal. It would be easier for you since you’re fast and silent when you want something.”

“KILL EVERYONE!” she cheered.

“No, just anyone you think is sketchy and not a part of the agency.”

“On it!” she declared and was gone.

“How is she going to determine who is not a part of the agency?” It was Ceil who asked the question, his intrigued voice drawing my attention to him.

“Shadow Jade studies the complete employee list of our agency every week. It’s what she does to pass the time,” I explained. “A journal that reveals all of Charles’s wrongdoings would have to be on the floor close to Alaric’s office and situated in one of the locked master rooms if they’re desperate to keep it safe before whoever ordered these executive moves get their hands on it.”

“Master room…” Lisette pondered on it. “How will she infiltrate it without getting caught?”

“Shadow Jade…likes to break into things,” I admitted. “She thinks it’s fun.”

“Don’t blame her.” Lisette clapped her hands. “This is such an exciting date so far!”

“We haven’t even actually left to head to the date location, Lisette.” I gave her a hopeful smile.

“Really?! I haven’t had the privilege of going out on a date since the old days.” She sighed. “I wonder what’s so special about dates after ten years.”

Calvin and I didn’t say anything as Lisette returned to sipping her tea. I gave Calvin a look, and secretly hoped we could get this sudden situation solved quickly enough to return to what we planned on doing today.

I had a feeling the semester was going to be busy and I really wanted Lisette and even Calvin to experience a moment of fun before summer was officially over.

“We need to change locations,” Calvin announced.

“Slide over here as I walk around and drive,” I encouraged and got out of the car in a smooth movement. My eyes scanned my surroundings as I purposely walked slowly around the bright orange sports car.

I could sense a pair of eyes far away, the sensation giving me the hunch that the individual or group of people were in the thick bushes further out of the outer corner of the parking lot.

We won’t be long. No need to eliminate them…yet.

I casually got in and turned on the car.

“Someone’s in the bushes over there,” Calvin pointed out when I began to back out of the parking spot.

Lisette sighed, and I glanced into the rear view mirror to see she’d already finished her cup of tea. “Should I get rid of them?”

“They may be useful,” I suggested.

“They aren’t,” Ceil chipped in.

“How do you know that?” Calvin inquired.

“He just checked,” Lisette earnestly answered. “Looks third party to me. A stalking informant.”

“Easy prey,” Ceil concluded.

I made my way out of the parking lot and onto the main street.

“I’d love to ask if you guys have super speed or something, but if they’re going to ruin our date, you can get rid of them,” I concluded.

“I love a savage woman!” Lisette squealed. “Ceil. Please get rid of the target and make sure Shadow Jade doesn’t need some extra hands.”

“On it, Your Majesty,” Ceil replied.

“Wait. How are you going…” I trailed off with my intention of asking how he was going to do what was requested when I was driving the car. He’d vanished with a blink, another reminder that he was Lisette’s shadow versus another living person.

“With that settled, now we can focus on our date!”

“We never really finished retrieving what we needed,” I reminded.

“It’s done,” Calvin announced. “We can park right on the side of the road, Jade.”

“Already?” I did what was asked and put the car in park before turning my body to look at Calvin as he closed his laptop and tossed it back into the glove department.

“What scheme did you just do?”

“You make it seem like I did something illegal,” he commented.

“From the sparkle in your eye, I feel you did,” I acknowledged.

“And you give off that ‘I’m a badass nerd’ vibe,” Lisette chipped in. “Cute puppy.”

Calvin gave her a look but finally answered, “I retrieved all the lab work and results. No paper copies and from the past streams, they didn’t think to back up the content. As for who’s pulling the strings, it looks like someone signed in as R.S. and somehow managed to appoint themselves the same electronic status as Alaric’s.”

You didn’t need to be a genius to know who this culprit was.

“Ross.” Lisette and I said in unison.

“Bingo,” Calvin replied. “Good for us because he’s messy when it comes to leaving trails. This is enough evidence to get him off the council.”

He reached for his phone, but I stopped him with my hand. “Are you planning to report the infiltration?” I inquired.

“Yup.”

“Not yet.” Lisette was the one to speak her defiance against the idea and we looked over to see her frown while her eyes glowed a luminous black. It was as if she was in a trance of some sort. “Trap.”

“He knows?” I inquired.

Lisette slowly nodded her eyes seemed far away. “Shadow Jade has the journal. They’re having technical difficulties.”

Calvin and I exchanged nervous looks, but before Calvin attempted to reach for his laptop once again, Lisette spoke, “Number of dead: seven. Injured: twelve. Runaway: one. Jade is returning in seconds. Ceil will get rid of the final culprit. Clean up already called to the scene.”

“Should we be worried?” I wasn’t afraid of Ross or whatever scheme he was pulling the day before school, but it would have been nice to be rid of him entirely.

“No need for it now,” Calvin answered. “He’s clearly going to reconsider now that these men of his are down for the count. He knows we have the upper hand for now, but we have to keep it that way.”

“We should tell the others,” I noted.

“Good idea.” Calvin nodded in agreement.

“KILL!”

I looked back to see Shadow Jade was back with a large pink book with golden pages. It looked more like an encyclopedia than a journal. Her long hair was a mess, and she had a slice on her face.

“Shadow Jade? Are you okay?” I inquired. She didn’t feel as though she was in immediate pain from the scratch on her cheek, but the acknowledge was making my own cheek sting.

“Fine! Book! Kill! Ceil cleaning up,” she explained and offered the book to me.

“Can you go explain a short version of what happened to the others?” I asked. “Also let them know that we’re still going out, so we won’t be home until late.”

“Okay! Kill!” She beamed and leaned forward. “I wanna come on date.”

“Do you?” I smiled. “Are you going out with Ceil?”

She blinked, and her cheeks went red.

“Kill!” She poofed away and I saw Calvin’s smirk.

“She’s shy about love in comparison to you.”

“I don’t think she thought of love until meeting Ceil,” I admitted and looked back to the journal. “Lisette? Are you sure you’re okay with going out when you haven’t really slept?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she declared.

Calvin and I looked at one another, but we decided to believe her. “What do we do about this?” I lifted the book like it was a prized possession.

“I have a place!” Lisette squealed. She snapped her fingers and the book was gone.

“Where did it go?” Calvin pondered.

“Can’t say.” Lisette shrugged. “I put in a void of darkness.”

We stared at her with blank expressions, but it only made her gleeful smile widened.

“Don’t stress. It’s written by me. If I need to retrieve it, I’ll be able to. Can we go now?”

“What about Ceil?” I inquired and started the car once more.

“He’s making sure there’s no evidence left behind by him or Shadow Jade. Shouldn’t be long till he returns.” Lisette yawned. “I’m starving.”

“Your yawning tells me you’re tired,” Calvin acknowledged as I pulled out of the spot and onto the road.

“Not tired.” Lisette crossed her arms over her chest. “To wherever we’re going!”

“Okay,” I replied. “It’s okay for me to keep driving?”

“Sure.” Calvin relaxed. “I could use a moment to rest. My head hurts.”

I reached for his hand as I turned onto the freeway.

“You two can rest and then we’ll enjoy the rest of the day.”

“Cool,” Calvin replied.

“Woot!” Lisette cheered.

I focused on the road, but my mind was on a calculative spree in regard to what happened.

Ross is a clear enemy. He has to be working with the D.U.O., but we can’t take him down so easily unless we have enough evidence to hit hard.

The justice system wasn’t the friendliest place on the block, but when you had connections, it was easy to get out of just about anything. Not only would we have to gather enough evidence that there was no way out, but we’d have to catch him in the act.

Why do I feel as though this semester is really going to be a pain?

9

STAR GAZE WITH YOU

“Why did I have a feeling this would happen?” I pondered as I tucked Lisette into my bed. She was snoozing away. Her peaceful expression as she slept the evening away was priceless.

“She really wanted to enjoy a date with you two,” Zion said with a sigh and walked over to the humidifier. “It was only a matter of time before her exhaustion struck her in the face.”

“With the summer spent writing every detail about Charles with only two to three hours of sleep, I’m surprised she’s only dealing with exhaustion and didn’t die from it.”

“Calvin looked into it. They had to be giving her something to keep her going. Like having an energy drink but in the form of a pill that she wouldn’t deny,” Zion explained.

“We need as much information as we can get about Lisette’s daily routine. Especially whatever meds she was used to taking.” I was getting upset again. “She’s used to taking orders by those in authority, but she’s completely free now. She doesn’t need to listen to anyone.”

“But habits die hard.” Zion sighed. “We need to have a talk with Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner. I’m feeling a little worried about starting our next semester without their guidance. It almost feels as though we took advantage of it.”

He pulled out a small vile and began to put drops into the humidifier.

“What’s that?”

“A sleeping remedy,” Zion replied. “Her body must be so used to being in fight or flight mode that her sleeping for too long may potentially make her sick. This will flow in the air and calm the magic and body’s response. It’s better than injecting it into her. How long she’ll sleep is beyond me, but this is a more natural route and will give her body enough rest.”

He started up the machine and we quietly made our way out of the room. Once we reached my bedroom, I peeked in to see Zackery, Zeus, and Zeke were all asleep. I glanced over to the armchair in the corner of the room, and there was Calvin snoozing away with his laptop still open.

“They pooped out,” I declared.

“We’ve been trying to pinpoint a file on Ross and dish out enough information on him, but it’s been leading to a lot of dead ends,” Zion whispered. We retreated out of the room, and I closed the door quietly.

“Are you sleepy?” Zion questioned.

“No,” I admitted. “Still a little upset with all of this.”

“Wanna go up to the roof?”

“Sure.” The offer was a bit exciting. I’d missed star gazing on the beach at our island, and the little moment would relax me from the long day that had gone south.

The one thing I loved about this penthouse was that we had access to the rooftop. We ended up making some hot chocolate and bringing a blanket with us as we walked to the little sitting area built in to the luxurious building.

Sitting down, we cuddled with the blanket wrapped around us and began to enjoy the twinkling lights in the sky. I was starting to crave these quiet moments.

I needed these times of tranquility where I could take a moment to breathe and let my thoughts whirl through my head and decipher the problems of the day.

“Is it weird for me to feel a little overwhelmed?” I cautiously asked.

“Overwhelmed with worry, confusion, or uncertainty?” Zion offered a few options.

“What if it’s a mix of all three?”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Far too much, and it’s beginning to annoy me,” I admitted. “This vacation has been a blessing in disguise and we’ve gotten closer because of it. I’m confused as to why this sudden movement happened the day before school, and I’m worried it’s going to lead to further problems when the semester is about to start. I’m uncertain about the future and I don’t like not feeling like myself.”

“You don’t feel like yourself?”

“I feel like I’m morphing into something I’m not out of fear. I’m trying to work on myself and to live the best way I can, but how are you supposed to move forward when the past keeps clawing at you to return to that obsession you once lived for? It shouldn’t feel odd to live and find a greater purpose, but maybe because I haven’t found one yet, I’m stressing for no reason. Honestly, I feel like a broken record.”

“Jade.” Zion finished his cup of hot chocolate and put it to the side of the bench. “It’s okay to have constant worries when moving forward. It shows you’re going in the right direction and are striving for what you want.”

“I’m just frustrated that we have no answers to so many questions and we’re waiting for my parents to return so we can find out our own capabilities as a Hive. I still don’t know what that whole anointing process was two months ago, and we’re being put in the dark, almost on purpose. No information in regards to what Hives can do, and then purposely making Lisette work straight into exhaustion. Now that we know Alaric didn’t even request for her to work on that task, someone is clearly pulling the strings, and I’m angry because we’re falling for every trick they pull.”

“I can see why it’s frustrating,” Zion agreed. “This isn’t a game where we can restart or take a break. It’s our lives and those we care about are on the line, and this so-called group is working rather hard to keep us in a naive bubble.”

“It was fun just to focus on our relationship and have sex.”

Zion grinned and leaned over to kiss my cheek. “We can still do that, you know.”

“Hmm. On the roof would be exciting.” I thought about it.

“You don’t want to wake up the others though.” Zion noted. “The noise isn’t the problem, is it?”

“Maybe not,” I admitted. “Maybe when I died, I broke?”

My eyes lifted to the sky, but I couldn’t get lost in the scenery as Zion moved my head to look his way. His hand went under my chin while his eyes that were framed in silver glasses looked into mine.

“I don’t think so.”

“Then what’s with this back-and-forth confidence issue?”

“You’re craving to find purpose. It’s not just happiness that you’re craving for.”

“It’s…not?”

He shook his head. “Zackery is currently the most connected with you, and he says when you sleep he feels bits of your emotions.”

“He does?” That was new to me. “What does he feel?”

“It’s hard for him to explain. It’s not that you’re sad or angry, but he described it like floating in a continuous galaxy of emotions and not knowing where to go that will lead to the exit,” Zion explained. “Your purpose is like a shining star, and it’s in sight, but it’s so far away that you’ve told yourself that you can’t reach it.”

“That’s a good way of describing it.” I continued to stare into his eyes as I pondered on it. “What can I do to reach that star?”

“It’s not necessarily about reaching that star,” Zion reasoned. “I think you need a star in between to get you to the next. Like a bridge of some sort with various goals that help you get to where you have to go.”

“A bridge that leads to my destined happiness,” I summarized.

“We’ve been talking about it, and it’s not just that you are trying to find a new purpose other than tracking Charles that is the problem.”

“Then what is?’

“You’re used to being busy,” he declared. “You’ve never taken a moment to breathe, relax, enjoy days let alone months at a time resting. You became an agent at a young age, so you picked up cases and worked and the evenings were spent on sleeping, eating, learning to get stronger, and tracking Charles. You’ve never committed the time to recuperate or even enjoy fun times like we did this summer. You’re definitely working towards reminding yourself that this is normal and allowed, but you’re allowing yourself to believe you need a solid new goal to keep you busy.”

“Keep me busy,” I repeated. “I guess sticking to relaxing feels weird to me, but what am I going to do now?”

“School starts tomorrow and I’m guessing we’ll be busy with classes. After class we can focus on getting more info on this Hive thing, while we wait for an update from your parents. We’re all going to need to start training again, and maybe we can test out those new weapons you gave us.”

“I want to tell Calvin about it. Him and Lisette.”

“Calvin knows.”

“Oh.” I needed a moment. “How?”

“If you think Zackery wouldn’t go on a bragging spree about being appointed with his cool shiny daggers, I can confidently tell you that he did.”

“What happened?”

“Calvin kicked him the balls to shut him up. It was rather intriguing.” Zion was grinning from ear to ear. “Calvin said he wouldn’t bring it up unless you did. He didn’t want you feeling pressured to share with him what happened, and he knows if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s probably because you’d like to gain more information about it.”

“He’s really understanding.” I sighed. “It makes me mad at times that Charles could make him feel inadequate when he’s so talented and smart.”

“As much as we wish for it, not all parents want good for their children. I’m sure Calvin’s birth was merely a way for Charles to have another guinea pig in his possession. Calvin’s far stronger than anyone would give him credit for at first glance, but sometimes I feel as though he’s fighting for his father’s recognition of him.”

“You do?”

“It’s a vibe I get from him. That, his growing love for you, and the odd feeling that he likes me.”

I smirked, which led to a giggle.

“That seems to answer my last statement.”

“I love some male to male action,” I teased. “You make out with him?”

Zion blushed. “Never ventured into that.”

“But you’re considering it.”

“Never said that.”

“You don’t need to.” I snickered. “It’s written all over your face that you want to.”

“I don’t.”

“Now you’re being defensive,” I teased with a laugh.

“Ugh.” He sighed. “Stop teasing me.”

“Make me,” I threatened. His sweet grin followed with his eyes lowering to my lips. “Put your mug away.”

I literally tossed it but didn’t hear the shattering glass that should have been triggered with it falling to the ground. I turned my attention over my shoulder to see the bubble of water that now encased the mug and the rock platform it landed on.

“Smooth,” I complimented.

“You know what’s smooth?”

I looked back at him in time for his lips to capture mine, the touch igniting waves of hunger like a flick of a lighter. My body shivered with energy as his hand moved the draping blanket along my shoulder and trailed along my bare arm.

The night was perfect, the temperature not too hot or cold, but with the way our kiss deepened and my body moved to press against Zion’s, I knew that it would get hot really quickly.

Taking off our clothes was child’s play, our hands roaming against each other’s skin while our lips continued to fight for control. It always excited me when Zion lost control of his usually calm self, and I enjoyed his addictive taste and that amazing tongue of his that loved to dart into my mouth.

“We need to fuck more often,” he breathed when we fought to catch our breath. I laid back onto the blanket and lifted my hips to pull off my panties.

“No one is stopping us from having sex daily,” I reminded.

“We need a thirty-hour day instead of twenty-four,” Zion reasoned as he pulled down his boxers and got right onto the bench as I laid back to enjoy the view of his naked body.

“You believe an extra six hours is going to make a significant difference?”

“Sure would.” He was so confident with his response. “Six extra hours of sex.”

“You wouldn’t last six hours.”

“I know I wouldn’t.” He grinned wide enough to show those white teeth of his. “But me plus my brothers would last five, one for each hour, but knowing Zeke and his sex addict self, he’d survive two.”

“I’d die having six hours sex every day.” I laughed before he smothered his lips against mine once more.

“You’d be like a sex energizer bunny.”

“Do you know how bad that much sex would be for my poor pussy?”

“Rejuvenating,” he corrected.

“I don’t even want to think about it.” I shook my head and rested my hands on his shoulders. “Let’s get back to making love.”

He chuckled and lowered his lips to my neck. “No complaints from me,” he whispered and sucked my flesh.

My throaty moan made him kiss the sensitive flesh again, sucking and nibbling lightly while his free hand trailed down the side of my body.

His hand was between my legs in no time, those rough fingers of his working me up as he teased my folds until I was wet.

“Zion,” I moaned in patiently. The ache he was igniting grew more intense as he continued to tease me.

“What does my Hive Queen want?” he whispered into my ear before tugging my lobe gently and sucking it.

That was so going to drive me insane if he kept doing that. My body was already shivering in desire for him and that just spiked it to a new level.

Could have also been that husky voice of his.

“Those fingers inside of me,” I ordered with a panting voice.

“Hmm.” He was debating as his two fingers kept stroking my glistening pussy. “I’ll be nice tonight.”

I replied with a relieved groan as his fingers slid right into me. I loved how he wasn’t taking things easy, sliding both fingers into me and already pumping up a storm that had me moaning and my back arching.

He thrust them in me fast and deep, and smothered my lips when I climaxed, muffling my screams as my hips bucked. He groaned against my mouth while his fingers were still deep in my pussy.

I was shuddering from the delightful release, my pussy walls clinging his fingers tightly as if I didn’t want them to leave. I knew bigger things were coming, and I’d be left a shattered mess when he was finished with me.

The thought excited me for the next round of pleasure.

He pulled his fingers out, and his cock was sliding into me the next. I didn’t prepare for the swift rotation, but boy did it turn me on. He wasn’t playing games tonight, and that was thrilling in itself.

“Jade,” Zion moaned. “I love how tight your pussy is.”

He was moving at a faster pace, leaving me in a moaning mess. “You like that, Jade?”

“Mhmm,” I responded as our eyes locked onto one another. Seeing how his eyes danced with magic, shifting from light blue to silver and back to his black orbs, was enthralling while my body tingled with pleasure.

We were breathing hard, and his cock was growing bigger with each thrust. Faster, harder, our sexual exchange was charging me up, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I shattered from his love.

He quickly switched gears again, pausing to hover over me while he moved my legs further up. He then pumped swiftly into me. The short but deep thrusts had my eyes rolling to the back of my head as my moans were breathy and fast.

“Zion. Zion! More. Faster,” I begged, feeling how close my orgasm was.

“That’s it, baby. Cum for me. I want you to cum right now,” he ordered and gave one final thrust before I caved.

“Zion!” I screamed as I came, the rush of my climax taking over my senses just as my magic rushed forward. He cursed and grew rigid as his hot cum flooded me, the two of us completely still in the heightened moment of our unity

As if someone had commanded it, water droplets began to fall from the sky, soaking us in seconds.

“Oops?” I breathed, still shuddering with aftershocks. Zion smirked, and snapped his fingers, the droplets of water stopping in their movement.

It was like he’d stopped time, and that in itself was a sight to see. “Wow,” I whispered. “I keep forgetting we can do a lot.”

“You do,” he whispered and slowly pulled out. He pulled me up to sit before he laid back and put his hands behind his head.

He didn’t need to tell me what to do as I crawled up and hooked my hand around his cock to position the tip at my entrance.

“You really wanna go again?”

“I need energy to start time again,” he teased. I huffed with a wild grin on my face. “You’re not getting an energy boost from sex.”

“You’d be surprised what sex can do, sweet Jade,” he countered with a relaxed grin.

“That’s something Zeke would say,” I noted and lowered myself onto his cock. We both groaned and took a few seconds to calm ourselves.

“He’s awake.”

“Is he?”

“Masturbating in the washroom,” Zion declared, chuckling.

“Why do I have a feeling you told him not to come join?”

“I don’t get you alone often.” He winked. “I’m taking the advantage of being a lone wolf for the night.”

“Scary,” I replied and began to move up and down his cock. “Oh man, this feels nice.”

“You’re telling me,” Zion moaned, his eyes closing as I got to work. I had to put sex on the to-do list of daily activities because it always helped shut off the millions of thoughts that tried to take control of me.

It kept me busy.

I moved faster, and Zion ended up gripping my hips and taking control as we inched closer to another wave of ecstasy.

“Fuck!” I swore and braced myself to cum, while Zion grunted and fucked me so hard and fast, his balls were smacking my ass.

“Shit!” he cursed and gripped me hard to keep me still as I sunk onto his cock.

“Ah!” I screamed as my release consumed me, my body trembling as waves of pleasure hit me again and again.

I collapsed on top of a breathless Zion, the two of us like noodles as we fought for air. The water droplets that were once still began to move, and we were soaking wet in ten seconds.

“Oh fuck,” Zion breathed, leaving me in a giggle fit.

“Energy my as-eek!” I squealed when he slapped my ass.

“Hush,” he huffed but kissed me. “You distracted me.”

“With what?”

“Your addictive pussy,” he whined.

“What bullshit are you spouting?” I laughed uncontrollably as we continued to get drenched by the rain.

“Ugh. I’m too tired to stop it,” he admitted.

I lifted my hand up and concentrated, my elated mind stirring my imagination to new heights. Zion gasped, but I didn’t let it distract me as my water element rushed to my aid and I envisioned her presence as she danced around the roof to collect the droplets of water that left the cloudless sky.

Opening my eyes, I looked to my right to see the last raindrop fall into the clear blue silhouette that looked back at us. She took a step back to curtsy, the water dress fluttering upward like the wind was lifting it with a fine comb.

After a small wave farewell and an obvious smile that showed a glimpse of her hollow, purple, glowing mouth, she turned away and walked to the edge of the roof.

With a leap, it was like the water that created her body burst out from her back to create wings, and with that final image, she was nothing but water falling down.

We were silent as I returned my gaze to Zion’s and saw his prideful grin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said with awe.

“What the fuck?!” someone screamed from far away. “Where the hell did this water come from?!”

I snickered and quickly covered my mouth as if the person at the very bottom of the building could possibly pinpoint where we were.

“Oops?” Zion chuckled, and I kissed him softly on the lips.

“I want more time together with you,” I whispered.

“That’s a good idea,” he confirmed and claimed my lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Zion,” I whispered.

“Be confident, Jade.” He looked back to cup my face with one of his hands. “You are a badass bitch when you let that confidence reign. Stop worrying about becoming someone perfect to others’ eyes and focus on a day at a time by being yourself.”

His words resonated with my very soul, and I nodded with a wide smile on my face.

“If I ever doubt, remind me.”

“I will,” he vowed. “My cock would love to join in the conversation.”

“He’s still busy inside me,” I reminded. His cock twitched like I’d summoned his participation, leaving me giggling uncontrollably.

Zion blushed but ending up joining in on the laughter.

Time to keep busy by being my usual, badass self.

10

SEMESTER THREE OF ILLUSIONS

“Zeke,” I whispered. “We’re in the hall.”

“No one’s here,” he muttered into my neck. “I’m horny.”

“We fucked before we left.”

“You made me hard again by wearing your skirt an inch higher than usual.”

“How you spot such details is beyond me,” I quietly commented. He lifted his head to look into my eyes, and any bit of resistance I had left was snatched away by how sexy he was today.

My Trouble Four decided to gel their hair to the side, giving them hot, sexy Gatsby vibes with their school uniforms.

Zeke and I had left my penthouse last since we’d gotten lost in a simple kiss that led to a good fuck in the washroom. I’m sure my night with Zion had heightened his arousal to the max and this was his way of payback.

I found it really cute.

We arrived at school early in an attempt to ensure nothing crazy was going on. Calvin had helped ensure security was at its peak and Zion, Zeus, and Zackery were doing quick checks around the premises.

I secretly wished my parents would have been here for the first day back, but it looked like they were skin deep into the case and were in the field again today. We had substitutes, of course, but it wasn’t helping the little part in my stomach that flipped at the thought of something happening to my parents.

It felt like we were being left in the dark on purpose, and after finding out Ross and his crooks were after the journal Lisette had spent months writing, things were getting far too messy for my liking.

Lisette was still fast asleep, so I’d assigned Shadow Jade to look after her. I knew she’d have to come to school for the mandatory morning class, but that wouldn’t be too long. At least Lisette was at the penthouse and we were one-hundred percent confident that she’d be safe while she regained her strength.

“You didn’t wear tights today,” Zeke muttered against my lips.

“Does that bother you?”

“Not in the slightest.” He smirked as his hands skimmed under my skirt and up my thighs. “Makes teasing you easier.”

“You’re still getting payback from last night, hmm.” He sealed my lips with his before I finished but release me just as quickly. “I want a night together with you. Just us.”

“Your wish is my command,” I teased, pulling him close and kiss him tenderly. “You’re feeling okay?”

“Ya,” he replied. “Ever since that anointing thing, we haven’t fallen out of balance.”

“Still can’t do the mind talking thing,” I noted.

“Nah, that’s only Zackery and you. We still need to activate our Hive bonds.”

“I wonder how,” I pondered. “And no, it’s not from sex.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t need to. That twinkle in your eye is enough to tell me what you want.”

“Maybe I do have a small sex addiction.”

“Define small,” I said, giggling. “And if you’re trying to admit your darkest worries, that’s not one of them.”

“Boo.” He pouted his lips innocently. “I tried.”

“Too cute.” I shook my head. “We have to go to class.”

“Sadly. Rather make out in the hall. Why it so quiet today?”

Now that you mention it…

“You have a point.” I looked around the hall, noticing how quiet it was. School was about to start in fifteen minutes, so people should have been buzzing in the halls and catching up with old friends. It should not have been dead quiet like it was six in the evening.

“Can you ask the others if they’ve seen a lot of students today?” I asked Zeke. He nodded and looked lost in his train of thought as the silence grew.

Moving away from him, I took a few steps into the hall and crossed my arms over my chest.

What’s going on? I should ask Calvin for a security check.

Pulling out my phone, I frowned at the double view. Arching an eyebrow, I thought my vision would correct itself, but all it did was multiple the image of my phone in my hand.

Raising my head up, the world seemed to be in threes, everything tripling and expanding, leaving me a tad dizzy all of sudden.

“Jade?”

It was Zeke, but his voice echoed from afar and wasn’t coming from behind me but in front of me. I took a few unsteady steps, my elements awakening from their quiet slumber to aid me in whatever was happening.

I shook my head and took another two steps, but my body grew heavy.

“Jade!” Zackery’s voice was pounding through my head, but my surroundings were switching by the second as I struggled to remain standing.

Shadow Jade.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade exclaimed, and I felt an arm hook around my waist before my legs buckled. The ringing that buzzed in my ears irritated me. My elements fought for control as I sought to keep myself conscious.

“You have some nerve.” The irritated voice sent shivers through me, fear attempting to consume my scattered mind.

Charles.

“Time for you to disappear. For you to fade away. You’re never safe. No matter how much security your lovers put up, I’ll always be one step ahead of you. One step before you, a slow group of trackers. Pathetic little trackers. Your lives are all ruined because of me.”

I pressed my hands to my temples and felt Shadow Jade’s presence around me as her arms encased me.

“Illusion, Jade! Don’t listen!” Shadow Jade encouraged. All I could do was nod, wishing that the feeling of doom would fade away.

I concentrated on my breathing, and a cool wind rushed around me. It grew stronger and stronger as my own wind element raced to the surface and released from my body.

There was no need to fight for control as my hands fell to my sides and my head fell back. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was circling wings, my body in the midst of a dazzling tornado that protectively encased me.

“Breathe, Jade.” I felt a pair of hands rest on my shoulders, massaging them gently as I fought for air. Was I having a panic attack? Or was it just hard to breathe? It was far too hard to figure out what in the world was happening, but with each inhale I took, my body began to be filled with peace and clarity.

“That’s it, Jade,” Zackery’s soft voice whispered into my ear. I lowered my head and looked around me, noticing that Shadow Jade was gone, but I was in Zackery’s lap.

“Zackery? Where’d Shadow Jade go? Or Zeke? What’s going on?”

“Looks like we’re being tested.”

“By Charles?”

“No.”

I looked up to press my head against Zackery’s chest, and he looked down to meet my puzzled gaze. He seemed so calm, which was out of his character, but I knew he wasn’t balanced.

“How are you so calm when it feels like the world is ending?”

“Once you acknowledge it’s an illusion, your body stops reacting,” he assured me. “Zeus is helping Zeke. Zion is with Calvin. Shadow Jade is chasing students.”

“What?” I blinked and pulled out of his hold to try and stand up. “Why is she… And I’m dizzy.”

Zackery was up and steadying me as I blinked a few times. “Different question. Why are we reacting to this test? Is this done by the admins?”

“Looks like it. We’re probably affected by it because the magic infused into the building. I’m sure this is a test to see if we’d fall for the illusion or not. Give your body a moment.”

He rubbed my back and I ended up hugging him.

“Why did you come and help me when your brothers probably needed you?”

“You’re our priority before any of us. Zeke was closest, but he was struggling to pull out of whatever he was seeing so he asked me to find you first.”

“He should be a few steps behind me?”

“You walked to the other side of the school.”

“What?”

“Before his vision went haywire, Zeke said you took a few steps and were completely gone.”

“I teleported, then?” I thought about it. “An unconscious thought to get away from harming others?”

“Could be.”

“Alaric wouldn’t have set this type of test on the first day of school,” I muttered as I fought against the sick feeling.

“I agree. Meaning, the substitute did.” Something was telling me I should have looked into the full names of the substitutes, but I’d merely scanned their initials. One of them was the far too familiar R.S.

“What are we going to do?”

“Try and help the other students, but that means we have to get Shadow Jade.”

“Right!” With a few extras breaths, I pulled back on my wind magic, the clear culprit of the tornado that shielded us. The winds dispersed, leaving us in what looked to be the hall to one of the courtyards.

I had to hold my tongue in an attempt not to gasp at the sight before us: students unconscious on the ground next to their open lockers, many groaning in agony. The few that had overcome the illusion were checking on others, trying their best to wake them up.

Zackery took my hand, the two of us pushing into a sprint as we raced out of the building and towards the main building.

We hadn’t reached the front doors when my sense tingled and I came to a complete stop, tugging Zackery to stall in his movement.

“Shadow Jade!” I called out, sensing her presence. Three girls suddenly raced out of another door on the opposite side of us, their fearful gazes only proving they were running away from something.

Three seconds later and there was Shadow Jade with her scythe in her grasp.

“Shadow Jade, hold on!” I ordered as the three students rushed towards Zackery and me. She kept on chasing them, her speed only increasing.

“Why isn’t she-” Zackery began, but it suddenly clicked as to why Shadow Jade wasn’t stopping. My sword was out a second before the student in the middle heading directly towards me pulled out a gun and immediately started shooting.

Red flames burst into life, spinning in front of me and Zackery as the wind picked up to make a spiral spinning flame shield. The bullets were easily deflected, and I pushed my hand out.

“Fight the true enemy!” I exclaimed. The flames that protected us burst forward until they made a figure of me with a sword in hand.

The wind retreated, giving us a view of the current scene: Shadow Jade had tackled one of the girls, the second girl who’d attacked me was fighting my fire shadow, and Zackery had pinned down the third girl, who was fighting the shield of wind that was pressing her into the ground.

I rushed forward to give my fire shadow that was still in silhouette form a helping hand, running swiftly to tackle the girl to the ground.

“Die, you bitch!” she screamed, trying to fight my attempt to disarm her.

“Snap out of it!” I huffed and punched her in the jaw. The move was enough to knock her right out, and I was up and racing to help Shadow Jade, who was attempting not to kill the student.

I put my hands to the ground, my earth element rushing to my fingertips and igniting rocks and vines to shoot out and wrap around the girls. Zackery jumped back, igniting two plates of wind under his feet to aid him in remaining in the air as I strengthened my spell to ensure the three girls couldn’t wiggle out of the vines holds as the rocks circled around them.

With a heavy sigh, I rose up to the end result of protective move. Shadow Jade skipped over to me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

“Jade safe! KILL!” she cheered and kissed my cheek. “Students evil! They set a trap!”

“Wait, they set the trap?” I inquired and saw her nod rapidly. “Sneaky in office. Not real students! Kill!”

“You got to be kidding me.” Zackery sounded pissed as he walked over to one of the girls and tugged the little purse that was on the side of her body. He took out her wallet, pulling out a few cards until a black card with a gold holographic image caught our attention.

“Black market worker,” Zackery declared. “These three were hired.”

“Shadow Jade,” I called to her before locating my fire shadow. I thought she’d fade away, but she was still present, waiting for my command.

“Flaming Jade?” I tried the new name, watching my fire silhouette begin to blaze with flames and like I’d conducted a spell, there was a second replica of me, only she had amber eyes and red strands in her white hair.

“At your service.” She bowed slightly in obedience, waiting for my command. I looked at Zackery, his eyes scanning the flaming version of me.

“Wow, Jade. Flaming Jade is hot.”

I rolled my eyes as the three of us looked at him with a blank stare. He shrugged playfully. “You’re still the hottest in the land.”

“KILL!” Shadow Jade declared, readying her scythe to attack Zackery.

“Oh no. Don’t kill me, Shadow Jade! I’ll get Zeus to make you cookies!”

“Cookies!” Shadow Jade beamed. I shook my head but went back to the main point. “Shadow and Flaming Jade. Head into the school and scout as many students as you can. Anyone that gives off a bad vibe, disarm them! We’re heading to the headmaster’s office.”

“Kill!” Shadow Jade agreed.

“As you wish,” Flaming Jade declared. The two of them raced towards the main building, ready to fulfill their task. Zackery walked over to me, his eyes scanning me up and down to ensure I had no wounds.

“Are you all right?” he inquired.

“Feel a lot better than before,” I admitted. “The others?”

“Recovering quickly while kicking student ass. Looks like this infiltration was bigger than the last. Who would have thought a group of students would be working with the black market?”

“Now we know and they’re about to enjoy a lifelong sentence in prison.” I sighed. “There’s no way we can deal with the substitutes. School hasn’t even started yet, and we were already invaded!”

This was frustrating as fuck and I was tired of it. We had a better chance of running the damn school then these idiots.

Us…running the school? Wait!

The switch of my thinking lightbulb ignited a wave of ideas, and the grin that formed on my face made Zackery give me an odd look I returned.

“Why do I feel as though you just figured out the plan to solve world hunger?”

“Not as grand as that, but I have a good idea how we’re going to fix this shit until my parents come back. I need you to go meet the others at the head office.”

“What about you?”

“I need to go back home real quick.”

“Jade, let me c-”

“Nope. I need you four here with Calvin. I won’t be long, but I can’t go with anyone if I want my message to go through.”

He looked deeply into my eyes before he gave in.

“If Zeus and Zeke kick my ass, you owe me a blow job.”

“I’d give you a blowjob regardless, but sure.” I winked. “I’ll instruct them to do their worst.”

“Diabolical,” he groaned, but leaned down and kissed me. “Be safe and don’t take long.”

“Yes, Sir Zackery. Let your daggers frighten the people of the land,” I teased.

“I forgot about those,” Zackery announced as he leaned back. He closed his eyes and clapped his hands, and there were the two daggers, floating above the palms of his hands.

“Shit. It worked.”

“Haven’t you guys been able to summon your weapons when you need them?”

“Nope. We’ve tried and tried during the summer and basically gave up on trying,” Zackery admitted.

“One of the hundreds of questions we need to ask,” I concluded with a sigh. “Let’s go, and thanks for bringing me back out of that madness early, Zackery.”

“Anytime, baby.” He winked. “Be safe.”

We exchanged a final nod and then I was running straight to our home on campus. I was tired of waiting to speak to my parents and I knew there was one way I could try and contact them.

IT WAS one of those “only if the world is ending” type of methods to contact them, and one I promised never to use unless in dire times where I couldn’t reach any of them. Running through the familiar walls of the place I’d called home for many years, I was in Alaric’s office and locking the door in haste. Rushing to the fridge, I opened it up and looked for the black glass bottle I knew only Alaric drank from when he was stressed.

My eyes locked onto it, noticing it was on the top shelf of the miniature fridge, sitting at the far back. It was pleasing to know I never needed to use this method to communicate with them, or I would have struggled with reaching it.

Lifting up on my tiptoes and reaching into the cool interior, I closed my eyes and wrapped my fingers around the cool, glass.

“Open what is hidden. I need answers and only the people I’ve cherished for years can answer them.” My voice was a tiny whisper, magic lacing the threads of each word as I infused my magic into the spell.

My hand grew hot, and there was a clicking sound. I opened my eyes to see the side library case open up. With a sly grin, I closed the fridge door and slid into the small space, my bypass triggering the hidden door to close.

Snapping my fingers, I lit up the secret room and looked to the corner where the mirror was hanging on the wall. When Bianca had first shown me this place, it reminded me of the fairy tale Snow White, and the “Mirror, mirror, on the wall” quote.

Rushing to the mirror itself, I saw my reflection and frowned at my flushed cheeks and messy hair. “I look horrible.”

It didn’t matter as of now. All I needed was my parents’ permission so I could set up the plan I had for this semester.

Something none of these people would expect me to do.

“Bianca. Please, pick up,” I whispered, raising my arms to the side and letting my elements flow outward. I only needed a small dose of each, remembering the last time I was here.

“BIANCA? Why are we in this dark room?”

“Mirror! KILL!”

“Shadow Jade. Don’t touch the mirror, please,” Bianca ordered, glancing down to me as I remained at her side. “This is a communication device.”

“It’s a mirror,” I noted. “Look, there’s me.”

Bianca giggled and crouched down to be at the same height as me. “This, Jade, is a device mages use when they have to contact others who are far away.”

“Far…away? Like across the street? Or down at the city?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “This reaches me, Tanner, and Alaric when we’re really far away. Not just countries far, but sometimes in different universes.”

“Wow! Different universes?! That’s cool. Can I come?”

“No.” She giggled and rose up. “And you can only use this for emergencies. Meaning, when you can’t reach us through phone, email, magic calling, all other methods. It also has to be important, Jade. Not because you miss us or anything. Only if something bad is happening with you, Shadow Jade, or the school itself.”

“Okay. Very special mirror to talk to parents. Got it!” I declared.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade replied, shuffling her feet to stand next to me. “Play now?”

“I’ll show you how, but promise you won’t ever use this place unless you need it.”

“I promise!” I vowed.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade added.

“Shadow Jade promises as well,” I interpreted.

“Good.” Bianca nodded with pride before she turned to face the mirror. She wiggled her arms and hands, spreading her fingers wider out as she called upon different elements.

“Allow me to communicate to those I love,” she whispered. The mirror began to illuminate a soft glow, revealing Alaric.

“Bianca?” Alaric looked surprised.

“Hi, Daddy!” I jumped and waved.

“Daddy!” Shadow Jade beamed and waved with me.

Alaric smiled before glancing at Bianca.

“Are you teaching her about the purpose of this mirror?”

“Not the purpose but its significance in connection with us,” Bianca explained. “Emergencies only, right Jade?”

“RIGHT!” we cheered.

“Good,” Alaric praised and glanced at Bianca. “Don’t drink the strawberry Baileys.”

“I’ll think about it.” She shrugged and gave him a wink. The image vanished, showing our reflections once more. Bianca clapped her hands and glanced back at us.

“See? That’s how you use this device, but only for vital emergencies. If you’re in trouble and can’t find anyone to help you, or if the school is in danger, okay?”

“Yes, Bianca,” we replied with wide grins.

“Perfect! Let’s go make some cookies and have some strawberry Baileys.”

“Didn’t Alaric just say-” I began but Bianca laughed. “He told me to teach you, so I deserve a wonderful reward! Just don’t tell him.” She grinned and reached out to pat our heads. “I’ll make extra cookies for your cooperation.”

“Extra cookies!” I cheered.

“KILL!” Shadow Jade concluded.

THE MEMORY FADED JUST as an astonished voice declared, “Jade? What’s going on?”

It was Tanner.

My eyes opened wide and I looked at his rough appearance.

“Damn, Tanner. What happened to you? You look like a ragged alcoholic that hasn’t bathed for a week.”

He gave me a look of annoyance, but I moved onto the point.

“The school’s kind of under attack by undercover black-market students, and I have a growing hunch who’s pulling the string in your guy’s absence,” I explained.

“What?” Tanner seemed shocked, but he bit his lip. “Awww, fuck. We’ve been deep into this case and now have Charles literally cornered. We can’t come back now, Jade. You have no idea how close we are, but it’s going to take a few more weeks to finally catch him. Alaric’s on duty and Bianca is doing some calculations. We can’t leave.” He sounded frustrated as he ruffled his already messy strands. “Are you okay? You look like you got caught in a wind storm.”

“Accidentally made a tornado to protect myself. Nothing crazy,” I casually said like it was nothing. “I don’t need you guys to come back. I need permission.”

“Permission?” He arched an eyebrow while questioning the last bit of my statement.

“This summer, Ross hacked into the system and acted like Alaric,” I declared.

“What?!” Tanner exclaimed but I carried right along.

“He then ordered for Lisette to document every page of Charles’s journal. Obviously, that was something she would have done anyway but she was given no medical review, no council, and then was forced to do lab work against her will. The results were saved in a specific folder that Calvin had to hack to retrieve and delete, and the journal was taken in to be delivered with the assumption that Alaric requested it. Shadow Jade and Ceil had to fight these goons that wanted the journal, but they died and whoever sent them, which again we believe is Ross, got the cleanup crew to handle stuff.”

I paused as Tanner looked baffled by what he was hearing before I carried on once again.

“All of that basically exhausted Lisette, seeing as she’d been working twenty hours a day for the last like three or four months writing this journal when she should have been getting therapy, and we’ve been trying to research more about Hives and how we can benefit from them because I somehow anointed the guys with weapons, but they can’t summon them. Actually, scratch that, Zackery summoned his, but I think that’s because of the Hive bond or something.” Now I was just rambling. “Our summer was nice and sweet, but we haven’t been able to get any information, and due to our ‘taking a break’ status, we weren’t allowed to check shit until today, but then we waltzed right into yet another trap of illusions and students collapsing in the halls, and I’m sure I know exactly who’s substituting for Alaric today.”

Tanner took a few seconds before a deep frown formed on his lips.

“Ross.”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner,” I declared, my mistake of overlooking the initials of the substitute Headmaster now kicking me in the ass.

“Which reminds me. Where are the R-squad and Leonardo? No word after they were called on that mission, and I haven’t seen them at all today so far. The fact that they basically abandoned Lisette is still pissing me off, and just to put it on the record while I can talk to you guys, I miss you all dearly and we feel lost without you. We really took advantage of you guys being here and now that you aren’t, it’s really starting to annoy me and the others.”

Tanner sighed and gave me a weary look. “The R-squad and Leonardo were transferred to a different school.”

“By whose orders?”

When he didn’t answer, I literally groaned. “Are you fucking kidding me? Tanner! This son of an ass council member was supposedly banned from coming to our school and now he’s somehow been able to ban the R-squad and Leonardo from attending since that’s the only reason why I can possibly see transferring guys with perfect grades against their will. And don’t tell me otherwise because if those quads are as stubborn as my Maxwells, there’s no way they would have gone without someone pulling the strings.”

None of this was making sense and it was really pissing me off.

“If no one wants to take fucking charge, I will, and we’ll figure all of this out.”

“Really?” Tanner gave me a questioning look. “How are you going to do that?”

“It’s not how.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I need your permission to make me headmaster.”

Tanner blinked and stared at me like I’d told him I’m pregnant.

“I wonder if this is how you’re going to react when I announce I’m pregnant.”

“You better not be pregnant.”

“What if I am?” I tossed back.

He rolled his eyes and returned to the prime question. “You want us to appoint you headmaster of Tracker Hive?”

“For this semester. I want to be the headmaster who will be substituting for Alaric. It makes complete sense seeing as I’m an adult and his daughter.”

“What about experience?”

“I’m a Tracker and have Calvin, the mastermind who can make a killer resume with the best references on the block. Next.” I dashed his attempt of making this sound as crazy as it already was.

“It’s between me and Ross here, Tanner. Our students are getting hurt and could potentially die at this point. Shadow Jade never attacks students unless they destroy paintings, piss me off, or are giving off weird vibes. Our security was all set up and clearance should have been perfect. Why did secret students enter our property? Ross is clearly working with these D.U.O and if it wasn’t for our smart thinking, they would have had Charles’s journal in their grasp to get rid of completely! If you’re not going to give me approval, let me talk to Bianca or Alaric. If not, we’re closing school entirely.”

He bit his lip and sighed.

“You know being a headmaster is more than signing papers and making sure the students don’t murder each other, correct?”

“I’m aware, Tanner,” I responded. “As much as I’d love a lecture from you, we both don’t have time.”

I was trying not to show it, but I was feeling winded, which told me Shadow Jade and Flaming Jade were doing some hell of work on the outside.

Tanner’s frown deepened as he took a long glance at me. “Are you still fighting on campus?”

“Shadow Jade and Flaming Jade are ridding the school of any fake students,” I announced.

“Flaming Jade?”

“Uh….the girl on fire that looks like me, Jade,” I declared.

“You were able to give another element a physical body while Shadow Jade is in her human form?” He sounded intrigued and pleased.

“Yes, but they ain’t going to stay in their forms much longer if I stay here, Tanner,” I reminded.

“Wait!” His eyes grew wide as if something clicked in. “Did you say you anointed the Maxwells?!”

“Uh, yes. How many sentences ago did I-”

“Jade,” Tanner interrupted. “I give you permission to be headmaster, but make sure the Maxwells do not show their weapons off until we talk. Who knows about it?”

“Um, Calvin? I haven’t told Lisette yet,” I answered before I gasped. “Shit! Did you give me permission? Well, damn, that was easier than I expected.”

I’m sure he wanted to whip me in training for my responses, but I’d deal with that when he came back. “Why do we have to keep that a secret?”

“We’ll explain when we get back.”

“Tanner,” I growled. “You guys can’t keep leaving us in the dark!”

“I know, Jade.” His soft whisper made me hold back my frustration.

“There’s a reason why the books on Hives have suddenly vanished and we can’t find any information to help us improve, isn’t there?”

“That’s what we’ve been working on, Jade,” he revealed. “Registered Hives across the country are suddenly showing up dead or having members of the Hive, particularly the leader, end up going missing. We’re looking into it, but we can’t risk you guys being kidnapped, especially you, Jade.”

“Okay…” There was nothing else I could say with that drop of a bomb. “How quickly could we let everyone know I’m taking over as headmaster?”

“Two minutes.”

“How are you going to get Alaric’s permission?”

“I’ll get it done, Jade. Just go and get out of that uniform. Also, get Lisette.”

“She’s asleep.”

“Wake her up. You’re going to need her assistance with the papers.”

“Uh…okay?” I wasn’t sure how Lisette was going to help, but if he was mentioning it, I might as well follow through. “Guess that’s it.”

He gave me a long look before he sighed. “I’m sorry you’ve had to resort to this method to contact us. We thought you would have forgotten it, but things are getting a little out of hand and we’ve resorted to not communicating with you guys for the sake of your safety. You know we love you, Jade. That’s why we’re working so hard to capture Charles once and for all.”

“I know, Tanner.” I gave him a small smile. “I love you and Bianca and Alaric. I’ll do my part in protecting the school and students. Don’t worry about us.”

“We’ll try not to,” he said with a sigh. “Remember. Keep your weapons out of sight and get Lisette. She’ll aid you guys.”

“Okay,” I replied, and the image began to flicker. “Tanner?”

Before either of us could say our farewells, the mirror faded back to normal, showing my reflection. My shoulders sank, and I took a deep inhale and let it out slowly.

“Fuck. This is so complicated.”

“Jade! Are you in here?!”

Huh?

I looked to the entrance to see Lisette skip into the room. “Wow. Hidden levers in fridges is pretty dope. Hey, Jade!”

“H-How…Hi, Lisette,” I ended up greeting her, my mind unable to process how she was able to get in here.

“If you’re wondering how I got in here, I sensed your energy and decided to follow it. Where is everyone? I swear I only took a nap.”

“We thought you’d be out for a week or two,” I commented.

“A week or two? God knows. If you mean that aromatherapy stuff buzzing in the room, that wouldn’t have a long-term effect. I’m pretty immune to most medication remedies, but I do feel hella rejuvenated! I haven’t rested like that in years!” She spun around in the nightgown I’d put on her last night. “What’s going on?”

“It’s kinda a long story.”

“Give me the condensed version.”

“Ross is temporary headmaster, he ordered the R-quad and Leonardo to be transferred, the school was set up with some sort of illusion magic, and students are being attacked by fake student spies hired by the black market. Oh, and I’m now the new headmaster and need a lawyer to sign papers. Tanner told me to tell you.”

She pouted her lips and tapped her finger against her lip. “Not bad.”

“You’re serious.”

“It could have been worse, like naked men running around campus.”

“That sounds like a blessing.”

“With snakes as cocks.”

“Now that’s just horrible.”

“Right?!” she squealed. “All right. Make Jade headmaster and get Ross out of this place. Also, why were the R-quad and Leonardo transferred?”

“I have no clue,” I sighed. “Don’t you want them far away?”

“Sure, but if it’s not their own accord, it’s plain fishy. They may have wanted to dump me for an assignment, but them being randomly transferred after one semester? That’s not something that would have happened without pulling some strings.”

“Another thing we have to look into,” I concluded.

“Maybe yes, maybe no,” she replied with an eerie smile. “But for now, our Hive Queen has to be headmaster ready!”

“Um, where are we going to get a lawyer?”

“I’m a lawyer,” she answered with a smile.

“You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious.” She blinked innocently. “I could show you my certificate.”

“How?” I didn’t know what else to ask.

If she was stuck with psycho Charles for ten years, how was she able to get her law degree?

“Minor details,” she declared. “Less time questioning, more time saving tracker hive from Ross domination!”

Lisette grabbed my hand, and we were off to fix this madness.

This better be worth it.

11

CONFRONT THE RAT AND HEADMASTER JADE

~ZION~

MY HEART WAS RACING out of anger. The rapid beats hitting my chest surely matched the ones of my brothers. The four of us had dealt with our share of illusions, and I knew out of the four of us, Zeke was suffering the most from whatever he witnessed.

We couldn’t deal with that problem right now, because we had bigger problems sitting right in front of us in Alaric’s seat.

“Well, well, well.” Ross was spinning a gold pen we could assume wasn’t his between his fingers, his brown polished shoes resting on top of the desk while he leaned back in the chair with a wide grin on his face.

“What brings the Maxwells here?”

Calvin took a step forward, obviously emphasizing his presence.

“We should be asking why you, someone who I remember was banned from the premises, are now sitting in Alaric’s spot?” Calvin questioned with a deep serious voice. “I also suggest you get some prescribed eyewear. That way you’ll acknowledge everyone in the room.”

His wide grin made my blood boil, and my water element wished to dump a nice steaming bucket of water on his face so we could all watch that grin melt with the rest of his skin.

It was always the most difficult to upset me out of the four of us, but today was an exception because we’d gone from walking in the halls, doing our own thing, to being in the midst of raging illusions that tugged at our heartstrings.

From Zackery’s quick explanation, Jade only suffered feeling extremely ill, but who knows what she could have seen or heard to make her almost lose herself to her elements.

Zeke had seen a hint of what had occurred, but soon enough he was drawn into his own illusion. I was surprised we didn’t surge into a state of imbalance.

Out of the four of us, Zeus had gotten out of his illusion the quickest, and from the little he shared, it was something he simply couldn’t agree upon and thus he shattered the illusion with a lightning bolt that took out the power of the building he’d been in.

We all knew something was wrong, and the original goal was to find Jade, but Zackery beat us to it and urged us to head to the headmaster’s office.

With good reason.

Now that we were together with Calvin, all we were doing was waiting for Jade, but I had no idea what was taking her so long, nor did we know what plan she could have to get rid of Ross.

I think all of us were dealing with a moment of stupidity after overlooking the initials of the substitutes for today. R.S was written in cursive writing and none of us had picked up on it. Another easy mistake that was now costing us big time with injured students in the halls, many that were still unconscious in whatever illusion magic that was triggered by us entering the school property.

At first, we all assumed this was some type of test. An entry task to see if we were rusty during the holidays, but illusion magic to this caliber wasn’t easy, especially something that could be triggered on a large scale.

We’d already notified the tracker agency, and agents were swiftly on the scene, but we needed to confront the source of the problem, which was this man in front of us.

The only problem now was figuring out how to point all the evidence to this annoying rat. This was the problem with people in higher positions. A common individual or even tracker would need only one fault to be kicked out or receive penalties for their actions.

Yet council members could get away with so much, thanks to their connections.

It was one of the many reminders of why some criminals got away with so much, and was one of the many reasons individuals who wanted justice joined tracker agency. This should have been a piece of cake with the current evidence we had, but no orders were made for us to arrest or kill Ross.

If we did it on our own accord, we could pay badly for it.

He was a henchman and not the man we all sought. Charles was our target. Ross was a mere puppy trying to make distractions for good reason.

If Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner had already dedicated four months into the field, that meant they had to be super close to catching Charles, and any distractions would screw them up big time.

We’d have to hold the fort for now, but the clock was ticking, and it was getting annoying that innocent students, who wanted nothing but to attend an academy that accepted their unique differences, were the target of childish foul play.

We were sure this was all thanks to Charles once again, and I could only imagine how frustrated Jade would feel after all of this was over. She kept vocalize having a normal semester of school, and we’d yet to experience what we had the first semester.

If she was frustrated, I could only imagine everyone else who was clueless about what was happening behind the scenes.

“May I ask why the lot of you are here? I’m rather busy dealing with the matters happening throughout the school,” Ross inquired.

“As if you don’t know what the fuck is going on out there. You did this,” Zeus barked in blazing anger.

“Heavy accusations for a common tracker.” Ross’s giddy voice was ticking me off, and I knew it was having the same effect on the others.

How I desperately wanted to summon that sacred weapon Jade bestowed upon me and do some trials to see how quickly it could annihilate a bastard like Ross, but Jade had quickly contacted Zackery through their connection and sent text messages to inform us not to try and summon our weapons.

So far, Zackery had been able to summon them randomly, but we all were struggling to bring forth the weapons. One of the many lingering questions we need to find answers to, but any information was either being hidden from us or was unobtainable currently.

Like Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner.

“Why are you here?” Zeke got to the point.

“Did you miss the part where I said I’m the substitute headmaster?” Ross was on the verge of laughter before he carried on with, “I’m sure you’re aware that Alaric and his little team of misfits are on a mission. I’m doing them a favor by taking a temporary spot here. Otherwise, Tracker Hive would have to be closed for the semester.”

“I’m sure out of all the potential substitutes, you were last on the list,” I commented in utter annoyance.

“You’re right,” Ross began. “However, everyone from the top to the second last was either unavailable, abroad, or dead.”

He sighed and went back to spinning the pen in his finger’s grasp. “You should be honored to have a council member taking the time of day to substitute. What ungrateful students you are, if that’s what you guys call yourselves.”

The five us were glaring back at him, but my mind was trying to calculate a way out of this sticky situation. If he’d been the last on the list, he surely had to have looked into ways of getting his spot as Tracker Hive’s last hope headmaster.

Perfect position to plant this fiasco on campus under our noses.

It was making sense with the rush in timing. First, finding out Lisette had been forced to write the replica of Charles’s journal, than attempting to secure the secret lab results from Lisette. We’d yet to figure out why they wanted her blood work to begin with, but the mere acknowledgment of their protective activity involving Lisette in general proved otherwise.

Someone or some group needed Lisette back in captivity, and all I could think of were the horrible ways the could use her medical records. It would be an easy manipulation. And her captive past with Charles would land her right in the deepest depths of the mental ward.

Perfect place to keep her mouth shut with drugs and lies about her behavior.

There was so much wrong with all of this, and we just needed a moment of power and authority to take the reins back and have the upper advantage.

I had a feeling Charles was in a tight spot and was now using any connection and advantage he could pull to corner us as well.

Missing books about Hives, school starting off in a chaotic mess like this. What could possibly happen next?

It was about time we had control in this dance of empowerment, but without Alaric, Bianca, or Tanner here, we felt like sitting ducks.

No one is going to take us seriously.

“I have business to attend to. If you four-”

“Five,” Calvin interrupted, his eyes narrowing at Ross, which actually sent shivers through me. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but when he scowled like that he looked far too familiar to his psycho criminal father.

“Five.” Ross actually corrected himself, but that smile of his finally faded to project his annoyance. “If you five can leave my new office, that would be great. I have real matters to attend to, things that are more important than dealing with little children like yourselves.”

“We’re all adults,” Zackery stressed. “Why don’t you stop treating us like children?”

“In the world I live in, boy, you are all children. Naive beings who can do nothing to stop what is brewing in a dark universe that continues to be tainted every single day.” Ross’s voice lowered to a whisper, “Give up on unlocking what doesn’t need to be open. I’m sure you know who that key is, and if you don’t, well…focus more on protecting her, rather than snooping on innocent individuals like me.”

I braced myself for the whirlwind of emotions that boiled through the four of us, the tension rising in the room as we all maintained the fierce glares we were giving Ross.

All he did was smile, knowing damn well that we couldn’t do anything to stop him yet. No matter how much evidence we had, he was currently in the lead of innocence and no way could we prove otherwise until he lost the upper hand he carried like a glittering globe.

There was a knock on the door, and we all turned our attention to the tall gentleman wearing a completely black suit.

Ceil? What is he doing here? Lisette should be asleep, shouldn’t she?

“Who are you?” Ross questioned with a raised eyebrow. “You have to make an appointment to see the headmaster. I’m done having visitors today.”

“It appears as though you haven’t gotten the memo in regard to your temporary position, Mr. Ross,” Ceil announced, leaving us in suspense as he gestured an arm outward while laid his other hand on his chest and bowed slightly. “Ms. Cross, if you’d please enlighten Mr. Ross with the news.”

My eyes widened, and the waves of shock that followed from my brothers only accented the scene that was unfolding before us as Lisette came walking in, heels clicking against the tiled floors.

She looked completely different from her usual cynical behavior. Her hair was straightened, showing off its full length while she had pink bands to cover her forehead. Her makeup was on point, giving her a sophisticated look while having a pop of color thanks to the bright pink lip gloss that covered her smooth lips.

She wore a black suit with a pink tie and matched it with black pantyhose and neon pink shoes. She carried a pink clipboard in one hand, thick white papers clipped upon it while she held a glittering pink pen.

We watched in silence as she passed by us. The only acknowledgment any of us received was from the one-second glance in our direction.

She stopped right in front of the desk, her eyes scanning the office thoughtfully as her grin widened to show her brilliant white teeth. She looked like a professional mastermind ready to make hell break loose.

In fact, my senses were telling me she was about to do just that.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ross. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Lisette began, her eyes locking on Ross, whose eyes were wide with shock and confusion. I’m sure he knew who Lisette was as well as about the plans to get rid of her quietly if he had an association with Charles, but to see her all dressed up and in his presence, must have surely taken him by surprise.

It certainly shocked us.

“What is the meaning of this?” His statement was a mix of shock and anger. Lisette flicked a few strands of her hair out of the way, her beaming smiling only growing as she answered, “Why, I’m here to finalize the papers for the new headmaster.”

Ross looked confused at first, but then he grinned happily like a little boy receiving cake as he rose up.

“Well, wasn’t that fast. I’ve been voicing my desire to be the headmaster of this school for years. Finally, the higher-ups are granting me my wish.” He walked over to face Lisette, leaving the rest of us speechless as the picture of Ross taking full control of Tracker Hive sank in.

If he ruled as headmaster, he’d get rid of us just like how he transferred the quads and Leonardo!

“There’s no way she can give the role to him!” Zeus stressed in our connective bond.

“It may have already been done.” Zeke sounded just as irritated.

“We have to stop this,” Zackery emphasized.

How? She already has the paperwork ready.

The tension in the room was palpable as Lisette nodded and began to look through the clipped pages.

“All you have to do is sign the dotted line. You’d start immediately and have the support of the rest of the council. They said they can give more time to think about it, but they would have to review other options if you delay,” Lisette explained.

“No delay necessary,” Ross declared, laughing right after in utter glee. “This is marvelous. Finally getting what I deserve.”

“Hold-” I tried to interfere, but Ross was already grabbing the pen from Lisette’s grasp and signing the dotted line like his life depended on it. Lisette grinned and looked through the document, pointing to one more signature section on the last page.

“And here.”

“Easy,” Ross replied and signed the second line. Lisette nodded and reviewed the papers quickly. She signed the witness lines, leaving the five us speechless while Ceil remained, holding the door.

“Excellent!” she declared. “I’ll have this sent off to the council and agency, so they are aware of the changes.”

“Marvelous!” Ross cheered and looked our way. “Now first things first. I think it’s good to have you four transferred from this school.”

“Excuse you?” the four of us said in unison. Calvin growled and took a dominant step forward. “No one is being transferred.”

“Oh?” Ross laughed and looked at Calvin. “I wasn’t even going to transfer you. You’re too much of a threat to the student body. I’ll be having you taken in for questioning,” Ross declared.

“What?!” we all snapped while Calvin let out a huff.

“You’re fucking serious? You really forget who the fuck I am.”

“I know exactly what position you have and the qualifications you carry. However, after a brief background check, I’ve concluded as headmaster that someone so closely related to Charles, a criminal on the run, should be removed for the safety of the student body. You very well may be working with him.”

“I despise that man and I’ve been working to capture him for years. Instead of running your mouth with fake assumptions, go back to school to learn how to be a proper administrator of power!” Calvin snapped.

“In other words,” Zackery began. “Fuck off.”

“Silence!” Ross slammed his hand against the desk. “I’m the headmaster of Tracker Hive and you all have to obey me.”

“Wrong.”

We all looked over to Lisette, who’d been faxing the documents without any of us noticing. She picked up the pile of papers, clipped it back to the pink clipboard, and walked over to the door. Passing it to Ceil, she smiled up at him.

“Ceil. Will you please file these at the main office? I’ve already faxed them over to the council and the agency. They’ve already approved of the changes, but physical copies are always nice to keep for evidence’s sake.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he declared, bowing his head in respect before he took the clipboard. In a flash, he was gone, and Lisette pressed her back to the door and sighed.

“I think a proper introduction of Tracker Hive’s new headmaster is in order,” she announced loud and clear.

We all shut our mouths as Ross grinned from ear to ear. He stood nice and tall and waited for Lisette’s official announcement.

“Introducing the new Headmaster of Tracker Hive Academy,” she began. “Jade Masters. Would you like to make your grand entrance?”

The words didn’t register as fast as the shock and relief that hit us in waves. The sound of clicking heels coming from down the hall made the anticipation shoot through the roof as we waited for the miracle we’d subconsciously been wishing to arrive.

In ten long seconds, the heels came to a stop and there was our Hive Queen in all her alluring glory.

Her long white hair was in loose curls, hints of black highlights streaming through the bountiful locks. Her eyes were striking red, matching her red lipstick, red blush cheeks, and the gorgeous red dress she wore that accented every single curve and line of her impeccable body.

Her bare legs seem to have a bit of sparkle to them while her feet were donned in a luxurious pair of black Christian Louboutin’s, and in one hand was an iPad while the other held a red pen.

The aroma of roses mixed with cinder and clementine reached our noses, and goodness was it hard to not get hard at the striking confidence she carried.

Out of all the time we’d known Jade, this was the pure moment that showed her true potential, and it was fucking hot.

As if all of us needed that gripping image of payback, we glanced over to Ross to see his previous beaming smile turn upside down, the shock of Lisette’s words finally sinking into his brain. The longer the silence grew between all of us, the stronger those flickers of realization burned in his eyes and expression.

Jade didn’t hesitate to walk right in, nodding her head our way in acknowledgment as she walked straight to the desk. All eyes were on her as she pulled back the chair and sank into the soft cushions.

Wheeling herself closer to the desk, she unlocked her iPad and wrote some information before she looked up to stare at Lisette. With a grin, she spoke, “Thank you, Ms. Cross, for your introduction and speedy progress in assuring all of this went smoothly. I’m delighted with the confirmation emails from the agency and council of my new position that was granted by Alaric Masters, who is currently on a field assignment for the remainder of the semester.”

She paused to look around the room before she officially introduced herself. “My name is Jade Masters, daughter of Alaric Masters. As you know, Alaric is currently on a mission and needs to be in the field with his team. Due to his absence, we’ve already experienced some negative effects, and so the council and agency were in urgent need of finding a replacement for this semester.”

She glanced at Ross and her grin widened. “The council had noted that Ross was substituting and were worried he’d be overwhelmed with his role as a council member and juggling the headmaster role here at Tracker Hive Academy. Therefore, we had a quick teleconference thanks to Ms. Cross’s assistance and we concluded that it would be better for me to take over, with Alaric’s permission, of course.”

Her radiant smile was contagious as her words sank in and we all smiled in relief and pride.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Ross, for being cooperative and signing the documents that state I will be the new headmaster of Tracker Hive Academy until further notice.”

“W-What?!” he exclaimed.

He tried to find the words but the knock on the door drew our attention, and there were Ceil and Shadow Jade. I was impressed with Shadow Jade’s attire as she wore a black collar dress, red tie with black and white checkered lines, and red heels.

Her long hair was now up in a ponytail and red frames sat on her face, which made her black eyes pop out just a tad. She wore red lipstick like Jade and held a bunch of papers in one hand.

Ceil was no longer in a black suit, but in a full-on Tracker Hive Agency uniform, one that they used to make arrests or during secret missions that led to official imprisonment. It looked amazing on his slender body, but I was curious as to what exactly was the meaning to his arrival in such attire.

“Good Morning, headmaster,” Shadow Jade announced. “We’ve just received the documents signed by Mr. Ross and his confirmation that he’ll no longer be headmaster of Tracker Hive, as well as his decision to drop off the council.”

We all gasped and quickly looked at Ross. It was golden to see his face pale as he took in Shadow Jade’s words. Then the rise of anger was imminent, his face growing red as rage flooded his glaring eyes.

“Excuse me?! No way have I declared I’d be dropping the council!”

“Oh.” Lisette’s pink lips morphed a pout as she blinked innocently. “I tried to explain the depths of the documents you signed, but you stated ‘No delay necessary. This is marvelous. Finally getting what you deserve’. I figured with such declaration and your swift desire to sign the papers, there was no need for me to explain the fine details of what you were signing.”

She shrugged, and the shiver-inducing smile returned to her glossy lips.

“The contract entailed a number of things, including your involvement with Charles Sokolov. After numerous pieces of evidence have been retrieved regarding your shady activities, especially in the last six months, the council decided to do a secret investigation.”

Ross’ eyes went wide as Lisette used her hip to close the door shut. She leaned against it, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

“I’d been originally informed that I wouldn’t need to disclose Charles’s journal until I’d had six months of therapy, rehab, and a full assessment of my ability to be a tracker. Thus, I’m on temporary leave as a Tracker Hive Agent. Due to this, I decided to take my law exam, something I’d been working towards for my ten years of captivity. Silly to have dreams of being a lawyer and getting rid of the fucking injustice happening all around us and in our own cooperation, but hey. It was the motivation I used daily to learn every single thing I needed to and thanks to that driven mindset, I passed with flying colors and was able to set up my law firm organization.”

She opened her eyes then, the move seemingly making the room grow stuffy as the temperature suddenly dropped. Instead of my elements rising at the challenge, they cowered away in fear. I had to fight the urge to tremble, and from the trickles of worry and fear that came from my brothers, I could imagine they were feeling the same way that I was.

“Due to the delays of my rescue and obvious abandonment that was ordered by you, Mr. Ross, the Tracker Hive Agency agreed that it was only fair for them to fund my law firm and have it be attached to the agency. That means not only am I allowed to investigate cases or individuals that project a level of injustice and scrutiny, but I’ve also been given special permission from the council to do all of it secretly if it’s in regard to foul play by magic council members.”

That left me gawking, and I’m sure my brothers were gawking as well. Lisette gave off the persona that she was crazy and only had bouts of knowledge when requested to share, but this moment made us realize how little we knew about her.

How little we knew about how great her potential surely was.

“So how convenient it was that a particular council member hacked into the database as Alaric Masters and ordered for me to write out the entire journal of Charles’s life and plans? Twenty hours of writing, while under constant observation.” She clapped her hands and with a poof of pink smoke, there was the very book in question.

It fell into her hands and she sighed.

“This council member then ordered the retrieval of this very book after ordering my bloodwork and blackmailing a bunch of lab workers to fabricate the results so that I’d land in solitary confinement at one of the most cynical mental hospitals in our city. Wouldn’t that shut me up real quick?”

Her gaze turned to Ross, her smile flipping into a deep frown as her pink eyes began to glow murderously.

“You know what ticks me right over the edge? Pitiful humans like you who think they’re superior to everyone else in this world. You didn’t hesitate to use me, and it’s even funnier because you were the very being who ordered my team to the place where we were attacked and kidnapped.”

The room fell silent as the tension rose. I glanced at Jade, noticing her shocked eyes at the news, but she quickly composed herself. However, she didn’t hide the boiling anger that flooded her eyes.

“You ordered my old team to come back to Tracker Hive around the same time I’d escaped. You knew that they would be tracking me down, and right when they discovered who I was, they suddenly got called to a meeting and had their job security threatened. I’m sure you expected me to lose it with my history of outbreaks from Charles himself about abandonment or whatnot, but when that didn’t happen, you decided to force me to be under your team’s ‘close’ observation and hoped the long, torturous hours and lack of sleep would set me off. That didn’t work to your advantage, and when you tried to get the journal, it was taken and brought back into my possession.”

She took a deep breath and there was her smile yet again.

“You leave messy trails, Ross, and your desire to get rid of me, force my team to forget about me, and ensure Jade and I never crossed paths again was all recorded. Every call, every order, every move you made was carefully documented by my shadow. And my ex-team you’ve desperately been trying to get rid of was in on it all.”

She moved away from the door, and it opened on its own to reveal Leonardo and the R-squad. They walked in, all five of them wearing similar uniforms to Ceil. They looked mad, and they didn’t hesitate to show it on their expressions.

Lisette looked around the room and sighed.

“Now that I’ve gotten some of that off my chest, we can finally move things forward as we recover from the current stunt you pulled today to start the semester off with an illusion prank. You assumed our security wasn’t top-notch like before. Little did you know that I was one step ahead of everyone and altered that prank of yours.”

“A-Altered?” Ross stuttered before he blushed and quickly followed up with, “I don’t know what you’re accusing me of! This is fucking ridiculous.”

“I’m not accusing. We have all the evidence. I’ll enlighten you with what I mean by altered,” she assured him. “See, your little prank involved a specific drug that can be spread through the air. Adding a bit of magic, you enhanced the properties that trigger individuals to hallucinate and set it off fifteen minutes before school would begin. It should have made all the students go nuts and attack one another. However, with a little magic here and a quick increase of the ventilation system there, I enhanced the properties so only certain students with high caliber magic would see the illusions and anyone else with less magic would pass out. The students you hired from the black market were indeed noticed by the security, and with the help of a few secret agents that were summoned by our very smart head of security, Calvin over there, we were able to get pictures, recordings, and the name of every single fake student you hired. Thanks to my shadow and Shadow Jade’s assistance in playing their part of chasing students, you assumed the worst and came to the headmaster’s office to wait for the council’s permission to grant you headmaster status. Does it finally make sense?”

Ross was speechless as he stood there trembling. Lisette laughed then, the manic sound followed with a relieved sigh.

“I’m tired of wasting oxygen on a piece of shit like you.” Her voice was deadpan, and her eyes stared directly in his. “Payback is bittersweet, but I, and my old and new team, will enjoy watching you rot in the pits of jail.”

She looked at Jade and smiled sweetly.

“Headmaster Jade. We’ll handle this. I’ll be borrowing Shadow Jade, but please rest assured that any damages to the school property are already midway through being fixed and all students have been sent home. Any dealing with injuries have been attended to, and school will be off this week to promote a full investigation. There will be a news channel here in the afternoon. Please prepare for it.”

“Thank you, Ms. Cross. I will do just that,” Jade announced.

Lisette clapped her hands.

“Mr. Ross, you are officially under arrest.”

We watched as the R-squad gathered around Ross, making it impossible for him to escape as Leonardo placed handcuffs on his wrist. They led the way, surrounding Ross like a solid unit.

Lisette glanced our way and gave us a graceful bow.

“I’ll leave you all to review the school schedule. Shadow Jade has the schedule for this semester. It would be wise to give two weeks off if not a full month to finalize the investigation. The professors are more than happy to do online courses during this time period of recovery. Have a marvelous rest of the day.”

She turned around and waltzed away, leaving Ceil to bow before following suit. He closed the door, leaving us in silence.

We all looked to Jade, and she pulled back slightly to cross her legs and give us a satisfied grin. Her eyes scanned the room and she knocked her hand on the desk to see if it was sturdy enough.

“Do you think this desk could withstand an orgy?”

It was such a random question and yet, it seemed to cut through the intense tension in the room. Zackery was the first to cave, his laughter contagious as we all followed.

We laughed and laughed before Jade got up and walked towards us.

“That was both empowering and the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

We all huddled to hug her - Calvin included.

I don’t know if it was because of how intense the morning started or the feeling of victory that made this golden moment into one I’d remember, but the relief this successful arrest brought us was something we’d treasure.

Until the day we capture Charles.

12

HEADMASTER PAPERWORK

~JADE~

“I’M GOING to die of paperwork!” I declared in spite, my voice echoing across the walls of my new, temporary headmaster office. As the echo faded away, I looked down at the sheet of paper before me, waiting for my black signature just like the stack of papers to my right side.

With a groan, I lowered my pen to the desk and leaned back in my chair to give myself a five-minute break.

Who would have imagined me, Jade Storm, being the headmaster of Tracker Hive?

The thought still baffled me, just like the true reality of my new predicament.

I’d officially lasted a month and a half as a headmaster and I was already wishing Alaric would hurry up and come back. I clearly underestimated his role, especially when he’d always make time for dinner and even when drowned with work, he’d allow me to bug him throughout my remaining childhood and teenage years.

The number of papers I had to sign daily should have been considered a fucking sin. I mean did everyone need my permission for everything? Need a new toiletry box in the girl’s washroom? Sign here. Need a new mop for the cleaning closet in sections A, D, and W of the school? Sign here.

I was surprised people weren’t asking for signatures to breathe on the property.

Being a headmaster for my third semester at Tracker Hive was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because we’d finally gotten custody of Ross, and boy, was he in big shit. I thought the evidence we’d gathered was plenty, but who would have thought the magic council itself would turn their backs on him and reveal a shit load of papers, complaints, and infringements he’d committed during his years on the council.

From the evidence, he was also the prime reason why Lisette and her team were at the wrong place at the wrong time before Lisette was kidnapped.

He was one of the reasons she suffered for ten years.

The bad side of this headmaster business was all the work involved, and I wasn’t even juggling half of it.

My Trouble Four and Calvin were all doing their parts: Zackery was now in charge of all extra-curricular activities, Calvin and Zion became temporary professors to aid with the shortage of teachers this semester, Zeus became one of the after-school coaches for elemental training, and Zeke?

Of course, he’d humbly volunteered to teach every sex-ed class this semester.

Lisette was officially receiving the therapy she should have received ages ago and was being strictly watched to force her to sleep and eat regularly.

I was surprised she’d maintained her curvy body, because the diet she’d been on in Charles’s care was random and usually went from eating regularly to being starved for weeks at a time.

I’d been trying not to interfere, but I worried about her. She was a part of my triple Hive and ever since our mini talk, we’d yet to do anything else.

No dates, interactions, nothing.

We were both busy with new responsibilities, and I had to keep reminding myself of that, but I wished we could talk. Do girly things, or at least have one solid day for me to give her a glimpse of how life could be once we had more free time.

She’d experienced years of captivity. Yeas of not being able to wear her own clothes or do what she wanted to do. Years of not eating the finest foods, or exploring our vast city, let alone the beautiful sights this world had to offer.

Her predicament reminded me of how grateful I was for Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner. Alaric didn’t need to take me on that day. He could have ignored me like the vast majority of people on the streets.

Heck, he could have tracked me down and sold me to the black market if he truly wanted to, but instead, he’d raised me and given me the support I needed to move forward.

I was missing my parents even more now, but I knew Tracker Hive meant a lot to the three of them and being in this headmaster position - even temporarily - would bring them some relief when they returned from their assignment.

As for my life with my Trouble Four and Calvin, we’d been so drained with our duties and trying to juggle our own school work to do anything.

I must have jinxed myself when I wished to be busier. I’d cursed our team into being so busy that even sex was a charitable few minutes.

Life is sad when you can’t even enjoy ten minutes of sex.

The R-squad and Leonardo were officially transferred back to Tracker Hive upon my request, but they were currently on an assignment at another school, far away.

I didn’t know the details of it, but weird activity had been happening at the school and the district requested some trackers to be student security for a few weeks and assess the situation within.

If Lisette wasn’t getting therapy, maybe she would have tagged along with them, but I hadn’t heard of any updates in their status.

Are they friends, acquaintances, ex-lovers? Who really knows?

As much as my curiosity begged for answers and I craved to learn more about Lisette’s past with the R-squad and the mystery behind Leonardo, priorities came first and that meant getting my shit together with my headmaster position.

For the sake of professionalism, I’d been using some quick magic dye to make my hair black. By the end of each shift, my white highlights would triple until my hair was back to its glorious white appearance.

The guys were starting to dig the new look, and seeing as it didn’t bother me, I’d just keep dying it for the sake of professionalism as a headmaster.

Not like hair color makes a big difference, but I didn’t want to give any superiors in this field the opportunity to say otherwise.

Another lovely role of mine was having meetings with the magic student council. So far, I’d met three of the seven members - the eighth to be determined after Ross’s arrest and trial.

There were three women and four men, all between the ages of thirty and fifty. I determined at least four of them liked me - three being the women and one of the men.

The other three men were rigid, down casting, and annoyed me. I was positive Alaric didn’t like these individuals either, but I’d have to share my experience with him once he returned.

During these meetings, I’d have to share my progress with being a headmaster, the progress in classes, student growth, and updates on the investigation and clean up.

The meetings were long and draining, leaving me coming home at the wee hours of the morning and crashing on the bed.

I’d lost count of the number of times I’d wake up to one of my Maxwells picking me up from the couch, the bed, or in some cases the floor, and helping me change into sleeping attire.

Or leave me naked to cuddle in their warmth.

Those little actions were one of the many things I adored about my men. From Zackery’s acts of love, like ironing out my outfit before I woke up, Zion’s assistance in making sure I had the right summary documents for the day’s curriculum and scheduled meetings, Zeus’s breakfasts and prepared lunch, snacks, and, some days, dinners that he packed up for me, and Zeke’s morning kisses, hugs, and words of encouragement, they were doing a lot to balance the stress this job brought.

Calvin was also doing his share, aiding me by being my secretary and inputting information about all the students. He helped upgrade the grading system, making it easier for all the professors to critic the student’s progress and input grades.

He’d also helped with the online courses, making it a lot easier for the random transition, and was the reason some of the courses remained online as a trial. It ended up giving students more time to go at their own pace and seemed to be benefiting their academic and magic performance in the few weeks we’d been implementing it.

What was most satisfying was the waves of positive feedback we were getting. Grades were rising, attendance was close to perfect. The students were actually becoming excited to attend classes, and apparently seeing me in a headmaster role was giving them the motivation to achieve greater things.

I hadn’t thought about it, but seeing someone of their age take an administrative role like headmaster had to be empowering and inspiring to many of them. Tracker Hive was created for those who were rejected from other schools due to their unique elements and traits. It also included those who had different gifted abilities aside from the eight elements.

Deep down, I was happy my rushed decision to take control was having a positive impact on the student body, even with the sacrifices we had to endure to keep the school running.

Security was at its peak, and there had been no reported suicides or major fights. Obviously, we couldn’t fix some students bullying others, but we were working on it and the numbers so far were fifty percent lower than last semester’s results.

Semester three was going well, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over. My exhaustion was making it hard for me to keep Shadow Jade in her human form, and I felt a little bad because it meant her missing out on time to hang around Ceil.

He was obviously accompanying Lisette with her therapy, but from what I’d gathered, Shadow Jade like to stick around with him and Lisette. I didn’t blame her, and she honestly needed the interaction instead of spending hours at home, sleeping or arranging her collections of dolls and plushies.

Aside from those issues, I hadn’t been able to test out what my other elements could accomplish in terms of reaching physical form like Flaming Jade, and we’d yet to find any books pertaining to Hives.

As for the kidnapped individuals who were either Hive Kings, Hive Queens, or a part of a Hive, we hadn’t received any more updates in that regard.

It was frustrating, to say the least, but did we have time to focus on that?

Not at all.

For now, our goal was to survive semester three and wait for my parents to return with a handcuffed Charles in their grasp.

The soft brush against my lips made me open my tired eyes, and there were a pair of black eyes that were framed in silver glasses.

“I think you should call it a night, babe,” Zion announced, giving me a wide, appreciative grin.

I blinked a few times, wondering when exactly I’d fallen asleep and how long I’d been out, but getting lost in Zion’s eyes and calm expression was far better than returning to the life of signing papers.

“When did you get here?”

“A while ago. Didn’t feel like waking you, but figured you’d rather sleep in a comfortable bed than enjoy the joys of neck pain.”

“Good point, ow,” I replied, immediately feeling the knot in my neck from the odd position I’d been sleeping in.

I always knew taking breaks would end up with me dozing off, but did it stop me from taking them? Nope. If only I could take ten breaks a day. I’d get more sleep than I did on a regular school night.

Working from six in the morning to ten at night daily was crazy, yet Alaric made it seem like a piece of cake. Not to forget Bianca and Tanner, who always stayed behind on the days I wasn’t home to eat dinner.

The days we did have dinner, they would head back to their office once we finished family time and carry on with loads of work.

I really have to show my appreciation more.

“Let me give you a little massage,” Zion offered. He took his blazer off, followed by his glasses. Placing them on the chair in front of my desk, he rolled up his white, long sleeves and walked behind my chair.

His cool hands landed on my shoulders, leaving me a little thankful that I’d worn a strapless dress with a blazer to rest on my shoulders when I was walking through the halls.

The look was really classy and helped keep me warm when it was chilly in my office.

Zion got to work, and the movement made me sigh in relief as he worked his magic. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to enjoy the massage while I thought about having this office to myself.

As much as I’d wanted to be in Alaric’s office, it didn’t feel right to invade his space. This was only temporary for now, and the thought of being around his things was like a poke to the part of me that missed him, Bianca, and Tanner.

Thankfully there was a second office down the main hall, and it was more than big enough to be mine. Lisette had ended up decorating it without me realizing it, a little gift from her and apparently apart of her therapy progress with expressing her creativity through positive reinforcement.

I’d honestly expected some bright pink exterior when I’d envisioned what Lisette would create, but instead, I walked into the balanced decor of black, white, and red.

The office was fancy but still maintained a professional aspect to it with the added decor on the desk, shelves, and accent pieces to make the overall look a stunning piece to admire while dealing with ongoing work.

I’d added a few touches of my own, and with Shadow Jade’s blessing of a few of her favorite plushies on my desk, this office was now mine for the semester.

Zion worked his magic on my shoulders, undoing each knot and leaving me in a completely relaxed state.

I should take his advice and head home early since there was no way I’d finish all this paperwork today. I’d have to try and finish it by the end of the week since I had my first headmaster assignment the following week.

I wasn’t nervous about the actual assignment thanks to my years of tracker missions, but I was secretly hoping I could take one of my boyfriends with me.

Only time would tell, and I wouldn’t stress about it too much. For now, I could enjoy the little quality time I was having with Zion in this blessed moment.

“Feels good?”

“Very good,” I mumbled and opened my eyes slightly. “I miss you.”

“As I miss you,” he quietly replied. Pausing his magic hands, he leaned in to kiss my neck. “Never thought we’d be the administrators of Tracker Hive.”

“I still can’t believe it.” I sighed. “I wonder if Alaric, Tanner, and Bianca are proud.”

“I’m sure they are, especially with the news that the school hasn’t collapsed, burned, or gotten hit by a meteor.”

“Very funny.” I ended up giggling because we’d all made bets the night of Ross’s arrest that the school would not last with our temporary reign as a joke. It was just intriguing that we were doing a really good job.

“I miss touching you,” he whispered into my ear, inducing shivers of need to run down my spine. Taking a deep inhale, I let it out.

“If it wasn’t for our busy schedules we’d be fucking every other day.”

“Agreed,” he hummed and tugged my ear lobe.

I moaned and let my eyes flutter closed, enjoying his lips that trailed down my neck and his hands that moved from my shoulder so he could leave soft kisses there.

“You’re going to make it hard for me to get back to work, Zion.”

“Or I’m purposely making it hard for you to go back to work,” he reasoned. His deep voice told me that Zion wasn’t backing down from this.

I didn’t need to look into his eyes to feel his hunger for me, and I’d be lying if I said my body wasn’t aching to be pleased by those luscious lips and long, hard cock.

“Needy,” I mumbled and opened my eyes slightly. He lifted my chin up so I’d rest my head back and see him looking down at me. That dark, sensual reflection in his eyes told me I’d be lucky to get out of this office with clothes.

Who needs to leave the office? I can just chill right here all evening and night long in Zion’s arms on the floor.

“You’ve lost any motive to get back to work, haven’t you?” he questioned.

“I’ll answer if you give my pussy some loving,” I dared. He arched an eyebrow at me, and I grinned, feeling amused by my boldness today. It could have been the lack of sleep, but I was getting back to my usual, confident self ever since I’d become headmaster.

And boy did it feel fucking amazing.

I expected Zion to give up on his attempt to distract me from work, but he pulled my chair back, moved right around me until he was facing me, and went on his knees.

My jaw dropped before the biggest grin formed on my lips.

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to do it?” he inquired, sounding amused with my jaw-dropping expression.

“Well, not a lot of guys like to lick the pussy like ice cream.”

“You’re forgetting we’re not the average guy,” he reminded. “And we do not ‘lick’ the pussy.”

He placed his hands on my thighs, gesturing for me to lift my hips up slightly so he could slide my dress further up and reveal my red thong. He smirked in admiration and spread my legs nice and wide before taking a good whiff of my pussy that was wet from his previous teasing.

“If you don’t lick, what do you do?” I questioned with a breathy voice, the anticipation of having Zion between my legs and his tongue between the walls of my pussy making me quake.

Zion’s eyes darkened as he moved the thin fabric covering my entrance to the side, the exposure of the cool air making me shiver.

“Devour.”

That’s all he said before his tongue slid right into my pussy, leaving me to moan and brace myself for the pleasurable experience to come.

I don’t know how many times I would say it, but I loved this side of Zion that took risky moves like this, the entire action only heightening my arousal with every lick, suck, and thrust of that expert tongue of his.

He ate my pussy up, and I gripped the armrests of the chair and let my head fall back. I tried to be quiet, unsure if there were still students on the premises, but this experience was out of this world.

My eyes fluttered closed and my moans grew louder, my effort to muffle them falling short. My legs trembled, the build of pleasure rising and rushing through my body. When I finally came, it was a wondrous explosion of ecstasy.

I was left breathing heavily and bracing myself into stillness as Zion licked up my release and left me shaking when he released my pussy. I lifted my head to meet his gaze, noticing the twinkle of mischief in his eyes that told me he was nowhere near done with me.

THERE WAS a knock on the door. The sound made my heart leap and my eyes dart to the opening door. My chair moved right against the desk and I swiftly lowered my gaze to my sheet of paper as I picked up my pen and began to sign the bottom line.

“Jade, you’re still here?”

I looked up to see Calvin, his gaze locking with mine.

“Uh, ya.” My mind was still playing catch-up after my enjoyable climax, while my heart was dancing against my chest like a drum beat in a top musical hit.

“I’m almost done,” I assured him.

“You look tired,” he reasoned. “Are you sure you’re going to stay back a little longer?”

“Ya. I’m positive.” I nodded and gave him an appreciative smile. “Worried about me?”

“Always,” he admitted and walked towards the desk. I had to mentally curse at his intrusion and I worried we’d be discovered in seconds. My body tensed up slightly, feeling Zion’s tongue trail up my left leg.

This mother fucker!

“I was actually looking for Zion, but still haven’t found him.”

“Really?” I was fighting to keep my voice calm and leveled, all while my lower half was left to tingle and anticipate more of Zion’s tongue adventures as he worked his way between my inner thighs.

Having a desk with the perfect leg space was beneficial in many ways, but I was more thankful that it didn’t give anyone the privilege to see what was under the massive marble desk.

“He probably went home?” I suggested and shivered when I felt Zion’s finger teasing my entrance. “Or maybe he’s helping his brothers?”

“Probably.” Calvin sighed. “We have to review the tests we’re giving out tomorrow, but he vanished when he said he’d go to the bathroom and be back. I assumed he’d come to check on you, but that assumption failed.”

I gave him a sweet smile and spun my pen in between my fingers to distract myself from how crazy Zion’s fingers were making me. This silent torture should have been deemed a crime.

“Eww tests,” I teased. “Thank goodness I don’t need to take them.”

“Yet you enjoy signing papers,” Calvin teased back.

“I do not at all,” I huffed. “I should get back to work.”

“Mhm,” Calvin replied, his eyes searching mine. “Would it be odd for me to want a kiss?”

That made my bite my bottom lip, and I reminded myself to not moan as Zion’s finger slid into my pussy. My body was betraying me, hugging that single finger as though its life depended on it, and I was struggling to keep my innocent look.

“Not odd at all, Calvin,” I whispered. “We’re dating, remember?”

“We haven’t even had the chance to date.” He sounded disappointed, that deep voice of his making my stomach flip while Zion’s finger began to thrust in and out at the slowest pace ever.

“I know, Calvin,” I soothed, and let out a sigh. “Come here.”

He blushed slightly at my encouragement, and I kept myself completely still while I hoped he couldn’t smell my arousal that I’d been using a hint of wind magic to diffuse.

He was at my side, and I turned my head to gaze into his orange eyes.

“We’ll get a chance to go out on a real date. One of many. And we can spoil one another with the love we’ve always craved,” I vowed.

He seemed a little relieved by my words, and his head lowered until our lips pressed firmly against mine. Zion began to pump his finger faster, and I distracted myself by intensifying the kiss with Calvin.

His moan into my mouth only made it harder to keep my body from going crazy, but I fought even harder to control the pleasure that was coiling around in my core and devoted my attention to making out with Calvin.

We were both breathing hard and I moaned quietly when he took control of the kiss and darted his tongue into my mouth. His hand pressed against my right cheek, keeping me still as he gave me one last solid kiss and released me.

“I need that,” he whispered.

“Me…too,” I breathed, my pussy tightening around Zion’s finger that kept on moving. “We should finish work early so maybe we can have dinner together?”

“I’d like that,” he whispered and kissed me softly. “Let me go hunt Zion down and let him know he can leave first.”

“Okay.” I sounded out of breath, but I braced myself for Calvin’s exit.

I knew it wouldn’t be much longer until I came again, and there would be no way of stifling my cries of ecstasy.

“Don’t work too hard, okay?” He moved a few strands of my hair and placed his hand back on my cheek. “You’re running a little warm.”

“I’ll finish one more stack and call it a day. Won’t take me long. Twenty minutes tops?”

“Deal.” He grinned and plopped a kiss to my forehead. “While I look for Zion, I’ll text Lisette and see how she’s doing.”

“Perfect.” I beamed at his comment as I clenched the armrest of my chair for dear life. “See you shortly?”

“Yup. I’ll come and get you in twenty.” He winked and headed towards the door.

“Calvin?”

“Yes, Jade?” He paused at the door and looked back at me as I mustered up a smile. “Could you lock the door? I’m hoping to make one last phone call and don’t want any lingering students snooping in.”

“Sure! Make sure you put a sound barrier up,” he reminded and opened the door. “Don’t get carried away with work.”

“Okay,” I practically squeaked, my legs quaking with impatience.

Calvin locked the door and I mustered every bit of control I had left to wrap the room with a magic barrier - the exact same moment Zion decided to slide a second finger into my drenched pussy and fuck me fast and hard.

“Shit!” I cursed, my hips lifting up slightly as my whole body shuddered, seconds before my climax rushed through me and left me screaming in pleasure.

Zion stilled his fingers, letting my aftershocks run through me. My body relaxed as I caught my breath, and I only opened my eyes when I felt the tip of Zion’s erect cock gathering my juices.

“Out of the four of you,” I breathed, “you’re the most diabolical.”

“I love being complimented,” he teased and paused to lean forward and smother my lips with a feverish kiss. “A part of me wishes Calvin had stayed.”

“You don’t think…” I whispered against his lips as the thought of Calvin knowing that Zion was actually hiding under the desk and fucking me with those damn fingers flashed through my mind.

Zion’s smirk made his eyes dance in glee and he sealed my lips and slid that thick cock of his into my pulsing heat.

“Mhmm!” I moaned against his lips, totally unprepared for the sudden move, but completely turned on by it.

“A man doesn’t need his eyes to know when a woman is occupied with another.”

“Liar,” I breathed and hooked my arms around his neck.

As if knowing the exactly position I wanted to be fucked in, his hands lowered to my ass and he lifted me up with ease.

Turning us around, my wind element surged forward, sending the stack of papers flying and leaving the desk bear for my ass as Zion plopped me right there and spread my legs out wide. He gripped my hips while his eyes zoned into mine, the hunger in them intense as he took a long look up and down my body.

“You know damn well I wouldn’t lie to you, Jade,” he breathed into my ear before sucking my neck as he began to move those hips of his.

I let my head fall back, my moans loud and free to reach higher octaves, as I gripped his shoulders, my fingernails already digging into his flesh.

“He’s…so going to get payback,” I moaned, lifting my head up to see Zion’s pleased look.

“Good,” he breathed and fucked me even harder. “That just means you’ll receive the best sexual experience a queen could ask for.”

My pussy clenched around his cock, and his rapid thrusts were hitting the perfect spot. “Harder, Zion!” I begged, wrapping my legs around his waist and forcing those deep thrusts to be short, fast, and deeper than ever.

“That’s it, baby. Beg for me!” Zion encouraged and fucked me harder and faster. “I’ll fuck you until you’re left screaming my name and begging me to stop.”

A part of me didn’t believe him until he did just that; fucking me into orgasmic oblivion before he unhooked my legs and raised them right up. He then fucked me swiftly, his balls slapping against my ass, my moans an array of wild cries for more and whimpers as I came again and again.

I was sure twenty minutes had passed, but I was far too gone in this pleasurable symphony. The relief of getting lost in our connection after weeks of tension, work, and school was blowing my mind, leaving me in a blank state and allowing my body to enjoy every bit of this.

“Zion! Zion…I…I-” I knew there was no chance of me finishing my sentence, the rush of my orgasm hitting me hard and left me screaming. My body went limp, but Zion stilled hammered into me. His rapid moans and breathing told me he was just as close.

In seconds, his release shot into me. The warmth of his cum filling me up gave me a feeling of satisfaction.

I rested back against the marble surface, my chest rising and falling as I fought for air. Zion leaned down to catch his breath, his arms resting above my head as he hovered over me.

We were dripping in sweat, I’d completely lost track of when we’d stripped out of our clothes.

“So…I don’t think I’m having dinner with Calvin, am I?” I breathed, already feeling bad for promising I would.

Zion chuckled breathlessly and nestled his head into my shoulder.

“If it makes you feel better, I told Zackery to distract Calvin with a game of basketball. They’re still on the court.”

That made me grin and hug him tightly against me.

“Who’s winning?”

“Calvin.”

“How fast can we clean up and rush to see the final score?”

“Two minutes if you want the VIP squeaky clean, rapid bubble wash by yours truly.”

“Deal!” I agreed and pulled back to look into his eyes. “Thank you for being your sneaky, intellectual self,” I whispered.

“I love you, too, Jade.” He gave me a tender kiss. “Now you’ll remember the consequence of working too hard.”

“If that’s the punishment for working too hard, I’ll make sure to work to the extreme every day.”

He chuckled and kissed me again before he helped me up and we began to clean up with his wonderful bubble magic.

Headmaster paperwork can lead to some pleasurable fun.

13

THUNDERSTORM CHASING AND SOAKED IN DARKNESS

“WHY EXACTLY ARE WE HERE?! IN A MIDDLE OF A FUCKING STORM!” I screamed over the raging boom of thunder that struck the second I finished my statement.

The rain was hammering against our drenched bodies, leaving a stab of regret in my heart for not grabbing my umbrella when Zeus warned us it was going to rain this evening.

We were off to my headmaster field assignment. The task was to study the area for any peculiar activity and essentially “deal with it.” This led us to the outskirts of a mountain trail and up to the top of the massive piece of rock.

Right before a storm struck us.

“It’s not that bad,” Zeus called out, his voice slicing through the rain that was hitting the muddy ground with force. “You look hot.”

“Really?!” I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “You’re lucky I wore waterproof makeup today or I’d look like a rejected girl running in the rain!”

“Like anyone would reject our hot thang,” Zeus literally sang.

“You’re having a blast right now, aren’t you?”

“Thunderstorms are like summer rainbows to me!” he exclaimed before he clapped his hands together.

Thunderbolts struck all around us before lightning spread across the dark grey skies. I wasn’t afraid of the thunder, the very element rising closer to the surface with every minute we remained in this mayhem, but I hated being soaked down to my undies and we’d yet to see anything peculiar here.

“My underwear is soaked!”

“Take it off,” he encouraged, a second before he pulled off his black t-shirt, revealing that chiseled body of his. I groaned while my eyes made a mental photocopy of this very image of thunderous perfection.

“You can take a picture.” Zeus winked. “It’ll last longer. And before you say your phone will get wet, it’s waterproof.”

“Damn you,” I muttered, but my phone was out and snapping a damn calendar segment of Zeus. He ended up doing a bunch of poses, before giving me the chance to take some selfies with him.

We ended up giggling and he kissed me with pure force as he held me tightly.

“Maybe we should call it an evening? It’s already late.”

“True,” I admitted and looked around, my gaze catching onto a twinkle. “Hold on.”

I took Zeus’s hand, entwining it with mine, and tugged him along with me as I went to investigate the tiny sparkle taunting my eyes.

“Are you seeing that slight sparkle?” I inquired.

“No.” Zeus sounded concerned. “Where is it?”

“Right there.” I pointed to the spot as we approached it, but as we reached it, Zeus still couldn’t see what I was clearly witnessing.

“If the mud is sparkling, I’ll be the first to let you know that your eyes have malfunctioned due to staring at my abs for too long.”

I lifted my head to give him an overdramatic eyeroll, but my lips formed the perfect smirk.

“Remind me to cockblock you one of these days.”

“Having confidence in oneself does not mean I deserve to be cockblocked,” he argued. “Where’s the shiny mud?”

“It’s not mud.” I sighed and crouched down to touch the sparkling rock. “See! It’s this- AAH!” My declaration was cut off as the world flipped over just like my body. I came crashing down on my back, leaving me to groan in agony before I heard a loud grunt next to me.

“Fucking piece of earth shit. What just happened? Ow…my back. I feel crippled!”

“You can’t feel crippled,” I said with a sigh and worked on sitting up. “That was a hard fall. Makes me feel old.”

“Says the girl that’s telling me I can’t be crippled,” Zeus complained. “Why does this place feel…odd?”

I looked around and noticed the entire scenery was different. We were no longer on a mountain, but in a forest that was next to a treehouse. I cautiously rose up and glanced around, unsure how we’d even gotten here. Was it because of that sparkly spot on the ground?

I glanced at Zeus as he also rose up and stretched out his back.

“Even the scent of this forest is foreign to me.”

“You make it seem as if you’ve traveled the world, Zeus,” I commented.

“I will when we graduate.” He grinned my way. “And a certain Hive Queen is coming with us.”

“Aww, how romantic.” I smiled sweetly at him.

“Uh oh,” we heard a foreign voice from above declare.

We both looked up to see a gorgeous woman. She had long, flowing orange hair with strands of navy blue and gold. There were even tiny strands of white, reminding me of tinsel.

Her hair was in bountiful, loose curls, while her striking red lips stuck out against her pale skin. Her eyes were black from this distance, but the massive aura that wrapped around this woman left my elements in an unease state.

She looked to be in her early twenties, maybe twenty or twenty-one, but the magic she held reminded me of a wise witch in the depths of the forest.

We were created with eight elements, but witches of a much higher caliber existed and weren’t pushed aside as mere tales. However, this youthful woman only gave off the impression that she was very new to the world of magic.

Unless she was giving off naive vibes on purpose.

“Alice? What’s going on out there?”

“Uh! Nothing, Aaron! Keep an eye on Hex for a second. I’m just going to, uh, do some stretches and get some wood for the fire! It’s getting breezy!”

“We’re in late summer.”

“The weather app said otherwise!” the girl stressed, her wild, wide eyes still on us. She looked nervous at seeing the two of us, but I was sure we’d learn why in a few.

“Okay! Don’t take too long.”

“Kay!” She quickly made her way down the ladder and jogged towards us.

Zeus and I were silently watching her as she motioned for us to remain quiet and follow her further into the forest.

I didn’t feel any malicious feelings from her in any way, but I was still keeping my guard up. Glancing over to Zeus, I noticed his calculating gaze, his eyes dancing between red and gold.

He must be keeping himself magically charged just in case we’d have to defend ourselves, and if this was some new world of some sort, I didn’t blame him for his overprotectiveness.

Reaching out for my hand, Zeus took the lead, and we walked for a good five minutes to a clearing. The girl sighed and turned around to look at us nervously.

“Before you try and kill me or hurt me or do anything as punishment for accidentally summoning you guys here, I totally didn’t mean to and I just figured out how to send you guys back,” she rambled in one breath.

The two of us merely blinked, needing a few seconds to try and fathom what she’d just said.

“Let me dry you guys off!” she suddenly announced before snapping her fingers. We watched as an abundance of magic energy poured out of her, a green magic circle forming beneath her as she closed her eyes and whispered, “Let the winds of light and harmony grant peace to thy newcomers. Dry their clothes and relieve any tension the journal has caused. Winda zo la.”

The spell was enchanting to watch and feel. The soft, warm winds wrapped around us, bringing tranquility, and I suddenly felt relieved of any initial worries. My body didn’t ache from that bad fall anymore, and even the knots I’d dealt with from the long hours were gone.

I felt brand new and when I glanced down, our clothes were completely dry - even down to my underwear.

Looking over to Zeus, I smirked in triumph as he glanced down at his bare chest. “You’re just gleeful because my shirt was sacrificed in an attempt to prove myself.”

“Why are you making it seem as though we’re in a different world?” I inquired. “And you have nice hair.”

Zeus glanced over to me and I shrugged. “What? Her hair is nice. Who would have thought midnight blue and orange would blend well?”

“So it IS nice.” The girl beamed at my compliment and gave her a proud smile and nodded. “Badassery hairstyle right there.”

“Your hair is way cooler though!” she emphasized. “White hair. I thought only old people could rock it, but you’re tempting me!”

“Ah.” I blushed, realizing the black dye I’d used earlier today had obviously faded thanks to the rain. “It’s a new look I’m aiming for.”

“Well, I love it. Too bad none of the girls at school can see how awesome you look. They have plain hairstyles and make fun of my hair all the time. It’s annoying, but if they saw how cool your hair was, they would shut right up.”

“We could take a picture?” I suggested.

“REALLY?!” The girl was practically jumping up and down.

“Sure.” I shrugged. A simple selfie wasn’t the end of the world. She squealed and took out her phone, and with ease took a few selfies.

“Hmm. The lightning makes me look so pale,” I mumbled, criticizing the image as we shuffled through them.

“Oh! There’s an app for that. My boyfriends, West and Rome, helped me figure it out.”

“Boyfriends?” Zeus was the one to speak up, reminding us that he was patiently standing there as we forgot about our current predicament.

The girl blushed before she took a step back and bowed her head in greeting.

“Ah! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Alicia Midnight. Bullies like to call me Sweet Alice, which I find stupid, but my friends call me Alice as well. I, uh…see, I accidentally changed my boyfriend into a bunny again and was trying to change him back with a kiss, but then that went to hell, and basically I was testing different spells in this ancient book I got from the school’s library and well…uh…I think I summoned you guys by mistake because I was frustrated with only having my boyfriends as friends and not having girls in my circle of friends, and I ramble when I’m nervous.”

We were gawking at her explanation, not because she’d confirmed the growing suspicion that we were in a different place in the world or even universe, but because of how fast she’d explained it all in one solid breath.

“I’m surprised you didn’t choke on your breath,” Zeus announced.

“When I’m rambling it usually doesn’t happen.” She gave us a squeamish smile. “Um…I’m terribly sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I calmly reassured her.

There was something about her that gave a nice innocence to her outlook and perception of life. I could resonate with her explanation, especially when we knew how magic could be morphed if you didn’t concentrate properly.

“Do you think you can send us back?” Zeus inquired.

“I think so.” She bobbed her head. “Uh…you are?”

“Jade Storm,” I announced.

“Zeus Maxwell,” Zeus introduced himself.

“Mawe!”

We both blinked and looked down to see Minx. I had no clue how she got here, but she was sitting next to a black bunny with red eyes.

“Kitty! Wait! Bunny Roxas! How’d you get all the way here so fast?!” Alicia crouched down to scoop up the black bunny while Minx walked over to my feet, her body brushing against my legs.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Zeus inquired. “The one you changed into a bunny?”

“Yes!” She lifted him up like he was a trophy. “This is another one of my boyfriends. Roxas! Meet Jade and Zeus. I accidentally summoned them, but let’s hope you forget seeing this and don’t tell the others or they’ll scold me!”

“Nomnomnom.” The bunny began to nibble for no reason, looking absolutely adorable.

“Awww, so cute,” I praised and reached out to pet him as Alicia brought him closer. Zeus stopped my hand and I glanced over to him to see his jealous expression.

“Please do not tell me that you’re actually jealous of a bunny?” I commented.

“He’s an actual man in a bunny form,” Zeus justified. “Plus, you’re my girlfriend.”

“I thought Roxas was overprotective,” Alicia noted.

“Ya, Zeus is more protective than my other four boyfriends.”

“Other four?” Alicia gasped. “That means you have five boyfriends?!”

“Yup,” I said in confidence.

“I have six!” Her eyes were so bright with hope that I felt a little blown away by it.

“You’re so happy,” I noted.

“Well…” She paused and thought about it. “It’s not every day you meet a girl with five boyfriends. Unless you accidentally summon them from who knows where.”

“Where is this?” Zeus inquired.

“We’re on the outskirts of Alberta, Canada. The closest town is Hilton, which is about twenty minutes away.”

“Canada?” I inquired. “We have that.”

“Oh. Then maybe you’re from United States?” she reasoned.

“Well, uh…” I wasn’t sure how to justify if we were of different worlds. “Do you guys have Tracker Agents?”

“What are those?” She blinked innocently while she stroked Bunny Roxas, who was nibbling on her finger and watching us closely with those red eyes.

“That’s what we are,” Zeus answered. “What are you then? You can use magic.”

“Well, I’m a witch. I’m not supposed to tell anyone outside of my boyfriends that, but I just found out. It’s not like I wanted to be a witch, but you know how life is. Shit happens.”

“Damn straight.” I sighed, feeling a little lightheaded.

“Jade?” Zeus questioned, and hooked an arm around my waist to keep me steady.

“Sorry. I’m feeling a little light-headed.”

“That’s my fault! I was reading about a prophecy in some book and figured I’d use some spells to try and switch Roxas back. I really didn’t mean to summon you. I think if I say the spell backward, it can undo it.”

“Wait, did you say pro-”

“Nom!” Bunny Roxas let go of Alice’s finger and sputtered a stream of fire at us. Zeus was far faster, his fingers moving up and conducting a single snapping of his fingertips.

The action stopped the flames in their tracks before they combusted into nothing but tiny specks of ember that rained down to the ground. We all looked at the bunny, noticing his narrowed eyes before he snuggled into Alicia’s hold, his body growing puffier.

“And he’s mad,” Alicia concluded. “Wait! You just stopped the flames? You guys have magic as well.”

“It’s complic…ow. My head hurts, fuck,” Zeus swore. “I don’t think we can stay here much longer.”

“Awww. Does…that mean we’ll never see each other again?”

Even in my weakened state, I could feel the immense sadness in her voice.

“If we met randomly today, maybe that means we’ll meet again,” I suggested with a weak smile. “I don’t think cells would work, but I could quickly give you my number?”

“Sure!” She bobbed her head.

I quickly gave her my cell number, before Alicia lowered Bunny Roxas to sit next to her feet. Minx walked onto my feet, settling in a comfortable position while Zeus continued to hold me.

The longer we stayed here, the harder it was to concentrate.

“So sorry for summoning you guys…but I hope we meet again!” she announced and clapped her hands. “Thank you for proving I shouldn’t be ashamed of having lots of men!”

Her magic began to pour out of her once again, but her words hit me hard.

“Never doubt yourself.” I gathered enough strength to emphasize my statement. “Love who you want to love, and don’t let anyone dictate otherwise.”

Her black eyes pooled with tears, and she nodded with a beaming smile on her lips. “Farewell, Jade, Zeus, and the kitten Minx. I hope we one day see each other again! Remember! My name is Alicia!”

“NomNom!”

“And Bunny Roxas.” She fought the urge to giggle as her eyes shifted into a prism of colors. She then focused on the spell at hand.

“Reverse the spell I cast in the past. Return what is precious to its rightful sanctuary. I thank the universe for the lesson I’ve learned. Guide these individuals of magic and light safely to their beloved home! Revalure na randa a lu!”

Our bodies began to levitate as a prism magic circle formed beneath us. Then it shifted to brilliant gold, and just like how we’d landed in this place, our world spun upside down and we landed on the mountain.

The last droplets of rain fell onto us before it came to a complete stop.

“That…was intriguing,” I announced and placed a finger to my temple. “And I have a headache.”

“So much for chasing thunderstorms.” Zeus sighed. “Why do I have a feeling we were brought here on purpose?”

“Maybe,” I commented and watched Minx jump onto my lap.

“Mawe!”

“Hello, Minx.” I smiled and kissed the top of her head and looked to Zeus. “I’m tired.”

“Me too. Could use a nice hot bath.”

“Same.” I sighed.

We were silent for a few seconds. “We should tell the others about this.”

“I agree, but maybe with Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner present. If someone told us to investigate this place on purpose, they may know about the prophecy Lisette had explained.”

“You don’t think that girl could potentially be one of them, do you?”

“What do your senses tell you?” Zeus countered.

“Young but extremely powerful,” I declared. “Magic like that is rare. She’s definitely a witch.”

Zeus nodded. “We need to start searching in our library for more information.”

“We need Alaric for that,” I proposed. “I’ve heard him talk about it a few times, but there’s a few sections in the library that gives you access to ancient books. Maybe our answer lies in there.”

“And surely Alaric would be in the field, making it impossible for us to gain access until his return.” Zeus sounded annoyed.

“One of many roadblocks.”

“One of many walls we’re going to break through whether anyone likes it or not.”

“That confidence of yours.” I smiled.

“You love it.” He winked and rose up. Instead of offering his hand, he crouched down and lifted me and Minx with ease.

“I can walk, you know.”

“I’m aware,” he assured me. “However, my queen isn’t feeling too hot and needs to recover.”

“You’re not feeling well either,” I noted.

“Sacrifices,” he brushed it off like it was nothing. “Let’s ditch the thunderstorm scene and head home.”

“Leaving behind your moments of sunshine and rainbows?” I teased. He paused in his movement to look down at me, and unexpectedly, he kissed me softly, yet the kiss was overflowing with passion.

“My sunshine and rainbows are currently in my grasp. As long as you’re around, every day is a blessed one.”

My smile was wide as I tried not to get emotional by his words.

“You’re the best, Zeus,” I praised.

“I know,” he agreed.

“Mawe!” Minx reached up to nudge her head against Zeus’s face.

“You’re awesome, too Minx,” Zeus praised. “Even though you’ve been shredding our boxers.”

“Oops.” I hadn’t known about that one.

“We’ll go shopping at the end of the semester,” Zeus replied with the intention of not worrying me. “For now, let’s go home.”

I nodded and rested my head onto his chest, my mind wandering to the girl with orange hair with blue highlights. I wished we would meet again. As to when, only time would tell, but if there was a slight chance that this prophecy was true, I’d love to learn more about her.

To one day be her friend.

14

SOAKED IN DARKNESS

~ZEKE~

THE SHRILLING sound of a shot jolted me away, my body sitting up as my heavy eyelids sought for the culprit of the gunshot. My heavy breathing made my shoulders lift up and down, while beads of sweat rolled down my naked body.

It only took me two seconds to realize I was in Jade’s room and it was ten in the evening, the digital clock resting on the table flashing ten-ten in red illuminating numbers.

Reigning in my emotions like a cowboy attempting to wrap a lasso around a bull’s horns, I quickly covered up my fright and lingering anger with a nulled sensation.

With a life like ours, I was the deal-breaker when it came to juggling my emotions amongst my brothers. Whenever I was distressed from a dream, I couldn’t wallow in those emotions like other individuals.

Almost immediately, I’d reel them in and would be left to suffer internally while I figured out what my dream was and why I was experiencing it.

With a sigh and quick acknowledgment that I was still alone, I removed the blanket from my naked body and sat up on the edge of the bed. Letting my hands run through my wet strands, I determined it was time for a hot bath to try and tame the beasts of feelings I was enduring tonight.

I’d dozed off waiting for Jade. Her plans of coming home early had been delayed by the assignment she had to do with Zeus. I expected that it would be a time-consuming task, something that council probably set up to test her in some way or another, but I was counting the minutes until she’d return home.

Which led to my quick slumber.

The others knew a little bit about my nightmare struggles and were the reason why I was currently on some medication for it. Somehow Calvin had discovered I had nightmares. A random mention of it by Zackery ended up granting me the privilege of Calvin developing some natural herb pills that didn’t have the nasty side effects most medical medicines carried.

I ended up skipping taking them today, and it was why I was dealing with those gut-wrenching nightmares that chased me whenever I missed a dose. The thought had me up and reaching into the drawer of Jade’s nightstand to retrieve the bottle I hid in the far back.

I hadn’t told her about it yet simply due to lack of time. We could barely have a full conversation with our new roles, and with the semester breezing by like no one’s business, it was becoming hard to sit down and catch up.

We all came home late, exhausted, and still had to make time to do our own assignments and studies. We may have been trained Trackers, but balancing teaching and our own homework and duties weren’t for the fate of the heart.

We were barely hanging on, and the countdown to the end of the semester was one of the only joys I had every morning when I crossed off the current date on the calendar.

That and every intimate moment with Jade.

I couldn’t understand how the others could stand being away from her for so long. A mere kiss before we parted ways to get to work always left me wanting more, and my craving to be right next to her and aid in whatever tasks she needed to complete always tugged at my mind throughout the day.

Jade was working as hard as ever and I really couldn’t wait for her parents’ return. At least they would get to see the growth she’d been demonstrating over the last couple of months, and the massive improvements in the school in general.

You’d have to be blind if you couldn’t see the change. Everything from the student’s seriousness about school to the decline in fights.

I wasn’t sure if it was because the students were seeing us leading by example and proving we could have a future in higher positions like professors and headmasters, but regardless, the changes were enough for the council to acknowledge.

Who knows what the council would decide to do to test Jade. I knew they had to do some type of test at some point during a headmaster’s time in their new role, but would they even need to do one since she’d be back to her student life by next semester?

With a sigh, I got up and walked over to the bath. Jade didn’t mind me sharing her washroom. In fact, she didn’t care about any of us using her stuff or staying in her penthouse.

It was satisfying to know our relationship had grown to this point, and our trust for one another was far stronger than when we first met. I knew with Calvin and potentially Lisette mixed into the equation, Jade was struggling to divide herself amongst us.

The difficulty was headache-worthy with our chaotic school schedule. All I could hope is that she’d make sure to take breaks and not feel bad for not having loads of time for us.

Christmas was coming, after all, and we’d enjoy every single second of the three-week holiday into the new year.

After filling the jacuzzi, I soaked my body in the bubbling heat, my moan echoing against the tiled walls. I needed to chill the fuck out, and what better way than to soak in steaming water with bubbles and get lost in the mixed scents of Epsom salts and hints of Jade’s current shampoo.

I was already craving her touch, and the thought was already making my cock twitch.

“You should pray you never deal with erectile dysfunction.”

My eyes remained closed, but my smirk was priceless at my dark element’s comment.

“I’m sure that’s not the worst of things.” There was my light self, adding his opinion.

Zahir is just being a dick because I can still stroke mine.

“Fuck you. If I didn’t have a tiny pinch of sympathy for your nightmare ass, I’d be the one enjoying the water,” Zahir argued.

“You forgot to take your pills. That hasn’t happened for a while,” Zephyr noted.

A lot on my mind. We need a vacation.

“Fucking yes!” Zahir exclaimed. “With Jade. Naked. On the beach!”

“Sure.” Zephyr seemed to agree to anything that meant we’d be closer to Jade.

Other than that, the holy part of him would give us lists of reasoning as to why we can’t do ABCD. Not like he didn’t have a part of him that freaked even Zahir into silence.

Give me a moment’s peace, would ya?

“That depends on which one of us have you requested to shut up,” Zahir muttered.

“I’m rather positive it’s not me,” Zephyr taunted.

You two are annoying.

“You love our company,” they said in unison, and I sighed.

Whatever.

I closed my eyes as I rested my arms across the tiled stone edge of the jacuzzi and let the jets work their magic while I forced my body to relax. There was so much to do, so many answers we still sought, so many doors we wished to open, and all those thoughts were doing was leaving me in an anxious mess.

My brothers understood my little porn obsession and multiple masturbation days weren’t due to my inability to wait to be pleased by the woman we loved.

It’s a distraction from the flood of thoughts and fears. An attempt to ignore the past mistakes that brought us here and leave me in euphoric state of calm.

The sound of the door opening caught my attention, but it wasn’t the washroom door.

“Jade’s home,” Zahir and Zephyr alerted me.

It’s not like I needed their announcement, my senses already picking up on her aura while my body seemed to calm even more. The fear drifted further away, its arch nemesis now home and ready to give me attention to ignore it entirely.

There was shuffling of feet and I caught onto the long yawn before a sigh.

“Ow. My body hurts.”

The door soon opened up, and I put my head back to see the upside-down version of my queen. My lips curled upward, my tongue gliding along my bottom lip at seeing her in black lace underwear with a matching bra that cupped her breasts perfectly.

She didn’t seem surprised to see me, her eyes going from tired to excited.

“Awww, a bubble bath with one of my boyfriends as a gift. How lovely,” she announced and closed the door. She locked it, making my grin widen as she slowly walked over to me.

“Hey, sexy,” I greeted her, my cock already twitching with thrilling urgency.

“Hey, Zeke,” she greeted.

Even with her joyful expression she really looked drained. I pouted my lips as I studied her carefully, my lust being put on the back seat as my worry for her was brought to the light.

“You look exhausted.”

“I’m drained,” she admitted and tugged her hair out of the messy bun it was in. Her completely white strands fell with grace. The new shade really heightened Jade’s looks.

Some would think white hair would be considered only for the elderly, but she was rocking it so well. A few students had seen her with completely white hair, and it was trending around the school blog posts. They wanted her to leave it like that rather than doing the black strands during the day.

With how busy she was, I doubt she even knew about it, but a part of me liked how we got to see this side of her.

Almost like an image reserved for just us.

She reached back to unclip her bra, a sigh of relief coming from her now that her breasts were free. She stretched her back before her hands moved down to remove her panties.

“How was your assignment?”

I was asking just to make conversation, but my eyes were taking in her luscious, naked body as she stepped out of her panties and tossed both pieces of lingerie into the laundry bin near the door.

She didn’t hesitate to make her way into the jacuzzi, and I’m sure she knew how fucking hot it was to see her confidence. She moved over so she could relax right next to me, her lips landing on mine as she gave me a heated kiss in greeting.

“Fuck, I missed you,” she whispered against my lips. That made me kiss her, my heart swelling with love for her. If only she could fathom just how much I missed her. How I craved her scent and wished to be in her presence every damn minute of the day.

“If only you knew how crazy it is without you near me,” I muttered and devoured her lips. She moaned slightly and deepened the kiss. Our bodies were drawn together as we continued to make out.

She kissed me so passionately, making me want her even more, but I didn’t want to forget to take into consideration her exhaustion.

“Are you too tired for sex?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” she countered with a smile, but even her grin couldn’t hide her tired eyes. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. “I’d love to ravage you, baby, but I don’t think you’d last a round.”

“I look that worn out?” She sighed heavily. “That assignment was a pain in the ass and left my head pounding. I still feel winded from it, but we can’t share about it yet.”

“Confidentiality?” I inquired and soaked deeper into the bath as I let her head rest on my shoulder, our feet poking out from the layers of bubbles.

“No,” she admitted. “It’s just something that needs to be discussed with all of us for the sake of not screwing things up. The whole thing was just…tiring.”

I was stroking my hands through her hair, and I glanced down slightly to see her eyes were closed. I don’t know if it was due to our distance, but I was a little concerned with how tired she was.

“Ask the others,” Zahir encouraged.

“Why?” If Zephyr was in human form, I could guarantee his eyes would be rolling. “She’s just magically drained.”

Does that mean she’s going to be okay, or do I need to get Calvin or Zion?

“Sometimes your dense mind makes me question my purpose,” Zephyr muttered.

“You could just ask Zephyr, dumbass,” Zahir reminded.

Oh.

“You suck,” they said in unison. Zahir followed up with, “I wanted time with Jade.”

Not when she’s feeling unwell.

“She can have time with me!” Zephyr offered.

No one wants time with you.

“Don’t be silly. I can make her feel better.”

If it involves sex, no.

“Hmph,” Zephyr huffed.

I zoned the two of them out, glancing over to check on Jade.

I noticed her breathing was slow, and even with the slight movement to reposition her head so she didn’t strain her neck too much, she didn’t wake up.

“Jade?” I whispered, but she didn’t stir.

“Knock out,” Zahir declared.

“Whatever that assignment was really hit her in the magic department. She’ll be out for a while,” Zephyr disclosed.

Can we do anything to help her feel less zombie-like tomorrow?

“Cuddle,” Zephyr answered.

“Stop bullshitting,” Zahir huffed.

“I’m actually serious. Even an hour of cuddling does wonders. Imagine a good six hours of sleep? Wonders,” Zephyr explained. “Don’t wanna believe me, that’s your choice.”

I’m fine with cuddling. As long as she’ll be okay.

“If it’ll make you worry less, I’ll raise her light vibrations. Doing that will activate her light magic, speeding the healing process of her other elements,” Zephyr offered.

That would work. Let’s go with that.

“I feel useless here!”

“Be a cheerleader. Like, Go the Z-Trio!”

“That’s fucking stupid.”

“Better than being useless.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“That’s not a problem and you know that.”

“Fucker.”

“Douche.”

Can you two argue when I’m asleep? Thanks.

I shut them both out, my mind becoming a peaceful oasis. The power Jade’s companionship offered me could cure every struggle I had.

Leaning over, I pressed my lips to her forehead. She moaned slightly, but relaxed once again, her mouth in a cute pout as she continued breathing in and out.

“You’re our everything, Jade. Please remember that and don’t push yourself.”

I held her close and remained in the bath until the water was lukewarm, but the tranquility resonating within me was priceless.

With Jade, I can stop myself from drowning in my darkness.

15

MISSION GONE SOUTH AND SHINING LIGHT

~BIANCA~

SO CLOSE.

My blood was pumping so hard through my body that I vibrated like a beating drum. My heart raced, my palms were sweating like the rest of my body, and I was breathing heavily while racing down the dark streets.

How ironic that I’d find myself in this shithole of a place, these streets the very ones I desperately fought to avoid every chance I could. I would have done the same for today if it wasn’t for the man we’d been chasing for years.

He was only a few feet ahead of me, running for his life.

As he should be.

We’d sacrificed so many weeks to narrow him down to this very location. So many long nights of hard work, research, connection building, and jumping through different universes to locate him.

How annoying that he’d return back here and get himself tangled in the web we’d laid. It only made me angry about how many strings we had to pull to catch a rat like him.

While we’ve been skin deep in this assignment, our Jade, with her boyfriends, was holding the fort at our own academy. It felt shameful for the three of us to practically ditch our founded school to locate a single man, but with how much this case had escalated, there would be no way Jade and her team could handle it.

This was more than just a game of cat and mouse. This man had a solid purpose in every action he made, and it was time to stop these shenanigans before he got what he wanted.

Even in the heat of all of this, all I could think of were the recent pictures of Jade. We had more than a few secret agents keeping an eye on them at school, especially with the first-day incident that was intended to force Tracker Hive to close down.

How smart our Jade and her team were to suddenly think of a plan as flawless as the one she executed with Lisette, and thanks to it, Ross was finally behind bars.

As if that didn’t make us proud enough, she’d walked right up to the plate of Headmaster, and the last four months had been in her leadership - the results being absolutely amazing.

The three of us had never thought of incorporating younger students as professors or even taking on a headmaster role for a short period of time, but the positive affirmations it was projecting onto the curriculum made us prouder, as we were forced to watch from the sidelines with only recorded videos and pictures.

Today was no different. Minutes before Charles finally left his hideout, I’d gotten to see the picture of Jade on stage as she conducted the final assembly for semester three.

I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, even with the heavy use of concealer to hide the dark circles. Regardless of how tiring the role of headmaster was on the daily, she carried it flawlessly and was delivering the final speech to dismiss the students a week early for the holidays.

From the reports, all the student’s grades had skyrocketed, the unified score bringing Tracker Hive’s rank to top three this semester. I already imagine the other schools that once deemed Tracker Hive a waste of space were quivering at the sudden rise, and if it kept up, I was positive the application rate of those seeking to apply would quadruple during the summer.

Our Jade. The child who feared to love again was now standing tall on her own with her Hives behind her back as she proved her worth.

With her initial death and revival, I feared she lose herself, but she didn’t. She sought what she desired of this world and somehow managed to get her confidence back when she needed to.

She was the reason I worked even harder. That I ran faster, and now had Charles in my sight. She was our motivation to bring back the man who killed far too many and needed to be brought in for his wrongdoings.

The wrongs that weren’t solely of this world.

I sensed Tanner’s proximity, and I knew Alaric wouldn’t be far behind. All I had to do was disable Charles and they could do the rest. This wasn’t our first rodeo with Charles, but I was ready to make it our last so we could wrap things up and return to our parental roles.

Jade and the others needed to know their potential, especially now that the prophecy had changed.

Five girls. We have to work harder to prepare them for the alignment. They’ll be the galaxy’s only hope.

I skid to a swift stop before I clapped my hands.

“ELLA VERA VU LIARA!”

My magic surged to life, drawing from my Hive King, Alaric, to add an extra punching force as I summoned the elements I lacked.

Charles made a harsh right, but a loud grunt escaped him as he fell right into my trap. My feet pressed against the ground, pushing me into the air before I raced along with the almost transparent ice platforms I summoned to my aid - each step causing them to shatter and leaving glittering mist in their demise.

I turned left and slowed my speed dramatically - satisfaction shooting through me as Charles hugged his punctured hip. From the spell I used, I was surprised that was all he endured, as I had used all eight elements to form a web that when destroyed would trigger multiple reactions.

From the looks of his right arm, he’d gotten the burns from the flames and thunderous shocks and the puncture had to be from the ice shards, but the others had little effect on him.

It doesn’t matter. This is a dead-end.

How convenient to enter an alleyway that had no escape. No way to jump up and hop from building to building, and the walls of this place didn’t lead to a way out.

He was finally right where we needed him to be and the thought brought great relief as I came to a stop only a foot away from him.

I have Charles. Get here ASAP and let all units know.

My voice was loud through our connected bond, but I needed it to emphasize how close we now were.

We couldn’t fuck up this time. This was our shot to finally end this hide and seek bullshit.

Charles began to chuckle quietly, the mere sound irritating me to no end. I wanted to get this over with but killing him would be a mere escape for him.

He’d probably take pleasure in dying versus facing years of torture for all he’d committed.

The murder of innocent Hives. The killing of families. The universal laws he’d broken again and again. All because of some dark organization backing him up. How despicable.

“This is it, huh? The beginning of the end,” he declared in mockery. “To be caught by you hurts my pride. Would have been better if it were that gay fiend or Alaric himself.”

“We’re in an age where women are equal to men,” I coldly commented. “It’s your loss for being so weak.”

“You and I both know that if we were on equal footing, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

“Why don’t you shut it before I make your already long list of crimes longer?”

“How? Insulting a tracker? Surely they don’t give jail sentences for freedom of speech.”

“Soon you won’t be free,” I huffed.

He laughed manically and sighed. “As if I’d let you take me in.”

I took a step forward, my magic at my fingertips as I sense Tanner’s closeness.

What’s taking so long?

“We can’t teleport to you!” Tanner’s voice boomed into my mind, his irritation flowing through me. “I’m super close, but this barrier is a piece of work!”

“I’m on my way. I’ll try to teleport through whatever he put up,” Alaric declared.

He sounded winded, which only told me he was trying to concentrate.

He had to be further away from this place, and if I was boxed into a spot that blocked teleportation, this was going to get tricky.

“Now figuring out the hole you’ve put yourself in?” Charles questioned. My glaring eyes locked onto his that danced with pride. “Aren’t I a genius?”

“Nope,” I said dryly. “You’re only buying time.”

“That’s quite obvious, my dear.” His smile was wide as he fought to get up, his blood pouring onto the grimy cement floor. “Why don’t we negotiate?”

“I won’t let you free, Charles. If you’re trying to use that control magic of yours, I’m immune to it.”

“Ah.” He bobbed his head but that smile never faded. “I’m aware. You’re quite a mysterious gem, aren’t you? It’s a shame you waste such brilliant destructive power, instead baking cookies for a child that’s not yours.”

I bit my lip hard, fighting not to talk back at his obvious taunts. He was trying to provoke me.

“Don’t you get bored? Being a secretary and professor at a school where the students are delinquents? If it wasn’t for that girl’s attendance, you’d continue your life sitting at a desk. Is that what you dreamed of doing long ago?”

“It’s none of your concern,” I announced, my clenched fists triggering the ground to crack and vines to come out and wrap around his ankles and wrists. He chuckled and then let out a deep sigh.

“You don’t get it. How weak those men have made you when you can be your own Hive Queen.” He shook his head in shame. “The other elements are just at your fingertips. You don’t require Alaric or that gay man.”

“His name is Tanner, and we already know about your homophobia,” I snapped.

“Ah. You do? That must have been due to my pathetic, piece of shit son.”

“He’s just as powerful as you.”

“He’s weak!” he snapped as if I’d hit a nerve. “The years I spent calculating the perfect woman who would give birth to him, the time wasted on silly romance, and this is the thanks I get. A dormant waste of space with the same magic caliber but plagued with human traits. Pathetic.”

What is he talking about?

“Calculating the perfect woman? Are you admitting to purposely finding a woman to give birth to Calvin?”

That wasn’t in the records, and the reveal only triggered my nerves.

“Did I poke a nerve of yours?” He cackled and shook his head. “How else would someone like me find a woman that could tolerate this level of intelligence? Obviously she wasn’t perfect enough, seeing as I was left with a boy who’s useless. Who cares about knowledge or the elemental power he claimed from both of us? He’s missing the key factor I needed, and thus, the reason why I abandoned him.”

“You raped his mom,” I concluded.

“If you’d like to hit the nail on the head, sure. Rape, having sex against one’s will. Whatever terms you decide to use don’t matter as she signed the NDA. I should have told her the nine-month contract to be my wife would end with a bouncing baby boy, but those were minor details. I’m sure someone like you would be disgusted by me.” He casually shrugged while that smug smile taunted me. “You know about that life.”

“Shut up.” I had to remain focused, but the conversation had already pulled the trigger that I’d hidden well for years.

“How ironic that we’d be in that same alleyway. This was where it all happened to you, wasn’t it?” His eyes dulled as they looked right into mine, and before I could think, my body was frozen.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

“Bianca?!” It was Alaric, but I couldn’t focus on him now. I was fighting not to fall into a complete panic attack as my eyes were centered on Charles. He grinned happily, tugging against the vines that fought to keep him in place.

“This was the exact spot. The place where the walls absorbed your screams as the man you thought you loved pinned you to the floor and-”

“SHUT IT! SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I screamed and closed my eyes. “You know nothing! No one knows anything about what I’ve endured, and those who know the context of it all wouldn’t dare bring it up. Keep your opinions to yourself!”

“Opinion?” Charles chuckled. “This isn’t a conversation of opinions. This is me purposely triggering what you’ve forced yourself to neglect. I’m sure you’d connect with Arianna. Only I didn’t bring along five other friends to continue the deed of fucking you all night.”

I fought to drown it all out, my elements fighting for control to wreak havoc and shut him up for good. The sound of tearing reached my ears, but I didn’t dare open my eyes.

I’d fallen into the trap without realizing it. He wanted me to be right here. To trigger those memories I buried within myself when I found people I loved and cherished.

Buried the pain, scars, and wounds left behind.

“How does it feel to know you’ll never carry a child because of them?” His words were whispered in my ear, and I felt his presence right behind me. “To always remember that you can’t bring life because of a few selfish pricks that left you in shambles as they got away?”

I kept my mouth shut, knowing from here on out, there was nothing I could say that would inflict the same pain I was enduring at this very moment.

“Bianca!” Tanner was trying to reach through to me, but his voice was eons away while Charles’s voice pierced through the darkness.

“You’re so in to protecting that girl from the true reality of this pathetic world that you shield her with all that love and fight to protect her self-confidence. If you simply let her rage consume her, maybe I wouldn’t be the one to run away in these instances.”

“Don’t try and manipulate the obvious,” I declared with a trembling voice. “You know what you did. You killed her entire family and used her shadow to soak their hands in blood. You’ve gone on for years, free to do what you’ve continued to do. Killing Hives and kidnapping those that show a hint of potential, sentencing them to years of slavery and imprisonment. You’re far from the definition of a standard criminal. You’ve ruined the lives of many, and you deserve every bit of punishment you get.”

“It’s amusing to see you fight so hard against my control.”

My body was trembling, fighting to get out of his hold and show him just how powerful I was. I’d locked away that side of me on purpose, putting my wild ambitions for revenge in shackles and being a mother figure for Jade, and a lover to Alaric and Tanner.

Alaric understood it all, and once Tanner let me into his life, he realized we all carried demons of our own.

“You know I had to resort to this for the sake of stopping that prophecy you’re so desperate to help fulfill,” he admitted. “As if an organization like ours would allow your little group hope to proceed in uniting those five individuals.”

“Bianca!” Alaric was trying to send me his strength, to aid me in shattering Charles’s control over my frozen body, but we were running out of time and I knew it by the way Charles’s breath brushed against my cheek and his body inched closer to mine.

“You talk boldly, but you can’t admit to being afraid of five chosen girls who will destroy your dark kingdoms once and for all.”

He didn’t say anything, but I flinched at the pain that came from my neck. A hiss left me, my body trembling at the tiny pinch but beginning to freak out when my blood was drawn outward - the pull going on and on until my body gave up and my knees buckled.

He caught me, only to continue whatever he was doing, and that’s when the stabbing began. The first sharp piercing left me screaming, and then it went on, again and again, until my voice gave up on me too.

I could sense Alaric’s fear, just as I heard Tanner’s screams through my throbbing head, gaining my attention. The world was spinning, the temperature growing hot around me while my body grew colder by the second.

When I finally hit the ground, I was nothing but an empty battery, useless to the person who drained me of all my power.

My eyes fought to remain open as I slowly turned onto my back and strived to breathe. There I saw Charles leaning down to look at me, his sharp fangs that were dripping with my blood glimmering in the darkness.

The shock finally set in, and the realization of what he was made everything click.

“You…” I struggled to continue, a lump forming in my throat.

“Now you get it, don’t you?” His eerie laugh would have sent chills through me if I wasn’t freezing and trembling. He gave me a pitiful look.

“I was never from this universe. My universe is where supernaturals now rule, and schools to create supernatural spies are the current trend. When I was hired by what you know as the D.U.O., it wasn’t in this realm. It was in my home realm, where the darkness is growing and we’re desperate to be rid of a pesky child who was born but a witch.”

His eyes darkened and seemed to be lost in the memories that consumed him.

“A babe of a child. One with silver hair and striking turquoise eyes. A lab rat she was, and in the depths of the night, her father would bring her in to tame her true nature. To withhold the godly gifts she was destined to unlock.”

He paused in pure annoyance, gritting his bloody teeth together.

“It was a simple job, kill her and move on, but that was when I was a mere human. I got lost in silly emotions that catered to no one in a world of supernaturals. I gave in to her bright, hopeful blue eyes. Those orbs filled with innocence as she craved to return home to her mother and big sister. I returned empty-handed, and that was frowned upon.”

His eyes met mine once more.

“Death was the usual punishment for failure, but the dark organization had other plans for me. They tortured me for years upon years, until my human body was about to give in to death. Then they brought in a vampire, and thus, my creation into an immortal being.”

I was losing feeling in my body, starting from the tips of my toes and fingers. I fought to stay conscious, to listen to as much as I could. He didn’t know I was feeding all of his words to Alaric and Tanner, giving them a view of what I was seeing.

Using my Hive abilities to the best of my ability as my body began to shut down.

“My coven leader was merciless, and I was only brought into another life of torture. Then my second chance came, and I was determined to complete it, but that had me jumping through universes until I landed here. My punishment wasn’t over yet. Oh no. This was the real torture, being in a world where none of my kind exists and I’m surrounded by humans and those gifted with elements. I had to learn from scratch, and my desperation for blood led to the beginning of my vast research.”

That cynical smile returned as he looked upward.

“It took ages for me to figure out the timelines, to realize the universe I’d lived in was already a few years ahead of this one. That’s when a source found out about my predicament and decided to bless me with why my true purpose mattered. A prophecy that the very organization desperately fought to vanquish was beginning to unfold, and my task was to get rid of any female potentials. That was the start of my conquest, and the day I was sent to kill the Storms.”

His smile turned to a grimace as he whispered, “I should have killed her, but no. I couldn’t get that little girl with turquoise eyes out of my head. The innocence of a child and yet, I’d been fine with controlling that shadow of hers to do the deed of killing her family. Why couldn’t I pull the trigger? Why couldn’t I finish what I’d started? I vowed then and there that instead of killing Jade, I’d let her destroy herself. The guilt of her family’s deaths on her head would eventually consume her like my guilt of not killing that tiny child in the lab. In the meantime, I’d continue my research, to see why a hive was needed for this prophecy. It finally made sense when I kidnapped Lisette, but I’d already fucked up by letting that brat of a son go.”

He clenched his fists and shook his head uncontrollably.

“He should have been a vampire hybrid! He should have carried my venomous blood and the abilities of a vampire, but no. He took all the perfection his mother had to offer, her eight-element qualities, including the dark side that he hides so perfectly, just like his bloody mother. He had my intellect before he could walk, and yet by the time I realized how wasteful it was of my time to try and mold him into what I wanted, I’d been deemed incompetent to continue my mission.”

He walked around me in circles, stepping into the pool of my blood that kept growing larger.

“I went into hiding, using any resources and connections I had with the dark realms to slip through the cracks. I expected you all to fade away, but no. You couldn’t let go. No way could you let your darling adoptive daughter live in a world where there wasn’t justice. You had to empower her by trailing me down as I fought to simply return to where I belonged. I finally figured out the way to get back. Who would have thought a library would unify all the universes?”

My body was numb, and my eyes were fighting to remain open as my breaths got slower. The numbness didn’t stop me from feeling the chill my body carried, and the fear was beginning to take over as regret reminded me of all I’d once wished for.

“I returned, but you had to follow. I’d done my duty of killing that girl. Saving her from this destiny she’s supposedly been chosen to endure. But then Lisette butted in. That crazy psychotic bitch! I was ready to prove I’d done the task, but what do I see through the looking glass? Jade. Alive and well with a radiant smile as she sat next to my son in his car. The mockery I received was indescribable, and that left me with so much rage that I knew exactly what I needed to do.”

His gaze lowered to me and he looked at me with enviousness.

“You may be unable to bear children, but you found your calling. You rebuilt yourself, and I knew that you’d be the key to Jade’s destruction.” He crouched down and looked directly in my eyes.

“Alaric,” he snarled. “I’m sure you’re listening to all of this, so I’ll give you one more hint as I leave the woman you love for death row. Either you give Jade up, or you come yourself to my world. I’m sure you’ll be deemed missing, but at least you won’t be dead.”

He shrugged and reached out to stroke my cheek, not like I could feel the action.

“If you don’t do either, then say goodbye to everything. Your Jade. Your students. Your career. Everything. I’ll destroy all you’ve invested in. I’ll kill everyone person that has ever made you smile. Then I’ll vanish like a ghost, and you can live with the guilt.”

He rose up and turned his back away.

“At least you can live with losing one of your Hives. Enjoy the pain of feeling her slip away. Carry the agony with you every single day and let your hate for me grow with passion. Make your choice, for this prophecy will never come to fruition. Not while I’m alive.”

He began to walk away, but a soft melody echoed through the darkness.

“I’m leaving the site. The triple hive will succumb to their own demise. Mr. Snow is assigned to deal with the triple witches. There’s one more to locate. The council may have an idea who the final girl is, but their universe is a pain to enter unless summoned. We’ll work on infiltrating. Figure out a way to get that stupid shit Ross out. He’ll be more driven to follow orders than dance around. Hmm? The silver hair girl. She won’t be bothersome. Too busy saving students in the sky to worry about those connected to her. If she gets in the way, I’ll finish the deed like I should have years ago. I swear it.”

The sound of the line dropping was followed by a soft whisper, “Silver. Brianne. Jade. Alice. Just one more to discover. One more to infiltrate and make our webs of destruction. Destiny will repeat itself. The darkness will always reign. Always.” He began to giggle like a lunatic, and his footsteps began to fade away until his presence was gone.

“Bianca, stay…me. Fight…a little longer! Jade…Calvin here as well. We’re a minute away.” Tanner was desperately trying to reach me. To stop me from giving in to the darkness, but it was no use.

My eyes looked up at the dark sky, noticing the tiny stars that flickered eons away. It reminded me of that night. The night the person I loved betrayed me and left me like garbage to rot and die.

The day I met Alaric…the one who saved me.

“Bianca. Please. Don’t leave me.” Alaric’s voice was shattered, just like my body. The sadness in the quiet plea, the regrets that flooded our connection, made me wish I wasn’t too broken to create a child for him. To have had someone to keep Jade company during her youth when she’d felt so alone.

As I laid in the pool of my own blood, I felt like a failure, and that’s what stopped me from fighting. That wild part of me deserved to be buried, just like the rest of me.

I finally began to fade away, but not before my ears picked up the shrilling scream.

“BIANCA!”

I thought it would have been Tanner, but the high-pitched scream tugged on the last bit of love in my almost-frozen heart.

Jade…

A second later there she was, her wide, shocked eyes meeting mine as she hovered above me. Her hands trembled, her face grew paler by the second, and the fear that consumed those beautiful red gems of hers made me realize that I’d at least done something right.

I’d helped raise a beautiful girl like her, and she still loved me. Even if we weren’t of blood. Even though I hadn’t carried her in my womb. She was still mine. She’d always…be mine.

Her tears filled her eyes, and I felt the company of other individuals surrounding me, but it didn’t matter anymore. My heart could no longer beat, but I knew hers would.

As long as that heart of hers still beat, that ever-flowing strength would never wither.

My hearing had faded, just like my will to live. My purpose in this world was most likely complete, and even with my chest of regrets, I was still grateful for the life I’d lived.

Thankful for the pain, sorrow, anger, love, and happiness this life brought me.

16

PUT THE TRACK IN TRACKER HIVE

~JADE~

“BIANCA!” Bianca!” I forced my hands to work as I gripped her shoulders and shook the woman that had helped raise me.

The woman who’d bake cookies whenever I needed them.

The woman who’d read to me during the chilly nights and cradle me in times of distress.

The woman I considered a mom. She was the mother I’d been blessed with after losing mine.

And now I’d lost her to the same man that took my family from me.

My elements were still absorbing the truth of the matter, settling in the depths of my soul and waiting to explode out of revenge. There was still that glimmer of hope I was searching for. A way to somehow reverse what I knew was happening in my very arms.

I could hear people talking, feel the voluminous cries of their distress and anger, but all my body would do was stare.

Watch my mother fade to the land of the dead.

Hands landed on my cheeks, pulling my gaze away to look into a pair of burning orange ones. They began to glow white, light magic oozing around him.

Around us.

“I need you to chase after him.” Calvin’s voice was emotionless. “This is the only chance we’ll get to track him.”

“Bianca,” I whispered, fighting against the urge to give up and breakdown.

“You have to trust me,” he emphasized. “Trust I’ll save her.”

It was bad that I even debated the choices. I knew I should put my hope in Calvin, but that nagging thought kept taunting me, reminding me of his father, the one who had cause me to lose someone I loved. Again.

He did the unthinkable and lightly grazed my lips with his. My element surged forward until it overtook me. With a blink, we were encapsulated in a ball of booming light, and there was Bianca, lying between our knelt figures.

“I will make her breathe again. I fucking swear it, Jade, but you need to go with Lisette and get that felon. I feel…no. I know that if we don’t catch him this time, we never will.”

“What if we’re already out of time?” I was trying to figure out a way to stay. To be here with Bianca till her end, all while ignoring how weak I felt and the anger boiling upward at my incompetence in getting here on time.

“Alaric is missing,” I pointed out, the call that delivered the news to me only minutes before the emergency call was of Bianca’s predicament reached us and landed us here. “Tanner is in shock. Bianca…is…is…” I shook my head, unable to finish. “We’re nothing but kids in this world of evil and destruction. What’s so special about me that’s triggered all of this? How much pain do I need to endure to pay for my sins of being weak? How can one man ruin everything I love, and still walk free like an innocent man? What will chasing after him do? A chase straight into another trap?!”

Calvin gripped my cheeks a little harder. My tears rolled onto his large hands before he pressed his forehead against mine.

“You chasing him will prove you’re still fighting. You not giving up is proof that you’re a force to be reckoned with. He did this because it’s his last shot. He wants you to self-combust and if you fucking think I’ll allow you to do that, you’re wrong!” He pulled back to look into my watery eyes; those white orbs filled with tears as his hair began to shift to white.

“Jade Storm. You are here for a reason. You were chosen for a reason, and we can’t allow Charles to fuck it all. To make all those who were lost and suffered from his malicious desires be left in vain. You haven’t lost that part of yourself that deserves redemption. That person who vowed to avenge your family so no one else is ruined by Charles’s hands. This may be bigger than any of us, but if we give up, that only gives them the chance to win.”

He quickly glanced at Bianca before looking back at me.

“Her soul hasn’t crossed. I can save her, but that means taking a good portion of your light element,” he warned. “It also means your emotions are going to be heightened and will encourage the darkness. You have to promise me you won’t succumb to it, Jade. Promise me.”

Our stare was as intense as the promise he was asking for me to commit to. Could I keep this promise? To not allow Shadow Jade to destroy this world for bringing so much pain in my short life?

I had to think about it, but I knew time was ticking and Bianca’s survival was at stake. My tears continued to fall as Calvin’s eyes begged for me to make the right choice. We knew what that choice had to be, but at what cost?

Could I commit to it? To promise I wouldn’t seek the revenge I whole-heartedly deserve? What would Bianca want me to do? No…I already know what she’d ask of me. With that sweet smile of hers as she coaxed me with a fresh batch of cookies. I had to choose the right path. For her.

“I promise to not be consumed by the darkness.” I declared, staring straight into his eyes. A soft weight rested on my left shoulder, and I looked over to see Shadow Jade’s tearful eyes.

Throughout the pain, her lips were up in a courageous smile as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Will not kill. Will fight evil and claim justice. For Mommy Bianca. For our family. For everyone affected by that man’s greed.” Her affirmation hit my core, right when another soft weight rested on my right shoulder.

I looked over to see my light element. This time, she was no longer in her silhouette form. She was a replica of me but with pure white hair, white eyes, and light pink lips.

Her expression was filled with hope, and she nodded in encouragement.

“Rise to the challenge laid out for you. Run forward with confidence and let justice be served. Do not worry about our Mother. She will not perish. I promise.”

More soft touches on my back drew my attention, and I looked over my shoulder to see the remaining six silhouettes. My elements gathered around me to protect me from my own declining sanity.

We have a chance. Move forward and prove to Charles that nothing will stop us from fulfilling our destiny. Absolutely nothing.

With a nod to them, I looked back to my light element.

“Save her.”

“It’s already been done,” she declared with power.

Returning to Calvin, I leaned in and pressed our foreheads together.

“Thank you. For loving me and caring for the people I adore.”

“Always,” he vowed. “Now go. There’s not much time before he hides in that hole of his.”

I rose up and took a final glance at Bianca.

Stay strong, Bianca. Please…for me…for our family. Leave finding Alaric to me. I’ll bring him back. I swear it.

With my strong thoughts, I left my light magic to kneel down in my spot as I turned around and marched forward. I felt my elements line up behind me, each of them returning to the depths of me until it was just Shadow Jade and me.

We moved from line formation to side by side, and we gripped hands as the world of light shattered and tugged us into another place entirely.

Our arrival left us confused, but relief settled in as my eyes caught onto Lisette and Ceil, the two of them in black combat gear and leaning against a dazzling pink motorcycle.

“You made the right decision, Hive Queen,” Lisette said proudly as she reached out her hand. I walked towards her, stopping when our feet were inches apart.

My eyes lingered on her outstretched hand, staring at the lines of her palm.

“Calvin and I have been working behind the scenes and figured out a way to track Charles with Calvin’s blood,” she announced.

My eyes widened at her words, and when I met her gaze once more, those pink eyes softened in pride.

“Ten years of being captive with that man proved the lengths he’s willing to go to fulfill his heart’s desire. He wants to prove his belonging to the world he once lived in. Sadly, that’s not here, but I know how to get there.”

I knew she was going to make me an offer I wouldn’t be able to refuse, not now when the stakes were high and the risk of Alaric getting hurt or used by a higher league of power was upon us.

I had confidence that my men would find me, no matter what distance, but this was Lisette’s way of confirming my trust in her.

That I wouldn’t abandon her in the midst of my pain and furry.

Lifting my hand, I laid it upon Lisette’s and gripped it firmly.

“There’s so much that needs to be said. So many memories we need to create, but before we venture on this journey, I want you to know how grateful I am for you.”

My words shocked her, those pink jewels widening in confusion and projecting a glimpse of her vulnerability.

“When you escaped Charles’s captivity, instead of enjoying your new-found of freedom, you came to save me. You weren’t obligated to do so, but you thought of me as someone important to protect from the clutches of death. You encouraged me to live, maybe foreseeing that things would get out of control at some point this semester and wanting me to hold tightly to the happy memories that made me feel whole.”

She slowly nodded, and I smiled with vivid emotion, lifting my head up as confidence swarmed through me.

“At the assembly earlier today, I stood in front of the crowd feeling like me. Not the me that feared uncertainty. Or the me that was afraid of being happy and living the best life I could achieve. Every step I’ve taken this semester has taught me a lesson, and now I know just how badly I want to live. How strongly I love my Trouble Four, Calvin, and my family. How much I wish to learn more about you and peel away the walls you put up to protect yourself. I crave to meet the person behind the mask you wear, and if its more than one mask, I’m more than ready to meet them all.”

She swallowed and blinked her eyes, and I knew my words hit right in her heart.

“I trust you,” I declared with power. “Calvin may be our wild card in tracking Charles, but you’re the guide with the compass who will find the X on the spot of victory. I can’t let Charles lure my father into his death. It won’t happen, and I’ll make sure of it myself, with you by my side.”

Her eyes blinked rapidly, a set of tears rolling down her cheek while she smiled with respect and love.

“Let’s catch that fucker so we can finally go on a date,” she declared.

“Lead the way,” I encouraged.

Lisette giggled and shook her head. “Oh, I’m not leading the way.”

“Huh?” I blinked and looked over to Ceil and Shadow Jade, the two of them standing quietly near us. “Is Ceil?”

“No, Hive Queen,” Ceil answered.

“Then…” I inquired, directing the word to Lisette. Her mischievous grin returned, and that spark of craziness was back in full force.

“You see, being stuck in captivity means you have to make connections under a certain fucker’s nose. It’s one of the reasons how I got out from the get-go.” She held my hand tightly, lowering it as she brought me closer to her.

“This has to stay under the radar since I’m bending the rules a little.”

“Bending the rules?” I inquired.

Her smile was priceless as she nodded.

“What better way to tackle Charles than with someone he can’t kill?”

“You mean you?”

“Oh no.” She put her hand out. “Hey, Minx! I need you!”

My familiar came out of nowhere, landing on the ground and running over to our feet. “Mawe?!”

“Hey, strong kitty. I need you to do your fancy magic epicness and summon me a portal. I already talked to the cat shifter who’s friends with the phoenix woman, who relayed the message over to Bianca.”

“What?” I wasn’t following what she was saying, her three-way cat to phoenix to Bianca trail not making sense.

“Minor details.” She winked and squeezed my hand. “You’ll catch on when you meet our final guide. Minx!”

“Mawe!” Minx responded, stretching out as her body began to flow a beautiful purple. My body grew hot, my hair beginning to radiate a bright white as it levitated upward.

I felt Lisette’s magic soaring into me through our joined hands, and the winds around us picked up immensely until a shocking prism color vortex formed in front of us.

I waited in anticipation, and before I questioned what was happening, a person in a gorgeous white cape made of silk walked out of the portal. Her cape fluttered with the wind, turquoise symbols of incantations and magic circles glowing against the silky white fabric while the trimming was of the same blue shade.

The person wore a hood over her head, covering her facial expression. All I knew was that the power that beat off of her was on another level of magical strength. The loud echoing sound of a motorcycle grew louder by the second, and the woman took a step to our right, a second before a motorbike with a man on it zoomed to a stop right next to the woman.

The bike was big in comparison to the slim rider. His aura was of vivid gold, giving me light magic vibes. That wasn’t what caught our attention and left us gasping.

“Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” I inquired.

“Uh…” Lisette paused. “She never mentioned men with wings being apart of the deal but hey, we’ll take it.”

Her nervous reply wasn’t making me feel so sure, but the portal began to decrease until it shrunk into nothingness, leaving the man on the motorbike and the cloaked woman.

She took a step forward and lifted her hands up to lower the hood.

Long silver strands released from their hold, turquoise highlights with hints of gold and white making their appearance as her hair fell past her shoulders.

We locked onto striking turquoise eyes, rosy cheeks, and red lips that were tilted upward in a smile.

She looked between us, but those orbs landed on me, and it was like I knew this woman, my body already wishing to learn more about her.

Just like my interaction with Alicia.

My lips curled upward as hope shot through me. With this woman on our side, we could get my dad back.

“Silver Spell Solange,” the woman introduced. “Let’s ride and talk later. We’ve got a criminal to catch.”

Dad. I vow to find you and bring you back home, alive. We’ll fulfill our destiny, and you’ll be right there to guide me through all the changes that are in store. I won’t enter semester four without you.

That’s a fucking promise.

TO BE CONTINUED.

COMING SOON - July 3rd, 2020:

https://books2read.com/TRACKERHIVEACADEMY4

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SUPERNATURAL INMATE

https://books2read.com/SUPERNATURALINMATE

BLURB

After pissing off the head of the supernatural lab, failing at befriending my fellow inmates, and pitching a temper tantrum in the underground cafeteria, it was only a matter of time before I had to do something about this whole captivity thing.

For me, Cassandra Thorn, being born as a human, raised by an elite group of supernaturals, and struggling to reach my twentieth birthday was far more fun than this.

Then again, anything would be.

In this case, “this” refers to being taken against my will—kidnapped—and trapped in an underground lab for supernatural shifters. Pretty ridiculous, considering I was a mere mortal.

Or so I was told.

Turns out there are a lot of things I was told, not all of them true. Now a family secret has been revealed and destiny is just waiting for me to fulfill it…but I was stuck in Prison Boringville with a bunch of not-so-friendly detainees.

Being a supernatural inmate isn’t my style, so with the very new powers bestowed upon me, I was getting my booty out of this hellhole. Unless Adonis the sexy incubus, Dominick the deadly fae master, Otis the death-seeking vampire, and Tristan the sly shapeshifter bust me out first.

Supernatural Inmate is the first book in the Supernatural Captivity series, a Paranormal Prison Romance.

CHAPTER ONE: LINGERIE SHOPPING WITH MY SUPERNATURAL BROTHERS

“Cassandra? How long does it take you to get your ass into a pair of hipster panties? I’m going to die from starvation.”

“Stop complaining, Tristan. I was trying to concentrate!”

“On what? Your butt?”

“Yes! On my butt. Now shush so I can concentrate!”

Men. Never understand the importance of having your eye on the prize.

“What’s taking our Princess of Lingerie so long?”

I smiled at Dominick’s inquiry, knowing damn well he’d join in the bickering. As long as Otis was still roaming around the five-level clothing store, I was safe to continue my detailed observation.

“Cass is trying to determine if her ass has expanded by a centimeter.” Tristan let out a long sigh. “I’m hungry. Save me.”

“You eat too much,” Dominick commented. “And didn’t Cass start her squat challenge like three days ago?”

“And then ate an entire cake yesterday.” Tristan’s comment made me open the door wide, the two of them turning their attention to my red-and-blue lace bra and hipster panty combo. I put my hands on my hips in defiance as I stared between the two of them.

“Just because I started three days ago, it doesn’t mean anything! Progress is progress!” I angrily emphasized before pointing at Tristan, who was sitting on a fluffy pink chair with his legs on one armrest, while the back of his head hung over the other side.

He had a bored pout on his attractive face.

“Also, yesterday was my birthday! I was allowed to eat cake.”

“Allowed to eat a slice of cake, my dear. Not the whole damn thing. Couldn’t even save some for the four of us.”

I flicked my long brunette locks and gave them an unapologetic look.

“I regret nothing.”

“Madness, I tell you.” Tristan shook his head. “You gained weight in your thighs, by the way.”

I stood there for a full five seconds and Dominick sighed.

“It’s like you want us to die early.”

“No regrets.” He shrugged. “I can shift into anything. I have the highest survival rate.”

“You know you can still die, though, right?” Dominick reminded.

“Oh…” Tristan frowned and gave me a sheepish smile as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Thick, beautiful one. Don’t kick my ass…or kill me…or punch my face. I still need to look good to ace that job interview on Monday.”

“Asshole,” I huffed, and turned around to check the mirror. “I only gained half an inch. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood or it would be game over for you.”

Looking at the mirror, I assessed my overall appearance and grinned.

A little bit of thickness doesn’t bother me anyway.

Sweets were the devil when it came to making me gain weight in my thighs and hips. If not for the “Thorn metabolism” blessed to me by my biological parents, I was sure I wouldn’t still fit into my size six jeans.

Stretchy size six jeans. A girl needs room for ice cream and chocolate.

Cassandra Thorn was written on the birth certificate left in my basket that fateful night my parents abandoned me, having decided I was too much to handle in the middle of the 2035 financial crisis period.

Stocks for human companies plummeted as the supernatural races’ soared in comparison, leaving most humans out of work in the heart of winter in New York City.

It was at that time that supernaturals took over with a snap of their fingers and proved their superiority by fixing the chaos created by the greedy humans running the place. That simple move on the supernaturals’ part left us humans with two choices: submit and work along with the supernaturals or hide and try to find a way to fix the financial crisis.

It ended up being a fifty-fifty split, and my parents decided that finding their way back to independent financial stability was far better than working alongside any paranormal race.

Which meant bye-bye, baby Cassandra.

The only problem with that plan was that I, their not-so-beloved child, was human, just like them.

Where did that leave me? Luckily, not on the harsh streets of NYC, because Everett A. Johnson with his big heart of gold took me in.

Anyone could have done it for the bonus government paychecks, but as I grew older, I came to realize that he was genuinely a loving man who took in shifters from struggling families or abandoned corners of the dangerous streets.

Everett was a supernatural, just like the majority of the children he took in. As a bear shifter, he was inherently nurturing. He always said that he got the most hate when he took me in but paid no mind to the background talk. It was all rubbish to him when it came to helping someone in need.

An outlook that could have potentially gotten him killed, but his ongoing generosity over the last few decades had earned him immunity and enough money to hire protection.

Being in his care brought me into the circle of four supernatural powerhouses, and together, we were raised under one roof. How did the little human me survive a home with four bratty boys?

Tantrums, chocolate, and using the puppy eyes technique as a final resort. Let’s be real. No boy nor man can stand it when a woman cries.

However, with my anger issues, all bets were off if I reached a certain point of blinding rage.

I had an actual diagnosis for it: Blind-sighted Tantrum Syndrome. BTS for short, and I was not referring to the greatest KPOP band in history. It might have been the reason my four supernatural bros were actually frightened of me when I got mad.

Doesn’t stop them from picking on me half the time.

“I think her butt actually got firmer, though,” Dominick said. “If you look very closely, you can see a one percent difference.”

“I feel as though you keep forgetting I’m a shapeshifter, Dominick, and not a fae with supernatural eyesight.” Tristan put his hands behind his head and kicked his legs up and down. “Can we go yet?”

“No,” I announced. “I still have three more sets to try on.”

“Ugh,” the two of them said together. “Where are Otis and Adonis?”

“Oh no, no, no.” I twirled right around on one foot and widened my stance to give them a vile glare. “Don’t you dare summon Mr. Apocalypse and his smooth-talking brother.”

“What’s taking so damn long? At this rate, the moon will come out and it’ll be time for my night shift.”

The three of us glanced to our left to see two identical pairs of plum eyes staring back at us.

“I might as well summon the moon now so it can rise and make me into a glittering ornament.”

“That’s what humans call a disco ball, Otis, and that whole vampire glitter stuff was a myth with the sun. Not the moon. Well…except for that Edward guy. He actually glitters during the full moon. I can’t believe humans got that all mixed up. He’s a celebrity in the vampire world. Otis still has his autograph on his wal—”

“Not the point, Adonis,” Otis snarled and looked my way. “Why is Cass naked?”

“When is Cass not naked?” Adonis smiled seductively at me. “She might as well give up on buying lingerie. She always finds a way to rip them to shreds.”

“I am not naked!” I fought back as I pointed at them. “Let me correct your statement, Adonis. Why is it that my lingerie gets ripped to shreds? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because someone’s long nails destroy them, which always leaves me naked with no lingerie!”

Adonis lifted his hands to stare at the source of my lingerie crisis.

“Hmm. My nails are kinda sharp. I really got to get them done. What color should I go with, guys?”

Tristan shook his head. “You’ve asked us the same question for seven years and you’ve yet to venture out of the purple and black department.”

“Why not try red?” Dominick suggested.

“Or pink. Or any other colors in the rainbow,” I offered.

Adonis bobbed his head in thought.

“I’ll go with…purple.”

“Ugh,” the three of us groaned.

“What?” Adonis gave us a teasing grin. “It complements my skin.”

“Of your hands, not your face,” Otis reminded.

“Yes, but a little splash of color goes a long way,” Adonis concluded. “I still think our parents were fools. Why name me after the god of beauty and desire when I still get pimples and the rest of you look ten percent more attractive than I do?”

I smirked and leaned against the door frame of my change room, arms crossed. “They knew, like the gods above, that you’d have too much seduction in your bones to have perfect looks. If they did that, you’d get cocky instead of having a hint of humility somewhere in that brain of yours.”

“My brain is rather talented, thank you very much. I’m the smartest in the group, remember?”

“The brain that loves to signal you to rip my lingerie whenever you get a chance,” I muttered. “And since when are you the smartest?”

“Since last week when he beat Dominick’s perfect score with a bonus star.” Tristan chuckled.

“Bonus star? Aren’t we supposed to save those during the year and use them to boost our grades at the end?”

“Yup.” Dominick seemed pleased. “Should have seen his proud face. Made all the girls faint in the cafeteria.”

“It’s not my fault that I was blessed with the ability to hoard my stickers and steal Otis’s.”

Otis side-glared at him, but Adonis didn’t care. “Now, are we heading out to eat? Otis is serving an extra glass of crankiness due to his lack of blood. I’m thinking of grabbing him a Bloody Mary from Vampy Dee’s.”

“I will never understand how identical twins can carry completely different supernatural traits,” I voiced as I looked between the two of them.

Otis Von Dolorosa and Adonis Von Dolorosa. Identical twins, and yet one was a vampire and the other was an incubus. The mystery behind it all would never be solved, seeing as their parents offered them up to the nearest dumpster when the twins didn’t turn out to be hybrids as desired.

Just as with my predicament, Everett had been at the right place at the right time and took them in.

“Genetics, Princess,” Adonis remarked while his plum eyes checked me out. I expected him to add another comment about my almost-naked appearance, but he moved his gaze to Tristan and Dominick. “Did Cass gain weight? It was the cake, wasn’t it?”

“Yup,” Tristan and Dominick responded like it was Jeopardy’s latest Let’s Remind Cassandra Thorn of Her Flaws special edition.

“Fools,” Otis insulted. “This is the one time I’ll flee Death.” He turned right around and slipped his hands in his pockets. “Hurry up, Cass. I have shit to do. If I end late for my night shift, I’ll let Mr. Drack-A-Lot suck your blood like he’s been wanting to since you were four.”

I cringed at the thought and reached out for the closest man of the three, which was Adonis. “Hell to the no, no, no! That creep of a stalker isn’t getting near me. He’s a panty stealer!”

Otis looked over his shoulder; his usual emotionless expression remained.

“Says who?”

“Uh, everyone. Right, Adonis?”

“The women who fawn all over me at the club always bring him up.” He put an arm over my shoulder and brought me close to him. “Cass is right on in that department. Drake’s a perv. Plus, I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten arrested for all the times he’s tried to drink a girl’s blood on sight. Why is he still working at the Blood Protection Services when he can’t even purge that craving for strawberry juice?”

Strawberry juice was the code name for blood among most supernaturals when they were around humans. The guys were still getting used to saying blood around me, something Everett wouldn’t allow them to do until I got my period.

Silly, right? It must have been in one of those “How to Raise A Human Child Correctly” handbooks he carries around all the time. The previous edition was so outdated.

“Anyways, get moving Cass.” Otis got back to the point.

“I still have three more sets to try.”

“It’s the same shit.” Otis was going to pop a blood vessel with his impatience. Typical.

“No, it’s not,” I argued, clearing my throat.

“Oh, no,” Tristan interrupted. “Here comes the lecture on Panties 101.”

“I’m glad you’re prepared,” I sweetly replied and gave him a wink.

Dominick walked over to stand next to Otis. At 6′2″, he had a few inches on the twins.

Fae had the ability to grow taller or shorter if they chose to. Dominick loved to be tall, especially because he worked as a model at multiple agencies and had been on covers like GQ, Men’s Health, and other high-profile magazines. It was a good height for him anyway, unless he landed a role in a movie full of badass, 6’6” warriors.

Dominick looks good in gold armor. What was I about to talk about again?

“I’m heading to the men’s department. I need some boxers.”

“Coming!” Tristan scrambled out of his seat.

“Hmph.” Otis was already walking away, not caring where they went.

“Hey! I didn’t start my lesson,” I called out.

“Hurry up!” the three of them replied and then were out of my sight. I looked up at Adonis as he gave me a flirty smirk.

“Looks like I’m your only student, Professor Thorn.” He winked and waltzed over to the chair Tristan had been sitting in. Lowering into the pink fluffiness, he leaned back like he sat on a throne and graciously lifted his right leg to rest on his left, his eyes absorbing every curve and line of my body.

“Proceed with your lecture as you try on the remaining three sets. I’ll wait.”

“Tease,” I muttered, annoyed with how sexy he could be using that seductive voice of his.

It was the one thing about incubi that made them so dangerous. Whether they looked like gods or sewer monsters, all they had to do was use that low rumble voice of theirs and sold. You’d automatically find them attractive, and whether you kept your panties on or off was entirely in their hands.

Dangerous or not, Adonis was one of my four “brothers,” or bros, for short. Obviously, we were all from different family backgrounds, and Everett never officially adopted us. He didn’t think we deserved to be locked down into a family simply because we’d been gathered together by circumstance.

Not adopting us gave us the freedom to keep our family names, something that was still important in the supernatural world, even though our parents had discarded us. It also meant that if we suddenly didn’t meet eyes with Everett anymore, we could go our separate ways with no hard feelings.

We all knew that wouldn’t happen, simply because Everett was the calmest supernatural I’d ever met.

Unless you stole his jar of honey as a prank. Then you might as well dig your grave, lie in it, and cover yourself up before he finds you.

Anyway, my brothers were as different as they came. Tristan Cardinal. Twenty-four, laid-back shapeshifter. He was the playful one of the bunch. Never too serious unless he wanted to commit a murder. The dangerous thing about shapeshifters was they could literally shift into anything they wanted.

A boy, a girl, your ex, a damn tree. From what he’d gathered from Everett regarding his family, they were some of the top shapeshifters in their community. As to why they’d decided Tristan wasn’t a good fit for them was a mystery.

Everett had found him during the one of the worst snowstorms in NYC. I was surprised he hadn’t frozen to death, but then again, what did he decide to magically shift into? A campfire.

It seemed completely odd for a bear to roam through the blizzard and see a burning flame in the corner of an alleyway, but it had happened. However, shifting into objects was something only a few shapeshifters could do, and it was costly on the body.

Tristan had almost died after having a two-week fever once he’d changed back. In his normal appearance, he was 6′0″ like Otis and Adonis, and was frequently mistaken for an angel supernatural due to his last name, blue eyes, and shoulder-length blond hair.

Why he doesn’t just change it is beyond me. I personally think he likes messing with people.

With his caramel complexion, it was hard for people to tell what ethnicity he was, and to be honest, none of us really knew either. He was a shapeshifter, after all, and that meant if he wanted to be Caucasian one day and African the next, he literally could.

Another thing that makes him dangerous. He’s constantly being asked to join various police forces, navies, and secret ops organizations.

Then there was Dominick Goldenmoon. Twenty-three, and a smart cookie with perfect skin and flawless features. He’d been voted the sexiest fae alive for three years running.

His has an unusual, emerald green, butt-length hair. Top it all off with tiny strands of gold tinsel that changed color on his every command, and you had yourself a walking Christmas god.

Let’s be real. If you hate Christmas, it’s because you couldn’t get an autograph from this hot thing of a fae.

Orange eyes like sunsets (complete with gold stars for a little added romance) and his ability to shift his height simply added to the fantasy he gave women — and men — every day with his face up on billboards and wall art.

And why had his parents given him up? Because he was too cute.

His parents said he attracted way too much attention with his cuteness, and due to their status and jobs at the time, it was necessary to keep him out of the public eye.

Or just everyone’s eye.

Who knew if they were undercover spies, or maybe just didn’t want to carry the burden of raising Dominick, but whatever the case, I had always wondered if they regretted it with how famous and successful Dominick had become.

He was the youngest billionaire in the world, and even with his jaw-dropping, panty-throwing looks, he could walk around the mall without getting mobbed. He might have to deal with a few autograph-seekers and human stalkers, of course, but the one thing about supernaturals was that they respected one’s space.

Unless they’re sent to kill you.

We’d only had one close call with a crazy stalker, but many forgot that Dominick was a fae and what they called a master. It was a fancy title to say he had the ability to control all the elements connected to nature. So fire, water, earth, the cool stuff.

He’s basically a sexy Aang from Avatar. The animated series, of course.

Then there were my Von Dolorosa twin bros.

Otis and Adonis, twenty-five-year-old identical twins who somehow each took the entire genetic pool of one parent. Otis was a vampire like his father, while Adonis took his incubus trait from his succubus mother.

Their parents had obviously enjoyed a fling, a common activity among supernaturals to create potential badass hybrid children. When they gave birth to the twins, they expected both would be hybrids, and take over their fortune and coven while also having the ability to control with merely their voices…but their baby cocktail didn’t go as planned.

Which was why the twins were ditched and raised by Everett.

The looked exactly the same with their short black hair — that they either spiked up or gelled back depending on their moods — and their daunting purple eyes, but they were complete opposites.

Adonis was chilled back and only cared about having a good time. He took things slow unless it meant getting to the bedroom faster, and he could whisk any supernatural off their feet with a little hint of tune.

Adonis was actually a balladeer who sang deep, soul-hitting romance songs. Some could break your heart and others could get you from zero to one thousand in the bedroom with the first three words.

Seeing as he only started at the beginning of this year, he was only a millionaire at the moment, but I was sure he’d end up on the Forbes list with Dominick by the new year.

Though he was relaxed most of the time, he actually was a hard worker when he wasn’t reading or writing lyrics.

Or slicing all the lingerie I own for shits and giggles.

He also loved to paint his nails the aforementioned black or purple. No one ever teased or questioned him as to why he liked to do his nails, and it really wasn’t anyone’s business. It made him happy, and none of us cared.

Unless he ever chooses another color. Then we’ll have questions.

His brother, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

Otis was a jackass. No, that word wasn’t close to defining his asshole personality. Maybe it was a vampire thing, or maybe he just liked being an angry jerk, but he was the definition of anger management problems.

His only two expressions were a frown and an emotionless glare, and if he did crack a smile, it was either because he was genuinely happy — which happened about three times a year in our group — or because he was excited to stab people with his nails and drain every bit of their blood.

To donate…

That was one of the odd things about Otis. Though his outer appearance was like a harsh whip of approaching death, he did a lot for the supernatural community, especially for vampires.

He was the youngest CEO of the biggest blood supplier in the world, with his biggest lab right here in NYC. Even though it was a multi-billion-dollar company that donated globally to both humans and supernaturals alike, he still went in to the office to personally make sure everything went smoothly.

Heck, sometimes he even helps take blood from volunteers.

He was an attractive beast with unblemished pale skin that made his purple eyes pop, except for the rare occasions that his eyes turned striking red, and ninety-five percent of the volunteer blood donors were women.

Not to forget that Model Companion Collab Otis and Dominick did on Valentine’s Day that broke donation records across the world.

He may have been an ass, but he had a big heart, and that was all that mattered.

My four bros were impeccable supernaturals in society, and I was, well…me.

Cassandra Thorn. Just turned twenty; 5’7” with a small waist but one inch gained on the thighs and hips. Unemployed human with a sassy attitude, a lip that wouldn’t shut up even when I needed it to, and top-notch sarcasm.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I had some good qualities aside from my BTS diagnosis.

I had a knack for kickboxing or anything athletic, really. I could eat like no other girl, beating the record at the latest Japanese restaurant competition and earning all of us a free dinner pass for next year. I was good at drawing symbols, but anything more than that was asking too much. And I could sleep through wars.

Did I mention I was incoherent as fuck when I was half asleep? Wait…not a good quality.

Despite all my amazing positives, I had very few job qualifications, and even though I got into the supernatural university the guys went to for fast-paced studies, I still couldn’t find a job I liked.

Now that Tristan had lined up a job interview with one of the best secret op agencies in the world, I was soon to be the only one in the group without employment.

It would only be a matter of time before things got boring. I had a hint of ADHD, so the whole staying home and doing nothing all day long wasn’t going to last me long before I went insane.

No one wants to deal with insane Cassandra. She’s bad. Believe me.

That left me with very few options, but in Princess Cass style, I’d shove them to the side and worry about them tomorrow.

It wasn’t like I desperately need money. Having a rich guardian to look after you meant getting a weekly allowance that was far too much for the average human.

For a supernatural though, it’s probably pennies — or should I say five cents, seeing as they got rid of those coins. Were too human for the supernatural government.

It was only a matter of time before hundred-dollar bills became the new ten dollars.

Most supernaturals were rich, and those who weren’t had either lost the chance by committing a crime or had sided with the humans during the first wave of changes.

It wasn’t necessarily hard to earn money, but it was easy to lose it all.

Like by buying lingerie every week, for instance.

“I know I love looking at myself when I’m not having a pimple party on my face, but how long are you gonna stare at the mirror for, Cass?”

Slowly turning my head back to look at the seduction god of an incubus, I stuck my tongue out. “Did you know if you stare at yourself every day, you can change your perception of yourself? I’m doing that. It’s part of my ritual.”

“If you think that’s what’s going to get you a plump ass, go back to the squat challenge,” Adonis concluded. “At least I can watch how low you can go.”

“Pervert,” I grumbled under my breath. “Let me try the other sets.”

“No one’s stopping you,” he practically hummed. I had to shiver off the tingling sensations that ran up my body and reminded me that I was a girl and not immune to his gift of seduction.

“Hold that musical tongue of yours,” I grumbled but went right back to changing.

After trying the other two sets that weren’t my style, I was wearing the last set when I overheard some girls squealing.

“Ah! Isn’t that Adonis in the VIP waiting section?!”

“Oh goodness, yes! His voice is so amazing. I have every single track. You wouldn’t believe how epic my sex life has been with his music playing in the background.”

“Seriously? Those rumors are legit?”

“Yes! Hands down the best thing you can add to your relationship! You can have pizza delivery and play it in the background and your partner will love you! It sets the perfect mood. Adam and I haven’t fought in MONTHS! We used to fight every day.”

“That’s sensational.”

“Damn right.”

“What’s he doing here? He has a girlfriend?”

“Nah. He’s probably with his sister.”

“He doesn’t have a sister.”

“Yeah, the girl that’s always around him and the other three epic supernaturals. Adonis, his twin brother Otis, Tristan Cardinal, and Dominick Goldenmoon. They’re like the Supernatural Bros of NYC. Aside from the twins, they’re from different backgrounds and obviously different supernatural traits, but together, it’s like looking at a piece of art. They’re all powerful, talented, and filthy rich!”

“So the girl is just their sister? Well…like not biologically, but hangs with them?”

“Think of it like a girl who’s their friend type deal.”

“They’re not dating or friends with benefits?”

“Nope. They’re a crew and she’s the sole female in a group of testosterone-flowing gods.”

“Lucky. I’d die if I was within touching distance of Adonis. My heart is already palpitating like crazy. Imagine being around all four of them?”

“Hashtag dead.”

They continued to gossip while I waited in front of the change room door, my fingers lingering on the lock I’d turned but held to keep the door closed.

That was the one problem with being in a group of guys. The question of the century was whether or not you’d fall in love with one of them and screw up the dynamic entirely…or maybe fall in love with all of them.

My feelings had always been neutral when it came to romance with my bros. I’d had my share of dating both human and supernatural individuals, and it usually ended with their asses getting kicked by my bros for breaking my heart and me eating a tub of ice cream.

Okay, five tubs of ice cream but who keeps count of those things. Tristan does, but he only tracks it to make fun of me.

The guys had also had their flings, but supernaturals got bored easily, and when you truly were blessed with it all, you wanted more from a relationship than a partner to travel around the world with.

I wanted a guy with character. One who could hold a conversation and was willing to learn new things. If he was attractive, that was a bonus, but generally speaking, it wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.

I guess being around supernaturals all the time lifted my standards just a bit in terms of dating humans, but really, I just wanted to find a guy who wanted more than a quick fling in the sheets.

He would have to be approved by the bros to stand a chance after all my failed matches, but maybe that would mean I’d have a chance of lasting at least six months with him.

My real dating life aside, the gossip channels loved to debate whether I’d date all my bros or be the one to ruin their group dynamic.

The pressure from it all was the reason I tried to not think of them as romantic interests, but once I reached eighteen, things got a little harder.

My hormones kicked in.

I thought sixteen was a pain when I finally got my period, but nope. Eighteen was when your body stopped listening to you and made you practically psycho in the process.

Do I like-like Adonis, Otis, Tristan, and Dominick?

I still didn’t know, and it was another thing to push to the corner of my mind until I needed to face it.

The door opened, snapping me out of my thoughts as my body jerked forward and right into a wall of clothed muscle.

“Adonis,” I groaned against his chest, recognizing him by the scent of his latest Louis Vuitton cologne.

Incubi and succubi loved to smell good. If they had a hint of stench on them, there would be hell to pay if they couldn’t bathe or at least drench themselves in fragrance.

“Stop listening to stupid stuff and let me see you.”

“Who said I was eavesdropping?”

“You should apply to be a reporter,” Adonis suggested. “You’d get all the goodies for big companies to gossip about. Now turn around so I can see if these panties make your ass look great.”

I giggled and shook my head. “Weird incubus.”

“That you adore,” he added and helped spin me around like we were on a dance floor. Letting go of my hand, I saw in the reflection of the mirror that Adonis took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest in observation.

“Good. Like this one and the first set.”

“I never let you see the other two,” I noted.

“Don’t have to.” He shrugged. “I knew from when you picked them up that they weren’t good choices for your body type.”

“Why does that make me feel like I’m fat?” I pondered more to myself.

Adonis’s playful smirk made me want to count my blessings. I really didn’t understand how I hadn’t fallen for him like any other human.

“Because you sometimes forget you’re a sexy woman with a small waist, amazing curves, and the perfect ass.”

“Yet I’m doing that squat challenge because?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It was your idea to make yourself suffer every day by dropping it like it’s hot.”

“You could have told me that.” I slapped my forehead in annoyance.

“And miss all the squatting? Why in the devil’s name would I do that? I’m an incubus, not an angel. Keeping doing them.”

“For your entertainment.”

“And the rest of the guys’. We’re betting to see how long you’ll last until you not-so-secretly eat another entire cake.”

“My birthday is a year from now,” I reminded.

“And when has that stopped you from passing by the bakery to grab a cake or two?”

“It’s not my fault,” I argued. “The owner makes good cakes.”

“And is also a succubus who sprinkles addictive magic on top of her stuff so you all go back and make her bank,” he concluded. Slapping my ass, he grinned at my flustered face.

“Go away. I was going to change.”

“Why is that stopping you? I’ve seen you naked before.”

“Which is silly! I’m twenty now.”

“A number doesn’t change anything.”

“Stop arguing. I don’t want you here,” I concluded and crossed my arms as I moved my head to one side in pure defiance.

When he didn’t speak, I poked an eye open, to see he was hovering over me with that sexy smile of his.

“You really don’t want me, Cassandra?” That oozing delicacy of hotness had my every goose bump popping up as I stared at him like he was the next chocolate cake on my list.

“I do…I mean…no! Dammit, Adonis! Take your seducing voodoo out of my change room.” I pushed him slightly and he chuckled.

“Boo.” He leaned in so close that my body froze. “That’s no fun, Cassandra.”

This lethal man knows I like it when I’m called by my full name…in bed.

I felt my bra loosen then, and I watched it drop to the floor like it had lost its purpose in life. My eyes returned to the culprit, noticing how his index finger returned to his pressed lips, that sharp fingernail shining it had won a bloody reward.

“Oops. I’ll pay for that.” With a wink, he was out of my change room. I was ready to run out and beat his ass up, but I really didn’t want my girls to be on the next cover of Supernatural Daily.

Damn you, Adonis!

With a huff, I locked the door and began to change into my black yoga tights and red crop top.

“Did you hear supernaturals are getting kidnapped lately?”

“Huh? No way.”

The sudden gossip made me pause as I readied to unlock the door once more.

“It’s in the hidden news articles. They don’t want to bring it to the public eye yet because they’re not sure if they’re kidnapping innocent supernaturals or criminals working for organizations. It’s an apparent mess. I overheard my boss talking about it.”

“That’s scary, but I guess it’s nothing we have to worry about.”

“Being a human is hard when the rest of the world is better than you, but I guess you have a point.”

“C’mon, let’s go cheer ourselves up with ice cream and some more shopping.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

With a frown, I pondered what they had just said.

“Why would anyone kidnap supernaturals?” I quietly questioned. With a shrug, I picked my favorite sets and left the change room.

I only lasted five steps before something kissed me on the cheek. My whole face burned hot as I slowly looked to see Adonis now leaning against the wall of the entrance to the changerooms.

“Your butt looks extra cute in yoga pants, too.” He nodded in agreement. “You also forgot to put underwear on.” I rushed back to the change room to see the underwear I remembered putting on was on the floor with a clean cut at the waistline.

One thing I always forgot about the twins. The two could exchange powers with little effort.

In this case, Adonis was using Otis’s supernatural speed.

“Adonis von Dolorosa! You’re a dead incubus! Those are my favorite!”

I already knew he was gone, running like his life depended on it, but I’d get him back for this. I always got payback.

Shaking my head, I crouched down to pick up the lace panties, had a moment of silence for their loss, and threw them in the garbage on the way out.

Note to self. Never bring my supernatural brothers lingerie shopping.

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is a reverse harem author who specializes in paranormal, fantasy, and urban romance.

She especially loves writing strong main characters and is excited for all the books that are approaching.

~Books by Avery Song~

WILLOW’S FORBIDDEN PACK

Wolf Awakened

Wolf Endangered (Mar.5.2021)

NORTHERN SHADOW’S PACK

Wolf Surrender (Mar.12.20)

CLAIMING MY PACK SERIES

Wolf Tamer (Mar.12.2021)

DEMON MASKETEER INSTITUTE

Shadows Of Hell (Mar.5.2021)

THE SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY SERIES:

S.S.S YEAR ONE

S.S.S YEAR TWO

S.S.S YEAR THREE

S.S.S YEAR FOUR

S.S.S YEAR FIVE

S.S.S. YEAR SIX

S.S.S. YEAR SEVEN (MAY.7.21)

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES (COMPLETE)

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four

Witchling Academy- Semester Five

Witchling Academy- Semester Six

Witchling Academy- Semester Seven

Witchling Academy- Semester Eight

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Three

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Four

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Five (Jan.29.2021)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Six (Apr.2.2021)

ACADEMY FOR ALL THINGS SCORCHING

Blazing Academy - Semester One

Blazing Academy - Semester Two

Blazing Academy - Semester Three (Jan.8.2021)

Blazing Academy - Semester Four (Feb.19.2021)

COWRITTEN WORKS:

SUPERNATURAL CAPTIVITY SERIES

Supernatural Inmate

Supernatural Outlaw

Supernatural Villain

Supernatural Savior (Feb.5.2021)

SUPERNATURAL MARKED MONARCHY

Psychic Prison - Book One

DESTINED IMRISONEN TRILOGY

Arrested By Magic

FOR THE FAEIRY ABSOLUTES

Celestial Prison

ROYAL CONFINEMENT FOR MALICIENT SUPERNATURALS

Shattered Princess

FOR THE PURELY DIVINE SERIES

Fae Rose Academy - Year One

Fae Rose Academy - Year Two

Fae Rose Academy - Year Three (Feb.5.2021)

WILLA SILVER ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

Daggers and Smoke - Year One

THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FAE CHRONICLES

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year One

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Two (Jan.15.2021)

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Three (Mar.5.2021)