‘Same,’ Calev said, ‘she was worried about it again today.’
‘I’m coming to terms with it. It’s not jealousy, it’s more my bear being territorial,’ Lach admitted.
‘I’m in the same boat as Lach. My possessive side cares, the rest of me doesn’t. But I don’t want it any other way, I just need her,’ Van- admitted, his gaze drifting down to Kitten. Lachlan absently played with her hair, content noises drifting into the silence.
‘She’s ours,’ Lach finally agreed, the others all joining the chorus until I closed the link.
She is ours, and I’ll be damned if something like today happens again. We have to be stronger for her.
May 3rd
Morning
Lennox
"Thanks for letting us stay with you," I said as I hugged Lilah close, feeling like I was leaving a sister behind.
"Don't be afraid to visit, the school isn't far," she reminded me as she tucked a paper bag into my m
essenger bag. She'd made one for each of us in true Lilah fashion, her teary eyes giving away just how sad she was about us leaving. She mentioned coming from a big family, so I think she preferred the noise and bustle of a busy house.
With one last squeeze I pulled away, following the others out of the building and adding my last bag to the car. Lorcan and Calev had delivered the other boxes to the school for us this morning, so all we had were the small bags we didn't want to send ahead. I smoothed my shirt, loving that the black lacy fabric and dark jeans with matching boots were simple but classy enough for meeting new people. Today was the day I would meet their Dean of Students, so I wanted to look at least somewhat put together, especially since I'd be under scrutiny. We'd agreed to tell the headmaster what we suspected I was, even though the rarity of being a mimic would likely make my life more difficult. At this point, I’d just rather keep my new family safe.
Pushing my worry aside, I closed the trunk before shouting "I call shotgun!" and startling them all. Evander perked up, and an evil grin spread across his face as he went speeding off for the front, before I even finished my words. "No, you asshole!" I screeched, pulling at his magic in desperation, and sending me barreling into him. We both fell in a heap on the ground.
"Now that's cheating," he accused as he kissed me on the nose. "What if I was only hurrying to open the door for you?"
"Don't lie, it's not attractive," I scolded playfully, making no move to get off of him. "I should maybe get a hold on controlling my speed. Though, this is a nice view,” I joked, kissing him softly.
"Seeing you using my powers is kind of hot," he teased, scooping me up easily despite him being underneath me. "Hmm, now I'm not sure I want to put you down. I could run us to campus?"
"No, you can't," Calev said firmly, glaring over at Van who completely ignored him.
"What's the worst that can happen? She's a fucking mimic, and I'm a vampire," he challenged, bracing his legs like he was about to run a marathon. Clearly, he forgot about yesterday for a moment, before realization dawned on his face. "Touché," he mumbled, putting me down on the seat and buckling me up.
"I think we should go for runs during the day, get a handle on this speed," I suggested, hoping it wouldn't get shot down, too.
"We can once we're on campus, that's true. The grounds are huge, and it has a ton of trails and sidewalks," Van explained. His eyes lit up at the prospect of having a normal life again. Thanks to me, they hadn’t had a lot of that lately.
"Yet, we wouldn't change a thing," Tristan reminded me from the backseat. I turned around and gave him an apologetic grin, realizing I hadn't bothered to shield my thoughts again... I really needed to work on that more. Tristan tried during our attempt at training, but nothing happened. Maybe I’m just too reactive for that.
Needing a subject change, I turned back to Calev who was driving, "How far away is the school?" He grinned and pointed toward the mountain where I could just barely see the tall rooftops in the trees. It looked pretty secluded, which was nice.
The ridiculous white car followed us again, this time a bit more obvious. Every time Calev tried to lose the tail, they seemed to find us, staying only inches behind. As he turned onto a winding road, they followed again, only this time a military style van pulled up behind them. The sight of it made my blood turn to ice, and an evil vibe flooded me that was so overwhelming, my hands shook. This time I didn't bother to hide my feelings from Tristan, since I needed him to see and feel what I was.
"We've got another tail guys, and she's getting an awful vibe. GO!" Tristan commanded while I fought down my nausea, flashes of memories that weren't mine popping into my head. A little girl on an exam table, the same little girl coloring in a plain white room, nothing else but her paper and crayons. Another of her crying as someone hooked her up to an IV, then one of her hiding under her bed, shaking. It was one after the other, bringing tears to my eyes.
"They've got a child. I think I'm getting some of Tristan's ability because I'm seeing premonitions of them doing something to her, but I just can't figure out what. Needles, IVs, a plain white hospital room, nothing happy at all," I explained, wiping the tears away with my clenched fist. Who the fuck are these people?!
"Did anything stand out?" Calev asked without missing a beat, instantly believing my words.
"I didn't notice any names or labels in what I saw. It was all just stark white, sterile, and cold," Tristan added with a shudder. "The shit was straight out of nightmares."
"They're getting faster!" Evander yelled before pulling out his phone. "Dean Francis, this is Evander Cole. We have a tail on the school road, please send securi?" His words were cut short as something slammed into our car, sending all of us pitching forward. The force of it slammed my head against the dashboard, the seatbelt giving out on me and letting me take the full brunt of the hit. From the sounds in the back, everyone else had the same thing happen. The world blurred around me, darkness hanging on the edge of my consciousness. Heavy footfalls approached us, my head turning to the side to see men in dark clothes and masks approaching. Fear pulsed through me as they flung open the door, reaching in and yanking us out one by one.
"Take the girl and the two with light hair. Leave the other two, they'll be feral," a man barked out orders, the others following him seamlessly. One of the men grabbed me roughly, flinging me over his shoulder. I tried to fight it with everything I had, but the darkness was too close. As everything faded to black I heard the sounds of my guys fighting, but I couldn’t see anything to reassure me of their safety. Please, just let my guys survive.
I was unsure how long it took before I came to, but I felt like I'd been hit by a bus. We were in the back of a work van, the windows painted over, nothing back here but us. The drive was bumpy as they drove us down a shitty road, heading who knows where. My head pounded, and I could feel the dried blood on my face. When I tried to reach for it, I found my hands were bound with a zip-tie. The hard plastic bit roughly into my wrists as I pulled against it, tears of frustration starting to form, before I pushed them away.