Run

Sunlight burst into the room and I rolled over, groaning at the sudden wake up call.
“Get up, we can’t fix this bitch if you stay in bed the rest of your life,” Rhiannon ordered. I sighed and lifted the blanket of my head, only to have it yanked completely off of me not even thirty seconds later. A soft growl escaped my lips and she laughed.
“Go away, Rhea,” I muttered.
“It’s been two days already, the meeting’s tomorrow,” she replied. Persistent as ever she walked over to the bed and sat down beside me. “Tristan’s going insane out there.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I snapped. My eyes opening to find her clear eyes already on me. “Because I have no fucking clue.” I stood up and began dressing. Rhiannon and I had grown up together; getting changed in front of her was nothing I couldn’t handle. I pulled on an old pair of Rhiannon’s jeans and a shirt she’d managed to find for me. They fit well enough for now. It wasn’t like I could go shopping any time soon, none of us could leave the small apartment until we figured out where to go. There was no way in hell they’d let us back into the territory once we cleared the border.
“We go to the meeting,” Rhiannon said. “We take Jasmine as proof of what Helena has done and we pray like fuck that they actually believe us.”
“Who’s going to believe a group of teenagers?” The defeat was clear in my voice, Rhiannon’s eyes dropped to the ground. She knew the chances were slim. She knew that a motley group of teenagers was less likely to be believed when up against a headmistress. The door opened behind me and Tristan stood there looking as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. I felt bad for the guy; the life of the one he loved was tied to the life of someone he wanted dead. That’s when it occurred to me that we could use that to our advantage.
“Jasmine’s link,” I said aloud. “We can show the link between the two.”
“No, no more cuts,” Tristan hissed. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“We don’t have a choice,” I insisted. “They aren’t going to believe us otherwise.”
“She has a point,” Rhiannon piped up. “Why would a headmistress’ life be tied to that of a teenage seer? It does seem odd, doesn’t it?” Tristan stood there glaring at both of us before turning and leaving the room. He wasn’t happy with us at all. I couldn’t say I blamed him. We risked having the council take Jasmine from us if we took her to the meeting. Quinn stirred on the other end of the bond, my mind automatically reached out to him to make sure he was okay. It was reflexive; I didn't even have to think about it. I wandered out into the living room where Quinn had been sleeping on a blow up mattress. His inky hair was sticking up at all angles and his blue eyes bleary. He rolled onto his side and buried his face into the pillow. I smiled softly, I couldn’t help it. Finally letting myself admit to what I felt, it was one of the best feelings I had. Not that I let Quinn know that. Tristan had helped me build a wall around my mind, it wasn’t very strong, but Quinn valued my privacy enough to respect it. Our relationship had changed a lot in the past two days. I hadn’t wholly forgiven him for keeping his relationship with Emilia from me or for the fact that he’d already known that we were bound. He was keeping his distance. I hated it, but I couldn’t bring myself to change it. I couldn’t bring myself to confess how I felt. The very idea of Quinn leaving...I shuddered at the mere thought of it. I watched as he slowly got up and stretched. His shirt lifted to reveal a small section of smooth skin. I lifted my gaze to his face and flushed with embarrassment when I saw that he was watching me. Rhiannon moved past me to the kitchen and I dropped down onto the arm rest of the couch. I buried my face in my hands and tried to calm my flaming cheeks. It was going to take us all day to get to the meeting grounds. The summit, it felt so far away... I pressed down the frustration at our situation. We’d been forced to retreat and now we were on the defensive. Helena would try and play us as the rebellious teenagers to get what she wanted. I lifted my head, eyeing Tristan as he walked back into the room. He held the dagger we’d stolen in his hand, an inquisitive look on his face. I could tell he was thinking something over, but if it was anything like what I was thinking, he was insane. I stood, putting myself between Jasmine and him.
“No,” I said softly. “You’ll kill her.” Tristan snorted.
“You really think I’d do that?” He demanded. His words and actions didn't match. A silent Quinn watched on. He was waiting for Tristan to try something.
“Well-” I motioned to him and the knife, “-it sure seems like you want to.” Tristan clenched his jaw.
“What else are we going to do?” He ground out. “All we’ve done is sit around here!” His words we like a slap in my face. He was blaming me for all of this. I couldn’t believe it. I glanced towards Quinn; he was frowning at the two of us.
“Get her in the car, Quinn,” I murmured and turned away. Maybe this was all my fault. Jasmine never would have been involved if I hadn’t gone to that school and started asking questions. Guilt threatened to overwhelm me. Tristan had every right to be mad at me, every right to hate me, but I would make things right. I’d save Jasmine and then I’d disappear.

Being stuck in a confined space with people that were angry with each other wasn’t fun. We were silent for the most part, but when we weren’t, we argued. I sat up front with Quinn while Rhiannon, Tristan and Jasmine were crammed into the backseat. The scenery was a blur as Quinn broke laws in an attempt to get to our destination quicker. He wanted to spend as little time in the car as well. I couldn’t say I blamed him. I wanted out of the car, my wolf paced back and forth in my mind. I reached out to Quinn instinctively before realising what I was doing. I withdrew further behind my walls. None of them understood. A crack opened up in my mental walls. I tilted my head and watched the clouds in the sky all blur together. The streak of white seemed to go on forever. I shut my eyes and wished I was anywhere but there in that moment. My mind travelled back to simpler times. A small smile crossed my lips as I thought of the night I slept curled in Quinn’s arms. I don’t know why I thought of that right then, but it made me happy. I glanced at Quinn; I wondered if he ever thought of the stolen moments we spent together. I doubted it. With Amanda around, I hardly let myself believe that he needed to think about anyone else. I pushed the memory from mind and tried to think of something else. My thoughts stopped on Damien. Oh Damien...Why did he have to leave us? My thoughts circled round the questions that wouldn’t let me rest. Did Damien want to be like them? Was his life so bad in the pack? Was it me that pushed him? I shook my head slightly and took a deep breath. Damien, for whatever reason, was one of them now. I needed to accept that, no matter how hard it was. I stared at the highway ahead of me; the tar was sticky in the heat. Before I’d gone to that school, my life had been simple. I hadn’t realised how good I’d had it. Pack life... it was so much easier than this. I never would’ve had to worry about anything like this. I would’ve been trained, mated. I could’ve been happy. The submissive female at Zane’s side. The very thought repulsed me. I wasn’t submissive, even I knew it. I couldn’t live like that. If I hadn’t ended up at the school, I would’ve ended up somewhere else. It could’ve been worse, I admit. My father could’ve disowned me. He could’ve sent me off to live with another pack. It would’ve been like living in foster homes. Around people like me, but never home. I thought about the other younger wolves, the ones I’d grown up with. Many of them had left the pack, married out at the approval of the alphas. It was like trade; it kept the bloodlines fresh and helped us mingle amongst other ethnicities. It made us a little more diverse. There weren’t many that were my age, but there were a few and the alphas had gotten us all together as much as they could. They wanted us to make our own choices. To an extent anyway.

Quinn pulled the car onto a gravel drive. The car lurched from side to side as Quinn pushed the car to its limit on the gravel road. I clung onto the car door and put a hand on the dashboard to steady myself. I shot a glare at Quinn, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He was having fun. I don’t know what it was that made this seem so absurd, maybe our situation perhaps, but seeing that childish grin on his face, it had me smiling before I even knew what was going on. I laughed, the sound rolling off my tongue sounded foreign, but it felt right. Soon enough everyone in the car was laughing. I glanced over my shoulder at Rhiannon and Tristan. They looked happier, the stress, momentarily disappearing out of their faces. Tristan’s shoulders shook freely, the weight of the world lifted from them. My eyes fell to Jasmine, sobering me up a little, I watched her still features. The only sign of life was the small rise and fall of her chest. I remembered the day we’d met. My first day at the school and she’d warned me that someone I’d loved was going to die. I’d thought it had meant Damien, but what if I was wrong. I loved each of the people in this car, what if it was one of them that was going to die? Was I leading them all to their ultimate demise? I didn't like to think so, but it was a definite possibility. My stomach shrivelled. I felt the size of an ant in that moment. How could I have been so blind? Sure Damien was family, but had I loved him? Not in those last few weeks. He’d made sure of that. I glanced at Quinn, troubled by the thought of losing him. We’d only just found each other, it wasn’t fair. Bitterness swept through me and I looked away from him. When was anything in my life ever fair?
“It looks like they started early,” Quinn said, effectively breaking me from my thoughts. I looked up. He was right. It appeared that they had moved the meeting to an earlier hour. I sighed. This had my father’s interference written all over it. Quinn parked the car beneath a great willow tree, shielding us momentarily from the mass of people in the centre of the field. I felt his thoughts pushing against my shields. I hesitated before letting them down enough to hear what he had to say.
Rhi and Tristan cannot come, he said. I glanced at the two preparing to get out of the car, he was right of course. It would be in direct violation to the peace treaty. I steeled myself for an argument. I needed them to listen.
“Quinn and I have to do this alone,” I said.
“No,” Tristan was quick to respond. He clutched Jasmine closer to him. I could see the fear in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose her again. My shoulders dropped slightly, I felt for him, I really did, but he needed to listen.
“Tristan,” I murmured. “Your seethe leader will already be here, if he sees you, he’ll kill you.”
“She,” he spat. “And she’s my mother.” I briefly closed my eyes; I took a deep breath and faced him.
“If you come, they could kill us all.” His eyes moved to Jasmine again. He stayed silent and I knew he was thinking it all through. Finally he nodded. I let out the breath I’d been holding and got out of the car. Quinn took Jasmine from Tristan.
“I’ll look after her,” he said. “I promise.” It was sweet, but I could see it didn't do anything for Tristan’s nerves. I was anxious to leave before he changed his mind. We walked out of the shade of the willow and crossed the line into the field. The spelled barrier gave way easily to us. I was actually surprised that it let Jasmine through; maybe it could tell that she needed help. Magick was a fascinating thing. I attempted to centre myself, the way I’d been taught to when walking into battle. It wasn’t working very well. I could feel eyes on us. Whispers began, their words soft, but travelled fast. I could see my father, standing with my mother. She turned her back on me, but he, he watched silently. I knew he didn’t hate me and I hoped more than anything that he’d accept what had happened. I searched the faces of the crowd, looking for familiar faces and hopefully some friendly ones. I was hard pressed, until someone cried out and ran towards us. She was a small elderly lady, her hands glued to her mouth as she sobbed quietly. Her grey hair was twisted into braids, but even so it damn near touched the ground. Judging by what she was wearing, she was of like kind to Jasmine. Quite possibly a relative that had also inherited abilities, unlike Jasmine’s parents. Abilities like hers, that were singular, were often the remnants of a great magickal ancestry. The woman reached us, confirming what I’d already suspected. It was her eyes, those same dark eyes that Jasmine had. The clarity in them was astounding. Her eyes flicked from Quinn, holding Jasmine, to me. I couldn’t tell you what, but something in that stare told me she knew. Her wrinkled hands touched Jasmine’s cheek tenderly. This old woman cared for her deeply.

“She lives,” she whispered softly. I nodded, at a complete loss for words. “But she sleeps, trapped by another.” I nodded again, slower this time. We’d suspected as much, but now we’d had it confirmed. Helena was holding Jasmine inside her own head, a hostage of the mind.
“She’s bound,” I said. The old woman looked at me, confused. “Mind and body to one that wants to take her.” My words were quite. I didn’t need Helena overhearing what I had to say so soon. The old woman turned, taking my hand and led us through a crowd that parted around her. I was astounded at the show or respect. She looked so fragile that it seemed any number of these people could break her easily enough. She was an elder though, she held knowledge that the younger ones could only dream of. That made her useful. She led us to the very centre of the loose circle. I could feel the others reaching out, trying to get a feel of our group. The curiosity in the clearing was almost tangible. We stopped walking and I saw what everyone was crowded around. A glass orb sat in what I assumed was the direct centre of the clearing. It was bigger than the ones that you see on T.V with phony psychics. It was closer to being-
“A seer stone,” Quinn murmured, finishing my thoughts. A smile threatened the corners of my lips, a seer stone didn't lie. It physically couldn’t. Quinn lowered Jasmine to the grass as the woman led me forward, we stopped with me directly in front of the stone and she motioned me forward. I lifted my hands on instinct and placed them palm down on the stone. A glowing light radiated from beneath my palms, spreading outwards as a white hot pain travelled from my fingertips, up and over my wrist, engulfing my forearms and elbows it slowly made its way to my heart. I clamped my lips shut to keep from crying out as a feeling similar to heartburn magnified threatened to consume my heart. My vision went dark and I thought for a second I was going to pass out. Then everything cleared and it was as if I was standing in the middle of the courtyard at school again. I could see Jasmine and Quinn having an argument, he shoulders went slack and as I moved I saw another me running across the quad. I paused, realising that this was only a memory and the instinct that told me to save her wasn’t going to be of any help. I stayed rooted to the spot, watching a frantic Tristan try and pummel a bemused Quinn. The memory disappeared and I was standing in the infirmary, the past me was talking to Tristan. He looked defeated; I hadn’t remembered him being so hollow and empty. My heart reached out for him just as the scene changed. We were in the house; Damien was there, this was right before we were led off to the clearing. The scene hadn’t changed like I thought it would. I followed the figures, realising where I’d seen them before, the photos. The ones that were hidden in the dorm. The clearing came into view. There was Jasmine and Helena, and all the dead students. The scene momentarily changed, showing Damien dying at the school, and then back, showing Damien standing in the flesh, untouched by death. I heard gasps from people around me, people I couldn’t actually see in that moment. The scene progressed, showing the heated words exchanged between the alpha and I. The wolves dispersed and Helena began, leaning over Jasmine. This was the evidence we needed. This was what the council would need to convict Helena of her crimes. The identical cuts on their necks, our retreat. The vision died and I was left blinking rapidly to clear the darkness from my eyes. I removed my hands from the stone as the tingling died down. I felt like I’d been electrocuted. I looked towards the old woman. Her lips were parted, her eyes trained on the blank stone. She couldn’t believe it either. There were people moving around us, yelling, a few disbanded from the group and chased something across the darkening field. Helena. They wouldn’t catch her. I knew they wouldn’t. A sinking feeling developed in my stomach.
Fire erupted in a ring around our circle.
Curiosity turned to chaos.
The ring of fire tightened, forcing everyone in closer. I could see the terror in the eyes of some and outrage in others. We were trapped. The firelight illuminated Helena’s face, I hadn’t realised how dark it had gotten in that time it took to share my memories. She smiled a sadistic little grin.
“Now, now,” she said. “We still have things to discuss.”

Helena’s demands were simple. She wanted control. As an ageing witch she’d found a serum to bring back her youth, the problem being, it needed a sacrifice. One that would be taxing on the magickal community. She needed three witches from the original bloodlines. While there were many related to those of the bloodline, it seemed unlikely that anyone was going to willingly give themselves or someone else up just so Helena could live longer. Her second demand was the return of Jasmine and the third, well; the third was a safe passage for her followers. In other words, we couldn’t kill the dead students. None of her demands were ones we could comply to, yet we were in no position to decline. I could see the elders all grouped together, quietly discussing their options. We didn’t have many and they knew it. Jasmine’s relative looked back at us, sitting beside Jasmine’s form. Her face changed and for a second, I thought she was going to let Helena have her. She moved to our side and knelt beside Jasmine. Three other elderly witches moved in beside her, edging Quinn and I away from the girl. I watched as they held their hands palm down over Jasmine’s form. The elderly woman looked up, mouthing something over and over.
“The knife,” she hissed at me. “Give me the knife!” I looked at her bemused, how did she know we had it? I was unsettled by this revelation, but I did as she asked. She took the knife and made a small cut on the back of Jasmine’s neck. It mirrored my own faint scar. I touched the back of my neck, my fingers caressing the very small indent. Jasmine’s eyes opened as the connection with Helena cleared. The problem was, with her so open and vulnerable, it could latch on to any one person in the clearing. Apparently the elderly lady had thought of this. She began humming something under her breath before lifting her eyes to mine. I felt like I’d run straight into a brick wall.
I fell.
I opened my eyes to a starry sky. Quinn held me cradled in his lap. My skull felt just as it had the night when I’d undergone a similar ritual. I lifted my head and felt the world spin. The fire was even closer than it had been before. It was closing in. Jasmine sat with the elderly lady, smiling and laughing. I all but threw myself against her, my arms coming around her slender form. She laughed and I was so grateful to hear it that I almost cried. I leant back to look at her. She looked smaller, but the light was still in her eyes.
“I knew you’d save me,” she whispered in my ear. I let her go and watched the ring move slowly closer. Helena was pissed.
“We have to get out of here,” I said absently. “All of us.” Jasmine sucked her lower lip into her mouth, her eyes darting around the clearing.
“We need someone on the outside,” she murmured. A light bulb went on in my head. I sighed, frustrated with myself for not having thought of it before. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialled Tristan’s number.
“We need your help,” I said. Jasmine took the phone from me. A smile on her lips.
“Hi baby,” she said softly. “I’m fine, I’m fine, we’re trapped, but you, you can get to Helena.” I took the phone back.
“Kill her Tristan,” I murmured. “Rip her fucking throat out.” He disappeared from the other side of the line. I assumed he dropped the phone. I let my hand fall to side, a smile on my lips. I saw him, a blur of movement, as he raced across the field towards her. I watched as he pounced. Her form disappeared beneath his and the fire raced upwards before extinguishing completely. I stood up, moving towards Tristan. Everyone stayed where they were for a beat before surging towards her. Tristan was already on top of her, his fangs in her throat. He tore flesh from bone, over and over again. I stood back as the rest of the crowd did, until Tristan stood. He turned towards us. He grinned, baring bloodstained fangs, the rest of which was running down his front. His shoulders rose and fell in quick succession. He pulled his shirt over his head and wiped his face. Jasmine ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck, he swept her up into an embrace. He spun her around tenderly. I was envious of their relationship. The careful way in which he held her, but also the way in which she clung to him. I glanced towards Quinn; he was watching the two as well. His eyes moved to me and he smiled softly. He held a hand out to me and I couldn’t help the small curve in my lips as I placed mine in his. We began to walk away from the main crowd. They could deal well enough with the body; it wasn’t like we were needed. My parents intercepted us. My mother looked outraged to see me; my father however, looked pleased.
“You’re pack Ashra,” he said. “Never forget that.” My chest felt heavy, he’d welcomed me home, but he was wrong. Quinn was my pack now and Jasmine, technically. I could live with him and his pack, but I’d never feel right, never feel completely at home.
“I think it’s time I took my own path,” I said. I slid my hand from Quinn’s and hugged my father. The alpha in him held him rigid for a moment or so, but the father won out and he softened, sliding his arms around me to hug me back. When I stepped back I felt a little stronger, knowing that I had one alpha on my side was comforting. I’d need all the help I could get in the coming months. New packs were exactly an everyday occurrence, especially with such young leaders. I looked at Quinn, unsure of how this was all going to pan out. Before I could even think of where we’d go or what we’d do next, a cry rose up from somewhere near the front of the group. People were backing away from Helena’s fallen form. I moved closer to see what they were all whispering about. All heat from my body seemed to vanish in the space of three seconds. The first held me stunned as I tried to work out what I was looking at, the second had me moving forward to confirm my suspicions and the third, well the third had me reeling. The chunks of flesh and whatnot that Tristan had ripped from her body were slowly moving back towards her fallen form. I looked back at Tristan, searching for any signs of cuts or scrapes. There were none, but then Vamps healed quickly anyway.
“What’s going on?” Jasmine asked as she stepped up beside me.
“I-” I broke off, not wanting to believe what I was seeing. The elders began backing away. The shifters moved anxiously from foot to foot. No one wanted to be around for when whatever it was woke up.
“Ashra?” Jasmine prompted. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Tristan came to my rescue, speaking up for me. He only said two words, but those two words slammed against me, ripping the air from my lungs.
“She’s turning.”