“The heart is deceived just as easily as the mind. Trust your heart to guide you.”

I sit with my legs crossed, looking up at the woman in black. “But what if it tells you to love more than one? What do you do then?”

“Trust that your heart is right.”

 

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully, and it starts to feel kind of stifling to have one of the guys in each of my classes. At first it was comforting and made me feel … protected. But now it’s becoming a hindrance. I haven’t had many chances to introduce myself to anyone else because they seem to interrupt at just the right moment.

Finally, my last class is over and we can get out of here. I’m looking forward to holing myself up in my room for the rest of the day so as not to feel so smothered.

Jaxson is in my last class and leads me out to the car when a horn blares from behind me. I turn to see Justin waving out of a deep-blue convertible. I don’t know cars, so don’t even ask what type it is.

“Hey, Valerie! Come here,” Justin calls, gathering the attention of pretty much everyone in the lot. Jaxson glares his way and I hesitate before shrugging my shoulders and making my way to him.

“Hey, Justin,” I greet, smiling at his exuberance. This car alone has to cost a fairly decent amount of money.

“Get in.” He grins with a wicked smirk.

I meet his eyes, surprised. “What?”

His grin widens. “Come for a ride with me, Val. I promise I’ll drop you back home if you want, I just thought you might like to see the place since you had to leave early last night.”

I debate on what to do when Zane joins my side. “She doesn’t want to go anywhere with you,” he spits out.

Justin glares at Zane. “How about you let her decide. She’s not a toy you can boss around. Maybe she wants to come with me? Did you ever think of that?”

Both guys look at me, waiting for a decision, and I can feel the gaze from Carter, Cooper and Jax burning into the back of my head.

“Look I don’t want to make anyone upset, but … I would like to go explore. Just tell my dad I’ll be back before dinner.”

I walk around to the other side of Justin’s car, throwing my bag in the backseat and climbing in. Justin grins at me before turning to glare at Zane. “Move before I run you down,” he says when Zane goes to step in front of the car to stop us from leaving. Jaxson calls out to Zane and thankfully he walks away, leaving Justin to speed out of the parking lot.

As we drive my hair flies in the wind making me laugh. Justin smiles over at me and I can’t help but ask why he came to the school. “I thought there was some rivalry between the schools, one you seemed to be strongly in tune with when we talked. Why did you ask me to come with you today?”

He sighs, driving us along the main road towards his school, giving me a proper look at it. “I like you, Valerie. There’s something about you that draws me in. I don’t know if you felt it, but I did. I’m not willing to let some old feud get in the way of us being friends. Besides, I could always transfer. Who knows, maybe I’ll come to Light Shadows,” he says, winking at me before focusing back on the road.

As we drive along the main road Justin points out various buildings to me. The strip of restaurants that are in the middle of the community, the mall housing a variety of shops.

“So, where are you taking me?” I ask as we head back, away from the main sights. It’s been a little over thirty minutes and I feel like I’ve seen the whole community.

He reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze, not letting go as he drives one handed, and I can’t help but feel a little tingle of pleasure run through me.

He lets go as we enter a gravel driveway and stops at a small house on the edge of a river. I can see the edge of the forest across the deep water and wonder why he brought me here. 

Once he switches the car off, he gets out, rushing to my side to open the door for me. I get out, my eyes glued to the scenery. My hair whips around me in the breeze and the smell of fresh water assaults my senses.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” he whispers as he leads me to the water’s edge.

The soft sound of the water flowing offers me a little bit of peace. Justin wraps his arm over my shoulder and I can’t help but snuggle into his warmth.

This right here. This is what I’ve been missing most of my life. I look up into his gray eyes and wonder how I could feel so connected to someone I barely know, but as soon as the thought enters my mind I ignore it.

“Valerie Jones!” My dad’s voice barks out my name, startling me. I jump back from Justin’s embrace as if I’ve been burned and turn to find him standing there, glowering at Justin who seems to be unaffected by the wrath in my father’s eyes.

“Get. In. The. Car!” My father growls each word menacingly, his glare still fixed on Justin.

I nod and hurriedly grab my bag from the back seat of Justin’s car before climbing into my father’s sleek silver BMW. The only reason I recognize what it is, is because Nat explained it was the go-to car for rich people when her parents each bought one.

I watch his encounter with Justin and feel a little guilty at leaving him to fend for himself, especially since my father is ranting like a lunatic while Justin just smirks, unaffected. The only words I make out are ‘not ready’ and ‘cheating’, not that they mean anything without context.

My father throws his hands up in frustration and stomps back to the car, a storm in his eyes. Justin watches as my father backs out and mouths ‘see you tomorrow’ with a wink.

I slump back in my seat, feeling the weight of my dad’s silence and unsure just how to handle it. We pull up in front of the mansion to see Zane standing out front, his arms crossed as I get out of the car. My dad walks towards the house before he halts and turns to pierce me with a glare. “Five minutes. Then I want you in the kitchen. You and I need to have a talk.” He turns on his heel, leaving me alone with Zane.

I wait until I’m sure my father is out of earshot before I rage. “Seriously, Zane? You told my father I was out with Justin, didn’t you?” I ask, knowing the answer when he doesn’t speak. Who else would have? Carter and Cooper seem to respect a person’s privacy, even Jaxson, though he may be a little off at times.

He shrugs his shoulders and that’s all I need. “Well, thank you very fucking much. Now I have to go listen to my dad lecture me like a fucking five-year-old because what? You think you know what’s best for me? Best for everyone around you? Well I don’t have any patience for that kind of arrogance.”

I stomp my foot unconsciously and while I know it looked childish, it feels so fucking good that I can’t bring myself to care. It’s better than punching him in his obnoxious face.

He says nothing, and I growl, storming halfway towards the house when his voice reaches me. “I’m just trying to keep you safe. You have no idea who Justin really is.”

I turn back, anger making me speak. “Or maybe you don’t enjoy seeing me getting along with someone who wasn’t you or your brothers. Maybe you’re jealous.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, I hurry into the kitchen, ready to listen to whatever speech Dad wants to dish out. After all, he’s like my fucking keeper until I get this shit sorted out. I need to try harder than ever to remember what happened on my birthday.

He’s pacing in the kitchen when I come in, Cassandra standing next to him with a frown on her face. None of the other boys are in sight, which is a good thing, I guess. I’m not sure if I want witnesses for whatever is about to go down.

A crow swoops in through the open kitchen window, landing on the counter of the kitchen. No one makes a move to shoo it; Dad and Cassandra don’t even seem to have noticed it.

My dad stops his pacing to glare at me. “What were you thinking, Valerie?” His voice is raised, and I flinch from the intensity.

Cassandra reaches out, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

Dad takes a breath before continuing his rant. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in, Valerie? How much trouble you could have caused? How much danger you put yourself in?”

Is he serious right now? I’m on a fricking island that has two fricking cops. How the hell is that dangerous? “What the hell are you talking about, Dad? I went out with a friend. Something I have very few of these days, remember? All we were doing was talking and getting to know each other, and you show up acting like a raving lunatic. I’d be surprised if Justin ever spoke to me again!”

Cassandra speaks, her voice still soft and melodic, but a hard edge creeps in. “What your father is trying to say is you don’t know Justin. He’s dangerous. We’d hate to see you get hurt.”

“No offence, Cassandra, but if that’s what he meant, he would have said it. Even now while you were saying the words I could see him grinding his teeth. That’s his ‘I’m not happy’ face.”

Dad’s face has reddened by the minute and finally he explodes. “YOU ARE NOT TO GO ANYWHERE BUT THIS HOUSE AND CLASSES!”

At his explosion the crow jolts from the counter and lands on my shoulder, its claws digging in. I feel my body but no longer have control over it. Red mist seeps around me and both my Dad and Cassandra gasp just as the guys tumble into the kitchen holding … swords? Glowing fucking swords? Where on earth did they get those?

“You dare treat my daughter that way?” The voice is coming from me, but it’s not me. What on god’s green earth is going on?

Dad bends down on his knees, grovelling. “I’m so sorry, goddess. I am trying to keep her safe, but she is stubborn.”

I feel a smirk curving my lips and the whole sensation feels weird. “You, keep my daughter, safe? I think not. You abandoned her. She was placed in your care as an infant, and you have not yet helped her. Abandoning her was the only thing you did. She learned to grow without you. She learned the horror of the world without you, and she learned that love comes in many forms. None of that she learned from you. No, my daughter is much stronger than you give her credit for. I’m here to tell you one thing and one thing only. Stop protecting her.”

Jaxson has lowered his sword and is looking at me, a strange look on his face, and all I want to say is ‘help’ but no words cross my lips.

Do not worry, my child. You are safe in this moment. I just need to use your body for a little longer.

Whoa, was that a voice in my head talking to me? Yep, I’m officially insane. The moment this is over I’m carting myself off to the looney bin.

“What do I do, then?” the heartbreak in my dad’s eyes kills me, but there’s nothing I can do.

The weird voice coming from me speaks again. “You leave her be. Let her learn of our world, her world. Teach her, guide her. You all keep trying to protect her from magic, but she is born from it. No matter how many times you wipe her, she will eventually start to remember. That knowledge may push her to the dark. She needs to find her place in our world, not have it forced down her throat.” She pauses, letting her words sink in before turning to the four brothers who are standing side by side looking majestic, their swords strapped to their hips. “As for you four, guardians love their charges. Don’t smother her or she may never learn to love you back.” With that a loud pop echoes in my ear, and the voice disappears completely, leaving me swaying on my feet dizzily. The crow takes off, and the pain in my shoulder is the last thing to register before the floor comes up to meet my face.