I was grateful that Calev and I had had our moment at the pool, because it would have been awful if the first time a guy had touched me had been part of Alistair’s assault. Stop torturing yourself, Lennox. Images of Alistair whispering in my ear, and the feel of his hands trailing over my body were burned into my memory, the flashes making me feel disgusted and sick all over again. I pulled my knees into my chest and rested my head on them as I let my emotions free, my tears mixing with silent screams until I had nothing left but exhaustion and numbness.
The guys' voices drifted in occasionally, and my name came up more than once. I didn't really want to be rude and eavesdrop, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.
Ignoring them again, I took a little time to just relax, laying back and taking in the scents of the berries and vanilla bath bomb, when I noticed something strange. I was in water, but I didn’t have scales. I touched my neck and nothing, no gills. Hmm. I wonder why that is. Maybe one of the guys will know.
When the water finally cooled off, I got out of my bath and dried off before slipping on my pajamas. The guys fell silent as soon as the door opened, clearly stopping an important conversation. I narrowed my eyes at them for a moment, wondering why they were still in my room, and then crawled into the bed that Evander was currently sitting on. I curled up behind him, still feeling a bit hollow. Sleep was calling me quickly, but I wanted to know the answer to my observation in the bath.
“Can I ask you a question?” I said to no one in particular, not waiting for a reply, “Why didn’t my scales or gills come out when I was in the bath?”
“Oh, that one we can actually answer. You have to activate your gills by submerging your entire body, and then breathing in the water. Without that step you’re just a girl in a tub,” Lachlan supplied.
“And my song? How did I use that earlier? I wasn’t even trying to.”
“Different things can trigger your song. Fear, anger, desire. But earlier was definitely anger,” Evander said. He took a quick glance at the guys before scooting closer to me, “Now, I know you haven’t made up your mind, but what happened today is the exact reason you need to go to the Obsidian Cove Supernatural Academy. You can learn to control your powers…because your song, the song of a siren, is a powerful thing.”
‘And deadly,’ Tristan said through the link, likely not realizing I could hear them.
‘She doesn’t need to know that now. It’ll do nothing but make it worse,’ Van replied, turning to give him a heated look. I ignored them, trying to keep my numb mask in place. That was a problem for another day, I couldn't handle anything else.
"You gonna be okay, Doll?" Evander asked as he turned his body a little to look at me. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, waiting for me to speak.
"Yeah, especially since you're right next door. Just make sure my door is locked before you leave," I said quietly, giving them an attempt at a smile. They didn't look happy to leave, but they walked out anyway. Once I was alone, I immediately hated the idea.
'Tristan, I lied. Will one of you stay with me? I think I need to be held tonight,' I called out to him, hoping he could hear me at this distance.
'Of course,’ came back almost instantly. A few moments later, Tristan and Aeson came in, already in their pajamas. They didn’t bother to speak, instead slipping into the bed on either side of me, sandwiching me safely between them. I sighed in relief at the sensation of them around me, feeling safe once again.
"I'm sorry you had to come babysit," I whispered as I snuggled into Tristan's back. The scent of sandalwood wafted over my senses, mixing with Aeson's spicy cologne.
"No apologizing. You're not weak for wanting someone near you. You matter," Aeson said firmly, kissing the back of my neck. I snuggled back into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me, but my heart rate picked up in fear for a second, before I reminded myself who it was behind me.
When the tears hit, Tristan turned in his spot to face me, pulling me into his chest as Aeson held me tighter from behind. I don't know how long we laid like that, but it felt like hours. Not once did they complain about dealing with my breakdown. Instead, they whispered the sweetest things to me as they held my broken pieces together.
April 14
evening
Lennox
The last few weeks had passed by slowly, word of Clara and Alistair's acts already spreading by the time we got
to class that next Monday. It might be a huge school, but it certainly had a small town feel when it came to rumors. Whispers followed me down the hall, sending me into a flashback.
My hands were tugged behind my back, his hot breath fanned across my face. A shudder of fear moved through me as he whispered in my ear, his hand moving slowly over my curves. Acid rose in my throat as my stomach churned. Please, stop.
Calev’s warm hand wrapped around mine, bringing me out of my memories. The guys helped me through the anxiety and depression that hit me after the attack, especially when I had to recount it for the cops and give my statement. They had me come and recount it in court one last time. I didn't want to press charges, but the school board talked me into it. Alistair was eventually sentenced to a six month stint in jail, and put on the sex offender list. Clara was given probation for her involvement, but neither of their sentences were anywhere near as severe as someone whose daddy had less power and influence would have gotten. My mind drifted back to the courtroom.
As the judge’s gavel hit his podium, angry eyes turned to me. Alistair, Clara and their supporters all looked at me like I was the one to blame. Fuck them, I didn’t ask for this. But somehow, the shame of it all still creeped into me, making me want to run away and hide. I’m getting better with small touches, but I had a feeling this wasn’t going away anytime soon. My heart shattered for other victims of predators like him, who had it much worse in the end. But I will overcome this, I won’t let it keep its hold on me. It’s over now, and I can settle back into life again.
Calev and I were walking to Biology together; one of my guys was with me at all times, now more than ever. He hadn't brought up our make-out session, probably because of everything that had happened afterward. Honestly, at this point it was probably for the best, because I was catching feelings for the others too. Gah, what do I do?
When we got to class, Mr. Stevens had microscopes out at our lab stations. Calev stiffened next to me at the sight of the blood type tests that were stacked on each table along with a single lancet. Mr. Stevens did this every year, so it wasn't a scary sight for me.
"We have to go now," Calev whispered, leaning close so none of the other students could overhear.
"Why? I've done this a ton of times, it just tells you your blood type," I explained, still not sure what the big issue was.
"Supernatural blood won't register on a normal scale once their powers or abilities are awoken. Some never do, regardless," he explained, fear in his eyes, “I’m a gargoyle, and I was born like this. I can’t be here.”