Call of the Siren (Obsidian Cove Supernatural Academy)

Glancing around me, I spotted Aeson and Tristan leaning against each other, still out cold. From the blood running down the side of their heads, I'd say they were knocked out too, if not from the car, then from our assailants. When I tried to move again, I realized my feet were bound with the same large zip ties. Fucking dicks. Pulling forward some simple spells, I used fire to melt the plastic band until it snapped loose, my skin marred and red underneath from the tight hold. I did the same for my wrists before hurrying over to the others and melting theirs, laying them flat on the ground so I could look them over. The only visible injuries were the matching bumps on their heads, so I used Aeson's magic to heal them both until I was wavering again, then I shut down the magic so I didn't lose consciousness. I was currently our only hope until they woke up.

I tried to open the back door, but it was locked with no working handle on the inside. The windows were bolted shut and painted over, meaning I had no views of the outside. Eventually, I sat in front of my guys, rocking nervously as I waited for them to wake up.

Tristan was the first to stir, his eyes blinking rapidly as he regained consciousness. He looked disoriented for a moment, before he bolted upright and then groaned in regret. I scooted forward and clutched his hand in mine, "Take it easy, babe." His eyes shot up to me, relief flooding him before fear took back over. "I healed you both, but we need to try and wake Aeson."

"Are you okay?" he asked, trailing a finger over the wound on my head. I just brushed him away and scooted over to our boyfriend to check on him. I ran a hand over Aeson’s hair and trailed my fingers down his face. When that didn't work, I tapped him harder. In Tristan's desperation, he shook Aeson violently, his actions betraying the worry he was feeling. Aeson woke up, gasping for air. His face looked a bit green for a second, before he leaned to the side and vomited, the acrid smell filling the vehicle up quickly.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he tried to swallo

w down the next wave of nausea. "What the fuck?"

"No idea. I woke up and healed you, but we haven't stopped driving yet," I said, worry coming back to the surface now that they were both awake.

"We were bound?" Aeson asked as he rubbed his still red wrists. His were even worse than mine, angry welts forming along the edges of the marking.

"Zip ties," I answered, trying to slam against the door with my feet to fling it open. I'd take falling out of the back while they drove, instead of ending up like that little girl.

‘Let's not get hasty, we can attack as soon as they open it,’ Tristan said softly, though he didn't look happy about that plan either.

‘I'm so sorry,’ I said quietly, refusing to look at them. ‘You're only here because of who I am. You would have been better off without me. If they let me trade myself for you, I plan to do it.’ My confession was met with silence, though I could hear one of their panicked breathing.

‘I'm not sorry. You don't even understand what you've brought to our group. And you will not sacrifice yourself for us,’ Aeson said, his mental voice hard. I didn't respond, refusing to lie when I knew what I'd have to do.

As if on cue, the van stopped abruptly. The three of us scrambled to crouch in defensive stances, magic already dancing on my palms. Not knowing which magic to try first, I went for something small. I let lightning dance in my palms, forming a ball and building it bigger until it was a volatile mass, sparking and flowing between my hands. Once again, the elemental magic was easiest for me to channel. Now isn't the time to dwell on that.

The moment the door opened, I threw the lightning forward, smacking one of the masked men square in the chest. He dropped to the ground on impact, the lightning shooting out in all directions and taking out three more.

"Fuck this," one of them yelled, throwing a blast of ice our way as another shifted into a wolf. Before he could lunge, the others stopped him. "They're on the no harm list. She's Project M."

"Don't fucking touch us," I warned, throwing shadows around us and yanking my guys away from the van, hoping we could make it to safety. A large blast of wind blew into my shadows, revealing our location within seconds. "Son of a bitch!" I yelled in frustration, defeat slowly sinking in. I didn't know if I could, but I channeled Lachlan's strength and Evander's speed, trying to pick up the others and run with them. It seemed like a ridiculous idea, but I was beyond desperate. I didn't make it more than five feet, both of the guys protesting the entire time before I gave up. "Suggestions, guys?" I said, not bothering to glance at them, instead, keeping my eyes trained on our remaining attackers.

"Go, baby. Run," Aeson begged as he and Tristan tried to step in front of me.

"No, I won't leave you! Especially not defenseless," I growled, shooting lightning bolts at our kidnappers as they approached. Unfortunately, they were clearly strong supernaturals, and my hits didn’t faze them like it did the others. I tried different variations before they got too close, making it dangerous to shoot out fire and lightning.

Before we could react further, a sharp prick flared in my neck. My hand shot up instinctively, touching the feathery end of a tranquilizer dart. What the fuck?! The men in front of us all slowed down, sinister smiles in place as they watched us collapse, the fight over before it truly began.

I flinched as I blinked my eyes open, the stark white of the room a harsh contrast to the darkness I had awoken from. The room was exactly as I saw in the premonition, down to the small table. Though this time no crayons were in sight... or the little girl. Looking down, I noticed I was wearing only a white nightgown, my bra and panties missing. Feeling cold and vulnerable, I fought once more against a wave of tears.

The worst part was that I was alone, my men not in sight. I should have let the guys go when I had the chance, but instead we fought. They’re so damn stubborn. They shouldn’t refuse to leave me when it’s honestly the best plan for all of us.

The room had to be soundproofed, since there was not a single sound of any other living thing except me. After hours of pacing, I was an anxious mess, and my body was getting tired. My mind, however, was running through all of the possibilities of what could be happening on the other side of that door, each idea making me more uneasy than the last.

The door finally creaked open after a round of beeping, revealing a man in a white lab coat. I recognized him as the same man that had tried to take me that day on the beach, though this time he looked completely in his element. I glared at him as I backed into a corner, not bothering to mask my hate.

"You should cooperate," he warned, coming over and leaning against the desk so he could face me. I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to dignify that with any other answer. "I have ways of gaining your cooperation. In fact, two strong boys are going to make the perfect motivation for our little project, I'm sure."

"You won't touch them. If any harm comes to them, I will take you down, along with this whole building and everyone in it," I threatened, my voice feral as I put every ounce of confidence and anger I could into my words.

"I will if you don't allow us to see how far you've come, little mimic," he said, his voice calm and sure. He fully believed that I would cooperate, and fuck if he wasn't right. I would do anything to protect my men, but I would also plot and plan for ways to escape while I bided my time. Fucking asshole.

"First, we want to do some blood tests to get a baseline. Then we have some tests for you. This has been a long time coming, Subject 1 of Project M," he said, turning and walking to the door. When he opened it, a nurse ambled in, a tray in her hand full of needles and empty blood vials. I held back my curses, knowing he'd hurt Tristan and Aeson if I put up a fight. He seemed like a man of his word, even if his words were full of darkness.

"Just to prove that cooperation is necessary," he said in a cheerful voice, before barking an order into a comm. As soon as it left his mouth, a loud, wailing scream echoed down the hall. The sound of Tristan's broken yells shattered my heart, a sob escaping before I could stop it. Why wasn’t he using his powers? What the hell is this ‘project and subject’ shit?! I’ve never met them before!

"I’m going to cooperate, you fucking monster!" I yelled, flipping the table in front of me in my anger and utter helplessness to stop this.

"Now, now. You don't want me to have to call it again. That was just to show you that I'm a man who demands full cooperation. I've waited too many years to play games with you," he said, walking out of the room. Play games...like I’m a toy and not a person.