Page 24 of Starlight Mates

“I’m not getting on that,” I protest, standing close. “I’m certain you will throw me off it just for shits and giggles.”

He pats the seat behind him. “If I wanted to hurt or kill you, Sun, that would be a boring way to do it. Get on.”

“Glad to know you’re creative when you hurt others. Must you be amused too?” I glare at him.

With no expression on his face, Finn holds the black helmet out to me. I still don’t trust him, and I don’t think I ever fully will, but I put on the helmet he offers me and get on the bike. It’s freezing and I have to cling to his jacket as he speeds through the academy grounds and out of the open gates. Finnegan drives like a mad person, soon leaving the flat road for the off-track dirt road that goes around the edges of the city. I don’t know why I bothered showering as mud sprays up my black leggings, and soon, I look as bad as I did before.

It doesn’t take me long to recognise the street that I was on when I ran away from my mates, even if I did run and not look at it all that much. It’s perfect. The kind of street a family of four would live on as their kids play in the big garden and their parents watch on. Picket fences, perfect fake green lawns, and big oak trees are dotted everywhere with their big branches casting shadows for kids to hide in. It’s stupidly big, their home, and as we drive up, I can see more of it than I did last time.

Finnegan parks in the driveway next to Onyx’s shiny black, boring car. There is another car next to it, one I don’t know, but I assume it may be Hollis’s. It’s a red, ridiculously in-your-face type of sports car that I would immediately mark the owner of as the kind of guy who tries way too hard.

Finn doesn’t help me off or wait for me as he turns the engine off and just leaves me. I quickly race after him, only pausing in the entranceway. The last time I was here, Onyx locked me up, and he might have apologised, but I don’t know if he will change his mind. His power would make it too easy to lock me away, and my Nexus wouldn’t be drugged up and content like last time. She would lose her shit and so would I.

Is that why Finnegan brought me here? So Onyx can lock me up again? Finn looks back and somehow, he just knows. “I’m not going to trap you in here. Neither is Onyx.”

“How—”

“You scream your thoughts, and apparently my Nexus likes to listen more than just when we are sleeping. I’ve never once lost control of him, but when you’re here, he doesn’t listen. Another reason I hate you.” Bitterness leaks into his words. “You belong to the academy now. Remember how even we can’t take you? Not that you ever did belong to us.”

I push down the insult. “You can hear my thoughts? How the fuck do you turn that off?”

“Not me, my fucking Nexus because of our bond and your dreamwalking. That power has somehow bled over to my Nexus, who likes to take advantage of the chance to get close to you,” he snaps. “And I don’t like it either. It only happens when you’re scared…like now.” He raises an eyebrow. “Like this morning, too.”

My cheeks burn under his intense stare. What did he hear? Onyx thankfully turns up right on time and saves me from having to ask if he heard me then. If he heard my thoughts this morning. Because if he did, I’m screwed. If he knows, I’d have to ask why exactly I’m not locked up and about to be executed. He would be free then, and my monster is a perfect excuse. “I’m glad you decided to not leave her at the academy, Finn. I would have made the same choice.”

“Everywhere is dangerous today,” Finnegan murmurs, watching me too closely. Onyx steps fully into the sunlight, which bounces off his dark hair and makes his eyes look like black water. He has a denim jacket thrown over a light blue shirt and jeans. Casual, for Onyx at least. I think I prefer him like this. “I’d rather she was being watched by you while I’m not there.”

“Where are you going?” I ask, ignoring the warm feeling in my chest from their protectiveness.

Finnegan walks out, and Onyx shakes his head. “Finn is investigating the death and hunting the Vian in the city. My father hired him because he is the best and the other rangers are fucking clueless.”

“I want to go with him.” I step back. “Can we?”

He frowns. “You want to see a crime scene?” When I nod, he sighs and pulls the door shut behind him as he steps out. He shouts, “Finnegan, we are going with you. We’ll take my car.”

Finnegan is putting his helmet on, but he takes it off, frowning at us both as he walks back our way. “You sure it’s a good idea to bring her?”

“Heris right here and I can speak for myself. I want to go and not be stuck in this house where you locked me up,” I interrupt before they start mansplaining my own feelings.

Finnegan and Onyx look between each other, in the way only people who trust each other and are close can, before agreeing to let me come with them. I wait while Onyx makes some calls and grabs his keys, and Finnegan paces outside the front door like he can’t stay still for even a second. I lean on the doorframe. “Why did your bear demand to sleep in my room?”

Finnegan pauses mid step and turns his devastating blue eyes on me, only to change the subject so I’m uncomfortable. “Isn’t it strange how the girl who was in your room last night, crying, ends up with her mate dead the next morning?” He cocks his head, a predator watching the prey he just cornered. “We can both start asking shit questions if you want. Don’t for a second think that because my Nexus decided to camp out in your room it means anything. I still fucking hate you, and I always will.”

“We will take my car,” Onyx announces, walking out and shutting the door behind him, completely unaware of the staringcontest he just broke between Finn and me. He knows it was me. He has to, but why isn’t he telling everyone else?

I plaster a playful, lying smile on my face to hide the freak-out going on inside. “Do you have another car?”

Finnegan looks back on his way to the driveway. “You don’t like his car, Sun?”

He smirks at that before hiding it and turning away. Onyx looks between us, his eyes asking a million questions. I choose to sit in the back, while the two of them talk about classes, Supreme Alpha politics, and more boring crap the entire drive. After about half an hour, Onyx parks outside one of the towers in the centre of the city. The area’s been completely cordoned off with yellow tape, and the minute I get out, I know why. The flowers are dead in bushes all outside of the tower. The stone itself doesn’t even look brown anymore—it’s grey. If I could slap my own Nexus, I would right now. This was a foolish mistake.

My heart races as Onyx opens the door for me, and after getting out, I follow them over to where the tape has begun. He frowns. “This must be a strong Vian. He’s even drained the life out of the flowers.”

Finn leans down, picks a flower, and spins the grey daisy in his palm. “Why bother? They don’t usually do that. In fact, I’ve never seen reports of them being able to drain anything other than living beings.” Finn crushes the flower in his palm, and I feel like he might as well be showing me what he will do to me when he figures everything out.

Onyx only sighs, lifting the tape and holding it for me to step through. “Another thing to add to the growing list of their talents. Including how they got in the city in the first place and through the wards.” Finn walks through the tape, ripping it like it’s not there, and heads straight to the door of the tower. The rangers bow their heads like he is their king, and I roll my eyes.Onyx touches my arm. “You can stay out here with the rangers. I’ve heard it’s not a pretty sight.”

“Blood and gore haven’t bothered me in years.”

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