Page 6 of Shattered Illusion

Axel has a black and white pinstriped suit covering his lithe body, but even I can tell he hides a muscular frame underneath.

Those red eyes are honed in directly on me, and there is no mistaking the flair of lust percolating in their depths. Whatever Mr. Pennington sees when he looks at me, he likes. I doubt the same would be true if I hadn’t covered all the marks littering my body. I look like I lost ten or more rounds with a tattoo gun and decided to cover my entire body in ink.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen naturally pink eyes; you’re stunning,” he says in awe as he stops before me.

Pink eyes?What the fuck is he talking about?

I jump from my seat and race to the bathroom, throwing on the light. There, staring back at me, are bright pink irises. A sharp scream splits the air, and it takes a moment to realize the sound came from me.

There’s a blur and a gust of wind. Then I jump out of my skin as Axel positions himself behind me, his eyes looking everywhere for a threat. The only threat he has to worry about is me completely falling apart.

“Sorry,” I mutter, dropping my head into my hands. “I’ve avoided looking into mirrors, so this was a surprise.”

Cold infuses my bones as Axel places his hands on my shoulders. I lean back into his strong body, hoping he can protect me from the view in the mirror. This is all just too much, too quickly. I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises today.

“Everything will be okay, Bailey,” he murmurs, leaning down and brushing his lips against my ear. “I know this is a lot, but I’ll help you get through it. I know the headmaster personally at Stonewell, and he will do everything he can to help with this transition.”

I pull away and spin in his arms, craning my neck to look up at him. “So you’re not from the academy?”

“No. I am a lawyer, and there are some things we need to go over before I take you there.”

“I’m not in trouble, am I?” Jeez, I just found out I’m not human, and now there’s a freaking possibility I’ve already done something to get myself in hot water.

“No. Not at all. But I promise I’ll explain everything when we get to my office.”

I pull back, looking for any sign of deceit in his eyes, but all I can find is genuineness. That makes me feel better. I don’t know him, but part of me feels like I can trust him.Kind of like the guy from the lagoon,my mind whispers to me.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.” I clap my hands, hoping to hide the nervousness he elicits in me.

“I’ll put your stuff in the car so you can say your goodbyes.” He blurs away before I can say thank you, and I hear the front door closing.

This is it. Time to move forward since time travel doesn’t exist, and I can’t go back in the past to change the outcome.

Dad’s holding Mom in his arms as she wrings her hands when I return to the front room. We didn’t get to finish our talk, but I don’t want to keep Axel waiting. Without another thought, I throw myself into their arms, holding them like a lifeline. As much as I want to scream and rage, it won’t help the torment I feel. And I really don’t want to make them feel worse than they already do.

Extracting myself from their arms, I kiss Mom’s cheek, and Dad bends down so I can do the same to him. I don’t have it in me for a long goodbye, so I head straight to the door and open it without fanfare. With one last look over my shoulder, I give them both a shaky smile and step outside.

Axel is leaning up against a matte black sports car, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes intent on me.

I pull the door closed, my heart hammering in my chest and tears pricking my eyes as Mom and Dad cry together, begging me not to go. But they know I have to, and if I turned around, there is no way I would be able to leave.

The tears gathering in my eyes finally break free as I put one foot in front of the other, making my way toward the unknown. Axel gathers me in his arms the second I step before him, and he holds me the entire time I break apart. The gut-wrenching sobs finally slow, and Axel guides me toward the passenger side of the car. After putting on my seatbelt, he steps back, shuts the door softly, and then rounds the front, easily gliding into the driver’s seat.

The low purr of the engine as he starts it soothes the frantic part of my soul and, as he pulls away from the curb, I watch in the side mirror as everything I’ve known for the last twenty-one years disappears.

Somehow, I know everything will be okay.

Or so I hope.

Those of usborn post-veil-shattering have been confined to the human sectors all our lives. We don’t know anything different outside of the tall walls that keep us secluded from the supernaturals that took over our world. I’ve caught rare glimpses here and there of what the once-human lands look like now, but those peeks were fleeting. The gates closed far too quickly for me to see more.

Now, though? Trepidation infuses my veins, sending my blood sluicing to my ears.

Axel’s car glides smoothly through the streets of the human sector, working our way toward those gates. And once they close behind us, that’s the end of my human life as I know it. But I really shouldn’t look at it like that, though. From what Neptune’s Lagoon revealed, I never actually was human to begin with.

Which begs the question… Who are my parents? Why didn’t they want me?

I have so many questions tumbling around in my head like the super spin cycle of a washing machine, but where the hell will I actually find the answers?

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