Page 18 of Bonded By Moons

With a smile warming my cheeks, I traveled further into the tunnels. There's no running electricity down here since the tunnels were closed down, so my fae orbs are the only thing providing any kind of light. Its soft glow gave me minimal light. After zig zagging through the dark, musky walls a faint shimmer of moonlight floods the cave up ahead.

As I approach the drainage hole, I flash into my faerie form to quickly slide through the grate. The moonlight is gorgeous tonight. Twinkling through our once shimmering city, filling the streams with flecks of moon and starlight. It was a reminder of the beauty we could lose.

The buildings in the city are the color of the moon. It’s constructed of marble, concrete, spruce wood from the forests of the ancient days. The city has an overall celestial vibe to it with ornate walls that celebrate the constellations, stars, and phases of the moon.

The Decay hasn’t reached inside the city walls, so the trees here are blooming and flourishing with faerie magic. The flowers bloom and glow under the light of the night sky.

Out of the five districts we selected for observations tonight, Virgo is the only district to not get hit with a hideous crime yet. That’s why I’m stationed here. As one of the leader of The Ascension, I prefer to put myself in the face of danger than sacrifice a member of my family and team.

After slipping through the drainage grate, I scurry to the nearest alleyway and flash back into my human form. Sticking to the shadows like we’ve practiced, I trek north towards the tower I’ll be monitoring from.

The clock tower.

Rushing to gain a higher advantage, crossing the stone paths, I make it to the base of the tower. From the top of the tower, the Virgo constellations glow a bright gold and silver. The marble carved walls have stars and moons orbiting the structure.

Since it’s night time and I can charge under the rays of the moon, I decide to shift and fly to the top of the tower. I aim my body above the roof of the building and shift back into human form. The virgo constellation twinkles and twirls above my head, marking the center of the district.

I have a perfect view of the streets from here. Keeping my eyes wide open and my breathing slow, I strive to pinpoint abnormal movement, breezes, and flashes of magic along the ground. Scanning the streets counterclockwise, I begin counting. I guess now's as good a time as any to check in with the team.

“I made it to the top of Virgo, status update from all lines?”

“I’m almost to the grate of Aries, the trip took unexpected turns through the tunnels today. There was some debris from the ceiling caving in some areas.” Brucie reported over the communications orb.

“Glad you’re good. I just got to the top of Libra as well.” Brooks confirmed. I heard from Traeger next, and then the girls confirmed they were stationed and scanning as well.

With everyone in their places, there shouldn’t be much to worry about when it comes to being discovered. I trust everyone to stick to the shadows, and request backup if needed. Plus, we’re trained in combat and evasion. Being careful and keeping The Ascension on the downlow as much as possible has been key to our survival.

Two hours have passed since I started my search, and nothing out of the ordinary has come to light in the Virgo district. Thoughts of finely sculpted biceps, strong shoulders and back muscles invade my senses. Strong brutish hands that would feel so good wrapped around my thighs, spreading me wide for a feast only he could indulge in.

His fire. Even his fire was sexy. How can that be possible?

“Ughhhhh!” I exhaled a long, deep breath and continued my scans of the District below me. I shot a glare at the sky. “Moons save me or better yet, take it back!”

A sharp wind bustled through me, twisting me with its force and chilling my body to the bone. I guess I probably shouldn't yell at the moons above.

Something silver flashes in the western edge of the District. All thoughts of princes evaded me as my heart rate started to quicken. Within seconds, I flashed and flew down the tower, landing swiftly on my feet. Contemplating calling this in, I took off running in the direction of what I assume was a throwing dagger or sweeping sword. I decided I won’t notify the others to abandon their posts unless I can be certain this is hostile. Leaving my communications orb on and ready, I cross through alleyways, flying over buildings, doing whatever I can to stay within the shadows.

Emerging into one of the western neighborhoods, I’m almost to the edge of the district when I hear a shrill scream to my right. It came from a small cottage next to a bakery just a few houses down. There’s two floors to this cottage. The bottom has a shop sign over it readingBriellen’s Baked Goods.I assume the top of the cottage must be their apartment. Going with that instinct, I get ready to leave the shadows of this alleyway when two massive hands grab my shoulders and whirl me around. I instinctively disintegrate my communications orb.

I take recon of my surroundings.

A muscular body pinning me to his front. A bold and rather egotistical smirk greets me when I lift my eyes to my captors. With the hilt of his sword, he smashes it over my temple and I instantly see stars. I fall to my knees and brace my hands on the floor, swaying between nausea and passing out.

My captors kneel down to join me. “Well, what is something this pretty doing sneaking around in the night?” He tilted his head in that unnatural predatory way. The prick has the audacity to caress my chin and raise my eyes to meet his again.

I tried and desperately failed to keep my breathing calm, bring my vision back to me. Fear pulsed through me so quickly, worrying that I didn’t call for backup when I should have. No one knows I’m captured yet.

Thunk.

I’m alone. That was the last thing I remember before I passed out on the cold stone to the sounds of belts being loosened.

NINE

Willow

After training today, I took the time to freshen up on my studies with mate bonds, the moons, and some history about Ember Amethyst. Mr. and Mrs. Amethyst seem to have adopted Ember twenty-one years ago, when she was just a few weeks old. Browsing the books of the library hall, there’s no records of her common biological parents, no record of siblings, no birthplace origin. She is a complete mystery for the most part.

I researched further into the night of her parents' deaths. It says they were participating in their bond anniversary within the Mystical Woods, and were brutally murdered. Their bodies were never found, but there are witnesses that support that they walked into those woods and never came out.

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