Page 36 of Beginnings

Som glanced over my body. Once I would have died of shame, but not anymore. A whole pack of alphas had seen my naked body less than forty eight hours ago. I was strong, fit and had enough toned muscles, hidden strength and fighting ability not to be too worried about going to Faerie, especially if I got to work alongside Blue. She’d teach me all I’d need to know.

Som grunted. “Thirty percent. And that’s only because I know I can trust you.”

I almost laughed out loud. No one could trust me, not even I trusted me. Instead, I smiled and held out my hand. “Deal.”

Som took it.

His skin was slimy and cold against mine. I tried not to balk.

“You sure, Yellow?” he said, using my new name.

“I’m sure, but I get to break the contract after two years if I’m still alive, not in prison, or just want to move on.”

“Three years. But I think you’ll want to stay, Yellow. After all, something tells me you ain’t got that nice safe human haven anymore. Have ya?”

I just smiled. Som didn’t know much about me other than I was a shifter and I’d been fostered by a lovely human family. Lies always helped with the fae. They thought humans were as bad at lying as they were. Besides the best lies were always based in truth, and I wasn’t about to give Som any information about what had just happened, or who might be searching for me. He’d drop me like a hot coal and then I’d have nowhere to go.

I was about to pull my hand away when Som gripped me harder.

“Hold on, Yellow, I’m not done yet. Let’s seal the deal, faerie style.”

Pain zipped up my arm and into the simmering core of my magic. I hissed. I couldn’t stop my other spirit reacting and heat burned through my blood. I closed my eyes, forcing Fire to retreat. Disgruntled at the surge of faerie magic, she curled back up, but not without spitting her displeasure at being bound to a magical contract.

“There.” Som wheezed a laugh, his belly jiggling up and down. “Now, go get a shower and cover your skinny human ass with some clothes. You can bunk with Blue.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll love that.” But I was already grabbing my bag.

Som chuckled. “I’m certain of it.”

The Bogwart waddled away. Wincing, I inspected the thick dark tattoo that had been burned onto my hand and arm. It wasn’t pretty. Thick vines and thorns twisted around my skin, drops of blood falling where they appeared to pierce my flesh.

I scowled and flexed my fingers. There was nothing to be done about it, so I made my way up the creaking stairs and threw open the door to Blue’s room.

I dropped my bag with a thud and grinned at the woman lounging on the single bed. “Hi, roomie!” Her slim fingers didn’t pause in their task of tossing and catching a small knife.

I didn’t flinch when the knife whizzed past my ear, taking a few strands of my red hair with it before it thudded into the door frame.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Blue’s pencil perfect brows dipped, joining the scowl on her face.

I met her gaze. “Nope. I’m here to stay, bitch, so get used to it.”

“Yay!” Blue squealed and vaulted off the bed. She ran across the small room, her bare feet slapping on the floor boards. It took some effort not to fall over when she slammed her much taller body into mine and wrapped me in a fierce hug.

I patted her back. “Well, okay then.”

Blue pulled back. Her dyed cerulean hair was plaited down either side of her head and she wore her signature leather trousers and a blue vest top. Her deep brown eyes darkened. “So that’s good and everything, but I know you, something bad happened if you’re bunking here. Wanna talk about it?”

I sighed, my stomach tightening. The events of the last few days were too raw to tell even my one and only friend. “No, not yet. But I need to stay under the radar of everyone, even the underworld, so I struck a deal with Som.” I shrugged even as her eyes narrowed. “I’m here for the foreseeable future.”

“You are?” Blue contemplated me, her expression dark. “You haven’t got yourself stuck in a faerie contract like me, have you? Not that I don't want you here—I do, I just don’t want to think of you as imprisoned, like me. I mean it’s so easy to make a mistake. Som owns me now. I don’t want him to own you, too.”

“Hey,” I said jumping on the other small bed. “I’m here and I’m fine. Let’s concentrate on that. I'll be his little digitalis dealer from now on, well, for the next three years anyway, so just call me Yellow.”

“Okay.” Blue sighed, but knew better than to push the subject. Then she grinned and reached under her bed. She straightened and dangled a bottle of vodka from her fingers. “Well then, Yellow, welcome to the beginning of your new life. Let’s celebrate and hope whatever you’re running from doesn’t find you and bite you in the arse, and that you live long enough to see the end of your contract and get out of here.”

I forced a smile on my face, my fingers closing around the bottle, then I took a long drink. The alcohol burned right into that hollow space inside my gut.

“That’s it, bitch. Drink it down and forget your last life. You belong to Som now.”

Once we’d drunk the lot and eaten a chicken sandwich Blue had conjured from the kitchen, I tipped my head back, closed my eyes and floated away on an alcohol-fuelled buzz. My bed and the room spun uncomfortably. Connor’s vivid blue eyes as he told me to run were all I could see. The ache in my throat was unbearable, and tears burned behind my closed lids.

I wouldn’t leave here even when my contract was finished. Where the hell else would I go?

I took a slow deep breath and gritted my teeth. It was fine. I was fine. This was just another beginning, one of several I’d survived in my life. Against my will, a stray tear escaped. Only there were no pink carpets, or fluffy bunny rabbits; no Lyss or Rawson, and definitely no Connor with this new start. I filed away my lovely memories of Lyss and Rawson, but reserved a special corner of my soul for the man who had stolen my heart. Another tear trailed down my cheek. I knew I would treasure those memories no matter what else happened in my life. But now I had to try and piece together the broken shards of my heart and soul, enough to survive this new life. And survive I would. Life was fluid, forever changing, and when it turned to shit again, I’d fight my way through the sludge and move on to my next new beginning.

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