Page 28 of A Sky of Storms
The Potentials were put into groups and I soon found myself standing side-by-side with Noah again, with the princess from Stormcrest City opposite. I watched Fallon as she bent over and stretched out her muscles, her face neutral as though she didn’t give a fuck about who she was up against.
“Ready boys?” she asked with a wicked grin on her face, then took off before either of us could answer.
I didn’t wait for Noah, sprinting after the spoilt princess. She was quick, but there was no way she’d get too far from me. She darted off the street and into one of the buildings but I stayed on her tail as she raced up a set of stairs. Our footsteps pounded on the metal steps, the sound echoing around the empty space. I couldn’t hear Noah behind me, and a quick glance confirmed my suspicion. What was he fucking playing at? I shook my head. What had I expected? Couldn’t fucking rely on anyone.
Fallon turned sharply into one of the open doorways and I continued my pursuit. I loved the chase. From experience, it only made the victory sweeter. Sprinting through the doorway, I came to a stop in the middle of the room and spun around slowly. Sunlight shone brightly through the floor-to-ceiling broken windows, light glinting off the broken shards. Rusted metal crates were thrown about the place, though for what reason, I had no fucking idea.
This place was nothing like DH. Where was the graffiti? The stench of fumes? The homeless person huddled in a corner? It was like a shitty knockoff from the night market.
“Drawing this out will only make it worse for you,” I drawled, moving on silent feet between the crates in search of her. My heart raced in my chest with the thrill of the chase making me feel alive.
I started on the left side of the room, creeping slowly and listening out for the smallest sound—a scrape of a shoe, a breath. Something clattered loudly and my gaze snapped to the opposite end of the room. I smirked, spotting her running behind a crate. She was good, but I was fucking better. That little trick was the oldest one in the book.
Without giving away that I’d seen her, I crept around the perimeter of the room, ducking low and keeping myself hidden. I spotted her crouched behind another crate. I sprinted at her, readying myself to tackle her to the ground. At my unexpected advance, her eyes widened before she smiled broadly, letting out a laugh as she launched to her feet to escape me.
I was close on her heels as she ran towards a broken window. This was it. “You’re mine, Princess!”
“Not today, asshole!” she shouted back, her wings breaking free from her back ready to carry her.
“Fuck,” I swore under my breath, my gaze flicking to the open window. I gritted my teeth, pushing myself to run faster, but even I was smart enough to know when someone else had the upper hand.
She laughed, clearly enjoying the shit out of the whole thing.
Suddenly, she was knocked to the ground by someone, surprising even me. I’d considered Noah a flake and yet here he was, wrestling with Fallon on the dusty floor. She threw a fist into his jaw, knocking him sideways and giving her an opening to scramble away. Problem was, she scurried towards me. I dropped on top of her, straddling her hips and pinning her arms on either side of her head.
The twisted side of me liked the feel of her wriggling beneath me and the anger in her eyes only made it hotter. The wilder she became, the more I wanted to tame her, bend her to my will.
“Fine,” she panted, going limp beneath me. “You won. Now get the fuck off me.”
I leant towards her, my face inches from hers. “Will you behave?”
Her eyes darted to my lips and I couldn’t help but smirk. It felt good to have the upper hand over her, to dominate her like this … not that I wanted anything to come of it. I still fucking hated her.
“You wouldn’t know what to do with me if I did,” she replied breathily, then slammed her forehead into mine. I reeled back and my grip loosened on her arms, allowing her to punch me in the ribs.
I reached for her again, a growl slipping from my throat as I tried to contain her once more. Noah dove in to help and between us we managed to restrain her again.
“Give it up. Your odds are shit-house,” I said through gritted teeth. Blood dripped down my face, and I assumed it held the expression that was a mirror of how she looked. The determined set of her jaw and the stubbornness in her eyes called to the dark in me. It was fucking tempting to imagine all the ways I could cage her, bend that wildness to my will.
“Alright, alright,” she panted, looking between me and Noah, and bringing me back to reality. Entertaining those kinds of thoughts was like stepping into another gang’s territory without permission. Really fucking stupid. “Let me the fuck go, assholes.”
“We will when Nolan blows his whistle,” Noah replied from where he looked down on her. He was crouched above her head, his hands holding her wrists firmly in place.
As if on cue, a whistle sounded from outside, signalling the end of training. I grinned like a mad mother fucker down at her. I’d beat her and it wasn’t going to be the last time I’d get one up on Auger royalty.
“You lose, Princess.”
Irolledovertofind one of my followers had decided to stay the night. Ugh, I hated when they got clingy like that. I didn’t do sleepovers, especially in beds the size of a weight bench. She felt me move and tried to tangle me in her arms, but I was not about to let that happen. She was a means to an end. A way to get Fallon out of my head and free me from the angel’s tempting clutches. I wasn’t the only guy Fallon flirted with but at least I wasn’t dumb enough to be lured into her trap. I gave the chick next to me a not so gentle shove and she fell out of the bed onto her naked ass with a squeal.
“Kaydi, baby.” She pouted, holding her hand up at me like my shove had been some sort of accident. “I fell out.”
When I didn’t reach out to take it, her eyes widened and her mouth opened even wider. I was tempted to let her back under the covers, only to help sort out my morning wood situation. I ran a hand through my red hair and decided to think with my head and not my dick.
“Nope,” I sighed, rolling onto my back and stretching my arms with a yawn. If I gave her an inch, she’d take a fucking mile.
I didn’t remember her name, but by the time I sat up she got the not-so-subtle hint and scurried away to wherever her own bed was located. My treatment may have seemed harsh to some. I got it, who treated someone like that after sleeping with them? The thing was, I couldn’t show favouritism or she’d think she had sway over me or a higher ranking over my other followers, which she in no way did. The only person that had any kind of power in that department was Flynn, and that was only because we’d been friends for so long.
It was important to maintain the authority I had established since arriving at the House of Ascension. My rules kept my followers in line. I had no time for disobedience. Running a group was like a good gym regime, strict and organised, and it was one of the many lessons I had learnt from my parents from watching them lead House Mars in the Crimson Steppes.
