Hidden Realms Read online

  It was enough different from a normal waltz that most girls couldn't have kept up, but Adri just relaxed in my arms and let me spin her around the room in a blur of green perfection. The rest of the pack fell in around us, James and Dom, Jess and Isaac, while Jasmin danced with Rachel.

  Jas looked surprisingly disappointed. I knew it wasn't because of Adri, she'd demonstrated that earlier. I was missing something there. I filed the thought away as Adri became comfortable enough with the steps to talk.

  "You're all such good dancers. How did that happen?"

  I looked around at the rest of the pack and then spun her out and back in.

  "Donovan has very inflexible standards when it comes to some things. Dancing happens to be one of them. In fact, I don't think I'll ever forget the expression on Jasmin's face when he told her she could go clubbing all she wanted after he judged her suitably proficient in real dancing. He said he wouldn't have her 'seduced by throbbing beats and soulless contact' before he'd at least exposed her to proper dance steps."

  Adri cut off a giggle before it could truly escape and then shook her head in wonder.

  "That's amazing. My dad thought knowing how to dance would make my first dance easier. It turned out to be a complete waste of time. Nobody asked me to dance and his lessons wouldn't have helped even if they had. Still, now I wish I'd done a better job of learning."

  There it was. We'd tip-toed around the subject of her father for days, but the sickly, desperate scent she'd assumed each time he was mentioned had largely subsided. It was foolish to worry about helping her come to terms with her loss when we only had a few more hours together, but I found myself trying regardless.

  "I don't suppose either of us talk about our dads much. I'm not pushing, but if you ever need to talk about him, about what happened, I'll listen. I'll even try to suppress the natural male instinct to present advice or solutions."

  She instantly turned to wood in my arms. I had to pull her closer to prevent her from falling as we completed the last few seconds of the dance. She seemed to relax slightly into me as the music stopped, but it was obvious I'd made a mistake.

  I cast about for something safe to say as the music changed to something Donovan wouldn't have approved of.

  "Sorry, the stipulation was two decent songs, and then the DJ could play three of whatever he was in the mood for."

  "It's okay, I actually need to sit down for a minute."

  Completely at a loss for what else to do, I led her over to where Jasmin and Rachel had staked out a number of seats. Rachel looked up with a sigh of frustration as we approached.

  "Big brother, will you please take Jasmin out on the dance floor so she can get some practice following? I tried to lead last time and she kept tripping me."

  Jasmin was my oldest friend, but the last thing I wanted to do was leave Adri if she was on the point of a panic attack. I sampled her scent at the same time I listened for the telltale signs in her pulse and breathing.

  Adri looked up to meet my gaze, and flashed a nearly-convincing smile as she waved me off, so I nodded and offered Jasmin my arm. As we walked out to the dance floor, I could hear Rachel and Adri conversing.

  "I swear she's going to explode…"

  Whatever else Rachel said was drowned out as Jasmin cocked her head at me.

  "You don't have to do this you know. I'm fine."

  Her voice was wrong, too loud, and rushed slightly, but she met my questioning gaze with a truculent set to her chin.

  "I really will be fine. Rachel's great company and it isn't fair for me to steal you away from Adri."

  I shook my head as we picked up the timing of the music and launched into the East Coast routine that we'd learned back when it'd been a minor form of rebellion against Donovan.

  "I don't mean to neglect you, Jas. You, Rachel, me. We've been the odd ones out ever since Dom showed up and paired off with James. I shouldn't let what I feel about Adri get in the way of my friendship with you. It's not fair to leave you and Rachel alone all of the time."

  I'd spoken nothing more than the obvious truth, but hadn't expected the strength of Jasmin's reaction. She missed the timing on her spin out, and suddenly looked as though she wanted to run back to the seats.

  The music sped up slightly and I led her through the next few movements of our routine before she got herself back under control. Almost anyone else wouldn't have realized anything was wrong, but I'd known Jasmin her entire life. I'd been the one she'd run to when her dad had gotten high and turned into a monster.

  I'd been the one to tell Donovan about the bruises and scrapes, and ultimately it'd been me who'd taken responsibility for her once she was orphaned and homeless. You couldn't spend that many years with someone, even just as friends without coming to know them on levels that nobody else did.

  "Jas, what's wrong?"

  "Nothing. I told you already. I'm fine."

  I shook my head as we launched into the last quarter of the song in a blur of steps that only Isaac and Jess would have had any chance of matching, but Jasmin steadfastly refused to meet my gaze. When she finally spoke again, she was subvocalizing, much too quiet for those around to hear over the music.

  "You're going to send her away tonight, aren't you?"

  It was my turn to miss a cue, but it shouldn't have surprised me that she'd anticipate my intentions.

  "I have to. We're going to die tonight and the only way to guarantee her safety is to get her out of town."

  "But you're not planning on bringing her back if you win?"

  Something inside me withered as I realized Jas was right. I hadn't ever thought that far because I'd never expected to survive the night, but I couldn't bring her back, couldn't expose her to the level of danger she'd be in once the Coun'hij found out about her.

  Jasmin watched my thoughts stutter across my face and then shook her head.

  "Don't send her away. She needs to be here as much as you need her to be here."

  "Jas, you were the one who said I shouldn't have saved her in the first place."

  The song was nearing the end, but Jasmin clung to me with incredible strength, momentarily refusing to be led.

  "I was wrong, Alec. Sending her away would be a terrible thing for both of you. I don't want to see you pining away after something you want more than anything else, something you can never have."

  There was a raw, bleeding pain to her voice that I'd never heard from Jasmin. She'd taken the worst abuse her father had been able to dish out and dried the tears away as soon as the pain had left. This was something else. Something new, or possibly just buried deeper than anything else she'd ever shown me.

  The music ended and she released me, but her eyes pleaded with me to understand as she turned and headed back to Rachel and Adri.

  Brandon's pack chose that moment to make their appearance. I'd overheard enough whispered gossip at school to know Britney had finally conquered her Everest. She was hanging off of Brandon like he was oxygen, and I spared a moment to wonder if she'd started realizing he wasn't what he pretended to be, or if he'd already addicted her to his touch.

  Vincent and Cassie trailed along behind their alpha, and it was obvious the date was nothing more than a matter of convenience. Cassie had only ever had one target since Brandon had manifested his power. Vincent would do for an escort, and possibly even for more, but it was Brandon's arm she so desperately wanted to be on. It was part of what kept the rest of the pack in line.

  Even if they hadn't been scared of Brandon they would have been scared of Cassie and the lengths she'd go to in order to secure his attention.

  Jasmin muttered something about an over-dressed trollop and then pulled Rachel to her feet and gently shoved her towards me.

  Adri was still looking brave, if somewhat distracted by the other pack, and I felt the briefest surge of jealousy as I led Rachel out onto the dance floor. Every reasoning part of my being knew the elevated pulse was nothing more than fear, but a niggling corner of my mind cou
ldn't help but point out just how easy it would be to mistake fear and attraction.

  The music was big band once again, and Rachel was an easy lead. For the briefest of moments I managed to forget about Brandon, about needing to send Adri away, about just how few hours of life I had left.

  As the music ended once again I noticed that Jess and Isaac had drifted off into one corner where they could practice their air steps without taking someone's fingers off.

  Adri was done being brave. Her head was slightly bowed and she'd given up any pretense of conversation with Jasmin, who looked concerned when she wasn't scanning the pavilion like she was expecting someone.

  I escorted Rachel back to the seats and then reached out and carefully pulled Adri's chin up so I could meet her eyes.

  "Dance with me?"

  She smiled and nodded as she allowed me to lead her out into the center of the crowd. It was a slow song, and she leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my neck with surprising strength. It was the wrong thing to do, but I hugged her close to me, burying my face in her hair.

  "I know you don't want to hear this, but it isn't too late for you to change your mind. Even now, it'd be a relatively simple thing to have you halfway across the country by the time the challenge actually occurs."

  Adri cleared her throat as though trying to speak, and then just settled for shaking her head wordlessly. I wanted to press the point even as the rest of me wanted to follow Jasmin's advice. Now wasn't the time though, not surrounded by so many people, not with both packs present.

  Instead of arguing with her I held her close, enjoying the feel of her pressed up against me as we swayed with the music.

  There was no way they could have planned it, but the entire movement came together as though they'd been rehearsing it for days. I should have seen it coming, should have warned Jess and Isaac about going off by themselves. Not only did I not see it coming, I nearly didn't react quickly enough to intervene in time.

  Vincent and Cassie appeared out of the crowded dance floor almost as if they'd been invisible, and suddenly they were squarely between Isaac, Jess and the rest of us.

  James reacted exactly right. He shoved past Vincent, knocking him into Cassie and clearing the way for the rest of us. Jasmin was ahead of me, already cutting through the crowd with Rachel in tow, and then it was only Adri and I that hadn't joined the rest of the pack.

  I picked Adri up, rushing along behind Jasmin as Brandon and his fellows materialized only a split second behind us.

  We were moving with more than human speed, but there was nothing to be done about it. Isaac and Jess had chosen one of only two corners that actually had enough walls to be trapped in, and if we didn't stand together Brandon could cut us down individually.

  Adri still hadn't had a chance to fully grasp what was happening as I tried to set her down without taking my eyes off of Brandon. I failed, and heard a slight gasp of pain as Jasmin handed Adri back to Dominic.

  Jess was the most mentally fragile member of the pack, and being so nearly in Vincent's power had done something to her. I could hear her sobbing quietly as she rocked back and forth in the corner. I had a brief second to wish there was something I could do for her, and then Brandon and Vincent edged to within a hair of attack range.

  Vincent was one of the vilest people I'd ever met. There was very little he hadn't done, and he was proud of every defilement or murder he'd achieved. I'd always sensed that Brandon was his mirror, but never had true proof.

  Brandon was cautious, always presenting a good front, always careful to remain just to one side of the law. Only there'd never been any way that he couldn't have known what Vincent really was.

  Somewhere along the way since I'd last seen Brandon he'd begun shedding the facade. There was a hunger for death, a yearning for destruction lurking behind his eyes like paired black holes. He was just hours from achieving his goal and stepping onto a path that was almost guaranteed to land him on the Coun'hij, but there was a real risk he wouldn't wait.

  Vincent crowded in as close to Brandon as he could get with Britney between them, while Cassie rubbed up against Brandon's other flank, but my attention momentarily flickered out to the rest of Brandon's pack and I saw terror greater than even they should be forced to endure. They'd always feared their alpha, but it was the safe fear of something that could be avoided or somehow mitigated.

  The safe fear was gone now. He'd become an unpredictable force of nature. Several of them were showing obvious bruises or otherwise moving gingerly, but they pressed forward eagerly in the hope that doing so would save them from further pain even for just a few minutes.

  Isaac shifted ever so slightly, pulling my attention back to the more imminent threat and the unearthly level of power flowing back and forth between the two packs. James and Isaac were crackling pillars of energy to either side of me while Jas and Dom created a hum of background tingle just behind us.

  Brandon exuded a white-hot torrent that left my skin tingling painfully as through I'd been bitten by thousands of insects. I reached inside for my beast but found a void instead of the answering rush of power we needed.

  I could feel something stir weakly inside me. I let my hand elongate slightly towards its hybrid form, to verify that I hadn't somehow lost the ability to change forms, but the answering shift in my flesh did little to reassure me.

  My beast had always been a half-feared specter that'd required a tight, eternally-vigilant leash. Only now that it'd been subdued did I realize just how strongly I'd leaned on it for the courage to stand up to Brandon.

  For a second it was nearly more than I could do to remain where I was, but then I heard Adri whisper something too faint even for my ears to make out and there was no longer any choice.

  I sank down slightly in preparation for springing at Brandon as his lips curled back in anticipation.

  "Break it up! You kids back off!"

  Mr. Paterson's voice cut through the gathered onlookers with surprising effectiveness. He hadn't been at the school long enough to understand the risk he was running. Eventually he'd be like the rest of the administration and faculty, like the police even. He'd eventually learn not to meddle in Brandon's affairs, learn to fear something he didn't really understand, but right now he was determined to make sure we didn't ruin the celebration for the rest of the town.

  Vincent was edging ever closer. I didn't think that Brandon truly wanted the confrontation here and now, but they were like sharks with blood in the water. They'd scented weakness and had neither the will nor inclination to fight the instincts demanding they finish their foes while we were weak and vulnerable.

  James and the others sensed it too. Losing control and shifting in full view of the gathered onlookers was as much of a death sentence as anything Brandon might have in mind for us, but James had already picked up the fine trembling of a shape shifter only heartbeats from changing.

  I could see several of the others on both sides start shaking as Mr. Paterson shoved his way between the two packs. He didn't realize just how close he was to dying and whirled back and forth between Brandon and me.

  "I said break it up!"

  Things balanced on the edge of a precipice, and in the instant just before they slipped off the edge I felt my beast awaken with a roar of power. It sailed out from me with an almost physical force that pushed Brandon and the others' energy ahead of it. I heard a low, barely-perceptible growl that demanded obedience, and it wasn't until the wolves on both sides stilled that I realized it was issuing from my throat.

  "This ends now. I don't care who started what, you guys are done dancing. Alec, you and your friends leave now. Brandon, you guys are out of here in the exact opposite direction and I mean now."

  Mr. Paterson looked around expectantly, reacting as his training and fifteen years as an educator told him he should, but he didn't have the expertise to deal with this. Nobody moved. It was squarely in Brandon's court. We couldn't move until his pack had backed away to give us room. />
  "I'm not talking because I like the sound of my own voice, people. If you leave now, I'll forget this ever happened. If someone doesn't start moving in the next three seconds, I'll see the whole lot of you expelled and brought up on charges."

  Vincent wanted to rip Mr. Paterson's head off of his throat. I could feel the blood lust radiating off of him, but Brandon waved him back and ever so slowly the rest of the pack followed.

  We exited in a tight group, the hybrids on the outside in the most dangerous positions as Dom, Jasmin and Rachel tried to help the other two girls out.

  I picked Adri up as soon as it was safe. Jasmin called the limo before we'd even hit the stairs, and it screeched to a stop as we made it to the road. Adri was trying to be brave but she obviously had a very nasty sprain. She hissed a little as I lifted her into the limo.

  I pulled the soft pocket square from my front pocket and used it to blot away Adri's tears.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to set you down so hard."

  Jasmin still looked mad. She was slipping her cell phone into a small purse.

  "Any slower and you'd have been cut off from the rest of us by those mutts."

  Adri still looked confused. She'd been looking the wrong way and events had evolved at more than merely human speed. Dom was helping Isaac, sandwiching Jess between them, crooning something soft and reassuring in an effort to calm her down. Dom looked up with unusual fire flickering behind her dark eyes.

  "Vincent and Cassie cut Jess and Isaac off from the rest of us."

  Rachel leaned in on Adri's other side, whispering so quietly there was even a slight chance that Jess didn't hear her.

  "Jess is terrified of what Vincent and Brandon will do to her if they get a chance. She collapsed, and then everyone stormed the area."

  We hit a particularly rough spot in the road and for a second I thought Adri was going to pass out. She even smelled hurt and I could only imagine the surges of agony traveling up her leg.

  Jess sobbed quietly the entire way home, but Adri refused to cry. She whimpered a couple of times, but she somehow kept herself from breaking into outright tears.