Dark Wish (The Starlight Gods Series Book 1) Read online

  I sighed, coming to my resolve. My level of patience was withering away, being replaced with a slow build of anger.

  I never had to deal with females back at the facility. Throughout my teenage cycles, I kept to myself. I didn’t see the point of interacting with them. They wouldn’t be at the facility for long, too fragile to survive many experimental trials and were perfect for keeping the bear guards entertained. Their purpose; to seduce the guards in order to keep themselves alive a bit longer. If only they realized the decision wasn’t up to the guards. The Owner decided your fate.

  I didn’t need to deal with these girls who had some vendetta against me. They had their chance to seduce my boys. They should focus on their own reputations and maybe try to commit to one guy in a week instead of the multiple male students they were sleeping with. Plus, I had enough on my plate with my own crazy hormones.

  Ryder was the only one who been very forthcoming with his interest in me. Besides from Marcus’ recent confession, I didn’t know how the others felt about me or if Ryder would even be okay with the idea of sharing me. He was the leader, so whatever he says goes.

  “You think you can ridicule us and walk away?” Amanda snarled, her eyes glowing red, the bloody colour was identical to that stalking rat. Birds of a feather stick together. I can’t believe I’m about to do this.

  “Actually, yes, I do, but seeing as you all want to play, I guess I can spare two minutes. Give me a moment to set a timer.” I responded, pulling out the blue and gold stop watch I kidnapped from Marcus. He kept emphasizing how I needed to waste less time powering up and more time being ready to attack my opponent. Would this count as training?

  “We’re going to wipe that smirk off your lips, you boyfriend stealer.” Brittany roared, her brown eyes bleeding into black, the temperature dropping slightly. A demon huh. Pathetic. Can’t even drop the temperature past five degrees.

  “Can I burn something?” Lily asked, excitement flowing through my mind. I chuckled softly as I shook my head. You always want to burn something or someone.

  “Aww C’mon. I never get to do anything. Let me play too.” Lexi complained, her voice sounding upset. Hmm, you have to admit, Lexi doesn’t get to burn anyone with her dragon breath, you guys need to be fair.

  “You have a point.” Rose admitted, the other two agreeing in the background.

  “Excellent. Can we begin, I’m hungry.” Lexi whispered slowly, the menacing voice that echoed the walls of my mind made me want to cringe in fear, even for me.

  I honestly forgot, how lethal Lexi was compared to the rest of my spirits. She was calm like Hope, but if you underestimated a dragon’s anger, you might as well buy your own urn, dig up a spot in the cemetery and pay for your upcoming funeral. Though, knowing Lexi’s raging outburst, it would be difficult to find their ashes.

  “Once we’re done, you’ll know to never mess with us, ever again.” Courtney swore as a ball of light started to form in her right hand, her eyes emitted a light blue glow. I could see the small snowflakes swirl around the ball, progressing into a snowball. I looked back at the stop watch in my hand, setting it up for exactly two minutes, my thumb ready to press the button.

  “Funny. You took the words right out of my mouth.” I said slowly, Lexi’s power poured into me, my free hand begins to tremble lightly as my hidden markings on my left arm surfaced.

  I smiled wickedly as I watched their once confident enraged expressions fall, fear and uncertainty taking its place.

  “Let’s begin, shall we?” I purred, my thumb pressing on the timer.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ~RYDER~

  I walked into the empty training room, attempting to control the heavy exhales that escaped me, sweat slowly gliding down the side of my face.

  When Marcus’ hesitant voice echoed in my head, feeling the increase level of anxiety projecting out of him, it alerted me that something bad was about to happen. I knew the boys better than I knew myself.

  Marcus’ random emotional fluctuations were normal to me, happening more than enough times for me to predict the onsets, especially in regards to triggering his shift. Anxiety was one of those predictions, cueing me in on two possibilities; he was either having a nightmare, which at this time in the morning would be impossible seeing as Marcus always trained early, rain or shine, or someone close to him was in trouble.

  Partnered with Elias’ frantic voice and Daniel’s feelings of worry slamming into my mind through our knight bond, I could only come up with one shifter who could induce such a reaction from those three; Makoto.

  I had been meditating, my mind clear and calm till I heard my demon’s snarl.

  “Where. Is. She.” His level of anger broke my concentration, pulling me out of my hypnotic state.

  “Locker room! The trio bitches were discussing jumping Mako if they got the opportunity. I didn’t know Mako wasn’t with Marcus.” Elias’ frantic voice huffed.

  “Mako always showers at home, but we worked up more sweat than usual, so she opted in to showering there. We’re headed there now.” Marcus’ voice explained.

  I bolted up from my meditation pose, slipping my black runners on and heading out the door in one smooth movement. I was trying my best to ignore my demon’s attempts to take control, his frustration was making the anger within me roar to life.

  Settle down. You trying to take control isn’t helping my concentration. I get it; you’re worried just as I am. You’ll get your moment of glory when we get there. I can’t let you walk around, oozing power like that in this section of the school.

  My demon retreated, thankfully not to enraged to understand common sense. I was still in the teacher’s section of Knightwood, having finished my discussion with Marcus and Karen too long ago.

  I didn’t need to deal with multiple stares from those inferior professors. They would only attempt to try and stop me from reaching Mako in a timely manner.

  The moment my foot stepped outside the teacher’s district, I jolted into a sprint. From the look of things, the others must have been at the house which at running pace would take them at least five minutes, give or take. I bet Marcus would love to fly straight there, but we had enough issues with blending in. We didn’t need him showing off his dragon attributes, especially for the fact no one knew what he was.

  From his appearance, everyone assumed he was a bear shifter. His sapphire eyes didn’t help with the guessing game either, the shade being a rare trait for a dragon. No one but us knew he had the elements of fire and ice, the frosty power being stronger between the two.

  The Starlight gods had done a good job when creating Marcus. I only wished he could understand his worth and love the image he saw every day in the mirror.

  As leader, I had to always be in control. That included not being influenced by the groups overflow of emotions. They all knew I sensed their moods the strongest, all of them doing their share to not burden me with their troubles, but sometimes they couldn’t help it.

  Marcus and his control issues, Elias with his family problems and Daniel…he worried me the most. His angel attributes clearly contributed to his wellbeing, influencing him to help everyone else before concentrating on himself. That was a big problem in my book.

  Ignoring your inner demons wouldn’t rid you of their existence. No, they only continue to grow, surpassing your limit and consuming you. I needed to talk with him when we finally got a chance, but I needed to deal with my own issues first, the main issue being Makoto.

  I forced my voice to stay calm, coming to the realization I hadn’t replied to the others. I didn’t get why they got so anxious when I stayed quiet for too long, but I guess my demon’s impatient personality was to blame for their reactions. He even scared me at times.

  “I’ll be there.” I announced, allowing my mind to disconnect from the bond. It was nice to be able to separate my mind from our combined connection. It allowed me to stabilize my own thoughts and feelings before entering such state of mind, not wanting to
reveal my own dark feelings.

  Two minutes passed till my hand crashed into the training room doors, my power slamming into it, activating the lock system to allow me entry. When I arrived in the room, I noticed three things:

  First, the room reeked of sweat and blood, the heavy metallic scent mixed with a variety of body odors assaulted my nose, causing me to cringe in disgust.

  Second thing I noticed, was the drops of blood on the floor starting a few feet from where I stood, trailing to the other exit at the right corner of the room. The blood scents were a tad different; notifying me that more than one person was bleeding out.

  Third, was the fact that the room was empty, not a shifter in sight including my blue-eyed brunette, which was unsettling. Where was she?

  My eyes landed on the pale pink door, the words GIRLS ONLY written in black, bold italics. Before my mind could even comprehend my curiosity, my body was already moving, heading straight to the change room.

  I slammed my hand against the door, the usual magic lock not lighting up at my output of magic, opening with the push of my hand. Broken, not a good sign.

  I walked in, preparing my heart for the worse when a wave of relief hit me as my eyes descended on the girl before me. A pair of vibrant turquoise eyes looked up towards me, her arms over her head, stopping mid way of pulling on a white and pink shirt.

  My eyes couldn’t help but gaze down her exposed body, her bountiful sized breast encased in a neon pink and white laced bra. Her markings were on full display, the gorgeous swirls and rose patterns outlined her slim waist, trailing down her hips continuing its descent into her white shorts. They resurfaced from the bottom half of her thighs, encircling her legs all the way down to her ankles.

  I’d seen her markings a few times now, the first time was when she’d accidently sleep walked into my room. She jumped out of my bed, cursing at the realization she’d somehow unlocked my magic infused door and snuck into my bed, without me noticing. I was a light sleeper in the beginning half of the night, so I was impressed at her subconscious skills at hiding her presence. My heart started to quicken as my arousal assaulted my body, making me hard. I took one more second to enjoy the image before me, burning it into my memory for future purposes, before focusing on the problem at hand.

  “Well, hello to you too Ryder. I know it's been four hours since I last saw you, but I don’t think you need to barge into the girls change room to see me. I would have seen you at breakfast in ten minutes.” She greeted, taking a moment to look at my appearance, which probably looked like a chaotic mess. She slid the top over her head, pulling the shirt down, the soft fabric clinging to her like a glove, emphasizing her luscious curves, which wasn’t helping my attempt at ignoring my desire for her.

  I walked forward, stopping an inch away from her, our bodies’ only centimeters from touching. I took a moment to analyze her naturally pale complexion; those turquoise eyes were even more fascinating up close, reminding me of the clear blue sky.

  My eyes landed on her cherry lips as her teeth bit the corner, the action slow and enticing. I came to understand her habit of biting her lip, usually indicated she was either nervous or sexual aroused. My calculative nature leaned towards option two. I brushed my hand against her cheek before guiding it through her loose wet hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

  The relief of her being safe flowed through me, leaking into the knight bond as I pushed my mouth against hers. I tried to control the wave of desire that crashed into me as my lips pressed against hers, wasting no time, I pushed my tongue between her lips, needing to taste her.

  She let out a moan, her body pressing against mine as her arms gripped at my waist, pulling me against her. I closed my eyes, the passion engulfing my anxiety and fear, as my groin pressed against her. The sensual contact caused me to moan, as my other hand wrapped around her, squeezing her perky ass. Her body was perfect to me; her exquisite curves only increased my attraction to her.

  I forced myself to pull away, my body protesting my actions. I’d love to continue making out with the woman I cared about, but I needed to make sure she was okay. I knew the others were close; I needed to get some of the facts before their arrival. I just needed to confirm if anyone needed to be murdered, so I could get the others to hide the remains. No big deal.

  “Hello, beautiful. Are you planning to explain to me why there’s blood all over the training room and the reason behind the broken door?” I questioned, raising my eyebrow at her.

  I watched her shrug her shoulders, turning back to her open locker. As she raised her right hand, reaching into the locker to retrieve something, I noticed the long fresh scratch located on her upper arm, the surrounding area clean of blood but the actual wound bright red. I grabbed her arm; stopping her from moving it, as I inspected the cut closely, anger bursting to life. Who the fuck hurt her?

  “It’s nothing. I got it from training.” She attempted to yank her arm out of my hold, failing miserably.

  “Mako, babe, don’t lie to me. I know you don’t like causing trouble, but don’t defend people who don’t deserve such salvation.” I muttered, my voice cold. She blinked at me, her expression blank as she pondered my words. I was about to ask again when my demon surged to life, taking full control. Those jeweled like eyes doubled in size, fear flickered in her eyes for a split second before she frowned.

  “Makoto. Who in the Starlight’s name hurt you?” My demon demanded, fighting off my attempts to take back control. Ugh, can’t you get your answer without scaring her. He ignored my complaint, continuing his intimidation attempt.

  Her eyes closed for a moment, a wave of power blasting through the air, the temperature dropping severely. When her eyes slowly opened, we were greeted with royal purple eyes; Rose taking full control. Shit. It was never a good idea for two demons to be facing each other.

  If things weren’t bad as it was, the sound of footsteps emerged, followed by three sweat dripping males barging into the room. My demon glanced over his shoulder, taking a moment to glimpse at the new arrivals. Acknowledgement registered in our mind before his gaze returned to the demon before him.

  “Rose.” He greeted, his usual toneless voice hinted a spec of kindness, piquing my interest.

  I could barely remember the history between them, usually giving him full control back in my younger cycles when he requested to have some time with Roseline. I was impressed that after all these cycles, Roseline remembered Stryker, even with that mental block being applied on Mako.

  “Stryker. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” She acknowledged, her blank expression soothing into a weak smile.

  I could feel Stryker’s change in emotion, a mixed wave of pain and passion as he nodded. I hadn’t heard anyone use my demon’s name in cycles, myself, the boys, Matthew and Karen were the only ones outside my close family knowing such a title.

  “Will you be so kind as to answer my question? Makoto seems to be playing stubborn.” He requested, smoothly.

  She shrugged her shoulders as a playful grin formed on her lips.

  “You should know how stubborn Makoto is. She isn't going to answer your question if the subject being questioned isn’t important.” She brushed off, sounding bored.

  He raised an eyebrow at her, our eyes moving to the wound on her arm and back to gaze into hers. She sighed, understanding he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Demon spirits could be just as stubborn. Not to mention our ability to hold grudges.

  “The whore trio decided to challenge Mako. She was minding her own business before they barged in here claiming that we were spying on their outspoken conversation. They then proceeded to accuse us of stealing their men, which was quite entertaining. I wouldn’t have guessed the black-haired chick who has a crush on Daniel was Bisexual. Interesting topic really.” Rose explained, waving her hand in a dismissive matter.

  “Roseline, please. Off topic.” Stryker announced.

  “Oh, right. Anyways, Mako revealed their little dark secrets a
nd was on her way when the black-haired chick froze the door shut. They then challenged her, stating they were going to teach us a lesson. Hah, what foolishness. As much as I wanted to have some play time, Lexi stole the show, claiming we don’t give her enough opportunities to put people in their place. So, they took it outside in the training room. It was almost boring to watch, though their hysterical screams felt like music to my ears. They ran away before Lexi could turn them into ash, such a shame. She didn’t leave them unharmed of course. I bet they bled all over the training room.” She concluded.

  Stryker shook his head, though the small grin on his face demonstrated how amusing her story was. Those girls had the guts to challenge a shifter with four spirits. They clearly had no idea how outmatched they were, even with three of them.

  “So, in conclusion, you kicked ass.”

  “Yup. We’re fine; the wound won’t take long to heal. Though, I’ll be taking my leave. Mako’s low on energy. Don’t want her fainting as usual.” Rose admitted.

  She stepped forward, her body leaning into Stryker. Her lips pressed against our cheek and I felt a flood of emotions from Stryker – joy, desire, love.

  “Nice to see you again Stryker. Let’s catch-up soon. Farewell, Mako’s lovers.” She mused, waving her hand at the three stunned boys behind us before her eyes closed, the temperature rising slightly. Mako’s lovers…not bad.

  “Likewise.” Stryker concluded, pulling back to allow me full control again. I sighed in relief, attempting to ignore the wave of dizziness that crashed into me. Are you happy with your moment of glory? Next time, can I get a warning? Your forceful switching with me is a real pain in the ass.

  “Hmph. I’ll think about it.” He replied, leaving my mind.

  I glanced up to see Mako wavering on her feet, her eyes drooping. I stepped forward, reaching out to place my hands on her shoulders, stabilizing her. She gave me a weak smile, followed by a yawn.