ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 4: MOON CHILD'S WAR

Alli felt a warmth she couldn’t explain. It kept the nightmares away. She was able to sleep for several hours until finally when she was coming to, she felt the warmth shift slightly against her. Her eyes snapped open as she scanned her room. It looked like a late afternoon with the room dimming a little bit.

Even though both Titus and Faelen thought it was best for her to spend the day at the Fortress, Alli wasn’t so enthusiastic about that idea. She went back home and crept up on her bed before curling into a ball and falling asleep. She knew Titus had sent guards to watch over the house, and that was why she couldn’t understand the sudden shifting warmth behind her.

She tried to calm her thundering heart down and turned her head slightly then noticed the blond locks coming down a familiar face. With a yelp, Alli jumped out of the bed and staggered on the floor!

“What the bloody hell are you doing in my room? In my bed! And how did you even enter?” She exclaimed.

She watched as his handsome face cringed in a frown and opened his amber eyes, staring down at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “I came to look out for you.”

“Looking out for me does not mean crawling in my bed with me. What’s your deal? Do you want me to kill you in your sleep?” She snapped not believing he was able to avoid being seen by the guards and enter the house.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he sat up, his hair deliciously disheveled. “You honestly believe you could kill me in my sleep?” He must have seen how serious she was because he suddenly started explaining himself. “Your heating system is off. You were trembling on your bed and I had no choice but to jump in a keep you warm. You slept like a baby in my arms.”

“You are demented! What are you doing here and please don’t tell me that mate bullshit again.” She pushed her multicolored locks from her face and looked up at him.

The look on his face made her want to run somewhere where he couldn’t reach her and lock herself there for all eternity. It was a sin to have those eyes of his and to look at her the way he did. The wickedness that shone in them, the intent and the mysteries....it was all just too much.

“I came to tell you not to worry about Corleen. She is doing well.” He sighed and got up from her bed.

Suddenly Alli was a little nervous about having him in her private area. She wondered what he thought of the place. She was very neat but she wasn’t all girly where she had pinup posters of boybands or pink frills somewhere.

She was decently normal with decently normal stuff.

“You have my sister.” It was more of a statement than a question really.

He nodded as he slowly moved around her bed. His presence made such a huge impact on her and her room. It overpowered everything else. Even the familiar scent of it that always comforted her was replaced by his dark and dangerous one. “If we had not taken her last night she would have died.”

Alli didn’t want to think along those lines of her sister dying. “Can I see her? I need to see her, to know that she is truly safe.”

“You two are definitely sisters. She too made a fuss about making sure you are safe,” he assured her standing right in front of her with his hands in his pockets. He wore a black v-neck t-shirt and black pants.

Alli had to tilt her head up to be able to look at him. “How are we leaving this place with all those guards downstairs?”

“First things first. You need to eat.” He told her.

Alli groaned and rolled her eyes. “Why are you wasting time? Do you want Titus to come and make it even harder for me to leave? I know him and there is no doubt he is on his way here as we speak.”

Alli watched as the Ghost Runner’s eyes suddenly darkened. “Who is Titus to you?” He growled taking yet another step towards her. He was so close that Alli found it difficult to take a breath. His heat wrapped around her like ghost fingers, teasing her and luring her to him.

“Titus is a mother-hen,” Alli answered absentmindedly. “He is always out taking care of everyone else other than himself.”

One side of his mouth turned up as he teased the locks from her face then touched her small diamond encrusted upper lip piercing. Alli braced herself for the terrible repulsion she had developed for men so suddenly....but it didn’t come. Instead, his touch sent a ball of heat settling warmly down in the pits of her stomach.

She bit back a cry of surprise and moved away from him. “Let’s get going.” She reached for her bag and packed some stuff.

“You should get Corleen some stuff too. She refused anything from us. She doesn’t trust us, I guess.”

"I don’t trust you,” Alli assured him. “I mean who in their right mind goes to someone and scare them with the mate bomb?”

“It’s not a bomb if it is true. And it is the reason why you are very much affected by my presence.” He said to her and when Alli turned to see just where he was, she found him looking through her stuff on her desk.

“Don’t touch anything.” She told him but it seemed that the words fell on deaf ears because he continued looking through her stuff. “You don’t affect me, Ghost Runner.”

“Ask me for my name.” He said to her, catching her before she made her way out to Corleen’s room. “Politely.” He added.

Alli scoffed but when she saw that he wasn’t letting her go anytime soon, she rolled her eyes and sighed. She rubbed the middle of her head then opened her mouth. “Can I know your name...please?” The last word felt forced even in her own ears.

A wicked grin appeared on his lips as if she had just told him to claim her and his dimples were emphasized. Alli just couldn’t stop staring at him.

Ruvin. The name shimmered in her mind. It was like a butterfly caress sending a series of shivers cascading down her spine.

Being in close proximity with Ruvin was dangerous.

Ruvin.

The name sounded exotic but she couldn’t help but let it roll off her tongue just once.

“Ruvin.” She uttered.

“Yes.” He answered leaning on her desk with his arms crossed against his thick chest.

Alli quickly snapped out of the haze he had suddenly woven around her and turned to her door. “Give me a minute.” She went into Corleen’s room and let out a long breath. She was looking forward to next weekend when she was going to go for the cleansing trip. She was only going with Ruvin that afternoon because she was worried about Corleen, nothing else.

But why were her palms sweaty her and forehead damp? Why was she having such a difficult time breathing in his presence? Why did she become a mindless zombie every time he smiled or moved like the predator that he was?

Everything about him screamed danger. He was ten times more of a bad boy than even Tyson yet here she was packing up and getting ready to leave with him. Just what was she thinking? Alli suddenly slumped down on Corleen’s bed and shook her head softly. She needed to start thinking straight or else she was going to find herself in more trouble than usual.

She packed her sister a change of clothes, some toiletries before returning to her room and finding Ruvin sitting on her bed waiting for her. The sight of him there was just too much. He was leaning back on his elbows, his legs apart and his head resting on one shoulder.

“Okay, let’s get going.” She told him.

The trilling of her phone on her bedside table had her jumping as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Alli frowned when she looked down at the number.

It was Donny.

She quickly answered it hoping her voice did not betray her nervousness. “Hey, Donny.”

"Hey. How are you holding up? Louise called to tell us what happened to Corleen, and I just wanted to make sure that you are alright.” Donny said.

“I am fine,” Alli replied. “Everyone is out there searching for her so I have hope that she is going to be okay.”

“Where are you right now? Are you at home? Should I come there for a while?”

Alli quickly objected. “No! It’s fine, Donny. I think I need some time alone plus, I was just about to head into town for food. I will be fine so don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Donny breathed in hard and added. " If you need me, just call and I will come, okay? Take care.”

“Thanks, Donny.” Alli hung up and turned to Ruvin. “I’m done. Let’s go.”

Ruvin nodded and walked to her window. Alli’s eyes widened when she noticed the window was not locked.

“You jumped through my window?” She asked incredulously.

“Did you expect me to enter through the front door with your buddies in every direction?” He asked pointedly.

“Fine, let’s go.” She groaned.

Ruvin jumped out the window first and as Alli was about to follow him, she felt his arms go around her small waist and pick her up. Her eyes almost fell out of their sockets. She gritted her teeth against the electrical bolt that went through her body and told herself the reaction she was getting from him was nothing short of curiosity.

He placed her softly on the slanting tiled roof and took her hand before placing a finger on his lips gesturing her to keep quiet. They snuck over the six guards that were standing in the street and went to the back.

One guard came around and stood just below them. He looked around for a moment then went back to where he came from. Ruvin surprised her yet again when he leaped down like it was not such a high place. They were on the first floor of the house yet he jumped off with such ease, it made Alli jealous.

“Come on.” He whispered to her.

Okay....he was serious? He thought she could pull off the same stunt as him? Was he crazy? Alli leaned back on the roof and shook her head.

“I’ll catch you, I promise.” He whispered as he looked around to make sure no more guards were coming around their way again.

Again, Alli shook her head. She had never been terrified of heights but before she had never been told to jump off a roof two stories high either!

Alli, let’s get going now! He exclaimed in her head.

Alli stifled a cry and closed her eyes before she pushed herself off the roof and landed in strong and warm arms. She looped hers around his neck, not believing that she was done jumping just yet. Ruvin didn’t complain as he carried her through the bushes that acted as a boundary between their house and their neighbor’s.

Soon they were on the other side of the neighborhood where Ruvin had parked his car.

“Alli, you can let go now.” He cleared his throat softly.

Alli’s head jerked up and she felt heat stain her cheeks when she realized she was clinging onto him like there was no tomorrow. She pushed away and jumped on her feet before putting some space between them. “Never tell me to do that again.” she scolded him.

Ruvin opened the door for her and soon they were heading out away from the neighborhood.

While driving down the road, Ruvin couldn’t help but recall what Blake had told him earlier that morning. There was something big going on and it needed weakbloods to be conducted. Weakbloods were disappearing and the ones that showed up were the youngsters drained of blood.

Though Ruvin had crossed out the Nosferatu being responsible for whatever was happening, he couldn’t think of any other race that drained blood from other beings. He knew he was playing a dangerous game but he needed to meet with the Nosferatu leader to find out if he knew anything about it.

No Nosferatu was ever going to welcome a Lycan to their lair so Ruvin had to act smart and see if he can at least meet with one where he or she felt safe.

“I have a feeling my mate is next on the list.” Blake had said and though his appearance looked calm and collected, his eyes churned up a storm. He feared for his mate’s fate in the human hunters’ hands.

“What makes you think that?” Ruvin had asked him.

“The two dead weakbloods....they were newly transformed weakbloods from very good bloodlines. Idonea’s bloodline is a strong bloodline as well.”

“If they were looking for prominent bloodlines why didn’t they go for the Wolfen?” Ruvin asked.

The Wolfen was a group of prominent bloodlines in the weakblood clan after the House of Five. They were the aristocrats of the weakbloods, having some power above everyone else. Ruvin knew so far they were six Wolfen families.

“If they crossed the Wolfen, the clan leader would not let it go. They go after the members that will not bring such a big impact on the wolf clan even if they go missing.” Blake assured him. “Donny hasn’t shown any signs of an ability so if she dies I doubt that it will cause an uproar in the wolf clan.”

But Ruvin was positive Alli would not let it be. She was the one who was going to cause an uproar if something happened to her friend and Ruvin wanted to prevent that. “So, what are you going to do to keep her safe?”

“I will do whatever it takes. Unlike you, I have not yet revealed myself to my mate. She doesn’t know I exist as of yet.”

Ruvin narrowed his eyes. “Then how do you know she is your mate?”

“Same way as you did yours. Ryle made sure I knew of it the moment she crossed me at the club that night. She was already close to her first transformation so Ryle picked up her scent immediately.”

Their beasts were mighty nosey sometimes, Ruvin thought to himself. “Get yourself known and keep an eye on her.”

“See, that is the hard part. I don’t think she will accept that. She has her eyes on Faelen’s brother, Titus. If I am not wrong, she might ask him to claim her.” Blake sounded uncertain but Ruvin didn’t understand how that could be.

There were no negotiations when it came to true mates. Donny will have no choice but to accept her mate. Her body will soon start recognizing no one else’s other than Blake’s. They will both undergo repulsion from anyone who could be their sexual partner meaning, anyone who is not related to them will have a hard time trying to touch them or be near them.

And what was the big deal about Titus that had everyone mentioning his name?

Ruvin had been suffering from those repulsions now that his mating bond to Alli was thoroughly established. Now, he could no longer touch even the female members of his team without feeling his skin crawl.

Ruvin suddenly turned the car to a dirt road and it jolted Alli up from her slumber. She hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few days and she was exhausted. She blinked several times and shielded her eyes from the sun that was already setting in front of them. She turned to him and for a moment it looked like she didn’t recognize him but then her stiff shoulders soften and she rested back on the seat.

“How much longer?” She suppressed a yawn with the back of her hand.

“Twenty minutes drive from here,” Ruvin said turning to her and he caught the Italic-style words running across her collarbone in a slick tattoo. He didn’t have time to read what it said because suddenly Alli caught him staring at it and quickly pulled the neck of her loose sweater up, hiding it.

Alli was anything but what he expected. She was quite different from the other weakbloods he met. She had multi-colored hair tumbling down her back and shoulders and that sexy-as-hell upper lip piercing that had him think of nothing but wicked thoughts about it and now....he discovered she had a tattoo hidden inside her clothes.

Even Shadow liked the idea of seeing what else was hidden underneath her clothes. She was on the small side but was curved in all the right places. Ruvin’s eyes dropped to the shredded jeans she wore, seeing a hint of skin from her thighs and down her legs.

Alli suddenly clicked her fingers at him, causing him to look up at her. “You are going to run us into the trees if don’t stop staring.”

“I have every right to stare. You are my mate.”

“I’ll tell you this one last time. I am no one’s mate. I don’t want to be claimed today, tomorrow, or the next century, understood?” She gritted at teeth at him.

A knowing smile appeared on Ruvin’s lips. It was inevitable that Alli was going to come to him sooner or later because not only did the mating bond hold them together but it demanded that they become one in body and soul. That meant it pushed them to mate to the point of madness.

Alli wasn’t feeling the full blast of it because she was not yet a fully-fledged weakblood but the moment she had her first transformation, there was nothing she was going to be able to do to stay away from him.

“Are you already feeling the effects of the mating bond? That you can no longer tolerate another male’s touch yet when I touch you...you feel it all the way to your toes....” He removed his hand from the steering wheel and tucked a pink lock at the back of Alli’s ear then ran his thumb over it slowly.

The tremble that ran down Alli’s body could not be hidden. She slapped his hand away, glowering at him.

“Don’t touch me.” She barked. “It’s bad enough I am caught in the same car as you. Now you want to ruin the whole thing with your crazy-ass advances. I am warning you, Corleen taught me a thing or two about self-defense so if you don’t want to land in the hospital with the case of amnesia once I karate your ass, you better keep your hands on that side of the vehicle, am I clear?”

Ruvin chuckled. He couldn’t remember when was the last time he actually enjoyed himself that much. He couldn’t deny himself this one thing. Because he never had something for himself for such a long time, he didn’t mind being selfish for once and taking what the Heavens offered to him.

Though he felt like he was a lost cause, condemned to walk the hot sands of Hades for all eternity after his life on earth was over, he didn’t mind having at least this small slice of heaven to keep him warm for the rest of his days.

Ruvin stopped the car abruptly and it seemed Alli was not paying attention to where they were going because her expression was priceless when she took in the large mansion with the massive stone wall around it and the wrought iron gates in front of her.

Her mouth fell open as she moved closer to the windshield to look at it properly. “How the hell did we all miss this?” she muttered to herself.

The gates groaned open and Ruvin took the car in, parking right in front of the entrance. He rolled his eyes as Vixen suddenly showed up in her black leggings, her signature Louboutin heels, and slash-neck blood red top. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for them to come out, her mouth pinched in a tight line and her dark eyebrows brought down in a frown.

“Wow, she’s breathtaking.” Alli breathed in hard as she looked at Vixen.

“She’s deadly so don’t tell her that.” He reached over her side and opened the door for her.

Alli jumped out of the car with her backpack and approached Vixen, whose stance did not change. “Hi, I’m Alli, Corleen’s sister.”

Vixen looked down at Alli as if she had just been insulted and just gave her a little nod. Ruvin groaned inwardly as he quickly approached the two females. Alli was saved when Edon and Raul suddenly showed up.

“Alli,” Ruvin called her. “That is Vixen, Edon, and Raul--”

"Ghost Runners?” She asked quite eager to be in their presence.

Raul flinched as if he had been slapped. “Don’t use that name, please.”

“But you are the Ghost Runners, right?” Alli darted her eyes between them.

Ruvin felt Shadow whine in his mind because Alli had never shown that much interest in him as she was showing the team. That sort of treatment was hard on a male’s ego. It made him want to hurl her over his shoulder and just take her away from everyone else.

“Right,” Edon answered nervously then turned to Ruvin. “Can we talk for a moment?”

Ruvin nodded. “Vixen, would you show Alli inside?”

Vixen knew better than to go against her commander, even though she hated the fact that Ruvin brought three strangers to their secret location. Ruvin didn’t see anything wrong with it because one; Corleen was unconscious when she arrived so she had no idea where she was, two; Blake already knew about their hideout and if he had wanted to sell them out he would have done so a long time ago and three; Alli was naive and by the way that she was excited to meet the Ghost Runners, he doubted she would tell anyone about it.

Vixen turned on her heels and led Alli inside just as Edon took Ruvin away for a moment.

“What the hell, Ruvin?” Edon gritted his teeth. “Why on earth would you bring her here and did you at least check to see if she doesn't have a transmitter or something?”

“She needed to see if her sister was doing well with her own eyes. She wouldn’t let the topic go. I had no choice. Besides, I think having her here for a while until Corleen is strong enough to leave will keep her--both of them safe.”

“Did it ever occur to you that we are only bringing more danger to ourselves? The moment Faelen and his team find out she is missing too, they will leave no stone unturned in this town.” Edon emphasized his point. “You aren’t thinking straight. You haven’t been thinking straight ever since that Varga attack on the weakbloods that night. What has happened to you?”

Ruvin couldn’t tell Edon what he was going through but he didn’t expect the pup not to figure it out sooner. Edon was very good at picking up minute signs and he was also brilliant at connecting the dots. It wasn’t going to take him long to figure out what was happening.

“What were you doing with her in the first place--” Edon sniffed Ruvin and suddenly his eyes widened. “Are you--are you bedding her?”

“You are out of line, Edon,” Ruvin growled. “I don’t need you to question my actions just because you are my second in command. I need you to trust me on this. I have kept the team safe for this long so believe me when I tell you I know what I am doing and stop questioning me like a criminal.”

Edon sighed in frustration and Ruvin could tell the pup still had a lot of questions buzzing in his mind but he made a wise choice when he decided to shut the fuck up!

“Prepare her a room to stay in and I need you to round up the team in the media room afterward. Tessa will keep an eye on Alli while we meet.” Ruvin said. He wanted to highlight everyone on the upcoming meeting with the Nosferatu and at the same time the anticipated meeting with Faelen. It was about time Faelen came face to face with the ghosts that have been haunting him for a long time.

“Wow.” Alli breathed as she was taken into her room for the night and couldn’t help but just ogle at how impressive it was. The outside of the house looked like a ruin that survived world war I and II but inside, it was a modern house with everything modern that was needed. She even noticed that the lights and curtains were controlled by a tablet that she saw on the table beside the large bed. “Seriously how did you sneak all this in without anyone noticing?” Alli muttered softly.

Vixen, the enchanting tall and slender woman sighed and pushed herself from the doorframe. “Walk-in closet, bathroom and toilet, toiletry pantry.” She pointed to the three identical doors opposite them. “Everything else is electronic--” she took the tablet and pressed a button. Suddenly the room darkened as the blinds slid against the windows and a large flat screen slid down from the ceiling. “There is WiFi, you are allowed to stream anything online but everything will be monitored--” She turned to her quirking her eyebrow at her. “So, don’t do anything sneaky like sending the weakbloods a message with our location.”

“I’ don’t even know where I am,” Alli said truthfully.

Vixen smirked but that didn’t do anything for the icy glare she had in her eyes. “I like your ignorance.”

Suddenly Alli’s phone beeped from her pockets and when she removed it she discovered there was no network.

“Oh yeah, every new cell phone that is not in the system can not be used on the premises. You’ll just have to settle for smoke signals.” She smirked again taking the cellphone from Alli. “I will give this back when you leave.”

Oh....the chic’s got jokes, Alli thought vehemently. She was already very positive that Vixen didn’t want her there but her sister was there so she had no choice. If she could have avoided being brought to the hideout, she would have because the last thing she needed was being in close proximity with a psychopath Ghost Runner who believed that he was her mate.

The nerve!

She couldn’t believe that once upon a time, she actually looked forward to seeing him from afar every time she went out clubbing with Donny. She wondered who he was and why he was always alone and now she learned it the hard way;

He was deliriously insane! A mental case. No hope for his crazy mind.

“Thanks....and don’t worry about me being here. I’ll leave as soon as my sister gets better--maybe even before that.” Alli assured the other woman. It looked more like Vixen was being protective of everyone else.

Vixen twirled on her heels with such ease, it made Alli green with envy and she said. “I’m counting on it.” Then she walked out.

Alli sighed and settled her bag on the bed before she went to the large window and peeped outside. The sun was hidden behind the trees. There was nothing much to see other than the massive woodland that was surrounding them. Angry autumn clouds were hovering above, promising more rains to come.

Alli hated the chill that came with the rains. It worked its way into the bones, making them stiff and sometimes painful. She moved away and opened the first door. Like Vixen had told her earlier, it was an empty walk-in wardrobe with a few empty plastic clothes-covers on hangers. She closed it and walked to the next door. It was a large bathroom with a jacuzzi-sized bathtub on one side and a sauna-like shower on the other. She loved the dark tiles that made it look very elegant and expensive. Finally, she opened the last door and it was stacked with linen, clean towels, toilet paper, face towels, air fresheners, you name it.

Alli finally closed the door and as she turned to the large mirror beside the door she noticed the person standing behind her and screeched, almost jumping out of her skin.

“Who the fuck are you?” She exclaimed pushing hard against the wall.

“I’m sorry I should have knocked.” The woman smiled nervously. “Hi, I am Tessa. The commander instructed me to come up here and make sure you have everything you need. He tells me you haven’t eaten so I prepared something quick for you before dinner.” She pointed to the sandwich nestling in between French fries, an apple, and a glass of water.

“Uh--hi.” Alli moved from the wall. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be obscene with my vulgar language. I’m Alli.”

Tessa smiled again and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Alli. Here,” she pushed the tray towards her. “Eat up, freshen up then come downstairs and meet the rest of the team.”

Alli nodded feeling a little at ease because Tessa wasn’t as cold as Vixen. “Thank you...uhm--do you know where they are keeping my sister? I would like it very much if I could see her tonight.”

“They are keeping her downstairs. She responded well to treatment and she had been awake for most part of the day. I think the commander will take you to see her after dinner.” Tessa responded.

Alli felt her heart heaved in relief. Those were the words she was waiting to hear, that her sister was going to be alright. “Thank you, Tessa.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll go now. I’ll see you later, then.” Tessa turned to the door and went out.

When Tessa left, Alli turned to the food and her stomach made the loudest grumble she had ever heard. She bet that if someone was walking down the corridor they would have felt the tremors of its aftermath.

She walked reluctantly to the tray not wanting to seem like a glutton. Though she was alone in the room she couldn’t help but recall Vixen’s words about everything she did being constantly monitored. She wondered if they had cameras in the rooms. She picked a french fry and bit softly into it. It tasted out of that world that Alli found herself sitting in front of the tray and just eat up to her heart’s desire, the freaking cameras can go to hell for all she cared.

She made sure she cleaned up the plate, the apple, and the glass of water then she made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower before making her way downstairs. The house was awfully quiet as if no one else lived there. A shiver ran up her spine. Maybe these guys truly were ghosts--and the way Tessa appeared out of nowhere--

“Lukas! Don’t get me angry tonight!” A young woman’s voice yelled before a tall, model-like guy came out running from one of the arched openings almost crashing into her.

His reflexes were good because he managed to wrap his arm around her waist and waltz her out of harm’s way just as what looked like a short Samurai sword whizzed past them and dislodged itself on the opposite wall.

When Alli saw it, her eyes bulged and she let out a scream, causing the model to drop her in surprise.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ruvin suddenly entered with Edon behind him. The two of them stopped when they saw the sight in front of them.

“Who--what--how?” The model stuttered.

Alli was still screaming pointing at the sword then at the emerging beauty from the opening where the sword came from.

“Oops...” the girl stated meekly.

Ruvin’s eyes darkened as he crossed the room in a few long strides and helped Alli to her feet. Alli could barely catch her breath. She could have sworn she saw her life flash right in front of her. Her spirit must have literally jumped out of her body and returned again at the sight of that sword sailing towards her.

“She started it.” the model pointed at the young woman who looked like a child waiting to be reprimanded for misbehaving. “And who in High Priestess’ name is this?”

Alli didn’t know why it took such a long time to realize that everyone and everything in that house was out to get her. Why, oh why did she force Ruvin to bring her there?

More people came in. She remembered Raul and Vixen. Another red-haired woman came in together with three other men, one a little older than everyone else. Finally, Tessa came in, breathless and her eyes full of concern.

“What happened?” She asked softly.

Ruvin didn’t look amused as he stood beside her. “This is Alli, Corleen’s younger sister. She will be here until her sister is strong enough to walk out of here. Alli, this is my team--the ones that almost killed you are Izzy and Lukas--”

“Oh, you make me sound like a serial killer,” Izzy grumbled.

“With the direction, you are heading, that’s a future possibility.” Lukas crossed his arms. He was so handsome--but so was everyone in that room, Alli noticed.

“Briar over there.” Ruvin pointed to the petite redhaired. “She is the one taking care of your sister together with Raul, who you’ve already met. That is Quentin, his son Jake and his daughter Tessa, who you’ve met also. They are human but they take care of us and help us where they can.”

“The idiot grinning like a child on Christmas is Zach, the Second in Command to the Royal Mage army after the Lord Mage back in the enchanted world. He is a High Mage.”

“And his older brother,” Zach added quickly.

“And that’s my team.” Ruvin sighed.

Alli looked at all of them and when she turned to Izzy she instinctively took a step away from her. That made Izzy roll her eyes again.

“Honestly! I am not a psychopath! I’m a really nice girl. I bet you’ll get along with me better than anyone else here.” Izzy assured her then stomped her foot to make her point and crossed her arms.

Lukas chuckled and went to her then wrapped his hands around her and pulled her into his embrace, whispering something to her. Her eyes snapped up and a growl escaped from her lips before her eyes glowed. “You. Are. Dead!” she exclaimed running after him.

“I think we should have dinner first before the meeting.” Briar rubbed the center of her head tiredly. She looked tired but Alli was so grateful to have her watching out for her sister.

“I’ll go make sure those two don’t kill each other soon.” Jake sighed and stalked after Izzy and Lukas.

“Come and eat.” Ruvin nudged her forward but Alli couldn’t ignore the knowing looks she got from Zach and Edon. Did they seriously believe the nonsense Ruvin was spitting? If they did then they belonged in an asylum with him!

Alli silently walked towards the direction everyone else was heading.

This is going to be one long-ass stay with the crazies, she thought to herself.