Page 112 of Destined Dawn

“Do you think you can organize them?” Winnie asks with a little doubt in her voice.

“I may not be as smart as you, Winnie Wence,” I say, making her cheeks sizzle, “but I do know how to fight.”

Once we’re back out on the pathway and jogging towards the gymnasium, Tristan asks me, “Do you actually have a plan, Spence?”

I grin at him. Do I have a plan?

“Same plan we always have, Tris.”

“Lure and attack?” he asks.

“Works every time.”

He grins back at me. “Shit,” he mumbles.

I punch his arm and laugh, a lightness filling me. Maybe that’s this bond thrumming like sunshine in my belly,maybe it’s being back at the school – my territory, my terrain – or maybe it’s because we’re going to take action, going to strike back, going to take our destiny into our own fucking hands.

What does it matter what it is, anyway? It makes my feet lighter, my grin wider, and it means I’m going to give those students in the sports hall one hell of a show.

I pick up my pace, crashing straight through the gym doors and raise my fists into the air, as scores of frightened and anxious faces look back at me.

I can’t blame them. You can almost smell that battle coming. And though they’ve all been training for years, the last time they faced actual combat – when the academy was attacked at the Victory Ball – it didn’t go so well.

This time, though, this time we’ll be ready. And this time I’m here.

“I’m back, motherfuckers!” I yell. Fists high in the air as Tristan skids to a stop behind me. “Meandhim.” I jerk my head Tristan’s way and wink at them all.

For a very long, excruciating minute, there is absolute and complete silence. A shocked silence as two hundred-odd faces gape at me like I’ve lost my mind.

I keep my fists in the air, keep the grin on my face. I won’t let them see the doubt. I need to project belief and confidence. Give them someone to follow.

More never-ending silence, so silent, you could hear a pin drop, and then suddenly there’s a whoop from the back of the hall and a fist drives up into the air. It’s one of the guys from the team. It starts a ripple effect, the other jocks around him following his lead and then those around them, until most of the damn hall is whooping and cheering.

“Hell, yeah,” I laugh. Then press my finger to my lips, signaling for quiet again. “Fuck, I love you guys.” I spot thatlittle kid I half scared to death several weeks back sitting in among the crowd and give him a nod. “And I missed you.”

“We missed you, too, Spence,” the dueling team shouts from the back of the hall. Yeah, I’m not convinced that’s true but I’m going to play along with all this anyway. “I hear things have been … erm,” I smirk, “slightly shit while I’ve been gone.” There’s some nodding and murmuring, several gazes fall to the floor. “I can tell you, I haven’t had the best of times either. In fact,” I hook my arm around Tristan’s neck and tug him towards me, “If it wasn’t for my buddy here, I’d probably be dead. He risked his neck to come save me.” This time there’s murmuring and several girls stare at Tristan with actual goddamn love hearts in their eyes. “And now we’re here to save all of you.”

More murmuring, more eyes swinging nervously around the hall. I’m guessing they really do think I’m mad now.

“Save us how?” asks some girl, chewing gum so furiously I’m surprised her jaw doesn’t snap.

“You heard of Queen Æðelflæd? Of the Fourth Prophecy?”

Even more murmuring and several looks of confusion. I guess I’m not the only one who failed to pay attention in history class.

“Queen Æðelflæd had five fated mates and together they drove the darkness and the monsters from the land. The Fourth Prophecy predicts she will return and save us all again,” Tristan says, interpreting things in a way I’m sure both Winnie and Professor Stone would argue about. But who cares. It’s near enough the truth. It’s what these kids need to hear. They need a reason to be brave enough to fight back. To believe they can fight back. “And she has.”

The girl stops chewing and the gum nearly tumbles from her mouth.

“Who is she?”

We turn and look at each other. Yeah, this is where things may not go so great. We know how fucking amazing Rhi is, but these guys? Nope.

“Does she have five fated mates?” that small kid calls out, looking amazed.

“Yes,” I say. “Five mates. I am one of those fated mates.”

“And I am another,” Tristan confirms.