Page 13 of Puck My Life

I rinse my mouth out and wander into the kitchen, where I lean against the cupboard. Raynor stalks in like he owns the place, not stopping until he’s right up against me, and slams our bodies together. I wrap myself around him because he is the rock, the steady song, the comfort.

Deacon is our protector, but Raynor brings something different. He’s the safe place to land when everything starts spinning out of control.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not. Everything is falling apart.”

Vae

PAST

The boy shoves me. I land heavily on my butt and blink as tears fill my eyes. I’m not sad or hurt. I’m angry. But he’s bigger than I am.

I hate this school and these people.

“My best friends are going to get you for this.”

“They aren’t your friends. They aren’t even your brothers. Look at you; you look nothing like them.”

My cheeks burn, and I try not to look down at my hands, at the darker skin that is from parents unknown.

“You can’t be here at my school. Freak! You don’t even have a mum and dad! You’re a loser!”

I narrow my eyes at the familiar jab. “Yeah, but I’m sure yours would give you back if they could.”

His face goes red, and he pulls his leg back to kick me. It’s going to hurt, but it will absolutely be worth it.

A shadow falls over me. I twist my head just enough to make out the shapes of three shadowed boys.

Even though I can’t see Raynor clearly, he’s so perfect, he lights up my entire world just by being here. His aura is one that I can read without even trying.Mal is like golden sunshine, energy that is always throbbing and moving, while Deacon is the dark, threatening storm on the horizon.

“You’re not picking on my Vae, are you?” A question wrapped in a whole lot of threat.

I love it when he calls me his Vae. It gives me the shivers.

“He says I can’t be here because I don’t have parents,” I mutter. I don’t dare tell them about the slur to my mixed heritage.

Mal helps me up and dusts me off. “Nope. He wouldn’t say that because I know for a fact he doesn’t want to get beaten up by Pan again.”

“Yeah, Deacon would whoop your ass.”

The bully is losing his bravado in the face of my Lost Boys. Especially Deacon, who, while thin and nerdy, has a violent temper and a fearlessness that sees him winning more fights than he loses.

He backs off one step at a time, muttering as he goes.

I grin up at Mal. “Do you have any of those chocolates left?”

Mal brushes his golden hair out of his eyes. “Sure do, come on.”

It doesn’t matter what a thousand bullies say; all that matters to me are Deacon, Mal, and Raynor. Their opinion is the only one that means anything.

PRESENT

Marilyn is an imposing figure with her shoulders pulled back and carrying more command than any of the coaches. I shouldn’t feel this nervous.

She’s also a rare female alpha, and I am a newly awakened omega, so her aura is doing things to me that I don’t understand. Not sexual, but I want to lift my chin and curl up smaller.

Still, I wait until the players leave, ignoring the accusing glare Deacon tosses me as I approach her.