☼ Chapter VII ☼

picture; Trenton Codaihme

song; "All the Good Girls Go to Hell" by Billie Eilish (the song is VERY closely tied in to what happened in the last chapter! If anyone can guess why, I'll dedicate a chapter to you!)

author's note; I wrote this chapter so fast because now, the story is getting very fun to write. I can start dropping little hints, and you all can place your bets on who you think the bad guys are. Who Sonya thinks the bad guys are and who they actually are may surprise you.

Remember, this is all from the POV of Sonya, so her hunches may be right, or they might be a mistake. Sonya is not perfect, just as no one is perfect.

Picture of the handsome Trent Codaihme. Most of these pictures are just most similar to what I picture my characters to look like, and some of them clearly have different physical traits--like eye color, but you can picture them however you like of course!

Enjoy, comment + vote!

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"And who the fuck are you?" Ankiel's tone was venomous and angry, and the sound of it caused me to tighten my grip on the scissors in apprehension. Ankiel gingerly touched the laceration at his throat which was still crying slow-moving droplets of blood.

His blazing gray eyes levelled onto his fingers that were now colored with a small amount of crimson, and then he sneered in annoyance.

"Sonya." My eyes turned to Trenton now, and I felt electricity crackle over me as we once again met gazes. I didn't know how he knew my name, but I shuffled further away from him. For some reason, I couldn't stop my eyes from cascading over his and Ankiel's frame, taking in both their appearances.

Ankiel was nearly the spitting image of Lorelai, with the same chocolate shade of hair, striking gray eyes, and warm-toned skin.

The one difference I noticed between Ankiel and Lorelai is while my best friend's hair was stick straight, Ankiel's hair twisted into loose coils haphazardly around his head. It seemed the longer his hair grew, the curlier it would become.

Even though Ankiel was a bit shorter than Trenton, he still eclipsed my height by a few inches—probably being around 5'10 or 5'11.

Through his long-sleeved gray shirt, it was easy to tell that there were sexy, lean muscles that spread over his chest and coiled around his arms. I remember Lorelai saying Ankiel was the jokester of the two, but the sweltering irritation that he regarded me with in this moment made him look anything but.

Trent, standing ascetic and silent and intimidating, was a completely different story. In comparison to Ankiel, he was dressed down over his torso, wearing only a deep red wife beater tank top that showed off all the artwork that laced over his arms in tattoos.

They were taut—like he was tensed and alert, ready to fight at any given moment—and easy on the eyes.

His skin was stricken with a pallor as if all the pigmentation had just drained away, and as I watched him, I thought maybe that it hadn't gone not out of fear like most, but out of absence of emotion. The rich blackness of his hair and dark work of his tattoos portrayed a vivid contrast against his skin.

Trent's delectable-looking lips pulled up into a sneer as he realized I was checking him out. They both looked feral and downright silly, snarling like they were, and suddenly bubbling, maniacal laughter gurgled up to my lips, but I was able to swallow before it escaped.

"How do you know my name?" In the back of my mind, I vaguely became aware that my grip on the scissors had intensified to the point that my hand was beginning to ache.

Ankiel turned to his friend, giving him an expectant look as well, but before Trent got the chance to answer, frantic banging resounded on the dormitory front door. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden sound, and the fear from earlier was born again, coursing through my blood, turning me cold.

"Sonya?" Relief immediately resonated through my body as my name passed his lips and I tossed the scissors on the kitchen counter, the clattering of the metal against the granite top jarring me ever more. After hurriedly making my way to the door, I threw it open wildly and nearly hopped into Derik's arms.

"What's wrong? I felt your fear. Are you okay?" He spoke hurriedly into my hair and squeezed me tightly.

"Who the fuck are you?" Trenton stepped closer to the front door, and us, then grasped my forearm before yanking me away from my Mate.

The crackling electricity that rocketed over me nearly drowned out the blaze that had been ignited underneath my skin. Trent had started to push me behind him, but I sharply wrenched away from his hold and sauntered back over to my Mate, pushing my body up against his.

I revelled in the comfort of Derik before turning a half-hearted glare over in Trent's direction. "This is my Sufletul Oglinda, Derik Seilyar. Derik, this is Ankiel Ylisove and Trenton Codaihme, Lorelai's brothers."

Derik wrapped his arm possessively around my waist and I leaned even further into him. The terror from before had really shaken me up, but I felt completely safe beside Derik now.

Tilting my head back to look up into the handsome face of my Mate, I could see he was sneering haughtily at Trenton.

"Are they the reason why—?" My hands fisted into Derik's leather jacket and he turned his gaze down to me, the brilliance of the blue there brimming with concern. I shook my head "no" at his question; he was referring to the intense fear he had felt from me before.

"Seilyar." Ankiel scoffed in annoyance, but didn't say anything else to or about Derik. "How do you know Lorelai?" He quizzed instead and I moved my eyes back to meet his.

"She's my best friend." My voice was cool, but a mean and smug grin slowly spread over my lips, and the recognition that flashed across Ankiel's face told me the mannerism probably looked similar to Lorelai's.

"She'll be delighted to know you assholes are back." Ankiel looked slightly panicked, but he masked the emotion quickly.

"You better not tell her anything, Sonya." His voice held a warning, and my head lolled back as I laughed gleefully at him.

"Lorelai is my best friend." I repeated to make it very clear whose side I was on. "She actually sleeps over most nights. You're lucky she wasn't here tonight, or she would've knocked your ass out and you'd be sleeping on the kitchen floor the first night in your new dorm." The tone in my words was sickeningly sweet and Ankiel's head cocked slightly to the side; I noticed he seemed to be fighting the urge to grin.

I perked a brow up as I watched his strange expression.

"You know, you're exactly the kind of girl I'd expect Lori to be friends with." My brows furrowed together in puzzlement, but Ankiel didn't elaborate.

Instead, he turned away and grappled a bag he must've set down when he walked inside before retiring to the other side of the dorm, directly across from my room.

Trent, however, didn't move. I now realized he and Derik were glowering at one another evilly, as if they hated each other.

"Sonya," Derik started, giving my waist a gentle squeeze and I twisted in his arms to look at him again. "I want you to come back with me tonight." I opened my mouth to protest, but then shut it when I remembered what had caused Derik to show up here in the first place.

I wasn't exactly brimming with excitement to retire to my own room, where I'm sure I was just choked.

"Okay." I agreed easily. Something told me not to test or defy Derik at this moment as well. His entire body had tensed up as soon as he surveyed Trenton's presence, and I didn't know what was going on between the two of them, but I didn't really want to find out either. "Can I just grab clothes for classes tomorrow?"

Derik nodded once, and hesitantly loosened his hold on me so I could go back to my room. After shuffling around for a while, I eventually heard footsteps grow nearer and then fade.

When I met Derik at the door, I realized the steps I'd heard before had been Trenton's leaving the entryway and moving over to the other side of the dorm where Ankiel had went minutes ago.

"What's going on with you?" I asked Derik once I returned to his side. He clutched my overnight bag before throwing it over his shoulder and taking hold of my hand.

"Your emotions took a bit of a toll, Sonya." I frowned and gave him a look that said I didn't believe him. "It's true. We aren't completely bonded and I felt your fear, so that has to mean that it was intense."

"I meant with you and Trent." Derik looked at me like I was stupid.

"I don't know who the fuck that guy is," That seemed to be a running theme tonight of people asking who are you? First me to Ankiel and Trent before I realized who they were, then Ankiel to me, then Trent to Derik.

"but he grabbed you like you belonged to him or something. Anyone who grabs you like that I'm clearly not going to like. Not to mention he was staring at me like he wanted to fight." My Mate sneered haughtily and released my hand to pull me into a possessive hold as we ducked out into the wintry air.

"Honestly couldn't tell you what his issue is. I literally just met them after—" I bit my lip to keep more words from flowing passed my lips. A part of me didn't want to worry Derik with what had happened in my dorm, and another part of me didn't want to say anything in case I had dreamt it. I didn't want my Mate thinking I was crazy.

"After whatever happened that caused that fear right?" He eyed me knowingly, but didn't continue on. "You're gonna tell me what happened tonight. Nothing should've made you feel that scared without it being serious. That fear was like an alarm to me, Sonya. That is the kind of fear Mates feel when their other half is in danger."

"I'm tired." I murmured, totally skirting around responding to his comment. Derik sighed in annoyance, but stroked my hair as I leaned back in the seat of his Camaro and didn't say anything else. What felt like instantly, my eyes closed and blackness washed over me.

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When my eyes fluttered open, I was alone in a bed that wasn't mine. I sluggishly sat up as trickling confusion oozed over me, but it dissipated almost instantly when Derik sauntered into the room moments later.

He was wearing only a pair of black jogger sweats and his long blonde hair was pulled back into a loose bun. Some strands had escaped the tie and framed his handsome face flawlessly. I unconsciously slid my tongue over my lips at the sight of his bare chest; my mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Princess," The tone Derik spoke with was dripping with sarcasm, but his normally luminous blue eyes had dimmed a few shades. He crawled over me and laid every ounce of his weight onto my body.

I dramatically gasped for air, settling my hands on my Mate's shoulders as the searing heat enslaved me. A low laugh rumbled from Derik as he buried his face into my midsection.

"How did you sleep?" His voice was muffled since he was facedown against my stomach and my eyes closed for a moment as I wallowed in the violent comfort of my Sufletul Oglinda.

"It was dreamless and peaceful." I spoke on an elated sigh, and Derik twisted so he could turn his eyes up to me.

"And what happened last night?" My eyes abruptly snapped open and the wondrous contentment vanished from my body. Scowling, I tried to shove Derik away, but to no avail. He encircled his arms around me and squeezed me even closer. "You will tell me."

"I just woke up. I don't like being held captive and asked questions when I first wake up." I informed him as I pressed my palms to my face. For some reason, my heart picked up as a memory of the fear I'd felt the night before pushed to the forefront of my mind.

Derik leaned up so he was straddling me and grabbed my wrists to pull my hands away from my face. "Sonya," When our gazes met—blue to green, I could see nothing but concern. "You don't have to be scared to tell me anything."

"I'm not scared." Fear was such a foreign feeling to me now. I had felt nothing but rage these past years, so anything besides that red anger had become alien. Derik didn't say anything else, instead, I felt his mouth press into my own.

The fire skittering over my skin jolted to a new and more sweltering degree, but this kiss wasn't passionate. It was sweet and reassuring, and as my hands cupped Derik's face, I felt utterly safe.

He pulled away too soon. "Sonya." My name was a warning now, a soft push, but a still a command.

"I think I just had a night terror." Derik stared at me silently and I felt unsure. He may know of my past because it isn't hard to find out information about most Royal Children, especially for a Protector like Derik.

I know that he knew about my mother being killed by Rene, but did he know I had witnessed it? Did he know she had her heart ripped away from her while she was literally in my arms?

"I have night terrors all the time since Meredith was killed." He just continued to stare at me and I squirmed under his intense, stoic gaze. This is something we learned as Protectors—a psychological trick.

When someone is explaining something, we were taught to just stare at them and say nothing because it will cause them to speak more.

But Derik couldn't trick me, because I'd undergone interrogation training as well, and I knew how to keep my mouth shut.

After a while, it seemed like he realized this, because he leaned even further away but stayed nearby on the bed. His back rested against the footboard of the bed and he stretched his long legs out in front of him.

"You have class in a while." He reminded me smoothly, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what happened last night."

"I'll call Lorelai." I threatened seriously, levelling my eyes directly at him. Derik only quirked a brow up at me. His tongue touched the corner of his mouth as his lips parted slightly. It looked like he was fighting the urge to smirk.

"Lorelai?" He didn't seem the least bit concerned.

"She harasses me daily around this time, and she actually likes me. Imagine what she'll do to you when I tell her I've been kidnapped." I crossed my own arms over my chest now.

"Kidnapped?" Derik scoffed and rolled his eyes before he let the grin spread over his face now. "Don't tell me Lorelai knows nothing about me." My back straightened and I just stared silently at him, like he'd done to me moments ago. "Oh, I'm hurt, sweetheart. I wonder if she did know we were Mates how she would react to you being here, in my bed."

I narrowed my eyes. Lorelai would probably cheer us on from outside, not to mention the fact that Lycans took Mating very seriously. She'd most likely knock me over the head if I told her he'd kidnapped me.

"Shut up." Derik's brows shot up in a mockingly surprised manner and his mouth transformed into yet another annoyingly sexy smirk. I blinked and suddenly, Derik's burning cerulean eyes bored into my jade ones, mere centimeters away from my face.

"Sonya," His voice had utterly shifted. There was no more of the wondrously playful tone he'd worn a moment ago, and my name no longer sounded like a warning.

It was only total desire; it radiated with such an aching intimacy I felt the need to cover myself for a moment. I swallowed harshly and stared back into his blue orbs, all my nerve melting away under the heat of his gaze. How was he doing this?

"Derik..." I sighed, my own lust evident in my voice, caressing his name like a lover's hands would their partner's body. He leaned further into me, his lips grazing my jaw and the hellish, animalistic heat dared to scorch me until I melted into nothing.

"Tell me," Derik whispered against my skin. His lips skimmed down to my throat and I felt his tongue flick out for a moment, lightly licking over an area that seemed immensely more sensitive than the rest of my skin. I leaned into him now, desperately wanting him to press his mouth more firmly there. "what happened?"

"I..." My breaths were coming out in ragged, shallow pants. "Someone was in my room." My voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it as I was lost in the fire that was Derik.

"Who?" The fear from the night before came rushing back and I grasped tightly onto Derik's shoulders, my nails biting harshly into his skin. Derik pulled me deeper into him, holding me now to comfort me instead of desirously.

"I-I don't know. I don't remember." All of my words began to fumble together, and small sobs ravenously tore their way up to my lips. "I remember being at my desk, reading Eloize's journal. And I read that she was Mated to an Olicidove Lycan, before being with Sawyer—before even Changing. And-and I j-just got so angry... All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe... and then I realized I was being choked."

I shook my head, feeling crazy. It sounded crazy. I know it did. But Derik petted my hair and held me firmly to him. The swirling tendrils of heat aided in relaxing me a bit, and Derik's arms were most likely the only thing holding me together.

"But I woke up in my bed, and s-so I thought it was a dream. B-but someone had to have been there. It was probably one of Rene's L-Lycans. It had to have been."

"Rene Olicidove? What makes you think he would be able to infiltrate a Protectors' Academy in Siberia? And why would he even want to?" My head was leaned into the crook of Derik's neck. I could feel his pulse, calm and strong and steady, against my forehead.

"He was an Alpha—is an Alpha. And he killed Meredith 'cause she wouldn't tell him where my sister was. I don't actually know, but I could easily find out. But I also haven't reached out to her in a long time... not since my mom died. I don't know what his obsession is with my sister though. They broke up months before she was forced to Change and ran away."

"Forced to Change?" Derik sounded incredulous.

"Lorelai explained a little to me about Changing. She said that Cetilayn Changed way too young and way too fast. My sister was only nineteen when she started the Change. Lorelai said that the youngest people could begin the Change was around twenty-two."

"Lorelai would be right." Was all Derik said. He didn't speak for a while and I pulled away to look at him. "It sounds like she Changed under the influence of Darkness."

"Darkness?" I squeaked, my eyes growing wide as saucers.

"Yeah. There have been cases of people being Awakened and then Changing under the influence of Darkness. It speeds up the Awakening and Change by a considerable amount. The real question is: why did it pick her?"

"What do you mean why did it pick her?" Derik's blue eyes had a faraway look, but the expression on his face was ridiculously grim.

"Darkness picks supernaturals to ally with based off Power. Supernaturals like Royals and Ancients or those of us with Dark Blood are especially useful. Darkness is only after chaos and destruction. It's just a force of blackness. Nothing else."

"I mean we are Reinoves, and clearly, my sister and I have Dark Blood."

"That's not how the Dark Blood gene travels. It skips by twos, usually. That means that it would have skipped your mother and your sister and passed to you only. Clearly, since you're my Sufletul Oglinda it means that you have the gene."

"But Cetilayn could have it as well right? And we are Reinoves." I repeated again stupidly. For some reason, I couldn't quite grasp my sister being tainted by Darkness.

We had learned at the Academy that those tainted by Darkness were of Rogue status, which meant capture or kill on sight—depending on how many crimes they committed and what class of Rogue status they had acquired—Hominum, Imperium, and Sanguis.

Rogues who committed crimes against or with humans were classified under Hominum Rogues. Imperium Rogues committed crimes against the Crown—the Queen or high-standing matriarch of the Unknown World—or against the Empire—as in the Elders' foundation of the Unknown World, and usually involved with the breaking of a primary law set in place by the Elders' Courte to keep the balance and peace between our world and the human world.

And Sanguis Rogues were meant to be killed on sight; they were the highest classification of Rogue status and meant that Protectors who crossed paths with them were allowed to execute them instantly.

"Yeah, but like I said. It's unlikely. Plus, you both may have been Reinoves, but your mum turned away from living in the Unknown World and gave up her titles and status, which means you and your sister had no status back then when you still lived in the human world."

"If we had no status why did the Protectors come to help when Rene and his Pack attacked my mom and me?" Derik looked at me like I was stupid, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Clearly, even though you didn't officially have the title of Princess Reinove until you took your rightful place here in the Unknown World, the Elders still wanted to keep you and Meredith safe. You are still Royal after all, and were the last of the Reinove bloodline that could bare children and continue the line."

"Why do you think my rightful place is here in the Unknown World? I was perfectly happy in the human world. I had friends and a father I was forced to leave behind."

"But you couldn't really be yourself with human friends. When you started the Change and started getting the urge to tear into one of them, they wouldn't ever understand why you would suddenly grow distant and sick." Derik didn't seem to think very highly of humans, and my best friends smiling faces flashed across my memory and I scowled at my Sufletul Oglinda.

"Lainey and Gavin were the best friends I could ever ask for. They did understand me. They knew how horrible it was for me after my parents' divorce when Cetilayn started the Change." A slow-moving tide of annoyance washed over me as Derik sneered at my words.

"Oh, please, Sonya. They don't know shit." I was taken aback by the iciness in his tone. "Humans don't feel anything nearly as intense as what we can feel when going through the Change. And, once you Change, everything about life—your senses, emotions, strength—it becomes so intense it can terrify you.

"Their lives are pathetically short and in that time span they still manage to be cruel and disgusting towards their own. Your own father abandoned his family out of fear of what your sister was becoming.

"And don't mistake that fear for him being afraid for his own safety. He was afraid of how miniscule and weak he was soon to become in comparison to the Goddess-like wonder that is Vampyrism. He didn't know how Powerful and viciously amazing our kind really are because your mother denied the Change.

"If she had let herself transition, she probably would still be here today. That human part of us is honestly just a nuisance; it only makes us weak and mediocre versions of who we truly are. There is absolutely nothing special about being human."

Before I could think to stop myself, I had cocked my hand back and let it fly forward with a ravenous fierceness. The sound of skin-against-skin resounded in the quietness of the room and Derik's cheek immediately reddened from my slap.

"Don't you ever talk about my parents like that again. Need I remind you that my sister you speak so highly of is the one that destroyed our family, and has never tried to contact me not once after her boyfriend murdered our mother.

"The Elders forced me here just to fucking make sure I have kids and continue some stupid fucking Royal bloodline I don't give a shit about. My friends knew who I was; they knew everything. They loved me for me and would protect and support me because I was their friend, not because of who I just happened to be born as.

"If you ask me, there's nothing special about being a Royal Vampyre. Being a Royal Vampyre is about as special as being the oldest because that's all the Royals are—the oldest. Nothing about this world will ever feel like home. My home is back in America, in the house I grew up in where my family lived and my friends are."

Derik's eyes were comically wide, but I was so pissed off it didn't cross my mind to laugh at his expression. "Sonya, I'm—"

"Yeah, Derik. I know." I scooted off the bed and grabbed my bag to go change so I could leave to go to classes, but something made me stop. "By the way, what you said before," My eyes levelled directly at my Sufletul Oglinda and I let the disgust I felt display clearly across my face. "it's terrorist rhetoric, I'm pretty sure."

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