Alpha Island: My Enemy Mate

4. Explosive

RORY

He didn’t even listen to my explanation. I tried to dial Ren’s number again and again, but he wasn’t answering. That probably meant he was already flying, but I had no idea how long it would take him to get here. I didn’t know where he was when I reached him. I was the only one in the palace he was in contact with, but for weeks I hadn’t heard anything from him. I was lucky as it was that he picked up the phone today.

Not wasting time, I sent an encrypted message to someone else as well.

Loki was the warlock prince, and it wasn’t always good to just call him. I wouldn't want to interrupt some kind of a spell or a ritual. He had to know, though. He was looking for both girls incessantly. Almost the same as Ren…

I was just finished with my text when I saw Kayden grasp the dark-haired girl’s arm and pull her away. They clearly knew each other… they clearly were close… I felt something dark, ugly and sticky boiling in the pit of my stomach when I looked at them. But why was I even bothered by this? This was none of my business! Moreover, I had a more pressing matter on my hands.

Sky was like a sister to me. A sister that I never had but always wanted. And she didn’t recognise me…

Something was seriously wrong.

I stopped in front of the big window of the Jelly Bean café and pretended to study the announcements board nailed next to it when in fact, I tried to observe Skylar and the Lycan princess. Kayden and the girl stormed in and, from the looks of it, pretended to be customers. Gosh, I hoped he wouldn’t say something that could trigger them! This was obviously a delicate matter. Just studying Sky’s appearance, she looked almost the same as last year. However, two things were obvious to me at once. Her mark was gone from her chest as she wore a simple top with thin straps today. Ren’s flame was gone too. It was a necklace with his fire inside, a piece of his soul that meant too much for Skylar to ever take it off. Her engagement ring was gone as well. It was like she and Darren never met. I bit my lip, trying not to tear up.

Soon something else distracted me, though. Kayden was so close to that girl… his hand casually brushed over her back, and I gritted my teeth.

“That’s seriously f*cked up,” a huge werebear guy stopped next to me. I recognised him from somewhere but wasn’t sure where we could have met.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“I am Eli, by the way. Brock’s cousin.” The bear introduced himself, and the pieces of the puzzle clicked in place. He was one of the groomsmen at the wedding where Sky and Ava disappeared. That explained why he was so involved now.

“Rory.” I nodded at him. “I mean Aurora Thorn, the….”

“I know who you are,” the bear chuckled, and I noticed how his eyes were glued to the girl next to Kayden. I bet he hated him too.

“Can you believe this guy?” I snorted loudly as annoyance washed over me and pointed at the Lycan general.

“You mean Kayden?” Eli followed my gaze.

“Yeah,” I crossed my hands over my chest and exhaled loudly. “This situation is serious, and all he is doing is trying to pick up a girl!”

The werebear looked at me with some kind of puzzlement at first, then shifted his gaze to the couple inside of the café, and finally back to me again.

“You mean Kiara?” he asked as a slight grin tugged the corners of his lips.

“I don’t know what her name is.” I turned away because I didn’t care. Why would I care?

“It’s Kiara.” Eli confirmed and then added with a chuckle, “Damn those Lycans, huh?”

Something was off about this whole conversation, as if he knew something I did not. Then again, I really did not care about any of this. Kayden could date whoever the hell he wanted.

My thoughts went back to Sky, who seemed so carefree and cheerful, laughing with her friend Ava. It was as if they were not missing for a whole year. A lump formed in my throat from just watching them, and it was very hard to swallow.

Kayden walked out of Jelly Bean first, and I chose to ignore him. However, that proved to be hard as he grasped my arm and started pulling me behind the café.

“Hey!” I hissed at him and yanked my hand back. “I feel like you are confusing me with one of your giglets!"

“With one of my what?” He stared at me in confusion but snapped out of it quickly. “Stop playing tricks with me!” A guttural growl escaped him, and I rolled my eyes. What was this? The Lycan Macho Of The Year contest?

“To be honest, I’d rather not talk to you at all!” I confessed, and his lips clenched tightly.

“Do dragons have anything to do with all this?!” he asked, and my lips parted in shock. Was he kidding me?

“Excuse me?” My emotions darkened, and so did the sky above our heads. This was one of the flaws of being a storm dragon. I was a power to be reckoned with, but often what I felt was on full display for everyone else to see. It was hard to control, although I normally wasn’t too bad at it.

It was just that… Kayden hit a nerve.

“We searched all over the world for them, and they suddenly reappeared here on Alpha Island right after you roamed the place where they disappeared! Not to mention you just arrived to study here out of all the places in the world!”

“Wow, Sherlock! You cracked that case!” I clapped as if he was a big clever boy, but my sarcasm was not lost on him. “But I could say the same thing about you!”

“I am a Lycan general!” Kayden narrowed his eyes at me.

“And I am a dragon general, so?” We glared at each other for some time.

“Where is that piece of evidence you stole?” He asked all of a sudden and I let out a laugh.

“Stole?” I arched my brow at him.

“You never even had it in your hands. You didn't find it. I stole nothing, and your claim on my clue is ridiculous!”

“But dragons and lycans are allies now, Rory,” he smirked, emphasizing my nickname. How did he learn that one? “And friends are supposed to share.”

“You just accused me of kidnapping my own sister-in-law!” I sneered. “Friends is not the word I’d use for us.”

“Good!” Kayden was suddenly way too close to me, his hot breath caressing my skin. “I don’t want to be your friend, Rory.”

“No worries there!” I couldn’t help myself but say. “You aren’t going to be one.”

“Where. Is. The. Evidence?” He stepped even closer, sealing his own fate.

“Why, Kayden, you are in luck!” A smile curled my lips. “It’s on me! But I am afraid you will have to search me!”

He sucked in a deep breath, and I turned with my back to him, placing my hands on the café’s wall and spreading my legs just like criminals do then glanced at him over my shoulder. “What are you waiting for, General?”

“Since you are offering,” he growled and placed his hands on my hips, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. “If you thought that I would back down, then you were very wrong.”

Oh, I was counting on him not backing down! His hands started sliding up my thighs, and I heard his breathing getting heavy. Closing my eyes, I summoned a storm, letting electricity run through my veins and emerge through my skin.

It hit him hard as several lightning bolts went through my body, and I heard him swearing loudly.

To my disappointment, when I turned back to look at him, he didn’t look too bad. Although his hair was dishevelled and his eyes wider than usual, the rest of him was fine. Even his clothes remained intact. Should I have gone stronger? It was hard to calculate these things on the first try…

“Are you out of your mind?” He growled at me.

“Are you?” A growl escaped me too, and his face changed. It was my wolf, not my dragon.

“What the…” He muttered, but I pushed him away and left as quickly as I could. I'd had enough of him for one day.

Luckily, he didn’t follow me, and I could breathe.

Nevertheless, I soon bumped into someone and looked up, finally seeing a familiar face.

“Kiddo,” Loki greeted me, but there was no smile on his face. Wow, that was fast! He was probably the first one to appear here. “Portal crystal,” he explained as if he had read my mind. “Tell me you were not joking.”

“I wasn’t.” I rushed to explain. “Loki, that’s Skylar, but something is wrong with her and her friend. They don’t remember anyone and act as if everything is peachy. As if… as if they were not missing for a whole year!”

“Did you… talk to her?” Loki’s voice trembled slightly.

“No, I thought that it was best not to,” I admitted. “I don’t know what this is, and I was afraid to act. What if I triggered something…”

“Clever girl.” The warlock patted my shoulder. “Let’s go. I will have a look.”

“There is something else,” I said, and he stopped. “Her mark is gone, along with Ren’s flame and the ring.”

His lips twitched, and he clenched his fists. “That explains why we couldn’t track them using those. Is it the same for Ava?”

“I didn’t check, to be honest, but I think so. The lycans are angry.” I informed him.

“Come on,” he waved for me to follow him. We returned to the Jelly Bean, and I was surprised that Fairy Princess Shawna and her fiancé Brock, the werebear, were already there. Kiara, Eli and Kayden were talking to them when they noticed us. Just seeing that lycan made me angry… and I caused thunder to rumble.

Keep calm, Rory. Keep calm. It was a crappy enough day already without rain.

“It’s worse than just that. The mark on Ava is gone. If her mark is gone, Sky’s is probably gone as well. We need to think about what could cause a royal mark to vanish…” Kiara said as all eyes fell on her. Why was she here exactly? Was she a royal too?

“That isn’t good.” Loki said, pursing his lips together.

“We will take it from here until Darren and Dylan arrive.” Shawna said, implying that no one could object to her decision. “Let’s go… Loki… reel your emotions in,” she added, and the warlock clicked his tongue at her.

“Don’t worry about me.” He said as he looked ahead anxiously. They went inside, and I decided to follow them. I wouldn’t interfere, but if something went wrong, I could help.

Kayden and I tried to enter Jelly Bean at the same time and snapped our heads at each other, giving each other death stares.

“Would you be a gentleman for once?” I frowned.

“After you, Lady Storm!” He gritted his teeth and didn’t move, so I had to push through. As*hole.

Loki was already in the queue when we walked in, studying both princesses from where he stood. I walked to the window display where they had a selection of doughnuts and pretended to choose what I wanted while eyeing the warlock secretly.

He was… devastated. There was a smile on his handsome face, but his eyes… his eyes were telling a different story. For him, this was… personal.

“What would you like?” Skylar chirped as it was his turn now, and his lips trembled.

“I don’t know.” He stretched the words, looking at her and not at the menu. “Everything looks so amazing. Maybe you can tell me what is what?”

“You haven’t been to a coffee shop before?” Sky let out a sarcastic chuckle.

“I am practically a newborn baby when it comes to these places. Teach me, sensei.” He bowed to her playfully and made her giggle.

“Fine, young Padawan!” She started pointing at the menu and explaining what was what to him while people in the line behind us groaned. He was taking too long to order. Of course, Loki didn’t care about coffee. I knew far too well that he was scanning Skylar and Ava, who was working right next to her.

In the end, he grabbed her hand, and she gasped.

“Oh, sorry,” the warlock mumbled. “I thought you had a birthmark there, but maybe I am just seeing things lately.”

“Maybe,” she slid her hand out of his. “So, what is your decision?”

“Iced caramel macchiato,” Loki smiled, and she got back to work. We all walked out shortly after him while the two princesses kept working as if nothing happened.

Well, for them, nothing did happen. But all of us were now broken.

This wasn’t good!

Kiara and Eli walked to our group with worried faces.

“It’s a curse… and it’s bad.” Loki informed them, every word laced with pain. “It isn’t something I can break. It is sensitive because it is an exploding curse.”

That did not sound good at all!

“What does that mean, exactly?” Brock asked.

“It means the curse is made to cause an explosion. It would be powerful enough to kill anyone around them.” Loki knitted his brows and scratched his chin.

“Damn… we shouldn’t have notified the princess–” Shawna whispered, looking up at Brock.

“It’s too late now. There is no way we can keep them away. I’ll call Dylan and brief him.” Brock rubbed his forehead.

“There is no way to reach Darren and warn him,” I sighed, placing my hands in my pockets. “But I am pretty sure he is already halfway here.”

“There has to be a way to remove the curse,” Kayden interjected, and I rolled my eyes. Butterscotch to the rescue.

“Yeah, there is always a way. I need to think about this more.” Loki pursed his lips together, and then his eyes landed on me. “Rory, a word.”

I was glad to leave this company, and we started walking away when a growl emerged behind my back. A growl that I ignored. If Kayden was jealous of Eli and that girl, it wasn’t my problem. Kiara obviously liked the bear more.

“Loki, do you really think there is a way to bring their memories back?” I bit my lip, returning to what was important.

“I will either find one or die trying,” he told me, and I saw so much determination on his face that I believed him.

“So, why did you want to speak to me?” I asked.

“Because, Rory, you will have to tell Darren everything.” The warlock looked at the sky as if he was already searching for my cousin. “He has changed so much and only gotten worse. He won't take this info well from me. It has to be someone he trusts and likes. He can’t force their bond back quickly. It could kill them both. We’ll have to look for other ways, and he will have to….”

“I get it,” I nodded reassuringly.

Loki soon left to start working on this case while I stayed outside the cafe. He was right. Darren would need a friend right now. And we were family.

I waited until it was getting dark and sensed him before he became visible.

He went right through the barrier in the sky, transforming into his human form, and landed, creating a cloud of dust around him. I was shocked that the barrier alarm didn't sound and only then noticed a university bracelet on his hand. A necessity here.

“Ren!” I tried to smile at him, but his eyes were full of fire.

“Where is she?!” he roared menacingly.

NOTE: Hi guys, the updates will be on Wednesdays now (starting next week). Did you already check out our sss group Alpha Island ARC and order yourself a chibilander? Don't forget about titles ;)