☼ Chapter X ☼

picture; Derik Seilyar (he is so wonderful to look at)

author's note; This chapter is pretty short because it was originally part of chapter 11 but I've edited and shortened the chapters because they all were much longer here on Wattpad than in Google Docs. This way, it is easier to have places to stop for readers.

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Blue-orange twilight fluttered through the thin crack in the thick red curtains over the window in the living room and slit across the head of the couch. My eyes followed the sliver of sun to the person sleeping on the sofa.

I devoured Trent's image. His hands were lightly grasping the PS4 controller and he was shirtless, but had on a pair of black sweats and white Nike socks. That gorgeous raven-colored hair was messy and falling over his closed eyes.

His addictive scent of spicy sandalwood and refreshing mint emanated through the air as my lips curved into a small smile. Ethereal quivering volts skittered over my flesh and warmth spread throughout my chest.

Tentatively, I felt my feet inch me closer to his sleeping form, and with a start, I halted my actions and clenched my eyes closed tightly.

A shaky, slow breath flowed from my body just as Trent's eyes slowly opened and the depth of his violet-amber orbs startled me.

"Sonya..." He faltered as he stared at me. That heavy gaze was watching me with a severity I had only felt one other time before, but now it seemed to pale in comparison to that cerulean heat.

Those eyes revealed that he looked at me like some kind of magical phenomena, like I was too beautiful to be real—too flawless to even exist in a fantasy. Longing zipped through my veins as his eyes scrutinized me for another twenty-four seconds.

And I had counted every single one in my head. Twenty-four seconds is a long time to just stare at someone.

Trent finally blinked and shuddered before exhaling a shaky breath. His eyes flickered with realization at something I couldn't pinpoint just from his expression.

He muttered a string of cuss words before the fleeting look was replaced by that familiar smirk. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"No." I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. A part of me wanted to thank him for waking me from the horrid terror last night, but most of me didn't want to talk about it at all, so I stayed quiet for a while.

Trent watched me and the violet swirls in his eyes seemed to glow brighter as the amber darkened to nearly a chocolate brown.

"What are you doing here anyway? I mean, you're on the couch so clearly Ankiel is my roommate." I finally found my voice to say something.

My eyes trailed on his every move as he sat up and placed the controller onto the coffee table, then picked up a warm flat strawberry soda and knocked back the remainder of it. I made a face; flat soda is so gross, and warm flat soda is even worse.

"I came in last night after classes with Kel. We used to room together before we left the Academy, and we lived together all these years. Kel feels the need to babysit me, I guess." Trent paused and I watched him light a cigarette and take a long, thoughtful drag of it. "I guess him and Lori are similar in that way too."

He rose to his six-foot height and stretched, willowy tendrils of smoke obscuring his handsome face for a moment. All of his muscles in his stomach and arms rippled as he did, and I felt an aggressive pang in the most private area of myself.

I swallowed and took a small step away.

"Lorelai isn't babysitting me." I deadpan, grasping my arm harshly enough to where I could feel my nails bite the skin there.

"Really? How often does she sleep over here?" A dark brow arched up as he regarded me doubtfully. "How much time do you actually have alone a day?" I remained quiet. "I rest my case."

Trent shuffled past me into the kitchenette and the sound of the front door of the dorm being knocked on pulled my attention away from his sexy and retreating form. My brows scrunched together in confusion as I moved towards the door to answer it.

Genevieve stood on the other side, her blue eyes bright and inviting. Her lengthy golden waves waterfall down her back to her waist today, and she is dressed in a simple teal sweater and khaki jeans.

It was strange seeing her look so casual, but even more strange to see three men behind her, one of them being Derik.

Bliss pooled inside me, but I squelched the sensation as I remembered I was still pissed for what he'd said about my parents yesterday.

"Gen," I began slowly, peering back into the kitchenette. Trent had half a bagel in his mouth and was leant against the counter, facing the living area and lazily texting away on his phone. "What are you doing here?"

"Sonya, these men who have accompanied me today are Investigative Protectors. Derik has expressed to me that you were attacked in your dorm." I gritted my teeth at the information and slit my gaze into my Mate.

He actually seemed unphased by the icy glare cast his way, and I sucked my teeth before roughly pushing the door open wider in invitation.

Genevieve offered me a small, concerned smile as she stepped inside. The Protectors fell in step with my Mentor inside, but Derik stayed still.

"Come to insult my dead mother more? Or maybe monologue some terrorist ideals? Oh, maybe you can praise my sister for abandoning me while you're at it." I crossed my arms for the second time this morning as if that would keep me together.

The urge to reach out and touch him was nearly undeniable, but I held my composure.

"What happened last night? I felt you panicking." He ignored my hostile quips. My back straightened and I gritted my teeth again. Irritation slammed through me.

"Don't change the subject." Twisting away, I moved deeper into my dorm and Derik finally was pushed into action. He came up behind me, our bodies close enough I could once again feel the rolling fire dance over my entirety.

My mouth watered at the thought of the unearthly taste that lingered on his lips.

"Sonya," Derik's arm curled around my midsection and I stiffened, refusing to allow myself to relax into him—no matter how much every atom that collectively created my body shrieked for me to. "I... I don't have an excuse for what I said. I'm so, so sorry. Please don't shut me out."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Trent sauntered into the living area just then.

My Mate noticeably stiffened behind me as he took in Trent's half-naked form.

Derik's hand gripped me so tightly that it hurt, and I instinctively pulled away from the pain.

"What the hell, Derik?" When I turned to look at him, a darkness was evident in his normally blue eyes. The anger there surprised me. "Derik?" I grasped his arm to call his attention back to me, but he wrenched away from my hold.

More shock pulsated through me at his actions. The shock morphed into anger and I fisted my hands into his jacket, yanking him deeper into my body. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Sonya, do not touch me." A sour taste spilled over my tongue at his words and I felt voltaic sweetness creep upon me.

After turning my head to look over my shoulder, I saw Trent standing closely behind me, a smug look splayed across his face. I released Derik, lightly shoving him away while moving deeper into Trent's direction.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on between you two, but it needs to stop." Without another word, I made my way back to my dorm room.

Genevieve and the other two Protectors were already there; one of the men was at my balcony door while the other was positioned in front of my desk.

Lorelai grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. "Why didn't you tell me something happened the other night?" Her voice was accusing and slightly hurt.

"I wasn't planning on keeping it from you, Lori. Just... Trent and Ankiel came back that night, and that's why I wanted you to stay with me, but... seeing them was hard for you. I figured it could wait until later."

"You think my idiot brothers coming back was more important than you being attacked? You should've told me. Is that why you... last night?" Lorelai's gray eyes shifted to a gloomy sky readying to tear open and allow rain to hammer down over the world.

It suddenly dawned on me the reason I slept so peacefully the same night I was attacked was because A) I was with Derik, and B) I hadn't slept in the dorm. I wondered if Derik being able to console me so much was a bad thing.

I had felt completely safe, so safe that the glaring panic and fear had dissipated so much that it actually slipped my mind to tell Lorelai what had happened.

I had been more concerned recounting our first argument to her than telling her I was attacked. I had even gone to try to speak to Head Vierseut about it.

Memories of the anxiety from that night when I'd made my way up the administration building whimpered at the back of my mind.

Right, I thought, that's actually why I didn't tell Lorelai.

I felt the urgency to wait until we were alone.

Lorelai's hands grasped onto my shoulders and she pulled me in for a hug, simultaneously pulling me back to the present. After hesitating for only a second, I encircled my arms around her as well before squeezing.

"Princess," Lorelai and I parted to turn our attention to one of the male Protectors who'd approached us.

"If you could recount what happened that night, it'd be very helpful." So I did. I told them about what I'd done before coming into my room, everything from me turning on the radio to listen to music to waking up in my bed to me attacking Ankiel. "Ankiel Ylisove is your roommate, correct?" The Protector, whose name was Josiah, asked me.

"Yeah, he and Trenton Codaihme returned here that night." The other Protector, who'd said his name was Levi was moving around the room still, running his fingers across my desktop, my bed frame, the doors of the balcony.

"I don't know what happened between me realizing I was choked and waking up. I don't even know how much time had passed because it felt so much like a dream."

"Levi sensed another presence was here, one that doesn't match any of the four of you—or your Mate Derik. It seems to have been cloaked by Black magick and will require some Rituals to cleanse your room before it can be deciphered." Josiah explained, and I felt a heaviness I didn't know I had been carrying for the past day finally lift.

I really wasn't crazy.

Someone had been here.

"What do you mean he senses another presence? I didn't sense anything when I woke up, and I haven't until..." Josiah perked up at my hesitation and I clasped my hands together, the wetness across my palms surprised me.

"That night I had stayed with my Mate, Derik. He felt my fear and came here to comfort me. The next day when I came back... I felt like I was being watched again."

"Again? You felt like you were being watched before." Levi paused in his actions to chime in now. He stride quickly across the room to my side. "May I?" He held out his hand and I looked to Genevieve for reassurance.

"It's okay Sonya, he's a Seer." I swallowed heavily before slipping my sweaty hand into his cool one. Levi's brown eyes burned right through me, and I shifted uneasily under the pressure.

Abruptly, Levi pulled away and forced a tight smile. "We need to have Protectors stationed around this dormitory. Sonya was being followed by Darkness."

I felt myself blanche at the information. "I thought you said someone attacked me, not Darkness. How do you know this?" I had rushed to my feet and was screaming at Levi, but the fear had returned.

It seared my veins and burrowed into the very marrow of my bones to take up residence forever.

"Sonya," Lorelai grabbed my hand but I tore away, the panic pushing in. That ocean of black was swirling hungrily around the edges of my mind.

"How do you think a few Protectors will stop Darkness? Nothing can protect me. I-I need to get out of here. This place is not safe for me. I want to go home. I want to go home to Arizona to see my father." The words scurried past my lips, tumbling out and rolling into one another recklessly fast.

Hotness built behind my eyes and my nose burned, indicating to me that I was about to start crying but I was desperately beating back the tears.

My tongue tingled as adrenaline flooded me; tremors violently wracked through my body once again.

Sultry kisses laced across my flesh suddenly, and I leant into Derik, unable to even consider halting my actions.

Darkness was coming for me just like it came for my sister.

Would I turn into her and attack the people I cared about most? Would it force me to run away and never return, just like she did? Or would I turn into a merciless killer like Rene? The fear and uncertainty tingled generously down my spine.

Derik's hold was strong and kept the panic just at the precipice of my mind. It was a tantalizing whisper at the very back of my conscious, and I clutched onto my Mate for stability that I couldn't conjure on my own.

"It's okay, Sonya." His voice was firm, but calm and reassuring, and I didn't know if it was the effects of the Mate pull or if I grasped a minute of clarity to see it was still okay. I hadn't been harmed or dragged under by the blackness yet.

Maybe I would be fine. Maybe everything would be okay and I was just overreacting. My eyes flashed up when the weight of a gaze pushed down on me.

Trent was there beside Ankiel, looking right at me. He seemed to stand straighter when we connected stares, and the panic completely melted away.

Trent seemed to tell that I relaxed deeper into Derik's hold, but it wasn't because of the touch of my Mate. Looking at Trent standing there, I felt completely secure.

A familiar expression began to curl onto his handsome face, one that reminded me of Lorelai.

His lips tilted up into an achingly slow and intimate smile.