Forsaken & Claimed

Chapter 57

Pandora

I searched the faces in the crowd until I landed on someone familiar. She was at the feast Beta took me to that night. Kyren, if I wasn't mistaken. Great, she wasn't a fan of mine either.

"I thought I would come and practice my knitting," I said.

"My offer still stands to help you with your energy leakage. I think we all would prefer not to get whiplashed," she said.

"Such a good samaritan. Have a seat and teach me your mysterious way," I said.

Kyren threw her hands on her hips and started to walk away. I was content with letting her, but if I wanted to keep my horns, I would need to learn eventually. Neither Cairo nor Nastri intended to teach or allow me to learn anything.

"Come on, sit. Don't worry; I don't bite—unless you ask," I called out.

Kyren smirked, then sat next to me. She crossed her legs and smoothed down her skirt. Her warm hand grabbed my wrist, and she began counting.

"You've improved since the last time," she said, "But I felt it as soon as I walked in."

"How do I fix it? What can I do?"

"You learned the bubble trick, but that's beginner shit. We teach it to little kids so they can develop control while we can still glean the truth from them," she said, "Follow me."

Kyren hopped out and led us down one of the hallways. We passed different rooms along the way. I chuckled when we passed the knitting room. We stopped at what looked like an exercise room. It was dusty, and the equipment was worse than what I had in No Man's Land—a few small dumbbells and rubber mats.

"Okay, put up your bubble," Kyren said.

"It is," I said.

"Well, try harder. It's weak," she said.

I imagined the bubble, but I pulled harder once the warm feeling came until the sensation became hot. When I opened my eyes, Kyren and I were face to face. My heart jumped, and she smiled.

"Better. I almost didn't feel it," she said, "Now, I want you to try and make it circulate around you."

"Circulate?"

"Make it swirl like a tornado," she said.

That sounded like a load of nonsense, but I buckled down and tried to give it a go. I imagine the bubble shifting and spinning. The heat on my skin started to move around, and it got hotter.

"Keep going," Kyren said.

"It's getting a bit toasty."

"Keep going."

My skin felt like I was being roasted over a campfire. The pain of being baked alive became too much, and I released the bubble. A burst of pink sent Kyren flying backward. Women next door started to cry out.

"Are you okay," I asked.

Kyren's body was limp as I shook her. Heavy boots stomped down the hall. This wasn't going to look good at all. Four men rushed in and circled us.

"We need help. I don't—"

"Out of the way," one guy barked.

I got to my feet, and the guy checked her pulse and eyes. He scooped her up into his arms and rushed out. Fuck, that really wasn't good.

"Who do you belong to," another asked.

I really hated that question—hated being considered property.

"I think she's Cairo's. Give him a call," a third said.

"Will she be okay? What happened," I asked.

"This was obviously an attack. Playing innocent won't save you."

"An attack? Are you fucking kidding me? If I wanted to attack her, I wouldn't use a method that would get me caught," I said.

"That's for the Priest and council to decide."

Did Kyren set me up? Was this her plan? Was she even hurt in the first place? All of my questions came to a halt when a gust of wind materialized the Alpha squad.

"What's this about an accident," Cairo asked.

"This was intentional. She knocked another woman unconscious with a large discharge of energy. So large that every woman in this clubhouse felt it. We felt it walking by."

"It wasn't on purpose. I swear," I said.

"We have to report this to the Priest regardless."

Cairo reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash.

"It looks like a squabble between women over a petty disagreement," Cairo said, "No need to bring the Priest into it. He's already so busy."

The guy eyed the money then looked at his buddy, who nodded. He took it, and they disappeared as fast as they came.

"An hour? Will this be a recurring thing with you? Huh," Cairo asked.

"It was an accident. She was showing me to control my energy—it went wrong. There was a third person in their group, and he took her somewhere," I said, "I need to—"

"It'll get handled. Just go back to the room and try not to get into any more trouble," he said, "If you think you can manage."

Well, it was safe to say he was still pissy about last night. Abel slapped his shoulder and checked his pockets.

"I'll do it. Walk her back," Abel said.

Just as he was blinking out, I grabbed the back of his jacket and got sucked into it. It was more uncomfortable than I had imagined but ended as quickly as it started. Using my technique, I blocked my collar off from whatever kept me there. We materialized in the street near a building.

Everything spun, and my back slammed into a wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Abel yelled.

He inspected my limbs and eyes before blinking again. This time we ended up in a building—a dark room.

"Never do that again," he gritted through his teeth, "You could've ended up like Sid or worst. If I haven't adjusted my energy at the last second you—"

He took a deep breath. I've never seen him so mad before. Abel cupped my face and just looked at me.

"Why? What are you doing?"

"Kyren. I need to talk to her."

"It couldn't wait until she returned?"

"She might have it out for me, or she may think I was trying to kill her. I need to be sure," I said.

"You know Cairo might kill me for this," he said.

It wasn't a question. It was a fact.

"Death never scared you before."

"No. Usually don't when you don't have anything to live for," he said.

"Oh, your new girlfriend?"

Abel's frown cracked into a small smile.

"Jealousy isn't attractive to a man."

"I don't care about being attractive," I said, jabbing him in the stomach, "For you or anyone else."

He boxed me into the corner. His body got close like how he used to do. It was as tight and hard as I remembered.

"What did I say about telling lies, Light of my world?"

My stomach twisted into knots.

"Memory isn't the best," I said.

"Let me remind you."