Sisters By Chance - The Dawn (Book Two)

The Corner

Raven's POV

'We free them ALL!' The caramel bear shouted as he slammed his hands against the small coffee table, making it creak alarmingly.

'There is no time to get them all...' Tina shouted back at him. 'We need to free whatever is the hardest for them to recapture. If we fail to bring them down completely, we'd have to make it impossible for them to get back on their feet!' The tension in the room is suffocating, yet I don't care.

I'm completely spent and keep out of this fight. Instead, I'm resting on the sofa. The ceiling is a gray-filled mist of heavy clouds covering the night sky. I would have liked to see the stars in all their splendor, not this dull display of emptiness. But the gray swirls are all I'm getting, so I close my eyes and keep listening with half an ear.

They should consider themselves lucky that I muffled this place before they started screaming at each other. My neck is sore and warm. Harry has been eyeing it and raising his eyebrows, making me roll my eyes repeatedly between closing them. A soft cough made me look up again only to see his mouth: 'What about the blue balls?'

I burst out laughing so hard that the others stop mid-sentence. I'm pretty sure I've peed myself in the process.

'I guess I'm weak!' I tell him between laughs, making him laugh back at me as the rest look at us confused.

'You're many things, little witch. But weak isn't one of them!'

I'm flattered by his words, but at the moment, I feel the weakest I've ever been. I could use some sleep, that's for sure.

'Well, tired then. I could use two days of sleep, so why don't you all stop bickering and get this show on the road?'

They kept silent and looked around, eyeing the others, daring them to speak. I rolled my eyes again before giving Doggie a pointed look. He's a f*****g beta. Now is the time to act like one instead of sitting back and listening.

'How about we free the dragons? They're the hardest to get,' Mo tells us as I close my eyes, making Doggie nog in agreement.

'We'll try to do it without raising any alarms, but if we're discovered, I'll have the alpha attack from without. They will distract the witches as we free as many as possible. No matter the species!' He concluded with a stern look. Caramel skin grumbles, displeased by the verdict.

'We'll try to get everyone,' I tell him, intending to be reassuring, but I don't see his reaction. All I hear is a new grunt.

The discussion continues. As before, I keep out of it. I want someone to tell me what to do and then do it so I can return. I want my Tim. I miss him even more, the before. I mindlessly touch my neck. The warmth spread through my fingers, up my hand and arm. My neck is tender, and I tilt my head back as I close my eyes. My mind soars to Tim and his hands on my hips. I sigh hard while I pull back my hand and let it rest heavily in my lap.

I listened to them as they kept talking, and despite feeling eyes on me, I couldn't be bothered to find out who. Not until they're all done do I open my eyes, ready to get going. The hazel eyes of a beautiful bear are fixated on me, making me raise an eyebrow.

'Anything on your mind?'

'Nothing. You ready to leave?'

'Sure am!' I sighed as I rubbed my face, 'I just need to pee first!'

The man's fixed stare turned into a frown, letting me know it was too much information - precisely what I aimed for.

Ian came walking in the hallway with a bundle of clothes. Mo was walking one step behind him, holding his hand. She stopped as we leveled and motioned from Ian to continue without her. He nodded and kept going as she took my hand.

'You survived! They told us you were dead!' She murmurs with astonishment on her friendly face.

'They tried to kill me... I guess they didn't send their best to do the job.' I shrugged. She beamed at me before letting her eyes wander over my neck to my mark.

'Did it hurt?'

'Like a b***h!' I giggle as my free hand automatically moves to touch it. 'But it was breathtaking. I only wished I had seen it coming...'

'He sprung it on you?' Mo gasps.

'I believe he surprised himself too.' I smile as my fingers move over the tender skin, sending tingles up my fingers. Mo nods her head before meeting my gaze again.

'I stopped Ian once... He was close. But we couldn't.'

I nod, unable to find the right words for a moment. Of course, they couldn't. I have never heard about a witch marked by a wolf, so I don't know what the old hags would have done. They would probably kill him or both of them.

'Well, I guess nothing will stop him in a couple of hours?'

'No, I guess not!' She tells me with a twinkle of longing in her eyes.

We stay quiet. Mo looks like she is contemplating saying something but can't get her mouth to open up and spill the words.

'Well, I need to pee!' I tell her awkwardly as I let my hands slide from my neck.

'Oh, sorry! Sure, better go now. It will be a hectic night!' She smiles like a freaking kindergarten teacher.

*

*

*

Harry has got some new clothes. Now he looks identical to the other wolves: A black t-shirt or sweatshirt with army-green cargo pants. The bear seems to have brown pants. I don't remember them being dressed like that when I lived here. But I didn't pay much attention to them back then because I never had anything to do with them. We weren't rich and didn't live in a part of town where they frequented. Mo, the two other witches: Amelia and Carla, and I are dressed in our dark cloaks, covering us. We have an escort of three wolves and one bear.

The caramel treat walks behind me as we step outside the building to the narrow street, like a lifeguard. Harry and I are lost here. We wouldn't have been able to find our way around here, if not for the others. Ian keeps close to Mo, and Tina has Doggie beside her, walking behind the others. Harry's face is a mask when I turn to steel a glaze of him. He looks so focused on his task. I envy him. All I feel is a strong urge to throw up. I didn't even feel that when I was alone earlier. But alone was less conspicuous somehow. I blended into the festivities as if I was simply on my way to another party.

Now, I'm walking like a prisoner toward my doom.

The others don't seem to share my aversion to our situation. They talked happily with one another as if this was the most natural part of their day. We kept strolling down the cobbled alley with our companions until we reached a broader road crossing our path. The unease of being here, in this place, is making the hairs on my neck stand. I was never coming back, yet here I am. Somewhere in the background, Mo is talking about the marvels of the fire mountain. But I don't pay any attention to it.

All I can do is stare at the crooked houses with their different colored walls surrounding us as we keep to the road leading towards the burnt mountain of fire. Windows everywhere are letting light escape from ongoing parties. Men and women are stumbling around, singing, and laughing. A man with a large glass in one hand is kissing a woman passionately, all while holding his free arm around her neck, pressing her toward his face. A glowing jack' O'lantern is swooping past us, making Mo duck with hearty laughter. However, it hits Ian in his head, making him growl.

'Hush, stupid dog!' Mo grumbles before turning to me. 'They truly are hard to train properly. Don't you think?' She asks me. 'Always making annoying sounds. I guess we're lucky they manage to become housetrained...' Her face is twisted into a sneer as she makes the remark far too loud, making me ogle her in disbelief. I look over my shoulder to Ian. His face is cold as ice, but he doesn't utter a word. A Strong hand nudges me gently, making me snap out of my frozen state.

'I don't get how you're putting up with it!' I sigh as if getting tired by the thought alone. 'Bears has this low rumble, making everything vibrate. Super annoying!'

The other two nod in agreement with perfect pitiful looks - as if they couldn't think of anything more horrid than that. I let myself be swooped into their conversation as we kept walking, ignoring our companions.

Outside a small pub by the corner of a terrible wry house, we were met by a large crowd. Amelia is suddenly grabbed by her arm and pulled towards the doorway by a friend as we intend to slip past them. The woman screamed her name excruciatingly loud as she pulled her by her arm. I'm pretty sure she busted Doggie's eardrum by the look on his face. Mo pulls back her hood and walks after them inside while holding my hand. This entire weekend is a party. It would be weird not to stay. There is a tub filled with candy as we enter, making me bounce on my tippy toes and grab a whole hand of it. I'm stuffing my face as they start singing a song I've long forgotten. A man grabbed me by my shoulders as he swayed from side to side - forcing me to follow and making me slip out of Mo's grasp. I kept stuffing my face to avoid singing along with the tune as everyone else kept screaming the lyric at the top of their lungs. I'm in a sea of people. Everyone in here is a witch or wizard. I guess this isn't a pet-friendly establishment.

I keep my eyes on Mo as she works her way toward Amelia. Hoping she'll get to her, so wee kan keep going.

A man with a soapy grin places a glass in my hand as he leans toward my face, wiggling his brows. There's a look in his eyes telling me he thinks he's attractive. However, compared to my Tim, he looks more like the wart on the back of a toad than anything else. He has sickly pale eyes, and his hair is the dirty color of a rat. I nodded mannerly while pretending to sip whatever he gave me before turning on my heel. I need to get away before he tries to kiss me or something. The thought made me gag as my cheek slammed into a chest, making me spill on both of us.

I looked up, intending to scold whoever it was in my way, only to be met by two icy blue eyes piercing my own with a steady gaze under full brows. His straight nose led me to his full lips and square chin covered in a sexy five o'clock shadow, giving him the perfect bad-boy look. My world seemed to stop as the music and cheers roared around me.

The yummy-looking man raised an eyebrow at me before pulling up his wand and drying my cloak with a quick nick. I swallowed hard under his gaze before drawing a breath to scream a 'thank you' over the noise.

He smirked my way, making me frown. I jolted slightly as I suddenly felt the back of his fingers caress over my cheek, down my jaw and neck. The need to protect my skin from this man was so sudden that I pushed past him to get away. I felt him turn to look at my back while I kept on forcing myself through the sea of bodies.

I need to get out of this place. Now!

The air gets stuck in my throat as I duck under raised arms and round people to my left and right until reaching the door. The cold night washed over me, calming my racing heart. Wooden pillars hold up a crooked roof above the entrance, shielding it from potential rain. I let my back hit the wooden post and take deep breaths. Through the corner of my eye, I see Doggie in the shadows. His eyes are intensely staring at me while clenching his fist. Tina is whispering in his ear as she is holding onto his arm. I lift a hand barely visible to let him know I'm fine. I'm not even sure what came over me or what happened. I'm no shy schoolgirl swooning at the sight of men smiling my way. But something about this man made me feel so uneasy I froze.

I stay outside, leaning against the post with closed eyes, listening to the base from inside mixed with rhythms from all around. A voice beside my ear makes me jerk and hit my head.

'I know who you are!'

'If by that you mean I'm your bedwarmer for the night. You're sadly mistaken!' I tell him as I rub the back of my head and glare at him. My brain is scolding my mouth for speaking without permission. Why do I always do this? Speak without thinking.

What if he actually knows who I am?

'I was thinking more like; the most beautiful woman alive!' He whispered as he placed his hand on the wood by my face, trapping me between him and the post. I inwardly groaned as I forced a smile to plaster my face.

'Well, that is true!'

'Why don't you come with me, beautiful girl!'

'I'm flattered, but me and my friends are only passing by.' I tell him as I look towards the door, hoping Mo will appear with the others. The man's free hand sneaks under my cloak to my waist before tracing my torso towards my breast.

'Well, why don't you come with me around the corner then? I'll be quick!' That made me laugh so hard that I started crying. Why won't this man give up and leave e alone?

'I believe you, but that won't do much for me. Would it?' I crowed between laughter.

By now, I'm sure he doesn't know who I am. I'm also sure he's used to having ladies fall at his feet. Unfortunately for him, no five o'clock shadow in the world will make me stray from my Tim. The air between us turned frigid as his grip around my waist tightened. His hot breath reeked from alcohol and something different, a sharp minty smell making my nose twitch. His demeanor turned as sour as his breath when he leaned toward my face, whispering, despite no one being here to hear him.

'Why don't you be a good little b***h and come with me around the corner?' He's phrasing it like a question, but his tone is a request.

'The only reason I'd follow you around a corner would be to put you to bed for good!' I hissed at him while trying to pull out of his grip. His fingers dug into my side as he threatened me with a dark voice.

'Now you listen here! You should consider yourself lucky I picked you, so stop being a stubborn cunt and come with me, or I'll make you!'

By his last words, he grabbed my arm to pull me with him. As he spun to drag me with him, he was stopped abruptly by the blazing eyes of Jack.

'Get out of my way, stupid dog!' The man, whose name I didn't know, told my friend with a scowl as he tried to push past him murmuring at him to know his place. A wicked smile crept over Harry's lips before his arms and hands moved like lightning, snapping the man's neck with a sickening crack. I gasped as I felt the grip around my arm disappears. The man started falling in front of me. Everything seemed to move in slow motion in the tight alley. The crooked buildings engulfing us stand as protecting arms shielding us from nosy spectators. However, we're not invisible despite the darkness. I stare as my friend and protector swing the man's arm around his neck and then walk off with him as if he's drunk, not dead. I hear his feet slither over the cobblestones as I watch them disappear around a corner.

'He got what he wished for!' Tina murmured as she came up beside me.

'What wish?' I asked as I kept my perplexed gaze on the corner they rounded, frozen to the spot. I feel numbed and cold. Shivers keep running down my body as if submerged in icy water. My chest is tight, and I struggle to fill my lungs.

'He wanted company around the corner, did he not?'

I turned my head to look at her through the darkness. She looked alarmingly calm as she kept her eyes on the same spot I did, waiting for her mate to return. I muster a slow nod in confirmation as I turn my gaze back to the corner where Harry reappears, strolling as if returning from drinking a glass of water in the kitchen.

His warm hand is a welcome distraction against my cold skin. As are his familiar eyes. I had forgotten how important he was and still is to me until now. The feel of him made me let out a shaky breath I didn't realize I was holding.

'You stupid b***h, why didn't you stop him?' He hissed, making Tina growl at him and swat his arm. I stare at him, unable to give him an answer. What am I to say? I don't know. Yeah, brilliant. When I keep staring at him, his eyes soften.

'You alright?'

Harry's sudden softness snaps me out of my paralyzed state.

'Never been better!' I breathed, my words laced with sarcasm as I looked past him to the corner. His hand pushed my cheek, tilting my head to face him. I meet his eyes and watch as he searches my face for something. He finally nods and smiles softly, pleased with something unknown to me.

'Good! No one is allowed to call you a b***h, but me!'

'Not even you are allowed to bring me around the corner!' My mouth told him despite my brain still contemplating the dead wizard. My voice sounded hollow. But the words made Harry's eyes twinkle and his smile widen slightly. He leans in as if trying to kiss my cheek but pulls back as he remembers where we are. I smile and roll my eyes at him as I mouth: 'I love you too!' Making him chuckle.

The door to the pub swung open, and a couple of drunk witches stumble outside. Harry and Tina pull back into the shadows, leaving me alone to watch one of them fall into the wooden pillar and hit her head. She sinks to the ground with a grunt, forming a lump on the ground. The rest of her entourage laughed at her slumping body. I sigh at the sight. I'm so f*****g glad I left this place, and I can't wait to do ita again.