Hidden Wings

Chapter 3: The Staged Attack

Weeks had passed since that jarring afternoon in the school hallway, and my nightmares were only getting worse. Every night was a blurred horror of deep blue eyes and blood.

But it wasn't just happening when I slept anymore. At school, out of the corner of my eye, I kept catching glimpses of those same haunting, hostile blue eyes tracking me from the edge of the woods and the dark corners of the hallways. I felt like I was losing my mind. My body felt different, too—waking up, a strange static hum vibrated right beneath my skin, making me hyper-aware of everything. And everyone.

Especially Ashton.

Whenever he was near, that invisible rope pulling me toward him didn't just feel like a crush—it felt like a matching frequency. A deep, instinctual ache told me that whatever was making my world c***k open, he was the only other person who shared it. He felt like me.

But I was terrified. Today, as the final bell rang and the school gates flooded with students, I pulled my hood up and tried to dodge him. I barely made it two feet before his hand caught my wrist. The instant spark of heat made me flinch.

“Why are you avoiding me, Ivey?” Ashton asked, his eyes laced with a calculated, heavy pain.

“I have to go,” I whispered, tearing my arm away. I broke into a fast walk, which quickly turned into a desperate jog. I needed to get to Isaac’s office. It was only a few blocks away. My brother's workspace was my sanctuary—the one place where the rules of the world made sense, where I could lock the door and pretend none of this was real.

I didn't realize that Ashton was trailing a few paces behind me, a cold, satisfied smirk flashing across his face the moment my back was turned. The trap was set.

Three blocks away from the office, the air turned freezing cold. The sunny afternoon street suddenly felt eerie, the sounds of distant traffic muffled into a dead silence.

Then, they stepped out from the shadows of an alleyway.

I choked on a scream, stumbling backward. Their skin was the color of bruised slate, their fingers elongated into wicked, crystalline claws—and their eyes were the exact, haunting blue from my nightmares. Unseelie beasts.

One of them lunged, its jaw unhinging to reveal rows of glass-like teeth.

"Ivey, get behind me!"

Ashton shoved me behind a parked SUV just as the creature’s claws slammed into the metal, tearing through the chassis like paper. Shattered glass rained down on us. I pressed myself against the tires, my heart hammering violently against my ribs, paralyzed by the sheer impossibility of what I was seeing.

"Stay down!" Ashton commanded.

What followed was a nightmare brought to life in the middle of a city street. Ashton moved with terrifying, unnatural speed. He ducked under a lethal swipe from the second monster, grabbed its wrist, and twisted until the bone snapped with a sickening c***k.

Then, the alleyway caught fire.

Ashton raised his hands, and pure, blinding fire erupted from his palms—a brilliant gold-and-violet flame that hissed with raw, untamed power. He unleashed a wave of the mystical fire, incinerating the first creature into a pile of ash in a matter of seconds.

The remaining monster hissed, retreating a step, but Ashton pursued it with predatory grace. He threw a localized cyclone of fire that engulfed the beast, shielding me entirely from the blast. He was intentional with every strike, making sure he put his body between me and danger, letting me see every ounce of his power, yet ensuring I felt completely protected.

With a final, explosive burst, the last creature shattered into dust.

Silence fell over the street. Ashton turned around slowly, the golden flames dancing lazily across his knuckles before sinking back into his skin. His eyes were glowing with an ethereal light.

"Ivey," he said, taking a step toward me, his voice dripping with orchestrated concern. "Are you hurt?"

"What... what are you?" I stammered, my voice cracking as tears of pure shock pricked my eyes. "You... you just threw fire."

Ashton closed the distance between us, backing me against the brick wall of a building. The heat radiating off him was nearly suffocating, melting away the chill of my fear. He leaned in, his face inches from mine, his voice dropping to a harsh, desperate whisper.

"Hey! Look at your hands, Ivey! Look at the air around you! You're not human."

My breath hitched. "What?"

"You think you're just a normal girl with bad dreams?" Ashton asked, his face breaking into a soft, awe-inspired smile that felt like a warm blanket after a storm. "Those monsters were Fae, Ivey. And so am I. But you... I can taste the ancient magic rolling off you in waves. You don't belong in this mortal world. That's why you can feel me. That's why we have this pull. I'm here to protect you, Ivey. I swear I won't let anyone hurt you. Let me be your ally."

Looking into his eyes, feeling the terrifying truth of his words connect with the magic waking up inside me, I felt a profound wave of relief. He wasn't a threat. He was like me. He was my protector.

Slowly, I nodded. "Okay," I whispered. "Help me."

Ashton’s smile was blindingly beautiful as he took my hand. But as he turned to guide me down the final block toward my brother's office, a chillingly cold look settled into his eyes. The beasts had been a staged hit. He was a spy, a perfect pawn set to win my total trust. And I had just handed it to him.

We finally reached Isaac’s office building. Desperate for safety, I bypassed the front desk and flew down the private corridor toward his back office, Ashton right on my heels.

I threw the door open, ready to scream for help—but the words died in my throat.

Isaac wasn't alone. Standing in the center of the room was our grandmother. But she didn't look like the woman I knew. She was glowing, but her light was flickering, fracturing like a dying star, her very presence fading as if her power was draining into the floorboards.

"She is the rightful heir, Isaac!" Grandma’s voice echoed with a terrifying, otherworldly resonance, entirely ignoring my sudden entrance.

Isaac slammed his hands onto his desk, his face pale and furious. "She knows nothing of our world, Grandmother! She thinks she's human! Sending her back to Ivearona right now isn't a return—it's a death sentence!"

Before I could even process the words, the sheer shock of what I was hearing, combined with the lingering terror of the attack, completely overwhelmed me. The room began to spin, the faces of my brother and grandmother blurring into streaks of light. My knees buckled, and darkness rushed in to claim me before I could take another step.