Alpha Island: My Enemy Mate

Chapter 14

RORY

Lorcan stared at us with a fierce expression, and Kayden immediately stood in front of me as if he intended to protect me from the drow.

Oh, please! Like it was necessary. Why did men always overreact?

"Who did you call mutt, Tinkerbell?" The lycan was fuming. And maybe he had a point. Why was Lorcan calling him names, for gods' sake?

"She was a fairy, mor*n, not an elf, but don't worry; nobody expects intelligence from a shampoodle." Lorcan took a step in our direction, and Kayden bared his teeth, which was a bad sign. A very bad sign!

"Will you two take it easy?" I walked to stand between them to try and de-escalate. It wasn't like any of them had a remote chance of hurting me, even if they tried. Either way, I could tell that they were interested in hurting each other more, and the last thing I wanted was to be dragged into a fight because of Kayden and our curse.

If not for that, I would probably let them fight because… why the hell not? I'd even get popcorn and ask them to take their shirts off not to ruin the uniform, which was sponsored by the university. Because that would be a waste, right?

"Santa's helper here wants to be a real boy," Kayden groaned. "And for that, he needs a few scars here and there. I am happy to help."

"Don't worry, Aurora, this one barks but doesn't bite! Just leave us for a moment, and I will join you soon. I promise." A grin crept onto Lorcan's face. The drow was serious about this.

"I wish I could leave," I admitted bluntly and heard Kayden snarl, "but unfortunately, there isn't such an option for us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorcan's eyes gleamed, specks of different colours dancing in his black opal irises.

"It means that Rory and I are inseparable!" Kayden grinned, pulling me into his embrace all of a sudden, hands locking around my waist. He nuzzled his nose in my hair, and for some absolutely bizarre reason, I couldn't push him away.

"Take your hands off her!" The drow took a step forward, balling his hands.

"Maybe you can visit us in our room for mated couples sometime!" The lycan continued his offence, and I felt like it was time to stop the game. Otherwise, there would be a stupid fight, and I didn't want to be a part of it.

"It's the curse!" I announced loudly, and Lorcan stopped his advances, glancing at me with an arched brow.

"A curse?" he repeated after me.

"Yeah," I sighed. "From McLaughlin's class. Remember? Kay and I are literally glued to each other, and neither of us can leave. So, until we break it, we can't–"

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" the dark elf smirked and touched his blue dragon claw earring. A subtle azure glow appeared on his fingers, and before I could process anything, he threw it at us.

Kayden grasped me tightly and turned me away from the ball of energy, receiving it in his back for the two of us. However, it quickly spread over us both, and I saw my skin shimmering with the unfamiliar magic. I glanced at him in shock. We didn't even know what it was, but he reacted so fast and in that way... I couldn't process why he would risk himselfthis way for me.

He had just risked his life, and for no good reason!

"Are you nuts?!" The wolf growled ominously as he glared at the smug drow. "You are going to pay with your f*cking life for this attack!"

"Attack?" Lorcan didn't seem impressed as he polished his nails over his jacket as if he didn't do anything. "I just saved the Dragon Princess from having to live with you! That's chivalry."

The glow was dying down, and I didn't feel different. However, it could have been anything.

"Chivalry, my ass! Prepare to die, drow!" Kayden grabbed the other prince's clothes and prepared to punch him.

"Kay, wait!" I yelled, and he froze at once.

I took a step back. And then a few more. And more, and more, and more. Now I was too far away, which wasn't possible just a few seconds ago. Meaning that…

"You broke the curse!" I gasped, staring at Lorcan, who winked at me as if it was nothing.

Kayden's fingers unclenched as our eyes locked. For some reason, none of us wanted to celebrate this event. We both were stunned at best.

"You are welcome, Aurora," the drow bowed to me jokingly and then smirked. "I guess you owe me two favours now."

"No, she does not!" Kay interjected at once. "We did not ask you for this! You volunteered with your chivalry, now go and shove it up you–"

"All right!" I took the lycan's hand, pulling him away. "We got your point. Lorcan, how on Earth did you do it?"

"I am a drow royalty," he reminded me. "Haven't you heard about our legendary Curse Breaker, Aurora?"

"Uhm, not really," I smiled at him.

I have. Curse Breakers were all I was thinking about lately, but it would be wise to keep this information private.

"We have the most powerful artefacts at our disposal. Ancient and limitless." Now Lorcan was simply boasting, not realising how greedily I was listening to him.

"Is this how you broke your own curse?" I asked, feeling how Kayden's arm clenched around mine tighter.

"Of course," the drow smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "McLaughlin said she did not care how, but we had to break them. This is what I did."

“Bullsh*t!” Kay snapped next to me. "Are you telling us that you brought a priceless artefact of such strength to Alpha Island? That would be nuts!"

I stared at his earring, and to my shame, the drow caught my gaze. An understanding smirk stretched his lips.

"The earring is just a vessel for a particle of the artefact's power," he informed us, looking me straight in the eyes. "I don't carry it around. I am its Keeper, and my task is to keep it safe."

"And that's why you are blabbering about it in the open?" Kay scoffed. "Some Keeper you are!"

"Now that you are free to go, why don't you leave?" Lorcan smirked, and I felt slightly awkward. I wasn't particularly in the mood to talk to him, yet that curse breaker seemed interesting. What if it could help Darren and Sky?

However, a low growl behind my back made me flinch.

"We need to go to our class now," I tried to change the topic for reasons absolutely unknown to me.

I had to go with him, to question him about the artefact and to try and see if I could borrow it to help my cousin. Yet I did no such thing. As if something was preventing me from it.

"Fine, I'll be brief then," the drow wasn't ecstatic about my reaction, but he was persistent." I am having a soirée in my new castle, and I would love for you–"

"New castle?" Kayden interjected as if he was a part of this conversation.

"Yes," Lorcan gritted through his teeth. Now it was obvious how annoyed he was with the lycan. "I found the accommodation here not appropriate and solved that problem by building myself a new castle on the island. It's on the smaller side, but it will have to do until I graduate."

"Sure, sure!" Kay mocked him, "Where would all your outfits go in the dorms, right?"

I jabbed the wolf with my elbow, and he chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

"Jealous?" The drow arched his brow. "I see you in the same t-shirt every day. I bet it reeks of sweat by now. Who knows how long you've been wearing that old thing."

"Easy, boys!" I rolled my eyes. This was getting tiring.

"Anyway," Lorcan flashed his pearly whites at me. "Soirée, Rory. I'd be honoured if you visit my humble den."

Humble? Nothing about that elf was humble.

"I arranged a protective barrier around it, of course. It's identical to the one that the University has. I built it personally with the help of the royal vampire prince Draven. But putting all that aside, may I remind you that you owe me one?" He sneered, and I rolled my eyes, admiring his cunningness. He had to bring that up!

"Fine, I will come," I let out a sigh, and his grin grew wider. "But when I am there, you will show me that amazing artefact of yours."

"Only from a distance," he smirked. "It is stored in a special vault, and no one is allowed to touch it."

"Fine by me," I lied, "I am just curious. That's all."

"Then I will send you the map and see you this weekend, Aurora. I have a good feeling about this!"

That makes one of us.

Lorcan took my palm and brought it to his lips for a gentle and polite kiss, which only made Kay snarl at him again.

The drow left, but I could still feel the air vibrating with Kayden's rage.

"You are seriously going to go?" He looked at me, and there was something in his eyes that made me bite my lip.

"Why not?" I went into my defensive mode. He wasn't going to tell me what to do. No man ever would. I was making my own decisions.

"I see," he placed his hands in his pockets and left. Just like that.

I watched him walk away leisurely, and it irked me.

"Where do you think you are going?" I yelled at his back, cursing myself for doing it in the first place. "We still have classes."

"I am not going to those classes," he informed me.

"You can't do that!" I exhaled loudly through my nostrils. That... lycan!

"Why not?" he returned my words with a smirk. "It's not like we are glued together anymore."

No, I guess we are not.

This day was very long for some reason, and Kay did not appear at any lecture in our now joint schedule. Even the ones that were supposed to be for him in the first place.

I ended up not listening to a single word my professors said today, and this was going to cost me.

However, the worst thing was still my mood that was absolutely ruined for some reason.

I did not want to go to my room with Kayden. It could feel that it would be too awkward, but when Tor offered to go for a study session at the library together, that seemed even sadder, so I decided to rip off that bandage.

I walked to the dorms for mates slowly, really taking my time.

When I was at the door, I had already made one very important decision.

I did not have to go to that damn soiree anyway. It would be wiser to tell Darren and Loki about what Lorcan told me. I could bet they would take it from there.

I pushed the door opened and went inside. I would probably have to pack most of my stuff today to be ready to come back to my room with Triss tomorrow.

Kayden was on the sofa, surrounded by books, and he did not look like someone who was about to move out. If anything, he looked comfortable.

"Long day?" he asked me with a smile that startled me all of a sudden.

"Yeah," I decided not to lie. It was written all over my face anyway.

"I made a quiche," Kay said nonchalantly, and my jaw dropped. He made a what? "It's just out of the oven. I already set the table."

Was it some kind of a prank? I eat the quiche, and then I hug my ceramic friend for the rest of the night? What was it?

Nevertheless, the table was set for two, and it was obvious that Kayden was going to eat as well. There were so many mixed signals with this guy.

"Thanks," I mumbled, throwing my bag on one of the chairs. "Did you really make a quiche? How did you learn to do one?"

"Online," he confessed easily, "so it can go both ways today."

Ah, there was the catch after all.

"I will taste it only after you," I snorted, taking a seat.

"Challenge accepted," Kay got out the pie dish and placed it in the middle of the table. I had to admit that it looked good. Better than my first attempt at making a mother-freaking quiche would look. Not that I was going to try.

He took the first bite, and I was ready to call the healers if it was necessary. For a few moments, nothing was happening, but then Kayden's eyes widened, and he started breathing heavily.

Damn it!

"Are you–" I was about to ask if he was okay when he started coughing.

"Shoot!" I was next to him in no time, getting him out of the chair and preparing to give him first aid. "Just breathe you stupid lycan!" I growled. "You are not dying on my watch! Remember that I can defibrillate you to death! And then back! And then back to death again!"

I had lost a few people on the battlefield with Ren already, but I was not prepared for situations like this.

Gosh, what if they would think I killed the lycan general? I would be so doomed!

I was hugging Kayden from the back and his whole body was shaking. I swore loudly and then... realised he was shaking with laughter.

"You–" I was thinking of hundreds of ways to kill him after all. It was scary to kill him accidentally and then be blamed for it. If I had planned it carefully, it wouldn't be such a problem after all. Because I could dispose of his body so that no one would ever find even a trace of him!

"Consider me saved, Storm! I knew you cared!" he chuckled as I pushed him away to the soft rug on the floor. "And what a dirty mouth for a princess!"

"Don't get the ideas in my head on how to kill you, Butterscotch!" I warned him. "I am a girl and can cry pretty. Everyone will be sorry for me when I tell them a tragic story of a lycan who died from his own terrible cooking while I had to witness."

"You said it yourself," a devilish smirk curled his lips, "not on your watch. I have to say I feel so safe now!"

"I'll show you safe!" I prepared to kick him with my leg, but he caught it on time and pulled me down masterfully, at the same, catching my head with his hand so that it didn't hit the floor. He pinned me to the rug and placed his whole body weight on me, staring into my eyes.

"Don't trust the drow," he said all of a sudden. "Their kind–"

"I know their kind very well," I tried to push him off me, but he weighed as a mountain. "Are you seriously going to teach me magical species classification now? I went to kindergarten, Butterscotch."

"Storm," he got suddenly serious, and my sneer dropped. "I– don't like him next to you."

"Well, too bad," I huffed. "I am still going to that soiree!"

"Yes, you are," Kayden said in a grim tone, and I was surprised he stopped playing all macho with me. "While you've been gone, I have done some digging, Storm..."

"Oh?" I didn't know why I was suddenly offended. But I was.

"The artefact Lorcan spoke about," Kay pushed himself off the ground, releasing me and sat comfortably, leaning over the sofa. He got one of the opened books and handed it to me. "If that sh*thead did not lie, it is supposed to be Akhirah."

The words sounded painfully familiar, and when I looked at the page in the book, I knew why. A very detailed image of a complicated artefact with many gold and platinum lines intertwining into intricate patterns was something I had already seen during my own research.

"But that artefact was–" I mumbled.

"Lost?" Kayden let out a dark chuckle. "Or did the drow people want us to think that? If that's true, if Lorcan has it here on the Alpha Island–"

"Then we could save our cousins!" I gasped in disbelief, a million thoughts circling in my head.

"The drow would never help us," Butterscotch warned me. "You know this."

"I know the relationship between them and the Four Great Clans is not amazing, but maybe it's time to fix that?"

"It's a dangerous plan to count on," he sighed. "How is Darren? How is he really? Because Dylan is a mess. If the drow found out about their weakness, what are the chances that they would hand the artefact to us willingly in the hope of becoming our best friends?"

That chance wasn't high. It just didn't work like that.

"They would demand something," I whispered, brushing my fingers over the illustration. What if salvation was so close?

"Yeah," Kay agreed. "And honestly, Dylan is in a state that he would give them anything for Ava."

"Same for Darren," I had to admit. "He wouldn't even think twice."

"Or worse," the lycan continued, "if they can't give what the drow want, they would definitely start a war to get what they need for their queens. Do you want a war on our doorstep, Storm?"

No, I didn't want that. I was a general and loved the thrill of the battle, but my job was to ensure that wars did not happen in my kingdom. Each battle we had was tactical, we were proving that we were the strongest. And no one wanted to mess with us.

But what if we were the ones who would ruin this fragile balance?

I could see Darren making this decision to save Skylar...

"You are right," I said, my voice hoarse.

"First, we need to find out if he has it in the first place," Kayden rubbed his chin. "And if it's true, I am afraid we would have to borrow it."

NOTE: Hi, and sorry. I know not everyone saw my message about this book being on hiatus. It still is, but I felt like I owe you a chapter. Both Alpha Island books will be back soon, but we are not sure on the dates for now. I suddenly have a lot more work than I expected to have, preparing my books for physical publishing. Not to mention Covid 4.0 in my house. We are already better, though. It does get easier each time..

I am also preparing a little Loki special for you. Our bored warlock is still in search of his entertainment.