Shadowborn Queen - G. Bailey Page 0,25

lips. “See. Told ya we can always trust the wisps.”

"Let's just hope it isn't haunted," I say, returning his grin. But I try not to let my excitement get the better of me. We still don't know if the house is completely uninhabited.

The front door is barricaded, so we check the back door. Luke is able to smash the glass and reach for the handle. I hug my chest and tell myself that this place is totally not haunted. That mysterious creaking noise when I enter the house? Yup. Totally not a ghost. Despite how spooky the abandoned house is, the interior isn't as awful as I thought it'd be.

"What if someone's already claimed this place?" I ask.

Luke kicks open the kitchen door at the end of the hallway. "They'd be an idiot to take either of us on." He scans the room---the cupboards are hanging off just like the windows, and the supplies and furniture have already been ransacked.

I rub a chill from my arms and follow Luke around the house, searching all the rooms. Once we confirm its not haunted or being used by someone else, we go back to the guys. When we come back, the guys get busy clearing out the living room. It's the largest room in the house and the windows aren't damaged or boarded up, which means we can keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors.

By the time I've clear the room, dusk has fallen, painting the sky in auburn and golden hues. I wipe the sweat from my brow and lean against the window while the fire cackles in the background. Gold managed to light a fire in the middle of the floor, Scott helped Luke carry two mattresses down from upstairs and they laid them together on the floor. Their condition wasn't as awful as the rest of the house, but we still covered them with the sleeping bags given to us by King Cyrus. This might not be the bed I'd hoped for, but it's still something, and the thought of lying in front of the fire with my guys is wonderfully pleasant.

So much has happened in such a small period of time. We were all wrongly imprisoned and forced to fight for our lives in the Blood Trails. Then we were imprisoned again after being turned into light fae. We fought to survive once more in the Blood Trials, then we freed ourselves, and now we're fighting in a war to stop Eva and the Titans from destroying our home and futures forever.

I look out the window and smile at my guys as they practice fighting each other. Scott and Axel fight like brothers, while Gold and Luke attack each other like true sparring partners.

Has it really only been months since I've known my guys? It feels like an eternity. But that's something I've come to realise. It doesn't matter how long you've known someone. You can know a person your entire life and yet never reach the same level of companionship that you do with someone you just recently met. Whether it be friends or lovers, a soul connection is so, so rare to come by, and priceless. This is what I have with my guys. With Corvina, Sage, and my other friends.

They are who I'm fighting for.

A yawn catches me, and I wipe my eyes. We've eaten and we've trained. Now I want nothing more than to snuggle up with my guys in a home that, for now, can keep us safe.

I cross the length of the room and pull open the front door. A ray of sunlight blinds me momentarily when I step onto the porch and a light breeze lifts my hair. At first I don’t see the approaching figure. It’s not until my guys stop fighting and gather in front of me do I realize we’ve got a visitor. I lift a hand to my forehead and shield my gaze from the blinding sun. My breath leaves me when I see the girl walking through the trees, her white hair flowing behind her.

“Willow?”

Chapter 12

Izora

"Are you sure you want to be alone with her?" Axel asks, glaring at Willow.

Gold, Luke and Scott all hold the same, distrust shining in their eyes.

"Yes," I tell them, keeping my eyes on Willow as she stands by the largest tree in the area, her arms crossed tightly. Her white hair is wrapped up in a bun, and around her waist are dozens of daggers. She pulls off a