May and Meg are the prereaders, and ceceprincess is the muse!
I pull back the throttle and open up the desert scraper. The tires roll across the dry sand, leaving a long fishtail behind me. I chuckle to myself as Garrett swerves to get out of the spray. He lays into his scraper, his motor whining as he cruises past me on the right.
Clenching my jaw, I pull the throttle all the way back, joyful freedom pulsing toward my mate. Her matching exuberance spurns me into action, and I let out an echoing roar as I fly up beside my lifelong friend and traveling companion.
"Think you got what it takes?" I taunt, swerving toward him before quickly dashing away.
"I won't let you win just because you're the future king," he yells back, zeroing in on the path before us.
I hunker down, pressing my chest forward and leaning into the wind so it'll flow up and over in an arc of least resistance. My scraper pulls ahead, his front tire only equal to my rear, and a satisfied smile spreads across my face.
Shooting him a shit-eating grin, I poise my thumb over the boost button. I just barely see his eyes widen before I surge forward, the wind beating against me like a battering ram. I realize I'm cheating, but I don't care. I haven't felt this free in a long time.
After a long few minutes of leaving him in the dust, I allow him to catch up, laughing at his annoyed expression. "Don't be such a pussy." I whisper-laugh the insult before throwing my head back and chuckling boisterously.
"That was low, my prince," he says, not at all amused.
I snort a laugh but concede his point. Boost is certified for use in extreme emergencies only, and I pulled the prince card by hitting mine. My punishment for wasting precious resources will be minimal or non-existent, whereas another Cullenite might be sentenced to work off the cost of such a finite material.
"The indignation on your face right now makes it feel worth it." I shoot him a wink, holding back a laugh at the sour twist of his features.
"What if you end up needing it on this trip?" He lifts a brow, acting like he won something with the gotcha question.
"Then I'll simply swap bikes with you." Yes, I'm lording my position of importance over him, but he's so infuriated that I can't help myself. "I am the prince after all."
"That you are," he agrees, finally cracking a smile. "And I'd gladly hand over my bike, Your Highness."
"Cut it out." I snort, shaking my head. "It's no longer funny when you play along."
He barks a laugh, releasing the bars and rubbing his hands together like a criminal. "My master plan has succeeded."
I roll my eyes, appreciative that he's able to keep this trip light and playful when the weight of it is actually quite heavy. "Thank you for always being here for me, Garrett. Whether it was when I scared James so badly that he climbed to the tip top of that tree when we were cubs or now as we travel into foreign lands to prove my match with Isabella exists."
"Your Highness," he says, chuckling uneasily under my praise, "it may not seem like it, but it's been the biggest honor of my life."
I nod once to let him know I heard and appreciate the sentiment, and then we fall silent, both lost to our thoughts. The miles pass by, and I spend them enjoying my mate's happiness and joy as she works beside her best friend to add personal touches to our cubs' room.
Garrett swerves to get my attention and motions to a small water station in the distance. "You want to make this our last stop of the trip?"
I shrug, eyeing my empty water bottles. A very real side effect of our light orb is that in the desolate dryness of the unpopulated areas, the heat is blistering. Traveling through the desert, especially on a scraper, takes a lot out of you, and I'll be no good to anyone if I have to be rehydrated before I can speak at the meeting.
I follow Garrett to the rundown pitstop, and we pull up next to a beat-up transport that looks like it's been abandoned here. I eye the rusted metal with blacked-out windows before grabbing my two bottles and heading to the water station on the other side of a concrete wall.
Surprisingly, it's cold and crystal clear, beckoning me to have my fill. I lean down to the spigot and lap at the cool goodness until my body has been replenished. I splash my face before holding my first bottle under the refreshing spray.
"Garrett," I call, lifting my head to look around. "Get over here. This water is just what the doctor ordered."
It isn't until the bottle is capped when I start to become unsettled that I haven't gotten a reply. I turn off the spigot, listening intently, and set down the bottles. I hear nothing but the gentle blow of the breeze as it whips past the concrete edge of the wall.
I stand, wary now.
On alert.
Startling yellow pulses from me toward my mate, and I lock my emotions away, worried about upsetting her without reason. The fine hairs of my mane stand on edge, electrified by the sudden eeriness that surrounds me. My footfalls are silent, predatory, as I creep from behind the wall.
At first, I don't see anything, but that's because I'm looking at the wrong height. Because there, on the dry red dirt, my lifelong companion lies in a pool of blood. I lunge forward with a deafening roar, dropping to my knees beside him. His mane is blood-soaked and matted, his chest still, his amber eyes staring off into the distance.
"You were right, Royce," a voice says, pushing me into action.
I jump up with a growl, facing a group of well-armed men. "You'll pay for this," I snarl before leaping toward them.
Everything after that comes in flashes.
A swipe of my claws here.
A slit throat there.
Kicks that I barely feel through my rage.
Teeth sinking into skin.
Flesh ripping.
An electric shock coursing through me.
The dry taste of sand.
The blue sky overhead.
Bella.
Our bond.
I open the floodgates before succumbing.
Peace takes me under.
Welcome to the drama portion of the ride. Please keep your arms and legs inside the cart at all times.
See ya Thurs :)