No More Choices (Void and Light Book One)

Chapter Seventeen

~Akiriya~

We ran the rest of the way to my apartment and when we go to the door, Yama was there waiting for us. He gave Calvin one of those guy nods and then glared at me. His anger pulsed off of him in waves, when I looked closer, it was like he was outlined in a faint red glow. I blinked and the outline faded, weird. I looked at the living room space and saw Saffron and Zelisa, when I walked in they both stopped mid conversation and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" Saffron asked warily.

I gave her a smile and nodded, "Don't worry Calvin took care of me."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed on the boy in question but before I could confront her about it she flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled, "Great, I guess."

"Where are Jarek and Emory?" I asked, noticing that they weren't in the room. Saffron and Zelisa both looked at each other and paled. I looked to Atiyama and he glared at the wall adjacent to where he was brooding. I shot Calvin a worried look and my heart rate began to increase. I collapsed into the blue suede armchair and put my head in my hands.

Something was wrong and they didn't want to tell me. "I have to see them." I stood up from the chair and began to walk to my room where they had been before I left.

Yama Intercepted me before I even got three steps away from the chair. "Where do you think you're going?"

I pushed past him and smirked when he grunted at the force. He grabbed me and spun my around. I looked him right in the eye and squinted at him. "Exactly what do you think I'm doing, hm?" I yanked my arm out of his grip only for him to grab my other arm at the shoulder.

"I don't know, nightmare. Or maybe you're a wraith? Nothing good comes from your kind." he sneered.

"Yama, you bastard! We talked about this." Zelisa stood, her hair flaming and her eyes shining a bright blue.

He scoffed, "no you talked about it, I was simply subject to hear you blabbering." he shouted over his shoulder at her. Saffron and Calvin both moved in closer to Yama.

I made eye contact with the gray haired brute. "Look I need to know that they're alright and you aren't helping."

"Do you think that you will? One of my best friends could be dying and you think a creature like you is going to help them?" he laughed humorlessly, "Don't play with me." his hand morphed into a black claw, fur coating what was once smooth skin.

"Yama don't!" I'm not sure who said it but my eyes could only focus on the claw that was rapidly coming close to my face, ready to tear it apart in a single motion. I hear a door open and just when I closed my eyes ready to take the hit, nothing came. When I opened my eyes Yama was on the floor and on top of him sat a large black cat with three tails, the way that the tails looked reminded me of Jarek; black and pink. The way that it stared at Yama reminded me of the way a predator looks at its prey, hungry.

"Is that Jarek?" Saffron screeched it from where she stood, stock still as if that would do anything. Meanwhile, Calvin and Zelisa worked to pry it off of him.

"That's Jarek?" he was beautiful. His silky dark fur glimmered in the subtle lighting of the room and his teal eyes were keen, privy to information only he would know.

"Akiriya!" my eyes snapped to Yama, "You have to tell him to calm down before he kills me!"

"Me?" I shouted, he wanted my help? "Why should I help you?" I screamed, he was so confusing, so hot and cold. My mind flashed back to when he was being so protective of me in the hallway at school, the way that he held me against his chest, protect what's yours. Save him. The voice came from deep within me but it felt as if there was no reason to doubt. "Jarek stop."