Coming Home to You
Chapter 3

His POV

I woke to the sound of screaming. The sound told me the guards had begun their rounds early.

I looked up to see the guards slam their taser baton into the vampire in the cell next to mine. The young vampire screeched as the electricity slammed into him.

“Enough,” my voice cracked, not used to using my words in so long, “Enough!”

One of the guards looked towards me as a curious look takes over his features. His lips turn into a smile, which I would qualify more as a sneer.

“You think he’s had enough,” he laughs as he signals the camera at the end of the hall to open my cell door.

“Enough,” I say again, the authority coming out in my tone. The door creaks open and the guard pulls out his baton.

“You aren’t in charge, mutt,” he sneers before slamming the end of the baton into my chest and hitting the button at the end.

The heat and electricity sears into my body. I stop myself from making any noise and take the punishment. The nonreaction angering the guard.

“Maybe it’s on too light a setting,” he says as he turns the knob up and jams it into my chest.

Black dots fill my vision as the pain radiates through my entire body. I keep my scream inside my head as I feel my mind start to darken.

The last thing I see before I blackout is the guard laughing before he slams another round of electricity into my body.

Years Ago

Walking through the main square of the college town, I headed towards the small cafe for the largest cup of coffee I could get.

If I was going to make it through the next three hours of alpha negotiations with the surrounding packs in the area, I needed something to keep me awake.

The small chimes song through the shop as I pushed open the door. The scent of vanilla and lavender blasted through my senses, nearly knocking me to my knees. The scent clung to the cells in my body as I desperately tried to pinpoint the owner.

My body strung tight in anticipation as my brain registered what was happening.

My soul was here.

“One cinnamon hot chocolate, extra whip cream,” I hear the lady behind the counter tell the woman in front of here.

“Thank you,” her voice echoes like a melody to my ears as I move closer to stand behind her. Every step I take makes my body fill with an electric charge.

I move to open my mouth to say hello when she turns quickly and walks right into me.

She stumbles as her cup tips over us. I quickly place both hands on her hips to steady her. But the second my skin brushes against hers, I feel my soul lock into place.

I finally found her.

I can feel the hot liquid run down my shirt, but the scorching touch doesn’t even register in my brain.

We both seem to be frozen as I take in her features.

She had dark wavy hair and big golden-brown eyes. She had an adorable array of freckles around her cute button nose and I wanted to count each one. She was a few inches shorter than me, just reaching my chin. Looking over her more, I take in her slender frame and gorgeous curves that I wanted to hold on to.

Her eyes swept over me as I did the same to her. I watched her eyes grew larger as she focused on the large brown chocolate staining my blue t-shirt.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry,” she stumbles over her words in her haste to apologize before she pushes out of my grasp to grab a few napkins. She starts dabbing them against my chest, but the stain just gets worse, “I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz.”

I chuckle as an adorable blush takes over her cheeks, “It’s alright. I wasn’t paying attention,” I tell her, hoping to lessen her embarrassment, “And I really don't mind when a beautiful girl runs into me," I say to make her laugh and forget her embarrassment.

My words have the desired effect as her smile completely overtakes her face. She has the kind of smile that could light up an entire room; one that would brighten even the darkest of corners. She was sunshine.

My sunshine.

“I really am sorry,” she tells me again, “I can pay for your dry cleaning,” she offers, giving me an apologetic look.

“It’s just a t-shirt, Sunshine,” I chuckle lightly as her blush deepens on my nickname, “But if you really want to make it up to me, how about you let me buy you another cup?”

She smiles that beautiful smile again as she laughs lightly at my words, “I don’t see how you buying me another hot chocolate is going to make us even,” she says, biting her lower lip as she waits for me to respond.

“You’re right,” I pretend to think before I push for more, “One hot chocolate isn’t nearly enough. How about I take you to dinner instead?”

She laughs again before she bites her lower lip to think, a habit I’m growing fonder of every time she does it.

“Say yes, Sunshine,” I smile as thoughts of my future flash through my head. My soul is standing in front of me and I can’t leave without the promise of seeing her again.

“Yes,” she tells me.

“Yes?” my voice comes out a bit shocked as the ideas for a perfect first date rolls through my head, “Great. Now I can buy you that hot chocolate and you can tell me what your favorite restaurant is.”

She laughs again, the sound quickly becoming my favorite melody, “If you’re going to be buying me my drink, should I be considering this a coffee date?” she flirts with me.

“You know I didn’t even think about it, but now that you said something, I think this is a perfect start to a coffee date, Sunshine,” I flirt back.

“Well is my date at least going to tell me his name?” she questions.

“You’re right. Where are my manners?” I smile as I offer her my hand. She places her palm in mine as I feel my soul coming home, “I’m Phoenix.”

My mind wanders back to reality as I pull myself from my dream. I feel my soul reach out, but I can’t hold the feeling of her.

She slips through my mind before I lose her again.

Stay alive, I tell myself as I think about her, Just stay alive and I will make it home to her.

The blaring of the fighting ring alarm sounded like a bell through the cells. The yellow lights over a handful of cages flashed before the cage doors creaked open.

The chains around my wrists and ankles cracked open before falling off and receding into the walls. My cage opened as the flash of light above my door started to flash.

I pulled myself off the cement floor and made my way into the hallway. I followed behind three others as we walked towards the only open door in the space.

We knew where the door led, but none of us hesitated to move to the entrance of the ring. We knew what would happen if we refused.

The hunters didn’t punish us.

They killed the others.

The ones who were too old to fight or too young to have come into their abilities.

I stopped fighting the moment they killed a ten-year-old wolf pup because I refused to fight in the ring. I couldn’t allow that to happen again.

Taking a moment before stepping into the ring, I looked up to say a quick prayer to the goddess above and to my soul.

Forgive me, I breathe out before clearing my mind and walking into the fighting arena.