3. ~Nyx~
~Nyx~
I stood sipping from a berry vodka cocktail.
The spelled kind, just like all the alcohol was here at this party.
It had a kick to it that I definitely needed in order to take the edge off while I was surrounded by so many people.
It took a shitload of control to keep my energy-feeding abilities in check when I was in a crowded situation.
I couldn’t always contain that aspect of my powers, especially not when around provocation.
It was why I’d needed that relief from Kai earlier.
It had ramped up my sexual appetite to a dangerous and painful level because of the strain tonight had put on me.
Thankfully, Kai giving me that, combined with taking the edge off with a little bit of alcohol had really helped, and I was sure I could make it through to the end of the night now.
I’d thought about leaving early, but then Kai had made some sort of move against the birthday girl herself.
He was playing a dangerous game.
I couldn’t believe it.
I didn’t know exactly what had happened, because he’d basically privacy-spelled them in an overkill way.
Kai had always had a thing for Ariana Martel.
I was pretty sure she had no clue about it.
He’d been fixated on her since they were kids when the two of them used to play together whenever their parents would get together and hang out.
It was a crush, sure, but he also resented her. Something about her wasting her power behind cowardice.
The way he felt about her was as complicated and mind-bending as some of his spells.
But the fact that he’d chosen tonight, of all times, to make some sort of move, was the most mind-bending thing of all.
What the shit had he been thinking?
She was in the home of her family.
And her family members were some of the most powerful beings in the supernatural world.
One of her fathers was even the Head of the Guardian Movement, for fuck’s sakes.
I mean… shit!
Kai had always said that he’d never actually pursue his weird thing for Ariana.
But then an opportunity had essentially fallen in his lap tonight for the first time ever, and that promise he’d told himself had just shattered to pieces.
He hadn’t been able to pass it up. She’d basically inadvertently walked right into it.
It probably hadn’t been helped by the fact that this was our last year at Maven Academy, and basically the last shot to do anything like this while we were all still in the same space and around one another.
Especially when it came to Ariana, who was barely around anybody even at the Academy, always keeping to herself. Who knew how far she’d remove herself once this last year was over and done with? She could be lost forever.
Or maybe she’d just come back here to her family home, the one place where nobody judged her. Unlike out there in the world and at the Academy. Poor thing.
I drew my attention away from Kai interacting with his parents and being introduced to some officials who ran the Lotus Coven and some other one I’d forgotten the name of.
That was Kai’s lot in life, what he had to become a part of once he was done at the Academy.
A whole lot of political bullshit and schmoozing, learning to take over control of the Maven Coven, and all that.
To say he wasn’t overjoyed about it didn’t begin to cover it.
He had his own plans, as Kai always did with everything.
His own secretive plans.
That secretive aspect was what I was worried about as I turned from observing him, to seeking out Ariana.
There she was over on the other side of the room smiling out at her three dads as she hugged her mom to her tightly.
Her mom looked a lot like her, the same facial shape and body type, and the same striking electric-blue eyes.
Unlike Ariana’s golden waves, her mom, Mia Snow, had stark white hair with vibrant blue streaks at the front, the latter matching the color of my hair.
Props to that. She was wearing the same style of flowing, elegant dress that her daughter was, but hers was a shimmering gold, instead of Ariana’s silver.
Every now and then, as she interacted with her parents, I saw her gaze dart to Kai. There was intrigue mixed with trepidation and anger.
So, a hell of a lot had definitely happened there.
She wasn’t aware of it, but the highly-intuitive Ancient, Lucian, had registered her looks Kai’s way, and suspicion had definitely been lit there.
I needed to fucking warn him about that.
This was bad. The whole fucking thing was.
And it wasn’t like Kai at all.
He didn’t act impulsively.
He didn’t make missteps.
He planned every little move out in a zillion different ways before he even made it.
He was being a real cocksucker about this, though.
I was about to head on over to smoothly pull him away from his parents and all the schmoozing they were making him do, when I turned and almost smacked right into somebody walking up to me.
“You all right there?” a familiar voice spoke, as I looked up to see Warlow Boyd standing there smiling kindly at me.
It was always kindly with him. And with a whole lot of understanding.
He was a wolf-sorcerer hybrid.
Unlike me, his hybrid nature had come about naturally. He was one of the extremely rare supernatural beings who had actually been born that way.
He stood there in a sleek purple suit with a drink in his hand, some smoky thing in a glass with a cool twisted stem.
His light-blond shaggy hair flowed down to his shoulders.
He was wearing that shimmering silver bracelet that he never took off that had been a gift from his love, Cornelius Martel.
During one of our chats, he’d told me it was him basically carrying a piece of Cornelius wherever he went, whenever they were apart—usually when he was working at the erotic nightclub, Polaris, that was owned by Lucian Black.
We’d had a lot of chats , because when I’d started at Maven Academy, he’d basically guided my therapy once it had been discovered that he and I had been through a similar trauma.
We’d been experimented on for years.
Him because of his hybrid nature.
Me to turn me into a hybrid.
I’d been born a sorcerer, but now I was more Incubus than anything else, not precisely half like he was with his wolf side and sorcerer side, which was spread more evenly than my makeup now after what had been done to me.
He’d helped me a lot in the beginning, until I’d pulled away, not wanting to focus on those days anymore. Wanting to forget—or come as close as possible to actually forgetting.
Tonight was actually the first time I’d come into contact with him in at least six months.
“Nyx?” he pressed, and it had me realizing that I hadn’t spoken a word in about two minutes. I’d just been staring as I’d gotten lost in my own head.
“Sorry, yeah. I’m good. It’s just… the crowded surroundings.”
“I understand. You seem to be handling it exceptionally well, though.”
“I did have to take some relief,” I admitted.
“That’s to be expected. Perfectly normal.”
“These days, yeah,” I murmured, fighting not to put too much of an edge into my response. I didn’t want any more therapizing from him. From anyone.
Relief flooded me when I carefully reached out with my abilities and felt nothing of the sort from him, no intention to actually go that route with me. He was… excited instead… excited to relay something to me.
I blinked and asked casually, keeping away from the subject matter until he was ready to bring it up, “How are you enjoying the party?”
“It’s great. Ari deserves all the celebration in the world.”
Wow, her family was so amazingly supportive of her.
It was incredible.
My family was the complete opposite.
Well, they weren’t even my family anymore—they’d made that abundantly clear when they’d dumped me on the doorstep of the Guardian Compound years ago.
They hadn’t wanted a demon child as a son.
Maybe if they’d kept me safer, I would never have been kidnapped and then taken by those motherfuckers who’d experimented on me, then they could’ve kept their sorcerer son only. And not this thing that I was now.
“That’s really sweet,” I said, raising my glass. “To the birthday girl.”
He smiled and clinked his glass with mine.
After we’d both taken a sip, he shifted his weight and told me, “I’ve got an interesting opportunity that’s opened up, which I believe you’ll be well-suited for.”
I frowned. “At Polaris?”
He chuckled. “No. I don’t think that will be something you can stomach.”
“Right. Way too much sexuality.” I’d be feeding off that energy like crazy, whether I wanted to or not.
“I’ve been putting together a team within the Guardian Movement.
All members are hybrids only. It’s recently been ratified by the Unity Council.
Hybrids require a different sort of understanding and approach to their affairs and needs.
This team would assist with identifying those, as well as supporting other hybrids throughout the supernatural world in need.
I believe you could benefit from being a part of such a team, and that you also have a lot to offer in such an environment.
I know you weren’t sure what you wanted to do once you graduate from the Academy, so this would be something to help you decide.
While you’re still enrolled this year, your participation would be on a part-time basis, much like an apprenticeship. ”
“Wow, that’s a hell of a thing. Thank you for the offer, Warlow. I really appreciate it.”
“Have a good think about it, and get back to me once you’ve settled back into the Academy.”
“I will. Definitely. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
We both jolted in the next moment as bronze light erupted, quickly followed by a flash of yellow, and then Gabriel Morgan and his wife, Calla Coretti, teleported right beside Warlow.
“Jeez,” Warlow exclaimed, slapping the shoulder of Gabriel’s three-piece black and silver suit. “People need a warning before you do that. I thought we discussed this.”
“And when we did, I told you to employ your wolf senses more,” Gabriel said.
“Gabe,” Calla said, shaking her head at him. “Our apologies, Warlow.”
“Thank you.” Warlow eyed Gabriel. “See? That’s what being polite actually is.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes, then scanned the area, while shoving a hand through his thick, white spiky hair. “How’s our granddaughter doing on her big night?”
“She’s doing perfectly well,” Ariana’s voice sounded, a moment before she rushed past me and threw her arms around Warlow, then Gabriel, and Calla, greeting them all happily.
I looked out to see that her parents were headed into the kitchen together. Probably working on her cake or something.
“Such a beauty,” Calla said, looking Ariana over in her dress.
“Right back at you,” Ariana told her, gesturing at her crimson sequin dress that matched her deep-red curls.
“A powerful and accomplished young woman to be proud of,” Gabriel said, smiling out at her. “Sorry we were delayed, but we had to collect your gift.”
“My gift?” Ariana asked, intrigued.
“It’s outside. Come see,” Calla told her excitedly.
“Outside? What is it? A unicorn?” she jested.
“I could conjure one,” Gabriel told her. “But it could only exist temporarily. Violation of nature and all that.”
“Gabe,” Calla admonished him.
Warlow chuckled and told Ariana, “I can’t believe that not long ago you were giggling and riding on my back while I was shifted in wolf form, and now here you are, all grown up.”
“Those are some of my fondest memories, Gramps,” she told him.
“How about spellcasting with me?” Gabriel asked.
“Aww, Grandpa, of course. Right up there.”
“Even the spellcasting at the Academy?” he asked.
Yeah, he was a Professor at Maven Academy. He taught Apex Magic Theory and Practical Application. It was a highly-complicated class. Kai’s favorite. Of-fucking-course.
“Even that,” she confirmed. Her gazed darted to mine, and she looked away quickly, then turned from me fully and said, “Let’s see this gift then. I can’t wait.”
Warlow gave my shoulder a squeeze and we said our goodbyes, then I watched the three of them lead Ariana out of the party space and outside somewhere.
I looked around then and spotted Kai now away from his parents, and watching Ariana leave the area, a whole lot of intensity coming off him.
Yeah, this wasn’t good at all.