Chapter 25 Lucian
It seemed like with the enchantment broken, my classmates were a lot more tolerable. I still wasn’t convinced they hadn’t huffed glue and killed a bunch of brain cells because they hadn’t proven to me they weren’t complete morons yet. But they were at least acting like they were at university now.
Lola was still walking around with her head up like she hadn’t lost all her minions. She was a total dick to Professor Kane and was still blowing up potions, even though everyone knew damned well she wasn’t bad at it.
The only class she was trying really hard at was Arcane Magic.
I had time to watch her because all of the healing stuff Professor Gefn was teaching didn’t apply to me as an original.
I was learning a lot more about that from Darian and her girlfriend, who I actually liked. I was even starting to sense my bat.
I didn’t know why Lola was obsessed with healing.
She was an original with destructive powers, so I doubted she could do it.
And if Apep was awake, wouldn’t he already know how to heal?
She was acting like Apep didn’t know, either.
If Apep was already here and older, they would have already taken this class and learned healing from Professor Gefn.
We were giving the former minions time to deal with Lola’s violation before we approached them, but we weren’t giving them too much time.
Sage said the red aura around the blue-haired witch disappeared as soon as Mazen appointed himself her bodyguard and Morgana made sure she was always surrounded by witches.
It kept jumping witches and Morgana and Mazen had to keep adjusting, but it felt like we were doing something.
Everyone else was on research duty and trying to figure out a delicate way to approach our classmates and I had my lessons with Darian and Cleo.
I liked both of them. They treated me like any other person here.
Darian had a really dry sense of humor I could appreciate and Cleo was brilliant with electronics.
Darian was helping me get in tune with my bat and Cleo was directing me towards the dark corners of the supernatural web.
“So, it’s this conundrum because most bats are social creatures and vampires usually aren’t except for their nest. It’s a balance. You can give the bat what they crave with your nest, which you already have. Tell me what you’re doing when you feel him?”
“Well, I didn’t know why because I didn’t even know her name, but as soon as I heard Sage say she had diabetes, I hacked into her glucose monitor to check on her.
I keep checking it so I can have food ready before her blood sugar gets too low.
That’s not really like me at all. Especially since when she brought it up, she seemed like she had a handle on it. ”
“Uh, that’s sweet but does Liam know you’re doing that?
Because he’s so obsessed with that girl that I keep expecting him to show up for kitchen duty with her name tattooed on his forehead.
It’s a bat thing and you’re taking care of her health, but he’s kind of deranged and might not see it like that. ”
“I haven’t told any of them, but I think he’d get it.”
“So, when you feel your bat, you need to give in to that feeling. I get it. It’s scary and unknown and you’re a serious control freak.
You’re different from Khalid. When he shifted for the first time, he just had to get used to being on all fours.
You’re going to fly. If you want all the perks of being a bat shifter, you’re going to have to let him out. ”
“How do you…not be a control freak?” I asked.
Because I already knew I was. I leaned into it.
It was how I stayed sane in the stupid aristocratic life I was born into.
I couldn’t control my family or the arse kissers around me, but the things I could, I gripped onto with an iron fist. I didn’t really know how to do anything else because I’d convinced myself something terrible would happen if I ever let go.
“I’m a control freak,” Cleo said. “You don’t have to stop.
You just have to stop fighting your bat.
It’s amazing when you let go to your animal.
If you’re ever in a situation you don’t want to be in, you can just explode into a bat and fly the fuck off.
It’s not just a quick getaway. It’s a pretty big statement. ”
That did sound rather nice. I only hung out with people I liked here, but I could think of a few people I wouldn’t mind flying away from. Especially if I ever went back home and had to deal with my brothers again.
“If you just need motivation, a blood bond is primal and a vampire will always protect their nest. You’re going to need your bat to do that.
Right now, he’s not taking over and letting you consent, but if Sage is in danger, you’re going to force shift.
You’ll be hopeless as fuck because you can’t fly and you don’t know how your new senses work.
You and everyone else is going to get slaughtered and Alexios’s prophecy is going to come true,” Darian said.
“No pressure, asshole.”
“Not kissing your arse because you’re a prince and the reincarnation of our sire when I could literally die if you fail, dipshit.”
I grinned. I really liked Darian. I didn’t need fawning and platitudes because of my titles. I needed a reality check, and I got one.
It was imperative I figured this out.