Chapter 8
Sienna
There’s a knock on my door as I’m getting dressed for tonight’s celebration.
What few belongings I own have been placed inside my new room without permission—yet another wrinkle with this academy’s lack of consent when invading our privacy via magic—but it allows me to wear my favorite black tunic and boots, both cinched tight with a dozen crisscrossing laces.
I’m still fiddling with the ones at my waist when whoever’s at the door pushes it open.
“Sienna—” Revyn’s eyes light up when he sees me, their depths shifting from harsh black to liquid iron as he crosses the threshold. “Damn, you look good.”
I flush as his gaze rakes down my body. There was a time when that look precluded raw, deep, animalistic sex, and my blood thrums at the memory. I swallow hard. “Get out, Revyn.”
Stepping deeper into the room, Revyn ignores my request. “We need to talk.”
The last thing I want to do right now is talk with Revyn about us. “No, we don’t.”
His eyes flash molten silver. “You wanna take your anger out on me?” He drops the rucksack slung over his shoulder and gestures toward his chest. “Go right ahead. Fuck me up, baby.”
“For the love of—” With an exasperated growl, I drop the corset I’m attempting to lace up and throw a pillow at him. “Get the fuck out!” His scent is overwhelming. As delicious as I remember—no, better. Fuck. Woodsy and earthen, with that hint of campfire that clings to his skin.
Mine, once upon a time.
I hold my breath as he stalks closer. “You know I never meant to hurt you, Si.” Brushing his fingertips over the edge of my corset, he pulls it into place and starts lacing the front with practiced precision.
“And I won’t. I promise.” Exhaling slowly, he lingers in far more intimate a space than I should allow, but I’m drawn into him.
He smells like home, and it aches bittersweet.
He keeps talking, sounding nervous for once.
“All first-year students sleep in the same hall—minus the fangers on account of the sunlight—so I’m only a few doors down.
” He holds his palm flat to my ribs, like he’s trying to feel my heartbeat.
“Some rooms are co-ed, but mine is private.” Flicking his gaze to mine, he smiles, his lips curving sensually.
“So is yours.” Our breaths mingle as he dips his head.
“I’ll stay with you, Sienna. If you want. ”
My brain takes too long to catch up to my body, giving Revyn the perfect opening to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me into his chest. “I miss you.” His body is blissfully warm against my damp skin.
“And as much as I enjoyed rolling around in the mud with you this afternoon, I prefer you like this.” Brushing hair off my shoulder, he bends down and kisses a tender bruise, then cups the side of my neck as he presses another kiss to the silver bite mark matching the shape of his fangs.
“Wet.” A water droplet slips down my throat, and he groans as he licks it up.
“Revyn,” I breathe, ignoring my thundering heart and shoving his chest. “We are not together anymore.”
“Why not? We’re good together.” He palms my waist, careful to avoid the bandages wrapped around my middle. The attention to detail is touching; he was watching me fight in the arena earlier.
“You know why not.”
Humming, he brushes his lips across the shell of my ear. “Forgive me, Sienna.”
A shiver rolls down my spine as delicious heat pools between my thighs. “You haven’t apologized.”
“Is that all it will take?” Cupping my jaw, he turns my head and meets my eyes. His warm breath ghosts across my cheeks. “One apology, and all is forgiven?”
I wish it were that easy. Taking Revyn back should be as simple as breathing. We are good together. We always have been.
“Stop,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “Please.”
He presses our foreheads together. “I’m here for you, Sienna.”
Gods, why does he have to make this difficult?
Steeling my heart, I break away from him and take three large steps back. “That’s not good enough.” Neither is an apology, but he already knew that, just like how I know that even if he gives one, he won’t mean it.
I won’t accept lies anymore.
Checking his lace-up job on my corset, I double-tie the knot before sliding my dagger into my boot. I’m glad to have it back after that vampire stole it from me. I frown at my reflection in the full-length mirror across the room.
When will I see him again?
Revyn’s reflection in the mirror easily distracts me from fleeting thoughts of another man.
“Not expecting to shift tonight?” He slides up behind me but keeps his hands to himself. “It’ll be a bitch to break out of that.”
“I’m not participating in any events tonight, especially not a group shift.
” Lifting an eyebrow, I let my gaze wander his reflection.
Boots that match mine, but loose trousers and an even looser cotton shirt.
His blood runs naturally hotter than mine, so he won’t freeze no matter the chilling temperatures, but those clothes will give him enough breathing room to pull them off before a shift or tear through them in the process.
Wandering the wilds half-naked has always been his preference.
“Are you?” I ask, though I already know the answer. Of course he’s going to participate. He’ll take any excuse to prance around in wolf form and drive me wild.
I flick my gaze to his face. The raw hunger in his eyes makes me dizzy, and I quickly look away again. Clearing my throat, I step away from the mirror. “I didn’t think you were into shifter games.”
Revyn’s eyes track me around the room as I ruffle my hair in an attempt to dry it faster. “I’m trying new things,” he murmurs. “Isn’t that what you wanted? Something new?”
There’s an edge to his voice that stills my heart. He heard me say that I’d consider mating with someone else if it meant my admittance to the academy—of course he did.
I purse my lips as I run a brush through my hair for the third time, quickly detangling the knots before throwing it into a high ponytail with the feathered tie from the entrance trials. “Do you really want to talk about this right now?”
“Do you really want to keep avoiding tough conversations?”
With a huff, I toss the brush at Revyn’s head and miss when he moves.
“Yes, I do!” Without waiting for him, I turn on my heel and exit the room, following the trail of first-year students through the candlelit corridor and into the frigid night air.
We descend curved stone steps leading from the rampart onto a spacious lawn and follow a dirt path to an even larger meadow hidden behind the nearest tree line.
A raging bonfire, larger than the headmaster’s violet flames, reaches into the dark sky and brushes against the stars.
Heat radiates from its center, illuminating the open field and forcing a handful of people to shed their outer layers.
Everyone here is a shifter. If it weren’t for our wild eyes, Revyn and I would blend in seamlessly.
Revyn quickly catches up to me at the edge of the field and sticks close enough that our arms brush.
Not everyone is as familiar with each other, but the divide between packs is clear.
The larger groups come from more prolific clans, a few of the males exuding enough power that their bloodlines are practically written on their foreheads.
Exactly how many Alphas’ sons are in our year?
“I didn’t realize so many heirs were having trouble finding their mates.
” I count at least a half dozen, maybe more if a few of the men lingering nearest the fire are younger siblings or cousins who are next-in-line for the title.
The women outnumber the men two-to-one, and I spot multiple females clinging to either side of the same man.
“Can’t you mate outside your year?” I ask aloud, more to myself than to anyone else. If there are fewer second and third years, the ratio will still be off, but at least there will be less competition among the first-year students.
“What do you care?” A woman asks, sneering at me. “No one’s going to mate with a wild bitch.”
“I bet she fucks the trees,” someone else shouts, his grin as wicked as his words. “Don’t you, wild whore?”
In a flash, Revyn tears through the crowd and punches that guy in the teeth.
“Watch your fucking mouth,” he growls, the sound tingling like lightning down my spine.
“Or I’ll show you how wild my wolf gets.
” Grabbing the man’s throat, he lifts him off the ground.
“I’ll rip your throat out in a heartbeat. Better yet, I’ll let her do it.”
A few females around me purr like kittens. I roll my eyes to keep from screaming.
“Revyn,” I hiss, grabbing his bulging forearm. Shit, has he been working out since we broke up? I squeeze his muscle long enough that he notices, his violent streak ending the second he drops the shifter to the ground and turns all his attention back on me.
Grinning, he drapes his arm over my shoulder. “Feel all you want, baby. I’m all yours.”
I shove him off and repeat myself yet again. “We aren’t together.”
A woman to my right inhales sharply. “Thank the gods for that.” I glare at her, and she blushes bright pink.
Revyn practically glows, the cocky smile on his lips making even me swoon. These other women don’t stand a chance if he turns his charm on them. “Easy with the eyes, Si.” He winks at me. “You’ll kill someone with that glare.”
“Maybe I’ll kill you first.”
He toys with the hem of my tunic and leans in close, his breath warm on my cheek. “You’re the only one who can.” Then he takes a step back like everything he just said is fine, not at all problematic or the least bit deranged.
I force my gaze away from him and take deep breaths to clear my head. Everything would be easier if he’d disappear from my life, but I’ve never wanted him to die. Sure, we aren’t meant for each other like I always thought, but that’s okay. I can move on.
But can he?
The question hits like a dagger to the heart.