Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
Electricity pulses over my daggers as I block Varian’s blow with his long sword. Sweat drips down the side of my forehead as we finish with our own sparring. We had a longer session today and I’m sure it’s because it’s getting closer to the end of the year.
I’ll be gone all summer doing whatever the Mage Board wishes. Probably spying in some country or kingdom on another world. Somewhere far, far away from my fated. My fated who just walked into the building.
Varian pants as he looks over my shoulder at her. I glance as well and watch her and the mage head towards the changing room. Both of them animatedly talking about something we’re too far away to hear.
“Stop gawking, boy!”
The bone witch’s voice has me steeling my spine as I slowly look away from my girl and thickly swallow. It’s been an extremely long five weeks.
“I was n – “
“Liar,” she snaps. “You can practically see the obsession dripping from your eyes.”
“Esmirra, leave him alone,” Thorne calls as he begins wrapping his hands. The bone witch tuts but doesn’t say anything more. It should be studied how jolly the witch gets when she’s around the blood demon. Thorne seems to be the only one who can get her in a good mood.
Me, Varian, and Thorne all subtly shift when Mavyn comes out of the changing room as well, and the fucking witch scoffs at it as she turns and walks to the other side of the arena. After her fight with Mavyn, she’s kept her distance from her. And Mavyn has not released her aura like she did before.
Her aura had draped over the school for weeks after that. Whisps of red were visible up until last week. Since then Mavyn only spars with Kyno or one of us, but I can tell she’s holding back. I can feel an urge running through her bones.
In regard to all of us, nothing much has changed since our little meeting. At least, not with me. I’ve also kept my distance though. Despite what Thorne said to me about seeing her soul, she has yet to approach me. Even though the four of us have slept in Varian’s bed together almost every night.
Her scent gets stronger as she continue approaching us. All the way until she stops before me as I kneel and pack my weapons away, and I can’t help but inhale her sweetness. Fucking blue belladon.
“Why is your lightning blue?”
I have to blink and mentally shake myself to make sure I heard her correctly. Turning up to her, I see her face patient and waiting. Open and curious as if it isn’t the most random question.
“What?” I ask, like a damned idiot. But I’m not too hard on myself because it makes her smile and her left fang peaks through as a dimple forms.
“Your lightning,” she repeats. “Why is it blue?”
I clear my throat as I stand. The top of her head barely reaches my shoulders and some twisted part of me likes the fact that she has to tilt her head up to look at me. Those cat-eyed shaped rosy eyes more open today.
“I would imagine the same reason yours is red.”
She gently shakes her head and points her index finger at my chest. “I got my lightning from the sun devil. His lightning was red.” The reminder has my blood instantly boiling and my aura fumes as I keep a tight leash on it within me.
“But yours is blue even though your aura is gold and green. Neither are cool toned either.”
What?
I can feel Varian and Thorn’s attentions captured as I stare down at my fated. “You can see my aura?”
Her lips thin as her eyes pop wide and she hums to herself as if realizing she just said something out loud that she shouldn’t have.
“I forgot,” she clips. “Darian had the same reaction and I should have remembered you guys can’t see auras.”
I take a step closer to her, and to my great satisfaction she does not take one back.
“You can see our auras?” I repeat. Intrigued because not even the gods can see auras unless they become visible like Mavyn’s did when she fought against Percius and then Esmirra.
Her eyes dip, dragging down my body. It heats something within me but it makes me wonder what she thinks of me and my body. The five of us don’t have necessarily that much of a difference in our physical bodies, however people can be specific. For all I know she doesn’t find me attractive.
Self-esteem dips and cools the flames as I think about that. If my fated does not find me attractive.
“Yes,” she finally answers and her eyes sparkle as she looks back up at me. Then her brows lower and she tilts her head while drawing even closer to me. “What’s wrong?”
“Tsuki! Waterstone! Let’s go!”
The mage spins on her heel and immediately bounces over to where whoever it was that called them. My little poison flower, however, stays right where she is looking far too concerned at me.
“I’m fine,” I lie, and fuck me it sounds exactly like a lie. Her brows knit closer together and then warmth heats around my chest.
I look down at her hand on my bare chest and try to swallow. Two and half centuries and I’ve never had a problem with the way I look or am. Yet here this little nineteen-year-old is making me rethink everything. It would be pathetic if I wasn’t already puddy in her hands.
“And I thought Callahan was my overthinker.”
It takes me a moment to make my brain process what she’s said. I don’t understand what the devil has to do with me, and then her words hit.
“I’m not an overthinker,” I try to rectify. It only makes her smile knowingly. As if she does know me.
“But you’re mine?”
I open my mouth but nothing comes out of it. She smiles sadly and then takes a step back. I’m nearly tempted to pull her back to me and wrap my arms around her. But I don’t.
“It’s alright,” she consoles. “That was probably a bit forward and you shouldn’t feel forced and – “
My hand wraps around the back of her neck and I pull her lips to mine to shut her up. She makes a little noise of surprise in the back of her throat, but she doesn’t freeze or flinch or fight. Her hands wrap around my waist and she raises on her toes to get closer.
Then she opens her mouth and I can’t help but devour her.
I’ve been waiting for this for months. Wishing to truly taste her after only being able to in my shifted form.
Yes.
I am hers.
Just as Thorne said before. And I prove it as I kiss her. Exploring her mouth with mine and letting my hands explore the expanse of her body. Her smooth and scarred skin under my fingertips and I wish so much to take us somewhere else so I can do such wicked things to her.
“TSUKI!”
And she groans into my mouth – which does not help my hard-on – before pulling away. Rosy eyes flutter open as she looks up at me and I zero in to her lips as her tongue wets them.
“I have to go,” she whispers. Pulling back further, there’s a light blush over her cheeks and chest before her name is shouted again and her satisfied expression drops before her eyes roll.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she mutters. Then she pats my chest and turns towards a smirking Kyno and his lightning and water mage girlfriends. “A girl can’t get off without someone needing something.”
I watch her leave and swallow thickly as her hips move. I almost think she’s doing it on purpose to torture me – and it seems Thorne and Varian too.
She’s mine tonight, I tell Varian. You’ve all had your turns. Now it’s mine.
Thorne chuffs and turns towards another group waiting for instructions. Varian’s about to follow him when an alarm goes off and all of us tense.
Smoke clouds in the middle of the room and when the Dean appears his face is fuming as he turns towards me.
Ignoring the students, he marches over with who looks like an advisor and a general from the Kingsguard.
“Dean, Malloy,” I greet to both of them. I don’t know the advisors name but he doesn’t seem to care as he glares at me.
“A rebel attack in Syngenia City has begun near the ports. We’ve sent a grouping of Kingsguard, however the Council feels it would be best if Varian Asier, Castiel D’etre, Thorne Arcturus, Darian Kyros, and Callahan Armani lead the battle. They have two bone witches and three wood witches.”
What the fuck is Alexandros playing at now.
“I can come too,” a certain rosy-eyed being interjects as she pops up out of nowhere.
“No,” I growl before anyone else can say anything.
The Dean turns towards Mavyn and so does the advisor. To the latter, Mavyn immediately glares.
“You,” she seethes.
The advisor arches a brow. “Me?” he says sarcastically.
She scoffs but before she can say anything I cut her off. “You are a first year and not cleared for battle.”
The Dean nods and the advisor begins writing something on the clipboard he’s holding.
“Callahan is a first year,” she states.
“Who is cleared for battle.”
She rolls her eyes. “How the fuck am I not cleared for battle?”
“Because you have no control.”
And a type of fury I hope is never pointed at me rolls through my fated as she slowly turns towards Esmirra of Ebony. I’m surprised Mavyn’s eyes are still pink with how much fire seems to be burning within her from her rage at the witch.
“No control?” she repeats and the witch snaps her teeth at Mavyn.
“Yes,” the witch hisses. “With you in any battle there’s no guarantee you won’t explode as you did before. You could wipe out all of Syngenia City. You let the celestials go and you stay here to train.”
The Dean nods his head in agreement. “Yes, we cannot have a repeat of what happened on the eastern field in the city. There are too many innocents and we want to minimize as many casualties as possible.”
My heart hurts for my fated as her expression turns guarded and she closes herself off.
“She could be backup,” I try, but Varian shakes his head.
Softly, he says, “They’re right, Mavyn, in that you are not cleared and you should train more. I do think you have control, but you are not trained in fighting with a group yet. We’ll be fine.”
She looks at Varian with a blank expression and then turns to the Dean. “And what if the Kolasi or another blood witch appears?”
I can tell the Dean is trying very hard not to bear his teeth at Mavyn.
“Then they will handle it.”
She turns on her heel and begins walking away without another word. The witch huffs in annoyance before turning to Thorne and demanding that he doesn’t die. Then she leaves too and the advisor says he’ll portal us to where the battle is beginning.
There’s no warmup, no extra warning. Darian and Callahan jog over and the five of us grab our weapons before the advisor pulls a strong wind and we’re swept into a portal.
It all happens so fast as I tunnel my focus to the battle coming. Letting everything else fall from my mind because I cannot have any distractions. Alexandros does not hold back – for anyone.
Including now, with witches and mages raining fire down from the skies upon the city.
“Unholy gods,” Varian whispers and I second it. Because what the fuck is he thinking.