10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
I t’s in my new room in the Academy that I get ready for the party. Despite the room being an old classroom turned into a cozy bedroom and despite the fact that I’m in for a few hours of celebration before we’re scheduled to go on the mission, I’m still deflated.
After all, they won’t be letting me actually help them, which is making me wonder how exactly I’m supposed to make my contribution.
It’s a knock that snaps me out of it. “Come on, everyone’s already in the Main Hall,” I hear Alaric’s voice from the other side of the door.
“Coming,” I call out.
I finish buttoning up my shirt, check my reflection in the mirror and get going.
It’s on the way that I keep thinking about what’s troubling me. I guess this is just one mission, and I should be thinking long-term.
Long-term, there’s plenty I can do. I can train to get better in combat, I can work on awakening my vampire powers, I can find ways to get information on how to kill Baldur…
It takes me by surprise, when I enter the Main Hall and see how they’ve decorated it. It’s festive and warm, the people already mingling.
Alaric and Raven are standing in one corner, Alaric seemingly trying to reassure Raven about something. Ah. She’s probably still worried about his role as a double agent. Jaeger looks almost happy while talking to de Groot, Dryden and Nuala around the central table.
They all greet me when I walk in, Jaeger calling me over. I exchange a glance with Dryden, happy to see he’s warming up to me.
But I just come to briefly greet them, because I’ve spotted Lorcan sulking in one of the armchairs, a glass of whiskey in one hand and his eyes on Nuala.
I take a moment to try to reassure him, but he’s not being receptive.
Then I catch a glance from the fae. The words suddenly enter my mind. “To the ends of the universe, that’s how much I love you, Anyi,” Orpheus’s words ring in my head. “Like I found you in your original timeline, like I found you in this one, I will always find you.”
They make me sad, but they also give me an idea. If I really want to make sure I contribute as much as I can, I should start work on trying to find my mate, as soon as possible.
“Lorcan.”
“Yes?”
He still seems distracted, but I choose to pester him nevertheless. “If I went about finding my mate, where would I start?”
This seems to snap him out a little. “With the bloodline. It’s in an order that they reincarnate.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Which order?”
“If your last mate was a shifter, the next one would be a fae, then a vampire.”
“So I’m looking for a vampire now?”
He shakes his head. “You went back in time, remember? You were never even supposed to meet Grimm. Your last mate was Bane. The next one should be a fae.”
“I see,” I say as I turn my focus back onto Dryden.
It’s just at that moment that he glances at me and smiles.
The next thing I know, Nuala is drawing everyone’s attention to herself and saying it’s time to initiate the new members.
She does Raven and Lorcan.
When it’s time to do me, Dryden steps in.
I smile at him as he puts the pin on my shirt.
Everyone claps, we do a toast and everyone keeps mingling, much more merrily than before.
De Groot almost immediately leaves and Jaeger turns a bit sour, but it puts a smile on my face, when I notice Raven looking perfectly reassured.
My smile grows even wider, when I see Lorcan take Nuala aside and the expression on his daughter’s face become softer.
It’s all good. We’ll be leaving on the mission soon, and I won’t be able to contribute, but this right here is family, and I’ll make sure I add my mate to it. And together, we’ll beat that bastard once and for all.