Chapter 10 Rune #2
“Do you still have feelings for the asshole?” he asked, Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Absolutely not.” I clenched my jaw, refusing to break the stare even as heat licked up the back of my neck. “How could I have feelings for someone who deliberately hurt me?”
“I won’t hurt you,” Zuko promised, his gaze sincere.
“I won’t either,” Slater added from the grass, lazily propped up on his elbows. “I’d never hurt you, venom baby.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Fates, you two are exhausting.”
“Correction! We’re entertaining. You’re just denying how much you are loving it,” Slater assured me.
Zuko winked at me, dislodging my brother’s fists from his shirt. “So...are we still doing the venom swap or was that a metaphor for something else?”
Tibby physically pushed him back again. “No venom swapping! No metaphors! I need a drink, and it’s not even eight yet.”
“Eight is actually a great time to start,” Zuko informed him kindly.
“Oh, come on,” I said with a mock pout. “Let me have this.”
Tibby scowled. “You’re chaos, and chaos is already multiplying.”
“I am a chaos demon, so it makes sense she’d be mated to me.” Slater grinned bigger.
Zuko made finger guns at him. “Cheers to that, brother-by-mating.”
“You two are not mated to my sister!” Tibby shouted at them.
“Yet,” Zuko and Slater echoed with matching smirks.
Before Tibby could say something truly brotherly, a soft voice cut through the tension.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Eleanor stepped between us with the grace of someone born to de-escalate wars.
Her light brown hair with white spots all over was now in a long braid swaying behind her.
Her soft brown eyes sparkled as she looked between Tibby, Zuko, and me.
“But I figured if we’re going to start the year already threatening bodily harm, we might as well form alliances now.
You never know when you’ll need a good diplomat.
” She offered a warm, unbothered smile and extended a hand toward me.
I grinned and shook her hand. Her touch was warm, and it was the kind of handshake that didn’t demand anything. Just offered peace. I liked that.
“Rune, right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’re Eleanor. You were with me in the simulation.”
She nodded. “I liked how you handled the phantom without causing him any more suffering.”
“I like that you were able to stand back and let me do what was needed,” I joked, earning a soft laugh from her.
“That’s what it takes to be an agent. I’m more words and diplomacy than fangs and violence, but perhaps we’ll balance each other out.” She smiled wider. “I am sorry for getting so emotional about it, though.”
“Once you stop getting emotional, it means something’s wrong,” Tibby said softly.
Before she could answer, Aura appeared beside her with a little wave.
Her blonde pixie cut was styled cutely, and her blue eyes were filled with the excitement I felt. “Hi! You were amazing during the simulation. I loved your venom and what it could do. I’m Aura, by the way. In case you forgot.”
“I remember,” I said. “You’re the smart tech imp.”
She blushed. “I do my best. Technology is definitely my thing, though.”
Koa approached with his usual calm presence. His gold chain peeked out from the collar of his black t-shirt, glinting against his skin. His brown hair was half-tied back, the rest brushing his shoulders as he nodded at me with that soft smile of his.
“Rune,” he greeted. “Are you ready for our first year?”
“Very,” I replied, unable to stop my gaze from flicking to his chain again.
I desperately wanted to wrap my hand around it and tug.
Dimitri blew past the rest of us, silent as a shadow. He didn’t spare a glance at any of us—just waited until his enamel pin glowed in sync with the archway of the house entrance. A pulse of magic ran through it, and then the door clicked open. He went in without acknowledging anything else.
Koa raised a brow. “He’s as friendly as I remember.”
Zuko snorted.
“Zuko, man!” Raze jogged up the path in a sleeveless combat hoodie and shredded jeans. He threw his arm around Zuko’s shoulders like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Even though they just saw each other earlier today. It was cute.
Tibby crossed his arms and stepped up. “Alright, before I leave, let me explain how this works to my sister.”
“I’m listening!” I nodded for him to tell me.
I wasn’t the only one listening, though, the rest of our little group gathered here stopped talking to give him their attention.
He pointed to the arched double-doors of the house.
“The building is keyed to your pin. Once you enter, you’re routed directly to your assigned house floor.
The stairwell’s an illusion. It’s space manipulation.
Spatial magic is really something. Basically, don’t follow someone else in.
You’ll get lost. There are ten levels, assigned by squad.
Since you’re Squad One, as my sister told me, you’ll be on level one. ”
“Oh no,” Aura murmured, gripping Eleanor’s arm. “I hate spatial-magic.”
“Alright, Slater, Zuko, all of you, listen up. If any of you lays a single uninvited hand on her, I will personally burn you from the inside out.”
“Relax,” Raze said quickly, hands up. “We’re not that stupid. She’s terrifying.”
Slater smiled, throwing an arm around my shoulder again. “You are terrifying, venom baby. I mean that in the can-I-make-you-laugh-and-possibly-hold-your-hand kind of way.”
I bit back a giggle.
“Seriously, though, I like terrifying if it means you,” Slater offered with a hopeful shrug. “Rune literally stabbed a guy on day one. I’m into it.”
“I am that guy,” Zuko added, smug. “It was hot as fuck.”
Tibby looked like he wanted to burn all of them into ash, and he could, because he was a phoenix.
“Koa.” He turned to the other phoenix here with a tight jaw. “I’m assigning you the job to look after my sister. Keep the duo here from throwing themselves at her constantly, yeah?”
Koa’s eyes widened slightly before he nodded. “I’ll do my best. No throwing bodies at her. Yep. Got it.”
Throwing bodies? Tibby obviously meant that figuratively.
My brother hesitated, pinning Koa with a look of disbelief before he stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug. “Take care of yourself. If you need me, send word.”
“I know,” I said as we pulled apart.
Both Zuko and Slater looked at Koa.
“So,” Zuko said casually. “How strict is your interpretation of ‘look after her’?”
“Because we are very trustworthy,” Slater added. “In a sexy kind of way.”
“He’s right.” Zuko nodded seriously.
Koa didn’t answer. He just turned and linked his arm through mine, tugging me toward the dorm entrance. “Let’s go.”
Koa’s firewood scent filled my senses, and I inhaled it heavily.
“I made the right decision it seems,” Tibby said thoughtfully, but before we could go in, all of our attention suddenly snapped as a wave of sweet brine hit the air.
My eyes locked on the source: three tall women striding up in perfect synchrony. One I remembered from the simulation, but I hadn’t realized she was a triplet. They were siren triplets.
Tibby stiffened as he noticed them.
They were identical.
All three had blonde hair worn in three distinct styles.
Coralynn, the siren from the simulation, had hers long and sleek.
Another wore a sharp, fashionable bob. The other’s was a halo of soft curls.
They had piercing blue eyes that shimmered unnaturally in the light and heart-shaped faces.
Though they wore identical short white dresses, their postures made them wildly different: Cora had a confident glide, the one with the bob had a sharp analytical gaze, and the one with curls had the grace of a hunter.
Their arms were littered with fine scars.
They looked like faint white lines from claws.
Coralynn gasped, locking eyes with Tibby. “Hi! I’m Coralynn, but I like being called Cora. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Tobias,” he offered his name to her with a long blink.
“That’s a man,” the siren with the bob whispered, her eyes narrowing in assessment. “Hi, I’m Sylverlynn, but I go by Sylver.”
“He’s so hot,” the one with curls said dreamily. “Can we keep him?”
Tibby paled. “Are you talking about me?”
“Of course,” Cora said sweetly, fluttering her lashes.
“I’m Nymerlynn, but I go by Nym.” The one with the curly hair grinned wickedly.
“Who else would we be talking about?” Sylver whispered, biting back a smile of her own.
“I, uh, I’m flattered,” Tibby said quickly, taking a step back.
“Not yet, you aren’t,” Nym purred.
I covered my mouth to stifle a snort. My brother had never been rendered quite so silent before. “That’s my brother, and be careful. He’s a bit of a player.”
Nym grinned, flashing her sharp teeth at me. “He won’t be for long.”
“We’ll train him well,” Sylver promised.
“Have fun trying.” I shrugged.
The triplets seemed interesting enough. I narrowed my gaze at Tibby and raised a brow to see if he wanted me to intervene.
He shook his head and grinned at me. “Good luck with that, pretty sirens.”
“He thinks we’re pretty,” Cora gushed to her sisters.
“We are pretty.” Nym scoffed.
Zuko leaned close to me again. “This is so much better than our evening sparring. Do you think the triplets bite?”
“Yes,” I answered automatically. Sirens had sharp teeth for a reason. “And Tibby’s about to find out the hard way.”
“Fates help your brother,” Eleanor murmured beside me, eyes wide. “Never seen sirens so keen on someone they just met.”
Aura covered her grimace with her hand. “Your brother is going to be the most aggressively courted man on campus.”
“I’m cheering for him,” Slater said, encouragingly. “Go, big bro!”
Tibby frowned at Slater. “You are not mated to my sister, so I am not your brother.”
“Yet,” Slater said again, shaking his hand back and forth in dismissal. “It’ll happen. Why fight it?”