Chapter 18 Rune #2
My heart ached when she mentioned that. My mom had dealt with many supernaturals being wary around her because of her power for decades. They feared her, and by association, me, too. I rarely had friends growing up because of it, but I had Tibby, and that was good enough for me.
Truthfully, the way this squad was treating me was more kindness than I’d ever been offered.
“Officially, there is peace in Kalista. Mistrust is common, especially in the Human Territory. Agents must mediate all disputes with care. Escalation can quickly reawaken old biases, and with the News Sector reporting more on the little things, every move is a chance to be ripped apart. You must treat civilians with the same respect and kindness you would show your fellow agents,” she said, glancing at the clock on the screen behind her.
“I would like you to be aware that there are whispers of supernatural disappearances in Kalista. Agents are even vanishing. Be on your guard. Dismissed.”
I frowned. Mom hadn’t mentioned any missing supernaturals to me.
Before anyone could stand, she clapped her hands once.
“Just kidding about being dismissed. Sit down. On to Analytic Tactics 101.” She paused to take a drink of water.
“This course develops the critical thinking, pattern analysis, and field strategy skills necessary for intelligent decision-making in high-pressure, high-stakes operations. Strength may end a fight, but brains prevent it from happening. In a post-war world of uneasy peace, it’s often the subtle peacemakers who determine the outcome. ”
This class and the history class were heavily lecture-based, but this one included more mental sparring. We learned about tactical pattern recognition, battlefield reading, magical forensics, and the psychology behind species conflict.
By the time classes ended, I was drained and craving potions I’d never had before. Professor Hunting knew a lot. I really enjoyed learning from her, but it also drained my mental capacity for learning anything else for the day.
As we left Apex Nexus and headed toward our first-year house, I took a deep breath as the wards of the academy hummed with magic around us.
Slater fell into step beside me, his chaos magic rippling faintly around him as Snakey wound around his neck. “Seeing your beautiful face is the only thing that got me through the lecture, venom baby.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Weren’t you paying attention during class?”
“Yeah, I’m multi-talented.” He grinned. “I can sneak longing looks your way and focus on my notes.”
“I’m multi-talented too, pretty little poison, just in a different way,” Zuko murmured sultrily on my other side. “Want to find out how?”
I grinned between them. “Tempting offer.”
“Give into the temptation, then.” His venom dripped from his fang, and I forced myself to look forward before I grabbed him and licked it away.
I was going to give in soon.
“We need to keep our minds sharp,” Dimitri scolded us.
Zuko and I rolled our eyes.
As we crossed the bridge toward our house, a familiar figure appeared near the gate.
I sped up a bit and paused when we reached him. “Hey, Jesper.”
He stiffened, pink scattering across his cheeks. “H—Hey, Rune. How was—uh—your lectures?”
“Informative,” I told him with a grin.
He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Right. That’s good.”
“What’re you here for?” I tilted my head.
“Mentor session,” he muttered, like it was the last thing he wanted to be doing.
Before I could say anything else, April appeared behind him like an annoying gnat that wouldn’t go away.
“Jesper!” She leaned around him and blinked at me. “Rune.”
“April,” I replied flatly.
She grabbed Jesper’s arm, but he stepped back like she burned him, his voice firm but kind. “We’ve talked about boundaries. I am your mentor. You can’t touch me without asking.”
My brows shot up. The way he just spoke his boundaries clearly made my heart soar. I wasn’t sure why I cared, but I did.
April flushed and turned away. “Sorry.”
Dimitri nodded toward our house. “We’ve got strategy work to do. Let’s move.”
Jesper smiled at me, and it was so cute. “See you around?”
“Definitely.” I flashed my fangs with my smile. “Maybe you can be my mentor one day.”
“If you end up in House of Fortitude, I’ll talk to Sabine.” He blushed.
April looked like she wanted to scream at me, but if she did, I’d make her shit herself again. Clearly, she thought about that, too, because she kept her mouth shut.
Just as I took a step, Darian’s voice struck me. “Rune! Look what I brought you.” He ran over to me from the direction of the houses, flowers in his hand. He stopped right in front of me, offering me the bundle of roses. “See? I’m sorry, okay? Can you stop your tantrum now?”
My golden scales scattered over my skin before I took a deep breath, feeling Slater and Zuko step closer beside me. “I don’t accept your apology.”
Darian looked at Jesper and sighed. “Hey, cousin. Can you believe this?”
“Wait,” I gasped, staring between them. “You’re cousins?”
Jesper paled. “He’s...my mother’s sister’s son.”
My heart twisted painfully in my chest at the revelation.
Darian grinned. “A lovely reunion, huh? You and me, Jesper and me.”
“Ew!” Snatching the bouquet from his grasp, I flung it to the ground, the blooms scattering before I ground them into the dirt with my heel. “Go fuck yourself, Darian. Leave me alone!”
I stormed off, my limbs shaking as I kept comparing Jesper and Darian in my head. They were nothing alike but clearly related.
If Darian was that bad, what did that make Jesper?
“Don’t even try to follow her,” Dimitri snarled at him from behind me. “She clearly isn’t interested.”
I was appreciative.
Zuko and Slater flanked me within seconds.
“Burn his pants off?” Zuko offered. “Koa?”
“If she tells me to, I will.” Koa shot me a soft smile.
“I still think we should just kill him,” Slater grumbled.
I did, too, honestly.
“Just leave it alone,” I bit out. “If he keeps harassing me, I’ll tell my parents that I won’t hold back again.”
If anyone was going to kill Darian, it would be me.