Chapter 26 Rune
rune
. . .
“Here you are, my official girlfriend and future fated mate.” Slater presented me with a steaming cup of tea. “Your morning tea with a touch of Snakey’s venom.”
“Aw, what a sweet boyfriend,” I cooed, taking the mug and sipping it. The venom and poison surged through me.
Sighing in delight, I tip-toed to kiss his lips softly.
Slater groaned, deepening the kiss before swiping his tongue over mine. He pulled back with a smirk. “Delicious.”
“I’m a sweet boyfriend, too.” Zuko pouted, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder. “I tatted your name on my cock last night while listening to you two fuck.”
“He did,” Raze muttered with a small wince. “It was…interesting.”
“Aw, you did? How sweet of you.” I turned to kiss his cheek, but his lips caught mine instead. His tongue exploring my mouth like Slater’s did.
He let out a small moan. “Slater’s right. You’re delicious.”
“So, you’re dating both of them already?” Koa asked, his cheeks red as he walked into the living area. “That’s cute.”
“Cute? We’ve not even been here for a full month,” Dimitri muttered.
“When you know, you know. Isn’t that right, venom baby?” Slater raised a cocky brow my way.
My heart skipped a beat as I nodded and took another drink. “Why fight the feelings?”
“Because it could cause issues,” Dimitri said, red eyes narrowing on us. “We’re a squad. What if you don’t end up working out?”
“Not happening,” Slater and Zuko chimed in sync. “We’re her mates.”
“With no matebond,” he reminded them with a concerned frown.
“Yet,” they said with matching grins.
I fought back a smile and took another drink of my tea. Snakey’s venom coursed through me.
“Have you ever had any lasting side effects from that stuff? I know you said it doesn’t hurt you, but I was just curious.” Koa eyed my tea.
“Oh, no. Never.” I swirled it in the mug, noticing how his gaze flicked between me, Slater, and Zuko.
Something in me wanted to throw myself into his arms, but I stopped myself from doing that. I didn’t even know if Koa felt the same way that Slater and Zuko did. But…there was a connection between Koa and I, too. I felt it in my soul.
A bright flash of colors invaded my vision before Drecken Grimsworn stood before us, vial in hand and blue eyes locked on me. “I’ve cracked the magical essence components of Sabine’s venom, and I can now replicate a potion that kills the same way her venom does!”
My gaze widened, shock and excitement thrumming through me at the news. “No fucking way! Can I have some? Mom has never let me try her venom before.”
He’d replicated Mom’s venom. That was the most insane news I’d ever heard.
I had a much better chance at trying some of his potion with the same effects than Mom’s venom directly.
She’d always been scared of me trying it.
It was the only venom or poison she’d been against giving me.
My dads were happy she was on their side for that one. I wasn’t.
“Professor Grimsworn?” Koa tilted his head in confusion.
“Of course, let’s go! I need your venom now.” Professor Grimsworn reached out and grabbed my wrist before noticing Zuko holding me from behind and Slater standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me. His grin slipped slightly as he tilted his head.
“Which venom of mine do you need? I can make four-hundred-eighty-three. Wait, no. Four-hundred-eighty six now that I’ve had Zuko and Snakey’s venom plus whatever Aura found in the bathroom,” I rambled, not realizing his hesitation as he stared between the three of us.
“Give me something fatal.” His smile brightened at that, as if he was more than pleased with the information I gave him. “We have plenty of time to test all of your venom.”
Dimitri stepped forward cautiously. “Professor Grimsworn, we’re going to class. Rune can’t exactly miss it.”
“Class?” He dropped his hand from my wrist. “Oh, Fates, I have a class to teach.” He face-palmed before holding out the vial he had with his other hand. “Venom, please?”
Zuko let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, great, another one.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” Slater whispered to Zuko.
“What do you mean?” I asked them, glancing back.
“Just another potential brother-mate,” Slater told us.
Professor Grimsworn’s nose wrinkled. “Mates? Interesting. Rune? I’ll give you the potion I’ve created with your mother’s venom next time.”
“Promise?” I arched a brow at him.
“Fates bind me to it.” He held out the vial to me with a pleading expression that made my heart flip. “Your venom?”
Letting out a small sigh, I leaned forward with my fangs out and dripped ten drops into the vial with one fang while keeping my other covered by my tongue.
His blue eyes darkened as he watched me, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as I pulled back. “So much?”
“I’m more generous with my venom than Mom is.” I shrugged, my lips tugging into a teasing smile. “Be careful, though. This venom can make even a drake’s organs turn to liquid. Have fun, Professor Grimsworn.”
A magical burst exploded around him as he smiled wider and put a lid on the vial. “I intend to, viperling.”
With another bright colorful burst, he fell back into a portal on the ground and was gone.
“Did you really just give an unhinged warlock a fatal venom that can liquify anyone’s insides?” Dimitri asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
I nodded. “Of course. He’s also the warlock rep on the council, the magical research director, and the House of Arcane professor. I think he can handle my venom.”
“I don’t think anyone can handle your venom,” he muttered under his breath.
“I can handle it, venom baby,” Slater whispered teasingly, his breath fanning over my cheek.
“So can I, pretty little poison,” Zuko whispered in my ear.
“Can we go to class now?” Dimitri snapped.
By the time Professor Hunting announced me as first place for the history essays, I couldn’t help but preen.
I’d written mine on my mother and her role in defeating Roak, the leader of the Dragon Cult, in the Second War.
Dimitri had written his on Alister, a vampire that had fought against the dragons, sirens, werewolves, and humans.
Koa had written about a phoenix named Samson who had sacrificed himself in the end.
Slater had written about Damien, a shadow demon that was particularly efficient when he fought in the front lines with his parents, and Zuko was the only one who wrote about a basilisk from Kalista’s First War.
Everyone else on our squad wrote about varying supernaturals in the second war, but I didn’t recognize their names.
Professor Hunting delivered the news of my winning along with the fact that everyone else had passed, too. I’d beaten Dimitri by one point.
I felt Dimitri’s gaze prickling into me as Professor Hunting switched to Analytic Tactics.
“Well,” I whispered sweetly as I finally glanced toward his desk beside mine. “I guess the tie’s broken.”
He leaned back, folding his arms. “Enjoy it while it lasts, lethal darling. You won because you have first-hand knowledge of Sabine, being her daughter. If I had more knowledge on Alister, I could’ve easily won.”
“Aw, if you really think that, I’m sure I can ask Mom to get you an exclusive interview with him,” I teased.
“There’s no need for that, Rune.” Professor Hunting sighed, fixing the pin in her hair.
“One chance is what you get in this class, and I must say, you should enjoy your win. You two may have tied in entrance exams, but there will be plenty of opportunities for friendly competition. There was only a point difference this time.”
Dimitri’s red eyes flicked away from me, and I let out a small breath.
“Now, let’s get into the next assignment for analytic tactics.
Today, we’ll be doing a tactical debrief reconstruction,” she told us.
“You’ll explore a scene based on an actual past mission that has been declassified.
You must rebuild the full scenario, identifying false leads and the actual sequence of events.
I’ve included it to where it’s your squad investigating.
” She sent the case to our tablets, and they buzzed as we received them.
“This will be done within the simulator. We will head to Apex Simulator 1.6 now. I’ll grade you on clarity, insight, and your ability to spot misleading clues. ”
She gestured for us to walk out of the room, and we followed her out of the main building to the left side of the academy, where the smaller simulator was situated.
The air outside was sharp with the scent of pine, and our suit-cladded feet thudded as we walked toward it.
Slater slid into step beside me. “So, venom baby,” he drawled, leaning just a little too close, “what’s it going to take to get you to myself again tonight? Dinner? Flowers? My eternal devotion? You already have the last one.”
I rolled my eyes, lips twitching. “How about you just ask me to stay the night in your bed?”
Before he could fire back, Zuko threw an arm over my shoulder. “Would you stay the night in my bed, pretty little poison?”
Slater’s mouth fell open. “No fair! I was about to ask.”
“Too late.” Zuko stuck his tongue out. “You could join us, but the beds are too small, so you’d have to sleep on the floor.”
“Or I could fall asleep while I’m inside her again,” Slater teased. “She’ll be on top of me so we won’t take up much space.”
“You did what?” Zuko let out a jealous whine. “Rune, can I do that?”
My cheeks flushed hot, not with embarrassment but with desire. “You two, quit it, or I’ll sleep in my own room.”
“Perhaps that’s the best idea,” Koa murmured, his brown eyes on mine. “You should rest for a night.”
“Best advice I’ve heard given to her yet,” Dimitri muttered, his eyes boring into me. “Give us all a rest for once.”
My heart stalled.
Shit.