Chapter 35 Koa
koa
. . .
Headmaster Bloodwyne’s office was intimidating.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed a slice of the mountains around us and the blue skies.
The glass had a slight shimmer that wasn’t unlike all the other academy wards.
It was like a heat mirage. Everything else was dark wood: shelves of old tomes and a dark brown rug so plush my feet sank half an inch.
Headmaster Bloodwyne sat behind a large desk with Sabine standing at his shoulder.
“Mr. Ashbourne,” Lake said, sounding like he’d rehearsed the exact warmth to use. “Congratulations on the entrance exams.”
“Thanks.” I kept my hands clasped behind me so I wouldn’t fidget.
“How’s the first year treating you?” His golden eyes, which Rune took after, bore into me. They had a much different effect on me than his daughter’s did, though.
“Great.” I smiled stiffly. “Learning a lot.”
Sabine didn’t bother with the soft start like her mate had. “Passing the entrance exam means you’re eligible to train. It does not mean you’ll become an agent.”
I dipped my head in acknowledgement. “Understood.”
Lake steepled his fingers. “I’ve noticed a lot of your father in you.”
He let the sentence hang.
Sabine added, “We don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
My jaw tightened. “It’s a good thing,” I said before I could swallow it. “He’s a good man.”
“Koa,” Sabine sighed, “your father is a convicted traitor. You know this.”
“Convicted.” I rolled my eyes without meaning to. “He was framed.”
“There was concrete evidence, Koa,” she whispered. “He was my friend before we found out the truth.”
“He didn’t betray anyone. He looked up to you, and you stabbed him in the back by throwing him in that fucking penitentiary,” I hissed. “As if what happened with the humans wasn’t bad enough. You didn’t trust him.”
“Watch how you speak to my mate.” Headmaster Bloodwyne’s growl reverberated through the office.
My mouth slammed shut.
Watch how you speak about my father.
“We did a full investigation,” he told me. “The only reason we’re humoring you is because of the respect we once had for your father. If there’s any possibility we’re wrong, we’ll admit it.”
“You are being watched closely.” Sabine’s gaze didn’t flinch. “That’s a fact, not a threat.”
“That’s fine,” I answered easily. “I expected as much.”
Lake tilted his head. “You’re getting close to Rune.” He let the implication sit between us. “She’s our limit.”
“I hear you,” I said, which was not the same as agreeing to stay away from her.
My pulse hammered hard in my veins. My magic stirred, and I knew even it didn’t want to be away from her.
His smile vanished. “Good. That will be all.”
I was halfway down the corridor of the academy before my shoulders finally relaxed.
By the time I hit the fresh air, my lungs cried out in relief.
I cut across the bridge to the first-year house, walked in, and blew past the living room where my squad was spread out with notes and academic arguments and went into my room.
Ragnar, my sweet not-so-little tortoise, was already halfway up my book pile toward the window when I walked in, head stretched out, committed to a jailbreak.
“Ragnar,” I sighed, scooping him up before he face-planted. “We’ve talked about your lack of upper body strength. You can’t escape.”
I put him on his side of the room, on a rock, and grabbed the grapes I’d had in my mini-fridge in his dish.
He lurched toward it with determination.
“You okay?” Rune’s voice was soft from the doorway. I hadn’t even bothered to shut the door; I’d been so in my head.
I kept my back to her for a slow breath before turning toward her. “I’m peachy.” I popped one of the grapes for Ragnar into my mouth. “Headmaster pep talk. Your mom is terrifying.”
“Hmm. Let me guess. ‘You’re being watched’ and ‘don’t fall in love with my daughter.’” She did a perfect imitation of her dad.
I snorted a laugh as she shut the door behind her and came over to crouch down beside Ragnar, watching him devour that grape with her golden eyes. Her hair was up in a messy knot, showing off how beautiful her face was.
“It’s scary how good you are at that.”
Rune’s mouth kicked up. “My dad has a very predictable vibe.”
“Maybe for you,” I chuckled, but then all the humor was drained out of me. I sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bunch of grapes.
“What’s wrong?” She frowned, getting up and sitting next to me.
“I’m just thinking about my dad.”
“Tell me about him.” She stole a grape from my lap and pushed it between her lips.
“When I was eight,” I started, rubbing the injection scar on my inner arm. “Humans invaded our house. They injected tourmalyke into our veins.”
Rune’s brows knit together. “Tourmalyke? It—”
“Makes our magical essence impossible to access,” I finished for her.
“Yeah. Supernaturals tend to pass out fast, too. My mother, my sister, and I passed out after being injected. Dad wasn’t home because it was during Kalista’s Second War, and he was an agent.
When I woke up, the Supernatural Council agents were in our kitchen, and Dad was home.
But he was on the floor with a foot on his back. ”
“Why?”
“Because they were arresting my dad.” My voice cracked. “He didn’t do what they said he did.”
Rune’s hands twitched, just once. “What did they say he’d done?”
“Correspondence with human spies. The humans put incriminating documents on his laptop. Access logs. Wire transfers. Plans.” The old story they’d told tasted like shit because it was all bullshit.
“All of it was found on his computer with timestamps and everything to match. A vampire apparently gave the tip. Dad is—was—the best hacker on the council’s payroll.
He taught me everything. He taught me to leave no fingerprints, no trace of anything.
Then, suddenly, his computer was a crime scene that screamed his name. ”
Rune exhaled slowly. “So, your dad was good enough that if he were working with humans, he wouldn’t have gotten caught that easily. How do you think they framed him?”
My heart was about to burst in my chest.
She believed me.
“Tourmalyke buys time.” I rubbed my chest, hoping to ease the ache there.
“They sedated us, planted evidence, and called in the tip. It’s not a surprise vampires were working with humans.
Many supernaturals were.” Rage flared in my gut, and fire sparked on my fingers.
“Tech was different back then. They hauled him in before anyone thought to look for certain traces that could’ve proved it was planted. ”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“My mom begged. I took care of Sora. The Supernatural Council told her to be grateful we weren’t all punished.”
Rune leaned her shoulder against mine. “We’ll take his laptop apart,” she said. “Piece by piece. Tech’s better now. Can’t that prove his innocence?”
“If they still had the laptop, maybe.” I scowled. “It was lost in evidence. My guess is that the humans took care of that, too.”
“Where’s your dad now?” Rune plucked a grape and popped it in my mouth before I could react.
I choked on a surprised inhale…and it went wrong.
The Fates-damned grape seemed an unlikely vessel for death, but it wasn’t the first time a grape had become my end. The round fruit caught, and a sharp spike of panic hit me as my airway closed around it.
My eyes watered.
Rune’s face blurred.
“Oh, come on,” I heard her say, exasperation and fear bleeding into her tone. “Not again. This one’s my fault.”
Everything turned upside down in a dizzying display. A wave of heat surged down my spine. I sputtered on the grape, the world fading as I took my last breath.
Everything turned to ash.
Darkness stole me for a few seconds before blazing heat scorched my phoenix form, and I landed in my regular form in front of her.
My lungs dragged in air like they’d never had it.
Rune sat on my bed, face-level with my dick, hands braced on the mattress.
“Thank the Fates you died out of uniform this time,” she blurted, her golden gaze hooked on my hardening dick that was currently in her face.
Fuck me.
Heat shot up my neck. “Oh my Fates,” I croaked, jumping back and scrabbling for the blanket at the foot of the bed, hauling it around my mortified body. “I hate being a phoenix. I hate fruit. I hate—”
“At least the Fates blessed you with a show-er.”
I made a noise that I would forever deny and face-planted into my pillow. “It’s a grow-er.”
“That’s even better.” She made a loud groan as her phone buzzed. “Hey, Mom.”
Sabine’s voice was crisp and clipped. “You and your squad need to be careful. Your dad’s had multiple students come into the infirmary sick. It looks like poison.”
Rune lit up with excitement. “Poison?”
“Human-made,” Sabine muttered. “Not the kind you play with. It could hurt you.”
“Mom,” Rune protested. “This is my power. I’ll be fine.”
Sabine sighed audibly in defeat. “This is exactly what your dads were talking about. I shouldn’t have told you.”
I peeked up from my pillow.
“Mom, come on.” Rune rolled her eyes. “We’ll be careful.” She glanced over her shoulder, took in my blanket burrito, and wiggled her fingers in a tiny wave. “Gotta go. Love you.”
I knew she was talking to her mom, but she looked at me when she said it.
My heart flipped wildly in my chest.
“Be aware. Be smart,” Sabine finished before hanging up.
Rune slid her phone into the pocket of her sweats and walked toward the door with a bright smile.
At the threshold, she looked back and mouthed, ‘Nice dick.’
Then, she shut the door behind her as she left.
I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to suffocate myself from shame.
For once, I didn’t die.
I uncovered myself with a huffed breath.
Ragnar stared at me from his dish with a grape stuck to his beak like a second nose.
“Don’t even give me that judgmental stare,” I told him. “You have a grape beak.”
He turned his head and continued snacking on the grape.
Tortoises were merciful.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Mom’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Koa? Are you eating? Sleeping? Not setting anything on fire? Hopefully not dying too much?”
“Eating is a sensitive topic right now, Mom.” I groaned. “A girl I like fed me, and I choked and died.”
A beat of silence passed.
“Fruit again?”
“Grape,” I confirmed.
She clicked her tongue exactly as she had when I was eight. “Cut them in half.”
“I’m not cutting grapes in half, Mom. I’m a grown—”
“—phoenix who still chokes on grapes and popcorn. Apparently, even when a pretty girl feeds him.” Her voice softened on the last sentence. “I’m sure you’ll tell me more about her when you’re ready. How was your meeting?”
“Fine.” I let out a heavy breath. “I’m going to prove his innocence, Mom.”
“Your father would tell you to keep your head,” she murmured. “So will I. Keep your head and trust the Fates to guide you.”
“I’m trying,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m going to fix it, Mom. Dad’s name. Our family’s reputation.”
“I know,” she told me before sniffling.
After we hung up, I called Sora. She picked up with, “Did you die again?” like it was a greeting.
“I’m fantastic, thanks for asking, lovely sister of mine.”
She cackled. “Well, that’s a yes.”
“Good night, Sora. Not sure why I called.”
“Oh, don’t be mean. Talk to me. What’s up? Did you die in front of your crush or something?” she guessed accurately.
“Yes.”
She gasped. “Oh my Fates! No way! What?”
“I will tell you more about it later,” I murmured, hearing Rune’s giggle carry through the walls.
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll be patient. Hey. Jokes aside? You’re not Dad. You’re you. You’ll work it all out and get proof Dad is innocent,” she said softly, knowing exactly what was bugging me. “Also, for the love of all that is the Fates, stop dying so much. How did you die this time?”
“A grape,” I muttered with a frown.
“Stay away from fruit!” She howled with laughter.
“I’ll consider switching to vegetable soup.”
“Proud of you. Best decision ever,” she said before letting out a loud, high-pitched scream. “Fates, I have to go. There’s a spider!”
She hung up before I could say anything else.
I rolled my eyes. She could literally burn any spider to a crisp, yet she’s terrified of them.
I put the phone down and glanced over at Ragnar, who had finally conquered his grape.
Lake Bloodwyne was wrong about one thing. I didn’t have my father in me like a flaw. I had him within my DNA like code. His likeness was buried deep within me.
He and Sabine wanted me to watch myself around Rune.
Fine.
I would.
But I’d watch her, too.