Chapter 22 Koa
koa
. . .
Ragnar was chewing on one of the cup shards again.
Thank Fates I’d carefully cleaned all the pieces to make sure there were no poison traces on them.
“Ragnar, no. Stop that. Bad tortoise.” I lunged across the table and carefully pried the porcelain piece out of his beak, holding it up for him to see. “This is not food. This is special. This is for Rune. This is—do you even have enamel on your teeth?”
Ragnar blinked at me innocently.
I sighed. “Unbelievable. You’d eat the whole house if I let you.”
He tilted his head.
I gave him a sliced grape instead, which he was happy about, and refocused.
The mug was laid out in jagged puzzle pieces across the workbench, each edge humming faintly with the enchantment. My phoenix fire flickered low in my palms as I fitted the shards together one by one.
“I’m sorry Dimitri was dumb, Rune,” I muttered. “I’d become a master ceramicist for you, but how about we just let Dimitri figure his shit out? The vampire means well enough.”
The last piece clicked into place with my flames licking over it, and I exhaled. Phoenix heat burned gold, threading into the cracks until they glowed and smoothed, leaving nothing but glossy perfection.
I didn’t even mess with the enchantment.
“Done.” I sat back, wiping sweat off my brow. “From tragedy to treasure. I hope she likes it.” I snapped a picture and sent it into the chat with Dimitri.
Koa Ashbourne
Fixed.
Dimitri Nocturnus
Thank you, Koa. Really. I felt horrible that she broke it because of my shit.
Koa Ashbourne
No need to thank me. It’s her favorite.
My burner phone buzzed next to me, and I huffed. It was the only way the humans could contact me.
“Shit.” I picked up. “Yeah?”
Static hissed before a flat voice spoke, “Allison succeeded in manipulating the simulator. We have confirmation. The test destabilized Rune Bloodwyne, which tells us tourmalyke works on her the same way as any supernatural. Though, we have a small window to act if we want her. She’s the target we need. High-value. Top priority, understand?”
My blood turned to ice under my skin. “You can’t just—”
“She’s dangerous,” the voice cut in. “Which means she is valuable. Keep your cover. Sabotage her. Allison is handling what she can, but the directive is clear. We want her.”
The line went dead.
I sat there, phone heavy in my hand, heart punching against my ribs.
Ragnar made a noise, sensing the shift in me.
“Yeah,” I whispered, throat dry. “I know, buddy. This is bad.”
I couldn’t sit on this until the next briefing with Sabine. I scooped up the mug, shoved it into my bag, and sprinted straight for Sabine.
Shifting into my phoenix form, I let out a frustrated cry that pierced the air before landing on the academy stairs and running to the Headmaster’s office.
Except, Sabine wasn’t there.
Lake was, sharpening a knife on his desk. I didn’t even know why he needed a knife.
“Uh, hey, Lake,” I blurted. “I need Sabine. Urgently. Like red alert urgent.”
Lake raised one dark brow. “She’s not here. Tell me.”
“The humans want Rune!” My words tumbled over each other. “They want to take her, and they sabotaged the simulator to test what would be best to take her out, and now, they know she’s weak against tourmalyke.” My palms were sweating, and my skin felt like it wanted to ignite.
Lake’s face went dark with fury, and his black scales appeared over his arms before he took a deep breath. “They said that? They named Rune?”
“Top target.” My voice cracked. “They want her alive, but after they’re done…”
Lake’s fist clenched around the knife, knuckles white. “They will not get her, Koa.”
Before I could answer, the door slammed open.
Sabine stormed in with Drecken on her heels, both of them mid-argument.
“You can’t just dictate her choices!” Drecken snapped. “She should be able to try the human poison and see if she can handle it. She’s built an immunity to fucking tourmalyke, Sabine!”
“She’s mine to protect,” Sabine spat back. “You’re not supposed to let her put herself in danger.”
Lake moved like lightning, throwing a punch straight at Drecken.
The warlock vanished in a blink, reappearing across the room with a smirk that only pissed Lake off more.
“Really?” Drecken drawled.
“You want my daughter to consume a poison that hurt her before?” he roared.
“…family night?” Rune asked carefully, blinking at the charged room as Tobias and Gavin walked in behind her.
The temperature dropped a hundred degrees.
Everyone froze.
Jesper appeared in the doorway a moment later.
Rune lit up like dawn breaking, her whole body softening as she bolted into his arms. “Jesper! How’d the kidnapping investigation go?”
He hugged her tight. “It went well.”
“You’re telling her about your missions?” Sabine glared at Jesper.
He blanched. “She’s my mate, and your daughter.”
“You told us all about your missions,” Gavin reminded her, and she huffed.
“See, Mom. No double standards.” Her golden eyes spotted me, and she came over and crushed me in a hug that squeezed the air out of my lungs and left me dizzy.
“I’ve missed seeing you, reboot,” she whispered before drifting toward Drecken, curling easily into his arms like she belonged there.
“Hey, viperling,” he murmured against her hair.
“Reboot?” I croaked, feeling my lips twitch.
“Because you always die,” she explained with a grin. “Wait, what’re you doing here?”
Something twisted in my chest, but I grinned. “Um, Professor Greenblood wanted me to explain something to your dad.”
“Something happened today. I was going to tell you during our family dinner night this week, but since we’re all here.” Tobias cleared his throat, ripping off the random scarf he’d been wearing. Three glowing siren marks covered his throat like necklaces of light.
Rune squealed so loudly, everyone winced. She bounded toward her brother and hugged him before inspecting the marks. “No wonder you wore that hideous scarf!”
Tobias went scarlet. “It’s not hideous.”
Gavin laughed. “I guess we have three more new family members.”
“Congratulations, son,” Lake said thickly.
Sabine’s eyes filled with unshed tears as she walked over and placed a hand on her son’s cheek. “Oh, Tobias. You must bring them to dinner. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He embraced her tightly.
“Why didn’t I get a dinner invite when we mated?” Drecken huffed.
“I didn’t either,” Jesper grumbled, offended. “But Rune, I’d love to take you for dinner with my mom.”
“Of course,” she agreed instantly.
“I don’t have family, but I would love to treat you to dinner,” Drecken said softly.
“Drecken, Jesper, of course you’re invited to the next family dinner,” Gavin said with a smile.
“Of course,” Sabine agreed before landing her gaze on me. “Come with me, Koa. We need to talk.”
I followed, the weight of what I’d learned pressing against my chest. I peeked over my shoulder to see her with a bright smile, talking to her parents, brother, and mates.
The humans wanted Rune.
I prayed to the Fates that I would be able to protect her.