Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
“It is,” Cameron said easily. “The Queen organized everything, from your enrollment to your accommodations. She didn’t want you to feel crowded.”
Anabelle frowned, confusion knitting her brows. “Why would I feel...” She stopped. “Wait. Where are you all staying?”
They stared at her like she’d just asked whether the sky was green.
“Here, of course,” Dominik said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We can’t protect you if you’re somewhere far away.”
Before she could respond, he was already moving. “I’ll take the room closest to the door,” he added, opening the furthest room on the right.
“I’ll take the one closest to the windows,” Cameron said, heading toward the far left.
Rian and Joshua paused, looking at each other.
“Right,” Joshua said.
“Left,” Rian said at the same time.
Anabelle snorted.
“Gods, you are all insufferable,” she muttered. “I guess that leaves me with the middle one?”
She dropped the bags she’d been holding, crossed the room, and collapsed onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. The cushions sank beneath her weight, soft and welcoming.
Around her, the space came alive. One of them wandered off to assess the kitchenette. Another headed back toward the entrance to grab more bags. Doors opened, footsteps echoed, low voices murmured.
Anabelle pulled her schedule from her bag. She unfolded it, wide eyes scanned the page and she froze.
Week 1 – OrientationMorning: Caster Foundations & Ether AwarenessAfternoon: Supernatural Community: GovernanceEvening: Laws, Regulations & Accountability
Week 2 – TheoryMorning: Ether Structure & MechanicsAfternoon: Supernatural Community: Mate BondsEvening: Casters & the Fae Faction Parallels
Week 3 – Practical ApplicationsMorning: Ether Manipulation & IntentAfternoon: Sensory & Perceptual EtherEvening: Defensive Ether & Countermeasures
Week 4 – Reviews, Evaluation & Graduation
She stared at the page as if it had personally reached out and rewritten her entire reality.
Gods. She was really doing this. Actually committing to it. Learning about ether. About factions. About laws and bonds and a world she hadn’t even known existed a week ago. This wasn’t dipping a toe in. This was jumping headfirst down the rabbit hole.
Rian plopped down beside her, peering at the paper. “Whatcha looking at that’s got you wearing the ‘I’d rather be anywhere else’ face?”
She let out a shaky breath. “Oh, I don’t know. Just the schedule made in hell.”
He chuckled.
A beat passed.
“How am I supposed to learn a crash course this intense in three weeks,” she added quietly, “when most casters have spent their entire lives knowing half of this?”
The words hung there, heavy, honest, terrified. And for the first time since she’d arrived, the room felt very, very quiet.
Cameron slid onto the couch on her other side, close enough that she became aware of his warmth immediately.
Rian had already laid back, stretched out and relaxed, and with Cameron settling in...
Anabelle suddenly realized she was boxed in on both sides.
Boxed in...but not trapped. It wasn’t suffocating or overwhelming.
If anything, it felt… steady. Grounding.
Like being braced between two solid pillars that weren’t going anywhere.
“Can I see that?” Cameron asked gently, nodding toward the paper in her hands.
“Sure,” she said, passing him the schedule.
He scanned it once. Then again, slower this time, brows drawing together in concentration. When he finally looked back at her, his expression had softened.
“Anabelle,” he said calmly, “it’s going to be fine. New casters attend all the time, and they pass with flying colours. There’s no reason why you wouldn’t.” A pause. Then, quieter. “And… we’ll help you.”
She frowned slightly. “You’ll help me how? It’s not like you have the same abilities as me.”
She crossed her arms and leaned back, eyes flicking around the room. Across from them, Dominik and Joshua occupied armchairs, watching her carefully, alert, present, but giving her space.
Cameron handed the sheet to Dominik. Dom skimmed it, then passed it to Joshua. Josh glanced over it once before handing it to Rian, who hummed thoughtfully.
“We’ll make study groups,” Dominik said at last. “For the first two weeks it’s theory anyway. And besides the ether manipulation classes, we already know all the material you’ll be covering. So we’ll help you. You’ll be okay, Anabelle.”
Joshua hesitated, then spoke, “We’ll rotate our positions weekly. That way you get help from all of us.”
She looked at them, really looked at them. She was feeling grateful. A little overwhelmed. And, annoyingly, acutely aware of just how unfairly handsome they all were.
Gods, she thought. Of course this would happen to me.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Then something clicked. She straightened abruptly. “Wait. What positions?”
Dominik leaned forward slightly. “You’ll have to stick with one of us at all times. We thought it would be fair to split the tasks and rotate them so it doesn’t feel monotonous for you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And what exactly are those tasks?”
Rian spoke up first. “One of us walks you to and from classes.”
Cameron continued smoothly, “Another attends the classes with you.”
“And,” Rian added, “there’ll always be one of us outside the classroom in case the other needs backup.”
Joshua finished, “And your study sessions.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Yes,” Dominik said. “That’s now included. We’ll swap it around each week. You’ll probably want Cameron during week two for the caster and Fae class.”
Cameron turned to her, expression earnest. “I’ll be happy to help make this easier for you.”
She stared at them for a long moment. Then she groaned, dragging her hands down her face. “Gods. You’re all going to hover, aren’t you?”
They laughed, soft, warm sounds, and every single one of them smiled at her.
“There’s nowhere else we’d rather be,” Rian said.
She shook her head, smiling despite herself. “Alright. Thank you, guys. Even though this is technically a job for you… I’m glad it’s you four.”
Rian laughed. “So you’re done running away from us?”
Her smile faded, just a little. “You have to admit...the way you approached me wasn’t exactly screaming ‘safe, protective dudes.’ It was more like… tall, huge, imposing men with definite kidnapping vibes.”
They all winced.
“Okay,” Cameron said quickly, holding up a hand. “First of all, we’re sorry. We absolutely could have handled that differently. And secondly,” he added with a faint smirk, “it’s males.”
“Uh?” Anabelle blinked.
“In our world,” Rian explained, “we call the opposite gender males. ‘Men’ is a human term.”
She sighed dramatically. “Gods. So much to learn.”
“You’ll get there,” Joshua said quietly. “You have us.”
She looked around at them, four powerful, complicated beings who had somehow positioned themselves squarely in her corner.
She was suddenly very aware that there was no turning back now.
Gods, she thought again. This is really happening.