12. ~Nyx~
~Nyx~
I couldn’t believe it.
Kai was being civil.
Actually, more than even that.
He was being accommodating and even pleasant.
I was doing yet another double take as I walked back from the Dessert Station and watched him interacting with Vorzyr at our table in the far end of the Maven Academy Cafeteria.
The space was more like a high-end restaurant than a college dining hall.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the forest at the rear of the main building.
There were different-sized rectangular tables—some long, some four-seaters, or even just two-seaters.
They had black glass tops and they were paired with plush leather chairs.
There were specialty stations, including a Beverage Station where students could concoct their own drinks specific to their tastes, a high-end Dessert Station with pastries, cakes, and confections galore, and there was even a Customizable Meal Station.
The new friends were sitting on the same side as each other at the four-seater table, and Kai was talking animatedly, using his hands a lot as usual—something sorcerers were known for doing—while Vorzyr was smiling and chuckling along to whatever it was that he was saying.
I decided to employ my Incubus hearing and listen in.
Just a little.
I had to keep an eye on them, didn’t I?
They were both potentially volatile, especially together.
While I tampered down Kai’s ferocity, Vorzyr didn’t exactly have that same soothing effect upon him. So it was a concern, for sure, despite the fact that things had been going very well over the last few days ever since the night we’d… fornicated together.
“Half-frozen?” I heard Vorzyr asking him. “So, what was the other half? Just unaffected?”
“No, that would have been better. The rest of him was bubbling in a sort of fluid-like state.”
“Wow. How did you fix it?”
“I couldn’t. I wasn’t educated enough at the time. My mom had to step in. I was banned from performing freezing spells for years after that clusterfuck.”
“You were only four. I’m stunned that you were even able to perform it at all. Your power was staggering to manage that at such a young age.”
“Power without knowledge is a very dangerous thing.”
“I see, that’s the point of your story? And here I thought you were trying to humanize yourself to me by telling me about a time where you’d fucked-up and hadn’t been the perfect golden boy sorcerer for once.”
“You’re incredibly paranoid.”
“Only when in the company of a self-proclaimed puppet master.”
Oh, no. Things were taking a turn to a bad place.
I’d been gone too long grabbing food.
I clearly couldn’t leave them alone together for more than a few minutes at a time.
Leaving them to it for a bit had actually been a test for that.
“You were delighting in my company the other night, V.”
“As were you in mine. In fact, your cock was basically pulsing in my hand.”
“You’ve got a good grip.”
“Maybe next time you’ll get my mouth.”
“I’ll take something else instead.”
“Ha. You think I’d give you that?”
“I’m sure we can come to a mutually-beneficial agreement.”
“A lot of that will depend on how insufferable you are, or whether you can tone down your natural talent for pissing me off.”
“Now, where would be the fun in that? When things are too easy, are they not a bore also?”
“That comment gives me some major insight into why you are the way that you are, Kai. Careful, I might start thinking that you’re actually trying to bond with me.”
As a laugh came from Kai, relief filled me that they’d managed to veer off the antagonistic path they’d been headed down for a bit back there.
But the relief was short-lived when I bumped into somebody in my distracted state, only just managing to balance the two plates I was carrying—one in either hand.
“Demon,” someone sneered at me.
I stepped back and adjusted my balance of the plates to see three students now crowding me predatorily.
One was Sorin Tenebris, a Dark Fae fourth year.
His layered deep red hair brushed the shoulders of his charcoal blazer, a fitted black turtleneck beneath it that was tucked into a pair of gray distressed jeans. He was tall and lean with an elitist air to him that he carried strongly.
The other two were vampires in their third year, Drake Maddox and Jace Hogan who followed Sorin around reverently, taken with the rarity of Dark Fae beings actually being present on this plane, let alone the Academy, given the bad blood between the Dark Fae Realm and here.
They were being unofficially mentored by Sorin in how to live up to their predatory natures and be tough sons of bitches, basically, like the Dark Fae fucker was known for being.
More like a dangerous asshole, who used the two of them to do his bidding and his dirty work.
Drake’s dark auburn hair was always artfully messy.
He had the sleeves of his deep-red button-up pushed up to expose his muscular arms. He was shorter than Sorin, but a great deal bulkier and he stood there with his legs in his slim-fit jeans spread in a wide, intimidating stance as he glared at me.
Jace had a grungier look, in ripped jeans and a denim shirt with leather patches. His white-blond hair fell just past his jawline, his dark eyes narrowing on me with clear menace. He was bulky, just like Drake, the two of them giving off a whole bouncer vibe.
Just what Sorin wanted from them.
“You spelled my girl,” Sorin spoke to me, a whole lot of animosity coming off him.
I was sensing something deeper, too.
Nervousness.
I concentrated, pulling harder of my emotion-reading abilities. They really came in handy during tense situations like this.
It didn’t take me long to gauge his true sentiment here. He was afraid that his authority and standing was going to take a hit if it got out that I’d impacted his girlfriend and pulled her from him.
“It wasn’t intentional,” I told him. “It won’t happen again. I apologize.”
“Don’t bullshit him,” Drake piped up, getting up in my personal space. “We all know it could easily happen again with you.”
“Yeah, you’re such a fucking loser, you can’t control shit about your powers,” Jace added.
“Back off,” I warned. “Escalating things isn’t a good idea.”
“Because you’ll twist our minds around and make us kneel before your cock with our mouths open?” Drake bit at me.
“I would never do that.”
“My girl came to my dorm room talking about how she wanted to fuck you and play a game to have me watch,” Sorin claimed.
“It was the residual effect of me accidentally unleashing my allure. It would have worn off within a couple of hours fully. Again, I’m sorry. I can apologize to her, too, if that would help and calm this situation down.”
“We’re gonna need more of an apology than that,” Jace said.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like us descending on you and fucking you up,” Drake told me.
I felt a surge of powerful emotion—anger and protectiveness—and I looked out toward Kai to see him shooting to his feet, as he’d seen what was happening, his eyes flaming rose-gold with his power. Vorzyr rose beside him, a dangerous growl rumbling from him.
But then the two of them suddenly jolted in surprise and pulled up short.
In the next second, as Drake went for me, cracking his fist and clearly intending to break my face with a blow bolstered by vampire speed, a silver film shot up, enveloping him and the other vampire.
Sorin was then lifted off the ground a couple of feet, his head snapping back and his arms forced out either side of him.
And then I looked, startled to shit as none other than Ariana Martel stood there, one hand glowing with her silver power directed at the vampires she was holding at bay with some sort of suspension spell, the other levitating Sorin off the ground.
“He offered to apologize and you refused. An offer, by the way, for something he couldn’t control, something he made clear he’s sorry for. There’s nothing more to be done here, other than for the three of you to walk away,” she told them.
“Fucking angel bitch,” Sorin gritted out. “Release me at once.”
“Oh, you’re not powerful enough to escape my hold yourself? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Do it, or this will get back to the faculty.”
Her eyes darkened dangerously. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“What are you—”
“Now, listen carefully, the only way you’ll be released is if you apologize and vow to stand down where Nyx is concerned.
Keep in mind, assholes, that this is a place of learning and exploring our abilities.
Mistakes are bound to happen. He’s tormented enough by that without having to endure this bullying from the three of you foolish shitheads. ”
“My girl—”
“Your girl has slept with half the Academy just like you have. You’re not exclusive, so stop using her as an excuse to try to exert your power over others. Only weak motherfuckers do that.”
Collective gasps sounded throughout the Cafeteria.
In my startled state at this whole thing, I hadn’t realized that the entire place had fallen silent, everyone’s rapt attention on the scene.
Sorin snarled and flicked his fingers, his power sparking.
But that was all it was able to do, because Ariana was blocking it. Somehow blocking it from even being used, just with her will, because her hands were already busy elsewhere. Holy damn… that was incredible power right there.
Sorin’s eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.
“You see where the true power lies here?” she put to him.
That changed his tune as the reality of the situation hit him hard. “Yes,” he admitted. It took him a moment, but then he looked out at me and forced the words past his lips, “We went too far. That’s our mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“Does that satisfy you?” Ariana asked me.
I nodded.
It was all I could do with the shock of it all.
She released the three of them then, the vampires able to move, and Sorin touching the ground.
They stared at her for a moment, and then the three of them rushed out of the place.