13. ~Kai~
~Kai~
Arcane Combustion & Elemental Synergy.
It was one of the advanced courses only available to fourth year students.
Well, officially.
There were ways around the sorts of constraints that the Academy posed on student access to certain knowledge.
Namely, obtaining access to applicable texts ourselves and exploring the subject matter in our own time and under the radar.
And that was what I spent a lot of time doing, learning and acquiring knowledge at a rapid rate.
I didn’t like waiting until it was deemed appropriate . I didn’t like being at a disadvantage.
Knowledge in our world was the key to everything. Power was second to that.
As it was, I was more than ready for the course material ahead.
This would just be about me perfecting what I’d already learned, while also gauging what others around me were capable of, and picking up on any workarounds that my self-taught approach may have missed.
As I took a seat at the far right of the room at the back, I watched Professor Edris Caelum stroll on in, dressed in his usual way with a form-fitting black shirt and dress pants, a silky red tie over the shirt that matched the color of his magic.
He pulled his messenger bag off his shoulder and it brushed over his blond crew cut in the process.
He was a towering figure who gave off an imposing air.
Par for the course with a lot of sorcerers.
He smiled at me as he passed on by. Yeah, I was one of his favorites, because of my staggering potential, as he called it, and he knew I’d been looking forward to finally reaching this advanced class in my fourth year.
I gave him a chin lift, then my attention was drawn to Nyx walking in amongst the throngs of other students.
He had his usual swagger about him, but I knew it wasn’t how he actually felt right now.
That fucker, Sorin, had undercut his confidence and wellness.
He’d been off-kilter for the last few hours since that bullshit had happened in the Cafeteria.
We didn’t share all the same classes, but I’d been keeping a secret eye on him via a holoscreen .
It was basically a spelled screen that could follow the subject in question anywhere without the need for cameras everywhere.
“Hey!” he greeted me brightly. Too brightly. He was definitely overcompensating.
And there was also the obvious visual cue that something was definitely off in that he’d headed back to our dorm room and grabbed a black hoodie from the back of his closet, an oversized one that went down to his thighs and covered him in a shapeless way.
Nyx not dressing in his usual sexy way was definitely an out-of-sorts thing.
I smiled out at him and patted the chair beside me.
As he took a seat, I pressed my palm to the back of his hand on the tabletop.
He jerked as the warmth of my magic infused him, my rose-gold glow emanating for a moment, before I completed the spell I’d just put in place.
“You don’t need to worry now. You can relax for the rest of the day, take a beat, and enjoy the peace.”
“Why? What was that?”
“Let’s call it a wider-spread version of the resistance I use with you when we’re getting carnal. This will shield everyone around you from the effects of your allure. At least, for the rest of the day. It’ll give you a necessary reprieve.”
His ice-blue eyes widened, and he started shaking his head vehemently. “No, Kai. Undo it. Undo it right now.”
“Do you deny that it’s a weight off? And one that you really need after what happened earlier?”
“Of course it’s a weight off. Hell, it’s an amazing gift. But I can’t allow it. In theory, it’s all good, but in reality it’s dangerous. To you. ”
“I’m fine.”
“Something this massive, impacting and shielding so many people… it could drain you.”
“I wouldn’t have performed the spell if I wasn’t sure I could handle it.” More or less the truth.
“What about classes? Especially this one, where you’ll have to draw on more of your power?”
“I can do both.” I leaned in and nuzzled his cheek. “Let me give this to you.”
He stroked my jaw, holding me to him. “Doing this is so thoughtful, so selfless, so loving. Thank you, Kai.”
“I’m not all bad then, hmm?”
“She doesn’t really think that, you know?”
I started. “What?”
“I’m not reading you, it’s just obvious.
I mean, you know that I don’t think that.
I’m the only one you actually show your softer sides to, so I know well what you have to offer.
Doing this spell for me is a major testament to that.
But Ariana doesn’t know you as well, not who you are now, anyway.
It’s been a long time since you were those carefree kids running about together and making flowers bloom with your magic, fixing broken wings of birds and ladybugs.
With your recent harsh actions toward her, I could see you worrying that she actually hates you, and isn’t just saying that to bite back at you.
But she doesn’t.” He lifted a shoulder. “I might have read her emotions while she was at our table earlier.”
“Hmm.”
“The highly interesting thing is why it bothers you so much. Don’t you think?”
He ruffled my hair. “Enough of this.” I gestured at the textbook he’d brought out from his bag while he’d been talking away. “Did you read the required first three sections?”
“Twice.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Is that right?”
“Yeah, I’m actually looking forward to it. Especially working with you. That doesn’t happen all that often in a class setting because of the disparity between our power levels.”
“I noticed you’ve been using your magic more recently. I’m impressed.”
“Well, I figured it’s our last year. As worried as it makes me, if I don’t push it now while we’re in this safe and controlled environment, I might never do it, you know? I mean, it’s kind of sad that it’s taken me all this time to come to that conclusion, but it’s better late than never, right?”
“It definitely is. Well done.”
As I conjured my own textbook into being with a flick of my magic, and set up the interactive panel to prepare to take notes and draft some spells once the class got going, we fell into a comfortable silence as Nyx set up on his own side of the desk.
A wave of awareness rolled through me, and I turned my head discreetly to see Ariana walking in.
Mmm, looking as stunning as ever.
I really liked that little black skirt on her.
The way it bounced against her ass and gave me a nice callback to our little playtime in the shower where I sank into that tight little hole of hers and made her come all over the tile for me.
Fucking delicious. Her waves were pulled back into a high ponytail now, something I’d noticed that she did before every class that had a lab component to it.
She had a white lace camisole on and her security blanket in the form of that well-worn brown suede jacket of hers over the top.
She was hugging her textbook to her chest as she walked in and headed for the back row.
When she saw me, she flinched, then gritted her teeth, before headed off to the left side of the room, still on the same row as us, though.
Before I could watch her further, Nyx patting my arm drew my attention.
I looked away and focused on him, as he told me, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. With everything happening—Ariana, Vorzyr, our last year starting up—it kind of got pushed onto the backburner.”
“What’s going on?”
“During the birthday party, Warlow Boyd approached me. He offered me an opportunity. He wants me to become part of a hybrids-only team that he’s putting together within the Guardian Movement that will address hybrid-specific issues and needs.
It would be sort of like an apprenticeship and only on a part-time basis while I’m here at the Academy. ”
“That’s a great honor.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it. I’m still wrapping my head around it actually.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised. You have a unique insight that could definitely assist other hybrid beings. You have a strong relationship with Warlow, too. This sounds like a perfect role for you at this juncture.”
“Yeah? You really think so?”
“I do.”
“Are you okay with it, though?”
“I’m not going to deny you an opportunity. I’d never do that to anyone. You know that.”
“This is the Guardian Movement we’re talking about, though, Kai. Something you’ve dreamed of being a part of since you were a kid.”
I sighed and leaned back. “If it wasn’t already off the table before with my parents’ designs for me to become the next leader of the Maven Coven, it most definitely is now after you reported to me that Lucian Black got a negative read on me and figured out something nefarious was going on with me regarding Ariana.
He’s one of her fathers. He also has Ryker Morgan’s ear, the Head of the Guardian Movement. ”
“That was Lucian in protective dad mode. It doesn’t mean you’d be discounted for personal reasons. Plus, Ryker is extremely open-minded, and the way you approach your magic, the out-of-the-box nature of it and your passion, would be applauded by him.”
“I doubt any father is that open-minded when it comes to the treatment of his daughter, Nyx.” I laid my hand on his shoulder.
“Do this. Seize the opportunity. It’ll be good for you.
Really good. And stop worrying about me.
I’m fine with it. More than fine, I’m overjoyed for you.
” I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “In fact, we should make time to celebrate soon, once you accept the offer.”
A huge smile spread over his face. “Yeah, a celebration sounds great. Thank you, Kai.”
“Of course.”
As he opened his textbook, citing that he needed to quickly skim over the final section he’d read over last night, wanting to be ready in the few minutes we still had until the professor began the class and all the students made their way in, movement over by Ariana caught my attention, and I saw Vorzyr striding on in.