22. ~Nyx~ #2
“She’s more stable than you give her credit for, beauty,” Lucian assured her. “Your worry is based in fear of incidents past. And mostly over your love for her and your need to protect her from everything.”
“He’s right, sweetness. We’re beyond that now. But she does need to take back her power and I do agree that she might not if she knew what was truly going on. And that would put her in an incredibly vulnerable position if this threat does come to pass.”
Damn, what the hell was going on? What exactly were they referring to? True Celestials? What threat exactly?
Before I could figure that out through further listening in, Lucian stiffened and scented the air, his eyes shifting back and forth.
Holy crap, his intuition was another level. He shouldn’t be able to sense me.
Before I could react—not that I could actually move fast enough to counter any action by an Ancient once he’d gotten a lock on me—an ice-cold hand covered my mouth, and then I was enveloped in a barely-perceptible shimmer a moment before I was blurred a good hundred feet down an adjacent corridor.
I staggered into a wall as I was abruptly released.
And then I stared, stunned into inaction, as a corporeal form materialized through the shimmer, the latter actually falling away in the process.
A woman stood there looking me over curiously in my midnight-blue silk button-up and leather pants, taking in my hair, too, and especially my horns. It was a studious, assessing examination. Sizing me up, basically.
And I was doing the same to her, taking in her flowing ombre hair that faded from silver to inky-black at the ends.
Her eyes were a deep black with glowing amethyst irises.
She looked to be in her twenties in human years.
Her skin had a translucent grayish tone with, her arms wrapped in black, smoky marks.
She was wearing a black corset top with a mesh adorning her arms, the corset having silver charms shaped like broken chains. It gave way to a pair of black leather pants that were tucked into a pair of combat boots. She had deep, smoky eyeshadow that glittered, along with bold, black lipstick.
“He sensed your presence,” she told me. “Any longer and he would have been able to determine exactly who you were.”
As she spoke, her breath visibly frosted the air—her presence causing minor disturbances in the immediate environment around her.
“I know, yeah.” I’d been so shocked by the content of that conversation that I’d gotten caught up in what was being said, not watching out properly. “Thanks for the save and—wait—why did you help me out?”
“I get what it’s like to get consumed by my own abilities, especially when you’re approaching a stressful situation.”
“I really appreciate it.”
She offered a restrained smile, but reached out her hand. “I’m Velra Nox. Nice meeting you.”
“Nyx Laryn,” I told her, as we shook.
Her emotions bled into me at the moment of contact.
Cautiousness, but a sense of hope that it could be safe to befriend me, because she was getting a good, safe vibe from me.
She was nervous, too, but trying to hide it, believing that a badass attitude didn’t have room for feeling such things.
“Are you here for Crossborn?” I asked her.
“I am, yeah.”
“Me too.” I eyed her. “So, I’m sensing Dark Fae, but the ability you used moments ago was a whole other thing beyond that species’ capability.” I frowned. “I can’t place it.”
“Wraith,” she informed me.
“Wraith? Wow, that’s so rare and special.”
Confusion filled her eyes, like she’d never had that reaction before.
Sadly, it took her a few moments to actually get a handle on it and accept it, before her whole face lit up as it settled with her.
“You’re obviously part Incubus. And magic-wielder, right?
When I grabbed you, I saw your fingers twitch with the instinctual urge to call your power.
Until you obviously read that my intentions weren’t bad. ”
“You’ve got it. Incubus-Sorcerer hybrid.”
“That’s really something.”
“Right back at you.” I gestured down the corridor in the distance. “You want to head in? I’m pretty sure the Great Hall is one right turn at the end of this hallway.”
“It definitely is.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“I like to be prepared.”
So, she’d done recon before even coming here? Even for something like this that wasn’t dangerous in the least? Her survival instincts were clearly easily triggered. Something had happened to her, something to— stop analyzing and focus!
Dammit, overhearing that conversation about Ariana had knocked me off track.
The urge to head back to the Academy and report it right away to her, Kai, and Vorzyr was overwhelming.
But they were all in classes. Me suddenly pulling them all away would just invite suspicion.
And it wasn’t like we could even discuss this sort of thing while on campus, so we’d have to leave in the middle of classes and basically take off—even more suspicious.
No, I just needed to calm down and focus on why I’d come here, and what a big deal it was that Crossborn was being kicked off today, what a defining moment and turning point it was for hybrid kind.
We walked side-by-side toward the Great Hall, and as we did, the magical lighting overhead flickered with Velra’s every step, haunting whispers echoed.
“Sorry,” she told me. “I can’t always control it.”
“No worries. I get it, believe me. You’re nervous about this, huh?”
“I’m not really a team-player type, but I believe in what Crossborn is about and what it will work to accomplish, so I agreed to come on board when Warlow Boyd reached out to me.”
“You seem just fine interacting with me.”
The corner of her mouth turned up. “That’s true. Thanks.”
“Just calling it like it is.”
As we reached the doors to the Great Hall, I rounded on her before she could step inside and told her, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. The world already does that to us. We can’t afford to let our own doubts, guilt, and fear pile on.”
She started at my words. “Does that work? Telling yourself that?” Her delivery wasn’t biting or mean as she asked, it was honest curiosity with a whole lot of need, her wanting to be able to entertain a spark of hope, but so cautious about doing so.
It was how a lot of hybrid beings were. Something this new team would work toward changing.
“I’ve started to think that way now, yes. It’s my final year at Maven Academy, and I’ve been making changes where that’s concerned, pushing myself, becoming more accepting of even the more difficult aspects of my hybrid status and abilities.”
“Maven Academy,” she uttered.
There was definitely recognition there, like, beyond the name and the fact that it was a known institution throughout the supernatural world… something personal.
But before I could get into that, a big hand landed on my shoulder, and I spun to see Warlow standing there, smiling out at us.
“Welcome,” he said, excitement brimming from him. “I’m very glad the two of you decided to become a part of this.”
He was away from his fancy purple suit get-up that he’d been wearing at the party, the last time I’d encountered him, and he was in his usual much more casual look with a pair of wide-leg blue jeans tucked into some work boots, and a red flannel shirt stretching across his wide, muscular chest.
There was a guy standing to his side and he gestured at him, telling Velra and me, “This is another member of our team. Branok Vire.”
“Basilisk-Vampire hybrid,” the guy informed us in a deep baritone, uttering the words proudly, which was actually really refreshing.
I took him in curiously, while I saw Velra studying him in a much more shrewd and defensive way.
Branok looked to be in his forties in human years.
He was a massive, powerhouse figure with a whole lot of muscle and height.
His long, shock of white hair was pulled back into a braid with silver binding cords.
His eyes shone gold and snake-like, although I wasn’t getting a sly vibe from him or anything, it was just the appearance of them—kind of beautiful and special actually.
He was wearing tailored multicolored robes that gave off a regal air.
“Nice meeting you,” I offered.
“You, too,” he responded politely.
“Hey,” Velra spoke to him.
He gave her a chin lift with a kind, welcoming smile.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Warlow said, before leading the way into the Great Hall with Branok following, then Velra and I doing the same.
Damn, the place was a lot to take in.
I’d heard about it, but never actually laid eyes on it before.
It was beyond striking.
A massive, circular amphitheater took up the vast majority of the space within.
The room was built from ivory stone, its curved walls embedded with inscriptions that pulsed subtly with power.
The seating rose in ascending tiers. At the center was the Speaker’s Circle, a raised platform where one would stand to address the assembly.
Massive banners hung from the ceiling, each bearing the markings belonging to every supernatural species.
As we walked in, there were already three other members there, sitting on the seats right in front of the Speaker’s Circle.
Warlow wasted no time in introducing us to them.
Seralyn Vale was the first one to get an introduction.
She looked to be in her early thirties in human years, incredibly tall and willowy.
She was a Light Fae-Dark Fae hybrid. Her flowing black hair was bound in elaborate coils.
She had one violet eye and one deep-green eye.
She was clad in layered, semi-sheer fabrics that gave off a whole shadowy and elegant look.