CHAPTER FOUR #2
Her uniform fit her flawlessly, every line sharp and intentional, her own skirt looking as though it had been designed purely to tempt fate and break hearts.
"Gods, you're hot," I said.
"I know," she replied with a lethal smirk. "But I cannot wait to ditch this outfit and get back into our combat leathers."
She looked me over slowly, her eyes traveling from my boots to my collar, and then she grinned.
"Jeremy's going to lose his mind when he sees your legs. And the rest of them? Please. They'll be lining up just to breathe the same air as you."
"Oh my gods, Em, stop," I groaned, heat creeping up my neck as I shoved my fingers through my messy hair.
"Nope," she said, already grabbing my shoulders and spinning me toward the vanity mirror. "No side braids today. We're doing something better."
I sighed, bracing myself. "Fine. But if you pull too hard—"
"I will," she chirped, already yanking at my roots with practiced ruthlessness. "Beauty is pain, babe."
I yelped as she twisted a section of hair. "Are you braiding my hair or summoning demons?"
By the time she finished, my scalp was throbbing and a dull headache pulsed behind my eyes. Ember stepped back anyway, beaming at her handiwork.
"There," she declared, crossing her arms. "Stunning. And your freckles? Adorable."
I swatted at her hand. "You know I hate those."
"Which is exactly why they're my favorite," she shot back, unbothered.
I turned to the mirror—and froze.
She'd pulled my hair into two high ponytails at the crown of my head, my pale blonde waves cascading down my shoulders like silk.
A few loose, wispy strands framed my face, catching the morning light just right. I looked powerful. Beautiful.
"And?" Ember prompted, watching my reflection closely.
I smiled, a strange, fluttering sensation in my chest. "Perfect."
She grinned, looped her arm firmly through mine, and gave me a wicked wink.
"Come on. Time to show the world the goddess princess you are."
We moved through the academy's main halls, sunlight spilling gold across the polished stone as students surged around us in a frantic morning rush.
Beside Ember, Luna padded with feline grace. Aether, meanwhile, was busy picking a fight with every winged boundling within a five-foot radius.
"Behave," I snapped through the bond.
"The gods didn't listen half the time; why should I?" he drawled, his tail swishing with exaggerated flair.
I was so focused on catching that tail before it smacked a passing owl that I didn't see him until I walked straight into him.
Bam.
I slammed into a chest as firm as carved stone.
Hands shot out, steadying me before I could hit the floor. I looked up straight into stormy eyes.
Asher.
A low, amused "Hmm" rumbled in his chest, the vibration traveling through his arms and down my spine like lightning.
He held me there—one arm around my waist, our chests pressed together. His breath brushed my lips, making my brain stall.
"I—I'm so sorry," I stuttered, my motor skills failing entirely.
He let go slowly, his touch lingering just long enough to turn my legs to mist.
A lazy, lethal smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Princess," he drawled, his voice pure velvet.
"Uh… hey," I mumbled, forcing myself to step back. He started to turn away, but a sudden spark of courage made me stop him.
"Wait."
He paused, looking down at me with that maddening, unreadable expression.
"I just… I wanted to say thank you. For last night."
The smirk vanished. His eyes darkened, something shuttering behind the silver.
"Of course," he said, his voice suddenly flat. He gave a curt dip of his head and walked past me without another word.
I stood there, blinking. What the hell just happened?
"Smooth," Ember drawled, sliding in beside me with a wicked grin. "Truly breathtaking levels of charm."
Maddy appeared on my other side, giggling, while Ryven sauntered up with lazy ease. "Careful with that one," Ryven noted. "He's unpredictable."
"Which is exactly what Ava needs," Ember said blandly. "A good, mysterious fuck from the darkling."
I choked on air, my face going scarlet. "Gods," I groaned, burying my face in my hands.
"I plead to the goddess of death to take me soon."
We crossed the courtyard toward our first class. History of the Five Kingdoms. Nothing set the tone like dead kings and ancient treaties.
"I don't think Nyxira is coming to save your ass from Daddy Darkness," Ember called out, laughing so hard she nearly tripped. Maddy was practically wheezing.
"Why am I friends with you?" I muttered.
"Because we're fabulous," Ember replied, flipping her hair. "And we keep life interesting."
"Reminder," I said tightly, "I am betrothed. Tiny detail. Giant implications."
They all snorted in unison.
"Betrothed to the Earth Prince," Maddy sing-songed, "while thinking about silver eyes."
"I hate you all," I muttered, though I was laughing as we pushed through the arched doors of the east wing. First day of class, and I was already in deep.
"I don't think you've stopped embarrassing me since we arrived," Aether grumbled through the bond.
Honestly, I didn't think any boundling in the Academy was more disappointed in their wielder than mine. Eternal sass wrapped in obsidian fur.
We stepped into the history lecture hall—an enormous amphitheater already buzzing with first-year nerves.
Tiered seating curved in wide arcs around a raised dais at the center, where the instructor would stand like a general surveying his troops.
Aether dropped me at the doors with a dramatic huff, muttering about finding actual food before padding off with the others.
"Try to look intelligent," he drawled through the bond, a final parting shot.
Ember, Ryven, Maddy, and I slid into a row of seats near the front. The moment I sat, I felt it.
The whispers.
The stares.
Eyes followed me from every direction—curious, calculating, and expectant. I focused on my breathing, trying to keep my shoulders loose and my expression neutral.
As I shifted, my skirt rode up again.
"Gods, these skirts," I muttered, yanking at the stubborn hem.
"I can imagine," a bright voice chimed beside me.
I turned to find a girl settling into the seat next to mine.
Round glasses framed a friendly, freckled face, and a tumble of curly orange hair bounced around her shoulders.
Her smile was wide and entirely unguarded.
"Oh! Hi—Princess—gods, sorry," she rushed, her green eyes going comically wide as she realized who I was.
She wore the brown-and-gold robes of the human scholars, a sharp contrast to our royal silks.
"No, please," I said, offering my hand to ground her. "It's Ava. Just Ava."
Her relief was immediate. "Juliana. But everyone calls me Jules. I'm so glad to meet you!"
She shook my hand with such enthusiasm I couldn't help but laugh. For a moment, everything felt almost normal—just two girls on their first day of class.
Gods, I needed that.
I was about to ask where she was from when the sharp, rhythmic click of polished boots echoed across the stone floor. The hall fell into an instant, suffocating silence.
At the front of the room stood a tall, older male with iron-gray hair and a sharp jawline.
Thin spectacles were perched neatly on his nose, and he surveyed the room with the look of a man who had survived a dozen wars—and enjoyed winning every single one of them.
"Settle down," he said, his voice slicing clean through the noise. "My name is Professor Thandros Vale.
I served three decades as High Historian of Lyr'n'dell. Welcome, first years, to the backbone of your education. History is not just about the past; it is the spine of power. You cannot understand the present without the bones of what came before."
He paced slowly across the platform, his sharp gaze sweeping the room.
"And of course," he added, his eyes landing on me with pointed intent, "a special welcome to Princess Ava Pyreson of Zymarra."
Ignis, spare me.
The hall erupted into polite applause. I wanted nothing more than to vanish beneath Nyxira's veil and stay there. Beside me, Jules clapped with such genuine enthusiasm she looked ready to burst.
"Now," Professor Vale said, raising a silver-grey brow to quell the noise. "Let's start simple. Can anyone tell me the primary function of the Astral Guard?"
A male student a few rows behind me raised his hand tentatively. "They protect the kingdoms, the Ring... and the Monoliths."
"Correct," Vale nodded.