CHAPTER SEVEN
Morning light spilled through the grand window in pale, honeyed strokes.
I blinked awake with my cheek pressed to the familiar, radiating warmth of Jeremy's chest. It took a heartbeat for reality to settle in: he was actually here.
Last night hadn't been a fever dream.
I smiled, lifting my head to trace his sleeping face—peaceful and entirely unguarded—when the door burst open.
The crash sent my heart into my throat. Jeremy nearly rolled off the bed as Aether and Kora bolted in from the balcony, fur bristling on high alert.
"AVA—oh gods, you would not believe—" Ember froze mid-sentence.
Her gaze flicked from me to Jeremy and back again.
Her eyebrows climbed so high they practically vanished into her hairline.
Jeremy shot upright, blinking in a haze of sleep and confusion, while I yelped and dove under the sheets, mortification flooding every inch of me.
"Hey, Jeremy," Ember said brightly, a wicked delight already sparking in her eyes. She paused, taking in the full tableau—the tangled sheets, the evidence of our night scattered everywhere—and she grinned. "So wonderful to see you."
Jeremy, traitorously polite even while half-naked, gave her a small, awkward wave.
Ember nodded once, satisfied, and backed toward the door. With one final, smug look, she straightened her shoulders and clicked it shut behind her.
"Gods," I groaned, burying my face in my hands.
My cheeks burned hotter than an Ignis flame.
Jeremy slid closer, the heat of his body grounding me as he brushed a tender kiss to my palm. "I… thoroughly enjoyed last night, sweetheart."
I peeked at him through my fingers and smiled, soft and honest. "Me too."
He glanced toward the window, the reality of the Academy's schedule settling in. "I've got training this morning."
My heart dipped, but I managed a nod. He kissed my cheek, stood, and snagged his shirt from the chair.
"See you later?" I asked, my voice small in the suddenly quiet room.
Jeremy paused mid-motion, tugging the fabric over his head. "Always, Princess."
He gave me one last lingering look before whistling softly.
Kora padded to his side, massive and elegant, her green eyes meeting mine with a quiet, feline assessment before they disappeared into the hall.
The door shut, leaving me alone with the scent of moss, and a lingering, beautiful heat.
I flopped back onto the bed with a dramatic groan, burying my face in the pillow.
"You can come in now," I called out.
The door creaked open, and Ember leaned in, her eyes immediately scanning the rumpled sheets and the glaringly empty space beside me. Her lips pursed in theatrical disappointment.
"I'll be honest," she said, stepping fully into the room, "I'm mildly disappointed Daddy Darkness isn't in the bed."
Aether let out a sound so deeply offended it vibrated through the floorboards. "I am surrounded by absolute degenerates."
I ignored the panther's grumbling and chucked a pillow at her. She caught it with a wicked grin.
"So," she drawled, "did he finally give you that life-altering orgasm?"
I shot out of bed like I'd been electrocuted.
"I'm going to kill you!"
She squeaked and scrambled backward.
"Yikes!"
I paused, a slow smirk spreading across my face despite my burning cheeks. "...But yes. He absolutely did."
I strolled toward the bathroom, chin lifted with all the dignity of royalty reclaiming her throne.
Behind me, Ember's triumphant voice rang out: "OH! I am officially Team Jeremy!"
I laughed and shut the door, the warmth of the memory still buzzing through me.
"Chaos. Every single one of you," Aether muttered, sounding deeply resigned to his fate.
After I'd showered and spilled the full story—Jeremy, Asher, and the friction between them—Ember's jaw quite literally hit the floor.
"I'm sorry," she shrieked, cradling a latte like it was emotional support. "You what?" She looked like she was witnessing a scandalous romance novel unfold in real time.
As it turned out, she'd been so spectacularly wasted that Ezra had ended up carrying her back to bed.
Ember—who usually leaves males high and dry or vanishes before the sun rises—was completely thrown by the experience.
She launched into a rant about how unfairly, criminally hot he was, recounting an intense makeout session where she'd decided "restraint was a social construct" and confidently asked for sex.
Ezra, to his eternal credit and her everlasting humiliation, had turned her down because she was too drunk to be making those kinds of decisions.
Ember buried her face in a cushion, groaning. "I have never been rejected in my life. And now I have to see him again. Sober."
I patted her shoulder, being deeply unhelpful. "That's character development, Em."
She glared at me from behind the pillow. "If I combust on sight, this is your fault."
I smiled into my coffee, savoring the moment. Watching Ember unravel over a male who actually had the nerve to say no to her?
Absolutely delicious.
···
We made our way toward Runic Magic & Enchantments—easily my favorite. I needed the grounding after last night's chaos.
Luna padded ahead, her flamed tail flicking to a private rhythm, while Aether walked beside me with his usual silent, regal stride.
Then I noticed it: flames were furiously licking at the tips of his ears.
"Aether!" I gasped, dropping to my knees on the cold marble.
"You're on fire!"
"What?" he growled—out loud. The sound echoed down the corridor, startling a group of passing first-years.
"Did he just…?" Ember crouched beside me, her eyebrows nearly vanishing into her hairline.
"Finally," Luna hissed, her voice lilting with amusement. She'd spoken around me before, but never with this much clarity.
I cradled Aether's chin. "Your ears are actually glowing."
"Hm," he muttered, eyes half-lidded as Luna padded closer to inspect him.
"It's the magic," she said. "It feels stronger. Heightened."
Aether flicked his tail. "I have fiery ears. The gods must truly hate me."
We burst out laughing, earning a deep, regal scowl from the celestial panther.
We entered the classroom just as the seats began to fill.
Ancient runes carved into the archways pulsed with subtle power, and shelves of dragonhide-bound scrolls stretched toward the ceiling.
Maddy waved us down enthusiastically from her spot beside Ryven, but my eyes drifted—only to land directly on Asher.
He sat two seats away, calm and arrogant, flanked by Ezra and Darcy. And there it was: the unmistakable flash of pink hair.
My chest twisted. I'm with Jeremy now. My focus is on him.
"You sure?" Aether's voice flickered through the bond, teasing and smooth. "Your pulse disagrees."
I ignored him as we moved down the center aisle. Of course, the gods made us pass them.
We were nearly level with their row when Zya—Asher's boundling—stepped silently from beneath his desk.
The sleek black panther stopped directly in front of Aether. For a heartbeat, time stilled.
Aether's flame-tipped ears flicked, his fur bristling with heat, while Zya's entire body shimmered with shadows. Her silver eyes had gone nearly white.
"Hey, Ava. Ember." Ezra's smile was all charm and devil-may-care.
"Hey," I replied, aiming for a cool I didn't feel.
And then I made the mistake. I looked right at her.
Pink ponytail. She was gorgeous—tall, with glowing brown skin and a neckline that left nothing to the imagination. But it was her eyes that stopped me.
They were pink, not pale or tired, but like the last flare of sunset over the Zymarrian cliffs.
I was still trying to steady my pulse when—gods help me—she smiled and waved.
"Hi! I'm Seraphina," she said, her voice airy and melodic. "Sera is fine too. It's so great to meet you, Princess."
She looked genuinely lovely. Fuck. I blinked, awkwardly sticking out my hand. "Please… call me Ava."
Her grip was cool and gentle. As she leaned back, I noticed a three-eyed owl perched on her shoulder, its feathers a misted lilac. The center eye blinked slowly, tracking me.
"Oh! This is Nyssa," Sera said, scratching beneath its beak.
"Wow," I breathed, momentarily distracted from my spiraling thoughts. "She's beautiful."
Sera beamed, her expression warm and open. It was impossible to hate her, which somehow made the twist in my chest even tighter.
Beside her, Asher finally looked up. He was leaning back, one arm draped over the back of Sera's chair, his fingers nearly brushing her skin.
"Morning, Princess," he drawled, his silver eyes unblinking and lethal.
Sera tilted her head, her pink eyes sweeping over me with feline curiosity. "So, this is the one you were telling me about?"
My blood turned to ice. What exactly had he been telling her?
"Careful, young one," Aether rumbled through the bond, his flame-tipped ears flickering white-hot.
"The shadows here are layered."
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just forced a tight smile and kept walking, the weight of Asher's gaze—and Sera's kindness—burning into my back.
"Come on," Ember muttered behind me, nudging my spine.
I blinked, forcing my feet forward.
Aether and Zya had broken their silent standoff, though the air between them remained sharp—magic pulsing like barely sheathed blades. We found seats near Maddy and Ryven, the wooden bench feeling cold beneath me.
The room hushed as a striking woman stepped inside. Her chestnut hair was pulled into a precise ponytail, and her glasses glinted with a quiet, dangerous authority.
She radiated a beauty that made the entire class sit straighter without realizing why.
"Calm yourself," Aether growled in my mind.
"I am calm," I shot back, even as a sharp cramp twisted in my stomach—the familiar, warning ache of my magic surging too fast.
"No, you're not—look at your feet."
I obeyed and immediately panicked.
Flames were licking up around my sneakers, crawling higher and whispering along my thighs. The professor froze mid-step, then, with terrifying composure, she summoned a sweep of shimmering water magic.
It washed over me in a controlled arc, extinguishing the fire before it could singe my skin.