Chapter 17 Winter
~Winter~
That had really happened, then.
I was witnessing the proof of it before my eyes as I looked out to my right from my position on the far-left end of the bed at the three of them sleeping soundly.
Zayn had his arm slung over my abs, his face buried in my shoulder, while his other arm was underneath Evira’s head functioning as a pillow, with their legs entangled.
There was also a cute little polar bear cub between them.
Nuvri. Vaxan had found him buried underneath the covers as we’d all climbed in last night.
Vax was on Evira’s right side with his hand on her stomach as she slept with my hoodie on.
None of them had left me—I meant, the bed. The bed.
I blinked out at them through my tranquil state.
They really hadn’t gone.
It was more than that. Much more.
When I’d been on the verge of making a break myself, they’d insisted I stay. They’d come to me, rallied around me with so much care and adoration.
They not only didn’t care about my feeding, they relished it in their own specific ways.
They didn’t see what I was, only who I was.
Unlike so many others.
The three of them were a different breed.
So rare.
So special.
And after last night, now we were us.
I smiled at Zayn. So much pain and madness having transpired between us, and now here he was.
I lightly stroked his hand resting on my abs.
Last night… fuck, he’d been truly incredible.
The date, his comfort, offering me his blood because he’d recognized how much I’d needed it, and then…
the culminating sexual insanity. For the first time I’d witnessed him breaking from the staunch rules and notions he’d enforced upon himself when it came to how he believed he should be allowed to seek pleasure, to fulfill his needs.
He’d submitted several times over, but not in what was his usual way.
He’d allowed it to happen naturally, he'd immersed himself in it, in all of us. And there’d been no sign of that usual shame—and then anger—that had previously gone along with it.
It was just regrettable that he hadn’t been able to do that with me alone, that I’d seemed to bring out the worst in him instead where that was concerned.
I sighed. Well, now there was Evira and Vaxan, and a clear balance had been struck.
That was what mattered.
I breathed him in and gazed out at Evira looking decidedly cozy wrapped in my hoodie, while Vaxan slept peacefully albeit in protective positioning. Just like he had that night in my bed.
It was uncanny that his parents and kingdom had sent him here to make connections in the form of nothing more than deeper and sturdier alliances, yet he’d bonded with the three of us irrespective of what had been expected of him.
There was no coldness to it, no coldness to him.
And it was clear to me that when he allowed himself to draw close to others, which was a rarity for him, he acted as a guardian of sorts.
He shielded, cared for, and absolutely adored with everything he had.
He’d taken it upon himself to be that for each of us.
And now we’d united as a foursome, I knew that role would be entrenched for him.
It was incredible of him, everything about him was.
It had been since the moment we’d met, and he’d never wavered in it.
I couldn’t believe I’d come so close to walking away from that, to ruining it all.
And although my reasoning had been different, the actual act of it would have mirrored the push-and-pull agony that I’d suffered through myself with Zayn beforehand. And I’d been on the verge of doing that to somebody else? When I knew how it felt?
Jeez. I really needed to keep an eye on that instinct of mine to withdraw to protect others from the complications of what I was.
Now that the four of us had come together and established that we were a unit, I needed to take extra care.
I beamed out at Evira. She’d really helped to pull me back from it last night.
She’d reached through the fear with solid reasoning and tactical processing in such a gentle and patient way that had cut right through it.
And beforehand, dropping the secrecy surrounding our connection…
I’d never imagined it coming to pass. Yet, she’d done it. She’d made a stand. For us.
And it changed everything.
It had evolved things with her and I, and then all four of us.
Because of her courage.
Because of her coming into herself and her power.
Everyone was stepping up.
And it was time I followed suit.
Considering last night was the first time I’d slept through the night since the glitching had begun, now was an excellent time to see to it.
I carefully lifted Zayn’s hand off me, then extricated myself and climbed out of bed.
I scanned Evira’s suite, trying not to get distracted by the intriguing surroundings of cozy slamming up against her combat trophies and the art depicting mighty dragons and the formidable legacy of the Dracoryn Realm on the walls.
That was Evira. Soft and ferocious. But it wasn’t in a stereotypical way of her having a harder outer shell, yet being soft at her center.
She was actually both those things all the time, both outwardly and inwardly, and the way in which she could embody both was incredible.
Similar to her being previously sexually inexperienced, yet also possessing a filthy mouth and such brazenness.
It was actually one of the first things that had struck me about her, that I’d relished.
Our clothing from last night littered the floor, where we’d rematerialized what we’d magically stripped from one another, and some items that we’d simply tossed across the room the mundane way.
Searching through them would be too time-consuming and create too much movement that would very likely wake Zayn, Evira, and Vax from their peaceful slumber.
So, instead, I conjured my boxer briefs and jeans with a snap of my amber magic.
Then I made my way to the other end of the suite and out onto the balcony.
The fresh morning air infused me as I grasped the railing and glanced around, taking in the view of the other side of the main Loxley Academy campus building that was visible from this vantage point.
Before I could second-guess myself, or engineer an excuse, I released the railing and snapped my palms up, calling my necromantic power.
Time to perform Soul Track.
Properly this time.
And all the way.
I zeroed in on the building first, my magic warming me from the inside, as I called on Soul Track, where I could lock onto active souls in real time.
I focused, then began to see glowing outlines inside the building, scores of them all over.
I then even managed to clock several at the far reaches of campus in the fields and wooded areas.
Not just death-touched beings, which were easier for a necromancer to get a lock on, but all beings.
Every single one of them in and beyond the area I was targeting.
Through it all, my magic held steady, my palms upturned and glowing with my amber flame.
Yes.
I felt the control I had over it, the satisfaction of my power steadily coursing through me, and completely at my command once again.
I pushed deeper into the structure, through walls, objects, and managed to ascertain every being within. It wasn’t even straining to reach out further to encompass the surrounding forest.
With a satiated sigh, I snuffed out my power and dropped my hands, smiling to myself.
That had gone better than I’d even expected.
For now. Until that thing gets its claws into you again.
I gritted my teeth and forced that thought down.
I’d deal with it. I just wanted a little time to relish that I was back to normal.
And I wanted time to savor this now established foursome dynamic.
In the meantime, I’d hold onto the fact that I’d cast out whatever had been messing with me and impacting my magic. Essentially, I’d overpowered it. And that was what I would focus on.
I stepped back from the balcony railing and conjured my phone to check the time. We’d all worn each other out last night, and I didn’t want us to be late for classes because of it. Glancing at the screen, I noted that it was still early. We still had a couple of hours before classes.
Several texts had come in that I hadn’t even seen yet, because I’d been in a state last night for a long while. Then afterward, the four of us had been so immersed in one another. So I hadn’t looked at my phone in ages.
I took them all in rapidly.
Pops: Sure you’re okay after what Torvek did?
Emotionally, I mean? V swore he’s got a handle on it, so it’s not gonna happen again, you don’t need to worry.
Love you. And, yeah, your mom hasn’t blasted her way into your vicinity after getting wind of it because Father managed to talk her down.
Took a lot, but she’s good. Focused on the news I gave her about your relationship now.
I winced at Pops’ message. Mom didn’t like hurting people as a rule, but she also wouldn’t exactly hold back if something or someone came at those she loved.
I pulled up her message and, sure enough, she wasn’t showing any violent intentions, and was just putting forth her caring, toned down maternal side.
She’d never wanted me to see the feral-like safeguarding side of her when I’d been growing up, believing I needed to be shielded from anything negative in order to have a happy and loving childhood.
Mom: I’m happy for you, baby boy. Call me sometime and tell me all about your three loves.
I read through another couple of texts that had also come in at some point last night.
Father: Son, I am monitoring the Dracoryn Realm. Should they react unfavorably once word reaches them of your relationship with Evira, their wrath will be contained. Do not fret. Continue to love freely.