Chapter 17 Winter #5
And now here the four of us were eating, talking, and just being together in the public space of the Cafeteria.
Zayn grinned at me across from him while he munched on his Cinnamon French Toast Sticks absolutely doused in honey, as he ran his sneaker up the leg of my jeans again.
I swallowed another spoonful of my oatmeal, shaking my head at him, but unable to stifle a grin in the process.
His vibrant fuchsia hair was a little more styled than wild this morning.
It made sense with Vax and him doing their hair together at one point in Evira’s bathroom, while she and I had been talking in her suite after we’d dressed.
I’d filled her in on my approach to the strange threat like I’d promised and she was on board.
Zayn had finally found an outfit he wanted—a pair of his neon-pink leather pants and a denim vest that had leather patches on it. One side of the vest was black, the other white. It was definitely an out-there look, which was all him.
Vaxan sat next to him, also wearing some hot-as-sin leather pants.
He had one of his form-fitting black tees on with a sleek blazer over the top that had yellow and green gems on the lapels.
He was content as he ate from his plate of eggs and bacon, while sipping at a mineral drink every now and then.
Evira was beside me and opposite Vax, her furry coat hanging off her seat, and she had on a pastel-blue lace bralette that was visible beneath a flowy white top. Her gray jeans matched the exact shade of my hoodie.
She and Vax were engrossed in a conversation about how far their animal sensory perception could reach.
As I took a sip of my coffee, I watched Evira take a bite of her meat-heavy quiche. She chewed slowly, seeming to be studying it as she tasted it.
“Everything all right?” I asked.
“Just evaluating it. It’s good. Just not as good as the many me and my dad have made over the years.”
“You cook with your dad?”
“Yeah. Quiches mostly, as they’re the only thing I’m any good at making.”
“Adorable,” Vaxan said.
“If you want, I can help you out,” Zayn told her.
“He’s a phenomenal cook,” I explained.
“Yeah, I taught his family a few things when I stayed at their place a few years back. Sylas and Cassius tried to teach Win, but he’s pretty much a lost cause where the culinary arts are concerned. He’s not into it at all and that impacts his learning.”
“All true,” I admitted, before devouring another spoonful of my oatmeal. “I’m not that big on food either.”
“Very particular,” Zayn said, gesturing at my oatmeal. “Bland mostly. What you saw of his order at Vantiqe is as exciting as it gets for him.”
“Particular? I’m a mood eater,” I said.
“Ah, right.” He laughed to himself. “I forgot that’s how you term it.”
“I’m not a fan of food either,” Vaxan commented. “Because it’s such an issue with the need for a particular diet, there’s no pleasure in it for me, just sustenance.”
“Understandable,” I agreed.
“Is it?” Zayn spoke.
Evira arched an eyebrow. “Hmm, you’re thinking of making it fun and pleasurable, figuring out some ways to do that with his strict diet?”
“Exactly, icicle. You wanna branch out from your quiche and help me?”
“There’s really no need,” Vaxan assured them.
“That’s just it. It’s gonna be nothing to do with need, just pleasure.” Zayn wiggled his eyebrows at him, and it got a laugh from all of us.
“As you wish,” Vaxan said, highly immersed, and looking as intrigued as I was.
“With all the enthusiasm you’re throwing down, how can I resist being a part of it?” Evira said, grinning at Zayn.
“Exactly.” He rubbed his hands together.
“And speaking of pleasure…” Off our looks, he rolled his eyes.
“No. Not that kind of pleasure. Whose minds are in the gutter now, hmm?” He shook his head to himself in mock disappointment, then told us, “I mean in the sense of fun. You know, doing something that’s not attending classes, studying, or worrying about draconic political threats, asshole exes, or magical mind intrusions and power fuckery? Something truly freeing and fun?”
Evira sat forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “What do you have in mind?”
Zayn shifted on his seat to face Vaxan. “According to rumors floating around campus, that Lambo parked in the student garage belongs to you. Right, Your Majesty?”
“It’s a Lamborghini Revuelto.”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
Vax tensed. “You wish to drive my car?” He started shaking his head, which had Evira and I chuckling. “Absolutely not. The only person at this table who I’d allow to do so is Winter.”
“What?” Evira cried. “What about me?”
“Aren’t you here to let loose and experience liberation?”
She stared at him. “Ah, you know about my reckless and wild reputation from my childhood.”
“And that’s something you wish to revel in while here, yes?”
“Dammit,” she grumbled.
Zayn chuckled. “He’s got your number, gorgeous. At least I’m not the only one now.” He rubbed his hands again. “But I wasn’t even suggesting I drive your car, my insanely intoxicating, mouthwatering snake prince.”
Vax jolted at his words.
When Zayn had detested him, he’d used the snake aspect of Vax’s heritage derogatorily. Now here he was amending that, going as far as to rewrite the intention and meaning behind it entirely.
He beamed out at Zayn, as Zayn went on, “I was thinking more like you take your car out, Win and I take our bikes, Evira shifts into full ice dragon glory, and we really go for it.”
“You mean, a race?” I asked.
“Something like that, yeah.”
“It’s utterly frivolous. Chaotic, even. And playfully reckless,” Vax concluded. The corner of his mouth turned up as he laid his hand on Zayn’s. “I adore it. Count me in.”
Evira reached across the table and stroked Zayn’s cheek. “Love it, hellion,” she said.
He nuzzled against her affectionate touch, that sweetheart side of him coming out again.
“Me too,” I confirmed.
A musical alarm sounded, and Evira eased from Zayn, then pulled out her phone. “It’s my ten-minute warning for the start of each of my classes,” she told us. A sheepish expression played on her face as she said, “Sometimes when I get distracted, I lose track of things.”
“You’re not the only one,” I assured her, stroking her arm. “A few weeks ago, I had a dinner scheduled with my dad and I lost track of time at Polaris, showing up late.”
“That night I burst into the restaurant bathroom?” Zayn asked.
“The very one, fireball.”
He winced. “Oops. Didn’t know you were already in shit when I did that and cost you more time.”
“Another visit to Polaris,” Vax uttered.
He glanced around at the many students filling the Cafeteria, knowing many had supernatural hearing and that I couldn’t have people aware of my feeding predilections.
So, he cast an auditory reduction spell over the table, then said, “I understand it’s something you need…
what you get from patronizing that place.
However, doing it with those who are most definitely sexually attracted to you and are clearly just waiting for the day when you lose control and fall into reciprocating that… it doesn’t sit well with me, or—”
“He thinks Carter is a sleazeball,” Zayn cut in.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I wouldn’t disrespect any of you. We’re in a committed relationship now, and I don’t want to go outside of that, but—”
“You can get what you need in that respect from me,” Zayn interjected again.
I started. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“I did, but it’s usually a once-in-a-blue-moon thing. You don’t really care for it.”
He shifted his weight on his seat. “I do, actually. I just… it was tangled up in my whole… sexual power dynamics issues. I more than just ‘care for it’, Win.” He gestured at Evira and Vax. “And you can’t do it with them.”
No, I couldn’t. Feeding from Evira would be worse than my current death-cold state with her ice dragon nature. Vaxan’s blood contained venom that would need a very delicate balancing act to hold off while feeding, so there’d be no relaxing during it.
“You’re sure?” I asked Zayn.
He ran his sneaker up my leg again, a smirk tilting his lips. “Does that answer your question?”
With him? Absolutely. “Yeah, it does.”
“Good.”
I looked out at Evira who was clearly as relieved about it as Vax was, both their territorial animal natures showing.
“Tell me, all right? If you have issues with me, or any of us, voice it.”
“Or it will fester,” Vax added, dropping the spell now we were done with all of that.
She reached out and stroked my nape, sending a rush of delectable sensation through me. “Promise.”
Her alarm sounded again. “Got to wrap this up, boys,” she said. “Vaxan and I have another first-year class to get to. The one that was delayed getting started.”
Yeah, I knew all about it. It was Principal Governance & Supernatural Institutions taught by esteemed Guest Lecturer Hugh Clayborne.
He’d once been the leader of the Unity Council, which sat just beneath the Guardian Movement in terms of institutional power and reach.
Well, at least when it came to official capacity.
The Unity Council existed to benefit the people, to ensure their voices were heard.
They operated at a community level and even checked the power of the Guardian Movement in a way.
Their representatives were appointed through a supernatural electoral system.
Hugh had stepped down a few years ago from the position of leader, but he still retained influence and a role as a part-time member. He’d wanted to split his time to include teaching new generations of supernatural beings, and every year he moved to another academy as Guest Lecturer.
“Should be super interesting,” Evira said, giving me a look.
“Should be,” I responded, with a lift of my lips.
Given my familial connections to certain things, I couldn’t attend the class, even though it was technically mandatory for first years.
For one, The Shadowed would be discussed, likely under the Clandestine or Semi-Legitimate banner—or at least what those above ground thought they knew about it.
So much was shrouded in deep secrecy. Given that my grandpa headed it and Dad was also directly connected to it through Requital…
yeah, there were some issues with me attending.
So the mandatory nature of it had been waived.
Fortunately, my next Grimoire Creation class now also operated at this time. Evira and Vax should have already had their first class, but Hugh had delayed due to overseeing a renovation project at the Unity Council. It had set the start of the course back by a couple of weeks.
Zayn drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he told us excitedly, “I can’t wait for my class in a few minutes. Creative Artistry in Flamecraft and Shadowcraft.”
As a fourth-year, he had more electives, and access to some more laidback, fun courses.
The one he was looking forward to was taught by Professor Fyla Warrin, a Shadowmancer-Dark Fae hybrid, where students would learn to create and perfect creative artwork and animations forged by either fire, frost, or shadows.
I would definitely be adding that to my schedule as time went along here at Loxley Academy.
There was also another class for making artistic creations using frost, ice, and water, which was taught jointly by an ice dragon and one of the HICI Educators, Carnis Parlant.
We all finished up the last few bites of our food, then went to gather our trays, but a commotion had Evira and Vax stilling, their supernatural senses picking up on it first.
Evira and I both turned to see her friend, the Light Fae Princess, Octana Reyolde, tossing a bowl of berry yogurt into the face of River Leroux right after he’d grabbed her arm and pulled her in close.
Shocked cries and gasps erupted as Octana cursed at him, then spun on her heel and stormed out. River shook his head to himself, then swept a wave of his taupe magic over himself to clean the mess of yogurt away.
“I should see if she’s okay,” Evira said, pushing away from the table. She eyed Vax. “Can I catch up with you in class?”
“There’s no need, icicle,” Zayn said, and we all looked to see him grinning to himself.
“What are you talking about?” Evira asked. “She’s clearly upset and she’s my friend, she needs me.”
With a spark of his magic, another auditory reduction spell was being cast over the table. “That shit was fake, all for show. They’re fucking.”
“Interesting,” Vax commented. “Especially considering how terribly Octana is controlled by her father and his expectations of her as heir to the Light Fae throne.”
“And that’s exactly the reason for that little performance we all just witnessed.”
“Wow, that’s… wow,” Evira breathed.
“You inspired her,” I told her.
She raised an eyebrow. “Me? What? No, I don’t think so.”
Vax clasped her hand across the table. “How you’ve handled yourself since you arrived—dealing with Keuric, sparring with me, fornicating with Zayn.
She might not know yet about what happened at Vantiqe as it was only last night when it all transpired, and seeing the four of us together is brand-new to everyone as of this morning, but she’s seen the rest. For somebody so awfully restricted and controlled, seeing somebody like you also with a duty and expectations forced upon her step outside that realm of control is an extremely powerful thing, a great jolt to her psyche and perception of things. ”
Evira took his words in, then a lovely smile spread over her face. She stroked Vax’s hand on hers. “Thank you. All of you.”
“It’s your strength and power,” Zayn told her. “Just making sure you see that.” He dropped the spell, then we all rose from the table.
I smiled out at the three of them.
At us.
It was surreal.
In the best possible way.
Coming here to Loxley Academy had certainly brought many surprises along with it.
And what we’d found together was definitely the most precious of all.