Chapter 43 Avilyna
Avilyna
BAKEFFEE
I wake up dazed. The world’s shifting from under me, off-kilter, unsteady, until it stabilizes.
It takes a moment to register that I’m alone, the sheets cool beside me, the room silent.
Fairy wine… It doesn’t hit like anything else I’ve tried before.
It doesn’t blur your thoughts or drown you in forgetfulness.
No, it sharpens everything. Pulls your instincts to the surface and dares you to act on them, no filters or restraints.
And now, it all comes rushing back.
Last night, every stolen moment, every glance that said too much.
It lit something in me I’ve kept buried for longer than I care to admit.
I pull the covers over my head, as if that could protect me from the truth settling in my chest. I feel the heat rise again, not just in my skin but somewhere deeper, burning, aching.
“Oh…my god,” I whisper, mortified, the words barely making it past my lips.
But the worst part is that I loved every second of it.
It makes me question if I’ve completely lost my mind.
But Kai… He has this way of stripping away the noise, the rules, the consequences of the constant pressure.
With him, none of it matters. It’s like my whole being, every light and shadow, wants him, and that terrifies me as much as it’s freeing.
Looking around, I don’t even know why I feel disappointed. You’d think I’d be used to this by now, Kai doing whatever he wants. Of course, he’s not in bed with me. Why would he be? People, feelings, consequences… They just bounce off him; he’s made of stone after all, mission above all else.
I let out an exasperated sigh before I even realize I’ve been holding it. Throwing the covers back, I swing my legs over the edge as if the floor might vanish if I hesitate. I need a shower, a blistering, reality-scorching shower, something to burn the disappointment out of my skin.
Ten minutes under the hottest water I can stand, and the numbness starts to peel away.
I begin to feel the edges of myself again, human, actually valkyrie.
A version of me that feels somewhat familiar.
I reach for the soap and try to settle into a rhythm, just another morning, nothing unusual.
Lie to the body, and maybe the heart will follow, right?
But as the suds slide down, it hits a spot under my right rib that makes me flinch, a sharp, bright sting.
I hiss through my teeth. Guess even when you pretend you're fine, your body knows the truth. I look down, and there it is, a red line, pulsing, remembering him just as well as I do, the brand he left on me. I should be angry, I want to be, but instead, I feel heat curling low in my stomach. My legs shift, that’s when I notice it, another mark, this one softer.
A thin pink scar on the inside of my thigh, as if it’s had months to heal, but it hasn’t.
It’s… Sweet, in his strange, messed-up way.
The only way Kai knows how to be, rough around the edges.
I get dressed in record time. Military gear on, boots laced tight, hair braided into two clean lines down my back.
The motion is fueled by muscle memory by now, something solid to hold onto when everything else feels unsteady.
The only wild thing left is the halo of curls framing my face.
Defiant, untamed, the last visible trace of softness I still allow myself.
Stepping into the hallway, I’m ready to knock on doors and drag the girls out of bed, but I’m already too late.
The house is awake. Shouts, muffled laughter, the clatter of dishes rise from downstairs; the day’s already in motion.
I follow the noises. Wyll’s already in the kitchen, setting the table like he’s hosting a summit.
Plates lined up with surgical precision.
With him, breakfast isn’t just a meal, it’s a ritual.
Every movement is measured, every plate served as if it carries something more than just food, and I stop.
Wyll taking over the kitchen, that’s nothing new, but the way he clings to it.
The precision, the pacing, the need to make it perfect, and the constant need to volunteer for it…
It’s telling, too rehearsed. He hides it well.
The quiet desperation to keep things whole by sheer force of routine.
I know that feeling. That gnawing belief, that caring for people is the only way you’ll ever be worth something.
I see it in him. The way he moves, the way he holds onto the crumbs of memories. A part of me already knows.
There’s a pull deep in my mind, a thread stretched tight, vibrating with a sound just beyond reach. Then, in a blink, his face shifts, something familiar, almost hauntingly so. It’s not Wyll… Anymore, it’s someone else. Someone I don’t quite recognize, but I know isn’t a stranger.
The hum continues, low and insistent. It grows, twisting into a sharp, ringing sound.
High-pitched filling every corner of my skull.
A thousand bells clang inside my skull, each strike vibrating through my bones.
The world warps, the edges of the room blur.
Sounds stretch, laughter distorts into static and shatters.
And then, the floor falls away, blackness.
“Lyna, you’re putting way too much sugar!” Freya yells, her tiny hands trying to catch the crystals, but they just slip right through her fingers. I grin, nudging her aside.
“Freya, if we’re making elvencakes, they have to be super sweet and fluffy!” I toss in a little extra sugar just for fun.
She scrunches her nose and shoots back, “Well, maybe you’re the one who’s too sweet!
” We look at each other for a second, trying really hard not to laugh, but then we totally lose it.
Because even we know that was far-fetched.
Freya lets out this big, dramatic sigh, crosses her arms as if she’s mad at the whole universe, flips her golden hair like she’s the princess around here, and stomps off to grab the next ingredient.
“Another reason why I’ll be the bookkeeper in your bakery slash coffee shop,” I say, smiling widely. I have no idea what I am doing, just trying to be a good friend. Freya sticks her tongue out, but her hazel eyes sparkle with joy.
“I’ve told you a million times, it’s not just a bakery, it’s a Bakeffee!
” She says it like she just invented the greatest word in the world.
Well, to Freya, it sure was.“I went with you to see the pegasus and helped you train, so don’t think you’re skipping baking day, Avilyna Morween!
” she snaps, crossing her small arms with a frown that means she’s dead serious.
Freya’s a head taller than me. Which is convenient, since she gets to be the voice of reason, and I’m the designated troublemaker.
The one who stirs the pot while she keeps me from spiralling too far off the rails.
Without her, I’d probably be knee-deep in some kind of disaster.
And everyone knows, if Freya is breaking the rules, it’s only because I made her. Not that I mind taking the blame.
“Okay, okay. Awaiting your orders, Chef Freya Lindir,” I say with a solemn salute. Perfectly executed, just like I’ve seen people do around Mom.
“Following instructions? Who are you trying to fool, Vi?” That voice. Only one person insists on calling me that instead of Lyna, wanting to remind me every chance he gets how tiny and pathetic he thinks I am.
Ugh, I hate him.
Rolling my eyes, I turn to face the walking headache that is Kai Brackwell. The very definition of despicable in combat boots.
“I’m not talking to you,” I snap. Wyll just laughs at my very obvious attempt to shut Kai down.
They’re twelve and already so tall, which is so annoying, already going on missions, which is absolutely unfair.
At least Wyll doesn’t despise me. Probably because his little sister would never forgive him.
If there’s one thing those two lycans actually care about, it’s family.
Or maybe it’s because Freya keeps saying that I remind her of her brother, not that I like hearing that, ew, boys are gross.
And Kai?
He doesn’t even try to hide it; he thinks I’m a waste of time, not worthy.
Simply, because I haven’t awakened. Give me a break, I’m only seven springs.
But everyone else… Freya, Sam and even my twin brother already have.
So why not me… That’s like pouring salt on a wound that won’t stop bleeding. I just want to make Mom proud.
“Last time Sam was with you, he got bit by a wild boar,” Kai says flatly, eyes cold as ice. The same ice as his father, and that for some reason makes me shiver.
Squirming under his stare. “Alek got bitten, too!”
“Mmm, but not you.”
“That’s ’cause I’m faster than them!”
Kai snorts. “Someone who hasn’t awakened, faster than a lycan and an elf? Yeah, right. Don’t make me laugh.” His words make my blood boil. We might be twins, but Alek takes after Dad. His elven genes are obvious with his pointed ears, and his elemental magic isn’t dormant, unlike mine—unfair.
Before I can even realize what I’m doing, I scoop up a handful of batter from the bowl and smack it right into Kai’s smug face.
Freya gasps; the sound echoes through the kitchen like I just summoned a demon.
Oh great, I’m in so much fucking-trouble now.
I’m not supposed to swear, but Uncle Theo says it’s fine if it’s only in my head and for, quote, ‘emergency emotional situations.’
Well, this?
This is way past an emergency.
Leave it to me to act on impulse and to give in to intrusive thoughts. Wyll’s laughter breaks the awkward silence, just in time for my twin to call me out.
“Avilyna! What did you do again?” Alek’s eyes are fire-bright, and the only thing we really have in common.