Chapter 6 Caesar

"And then the whole contraption exploded in Sora's face," Kai said, tears streaming from his dark eyes from laughing so much. My Japanese-American friend was sitting in my office, the two of us enjoying dinner together after another long day of classes. "When the smoke cleared, that poor student was staring at another melted project."

I couldn't help but laugh along with my oldest friend. "And you're positive Sora Ito is a kitsune?"

"Oh yes," Kai replied, wiping his wet cheeks with one of his long sleeves. "The boy can transform so eloquently. But when it comes to electricity manipulation? Let's just say he controls currents about as well as he controls his tongue after attempting to channel electricity."

Smiling and shaking my head, I asked, "Was the boy hurt?"

"He singed his fingers a bit, but nothing he isn't used to," Kai replied. "I sent Sora to see Maya—against his will, mind you. Maya has been stern with him regarding the frequency of his visits."

"Poor kid," I said with a chuckle. "I'm sure Maya gives him an earful. "

I took a bite of my buttered roll, then pointed it at Kai. Between chewing, I said, "I'm jealous you see such action in your engineering classes. It seems there's never a dull moment. All I get in Shifter History lectures are a bunch of glazed eyes and wide yawns."

"Nothing out of the ordinary, then," Kai said with a wink, taking a mouthful of rice. "You're such a bore, Mr. Rex." The kitsune teacher tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and fake-snored, then began coughing as he choked on the food he hadn't quite swallowed yet.

I shook my head, laughing bitterly at his sadly accurate portrayal of many of my students. "Serves you right. Besides, history isn't about fun and games. Especially shifter history."

My mind wandered into the past, remembering the dark days I'd endured before, during, and after The Island had been destroyed. How too many loved ones had died from vampire brutality.

Kai guzzled some water, coughed a few more times, then dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Try making math fun." He cleared his throat. "‘Students, the quadratic formula is like a thirsty vampire.' You'd think that kind of analogy would bring excitement into the classroom. But these kids... It's like they know they're being tricked into learning their ‘rithmetic."

I pointed my lettuce-loaded fork at Kai. "I know I'm going to regret this, but how exactly is a thirsty vampire like using the quadratic formula?"

"Well, if you ask the students, they'll tell you that they both suck," Kai said with a sly grin.

Rolling my eyes, I slipped the leafy greens into my mouth and shook my head. "You know, I think people with your kind of humor should have their jokes regulated. There's only so much dryness normal people can take. "

Kai shrugged. "Perhaps for merfolk. But us? We thrive with dryness."

"Okay, Kai, you've made your point."

"Oh, I don't think I have!" Kai stabbed his stir fry with his fork. "Tell me, when was the last time you laughed at a wet joke? Hmm?"

I shook my head. "That doesn't make any sense. What in the world is a wet joke?"

"Exactly my point." Kai threw his napkin on his not-quite-empty plate, as if it indicated some finality to the argument.

Three sudden knocks came at the door of my office and not as timid little taps. I could tell by the solid pounding that someone with authority stood on the other side. Kai jumped a mile in his chair.

"Did you invite the Grim Reaper to dinner, too?" Kai said. "Because those knocks nearly scared me into a grave."

"I'd like to see that," I chuckled.

Opening my desk drawer, I tapped at my tablet, causing the office door to open. In no time, the tall, bulky figure of Lord Arthur Dracul, general of the shifter military, stood stiffly in his uniform, as if his back was made of a straight, metal pole.

"Ah, Arthur, I wasn't expecting you," I said as I got to my feet. I wasn't as tall as the general, but I liked to think I held the respect of the intimidating dragon shifter.

"Forgive my sudden appearance," Lord Dracul said in a way that feigned no apology. "The military has kept me particularly busy over the past few weeks with the increasing number of vampire attacks. I have only just visited my son. Regrettably, I wasn't able to return to the Dome right after he was attacked. But I am glad to see how well he's recovered. "

I nodded, hiding my doubt of his concern for his own son. "Tobias is a valuable asset. His courage and bravery in the fight against the vampires has earned him respect beyond anything he's done in school."

Arthur glanced at Kai as if he was just noticing the kitsune. "Ah, the Master Engineer himself."

The general removed a round object from his belt, and I recognized it as the vampire tracking device Kai had developed just a few months before. I'd almost completely forgotten about it after Celeste finally approved the finances for its mass production.

"Your latest creation has been most helpful. However, it has done little to slim down the number of vampire attacks."

Kai's jaw ticked, hinting at the annoyance teetering on his emotions. "Slim attacks down? By my ninth tail, Arthur, the purpose of the vamp tracker isn't to decrease the number of vampire attacks. In fact, last time I checked, that was your job."

Fire blazed in Arthur's eyes like a lit match dropped into a container of gasoline. "How dare you speak to me with such insolence," Arthur growled, stomping into the office.

"Alright, you two." I made my way around the desk to get between them before blows could be thrown. "You don't have to act like a couple of pubescent students."

But Kai had gotten to his feet and stepped right in front of the seething, towering Lord Dracul.

Unsurprisingly, my words went unnoticed.

"If the military could figure out how to undermine the vampires and their operations, we wouldn't have to rely on my tech to find them," Kai quipped .

"You witless worm," Arthur growled. "You sit here in the comfort of the most secure and safe facility in the entire world, playing with wires and a soldering iron. You tinker while I and hundreds of other soldiers are out there risking our lives protecting you and everyone you love. We are dying for that cause."

"I know precisely what it's like to be out there on the front lines," Kai countered, his nostrils flaring as he tried standing as tall as he could—he barely reached Arthur's chest. "Before you decided to join our cause, it was me and Caesar doing it. So don't go throwing your scales around, acting as if you're the only one who's doing something in this war."

Arthur raised a massive hand, fingers outstretched, then swung it down to grab a hold of Kai's shoulder.

I reached out to try to stop it, but stopped short as Kai's body went translucent. Arthur's hand went right through Kai's phased body.

"Nice try, Lord Dracul ," the kitsune said as he walked straight through the dragon shifter's body, phasing back into his solid form as soon as he was out of arm's reach. Over his shoulder, he said, "Thanks for dinner, Caesar, but my useless projects won't ‘tinker' themselves now, will they?"

Arthur's chest rose and fell rapidly, and I wondered for a moment if the general was going to go after Kai. At last, the dragon shifter turned around and shot me a perilous gaze.

"Why you continue to befriend Kai Inari is beyond me." The fire in his eyes slowly smothered.

"He's a good man," I said. "Kai can be a nuisance at times, but there's nobody in the world I trust more."

Arthur shook his head while pointing an accusing finger at the doorway. "You'd trust him with your life? "

I chuckled. "I have trusted him with my life, Arthur. And I'd put my life in his hands without any hesitation. But something tells me you didn't come to my office to complain about Kai Inari. What can I do for you?"

Arthur eyed the open door, adjusting his blazer over his puffed chest. "I wish to discuss a...delicate matter with you." His hint at the need for privacy was about as subtle as a mermaid in a puddle.

Swinging around the desk, I sat in my leather swivel chair and opened the drawer that held my tablet. At my command, the door swung closed.

"Please, Arthur, sit down." I gestured to the chair Kai had been sitting in. With a quick swipe of my arm, I knocked my friend's plate into the trash receptacle attached at the side of my desk, then dumped my own plate.

The tall military general slouched instantaneously, drawing a hand up to his face as he rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger.

"Does this delicate matter have anything to do with Tobias?" I asked.

Bringing his hand down on the armrest, Arthur shook his head. "No. I believe Tobias is right where he needs to be. At least for now."

I raised an eyebrow. "Even though you pulled his friend Nikolai Candida out of school based on his father's recommendation?"

"Look, Caesar, I know how you feel about us taking students out of the Dome before they complete their education. But Paskal Candida's son—"

"Is not ready for military assignment," I interrupted .

The embers that had slipped from Arthur's eyes just moments before returned, like wind on hot coals, and he sat up straight in the chair.

"The boy fought off a group of vampires and caused them to flee," the general said, somehow managing to contain his anger.

"He helped stave off a vampire attack," I corrected. "And it's quite possible he'd be dead were it not for your son."

Seconds ticked by as Arthur stared hard at me. "So, you think I should've taken my son on as an intern instead?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No. I believe that neither of them are prepared for the dangers of military life."

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that," he replied. "Nikolai has already begun military training. He's no longer your responsibility, Caesar."

I shrugged, resigning from this futile argument. "You're absolutely right. He's yours now. And I hope you feel the weight of his life in your hands."

The general pondered this for a few moments, narrowing his eyes. "I assure you, Director, the Candida boy is in a much safer place now."

I snorted "A safer place? What other place is safer than here at the Dome?"

Arthur barked a humorless laugh. "From your perspective, you probably do believe that the Dome is an impenetrable safe-haven. But let me remind you that it's not. While you're down here sitting pretty, taking the military protection for granted, the vampires could choose to lay siege. How much food do you have on hand to keep the school going if they decided to bar off your entrance? What if they found out how to sever your electricity? They could crack the Dome and cause its depressurization, drowning all of you except for the mermaids, who they'd simply wait for as they eventually came to the surface."

These were valid concerns that I had heard several times over the years. And until recently, the argument had been that the vampires didn't know the location of the Dome. But that had changed. Kendall Green had revealed everything to Hadrian.

Yet, I couldn't let that kind of mindset poison the school. If things ever got to the point of such danger, we would evacuate.

Arthur sighed heavily. "Look, Caesar. The Candida boy has my protection. I swear it to you, and I've sworn it to Paskal and Nadia. Now, may we move on to the topic that has brought me here?"

"Of course," I conceded with a single nod, relieved that the general wasn't continuing his verbal attack of the Dome further.

"It's about Arya and the prophecy."

My heart skipped a beat at Arthur's words, and my mouth went dry. I picked up the glass of water on my desk and sipped at it. "Go on."

"It has come to my attention that the girl is indeed the siren of the prophecy."

I blinked. "Has it now? There are some within the Dome that think such an idea is merely a projection of desire."

"That might be so," he said, "but what do you think?"

I considered telling him that I didn't know yet, that all that had been revealed about Arya was that she was a siren, not necessarily the siren. But I didn't believe that.

"I believe she's the prophesied siren," I confessed at last .

"Then you must also believe that her training must be fast-tracked," said Arthur.

I smiled. "Great minds think alike. I'm personally seeing to her training. I've also tasked Celeste with one-on-one instruction, as well as our lead harpy, Maya Heather."

Arthur returned my smile. "While I'm glad to hear that, I've come to request that I take over her training."

My smile faded. "That is absolutely out of the question."

Arthur gave a heavy sigh. "Caesar, her fate is no longer a school issue. It is military. If the only way we can defeat Hadrian is through her, I need to oversee her training personally. Yesterday. I need to know what she is capable of."

With focused discernment, I pieced together what Arthur wanted to do with Arya. I felt my eyes widen slightly. "You seek to weaponize her."

He rolled his eyes. "Let's be realistic. The prophecy speaks of a siren who will overthrow Hadrian. That siren is a weapon by the prophecy's definition. And that siren is Arya."

"No," I countered. "The prophecy only alludes to Arya's potential. Right now, she is a vulnerable young student. We can't pluck her out of the classroom and throw her into a military uniform. We'd break her."

"We need her to be more," he replied.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. While Arya was our greatest hope, we had to tread the path of her training carefully.

"If we push her too hard, we could push her away," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Remember, Arthur, that until a few months ago, Arya thought she was merely a human. She's in a whole new world full of concepts and abilities that seem alien to her. If she'd grown up here at the Dome, or at the very least, with parents guiding her, she'd be better equipped to handle military training. But she needs time to figure out who and what she is. Until that point, I will see to her training. Only after that will I allow you to come and begin more rigorous instruction."

Arthur hunched over, placing his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his interlocked fingers. The dragon shifter sighed with disappointment. "I do not feel this is the right path, Caesar. I'm in charge of an army that is fighting a war that can't be won without the girl. Every day our numbers decrease. How many lives must be spent until you feel Arya is ready?"

It tore me up inside hearing about more death. All my life had been surrounded by it. I—more than anyone—wanted to see the downfall of Hadrian and the vampires. The image of my parents laying in a pool of their own blood flashed through my mind, and my dry throat thickened.

Yes, Hadrian would pay for his crimes. But sending in Arya when she wasn't prepared? Such an action could result in the death of all shifters. And that was something I refused to risk.

"You and the shifter military must buy us as much time as you can," I said at last.

Lord Dracul studied me for a long while, then got to his feet. "We will buy you time. But you must prepare the girl—accelerate her training."

"I'll work as hard as I dare to with her," I promised.

Arthur nodded. "One more thing. You've been director of the Dome for a long time. We could use your strength and abilities in the military. Have you given any thought to passing the torch on to somebody else?"

The question struck me like lightning, freezing me in place. I'd invested so much time into directing the Dome. It was the closest thing to what I could call home ever since the incident on Framboise Island. And to leave it all behind to join the military and help in the fight against the vampires?

"My place is here," I replied.

I thought of Julian's warning—that Hadrian knew the location of the Dome, and that a vampire attack could happen at any time. If they got past the defenses and safeguards that had been put into place over the years...

"But in the near future, it might well be that we all must join the fight—students, teachers, all shifters."

Arthur gazed at me as if he expected further explanation. I didn't give anymore, but instead opened the door with a tap of my tablet.

"Farewell, General."

Arthur bowed slightly. "Goodbye, Director."

I couldn't relax my shoulders until he'd finally left the room. The conversation had left me mentally and emotionally exhausted, and I desperately wanted to separate myself from all my worries, if only for a moment.

Reclining into my chair, I pulled out my phone and opened the text string with Shea. A GIF of a kitten winking with hearts floating around it sat at the bottom, and I couldn't help but snicker at the innuendo behind it.

I hadn't spoken to her since she left the Dome after the vampire attack on Arya and her friends. We'd texted back and forth, mostly flirty memes and jokes, but neither of us had dared bring up the amazing sex we'd had or what that meant for the nature of our…whatever this was.

I really didn't know how to think or feel about it. There was no denying the way I felt about her anymore, the way I missed her when she wasn't with me, and the way just the thought of her beneath me gave me an instant hard on. I only knew that I wanted more than anything to have her again, and that I fully intended to despite the multiple ramifications.

Foolishly, I decided that I'd figure that stuff out as it came, and I tapped out a message.

"Are you free to talk?"