28. ~Xavier~

28

~Xavier~

I watched from the quad as Alena and her mom flew above the turrets.

I wasn’t the only one with eyes on them.

There were stares all over the place, the quad packed with dozens of students staring up at the night sky, others crowded around the clearings in the forest for when they went soaring down that way again.

When word had gotten around that Abigail Rose was on campus, it had drawn a whole lot of attention.

And witnessing two angels flying in all their glory really took the cake. It was several levels beyond majestic.

Alena’s golden wings melded with her mother’s stark white ones as they soared through the sky, doing little tricks here and there.

I’d even heard Alena giggling a couple of times.

It was the first time I’d heard her laugh since she’d been back here.

She’d been in a resigned, demure state up until her mom had invited her out flying.

Twenty-four hours had gone by since she’d woken up in the Infirmary the night Orpheus and my dad leading an Exemplar team had rescued her.

My dad had returned to Sabre Tech to work on that cure for me to return my magic to me, despite my reservations. He just wouldn’t stop if he believed he could help me. He’d told me that it was a parent’s duty to sacrifice for their child. But I couldn’t stand the thought of that, of taking his magic from him and greatly diminishing his power. Fortunately it would take time for his experiments to reach fruition, so in that time I would find a way to prove to him that I would be fine if my magic was never returned, and I’d convince him not to do it when the time came.

It was a tall order, because of course I wanted my magic back. It was a part of me, a foundational aspect, and I felt off without it. But maybe I could find a way to be at peace with that. For his sake I fucking had to.

As it was, right now I was struggling with how Alena had been.

We’d all been separated for so long and now she was back, she wasn’t herself. She was cut off from us, and it was impossible to draw close to her when she couldn’t stand to be touched. After Orpheus had left for the DFR, I’d sat with her and instinctively moved in to give her a hug and she’d cried out and jerked away, completely panicked.

Perhaps even worse had been that she’d kept apologizing afterward for being that way when it wasn’t her fault, when it wasn’t anything she should apologize for. When the blame was squarely on Constantine Vale and what he’d subjected her to.

At the same time, Talon still hadn’t woken up. The Healers and Abigail had assured me that there was nothing physically wrong with him, that he’d healed. So we suspected it was emotional, that he was afraid to wake up after going off like that, afraid he’d cause damage and hurt again.

Orpheus had been putting the new rule , as he called it, in place in the DFR, but thankfully he’d be back any hour now. He believed that a spark of his magic could rouse Talon awake. Our firebird had always taken most comfort in Ore, so it stood to reason that it could do the trick.

“Xavier.”

I spun at the sound of the voice to see Isabella walking up to me, her gaze flitting back and forth between me and the angels in the sky.

I caught sight of her minions hanging back and watching nervously as she approached. She’d gathered a few more since the battle here that night after she’d put on an impressive display that had drawn attention from those who got off on that sort of thing.

“What can I do for you?” I asked, folding my arms across the chest of my denim vest and uttering the words in a terse tone to make it clear I was in no mood to entertain her antics.

I was surprised she’d actually had the courage to approach me at all, considering what I knew Orpheus had done to her the last time she’d crossed paths with any of us.

She got right down to it, telling me in a rapid, nervous burst, “When Orpheus was training us and there were some issues working together as one, some of those were between my Light Fae friends and some of the witches. I’ve had words with them and we’ve brokered a peace, so there won’t be any more problems there. It’s just the vampires and the wolves—a few of them—who he needs to deal with now where that’s concerned. Just… pass that on to him whenever he gets back, okay?”

Hmm. “You’re actively helping him? Us?”

“Yes. And there’s no catch, before you ask. We all need to pull together to survive the awfulness that is Constantine’s reign of terror. This is just me doing what I can.”

“How noble.”

“More like too long coming. And, if you will, please tell him I’m sorry.”

“You’re going to need to be much more specific.”

“For what I said about Alena the last time I spoke to him and… what I did, bullying her like that.” She gazed up at the sky, looking forlornly at Alena, “She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve any of this.” Emotion swam in her eyes. “Word has spread through the Academy about what she went through with Constantine Vale, and I’m so sorry. No one should have to go through that.”

“No, they shouldn’t,” I ground out, trying to contain my own upset.

She played with her unicorn hair. “It also came to my attention that my caustic attitude toward a bunch of things had been standing in the way of having good things in my life. I’ve been trying to remedy that lately. So, what I’m saying is that you won’t have any more trouble or nastiness from me.”

Before I could process this peacemaking she was doing and this complete turnaround, yellow smoke erupted and Artemis Highleen emerged from a cloud of teleportation.

He draped his arm over Isabella’s shoulders and looked between us. “Everything sorted, babe?”

Babe? Interesting.

She beamed up at him. “I think so.”

“Long time, no feed, Xavier,” he said with a wink.

“And you won’t be enjoying the pleasure from him again,” a familiar voice sounded a moment before Orpheus appeared, soaring down from above us and landing perfectly beside me.

He tucked his wings away and wrapped his arm around me, staring between Isabella and Artemis.

He thought I was being steamrolled while I was still vulnerable without my magic and not yet used to my vampire side being front and center and all that I was.

“Isabella was just apologizing,” I told him.

“Is that so?”

“And giving you help with the army,” Artemis spoke. He looked at her. “You told him, right, babe?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“What help?” Orpheus demanded in his harsh tone.

But as I looked at him, there was no malice in his eyes, they weren’t darkening or anything. He was just giving them a hard time, there was no ill intent there.

She cast her eyes downward as she responded to him, “The issues between some of the Light Fae girls and a few witches here.”

“You mean that clique bullshit that you started a few weeks back?”

What clique bullshit? Wow, he really had his finger on the pulse. Even with us being in and out a lot lately.

“Yes,” she murmured. “It’s sorted now. I promise.”

“Good.”

She chanced looking up at him as her new boyfriend rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. “Do you forgive me?”

“Forgiveness takes time, Isabella. Continue down this path and we’ll see.”

“I promise,” she said, nodding quickly.

Orpheus waved his hand dismissively at them. “That will be all.”

There was no hesitation at all, the two of them reacted immediately and hurried away.

“Good luck to that poor fucker,” Ore commented once they were gone.

“He seems to provide a nice balance for her.”

He rolled his eyes. “You and your romantic notions.”

“As if you haven’t been going there with Alena.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “Touche. I’m not as shmaltzy as you, though.”

“Is that so?” I asked, moving closer to him. “What was that possessive comment to Artemis about me not feeding from him anymore then?”

“I don’t want you feeding from anyone outside our foursome,” he said simply, trying to keep it stoic.

But I knew him too well not to see beyond the facade.

I reached out and traced my fingers over his throat, watching him swallow as I did. “That was supposed to be a one-off.”

“I’ve been rethinking that.”

“That’s becoming obvious,” I teased.

He batted my hand away, then snagged my nape and dragged me in close to him. “It would be far too great a waste, don’t you think?”

He turned so my lips brushed over his throat, earning a growl from me.

And then he released me and stepped back abruptly. “Keep those hot little fangs in check, X.” He winked. “For now.”

“For now, huh?”

He nodded. “Right now, we need to get Alena down from the sky and wake up Tal.”

I followed his gaze up there. “What are we going to do about her, Ore?”

“Take our time, check our sexual aggression at the door—especially me. Ultimately, just be there for her. And when things are able to become physical again, don’t utter the word whore or princess.”

“The whore thing is more likely to come out of your mouth when you get in your dirty talk zone.”

“Either way.”

“Hold on. You know, don’t you? You know what happened to her?”

“Some of it, yes. My father witnessed… some things.”

“Tell me.”

He shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

“Orpheus.”

He laid his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t want to know. Ever. Trust me. Only one of us needs to bear that awfulness and it’s fortunately me. Just follow my lead with her and everything will be fine.”

“Ore, trying to spare everyone the way you are, and not just with this either, it’s going to cost you. It will weigh on you.”

He smiled out at me sadly. “I can bear the load. Don’t worry about me.”

Before I could protest, he stepped back and told me in a more upbeat tone, “Let’s go wake our baby bird up, bring him back to us.”

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s been too long since the four of us have been reunited.”

“No more,” he uttered resolutely. “No fucking more.”

It had worked.

A mere brush of Ore’s magic against his cheek had roused Talon awake.

The three of us stood around his bed, Ore and I on his left side, and Alena on his right closer to the door.

Tears filled Talon’s eyes and he shook his head against the pillow as he came to and took us in around him.

“I’m sorry. So fucking sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“Shh,” Alena said, perching on the edge of his bed. “It’s not your fault. None of this is.”

“Shit, you’re here. You’re actually here!” he cried, the sight of her as he started to become more with it cutting through his upset.

He went to take her hand, but at the slightest brush, she flinched and shuddered, then eased off the bed.

“What’s—” He caught Ore’s eye and he discreetly signaled him not to call attention to it.

His face fell and then he was back to his former focus, asking us desperately, “Was anyone hurt? The damage… how bad was it?”

“You didn’t harm anyone,” I told him. “And the damage is being taken care of. Your chambers will be restored within a few days and until then you’ll be bunking in with me.”

“The acolytes attacked while you were raging,” Ore told him. “They tried to take you, but they failed. They failed at everything that night.”

“Your army? It beat them back?”

“Them and the perfectly timed arrival of Abigail.”

“Wow,” he said, blinking rapidly. “I can’t believe I missed all of that. All I was aware of was the flames—and pain.”

“That would be the iron net they tossed over you,” I informed him.

“Shit.”

“Maybe a bolt of two of angel magic,” I said, wincing as I recalled it.

Tal shifted his weight in bed and asked us, “Did you get him?”

“Constantine is still out there,” Ore said. “But he’s being tracked now and monitored closely.”

“No, not him. I mean, I figured if the big guy had been put down, the three of you wouldn’t have those forced smiles strapped to your faces and you wouldn’t be looking so worn down. There would be a whole lot of major relief and excitement in the air.”

We frowned at one another.

Ore stroked his cheek and Tal turned into it, basically purring for him. “Who do you mean, baby bird?”

“Cornwell.”

Ore drew back. “I thought we agreed we’d deal with that properly once all this was over and done with?” He smiled out at Alena. “Besides, our little angel put the fear of Hades into him the last time.”

“No. Not that. Although, that’s played a part in why he’s doing this, why he came at me.”

“Came at you? When?” I asked. “I left you for under ten minutes and I didn’t hear anything either.”

“He cloaked himself and all that. He was there in my room. Well, my bathroom. He pinned me against the door with his magic and said all this shit to me. He provoked me over and over.” Emotion swam in his eyes. “I tried to hold it, but he kept coming, he kept… saying things… I couldn’t… I’m so sorry.”

Ore climbed onto the bed and wrapped him up in his arms, kissing the top of his head. “It’s not your doing. Shh, it’s all okay now. You’re okay. We’re all here with you.” He looked out at me and Alena, his eyes darkening, the promise of punishment coming through loud and clear.

“He was at Constantine’s mansion,” Alena spoke.

Orpheus eyed her. “What? When?” I could see his urge to demand why she hadn’t said anything sooner. But to his credit he managed to hold off, because it was beyond clear by her quiet and melancholic demeanor that she was still reeling from it all.

“A couple of days before you showed up and got me out of there. He was the reason I didn’t make it out after I broke through Constantine’s hold. He delayed me and then it was too late, the monster returned.”

“So he’s fully turned,” Orpheus mused.

“He provoked Tal to bring him to Constantine and use him for the spell,” I determined.

“He’s definitely fully defected,” Alena told us. She looked down at her nails as she revealed, “I may have also melted him a little like I’d threatened.”

That perked Talon up and he looked out at her. “Good. He deserves nothing less. For betraying us all, for what he did to Ore, for fucking all of it.”

“That won’t be the end of it,” Orpheus seethed.

This meant war.

Not just the war that the supernatural world was fighting as a whole against Constantine, but our own war.

One that would earn justice.

One that would deliver punishment.

And, above all, one that would destroy all those who’d made the mistake of coming at us.