15

Dove

Enko and Kairos each held one of my hands on the way upstairs to the dorm. Neither said a word, but the students and some faculty jumped to the sides of the hallways as we approached. They feared the man who held my hand so gently, who had only done that to protect me.

I'd seen the flash of pain and fear in Enko's eyes. He was not the homicidal maniac that the whispers proclaimed. And Vince was not the innocent victim.

Kairos released my hand to unlock the dormitory door, pushing it open and allowing Enko and I to enter first.

"Still no fourth bed? The Elder said it would be here today," Kairos commented as he closed the door behind us. "I can get one for you tomorrow morning, Dove."

I shook my head, "It's fine, I know I'm imposing—"

"You're not. I want you to be comfortable here."

I opened my mouth to object, but a thought closed it. Nobody has ever cared if I'm comfortable. At the temple, we didn't know soft beds existed outside of our straw mats. I met Kairos' eyes. "Thank you."

"Take Seven's bed tonight. Since he isn't sleeping here anyway," Kairos said, gesturing to Seven's bed with his black sheets and comforter.

"Where is he sleeping if not here?" I asked.

Kairos shrugged as the sides of his mouth curled upwards. Enko laughed, "In a cave with a few demons cuddling to keep him warm?"

"No, he would just find a really big one and cut it open, sleep inside of it," Kairos argued, "If he sleeps at all, that is."

The two laughed heartily as I watched in confusion at the inside joke shared between the two of them.

After a few moments, Kairos noticed my expression. "You want the real answer? We don't know. I suspect he sleeps in the Shadow Vale."

The Shadow Vale, the valley between this realm and the others. The home of lost spirits, utilized by some supernatural creatures and certain demons. Shadow foxes could hide within its darkness, use it to travel within the earthly realm unseen.

After preparing for sleep, I stood next to Seven's bed hesitantly. I was invading his space, but both of my Fated mates had already taken their own beds. I pulled back the blankets, sitting on the edge and flicking the light off, eclipsing the room into darkness.

I relaxed back onto the bed, resting my head onto the pillow. It smelled of nature, pine and earth. I stared up at the ceiling as my eyes adjusted to the dark room. I imagined being entirely enveloped in Shadow, not even an ounce of light to penetrate the Vale. Could Shadow beings see within?

I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Kairos moaned. My ears perked me awake at the sound, the jostle of blankets and the uneven breath coming from one bed over.

I tried to keep my breath silent as I listened, afraid to open my eyes or move an inch. Was he…?

I suppose I should have expected worse having to share a dorm with three men.

"Dove," Kairos whispered.

A jolt of excitement exploded between my legs. The sounds continued, growing more frantic. My hand slipped between my thighs.

I parted my lips ever so slightly so my breathing wouldn't be so loud, curious if Kairos was looking at me from his bed. I moved my fingers carefully to touch myself.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Enko muttered from the other side of the room.

All noise went completely silent. I concentrated on keeping my breath even despite the frantic beating of my heart.

"Kairos," Enko continued in a harsh whisper.

"Huh?" Kairos responded within a yawn.

"I'm five feet away from you, Kairos. Don't play stupid. I know what you were doing," Enko said.

Kairos huffed. "You know how it is, Enko. I've been hard for three days straight. I don't know how much longer I can take it. And then she's just there, right next to me. If she breathes it makes me want to claim her."

"Be quiet, you're going to wake her up."

"She's already awake. We had a thing going."

"What thing?" Enko asked, his bed squeaking under his weight as he moved. "Dove?"

I froze, afraid to even take a breath, faking that I was still asleep to avoid the embarrassing confrontation.

Enko laughed, "You're worse at pretending than Kairos."

Unable to resist the temptation any further, I flicked open my eyes to find them both sitting up in their beds and staring at me. If my cheeks were red before, now they were scorching.

I should have pretended to stay asleep.

"What?" I asked as casually as I possibly could in that state. I looked up at the ceiling and around the room to avoid their gazes.

"Nothing," Enko said, leaning back onto his pillow.

The three of us remained silent for a long moment. The lock on the door clicked.

Both of the guys lurched upward as the door opened, grabbing their weapons from nearby. Fire erupted from Enko's blade handle, lighting up the room. Their eyes stared at the intruder. Or, lack thereof.

The door closed by itself and Seven flickered into view. His eyes immediately went to me. "What the hell is she doing in my bed?"

Kairos relaxed, falling back onto his pillow. "Fuck, man. I hate that Shadow shit."

Seven stomped forward, looming over Kairos as he laid in bed, pointing at me. "Are you letting her have my bed now?"

I sprang up, leaping up. "I didn't mean to—"

"Goddess, why are you such an asshole, Seven?" Enko groaned as he got up from the bed and crossed the room toward me.

Seven intercepted him, grabbing the front of Enko's shirt. "Me? You made our entire Fated group look weak today when you went feral. All of us. Even your precious new Fated. Kairos barely managed to scrape your mess together. We still don't know if he'll live."

"I already handled it, Seven. Let him go," Kairos ordered.

Seven pushed Enko forward, and despite the size difference, Enko stumbled back, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"The Archfox will be notified," Seven said, keeping his gaze on Enko. "There's nothing I can do to stop it. Too many witnesses."

The room hung in a long silence as we took in Seven's words. The Archfox, the highest of our order, the most powerful kitsune in the world. He assigned contracts and doled out punishments for serious crimes committed by all our kind.

Enko's eyes rose to Seven's in shock. "He tried to assault our Fated. He left bruises on her, Seven. The Archfox will find me innocent."

"Maybe. But he'll have to account for your past crimes, Enko. And we both know how that looks," Seven snorted, his eyes landing on me for a moment. "See what you've done?"

"Do not blame her," Kairos growled, jumping up from the bed. "Don't you fucking dare."

Seven reared onto him. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you both turned on me. Next, you'll turn on each other." Seven's lips curled into a sickly smile, eyes glazing me up and down. "Who will she want most? What will you do to betray each other to have her all to yourself?"

I backed into the wall, feeling as though Seven's words had physically punched me. I was going to be sick, my stomach retched at the insult.

"I would never…" My body swayed and I steadied myself against the wall. A blurry dark figure reached out and grabbed me before I hit the floor. My vision distorted into darkness.