7

Dove

The next morning, I awoke early, the sky barely lighter than the night. Enko's fluffy bed tried to lull me back to sleep, along with a glorious smell of smoky cinnamon that I knew was his scent encasing me. But the excitement of my first day at the academy dawned upon me.

The room was still dark, with Enko's soft snores coming from the couch, both his feet hung over the armrest, unable to fit his gigantic body onto the decent-sized couch. Seven's bed was empty, untouched from the night before. Kairos was missing as well.

Combat and Weapons Training was first. I picked out an outfit. With my clothes balled in my arms, I aimed for the bathroom.

Kairos exited the moment I reached for the doorknob and we both froze, staring at each other.

"Good morning." I tried to sound casual but my voice was too high-pitched. He was dressed in a dark t-shirt and gym shorts, his hair combed back into a sleek style despite the early hour.

He nodded in greeting, edging around me to the kitchenette as I closed the door. As I had discovered the night before, there was no lock. I guess there was no need for Fated to have locks. Afraid to take my eyes off the door, I showered and dressed with haste, keeping the scars on my back facing the wall behind me.

They were my Fated mates, supposed to accept all my flaws. But I still wasn't ready for anyone to see that part of me yet. Know about my past. I blew my hair dry and pulled it up into a ponytail.

Enko stood up as I opened the door, smiling widely.

"Morning," I mused, bowing my head in greeting as the temple had trained me. An old habit that was locked into my personality by this point.

He pulled me into an unexpected hug. My pajamas were sandwiched between us, but I inhaled his smokey cinnamon scent like a drug after spending the night sheathed in it.

"Mmm…" Enko rumbled, "Good morning."

When we pulled apart, I craned my neck back to look up at him.

Kairos cleared his throat from the kitchenette, "Dove, do you want some coffee?"

Enko leaned forward slightly, whispering, "Be wary, it's like sludge. I don't think he's ever made coffee before." He gestured to a full cup on the coffee table that had been his.

Enko stepped around me, our bodies brushing against each other once again, sparking sensations in me. Unlike Kairos' electricity, Enko's was burning passion. Something about it just felt right. Familiar. Safe.

"Sure, I'll have a cup," I told Kairos politely.

Enko raised his eyebrows dubiously before retreating into the bathroom.

"Black, please," I said as he moved to add sugar.

He passed over the cup. "Like your clothes?"

My cheeks heated and I turned my back to him, unsure if it was an insult. When I grew up in the shrine, sugar was a luxury. Even after a year in the real world, I still preferred the simple way. As my lips tasted the coffee, I was met with delight, despite Enko's warning.

A loud reveille of the Rise of the Valkyries began to play, loud horns playing over a speaker somewhere to announce the morning. As I checked the time, I stuffed my feet into my shoes. "I should probably get going. I don't want to be late on my first day."

"We'll walk with you, Dove. It will teach people around the academy not to mess with you," Kairos told me.

Enko exited the bathroom, shaking his head as he approached. "I don't think that's a good idea. It'll just as easily put a target on her back. Someone might screw with her to get to us."

"Everyone is going to find out eventually, Enko. I'd rather be by my Fated's side." Kairos and Enko shared another one of their silent conversations before Enko agreed with a nod. "And where is Seven? He didn't come back last night?"

Enko shrugged.

The three of us walked together through the academy. Enko passed me a banana, insisting that I take a few bites. "It's not going to be easy on your first day."

I ate as we walked toward the field at the back of the academy, passing a huge board filled with names and numbers. I halted as I looked up. Foxfire Academy required three years before graduation. At the very top of the third-years, my Fateds' names.

Seven: 98

Enko: 665

Kairos: 613

"What's that?" I asked them.

"Leaderboard for demon kills. It's supposed to motivate students," Kairos said scornfully. "They use blood magic to connect your kills."

At the bottom of the list, along with the other first-years, was my own name.

Dove: 5

The five from the admissions exam. More students arrived in the hall as the morning grew later, all passing through to the doors behind us. Many recruits stopped dead as they saw me standing between Enko and Kairos.

" Who is she? Their Fated?"

" She must be powerful."

" She sure as hell didn't show it in the admissions yesterday. Doesn't have a fox form."

" Or she didn't use it to hide how powerful she is."

" Maybe she didn't want all you creeps to see her naked."

A golden fox with three tails trotted forward, approaching us. Sparks shot from her fur as she morphed into a human again. The transition was so smooth, she had years of experience shifting. Her smooth canter turned into a catwalk. Her body was exposed for all to see, earning whistles and flirtation from the crowd. Her skin was unmarred and smooth. Beautiful. Perfect .

The naked woman approached, slinging her arm around Kairos' waist. "Kairos, you might want to dispel these rumors before they get out of hand."

My eyes locked onto her, ready to rip her arm from its socket. A small unnatural growl erupted from the back of my throat, out of my control.

She flicked her eyes to me and laughed. "Is that supposed to make me feel threatened, kit?"

Kairos raised his brows. Enko cleared his throat, nudging Kairos with his elbow, flicking his eyes down to the woman's arm, which was still touching him.

Kairos stepped away from her grasp. "What rumors, Mel?"

She giggled. "You guys being Fated to that first-year, of course." A mixture of disgust and feigned pity rested on her face as she tilted her head in my direction as if I couldn't hear her perfectly.

Kairos frowned. "We are Fated to her."

Her smile turned to shock in a heartbeat. A man with a shaved head sidled up next to her, patting her shoulder. She shrugged him off roughly, her cute demeanor dissolving into malice. "Not now, Vince."

Vince had on obnoxiously yellow gym shorts and a shirt that looked a couple sizes too small to show off his muscles.

"Hey, Stryker, I'm less than fifty kills from overtaking your position in the Top Three," he said to Kairos. His eyes slithered up my body in a way that coated me in slime before nodding at me, "You think your hot new Fated will go for me once I pass your kill count?"

Kairos' fist pummeled into Vince's face. Vince's hand shot to his injury, coming away with only a bleeding split lip, but he scowled at Kairos for a moment before he stalked off down the hall.

Enko and Kairos guided me away. Mel glared from the front of the leaderboard, not moving since the altercation, her arms crossed over her bare chest. Two girls stood on either side of her, patting her arm and rubbing her back as though she needed comfort for the scene she had caused.

"What was that all about?"

Kairos' jaw clenched tightly and Enko responded, "Kairos and Mel's family's grew up around each other. Vince is fourth on the leaderboard, he thrives on the competition. You'd do well to steer clear of both of them, especially Vince."