Chapter 49

Chapter

Forty-Nine

Vyk

I opened and closed my fist as I stood over the human captain, seeing red and trying to steady my breath. I tasted blood, but it might have been the metallic scent of it from the flecks of crimson dripping from the human’s mouth. My nostrils flared as I breathed it in, and my heart pounded in response.

The primal beast within me wanted more. I wanted to feel his flesh beneath my fists, hear his bones crunch, watch his blood spill. I wanted to punish him for touching her. I wanted him to beg for forgiveness.

He groaned as he started to stir, rolling his head slowly even though his eyes remained closed. I felt like groaning along with him as the red blurring my vision faded .

This was not good.

I had attacked a guest of the Academy. I had attacked the human envoy sent to pass judgment on the exchange program. I had attacked the very man I had promised not to torment.

I watched the captain move, but I did not offer to help him stand. I did not trust myself. Not after I’d seen him grabbing Fiona. Not after I’d heard the pain in her voice as she’d told him to release her.

He had hurt her, and I regretted nothing. Correction, I regretted not punching him hard enough that he would stay down longer. I was going soft. In my peak form with Inferno Force, one punch would have knocked him out cold for half a day. Still, his jaw was red and would no doubt bruise vividly, even if it was not broken. That would have to be enough. For now.

I gave him a final dismissive glance and stepped over him. I had better things to do than coddle a human who had proven that he was not worthy to be walking the halls of the Drexian school. I needed to find Fiona.

I’d acted so quickly, so impulsively, so instinctively that I had not stopped to think how punching her former colleague might upset her. I’d been blinded by rage that the captain was hurting her and consumed by a possessive fury that he was touching her.

It was unreasonable to think that Fiona was mine. One kiss did not make her mine, but I did not care. I knew in the core of my being that she belonged to me. She belonged by my side. She was mine. And no puny human was going to touch her—ever .

I stopped and pressed one palm against the cool stone wall, sucking in a greedy breath. Where was I? I had stormed through so many passageways that I had to take a moment to get my bearings. The only sound was my ragged breathing and the distant sound of crashing waves.

The Restless Sea.

I was near one of the open-air walkways that connected the towers. I forced myself to continue forward and take halting steps across the walkway as the wind whipped my face.

The cold air sobered me, and I gripped the low stone walls as I dragged in a salty breath and stared across the turbulent surface of the water. The natural forces that surrounded the school—the sea, the mountains, the wind, the storms—were a good reminder of greater things beyond the walls.

I crossed the rest of the way and hesitated at the bottom of the tower. I had not planned to come directly to the female tower, but my feet had taken me there. I did not even know if I would find Fiona in her room, but I needed to try. I needed to explain.

With a burst of resolve, I bounded up the twisting staircase until I reached the landing that held her quarters. I knew which room was hers. I knew who lived in every room. It was my job to know where everyone in the school lived and how to find them. But I had taken special care to remember Fiona’s room.

I didn’t allow myself to linger before knocking, rapping quickly on the heavy door. I waited, almost relieved that she might not be there. I had not rehearsed what I wanted to say, and I had learned that the female was not one you wanted to spar with unless you were well prepared .

“Not here,” I said under my breath, as I turned to leave.

Then I heard the door glide open. “It’s you.”

I pivoted to face her, noting that she held a bottle of alien whiskey in one hand. “I came to—”

“Let me guess, you came to tell me how you didn’t mean to go after the captain—again.”

That might have been what I had originally intended to say, but seeing her hands trembling as she set the bottle onto her desk banished those words from existence. She was trying to appear tough, but her chest heaved and there were red marks on her wrists from where the human captain had grabbed her.

I would not be apologizing now or ever.

“No,” I growled, stepping inside her room. “I came here to tell you that the next time someone—anyone—puts their hands on you, I will not just strike them down, I will end them. I do not care if they are from Earth. I do not care if they outrank me. I do not care if I get thrown in the dungeons. I will never let anyone hurt you again.” I held her gaze as her eyes widened. “That is a promise.”

I waited for her to snap back at me and tell me that I was out of line and that it was not my job to protect her, that she did not need protecting. But instead, she launched herself into my arms and curled her legs around my waist as I caught her.

She crushed her lips to mine in a hard kiss, pulling back to lock eyes with me for a moment. “I need one more promise from you.”

I managed to nod even though I was too stunned to speak .

“Fuck me hard.”

A snarl escaped from my mouth as I ran one hand through her long hair and fisted it. “I promise.”