18. Raiden

18

RAIDEN

A drenaline pounds through my veins and I relish in the excitement with every drop of blood I claim.

I'd say I'm feral, but that's a wolf thing, and I'm definitely not one of those . I'm not frenzied either because that's completely beneath me. I don't know whether I've always been this venomous or if it's worsened since I've been without Adrianna, but either way, I'm owning it.

I don't like being out of control, and that's all I am when it comes to the woman I'm obsessed with.

She'll be back soon.

She better be. If not, Cassian will be the one on the end of my wrath.

"Raiden, watch out!" Brody's voice cuts through the air, alerting me, but the fucker doesn't actually say where to look. I spin to my left, but of course, the enemy is coming from the right. My gaze latches onto the frenzied vampire powering my way, hitting me with their full force before I can brace for impact.

My back slams the ground, pulling a grunt from my lips as I snarl at the frenzied fool. His eyes can't focus, his movements are jagged, and the grip on my shoulders is about as limp as my dick right now. His desire and uncurbed craving for blood leave him at a complete disadvantage against someone like me, who is… far superior.

His teeth extend, the sharp points shimmering under the moonlight, but he's not quick enough. As he leans toward my throat, I buck my hips up, knocking him off balance before I use my speed to regain the advantage.

A sinister grin spreads across my lips as I glance down at the troubled soul. In this state, all they live and breathe for his blood. The frenzied mess is infused into their blood, a fact that I only just learned is because of our kind too. It's diabolical.

I should feel sorry for them, but I can't muster the emotion. They're an inconsequential factor in the bigger picture. His Adam's apple bobs against the palm of my hand as I clench my fingers around his throat, tearing him apart before he can even take another breath.

Blood stains my knuckles, pooling around his lifeless body, but there's no time to bask in the victory. He's not the only vampire we're fighting off.

Rising to my feet, I straighten my shoulders as I shake out my blazer, giving myself a moment to assess the situation around us.

A burst of flames brightens the sky to my left, and I turn just in time to see the glimmer of a white dragon spiraling toward the ground. Four vampires turn to ash under the intense flames before the dragon ascends back into the sky.

Kryll.

Part of me hates how fucking majestic and unique he is, but there's a part of me, clearly not a typical trait for a vampire, that admires him. I'd almost say I'm in awe, but admitting that would turn me into ash, along with the frenzied fools.

Taking a deep breath, I focus on what I can hear, and my attention is drawn to my right, where I find Brody. His hands are raised at his sides, his eyes barely open as his lips move faster than should be possible, especially for someone who doesn't have a speed ability. The chant flows freely from his lips as vampire after vampire is drawn toward him, only to find their almighty death when they get within a foot of him.

We could be done here.

As if hearing my thoughts, a battle cry rings from the dark forest behind me and I sigh.

There's more?

Fuck.

Of course, Beau lures us out of the walls of the academy for a secret mission and then disappears.

Rolling my neck, I brace myself for the new wave of attackers while my thoughts remain on Kryll's older brother.

I'm not sure if he actually wanted the help or if he just wanted us to kill things that actually needed killing instead of some fool on campus. Not that anyone on campus has done anything wrong, but we're all wound up and pining for our girl.

A pained cry rings in my ears, quickly followed by another and another. A burst of fire descends from the sky, followed by another, but this time, it's not a white dragon at the other end of it.

No. It's midnight blue.

Massive claws drop to the ground a moment later, shifting as they hit the ground.

"Finally, you're back," I gripe, giving him a pointed look, but Beau ignores the hell out of me. I step toward him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when movement to his left catches my attention and I freeze.

"Adrianna," I breathe as she saunters toward me with Cassian at her side.

Her blonde hair is braided into a crown on her head like always, but the exhaustion that clings to her features is more intense than usual. My body stiffens at the fact that she's not as relaxed and calm as I expected. But instead of turning my anger her way, I settle my gaze on Beau.

"Why the fuck did you bring her here?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Adrianna interjects with a raised brow, and I soften—just a little.

"Nothing, Trouble. I've missed you. You look beautiful. Let me just?—"

My words are cut short by the racing footsteps that approach from my right. I turn in time to get a hold on the vampire with practiced precision. Eager to get back to her, I make it swift, letting the lifeless limbs collapse to the ground at my feet a moment later.

Turning back to her, I panic when she's not there, but a flash of her blonde hair is like a beacon in the night, drawing my gaze to my left, where she destroys another vampire. A glint of her favorite silver accessories makes me grin as she wipes the blades on her pants, ridding the blood stains from her prized possessions.

A shiver runs down my spine as her eyes meet mine and my feet carry me toward her before I even realize it. She steps into my open arms without pause, settling the worry in my chest as I envelop her.

"Hey, Trouble," I breathe. This time the softness outweighs the stress in my tone and she melts against me.

"Hey, Fangs," she says, peering up at me with a grin. I match it with one of my own.

Life is scattered.

Life is madness.

Life is complicated.

But with her here, in my arms, everything settles, even if just for a moment.

Brody's chants echo in the distance, the smell of burning flesh tingles in my nose, and the roar of Cassian's wolf vibrates the air around us, but between the two of us, the world stops.

"I've missed you." Admitting the fact doesn't cause me the pain I expect. If anything, it eases the weight on my chest.

"I've missed you too."

"Did you ever think you would say that to me, of all people?" I can't tell if the question is to feed my vampire ego complex or to bathe my heart in her, but once the words leave my lips, I don't regret them either way.

"Did you ever think you would miss a lowly fae?" she retorts, the sass shining in her eyes as I shake my head. She's got me there, and she knows it.

"I didn't think a lot of things until you."

"Oh, you've got charming words tonight, huh?" she muses, and I shrug.

The pressure in my chest intensifies again, the weight of my instinctive response growing heavier with every breath. It's so intense it feels like my eyeballs will pop from my skull with the effort of holding them in.

"I love you."

Fuck.

The words blurt from my mouth, relieving the tension consuming me, but the way she blinks up at me with her jaw slack instantly makes me regret them.

Before I can run for the hills, a hand claps down on my shoulder, followed by a knowing snicker in my ear.

"Don't worry, man. When her brain short circuits like this, it takes a minute for her to restart."

I turn to Cassian, who winks at the blonde in my arms. Adrianna's gaze falls to her feet for a beat before she looks at him again. A soft smile ghosts across her lips before she turns the innocent look my way, too.

There's clearly something here that I'm not entirely aware of, but whatever passes between them eases the shock of my words.

"I killed the last one. I win," Brody announces, breaking the moment as everyone turns to look at him. Kryll and Beau are a few steps behind him as we gather together.

"Great work," Beau offers in a clipped tone that is amusing at this point. For a professor, he's the worst at giving compliments.

Ready to get the fuck out of here, especially now that my girl is with us, I release her from my hold to reach for her hand, but she slips from my grasp the second I do, marching toward Beau.

"I'm trying to figure out why you're out here slaying vampires when you couldn't assist the last time we saw a group of them." The disappointment in her tone mingles with the irritation that stiffens her bones.

If Beau picks up on the energy she's giving off, he ignores it as he shrugs. "Because that was official academy business."

His answer does nothing to quell her bubbling emotions. "People were under attack," she bites, hands balling into fists at her sides as he eliminates the remaining space between them.

"Well, Miss Reagan, when you're the one in charge, you can put me to good use. But for now, let's head back before someone realizes we're gone."