24. Adrianna

24

ADRIANNA

M y mood doesn't settle all morning. It doesn't help that Flora and Arlo don't appear, continuing to stir the uncertainty weighing down my stomach. There's an explanation, there always is, but I've sent a few messages Flora's way and heard nothing in response.

Nothing.

Flora is too chatty for that. Even if she were sick, Arlo would surely message on her behalf.

The second the bell rings for lunch, I'm out of the classroom and trudging toward the fae building. The guys don't question it, keeping a step behind me as I race up the familiar stairs and slam my fists against her door again.

I wait a beat. Maybe half, if I'm being honest, before I do it again.

"Maybe you're overthinking it. Whatever she's doing is her business," Raiden states, and I turn to face him. He leans back against the wall, foot propped up as he stares me down, and I narrow my eyes.

"I didn't say it wasn't."

"I know. I'm just also saying that you've been on and off campus a few times now, and this isn't how she acted when that's been the case."

I cock a brow at him. "I get messages, and she talks your ear off to make sure I'm okay. The only person I can pester about her isn't here either, and she's not responding to my texts," I ramble, arms flying around with each word as worry continues to boil deep in my blood.

"Maybe you could talk to Fairbourne," Brody offers, redirecting my attention as he steps toward me with a soft smile in place. "If she's not here, she's either somewhere on campus or off-site. The only way they can leave the academy is with approval from Bozzelli."

"It doesn't seem likely they'd be off campus, though. Does it?" I ask, lips twisting in thought as I try to figure out where the hell she is.

"Does she matter this much?" The question comes from my stone-faced vampire. It's no surprise, really; even when I think he's softening. I guess it's difficult to overcome a lifetime of being selfish.

"Yes!"

He shrugs, pushing off the wall as he heads toward the stairs. "I was only asking. If it really matters this much to you, why don't we go and eat and then hunt Fairbourne down? If he doesn't have the answers, he may be able to help us search," he offers, and I instantly feel bad for snapping at him.

My mouth opens, but before I can say a single thing, Cassian steps between the two of us. His hand grabs mine, tugging me after him as he peers at Raiden. "It's hilarious that you think she will eat before seeing Fairbourne."

Kryll snickers, patting the vampire on the shoulder before following us down the stairs. It's not until we're outside that Raiden summons a response. "I'm just saying food first is always good, and I'm starving."

"Then you go and eat. We'll meet you there," Cassian snorts back, not bothering to turn around.

"Fuck that. I'm coming with you."

"Well, shut up then," he barks before taking off.

This time, we don't stomp through campus. Instead, he uses his wolf speed, which triggers my own. I've barely taken a full breath before I find myself outside Fairbourne's office. A pleased smile spreads across my face, relieved I no longer have the nausea coiling in my stomach from the movement.

I can hear Brody grumbling about Kryll helping him keep up, but it's not entirely audible over the pounding in my ears. Knocking on Fairbourne's door, I bounce on the balls of my feet, waiting for it to swing open. When it doesn't happen instantly, I do it again, with more urgency to the action this time, but it still doesn't summon the man I'm looking for.

"He might not be in there," Raiden offers with a sigh. "This is why we should have gone for food first," he grumbles, earning a shove from Cassian beside him as my shoulders slump in defeat.

"Someone has to help me."

"Who?" Kryll asks, concern swirling in his eyes as he looks at me, and I shrug helplessly.

"Bozzelli?" Brody offers, and my gaze swings to her office door at the end of the hallway.

It's worth a shot.

I'm moving without an answer, but it seems he wasn't expecting one because he's right at my side as I knock on another door, pleading for this one to open.

One breath. Two breathes. Three.

I rub my lips together, my desperation rising with every inhale when the door finally swings open, but it's not Bozzelli.

"May I help you?"

"Who are you?" Raiden grunts as I take her in.

Blond hair frames her heart-shaped face. Large-framed glasses are nestled on her nose, encircling her blue eyes as her smile struggles to meet her eyes. "I'm the dean's assistant."

Huh. I didn't know she had one of those, but I guess it makes sense.

"Is she free?" I ask, not caring to say anything else when I have more pressing matters at hand.

To my dismay, she steps out of the room, shaking her head and closing the door behind her.

"I'm not sure where she is. Maybe pop back after final lessons for the day," she offers before squeezing through the gap between Brody and me, strolling off without a backward glance.

The five of us stare after her, at a complete loss, until Brody turns to me. "I thought her assistant would know her whereabouts at all times."

I hum in agreement, but Kryll shrugs. "This is Bozzelli we're talking about. I don't think anyone can keep up with that woman."

"That's true," I agree, the defeat feeling more prominent than ever.

"So…" Raiden begins, but I wave a hand, cutting him off before he can speak.

"Food. We're going, but this isn't over," I promise.

This time, I take off through the hallway on my own, eager for the adrenaline to pump through my veins as I turn up my speed. I relish in the vibration through my chest as I bypass the dining hall, opting to do two laps of the outer perimeter before slowing my pace at the entrance.

I expect to see my Kryptos at the table already, but instead, they're a step behind me. Nobody says a word, and I fight back a smile as I wind my way through the tables, taking my usual seat as the guys drop down into their spots around me.

My stomach grumbles, earning me a knowing side glance from Raiden, who smothers the grin on his lips. I pretend I didn't hear it as a plate of food is placed in front of me.

Agitated, more at the helplessness that still consumes me than the food, I part my lips to give them some shit lecture about not knowing what I actually want to eat. But I manage to clamp my mouth shut again quickly as a steak comes into view. The mashed potatoes and vegetables make my stomach growl even louder.

Damn.

"Thank you," I grumble, not lifting my gaze as I tuck in.

With every bite, the frustration inside of me dims, but the worry only rises.

I don't make it halfway through my meal this time before my wolf senses pick up.

Fuck.

The ridiculously sweet scent is the first thing I notice, followed swiftly by the click of shoes. The space between each step, mixed with the sugary notes of whatever perfume she drowns herself in, confirms the person prowling toward our table without lifting my gaze.

"Give me strength," Kryll breathes, his irritation mirroring my own when I catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye.

"What was that, Kryll?" she asks, tapping her fingers impatiently on her sleeve.

"I'm asking someone for the strength to deal with your presence. Don't worry yourself. You could help by walking away, but we both know you're not going to," he grunts, making my eyes widen in surprise.

I'm used to Raiden giving her shit, but a snarky tongue from Kryll is something else entirely.

Her nostrils flare as her lip curls in a sneer.

"Why are you here again?" I ask, cutting in before she can say something to offend my dragon. That's only going to piss me and my wolf off. Nobody wants that, not when I'm already out for her blood to begin with.

"Get to it, Vallie. I'm hungry," Raiden grumbles, laying his fork on his plate as he looks up at her with a heavy sigh.

"I'm not here for you, Raiden. I'm here for her," she grinds out, aiming a perfectly manicured nail in my direction.

Excellent. At least she's getting straight to the point this time.

"What do you want, Vallie?" My eyes fixate on hers, waiting for whatever bullshit is about to follow.

She scoffs, pursing her lips as she rakes her eyes over me. "Don't sit there all high and mighty when you're a lowly fae."

I roll my eyes at her constant crap. If she thinks calling me a lowly fae is going to hurt my feelings, she's in for a shock. "A half-breed. That's what you called me earlier, right? Maybe stick with that slur instead; it might cut a little deeper." I reach for the water bottle at the side of my plate, taking a sip as I keep my eyes trained on her.

Apparently, that's not the response she was looking for.

She leans closer, waving her finger more firmly in my direction. "You are nothing but trash. Everyone knows it. It's embarrassing that you're here. You need to run back to wherever your cowardly father is hiding and never come back."

My spine stiffens, my wolf ready to take control as my eyes narrow. "What did you say about my father?" The words are dark, the tone even darker as my hands ball into fists on my lap.

I hate the grin that splits across her face. She knows she has wormed her way under my skin with the mention of my father. Fuck.

"I'm not repeating myself. You heard me," she goads, planting her hands on her hips as she rakes her deathly gaze over me.

"Don't. Ever. Speak. Of. Him. Again."

Calm and collected. Calm and collected. Calm and fucking collected, Addi.

"Or what, whore?"

My teeth grind together as Kryll leans into my side. "She just wants to cause a scene, Princess."

He's not wrong. That's all she has ever done, and I'm over it.

Taking a deep breath, I turn away from Vallie and focus on my food. Her eyes burn into the side of my face, and I'm acutely aware of the audience she's conjuring for the second time today.

"That's right, simmer down, bitch. Learn your place while the important people speak."

I drop my fork, turning back to her with narrowed eyes. Is she dumb as fuck, or is she dumb as fuck?

Exhaling, I force the muscles in my face to relax as I try to breathe through the growing rage. "I'm going to kill you one day. Do you want today to be that day?"

I mean it. I fucking mean it. Screw calm and collected. It gets me nowhere with assholes like her.

She cackles at my warning, inching closer to the table as she snarls at me. "Fuck your threats. They won't amount to anything, just like you. Your mother didn't want you. The state of the entire kingdom has been because of you. You were never going to be a true heir to your father, not as a half-breed bitch. Your sister would have been no possible replacement either. I wonder if she's as much of a whore as you or if?—"

Her words are lost as I launch through the air. My bones crack and pain ripples through me from head to toe, but the ache is nothing in comparison to the damage her words cause.

She can come for me and snarl at my father, but my sister… Nora… fuck, no.

I refuse, but my wolf refuses even more.

A yelp parts her lips as my claws connect with her chest, knocking her to the ground. My heart ricochets in my chest with every breath as my vision burns red.

Growling and snapping my teeth in her face, I curl my claws deep into her flesh, earning a shrill cry of pain that rings sweet in my ears.

It's not enough.

The fear in her eyes isn't enough.

The tremble in her limbs isn't enough.

The torment I want to plague her with isn't enough.

Nothing will be enough.

No other thoughts filter into my mind as I succumb entirely to my wolf.

My teeth sink into her neck, ripping and tearing. The taste of copper registers on my tongue, her panicked screams getting louder, then gurgly, then nothing at all.

Nothing at all.

She doesn't writhe beneath me.

She doesn't taint the air with her squeals.

She does nothing.

But for good measure, I sink my claws into her chest, ripping her heart from her chest, and lay it at her feet.