29. Adrianna

29

ADRIANNA

S omeone stifles a yawn. I'm not entirely sure who, but it sets off a ripple through the group and I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to refrain from doing the same.

We have to remain alert. Vigilant. Just because there's no immediate threat doesn't mean we won't need to act at any given moment.

Rolling my shoulders back, I move from my spot, doing a slow, measured patrol around the limited space we have. It earns me a few deathly glares from other students, but it didn't bother me the first time they were inconvenienced by my surveillance, so it doesn't bother me now. Especially when there's a likely chance I'll observe the city below just like this in the near future.

I have to prove I can handle situations like this. Not to the academy. Not even to Professor Tora. But to myself. Particularly after the shitshow that went down in Raiden's room. I can handle my Kryptos' desire to help, but their need to overstep is not going to be tolerated, and I meant every word I said.

"Anything new?" Flora asks as I settle back into the space I had occupied moments earlier, and I shake my head with a sigh.

"It's weird. In one sense, I want to see them right now, but in the other, I hope they don't show up at all so the civilians will remain safe."

Flora offers me a soft smile as she nods in agreement. Her hands band around her waist as she holds back a slight tremor. It's getting colder now that the sun has settled, and the moon glistens in the sky. Arlo must notice the same shiver because he wraps his arm around her shoulder a moment later. Flora leans into him, and I wonder if they've figured things out, but a heavy sigh cuts through the air, disturbing the peace.

"Professor Tora, don't you think it's safe to call it a night?" The whine comes from Vallie as she pouts, rocking on her feet and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Does she think that look is going to work in her favor?" Brody whispers against the shell of my ear, and I grin, fighting back a snicker. At least I'm not the only one put off by her shit. "Now, if you were to do that, I?—"

"I would never," I interject, peering over my shoulder at him with a pointed look, and he chuckles, the sound thankfully muted by Tora's sharp words.

"Vallie, please walk yourself back to the academy if you don't have the stamina and patience to perform a proper patrol. It's not like it's for the good of our kingdom or anything," he snarls, and when I turn to see him among the crowd, I find a deathly glare on his face.

Vallie flusters, throwing her hands out at her sides as her leg bounces, and I'm certain a foot stomp is due at any moment. "We've been waiting almost four hours. They're not coming," she insists.

I tilt my head as I look at her. She seems certain of the fact. Her eyes are wide, pupils filled with truth as she nods profusely.

Why?

Why would she be so certain? How?

Confused, I turn, glancing over my shoulder at Cassian, Raiden, Kryll, and Brody, and I find my vampire staring at her with narrowed eyes.

I shake my head. He's not my anything.

Fuck.

"Raiden?" His name is a breath on my tongue, and his gaze whips to mine. I look back to Vallie and then to him, and when our gazes connect again, he nods. Once. That's all it needs to be for now. We can discuss it in more detail later, but it's clear he senses what I do.

"I don't care if we stand here until dawn and no one shows. It's for our kingdom," Tora bites, the words rattling inside me as they take purchase, settling deep in my gut.

He's right.

The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stand, making me freeze as my magic shoots to the surface. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the air as it whips around us. Something has shifted. But what?

"But, Professor?—"

"Quiet," I rasp, and Vallie's shrill voice surprisingly pauses. Turning, I let my body guide me, but I've barely taken two steps before she makes her presence known again.

"Excuse me. Don't you?—"

"Shut the fuck up," I growl, my irritation clear this time as I turn to her with a pointed look. She gapes in disgust, a scoff parting her lips, and that's when I hear it. Truly hear it.

My heart lurches before kicking into overdrive, and I rush to the north-facing point of the tower.

"You can't speak to me like that," Vallie persists, and I bare my teeth at her as I turn on a snarl.

"Be quiet, or I'll offer you as bait."

She frowns, along with many others, which is ridiculous. Especially since she's a vampire. Her hearing should be alerting her to this.

"They're coming," Kryll states, appearing at my side a moment later. His fingers flex on my shoulder as he plants his hand on my cloak, squeezing in comfort.

Not two seconds later does the visual match the sounds I could hear.

A stampede.

A fucking stampede of frenzied vampires.

I watch in horror as at least forty of them flood the streets below us. Their eyes are wild, and their movements are off, but I can practically smell their need from here.

Lifting my foot up onto the wall that shields us, Kryll's hand tightens, halting me in place.

"Let go," I murmur, trying to keep my voice low, but it still manages to garner Professor Tora's attention.

"We're not taking action. We're observing," he states, his tone almost bored, a complete contrast to the man giving Vallie a mouthful moments earlier.

"What?" I turn to him, noting his expressionless face in the moon's glow, and I frown.

"That's the order," he offers with a shrug, and my stomach twists in panic.

"They're going to kill people." A woman's cry echoes from below, sharpening my point, but he still makes no move to take action.

"That's what the soldiers are for."

"And they're not here," I push back, shaking my head in disbelief. I thought we were here to fight, to protect our kingdom.

"Not my problem. I have my orders," Professor Tora offers, offering me a dismissive wave as he turns away, but I can't calm the burning rage inside of me.

"Your orders are bullshit," I growl, shaking out of Kryll's hold as I push up onto the wall.

"Where are you going?" Tora asks as gasps ring out from the other students, who seem to be more than happy to just sit back and watch.

I glance back over my shoulder, determination fueling every breath I take.

"To protect my kingdom," I declare before I fall into the night.