36. Kryll

36

KRYLL

" W hy would you just let her leave like that?" Raiden grinds out, the chords in his forearms coiled tight as he clenches his fists. I get it. I do. But the reality is we're dealing with a special fucking woman who is not going to react well to being told what to do.

"Because trying to contain her will only push her away," I state, the words not doing justice to what we're up against with her. If anything, it's our fault for getting all desperate and needy over the strongest, most independent woman I've ever met in my life.

I wouldn't change a damn thing, but the reality is, this is out of our comfort zone.

Raiden growls as Brody sighs.

"Kryll's right. I'm sure the way you and Cass give her those asshole unhinged vibes gets her all fucking hot for you, but those feelings are only going to get you so far," he states with a shrug, and Cassian scoffs.

"They get me far enough."

Brody gives him a pointed look, turning it to all of us before he speaks. "I want more with her. Do you?" It's weird seeing him like this. He's usually the lady's man. The guy with too many girls crying over him, yet he's the first to take everyone else off the table to have Adrianna. He's quieter, but it doesn't feel like it's from sadness. More…contentment.

My animal swirls inside of me, eager for the same feeling that it knows will come from her, and I rub at my chest, trying to will the ache away.

"More?" Raiden asks with his eyebrow raised in question, and Brody rolls his eyes.

"Love, dumbass."

The vampire scoffs, but it's cut short as he frowns, looking down at his hands in confusion. "I'll go and find her," he blurts, swiftly rising to his feet, but I move faster.

"No, I will," Cassian grunts, hurrying for the door, shoulder-barging me as he goes.

"Wait. Wait. Wait," Brody hollers, swinging his arms around in panic as my chest warms.

One word. Four letters and my animal wins out.

"No, you won't. I will go. What she needs right now is a calm approach. Someone that is actually going to listen to her, and we all know that's me." The words leave my lips with a surety I didn't know I had, taking root in my core as I take strength from them. It's not lost on me that it wasn't so long ago that we were in a similar position, and I refused to claim her.

That was then. This is now.

"Fuck you, Kryll," Raiden grumbles, his lips setting in a thin line as his nostrils flare. "What we need is a plan because we're just waiting around for the next attack aimed our way, and I don't care for being on the defensive all the time. Last night reminded us of that. She needs to understand all of this as well as everything we're feeling."

"Agreed, but she needs to be equal to us, or shit, above us, because anything less than that will only put distance between us, and that's the last thing we want. Right?" My body thrums with anticipation as I practically bounce on the balls of my feet, waiting for their response.

"Fine, you go," Cassian mutters, stepping away from the door with a sigh.

"We'll meet you at the dining hall. She needs to eat," Brody orders, and I nod, rushing out of the door before anyone can change their mind. Especially Raiden, since he kept his lips shut.

I hurry down the stairs of the wolf building, basking in the silence since everyone else is in class, but the moment I step out into the fresh air, my confidence falters. Have we really given her long enough to think? The time I promised her? The likelihood of her being pissed at my appearance feels pretty damn high, and that's not going to help us.

Fuck.

I reach the fountain quicker than I can make a decision when a thought comes to mind. Maybe I should fly by her window and see how she's looking first. That would give me a head start when I actually knock on her door. If she's actually gone back to her room.

Fuck.

I didn't think of that.

Swooping past her window first seems like the best option. Then, if she's not there, I can scour the surrounding areas on campus.

With my mind made up, I make sure no one is around before I dart into the air, shifting the moment my feet leave the ground. The tension I hadn't realized was rippling through my body eases as my animal takes over, enjoying the rush as I soar through the air.

With them close to the surface now, their thoughts intertwine with mine, and everything I feel toward Adrianna increases tenfold.

I can't sleep without her in my dreams, I can't think without her in my thoughts, and I can't hear without her voice echoing in my ears.

She's everywhere.

Gliding toward the fae building, I frown when I hear Adrianna's voice. This time, I know it's not in my head. I can actually hear her.

My gaze narrows as I look toward her building, and she quickly comes into view. My eyes turn to slits as I realize she's not alone.

Is that her mother? And…Kenner.

Double fuck.

There's no time to tell the others. All I can do is act. But they can't see me like this.

Not just because Adrianna is playing this little game with me, questioning what I am, but because Kenner can never fucking know.

Shit.

My heart leaps into my throat as a wolf's snarl rings through the air, and I descend, barreling toward the ground behind the back of the fae building as quickly as I can. My animal burns through my body, desperate to remain as present as he is now, and it takes every ounce of my control to keep him at bay.

I shift just in time for my feet to hit the patch of grass before I take off running as the telltale sound of Adrianna crying out in pain hits my ears.

Fuck. No.

Darting around the corner, I roar with rage when I find Addi on the ground, Kenner in his wolf form on top of her with his fangs locked on her upper arm while her mother cowers against the fae building wall, doing nothing to interject.

I see nothing but my woman.

Charging at them, I launch at Kenner, wrapping my arms around his neck as my legs twist around his middle. He snarls and snaps, releasing Addi from his grasp, and I quickly roll him away from her. I can't see a fucking thing with his fur all in my face, but I tighten my grip, refusing to let him get anywhere near her again.

If only I was in my animal form. I would slaughter him right now.

As if sensing my thought, his teeth graze over my forearm, the swipe drawing blood instantly, and it weakens my grip on him. He's out of my grasp before I can do anything, but he doesn't race at Addi again. To my surprise, he takes off, darting between the shrubs that surround the fae building, leaving nothing but a trickled trail of blood in his wake.

My mind and body war with one another.

Stay and help Addi or chase that motherfucker down and bring him to his demise.

"Kryll?"

One word from my princess and my answer is sealed. I rush to my feet, only to slam down to my knees at her side a moment later. "I'm here, Addi. I'm here."

Unshed tears well in her eyes as she stares down at her mangled arm, bestowing panic into my bones as I watch the color start to drain from her face.

Fuck.

"Is she okay? I didn't know he was here. I swear. I swear," her mother sobs, whipping my gaze to hers as I snarl.

"Get the fuck out of here before I do something we'll both regret."

She doesn't pause to consider my words. She instantly bobs her head and gets the fuck out of here, and it's no surprise that she follows the same path as Kenner.

With my nostrils flared and my jaw set in stone, I turn my attention back to Addi. "Is there anywhere else that hurts, Princess?" I ask, stroking a fingertip down her cheek as I try to reassure her.

"I can't catch my breath," she rasps, her breathing coming in wheezy pants. Her pupils are nothing more than pinpricks. There's something I'm not seeing, something more than the mangled arm at her side.

I need to protect her, but it's clear she's not safe here. The last time Brody took her off-campus in an attempt to heal her, we only found ourselves in deeper shit.

There's only one place I trust with her, and I'm not entirely sure she won't hate me for it. But if the choice is between her health and how she feels about me, her health is going to win every time.

"Please don't hate me," I murmur, tentatively scooping her up in my arms the best I can. She winces, a strangled cry bursting from her lips as I try my best to cradle her injured arm against my chest.

"Hate you?" she whispers in confusion, pinching her eyebrows. I offer her a soft smile as I stand, one hand around her back, the other under her thighs.

"Just rest. I've got you. I'm going to take you somewhere safe," I promise, and before I can change my mind and risk her safety once more, I shift, darting toward the sky with my wings fully spread.

A gasp slips from her lips, and before I break us through the clouds, I look down at her, seeing her eye to eye for the first time with my animal at the forefront of my mind.

"You're a dragon," she whimpers. Before I can confirm or deny it, her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she passes out, taking up the smallest space against my scaled chest.