18. Adrianna

ADRIANNA

Panic flutters in my chest, horror consuming my bones as the wolf makes Nora cry out in agony. My magic bubbles to the surface, desperate to save my sister. It rips from every fiber of my body, my own cry mingling with Nora's. My vision blurs, a bright light consuming every inch of the space around me before everything goes black.

I bolt awake, heart racing as I swipe the cold sweat from my brow. It does nothing to ease the ache weighing on my limbs.

With a heavy sigh, I swing my legs over the side of the bed as my breath slowly evens out.

It seems the infamous nightmare that loves to haunt me is here to stay for a while. Again. It has been a while, I suppose I should have known it would rear its ugly head eventually. The dull ache in my back is a stark reminder of another horror in my life that I wish was nothing more than a nightmare, but it's definitely real.

Yesterday was a mess, and that's putting it lightly because I truly can't find the right words to describe it all, but I need to get over it now. The moment Raiden left, I crashed. Which is probably why my stomach is practically turning in on itself.

I need to eat.

Peering at the time, I raise a brow at it, and two seconds later, my morning alarm goes off. I can never decide if I feel triumphant for beating the damn thing or heartbroken that I just robbed myself of a few extra minutes of sleep.

Either way, my day has begun and I need to muster the strength to face whatever is set to come my way.

Yesterday, just before Raiden brought me home, I had the horrible realization that my mind magic was non-existent. It's my weakest ability, which is probably why it's Nora's strongest. On a normal day, I might be a five out of ten, but yesterday was a huge zero.

Nada.

Holding my hand out in front of me, I focus on my center, summoning the heat particles in the room. Embers flicker in my palm before a small ball of fire erupts. It's still there, at least. But again, what would be an eight out of ten is struggling at a five.

I don't know whether it's the lack of food in my stomach or the kiss of amethyst, but it feels like it's draining me more. Maybe if I set off early enough, I can connect with the water in the fountain on the way to the academy. Then I can rate my water magic and figure out where I'm at.

If Raiden asks anything today, I need to brush over it. He doesn't need to know any more than he already does. A part of me expects him to give me his usual cold treatment. He started acting strange yesterday, getting growly for no particular reason. Yet he brought me here and kissed me.

Fucking kissed me.

And I didn't stop him.

I'm not sure which part confuses me more.

Shaking my head, I push that all to the back of my mind. I need to get dressed and eat, then I might be able to start thinking clearly.

I opt to conserve my energy, which means no cute air magic this morning to aid me getting ready. Fixing my cloak around my neck, I step toward the door when the telltale sound of my cell phone vibrating echoes around the room.

Glaring at the offending drawer where it's contained, I consider my options. I clearly take too long to decide because it stops a few moments later. Inching closer to the door, I pause a second later when it starts going off again.

Fuck.

Panic sets in and I scramble to get it, the tightness in my chest growing stronger as Nora's name flashes across the screen.

"Is everything okay?" I rush, not bothering with the pleasantries of a greeting.

"You're asking me that?"

I frown at the confusion in her voice. "Nora?"

"Video call. Now," she grumbles, and I accept without question, worry still getting the better of me. Her face comes into view, and when I don't see any imminent danger, relief calms me, just a little.

The pointed look on her face, however, doesn't give me the all clear just yet. "Addi, it's all over the news."

"Nora, I've just had the hardest sleep of my life and I'm starving, so you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that. But first, can you just confirm that you're not in any danger so my heart can calm down?"

She rolls her eyes at me like I'm being dramatic. She hasn't seen anything dramatic. Not yet.

"No danger. For now at least," she states, doing nothing to settle my heart.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're supposed to let me explain what I was calling for before you keep interrupting," she sasses with a cock of her brow.

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "Sorry, what is so important?"

She rubs her lips together nervously, taking a deep breath that makes her chest heave heavily. "Everyone knows who you are." She braces for impact, as if the words are going to cause a backlash that will travel through the cell phone.

"Oh."

"It's been broadcasted to the entire kingdom," she adds, still waiting for me to detonate, but after yesterday, it's no real shock that everyone is aware now.

"How bad is it?"

Her eyebrows rise, like she's assessing my reaction. "I don't know, Dad made me turn it off," she admits, turning her gaze off screen to presumably glare at the man in question.

"Because the media is a bunch of crap and I wanted to hear from my daughter."

There he is.

Hearing both of them fills my body with the dose of love I didn't know I needed. It's a stark reminder of what I'm doing all of this for. It makes me sit taller, focus, and want to fight past everything. Especially this damn amethyst.

"Hi, Dad," I breathe, and a moment later his face appears beside Nora's.

"Hi, Addi. What's going on?" He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It's a sophisticated look he's always going for. There's no prescription in the lenses, but it's a part of his aura so we let him rock it. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes stand out as his face stretches into a smile.

"What have the media said?" I ask, smiling despite the worry that exudes from both of them.

"That doesn't matter. I want to know what's been going on with you, how all of this has come about."

Because trouble follows me at every turn. Because it's nothing like the farm here. Because I'm dealing with more than I thought was possible.

How do I know how much to tell him without knowing how much has been released?

"I've been okay, Dad," I offer as I swipe their faces to the corner of my screen so I can access the Internet app.

"Don't try that business with me. I could sense it in your voice the last time we spoke," his retorts, giving me his usual inquisitive look. The one I'm a sucker for.

Quickly skimming my eyes over the news, I'm surprised there isn't an actual picture of me published, but the information I'm looking for is displayed bold and strong.

Queen Reagan.

Fuck.

I may as well tell him everything. I don't like to keep secrets from them anyway, but the facts of last Friday have been a lot for me to grasp, too.

"Everything was okay until last Friday," I admit, and it feels like the truth. "Yeah, I was dealing with shit from other students on campus, but Friday was when everything escalated to another level."

"What happened last Friday?" he questions, remaining calm with me.

Taking a deep breath, I tap back on their image so they fill the screen again. "I went to the Kenner compound."

The despair on my father's face confirms everything. The vein at his temple throbs, just like the one at mine does. That's exactly where I get it from.

"Why the… why would you go there?"

"Because I have a… friend that's a wolf, and they invited me to a moon party. I wasn't aware I would be walking the territory of the men who attacked us," I add, lips pursed as Nora gasps. Her hand lifts to cover her mouth and I instantly wish I was there to hug her, but instead, I focus on the conversation to keep my mind occupied. "You should have told me who it was, Dad."

Silence drapes over us as he wraps an arm around Nora to soothe her. A defeated sigh falls from his lips as he adjusts his glasses and offers me a thin smile. "It seems I should have. I'm sorry for that, it was a failed attempt at protecting you."

Why does this man always accept his faults and apologize for them without any kind of defensiveness? I wouldn't. Hands down, I would explain my reasoning until he heard sense, but not him.

"What happened at the compound?" he asks, keeping the conversation on track.

"Kenner realized who I was because of my ears," I murmur, the scars burning at the memory of it happening and the reminder that Kenner declared it his handiwork.

"Asshole," Nora snarls, lips pinched, and I snicker despite the circumstances.

"Nora," my father scolds, and she gives him her innocent look that gets her out of trouble ninety-nine percent of the time.

"What? He is," she insists, and I can't help but nod in agreement.

"He is. He boasted about it before he brought out a special guest." My chest tightens at the reminder, worsening with the knowledge that I have to say it out loud and confirm the existence of the person mentioned in the news.

My father must sense the discomfort rising in me. "It's okay, Addi. Just say it. They're only words."

It eases my concern a little, but doubles my irritation as her name falls to my tongue. "Queen Reagan confirmed who I was in front of the Kenner pack."

"Mom." Nora's eyes instantly fill with unshed tears as her fingers tremble.

This, I can't console her for, not even if I was there. "No, Queen Reagan," I reiterate, making her glare at me.

"Same thing."

"Not in my eyes."

My father's gaze drops to the floor. Our thoughts on his wife have always been different. I think it's because I was older, more aware, not completely in the know, but Nora doesn't remember her at all. She just has a whimsical idea of what living as a princess would have been like.

"What happened next?" he finally asks, breaking the stare off between Nora and me.

"Another friend of mine got me out of there. The weekend was fine, and yesterday started off well too, until Bozzelli made an announcement to the academy."

Fury immediately burns in my father's eyes as he tries to scan me for any harm. "If anyone?—"

I wave him off. "I can handle all of that. We knew people would come for me, that's what we've trained for. I just don't think we anticipated the likes of special gem devices being used to alter my strength."

"Special gem devices?" Nora repeats, concern dancing in her eyes, despite our frustration with one another mere moments ago.

"Not a kiss of amethyst," my father murmurs, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's probably another thing you should have taught me about, Dad," I state, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible as I confirm that the wicked kiss of amethyst is, indeed, buried into my flesh.

"Another mishap on my part, but in my defense, I had banished them. I didn't think there was anything to discuss about them, but I can help you, Addi."

"How?"

"Give me a few days," he breathes, and I nod. "What are you going to do now?" he asks, keeping me focused on the situation.

"What is the media saying?" I ask, and he shrugs while Nora answers.

"A bit of everything. There's almost a slight buzz of excitement around you, but others are…"

"Others are what?" I nudge when she doesn't finish her sentence. She looks to my father for guidance, who turns a soft smile my way.

"They're not so impressed."

"That's okay. We knew they wouldn't be."

"Yeah." Concern vibrates from Nora, like she's not convinced things are as okay as I'm saying. Maybe they're not, but admitting it to myself will only make it more real, and I'm more about manifesting strength than weakness.

She twists her hands in her lap as her eyebrows pinch together.

"What aren't you telling me?" I ask, my adrenaline kicking up a notch as I search their gazes.

"They're on the hunt now," she admits, not making any sense.

"What for?" I push, and she rolls her eyes but refuses to meet my gaze.

"More like who for."

"Who?"

Her eyes latch on to mine, and I know with absolute certainty that I'm not going to like what comes out of her mouth next.

"They're on the hunt for Dad and me."