36. Adrianna

ADRIANNA

The word Evermore is barely past his lips before we're all moving. The ground shakes beneath us, disappearing into a bright abyss, before everything settles again. Only now, we're not on campus anymore.

It's bleak. The sun is barely visible through the tall, slim trees that surround us. They seem to go on for miles. There is nothing else in sight except the other students and Professor Tora, who is wearing a pleased smile.

"How did we move?" A human guy steps forward, arms folded over his chest as he bites back the anger thrumming from him.

"Mage magic. Problem?" Tora questions, eyebrow raised as he stares the student down. The guy takes a step back, mouth pressed into a thin line to hold back what was sure to be a snarky comment. "Now that we're here, let's get straight to the rules, shall we?" he asks, not waiting for an answer as he peers down at the device in his hands.

"Ready for a challenge, Dagger?" I glance at Brody, who peers down at me with a knowing look in his eyes.

"You know it," I quip, running my tongue over my bottom lip as I eagerly await Professor Tora's next words.

"I'm going to separate you into groups of five. Origins will be mixed and selected at random. You cannot and will not change from the groups you are in. It's a team effort. You must use your combined skills to find your way back to the academy before sundown. Any questions?"

"What if we don't make it back in time?" Arlo asks, arms folded over his chest as he cocks a brow at the professor.

"Then, hopefully, you make it home before the dining hall shuts."

"So if we don't make it back, we're stuck out here?" he confirms, and Tora shrugs.

"I mean, if you're still not home in forty-eight hours, I might send a search party, but I'm also going to be under the assumption that you might also be dead then," he retorts.

Well, fuck.

The murmurs of concern pick up again, but Professor Tora doesn't pay attention to them as he starts to read out names.

"Brody, Flora, Grant, Arlo, and Falon."

Flora heaves a sigh of relief at the mention of Arlo's name in the same group as hers, while Brody nudges me with his elbow. "Don't worry, Dagger, I'll protect your friends," he promises, pressing the softest kiss to my temple before sauntering off without a backward glance.

"Cassian, Edith, Otis, Danaka, and Poppy."

Cassian stomps off with a grunt, making me grin. At least he doesn't save his sunshine attitude just for me. He seems to shower everyone with the same level of harshness, which is almost comforting.

"Adrianna, Raiden, Vallie, George, and Kryll."

My eyebrows rise, disappointment consuming me as Kryll moves in a step.

"It looks like all your prayers have been answered," he muses, nodding toward the snarly vampire approaching with her lips pursed and her hands clenched at her sides.

"All of them. What a life," I mutter back, making him snicker as I sense someone at my side. I know by his scent that it's Raiden, but I refuse to turn and look at him.

"Don't fucking speak to me," Vallie grunts, pointing a finger at me, and I roll my eyes as the human from earlier steps toward us.

"George?" I ask, and he nods. "Addi. Are you ready for this?"

"I know who you are, fae bitch," he snaps, baring his teeth at me, which is utter entertainment to Vallie, who laughs like a hyena while Kryll and Raiden instinctively step toward him, ready to defend whatever honor I have.

"Let you die if something attacks, got it," I muse with a wink before turning my attention back to Tora, but I can't see him. "Hey, where's your brother?"

Kryll frowns, glancing around, eyes sweeping the ground for the second time before he comes to the same conclusion as me. "That fucker," he mutters, shaking his head in disbelief.

"We better get moving then," Raiden grumbles, pressing his hand to the small of my back to move me forward, but I step out of his reach, folding my arms over my chest as I start to take the lead through the trees.

"I'm not following you," Vallie calls out, her shrill whine irritating me.

Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "Do what you please, Vallie. I don't care, but I'd like to make it back today."

"You can't let her speak to me like this, Raidy," she grumbles, the nickname getting under my skin, but it has nothing to do with me. They have a deal, that's what her father said, and I want nothing to do with it.

"Vallie, shut your fucking mouth before I do it for you," Raiden grunts, appearing at my side a second later. "Are we talking yet?"

I rub my lips together, desperate to hold back my grin at the dismissal the annoying bitch just received. A part of me wants to let him back in with open arms, just for the hope of pissing her off, but I'm a stubborn bitch and he left me to deal with their shit. I'm not forgiving him so easily.

"Why don't you go and talk to Vallie, Raidy? She actually wants to spend time with you. I don't." I hate that it tastes like a lie on my tongue, and I refuse to acknowledge it.

His fingers curl around my arm lightning fast, tugging me into his side as he presses his lips against my ear. "You can be mad, Adrianna. You can be mad all you like but do not try to push me into her grasp. Those aren't the games I play."

"No? Do you just deal with the ones where you kiss me while you have some kind of agreement with her? The girl I despise more than any other? Unfortunately, I don't play those games. Find someone else who will," I snap back, annoyed that my irritation is on full display. "Now let go of me before I use my magic to do it, just like last time," I threaten, recalling when I threw him across his room.

He must recall it, too, because he releases my arm a moment later. The sigh that rumbles from his throat is enough to make the ground shake as he tries to bottle his anger. "Evermore is vampire territory, I lead the way. Keep up or fuck off," he grunts, his harshness not piercing my skin like it did the first time he snapped in front of me.

Raiden is complex as fuck. That's clear enough for anyone to see if you look hard enough. I don't think he's ever heard the word no because every time he doesn't get his way with me or I push back too hard, he has a little temper tantrum like this.

His tongue gets sharper, his words get harsher, and his entire demeanor turns more tense.

When he's ready to climb back down off his little mountain of superiority, then maybe we can address some things. I know I should probably hear him out, but I'm not ready to yet, not with others present, and especially not with him still looking down his nose at me.

"Exactly, Raidy should lead us. He was born to be a leader," Vallie praises, making me roll my eyes again as I catch a glimpse of Kryll out of the corner of my eye. He looks about as impressed as I feel, which is reassuring.

"Nobody likes an ass licker, Vallie. Use your vampire speed to do a perimeter check. I want to know how far we are from the edge of Evermore forest, then I can coordinate our way back from there," Raiden orders, and to my surprise, she nods without a single word, snarky or sickly sweet.

She takes off, and I heave a sigh of relief for the reprieve, even if it is only for a moment. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice George is still with us. Anger tightens his jaw and irritation dances in his eyes.

Part of me wants to console him, give him a pep talk or whatever, but that's a bit difficult when you know you're also the source of his rage.

All too quickly, Vallie's back, her hand on Raiden's arm as she rises up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

"Adrianna Reagan, is that a hint of green I can see in you?" Kryll whispers, making my gaze whip to his as I glare, but he simply chuckles like I amuse him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lie, pursing my lips as I continue to stomp after the two vampires, who remain close for a few more moments before they come to a halt. Before either of them speak, Kryll moves in closer, lips ghosting over my ear.

"He wants to claim you, you know? Maybe you should go easy on him."

I rear back in shock and my jaw slacks as I process his words. That's not true. It can't be. Besides, that's not what I want… right?

Fuck. I can't think about anything other than getting out of here.

"Professor Tora put us on the farthest side of Evermore, that sneaky asshole," Raiden states, giving Kryll a pointed look like it's his fault. "Unfortunately for him, we're not going to waste our efforts getting out of here like he hoped. I know where we are, and I know the easiest way back to the academy; we just need to use our speed to get it over with quickly."

I blink at Raiden, surprised it could actually be this easy when the human scoffs from behind me. "Please, that's great and all, but not all of us have speed."

"Vallie will help you," Raiden answers immediately, waving him off as his gaze settles on me. "I'll help you."

"No, you won't," I retort, pointing at Kryll. "He'll help me, right?" I ask, turning to him with hope shimmering in my eyes. He glances between us before a glint of something I don't like the look of settles over him.

"Actually, it'll be better if Raiden helps you so I can focus on following since I have no idea where I am or where I'm going."

"You wouldn't do this to me," I breathe, my heartbeat kicking into action as my body grows tense. He shrugs—fucking shrugs—like it's no big deal while I gape at him in horror. "You're an ass."

"You'll forgive me, Princess. Remember what I said," he whispers so quietly against my ear, I'm certain the others can't hear him, even with their supernatural hearing. Standing tall, he nods at Raiden. "Let's go."

"You owe me for this," Vallie grumbles, stepping up to George, who glares at her.

"I don't owe you shit."

"Not you. Him," she clarifies, pointing her familiar red nail at Raiden.

He doesn't answer her, stepping up to me with his arms outstretched. I curl my arms around myself, trying to give myself an extra layer of defense between us. "You're going to want to wrap your arms around my neck, Adrianna. I'll be able to move quicker, which means this will all be over even faster," he promises, a wicked smirk tainting the corner of his lips.

"Fucker," I mutter under my breath as I do just that.

This position presses my chest against his, and he looks down at where we're touching as I balance on my tiptoes.

"Let's get a move on, Raidy," Vallie snaps, and it instinctively makes me press further into his hold.

He smirks knowingly, and it pisses me off even more.

"Yeah, Raidy, let's go," I rasp, and he grunts in my ear.

"Don't call me that."

"It's a cute nickname," I insist, and he pinches the globe of my ass, making me yelp.

"It's vile. She's vile. But that's a conversation for another time."

Before I can breathe a word in response, he takes off, leaving my stomach nestled between the trees. Clenching my eyes shut, I try to keep breathing, even as I press my cheek against his. I hate how vulnerable it makes me feel, being in his grasp like this, but despite my stubbornness and harsh exterior, the desire to pass this trial prevails.

I have no idea how much time passes, five minutes, ten, an hour? But we come to a stop, and Raiden doesn't miss a beat before giving out orders. "We need to head west from here. Once you see the peak of the castle in the distance, you need to shift south. The academy won't be far from there."

"How long will that—" Vallie's question is cut short by the sound of puking, which makes my stomach churn as I dare to open my eyes. I quickly clench them shut again when I realize it's George spewing his guts from the movement. That could be me at any minute. The stench reaches my nose and nausea churns in my stomach. "What am I going to do about this?" she yells, referring to George, and my nose crinkles.

"Wait for him to be ready to go again. Keep at top speed and we'll be there in thirty minutes," Raiden answers, taking off before I can catch my breath. I'm secretly relieved to be away from the mess—both Vallie and the puke.

What I assume are the first ten minutes feel like the longest moments of my life. My stomach swirls like I'm on the most extreme roller coaster of my life, leaving my throat burning with acidity. But as we lead into the next ten minutes, everything slowly, extremely slowly, starts to calm down. The burning nausea in my gut eases to a dull ache, to the point where I even test opening my eyes.

Nope.

Bad idea.

Clinging tighter to Raiden, I feel his hands shift over my hips, pinning me impossibly close to his chest. "Ten more minutes, Adrianna," he mutters, his voice somehow audible over the wind whipping around us.

I spend the ten minutes reciting facts and tips my father gave me over the years. From slowing my words when speaking publicly to ensuring I don't become distracted. The latter is where my main focus is because, for some reason, I can't seem to put those words into action when I'm surrounded by one or all of the four guys plaguing my thoughts.

Plaguing is exactly the right word to describe it.

It's against my will and I don't want it.

Especially not with what Kryll whispered in my ear. Claim me? Who? The four of them? Fuck that. My mind is overwhelmed by the mere thought of all of their opposite personalities consuming me.

We come to a stop, my chest tight as my heart races, and it takes a second for me to gather the strength to release my hold on him. The echo of wings flapping in the distance sounds odd, and a moment later I hear Professor Tora's voice.

"Why do you always have to show off, Kryll?"

"I'm not."

"Just because you're able to?—"

"Don't say it."

"Don't say what?"

"What I am," he grumbles, making my eyes pop open. It takes all of two seconds to find him among the small gathered group, and unfortunately, he's no different from when I last saw him.

Two ears, two eyes, a nose, and the most delicious ink covering his skin. Not a single hint of what else he is. He winks at me with a smirk, and I stick my tongue out at him, feeling childish and giddy.

We're back at the academy, by the water fountain that leads to the origin buildings instead of the usual space we go to for combat class.

Tora peers between us both, eyebrows knitted in confusion before he shakes his head and lets the matter go. "Well done, you're the second team back. I can't award you second place until the other two from your group make an appearance as well, though."

"That's bullshit," Raiden grunts, taking a step back from me to wager a look of disdain at the professor. "And who the fuck was first?" Professor Tora points behind us, and I turn to see Brody, Flora, Arlo, Falon, and Grant. "How?" Raiden grinds out in disbelief, hands on his hips as anger burns through him.

"It's okay, Raiden. Maybe next time you'll be on my team and it will all work out," Brody says with a smirk, making Flora giggle.

I'm relieved to see that her and Arlo are okay, and the gleam in Brody's eyes tells me he's taking full credit for it.

"What do we do now?" Kryll asks, and I glance at Professor Tora, awaiting the answer myself.

"You made it back. You get the rest of the day to do as you please."

My eyebrows rise in surprise. "Why was it easy?" I blurt, earning a curious look from Tora. "I mean, I didn't do much, but I feel like… I don't know," I breathe, cheeks heating with embarrassment.

Tora smirks. "Despite your differences, your team worked together. You used the strength of someone in your group. In this case, it was Raiden, with his vampire speed and familiarity with the area I dropped you in. Brody, however, guided his team by simply connecting to the remaining tendrils of mage magic that lingered in the air in the forest and using them to revert the spell, transporting the five of them back."

Holy shit. That sounds insane. I don't even know how he would have thought of that, but I'm not a mage, so I have no clue how it all would have worked anyway.

I nod in understanding as Brody clears his throat. "So we can go?"

"Oh, not your team. The winners have to stay here to greet the return of everyone."

"What? How is that even a bonus for winning? That feels like punishment," he grumbles in response as Kryll snickers at his friend.

Waving, I earn a pouty glare from Brody before I turn on my heels and get the hell out of there. Desperate to avoid any more confrontation with Raiden, which I know will come eventually, I keep my pace quick without running. I don't dare turn to glance over my shoulder as I hurry down the pathway, practically stumbling through the front door before shutting it behind me.

I take the stairs two at a time, tumbling to a halt when I reach the top to find Raiden standing beside my bedroom door. "I told you, Adrianna, I'm not a stalker. That would imply I follow you. That's pointless when I know exactly where you're going and I can get there before you."

"That definitely sounds like something a stalker would say," I retort, muscles bunched tight as I approach him, unable to predict his next move.

He rolls his eyes, and as I step up beside him, I waste no time opening my bedroom door and stepping over the threshold.

"I'm not done talking to you," he states, cocking a brow at me.

"Well, I'm done talking to you." I offer him my worst smile before swinging the door toward him. I'm ready to relish in the thunder of the frame rattling from the slam, but it doesn't come.

I watch in slow motion as he launches his hand out, crossing over the barrier of magic that seals my room, to stop the door from reaching its destination. "What the fuck? How are you doing that?" Panic trembles down my spine as I gape at him.

He takes a step forward, moving into my room effortlessly, and I instinctively take a step back.

"How the fuck are you in here right now? Brody's spell?—"

He moves around me like this is his space and not mine, coming to a stop by my desk where the roses take up most of the space.

"Nice roses. How many do you have now? Twelve?"

The wicked grin that tilts the corner of his mouth leaves me gaping at him as I connect the dots together. "They're from you," I breathe, and he nods, triumph dancing in his eyes.

"You're welcome."

"Get the fuck out of my room, Raiden." I point a shaky hand toward the door, but he shakes his head at me.

"I don't think I will," he muses, plucking one of the roses from the vase and twirling it in his hand. I will the magic in the room to throw him out as I beg it to, but nothing happens. "I bet when Brody gave you the spell to protect your room, he didn't mention the loopholes." I gulp. He's right, and he knows it.

"What loopholes?" I rasp, unsure if the glint in his eyes is a tinge of darkness or desire.

"Blood magic, for one" he states, like that explains it all.

"I don't know what that means."

He eliminates the distance between us, offering the rose to me, and despite my desire for him to get the hell out, I reach for it.

"You don"t have to invite me in and you can't throw me out because I sacrificed twelve droplets of my blood on these pretty little roses, and you walked them right into the protected space without any sway from me."