42. Kryll

KRYLL

Mornings are my favorite time of day. Watching the sunrise, the rays of light breaking through the clouds, feels like I'm in another world. There's no distraction, no pressure, no drama—nothing but you, the sun, and every single one of your breaths.

Thinking about it, we're cut off from a lot of that at the academy too. We don't have to watch our every move, worrying some frenzied vampire or unhinged wolf is going to attack us. They're not the only ones, of course, but that's what I spent the most time dealing with outside the relative safety of these walls.

The frequency in which I received a message from Raiden or Cassian asking for help with a situation was weekly, on both ends, yet since we've been here, we've only had to help Raiden once.

Has it calmed down? Or is his family not keeping him in the loop anymore? He told me what he said to his mother, breaking the promise their families made. That could be part of it, maybe, but to everyone else, they're living in ignorant bliss behind the walls of the academy.

From here, my favorite view of the City of Harrows, with the castle in the distance, nothing looks out of place, but maybe that's because the dawn wards off the evil that lurks in the night and the day hasn't begun enough for the meek to step from the safety of their homes.

Taking a deep breath, I wipe a hand down my face. It's never good for me when my head starts to swim like this, with all of the possibilities and unknowns. It's against my nature to worry about anyone other than myself and my close family members, but after you've slayed origins of all kinds to protect the kingdom, you can't help but grow attached to it.

My heart clenches at the thought of something else I'm growing attached to. Or, more specifically, someone.

Adrianna Reagan.

I refuse to admit it to the others when I struggle processing it myself, but I can't stop thinking about her. The last time I was here, it was in her company. She was mesmerized by the view, just as much as I was with her, and I let it slip, let the truth barrel from my lips. Yet she didn't run.

It's a clue, really, a part of my creature. I will only be blessed to fuck the woman my creature lays claim to, and holy fuck, I think I'm feeling it when I'm around her.

My alarm buzzes from my cell phone, reminding me that I need to head back before I'm late for breakfast. Glad for the distraction, I charge toward the opening of the cave, freefalling through the sky before I shift in the air. My wings spread wide, my fingers stretch into claws, and my soul settles.

I hover high above the city below, gliding toward the academy far too quickly for my liking, but excitement buzzes through my veins at the thought of swooping past the fae building on my way to food.

It comes into view a few minutes later, and I dive down to get a closer look. She hasn't caught me looking yet, and I don't plan on her finding out, but watching her wake in the mornings is one of my favorite things to experience.

She should probably learn to close her curtains, but I won't be the one telling her that.

Hovering close to her window, I frown, my gut clenching when I don't see her there. My creature goes on high alert, my pulse thundering through me as I take to the skies again, eager to find her scent.

Lowering myself, I take a deep breath as I land on top of the wolf building, desperate to calm the panic growing inside of me so I can focus on finding her. Blinking my eyes open, I exhale slowly as a thread of her scent lingers in my nose.

It grows stronger, and when I peer toward the fountain and its surrounding pathways, I'm left speechless. I watch in surprise as she drapes a black cloak around her body, her head tipped down. To anyone else, nothing is out of the ordinary, but to me, it's the opposite.

She's not on the fae pathway to my right, although I'm sure that's where she's heading.

No.

She's hurrying down the path from the wolf building.

Cassian.

I watch her the entire time, all the way until she slips into the fae building, and the second she does, Cassian steps out of the building beneath me. Disbelief courses through me, but it's not the kind that's laced with disappointment. It feels more like hope.

Not wanting to be caught, I take off for the main academy building, landing on the patch of grass just off the pathway so I can shift back. Thankfully, I put my uniform on before I set off this morning, so I ruffle my fingers through my hair and head inside without missing a beat.

Brody is already at the table in the dining hall and I take my seat across from him with a yawn. He manages a wave but focuses on his food, and a moment later, my plate is placed in front of me, too.

I mumble my thanks, but my attention is on the wolf in question as he saunters toward the table with an extra bounce to his step.

"What's got you so happy?" Brody asks, assessing the same detail as me, and Cassian grunts in response.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"What are we talking about?" Raiden asks, dragging out his seat and sitting with a huff. It doesn't help that he's so dramatic with the damn red cloak. He flicks and whips it everywhere like he's royalty. It's irritating as hell.

"We're not talking about anything," Cassian grumbles as the servers bring both his and Raiden's food.

"He seems chipper," Brody explains, wagging his fork at him.

"Are you sure?" Raiden retorts with a confused look, and I snicker.

"I would actually have to agree," I add, which gets Raiden's attention because usually, I would keep the hell out of this kind of stuff.

"I don't know what any of you are talking about, and you're giving me a fucking headache, so can we just eat in silence?" Cassian snaps, nostrils flaring with irritation, and I grin.

He clocks it, his jaw ticking ever so slightly as I lean back in my seat.

"I think it has something to do with a fae princess leaving the wolf building this morning."

Cassian curses me out under his breath as Brody and Raiden kick into action, peppering him with questions he definitely doesn't want to answer. I wink at him as he glares daggers at me, but I'm up on my feet before it goes any further.

"I'll meet you all at combat. I need to speak to my brother," I holler, but they wave me off without a backward glance, too busy interrogating the lucky wolf.

I'll miss sitting beside Addi this morning, but I really do need to chat with my brother. I need someone to vent to about her, someone who might understand, so I can make sense of it all.

I keep my head down and trudge across the grounds, finding him already at the combat setup.

"Hey," he hollers, spotting me immediately and waving me over. "You're early."

"Yeah," I breathe, speechless now that I'm actually here.

My brother frowns at me, inching closer as he wipes his hands over his combat pants. "What's going on?" he asks, and I shrug, earning a pointed look from him. "Well, I can't help you if you can't give me anything to go on," he states, folding his arms over his chest, and I sigh.

"I kissed her. Kissed her, and I can barely contain myself," I blurt, turning away from him as I scrub a hand over the back of my neck.

"Who?"

"That part doesn't matter," I grumble, huffing in irritation at myself. I'm making it worse and I just need to spit it out. Settling my gaze back on him, I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly before I find the words. "I think she's the one."

He nods slowly. "You think?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Fucker. "I know."

"How? Tell me."

I wet my lips, searching my mind for the right words to explain any of this, but I fall short, just like I have since the moment I showed up here. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have come," I decide, taking a step back, but he's at my side in the next moment.

"Kryll, right now, I'm just Beau, not Professor Tora, not a member of the academy. I'm just your brother. Something is bothering you. Let me help."

Some of the weight straining my shoulders shifts as I look up at him. "I know she's the one, I can feel it inside of me, and my creature doesn't wreak havoc on me in the same way as it usually would," I ramble, sure I'm not making any sense.

"You're serious," he murmurs, eyes wide in surprise, and I nod.

"Deadly."

"I'm here for you, brother. Whatever you need. Condoms, or?—"

"Shut up, Beau," I snap, shoving at him, and he chuckles as he lifts his hands in surrender.

"What? That's a brotherly thing to do."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"So, are you going to tell me who it is?" he asks; at the exact same time, a bubble of laughter echoes from behind me and my head whips around to find Addi heading toward us with Flora and Arlo. "It's the princess."

I spin back to him, my heart racing in my chest as his jaw falls slack. "Fuck. Of course, it is," he mutters under his breath, making my spine stiffen.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he replies quickly, waving me off, but he must sense that it does nothing to quell the concern burning through my limbs because he takes a step closer, planting his hand on my shoulder as he sighs. "Your heart knows what your heart knows, brother. Or the heart of your creature does, and we both know it will never be wrong. I just hope it doesn't lead you into the depths of somewhere you can't return from."