Page 110 of Academy of the Wicked, Year One

Not sweet enough…

My resting bitch face makes me scary and unattractive.

Being skilled in the bedroom and open to things is simply one part of the lengthy equations, and I guess my hybrid status turns a lot of paranormal creatures off.

Especially with the haunting witch context…

"We will meet again,"the Headmaster finally says, the words carrying both promise and warning.

"I count on it,"Nikolai replies smoothly."But for now, let fate play out. Let Gwenivere continue as Gabriel. She's set something in motion. Let's see where it leads."

The exchange makes my head spin, or maybe that's just the exhaustion still trying to pull me under. The implications of everything I've heard feel too vast to process fully.

Two bonds.

Two mates.

An heir to the Fae throne and a potential Duskwalker Lord, both willing to risk everything ——their positions, their power, perhaps even their lives—— for me.

A stranger.

One they barely know anything about.

The mark above my heart pulses again, stronger this time, as if responding to the weight of these revelations. The need to wake fully, to speak, to understand becomes almost overwhelming.

But the darkness is still too strong, the pull of unconsciousness too powerful to resist.

I feel myself slipping deeper, their voices growing fainter, but I feel the touch of warmth on my cheeks, and I dare believe the light touch to my lips ignites waves of calm and clarity.

“Rest, Solstice,”the words don’t sound like an order but carry a heavy blanket of calm that hums through me. I don’t realize how tense my body has been until it all slips away, a weak sigh escaping what I could assume is from my parted lips.“Stars are always strangers until they cross paths…and I’m willing to discover your orbit, so we can meet, over and over again.”

His words are filled with metaphors as if trying to calm my wild thoughts. I wonder if he can read them, despite my slipping consciousness, but his reassurance gives me an odd sense of encouragement.

That despite the unexpected circumstances that led me here, I have a chance to get to know him. To realize being connected to someone may not be daunting in the way I’m imagining it.

The last thing I register is the sensation of warmth — Nikolai's golden light wrapping around me like a protective blanket, while the world around me begins to tick again — the sensation of Cassius’ shadows raging in movement adds to the comforting embrace of protective harmony.

And then I'm falling back into slumber.

19

AFTERMATH REVELATIONS

~MORTIMER~

Reality snaps back into focus like a rubber band finally finding its anchor point.

The shift is subtle but unmistakable —— a return to the present that carries with it the lingering traces of unimaginable power.

The Headmaster's presence has vanished completely, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of their overwhelming aura. A familiar disappointment settles in my chest, heavy with the weight of centuries of failed attempts to bridge this particular gap.

Too weak again.

Too insignificant to warrant their attention.

A small, sardonic smile tugs at my lips.

"I'll keep trying," I murmur to myself, the words both a promise and a self-deprecating joke. After all, what's another century or two of being ignored when you've already waited so long?

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