Page 53 of Harbinger

“And Nyx?”

“I like him. It’s genuine.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Sounds strange, seeing as though it’s so new, I know.”

“It actually doesn’t. He has a way about him. And I’m not talking about his allure. You and I can both counter that, so it’s not a factor. I’m a stoic asshole to most people, yet he was able to worm his way into my heart. He’s my friend, and I don’t exactlydofriends. That’s how special he is.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I can see that.” He shifted his weight and folded his arms across his chest. “Then we agree to stop working against one another?”

“Agreed. On a probationary basis.”

“Fine. Will she be in class later today? I didn’t get a chance to ask about her schedule before she took off in such haste after the Ruminat hut situation.”

“She’s not here today and she likely won’t be for the rest of the week. Your best bet is this weekend.”

“What? It’s the first week of classes of a brand-new year.”

“It’s her typical avoidance. When she does venture out of her dorm room for a rare time this week, likely at the latter end, it’ll be at nightfall, and you’ll find her up near one of the turrets. She’ll sit there for a while before getting up the courage to fly around for a little while. It takes her some time to actually take the leap—literally and figuratively.” I shook my head in despair. “Every fucking time.”

“Motherfucker. How did this happen? Isn’t she close with her family?”

“She is and they’re extremely supportive. But they’re also extremely concerned about her power set, and they possess avery real fear of what would happen if she lost control. She had a lot of issues with it when she was a child and it clouded a great deal. They’re also under a lot of pressure from various factions, as well as high-ranking officials in the Guardian Movement and the Unity Council to ensure she’skept in line.And there are even very real concerns of what the True Celestials would do if she expended a mass amount of uncontrolled power.”

“They think they’d come for her?”

“Perhaps even worse than that. So, you see how it’s a complicated and highly-volatile situation? That’s whyI’mtreading so carefully, why I have to play these sorts of games. What I’ve been doing since her party has already had her letting go, bit by bit, in a way she hasn’t before. In a safe environment.”

“It’s fucking harsh, though, Kai.”

“Yet, necessary. And don’t let the angelic image fool you, she definitely enjoys the crude and dirty. To be honest, I didn’t realize how much she would go in for it until I pushed it a little and she respondedveryfavorably.”

“Huh,” he said, trying to take it all in. “And, here I thought you blew in here intending to rip my head off—or try to.”

“It had crossed my mind.”

“It’s a good thing I responded more favorably than you’d predicted.”

The corner of my mouth turned up. “Indeed.”

“Out of curiosity, if this had actually gone a bad way, how exactly were you planning on putting me down and nullifying the threat you initially believed me to be?”

“There were several options available. One involved putting you on ice, so to speak.”

“Nothing can overpower my dragon fire for long.”

“There was also accessing Hellfire.”

“Damn. You’re fucking vicious.”

“And don’t you forget it.” I reached past him, brushing right against him, and I smiled to myself as his breath hitched.

I snatched up the scarf that Nyx had accidentally left behind, then stepped back with a smirk at his reaction that he’d been unable to hide toward me. “Interesting,” I said, before turning on my heel and sweeping out of the room.

I heard him grunting after me, knowing that he’d given me something he hadn’t wanted to at this stage.

This entire thing was definitely proving to be a thought-provoking development.

One I needed to keep a tight handle on, because Vorzyr Titanus was a wildcard.

I made my way down the corridor to my shared room with Nyx, and pushed open the door.

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