Page 15 of Rose and Shadows
Just like I was also trying to focus on my dad texting me several times a day consistently for the last five days on the special phone he’d given me.
It was his way of keeping his promise to me, of not abandoning me, even with everything going on in the bigger picture of the supernatural world.
I’d reached out to my mom and we’d spent two whole hours on the phone last night.
It would have been longer if Velra hadn’t burst into my dorm room demanding a rough fuck. Yeah, my mom had overheard—Alpha wolf hearing and all that. While Velra had been bursting in, she’d also made a comment about hoping I’d finally finished my readings that I was behind on, so then I’d gotten an earful about that from my mom. I’d been spending a little too much time at Graverun since I’d been back.
My mom and I were gonna meet in person soon. Because of the lockdown, she was going to come here for a couple of hours. It had been too long since we’d been in the same place together and even laid eyes on one another. With everything that had been going on with my dad, him finally stepping into my life, I’d been able to offset that. But now it was wearing on me again. I missed her.
All in all, I was actually having a good day so far.
This morning I’d had myInstinct & Invocation: Harnessing the Inner Beastclass with my favorite professor, Drenn Voxe.
After lunch, I had Cassius’ class to attend.
It bummed me out that Velra wasn’t in that class.
Even my class after that wasInter-Realm Relations: Treaties and Cooperationwith Lenos Caldrith, the down-to-earth, call-it-like-it-is professor that Sylas liked.
Velra hadHarmonic Discipline: Dark Fae Magic & Ethical Focusat the same time. That class was going to be majorly loaded for her with all the Dark Fae enemies abounding and being recruited byPuritasof late.
She shared that class with her friend, Kelsana Torl.
A friend she’d been avoiding since we’d been back here.
She’d claimed that she just wanted to zone in on her studies and keep her focus there—and fucking my brains out any chance she got, along with Cassius when he came by for dinner.
But it was more than that.
The last time Velra had seen Kelsana had been just before Sorin had attacked her atVantiqe.It not only brought up that trauma for her, but Velra being who she was also felt guilty for endangering Kelsana. Even though she’d gotten her out just in time and Kelsana hadn’t been harmed one little bit.
It was that whole thing of Velra thinking people would be hurt just because of who and what she was. It was how she’d been when I’d first tried to get to know her and she’d blown me off and pushed me away.
She had come a long way, though, because she wasn’t pushing me and Cassius away now, nor Sylas who she was texting a lot. I guess now, as Cassius had explained to me, that the three of us were consideredpart of herand under the umbrella of her survival mechanism, it wasn’t possible for her to push us away. We were a part of her. But everyone else was considered fair game where that was concerned.
Warlow had even given me a call to inform me that Velra hadn’t responded to his request to offer up some times and dates that would work for her regarding our next Crossborn meeting,which would take place in a dreamwalking state gathering through Nyx facilitating it. And speaking of Nyx, he’d texted Cassius telling him that he’d had radio silence from Velra as well.
Shit.
Today Velra had her first session with renowned Healer and trauma specialist, Brandise Parker. In the aftermath of that fucked-up battle at the CRS facility, Ariana had given Velra the specialist’s card and encouraged her to set an appointment. Ariana and Nyx had both seen this Brandise for their own issues and trauma. Rumor was that even Kai Hunter had gone to a few sessions as well.
I neared the quiet little area up ahead, the edge of campus where the forest opened up into a clearing that was perfect for a wolf run in private.
Exactly what I was planning on doing.
I had half an hour before I met Velra for lunch once she got out of her current class. Then after that, I had to meet with my feeder in my room.
That was another cool thing that my dad was doing for me.
Since I’d come back here, he’d had a feeder come to me three times a day—breakfast, lunch and dinner—escorted by one of his agents that I liked, Arthur, the one I used to call Gilded Guy in my head before I’d known his name. My dad had some major pull even above ground, because he’d made the Academy allow the human feeders for me, even facilitating their access through the insanely powerful wards protecting the campus.
It was crazy how much things had shifted.
Originally, when I’d come back above ground to see my loves and get word to Sylas about the necromantic core transplant, I was supposed to have returned to the Shadow Tunnels within a forty-eight-hour window. But then that attack with Victor Halrow and thosePuritasshitheads had happened. I’d been ableto unleash both parts of myself in a major way and my dad had been watching through his people.
He’d also realized how much I’d been torn between him and needing to be with Velra, Sylas, and Cassius.
And then with Morien coming into the picture in a horrific way, he’d brought Sylas down to the Shadow Tunnels with him, needing to ready him for that fight, while they also worked together to locate the bastard. It was why, despite us telling Sylas that Ryker wouldn’t hunt him or have him arrested, he remained down there.
