Page 4 of Underworld
Need pulsed inside of both, something that confirmed the Virtue bond had survived my transformation. My fingers threaded through his hair, caressing the flames that didn’t burn. I was part Demonspawn and a Princess of Hell. In this, Kaito and I were made for one another.
Even though I yearned for more, Kaito pulled away. He awarded me a small smile, cupping my cheek as he eased back as Logan squeezed my hand.
“Your eyes,” Kaito murmured as he gazed at me. “They’re different.”
Logan leaned around to get a look, sneaking in a kiss in the process. “Almost silver,” he agreed. “The green is there, but it’s as if all the color has been leeched away.”
The observation made me squirm. I’d been through a lot. Hell—I’d died and then come back. I was a firm believer that eyes were the window to the soul, and if the color had faded, what did that mean?
“It’s beautiful,” Kaito added, stroking my cheek. “As are you.”
Logan hummed in agreement, his touch running down my shoulder before tracing my wings.
Which felt… amazing.
I shivered and my eyelids drifted closed. “I canfeelthat,” I informed him.
“Good,” he said, pleasure evident in his tone. “I plan on seeing what else you can feel when it comes to your wings.”
The promise in his words made me sigh. “I missed you,” I admitted, opening my eyes again. “All of you,” I clarified as Logan and Kaito smiled. “I’m so glad that you didn’t give up on me.” Perhaps all of my worries about my Virtues were unfounded. They had missed me, too, but they didn’t believe I had died in the permanent sense.
An uncomfortable silence intruded on the moment, making me raise my eyebrow in suspicion. “Nobody gave up on me… right?”
Kaito and Logan glanced at each other as Yuri held up a pink-tinted champagne bottle. “Who wants blood champagne?” she squealed, obviously trying to distract me.
Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Where are the others?” I asked, my voice turning shrill.
“They’re… busy,” Kaito said, glancing once more at Logan before facing me. “Hendrik is handling Blood Duty. Dante is off on a hunting expedition with his students.”
“His students?” I asked. I caught another furtive look being passed, this time between Olivia and Yuri. “Never mind that. What about Orion?” I pressed.
“Teaching,” Kaito said a little too quickly.
Uh-huh.
Suspicious, I focused on Yuri who was now guzzling her blood champagne. “I need to talk to my mates—like yesterday. Can you send word to Hendrik and Dante? I want to see them here. While you do that, I’ll go get Orion.”
Yuri lowered her glass and stared at me, eyes wide. “Ah, you sure you want to walk around campus all on your lonesome? Things are a bit different here. And you should really see the Dean first.”
“I can go get Orion,” Kaito offered, little blue flames betraying his anxiety atop his head. “Logan and I will bring him back here.”
“That’s a great idea!” Yuri smiled just a bit too cheerfully.
I propped my hands on my hips.
Now I wasreallysuspicious.
Smile wobbling, then fading, Yuri bit her lip and shot Olivia a look. “But… the Dean…?”
“Fuck the Dean,” I said as I decided to take matters in my own hands.
Whatever everyone was trying to hide from me, it was time that I saw it for myself.
“Fuck the Dean.” I muttered again under my breath as I strode down a path, keenly aware of all the stares I was getting as I struggled to keep my wings aloft.
At this point, they could stare all the liked. I had more important things to worry about.
