Thornhill Academy. Chapter 66

**Allison**

The morning starts slower than most, the sunlight spilling lazily across the attic ceiling, the smell of bacon and something sweet wafting through my tiny kitchen. For someone who claims to be a dragon and not a house husband, Evander sure knows his way around a stove. He hums under his breath while he flips pancakes, shirtless and barefoot, his hair still damp from the shower. I sit at the counter, pretending not to stare, pretending this is normal, having a mate who cooks breakfast like he’s been doing it his whole life.

When he sets a plate in front of me, I mutter, “You know, you’re setting the bar really high for yourself.”

He smirks. “Good. Then no one else will bother trying.”

I roll my eyes, but there’s warmth there, comfort I didn’t think I could still feel. We eat quietly, talk about nothing, and then split for classes. He’s got early drills. I’ve got whatever fresh hell the day decides to throw at me.

Tessa’s voice hits me before I even see her. “Ally!” she calls from down the hall, waving like a maniac. She’s standing with that same group of demons from the pub, Rynor and his friends and my first instinct is to duck behind the nearest doorway. But it’s too late. She grins as I approach, waving goodbye to the group as they head off toward their own classes. One of the demons, the one with broad-shouldered, greyish-blue skin, short broken horns and eyes like molten amber, breaks away and walks toward me. It takes me a second to remember his name, Thalen.

“Hey,” he says awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. “I just wanted to apologise for the other night. That shouldn’t have happened. The vampires aren’t usually—”

I never get to hear how that sentence ends.

Because out of nowhere, Kael appears between us, tall and broad and radiating pure hellhound aggression. A low, unmistakable growl vibrates from his chest, deep enough that the floor seems to hum with it.

Thalen freezes mid-step, his eyes flickering to Kael, and then, wisely, he backs off with both hands raised. Tessa and I both stare. Thalen mutters something that sounds like “was just being polite” before turning and disappearing into the shadows, literally, just poofs, and he's gone. Is that why I don't usually see the demons around?

“Kael!” I bark, stepping around to face him, but he’s already turning away, jaw tight, posture tense.

“What the hell was that?!”

He doesn’t answer. Just stalks down the hall, shoulders rigid, his scent sharp and burning in the air.

“Kael!” I shout again, but all I get is the faint flick of his hand, dismissive, before he disappears around the corner.

I stand there in the corridor, half furious, half… confused.

Tessa looped her arm through mine before I could glare at the space Kael had left behind. “Come on,” she said cheerily, tugging me toward the west wing. “If we don’t move our asses, Moran’s going to lock the door again, and I’m not repeating this class because of you.”

I sighed, letting her drag me along. “You’re the one who made us late,” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder once more down the corridor where Kael had vanished. My pulse still hadn’t settled from that growl.

“Excuses, excuses,” she said, her curls bouncing as we reached the narrow staircase that led up to Divination Tower. 

The classroom smelled of incense and rainwater. Velvet drapes muffled the daylight to a soft, dreamlike haze, and tiny glass orbs hung from the ceiling like stars caught mid-sway. The air shimmered faintly with charm residue. Professor Moran, short, silver-haired, and wide-eyed like she saw more than anyone else could, stood at the front with a tray of teacups that were steaming faintly lavender. “Ah! Two stragglers. The threads of fate like to wander, don’t they?”

Tessa smiled brightly. “Sorry, Professor.”

“Sit, sit,” Moran said, waving us to the empty table by the window. “You’re just in time to see your futures unravel.”

I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be comforting. We took our seats as Moran circled the room, setting down delicate cups in front of everyone. Each one shimmered faintly, no two the same colour. Mine glowed faintly gold. Tessa’s was rose pink.

“Today, class,” Moran began, “we are not reading the stars, nor the bones, nor even the cards. No, today, we look into the most humble of mirrors—the leaves.”

She smiled like it was a secret joke. “Drink deeply, leave a little behind, swirl thrice, and look. Fate is far more talkative when she’s warm.”

Around us, students giggled nervously and began sipping. I followed suit, mostly because I didn’t want to be the only one not playing along. The tea was oddly sweet, like honey and smoke, and it warmed me instantly. When I finished, I gave the cup a slow swirl and peered inside.

The shapes swam in lazy circles, lines and shadows that didn’t make sense at first, and then they did. A circle. A flame. Wings. And, something else. Five small shapes surrounding one larger. My stomach twisted.

Moran’s soft voice drifted over my shoulder. “Ah. Interesting.”

I startled a little. “What do you see?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Her gaze flicked up to mine, and for a heartbeat, I swore her pupils were shaped like hourglasses. “You, my dear, are walking toward something dangerous. Something inevitable.”

The class went quiet.

Moran’s voice was softer now, but somehow sharper, threading straight through the haze of incense. “When it comes, you won’t stand alone. You’ll have protectors...” she paused, eyes narrowing, “not one, but several. Each will be drawn to you for a reason. Each will be bound to you by something greater than choice.”

My mouth went dry. “Protectors?” I echoed. “As in… plural?”

She smiled faintly, not answering, and instead turned toward Tessa’s cup with a hum. “Oh, this one’s quite romantic,” she said airily, distracting the class as she spoke about new beginnings and fated kisses. But I barely heard her. My heart was still hammering. Protectors. Not one. And all I could think of was Evander’s golden eyes, Kael’s growl in the hall, and the way my stomach twisted whenever both of them were in the same room... Is what I'm feeling...real?