Thornhill Academy. Chapter 99

While Evander and Kael still hover close enough to radiate possessive warmth, Rhazeil drifts away, his curiosity catching on everything like sunlight. He moves through my dorm room with that same quiet grace he carries everywhere, like the shadows make space for him. He hums low in his throat, a sound that almost vibrates through the air, as his long fingers trace over my cluttered desk. My notebooks, quills, and half-drained coffee mug all look suddenly tiny beneath his hands. He pauses to pick up a photo frame Tessa gifted me, studying it with a faint, amused smile.

“So this is the mortal space my queen calls home,” he muses softly, his voice lilting with interest. “Small, warm, and it smells like parchment and starlight.”

I flush a little. “It smells like ink and anxiety,” I mutter under my breath, which makes Evander snort.

Rhazeil moves on, humming again, until he reaches the bedside table. He tilts his head, eyes catching on something small and silver glinting in the lamplight. His fingers close delicately around it, a thin metal bracelet with a single gemstone that flickers faintly between shades of blue and gold.

“What’s this?” he asks, turning it between his fingers.

“Oh,” I say, scratching the back of my neck. “It’s, um… just something silly we had to make in class for our mates. It changes colour based on emotions, so wherever we are, or however far apart, we can always know what the other’s feeling.”

His expression softens instantly. The great Demon King of the Shadow Realm, destroyer of worlds and apparently now collector of sentimental trinkets, smiles as if I’ve just handed him the crown jewels. Before I can even stop him, he clasps it onto his wrist. The thin, delicate band looks absurd against his dark skin and clawed hands, but he wears it like it’s sacred. His thumb strokes over the little gemstone, and for a moment it glows faintly red—warmth, affection.

“Yes,” he murmurs, pleased. “This will do nicely.”

Kael blinks, clearly offended. “Hey,” he says, stepping forward, voice caught between outrage and disbelief. “We’re her mates too, you know.”

Rhazeil doesn’t even look up from the bracelet, just nods calmly. “Yes. But you will be able to be with her more often than I am able to.”

Kael opens his mouth, then closes it again. His brow furrows as if he’s searching for a loophole and can’t find one. Finally, he sighs and mutters, “Yeah, that’s… fair enough, I guess. Fine.”

The way he says *fine* makes it sound like he’s conceding a war, not a friendship bracelet. I can’t help it, I burst out laughing.

“You’re all ridiculous,” I say between giggles, clutching my side. “You’re literally arguing over a bracelet!”

Evander grins, Kael rolls his eyes, and Rhazeil just looks smug, turning his wrist slightly so the little gem catches the light again.

“Not just a bracelet,” he says in that low, smooth voice. “A symbol of connection. A promise that I will always feel her.”

Evander groans. “Oh gods, he’s poetic and dramatic.”

Kael chuckles under his breath, shaking his head. “Welcome to our lives, Demon King.”

Rhazeil inclines his head, unbothered. “Gladly.”

The laughter still lingers in the air when the shadows behind Rhazeil begin to ripple, just barely at first, like the shimmer of heat on stone. Then they deepen, stretch, and before any of us can process what’s happening, a half-dozen armoured figures materialise from the dark corners of my room. Kael’s growl is instant, low and sharp, his hound bristling through his skin. Evander’s scales flare under his shirt, the fabric pulling tight across his shoulders as heat ripples off him in warning. But the demons don’t attack. They drop to one knee, heads bowed low as the air thickens with power and the faint scent of smoke and iron.

“My King,” one of them says, voice reverent. “My Queen.” He glances at me just long enough for me to register the word before lowering his gaze again. “Forgive our intrusion, but there are matters that require your attention in the Shadow Realm.”

Rhazeil’s expression softens, though a flicker of regret darkens his eyes. “Understood,” he says quietly. “Wait for me beyond the veil.”

The soldiers bow lower, shadows curling around their forms until they vanish as quickly as they came, leaving behind only a faint chill and two very startled shifters.

Kael’s still tense, eyes wide. “Okay,” he mutters, half to himself. “That was… not normal.”

Evander exhales a slow, wary breath. “Yeah. Remind me never to underestimate your boyfriend.”

Rhazeil turns to me then, stepping closer until the space between us hums. “Forgive them,” he murmurs, voice dipping into something low and velvet-smooth. “They only serve their duty. I had hoped for more time.”

I shake my head, smiling softly. “It’s okay. I understand. The kingdom needs you too.”

His gaze lingers on me, and for a heartbeat, the shadows around him pulse like a heartbeat. Then, unexpectedly, he turns to Evander and Kael.

“I trust,” he begins, his tone suddenly formal, weighty, “that I can rely on you both to take care of our mate in my absence.”

The words land like a challenge, but neither of them flinches.

Evander steps forward first, his voice rough but steady. “You can trust us. I’ll keep her safe. No harm will ever come to her.”

Kael nods beside him, his expression earnest for once. “You have my word, Demon King. She’s ours to protect.”

Something in Rhazeil’s eyes softens—approval, maybe even gratitude. “Then I thank you,” he says, inclining his head. “May the shadows honour your promises.”

He turns back to me, and all the commanding weight in his stance melts into warmth. His hand finds my cheek, thumb brushing gently across my skin. “I will never be far, hummingbird,” he murmurs.

The nickname makes my heart twist in the best way. I reach for his wrist, tapping the bracelet now glowing faintly gold against his wrist. “Well,” I say with a grin, “at least you’ll always know how I’m feeling.”

His mouth curves into that slow, dangerous smile, the one that makes the air vibrate. “Yes,” he breathes. “And that will be both my comfort and my torment.”

Then, as the shadows begin to swirl around him once more, his thumb lingers against my jaw, and he’s gone, leaving behind the faint scent of smoke, starlight, and the echo of his laugh.

For a moment, the room is still again. Kael exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know,” he mutters, “I think I liked it better when the scariest thing at Thornhill was the cafeteria food.”

I laugh softly, glancing at the fading shimmer in the corner where Rhazeil vanished.

“Nah”, I whisper. “This is more exciting.”