“I am!” I enthused, ignoring the magic skittering over my skin and hauling my yellow duffle bag further up my shoulder.
We started walking toward the cluster of dorms on our left.
After the entrance exam, accepted students were sent home to grab their bags and come back to stay at the first-year house tonight. I’d stuffed as much poison as I could in my bag, but Dad and Pops intervened more than once while I packed. I didn’t get as much as I wanted, but there was enough for the first month at least. Tibby told me I didn’t need more than seven sets of clothes because I’d be in the academy-issued suits for classes, anyway. It was the same suit as the agents wore, he said.
A part of me wasreallyexcited to see a few particular men wearing them.
“First-year house is this one.” Tobias stopped in front of the smallest of the domed academy houses. “It’s weird not going in, honestly.”
The building was smaller compared to the others but no less elite. Its yellow-gold roof shimmered faintly under the protective enchantments I was sure had been built into it. The walls were a soft ivory stone, etched with runes that pulsed faintly. I was pretty sure they were protection wards. The front door was arched with polished bronze handles shaped like opposing dragons and narrow windows wrapped around the dome. Unlike the eight designated houses, which towered with additions, balconies, and different runes, this one was simple.
It was the house I would spend my first year at this academy in.
“Aw, but Tibby, you’re in your designated house now! House of Fortitude honestly suits you most.” I grinned, gripping the water bottle in my hand tighter. “You’ll be such a badass enforcer. Just like Pops.”
“That’s true.” Tibby grinned, running a hand through his black hair and making the green lowlights shine from the rising sun. Suddenly, his smile dropped into a thin line. “Listen, I’m serious about the poisoned tea.”
“Tibby.” I groaned, tilting my head back. “You couldn’t let me make my night better? Plain water is so tasteless.”
“Pops was worried, okay?” He scratched his neck. “He asked me to intervene as soon as he woke up. You’re going to give them a heart attack if you keep this up.”
A condescending snort left me. “Oh, yeah, a phoenix and a basilisk are going to have a heart attack.”
“You know what I mean.” He narrowed his green eyes at me. “They know you’re testing new poisons and venoms all the time. They’re fine with the stuff you’ve had before, but you keep pushing it.”
“Listen, this fills up my reserves faster than shifting and going for a slither around the forest to fill my reserves, okay?”I muttered, patting my duffle bag. Thankfully, I’d hidden my poisoned herb tea bags within the folds of my clothes.
“I know that.” My brother sighed. “Just be careful. You never know when you’ll find something you don’t have an immunity to.”
“Hasn’t happened in all my twenty-two years of life.” I pouted, crossing my arms.
“Venom baby!”Slater bolted toward us like chaos incarnate. It was really no wonder he was a chaos demon. His red hair was wild and sticking up in every direction, and Ireallywanted to run my hands through it. His black t-shirt clung to him, the dark fabric pulling tight across his chest and biceps. I wanted to run my hands over that, too. It was a scoop neck, and it showed off that skull tattoo he had on his throat that I admitted did something to me. His red eyes glittered with raw happiness that was contagious.
“Hi, Havoc baby,” I cooed.
He slung his arm around me, tightly and possessively, like I washis.“Every time I see you, I forget how to breathe.”
Tibby stiffened beside me. “Uh, Roo… What the fuck?”
I didn’t answer right away.
Because I could feel the heat where Slater’s arm covered my shoulder. The daisies and jasmine-scented air felt tighter—heavier.
“This is Slater.” I introduced him, not bothering to move away from the way his arm hugged me like I already belonged to him. “You met him before the exam, remember?”
“Ah, right.” Tibby gave him a long, unimpressed look. “Bram’s older brother who thinks you’re his mate.”
“Don’t be like that,” Slater whined, tightening his grip just enough to make a point. “Iknowshe is. And you,my dear soon-to-be brother-by-mating, are going to love me eventually. Just you wait.”
Tibby’s jaw twitched. “Okay, look. I’m going to say this once.” He stepped forward until he was chest-to-chest with Slater. Slater was taller, but Tibby was terrifying in his own right. “She’s not a game for you to win. She’s not some mission for you to solve or chase until you’re bored. She’s mysister. Until she has a matebond, she’s mine to protect. So, if you so much as breathe wrong in her direction, I’ll make sure you disappear.”
Slater blinked. “Damn. That was kind of poetic.”
Tibby grabbed his shirt and shoved him back with a snarl, and Slater’s arm dropped from around me. “It wasn’t supposed to be.”
“Tibby, wait—” I tried to intervene.
Slater just laughed, holding his hand up. “Hold up. This is going to be some brotherly bonding.”
