“Do you still have feelings for the asshole?” he asked, Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Absolutely not.” I clenched my jaw, refusing to break the stare even as heat licked up the back of my neck. “How could I have feelings for someone who deliberately hurt me?”
“I won’t hurt you,” Zuko promised, his gaze sincere.
“I won’t either,” Slater added from the grass, lazily propped up on his elbows. “I’d never hurt you, venom baby.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Fates, you two are exhausting.”
“Correction! We’re entertaining. You’re just denying how much you are loving it,” Slater assured me.
Zuko winked at me, dislodging my brother’s fists from his shirt. “So...are we still doing the venom swap or was that a metaphor for something else?”
Tibby physically pushed him back again. “No venom swapping! No metaphors! I need a drink, and it’s not even eight yet.”
“Eight is actually a great time to start,” Zuko informed him kindly.
“Oh, come on,” I said with a mock pout. “Let me have this.”
Tibby scowled. “You’re chaos, and chaos is already multiplying.”
“Iama chaos demon, so it makes sense she’d be mated to me.” Slater grinned bigger.
Zuko made finger guns at him. “Cheers to that, brother-by-mating.”
“You two are not mated to my sister!” Tibby shouted at them.
“Yet,” Zuko and Slater echoed with matching smirks.
Before Tibby could say something trulybrotherly, a soft voice cut through the tension.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Eleanor stepped between us with the grace of someone born to de-escalate wars. Her light brown hair with white spots all over was now in a long braid swaying behind her. Her soft brown eyes sparkled as she looked between Tibby,Zuko, and me. “But I figured if we’re going to start the year already threatening bodily harm, we might as well form alliances now. You never know when you’ll need a good diplomat.” She offered a warm, unbothered smile and extended a hand toward me.
I grinned and shook her hand. Her touch was warm, and it was the kind of handshake that didn’t demand anything. Just offered peace. I liked that.
“Rune, right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’re Eleanor. You were with me in the simulation.”
She nodded. “I liked how you handled the phantom without causing him any more suffering.”
“I like that you were able to stand back and let me do what was needed,” I joked, earning a soft laugh from her.
“That’s what it takes to be an agent. I’m more words and diplomacy than fangs and violence, but perhaps we’ll balance each other out.” She smiled wider. “I am sorry for getting so emotional about it, though.”
“Once you stop getting emotional, it means something’s wrong,” Tibby said softly.
Before she could answer, Aura appeared beside her with a little wave.
Her blonde pixie cut was styled cutely, and her blue eyes were filled with the excitement I felt. “Hi! You were amazing during the simulation. I loved your venom and what it could do. I’m Aura, by the way. In case you forgot.”
“I remember,” I said. “You’re the smart tech imp.”
She blushed. “I do my best. Technology is definitely my thing, though.”
Koa approached with his usual calm presence. His gold chain peeked out from the collar of his black t-shirt, glinting againsthis skin. His brown hair was half-tied back, the rest brushing his shoulders as he nodded at me with that soft smile of his.
“Rune,” he greeted. “Are you ready for our first year?”
