“Then don’t throw it away,” I continued. “You guys are in love. You both deserve some happiness. Why bother holding back?”
Maybe I was being over the top, or even harsher than I typically was. But if Lord Lucien’s death had taught me anything, it was that life was too short, and the people you cared about could be gone in the blink of an eye. Whatever was in Alexei’s past wasn’t worth sacrificing his happiness for now. If he and Kiara hadtime, why didn’t he take advantage of it?
“You don’t get it, Em.” Alexei shook his head. “It’s not just my past. If Kiara and I are together, it puts her in danger. There are some bad people out there, and I’m involved with a lot of them.”
Oh, gods. What kind of fucked-up shit was Alexei mixed up in?
I opened my mouth again, but Alexei backed away. “No. Don’t say anything more. I just can’t take it.”
He turned on his heel and changed into a griffin. I watched him fly into the snowy skies with a sense of resolve.
Alexei’s words didn’t deter me. I’d been dealing with friends who fought their own feelings since I’d arrived at Arcanea University. At this point, I was two for two.
And I wasn’t about to let Kiara miss out on her happy ending.
Although… Alexei’s words did scare me. He was worried about being with Kiara, because he thought someone might hurt her if they found out he loved her. Alexei was so kind, sweet and gentle. Who could possibly hate him?
The question remained. Exactly how many enemies did Alexei have, and why?
Chapter Five
Ethan
Ihad gotten a new lease on life, but I was far from off the hook. My proper punishment had been carried out, but there was still a price to pay. I’d hardly become a member of the populace since my title of prince had been taken. If anything, I’d only grown more interesting.
I roamed outside in the falling snow, walking against the treeline that led into the forest surrounding the university. As I approached the griffin statue that was the meet-up for Advanced Monster Hunting, a collection of male heads jerked up in my direction. At least a dozen of my classmates headed my way. I sighed and braced myself for the inevitable stampede.
Since I’d been back, everyone had been pestering me with constant questions about being the Phantom. I’d thought being a prince was annoying enough, but apparently, being a law-breaking vigilante put me in an even bigger spotlight. Boys surrounded me from all sides, peppering me with questions.
“Dude, I saw coverage of that break-in you did to a cultist spot about a year ago. That jump you did off the roof wasepic.”
“How many laws did you break, ya think? I bet you got away withsomuch.”
“Did you everkilla cultist?”
Stefan smirked as he leaned against a tree on the outside of the group. He thought this was funny. Ass.
I didn’t even know where to start answering them all. I opened my mouth, but it was silenced as a spell was cast over the group, rendering our voices mute.
“All right, that’s enough,” Professor Victor said as he came strolling into the circle. “We all know Ethan was the Phantom, but I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear about it anymore. It’s all in the past, and he’s vowed not to do it again. Isn’t that right,Mister Hastek?”
Hearing my new moniker hollowed me out inside. Though I’d kept my head, my cousin had ripped everything else away from me, even my connection to my father’s name. Only he could be so cruel. I’d live, but it would be as a shadow of my former self. I suppose that was an adequate punishment, for a vigilante that loomed in the dark. The spell upon me ended as Victor allowed me to regain my voice. “Of course.”
“Then let us begin the lesson,” Victor said, and the class remained quiet. “Into the woods we go.”
There were a couple of glum faces as we followed Professor Victor into the trees. He led the way to the front of the group. I fell behind with Stefan, and although most of the class moved ahead, a couple boys remained with us. Probably to keep tormenting me.
“Hey, Stefan,” someone whispered behind us. “You were there at the Slaughter of the Innocents, weren’t you? You were the guy in the dragon mask, I bet.”
“A vigilante never reveals his secrets,” Stefan teased. “Although I have to say, that guy in the dragon maskreallyknows his stuff. He took down three monsters all by himself that night.”
A few guys awed behind us, and I rolled my eyes. I wanted no part in the endless praise parade, but Stefan would eat it up. He loved to gloat, and would do so as much as he could without implicating himself.
“The guy in the dragon mask also likes to embellish the truth,” I added. Stefan scowled, and the surrounding men laughed.
Victor took us deeper into the woods, until we reached a treeline. He held up a hand as an indicator for us to stop, then turned toward us. “If we’re going to hunt monsters, we need to study them. Learn about them, get to know their ways,” Victor began. “I’ve asked you all to bring journals with you today. We’ll be taking notes throughout the class period on a variety of creatures.”
Victor roamed closer to an oak tree, and pointed upward. “Monsters have fae blood. We are related to them, in some way,” Victor said. “It is the reason the males of our species can shift. We are more animal than we are anything else. We have a wildness that cannot be tamed, and as such, are beholden to nature itself. Some of the most powerful monster hunters in the world were even able to connect with the more intelligent creatures they slayed— speak with them telepathically, as the wolvens of our species can amongst their packs. Negotiate with them, and even get them to do their bidding— although, this must be noted, this was a far more common trait amongst the Unseelie fae than the Seelie, which is why it is unheard of to do so today. It was far from something easy to do, only achievable by the strongest shifters and sorceresses.”
