Miles

I should’ve tried harder. I should’ve fought against Hijra. Who the fuck cares if she’s a professor? I’m the heir to the Earth Kingdom; Divine Academy is in my Kingdom, meaning that stupid, jealous, no-good rotten Valekryie has no final say. I gave in too quickly. I didn’t want to cause a scene with Katrina’s impending council review, and I didn’t want her to have to meet my father under that kind of circumstance. When I introduce my mate to my parents, I want it to be on our terms, not forced by some underpaid washed-out Valkeryie.

And yes, I might be being a bit harsh on Hijra, but it’s no less than what she currently deserves. Because of her, my mate faces a very angry, aggressive demi-goddess who’s called upon her forefathers to gift her with their powers behind an impenetrable shield. I’ve used every divine power I have been blessed with to break through the protective barrier, but it still stands in my way. So, here I am, being forced to watch in slow motion as Katrina stands there with her eyes closed and her nostrils flaring while an electric ball with the powers of all the Norse Gods is getting ready to hit her square in the chest.

I want to yell at Katrina to open her fucking eyes and get out of the way, but my words are caught in my throat. My heart is racing at an incredible speed, and I’m frozen. I think this is what people call panicking, and if this is what they feel every time it happens, then I truly feel sorry for them. It’s not a sensation I ever want to feel again. As I battle against my body to work for me so I can scream at my mate to get to safety, I feel a small tug on my mate bond; it almost feels like a sharp prick of a needle. The sensation is over quickly, and I almost begin to wonder if it was imagination due to being in such a stressful situation, but then I see Katrina’s aura growing; the beautiful rainbow that radiates around her body is now burning brighter; the orange, yellow, green, blue, and even black hues are glowing brightest. My eyes hungrily latch on to the movement of Katrina’s as she flutters hers open. She has a soft smile, and I know she’s done something to prepare herself against Hilda’s magic.

The entire classroom is silent as we watch the powers emerge from Katrina. The first power to expel from her body is a ball of lighting; its aura so powerful that there’s no doubt it came from Aphelion himself, and then there’s a strong current of water that circles the ball of lightning, the fresh salty sea air feels the room, reminding everyone of Beckett. Next to emerge are Samael’s potent blue flames, the fires meddling seamlessly with Beckett’s water. I watch with anticipation as fresh earth coats the ball of power, acting as a paste and solidifying the powers into one. There’s the tiniest flash of black, and the ball of infinite power has now turned into two, Luka’s ability to mimic taking effect. And finally, Katrina’s magic shows through as a pure white orb swallows the magical balls she’s managed to create. When Hilda’s power bubble finally reaches Katrina, it strikes her magical orb, and the orb inhales all the magic Hilda sent her way, similar to how a succubus would feed off its prey. I feel my cheeks blossoming into a smile; Katrina not only used her light magic but was able to cloak her dark affinity too and sneak it in.

Katrina’s power ball is now over four times the size of Hilda’s, and it continues to grow as it makes its way to its intended victim. By the time it reaches the other side of the arena, its power is so fierce and its size so large that there’s no way Hilda could avoid it, so instead, she opens her arms wide and embraces the attack. I am mesmerized as Aphelion’s lightning dances across Hilda’s skin, Beckett’s ocean waves crash into her, Samael’s fire burns through her, and my beloved earth buries her within its crevices. This happens twice, and by the end of the second round, things aren’t looking good for Hilda. She’s no longer moving, and it looks like she’s struggling to breathe, but she isn’t kept in pain for long. Her body is devoured by Heavenly light, the pure magic cradling her in its hold as it heals her wounds from the inside out. Only when Hilda is fully recovered are the barriers dropped.

I rush forward, grabbing Katrina in my arms and pulling her in tightly. I don’t know if I want to choke her for being so rash or if I want to kiss her until we’re both begging for breath, so instead, I just hold her against me and rest my chin on her head, breathing in her familiar calming scent.

There are whispers all around us, but when isn’t there. I don’t care what the spectators have to say; what I do care about is my mate and how she knew how to harness our abilities.

“How did you manage to control your powers like that?” I ask, my voice gruff with emotions as I pull away from Katrina and look down at her.

“I honestly don’t know. It didn’t come to me until after Hilda became injured by Samael’s flames. At that moment, I realized that my magic reacted to cues from my body. So I winged it.” She replies, shrugging her shoulder nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.

“Winged it?” I growl, my fury with her rising. She’s out her entire life on the line based on a yeah that might work.

“Don’t be mad. I was never in any real harm.” Katrina replies, walking through the gathering crowd and toward the locker room.

“From where I stood, it looked like Hilda was trying to do more than cause you harm.” I snarl, keeping in line with Katrina’s every movement; she wouldn’t be skipping out on my anger that easily.

“My body would’ve deflected those hits the same as the other two.” She replies, tugging on the door to the female locker room.

I slam my hand against the door above her head, firmly keeping it shut. “And when your body absorbed that amount of energy in front of an entire class of students, and you came out scratch free, pray to tell me what you’d planned on telling the council?”

“Miles, calm down.” Katrina purrs once
again, reminding me why I gave her the name kitten as she strokes my face. “ I am okay; I’ve proven to every person in this room that I am your true mate, and I’ve learned how to control my powers. We should be rejoicing.”

I can’t help but smile down at her, my lips lowering to her’s for the smallest of kisses. “You’re right, kitten; tonight after classes, we will have a celebratory dinner,” Katrina does a little celebratory dance, “And then, as a family, we can all discuss your recklessness,” I reply, winking at her before I open the door to the woman’s locker room and push her inside. I send a quick text to Beckett, requesting he walk Katrina to first year midterm orientation before I head off to Simmins office. The dear headmaster and I have a lot to catch up on