Chapter 5: Katrina

When the guys led me upstairs to our room, I was expecting to see other students, but the corridors were empty like they were when I first left Miles room this morning. "Wait," I said, turning suddenly towards Miles, losing my footing and almost falling if it hadn't been for Aphelion quickly catching me.

"You sure are clumsy, Princess." He whispered in my ear, causing the hair on my neck to stand up.

"I thought your room was on the first floor?" I asked Miles ignoring Aphelion.

"It was," Miles says, shrugging his shoulders as he walks past me, continuing up the long winding staircase.

"Okay, so why are you upstairs now?" I asked, finding myself becoming agitated with his short response.

He stopped suddenly and turned to face me, "Would you rather I left you alone with my cousins?" He asks, his hazel eyes flickering to a fiery red.

"Don't put words in my mouth," I said, glaring up at him.

"Alright, lovebirds, if you are done fighting, I'd like to get upstairs to our new chambers so I can unpack," Samael called from almost a flight above us.

"Wait, unpack?" I ask, confused. Were they all changing their living quarters?

"Yes, Princess," Aphellion said, wrapping his arms around my waist, his tight muscular chest pressing against my back, his mouth near my ear. "Who better to protect you and watch over the rest of the school besides the heirs to the kingdoms."

There it was again, that word, heirs.

"What do you mean, heirs?" I asked, wanting to know more about these men who had wandered into my life, acting as if I belonged to them and only them.

"How about we get to our chambers first, and then we can answer all of your questions, Darling," Beckett said, walking up beside me.

"How much further away is it?" I asked as we continued walking up the stairs.

"Just a little bit longer, Princess," Aphelion responded, walking by my side. "Would you like me to carry you the rest of the way up?"

Miles let out a growl of irritation as he continued to walk up the stairs, catching up with Samael.

"What the hell is his problem?" I asked, becoming more irritated with Miles by the minute.

"He's never liked to share," Beckett stated as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Yeah, he thinks he can call dibs, and the rest of us will back off, but that ain't happening." Aphelion said, "It doesn't work that way for our fated."

"Fated?" I questioned, not sure why Aphelion chose that word to use. Instead of answering, Aphelion and Beckett continued to walk toward our shared quarters.

When we finally reached our destination, we entered a room that required a key card to gain access to it, which I found strange; shouldn't all the other students be able to have access to the common area. I let out a gasp of surprise upon entering the room; the inside looked like a small loft; there was a sitting room with a large fireplace with a small fire burning inside. The sitting room had a love seat and two armchairs curved towards the fireplace. A small kitchen sat off to the right side was fully applianced; it looked brand new as if no one had ever used it. I guess that made sense since there was a cafeteria that most of the students probably ate in. A glass door towards the back of the kitchen led out to a patio area; I walked towards the balcony, wanting to see what the view looked like. I opened up the glass door and walked out. The view outside was stunning; down below, a small creek led towards a large pond that glistened in the sun. I couldn't wait to take a swim in the pond and a hike in the hills. It had been a while since I lived outside the busy city, and I planned to spend all of my free time outdoors enjoying nature.

"Would you like to come see your room?" Miles asked, sneaking up behind me, causing me to jump.

"Oh, so you're finally talking to me?" I asked as I turned away from the scenic view, facing Miles.

"I am sorry, kitten. It's hard for me seeing my cousins all over you."

"So you are jealous?" I asked, stepping closer to him; while the other guys were charming and ridiculously gorgeous, I had met Miles first and felt closer to him than I did the others. He had protected me in the club when I had passed out; instead of leaving me in the wake of my destruction, he carried me out of the club and to his room here at the academy.

"Yes," Miles said, not a shred of shame showing on his face. "Even though I had heard the prophecy told multiple times, I never thought I would find my fated. Since I was young, I knew if I ever found my fated that I would have to share you with my cousins, our fated being destined to bring the four kingdoms together as one again, but the prophecy is ancient; it was told before we were born, when our parents were just children themselves, before my father and his brothers took down the titans and separated the kingdom amongst themselves. I didn't believe it would come true." Miles responded, hopelessness showing in his eyes.

"Didn't you learn how to share in kindergarten?" I teased him, hoping to lighten the mood.

"What's kindergarten?" He asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"You don't know what kindergarten is?" I asked, bewildered. "What did you do, grow up under a rock?"

"No, I grew up in a training camp, learning to one day be the future ruler of the Earth Kingdom."

"Are demigods allowed to rule the four kingdoms?" I asked, knowing a little about the kingdoms from the book left with me.

Miles chuckled, a deep belly laugh, "Oh, Kitten, you have so much to learn."

I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly, but he just grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the top of my head. "How about we go look at your room?" He asked.

I let him lead me off the balcony and back into the kitchen; we headed down the hallway until we came to a space with four rooms, two on each side. "This is your room," Miles stated, opening the door to the first room on the left. I looked into the room, once again shocked by the lavish decor. In the center of the room was a large king-sized bed with a lilac comforter and four fluffy pillows; on each side of the bed were small white nightstands with black reading lamps.

There were two doors on the back end of the room. I walked to the first door and opened it up. It was a walk-in closet filled with what I supposed was the academy uniform; red plaid skirts and white blouses. There was a built-in shoe wall that had black flats, heels, and ankle boots. Further into the walk-in was a small dresser filled with underwear, bras, and ties. Looking at the size of the undergarments, I was shocked to see that they were all my size; why I was shocked, I didn't know; it was the least shocking thing that had happened to me in the last two days. I exited the closet closing it quietly behind me, smiling at the sight of Miles, sitting casually on my bed while he waited for me to explore my room. I opened the door beside the closet, curious where it led to. The door opened up to an en-suite bathroom, and it was spectacular. There was a standalone shower with a built-in rain shower spout; next to the shower was a jacuzzi tub that could easily fit more than one person—a large vanity mirror with storage for makeup and hair accessories beneath it.

"I cannot wait to soak in that bathtub!" I exclaimed as I walked out.

"Maybe I'll join you and help you wash your back," Miles replied with a wink.

I squeezed my legs tightly together as images of Miles in the bathtub with me ran through my mind.

"Would you like that?" Miles asked as he got up from the bed, walking towards me.

Luckily for me, there was a light knock on my door.

"Katrina," Samael called, "We are ready to answer all of your questions if you're settled."

Miles's smile faded, and a slight frown now replaced it. I walked closer to him, stopping right in front of him, "I could use a backrub." I whispered, a flirty smile on my face, "And after the day I had, I wouldn't mind having a strong protective man stay the night with me."

Miles's smile grew wide as he reached out, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him and wrapping his arms around my waist. "You don't have to placate me," He whispered back.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," I replied, knowing that if I were alone, I would be stuck with my thoughts and the reminder that I had killed my best friends.

Miles bent down towards me and placed a light kiss on my mouth. "Okay, I will share your bed tonight, but no sex."

I was shocked; I could tell Miles was sexually attracted to me; why would he put sex off the table, not that I was planning on having sex with him tonight; him being a one night stand was utterly different than him being a person I now shared a living space with and had to see every day.

"You'll know why soon," Miles replied to my shocked face as Samael knocked on the door again, calling my name. "We should probably get going before my cousin gets jealous and burns down your door."

"Does he burn things often?" I ask as we walk towards the door, exiting my room.

"Only on occasion," Samael responded as I walked right into him, "and if you're lonely tomorrow night, Katrina, I wouldn't mind warming your bed."

My face blushed as I brushed past Samael walking towards the sitting room.