LOGINAngela’s POV The moment we stepped out of Mr. Wilson’s classroom, Steph started talking about the dance. I was only half listening. My mind was still stuck on everything that had happened in the classroom, especially Darius. He had been at Eclipse Academy for less than a day, and somehow he had already managed to make himself the center of attention. Not that I could really blame him. He seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. Xavier walked beside me, and Silas was on my other side. Steph stayed close, talking about the dance tomorrow like it was the most important thing happening in the world. Darius followed behind us. Nobody had invited him. He didn’t seem to care. I glanced over my shoulder and caught him walking a few steps behind us with that same confident expression he’d worn since he’d walked into Mr. Wilson’s classroom. I shook my head and turned back around. “Does he just follow people around now?” I asked. Steph looked over her shoulder. “Apparently.” I laug
Mr. Wilson’s POV I had been teaching for nearly half an hour, but my attention kept drifting toward the back of the classroom. It wasn’t because the students were being disruptive. Surprisingly, most of them were paying attention, or at least pretending to. The problem was what was happening in the corner of the room. I had watched the new student walk in and introduce himself with all the confidence of someone who had never questioned whether he belonged anywhere. Darius had barely stepped through the door before he was flirting with every girl he passed. A wink here, a charming comment there, and even Steph had received his attention before he finally took the only empty seat in the back. That alone hadn’t concerned me. Darius was young, confident, and apparently very aware of his own appeal. None of that was unusual. What was unusual was where his attention settled after he sat down. Angela. I had watched him look at her differently. Then Xavier pulled her onto his lap. I pau
Xavier’s POV The moment Darius turned around in his seat, my attention locked onto him. I had already watched him make his way across the classroom, flirting with every girl he passed as though he had known them for years. He had winked at more than one, thrown a few charming words their way, and even stopped long enough to flirt with Steph before taking the only empty seat in the back. Then he’d looked at Angela. He’d called her beautiful. Perfect. I hadn’t missed a single word. Now he was sitting directly in front of me, turned halfway around in his chair, his eyes fixed on Angela as though everyone else in the room had disappeared. My jaw tightened. Blaze stirred immediately. “He shouldn’t be looking at her like that.” I glanced down at our hands resting together on the desk. My fingers were still wrapped around hers, something that had become so natural that I hadn’t even thought about it until Darius walked through the door. He had though. His eyes kept dropping to our hand
Darius’s POV The first thing I noticed about Eclipse Academy was that it was bigger than I expected. The second thing I noticed was that nobody seemed particularly happy to see me. I stepped through the classroom door anyway, completely unfazed by the handful of eyes that turned in my direction. I adjusted the strap of my bag over my shoulder and looked around. The instructor was standing at the front of the room, his backside resting against the edge of his desk as he faced the class. He looked directly at me, his expression saying he was trying to decide whether I was lost or simply had no idea where I was supposed to be. His eyes narrowed slightly. “And you are?” I looked at him and smiled. “I’m new.” He raised an eyebrow. “I gathered that.” He shook his head. “I’m Mr Wilson and you are…” I chuckled and stepped farther into the room. “Darius.” “Darius what?” He rolled his eyes. “Just Darius for now.” I shrugged my shoulders. Mr. Wilson stared at me. I gave him my best i
Xavier’s POV I couldn’t take my eyes off Silas’s neck. Just moments ago, he’d been complaining about an itch. Now… It wasn’t just an itch. It wasn’t a rash at all. It was a crest. I stepped closer before I even realized I’d moved. “Hold still.” Silas frowned. “What?” “I said hold still.” I rolled my eyes. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind but stayed where he was. I leaned in, studying the mark. It had only just finished forming. The lines were sharp and elegant, as though someone had carefully carved them beneath his skin instead of branding them there. My stomach tightened. There they were. The wings. Ancient Fae wings. The same graceful wings woven into my own crest. Only… The center was different. Where mine bore the dragon wrapped in flames, Silas’s carried a pair of elegant fangs resting between those same wings. It wasn’t identical. But it belonged to the same design. I shook my head. No… That wasn’t possible. I slowly reached up, brushing my own fingers over the side
Silas’s POV I couldn’t stop rubbing my neck. The irritation had started as nothing more than an itch. Now it burned. Every few minutes my fingers found the same spot without me even realizing it. It wasn’t unbearable, just annoying enough to make me want to scratch the skin raw. I frowned as I walked beside Steph. Ahead of us, Xavier and Angela stepped out of his suite together. His hand was wrapped around hers. Again. He hadn’t let go of it since she woke up. I watched his thumb absentmindedly brush across the back of her hand as they walked through the Academy. For some reason… It irritated me. I clenched my jaw. Why? I didn’t have an answer. All I knew was every time he touched her, something inside me tightened. Angela glanced over her shoulder. “You okay?” I looked up at her. “What?” “You’ve been rubbing your neck all morning.” She pointed out. My hand immediately dropped. “It’s nothing.” She frowned. “If you say so.” Xavier looked back at me for the briefest moment be







