THE PERFECT PAIR
"Fine. Aria and Kai." Aria frowned, she had tried to avoid him all day and he had to ask to be her partner on the project, she was already having to do the other project all by herself.She saw it as another opportunity for him to bully her.When the class was over, Aria gathered what little courage she didn't have to face Kai."Hi partner," he regarded her very casually. His grey eyes warm not the usual cold glint.She opened her mouth to speak but the words won't cooperate.He sat leaning in his seat in a blue dress shirt, the button slightly undone from the collar revealing a well dry cleaned inner white shirt. It fit on all the right areas and looked familiar to Aria, strong arms, broad shoulders and—"Aria," he called her name, her breath stopped, he knew her name.Of course he did, he just never used it to address her."Why?" That was all she could say as she dropped her eyes toNEEDING CLARITYCassie froze for half a second, caught off guard that Aria had actually spoken back. Her lips parted like she wanted to spit venom, but the hall was watching. Every eye was on them, waiting for her next move.Kai suddenly enjoyed the shoe but he said nothing. "And who told you could talk to me?" Cassie looked at Aria like she was trash. Kai was going to intervene but Aria didn’t need saving."Well miss my legs are too skinny to be covered, you're interrupting my breakfast. Like I said earlier, I didn't force him to sit here."Her voice was a pitch higher so more students heard her."He is the Alpha, he can't sit at a table with a low ranking—" Cassie’s heart drummed fast at the humiliation but Aria didn’t give her space. She cut her off.“But he did. If you’ve got a problem with that, take it up with him.” she was about to return to her food when she recalled something. "One last thing. My name is Aria."Cassie’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the respons
HE CHOSE HERThe first thing Aria felt when she opened her eyes was weight—the weight of a man's hand on her body wrapping her. His scent was familiar, she had let it lull her to sleep early that morning. "You're awake." His chest vibrated as he spoke. Kai had barely slept through the night, the chaos troubled his mind and robbed him of sleep so he stayed awake to ensure the others could sleep safely.She nodded and sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, the faint smell of medicine clinging to her clothes, she had to scrunch her nose and pinch it a little.Her eyes scanned her environment—Kevin was still asleep on the narrow cot, his breathing steady for the first time since they dragged him back. Ryan had dozed off in the corner, one hand still resting on the hilt of his dagger like he didn’t trust the world enough to let go.Aria’s mind flashed back to last night. Not the dramatic evening with Ryan and Kevin but, Kai’s voice against her ear. "Shhh. I believe you." She had clung to that l
I BELIEVE YOU Kevin was still unconscious when Aria finally sat down. His skin burned under her hand, his veins faintly glowing silver like something poisonous was running through him. Someone pressed a cloth harder against his temple, Kevin's throat tightening with every shallow breath he took.Ryan hadn’t spoken in nearly ten minutes. He sat on the far side of the infirmary, though his hands moved more out of habit than focus. His eyes were distant and shadowed.The silence pressed in until Aria couldn’t take it anymore. “Say something.” she walked over to where he sat.Ryan didn’t look up. “There’s nothing left to say.”His words hit her like a low blow. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked over her shoulder to Kevin. The boy groaned, muttering nonsense under his breath. None of it sounded like him, and each whisper made her feel more helpless.For the first time since after stepping into the Forbidden Wing, she felt truly alone. Ryan was in his head, Kevin was half gone, an
IT REACTS TO HER"What's this?" She ignored his comment on her scent and focused her attention to the book in his hand. Somehow she felt as though if she changed the subject then her reality will change as well but a certain truth gnawed at her consciousness—something about all of this was related to her.“I found this under the pedestal. It’s the only reason I knew what to look for.” Ryan flipped her thoughts and redirected her attention to him again.He flipped it open, revealing cramped writing in a dead language, jagged lines cutting across the parchment. Aria leaned closer, her throat tight.“What does it say?”Ryan pointed at a sketch, a crude drawing of the medallion with its fractured core. Beneath it, the words: The Eye of Descent.On the next page, a faceless girl knelt before a wolf wreathed in flame.Aria swallowed hard. “This…” she trailed off and looked to him for a confirmation or a response. Ryan saw it too...it had Aria's features, her stature but it could be any ave
THE RELIC’S WARNINGKevin’s body was heavier than it should have been. Ryan grabbed him by his shoulders, dragging him down the crooked passage while Aria staggered along beside them, her arm hooked under Kevin’s too. His weight shifted uselessly between them, his head rolling forward.He looked like a dainty shadow of himself, time and time again, he moved his lips to form words but he didn’t have sufficient energy to mutter the words.The air was dry, it seemed different from few seconds ago."I'm scared Ryan," Aria mumbled running her hand over her skin as she bore Kevin up with Ryan."We should stop. You need to catch your breath." Ryan dropped Kevin on the side and shifted something for Aria to rest her weight on. She looked around, she could feel a familiar presence. A whisper of her name again. Suddenly a voice grazed against their skin, cold and static, the kind of static left behind after lightning. Aria’s palm stung where she had touched the relic, the faint burn still cra
THE FORBIDDEN WINGThe older halls of the academy weren’t made for wandering. They were quiet in a way that wasn’t peaceful.It was too hollow, every step echoing back like the walls were keeping score of who passed. The further they went, the more Aria’s skin prickled.Something was wrong with the stones here. When her sleeve brushed one, she swore it pushed back. Not steady, not dead rock—watching.She slowed, trying not to lose Ryan ahead. He moved with a kind of certainty, hood pulled low, checking corners, his stride too careful to be casual. He already knew he wasn’t supposed to be here.“Here,” Kevin whispered.Aria turned. He pressed a dagger into her palm. Silver edge, colder than her skin, heavier than it should’ve been.Her eyes narrowed. “You carry this around?”“Would you rather I carried nothing?” His tone was flat, but his eyes didn’t blink. No smirk, no joke—just truth.She didn’t argue. She slipped it into her sleeve. Her hand brushed the hilt every few steps, testing