~ Aria's POV ~My ears were filled with endless giggles from Callista, who wouldn’t stop talking about how Lucian had spent the night in our room, watching me.We were inside the boutique because I really needed new clothes after what the dragons had done to mine."So, are you both together now?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear."No, we are not. Lucian and I are just friends," I replied, and she frowned."But what I saw last night didn’t look like just friends. His eyes were filled with so much love while he watched you sleep, Aria,” Callista squealed.I smiled softly, secretly wishing I had seen the way he looked at me while I slept."So... are you planning on kissing him?" she asked, and I stared at her.I haven't kissed a guy before, but that doesn't mean I lack knowledge in that aspect.It would be nice to know what it feels like to have Lucian’s lips on mine. And not just him... I was also curious about what it would feel like to kiss Thorne and Raven.I wanted to kiss all th
~ Aria's POV ~Lucian stormed into the dragon-shifters' class, fury burning in his eyes. He looked nothing like the sweet, calm Lucian I had known since arriving here. Right now, he was terrifying.Was he this angry because the dragon-shifters bullied me?But nevertheless, I did my best to hide behind him. His back felt like the safest place in the world.The dragon-shifters were all practicing their skills, laughing and grinning at one another, but silence dropped like a heavy curtain the moment Lucian stepped in."What brings you here, Lucian?" one of the girls asked with a flirty smile.Lucian didn't answer.I didn’t know how he did it, but suddenly, every chandelier on the ceiling came crashing down, nearly hitting all of them.I stood frozen, completely stunned by what had just happened."What the hell was that, Lucian?" a lady asked, and I immediately assumed she might be the instructor of the dragon-shifters.Lucian ignored her yelling, and his blue eyes returned to me."Who am
~ Aria's POV ~I rushed down with just my towel, and they laughed harder when they saw me like that. My silver-white hair was sticking to my body because I didn't have time to dry it, thanks to these goddamn dragon-shifters."Why are you all burning my clothes?!" I shouted, and one of them stepped closer to me, a smirk tugging at her lips."Because it's fun messing with you. You shouldn't be here," she sneered, pushing me backward with her finger."You all are going to pay for this!" I snapped, my voice shaky but firm."And how are you going to make us pay?" a dragon boy asked, his eyes literally burning with fire. Fear knotted in my stomach.What could I possibly do?I didn’t have a power like them, and they might roast me alive if they wanted to. When I went speechless, they began laughing at me, and I felt so embarrassed.My humiliation burned hotter than any dragon fire."Look, she got some rat hole in her panties," one of the dragon boys mocked, flinging my underwear above his he
~ Aria's POV ~I entered the eatery with Callista. It was cozy—nothing like the eerie, grand halls of Eclipse Academy. There were only a few people inside. Some were focused on their food, while others were glued to their phones, taking selfies of themselves and the meals they were having.They all looked... normal. Too normal. You’d never guess if they were humans or not. Honestly, if someone walked into Eclipse Academy without prior knowledge, they'd easily assume the monsters there were human too."Are they all humans?" I whispered to Callista, who was standing right beside me.Callista's green eyes scanned around the room before nodding her head. "Yes, they all are."I let out a sigh of relief. It felt oddly comforting to finally be among humans again. For once, it felt like I could breathe—like there was nothing to be afraid of.I walked straight to the counter and placed an order for macaroni and cheese—it happened to be my favorite dish. Mom always made it for me, and honestly,
~ Aria's POV ~"Are you really sure about that?" I asked when I found my voice again, my eyes scanning him from head to toe. He might’ve had a firm chest and broad shoulders, but he honestly looked like a seventeen-year-old boy.If I had met him in Greystone Falls, I would’ve mistaken him for someone younger than me."You think I would lie to you?" he asked. "I stopped aging a long time ago. It was... probably when I turned seventeen."He wasn’t so sure, but that explained why he looked younger than me. Just imagining he’s one hundred and eighty-one years older than me made my stomach kind of churn... but in a weirdly good way."I think I understand now, Great Grandpa," I teased, and when he frowned, I laughed so hard.I had only said that just to see what his reaction would be, and it turned out exactly as I’d expected.He wrapped his arm around my neck, pretending like he wanted to choke me with it, but his grip was light—nothing like how Raven and Thorne had held me earlier."Who t
~ Aria's POV ~I hid behind Lucian's back. Right now, he was my only ally. He had broad shoulders, and judging from how slender my body was, his back was able to shield me."Give her back while I’m still trying to be nice," Raven snarled. "I'm not done with that little rat," he added.Did he just call me a little rat?I was so pissed off by his words. If I were in Greystone Falls and a guy had said such words to me, he wouldn’t have been able to use his mouth again. I'd have kicked him so hard that his ancestors would’ve felt it.But this wasn't Greystone Falls. It's Velmora. And Raven wasn’t just some ordinary boy like the ones back home that I've dealt with.So, despite how angry I was that Raven called me a little rat, I stayed behind Lucian, using him as a shield.I was praying so hard for him not to hand me back to both Raven and Thorne. If he does that, then my funeral will be happening in a few minutes."Give her to me. She needs to pay dearly for saying my name," Thorne sneere