All Chapters of Welcome to Aetherborn: Crushes, Curses & Creatures: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

154 Chapters

10: Lessons, Learning & Loving

By the time Seraphine made it to the practice grounds, her nerves were buzzing like static under her skin. The open-air training arena stretched out like a stone coliseum, ringed with banners of the Four Houses fluttering in the wind. Students like her gathered in uneven lines, whispering excitedly. The words from breakfast wouldn’t leave her head. “One of the Four will be teaching us today.” Her stomach twisted. She kept her gaze down, determined not to get swept into the same giddy anticipation radiating off everyone else. A group of girls nearby was practically vibrating, brushing their hair and re-tying their ribbons as if preparing for a royal audience. Sera sighed. If it’s just another pretty boy, fine. I’ll keep my head down and survive this. A sudden hush rippled through the arena. The air shifted charged, expectant. The gates at the far end opened. A tall man entered first, robes trimmed in silver, his aura calm but commanding. His presence alone made the crowd

11: Boy, Bite and Bloody

The world tilted around Seraphine. She could barely process the gasps, the scraping of chairs, the students shouting. All she felt was the burn, Alaric’s mouth at her skin, his fangs deep, each pull sending heat and weakness flooding through her. Her hands pressed against his shoulder, pushing, but it was like shoving stone. He wasn’t hearing her. He wasn’t hearing anything. “Alaric Vortemont!” The voice cracked like thunder through the hall. Magister Caelum’s magic slammed into the air, a storm of pressure that shoved students back in their seats and tore Alaric away from her with invisible force. Sera hit the floor again with a gasp, clutching her leg. Blood smeared her calf, bright against the pale stone. She looked up in a daze just in time to see Alaric stagger backward, chest heaving, lips wet with crimson. His eyes were black fire. And then realization crashed into them. “No…” His voice was raw, horrified. He lifted his hand and stared at the smear of her blood

12: Diva, Dream, and Darkness

The news traveled faster than wildfire. By the time the moon rose above the spires of Aetherborn, the Four had already heard. Kade leaned against the shadowed railing of the training tower, claws flexing as the gossiping students below chattered. His golden eyes narrowed, sharp with both suspicion and envy. “Alaric lost control,” he muttered, voice rough as gravel. “He never loses control.” The growl in his throat betrayed more than anger. It was jealousy, too. Lucien laughed, though the sound carried no warmth. He lounged across the balcony rail, one hand propping up his head as his crimson eyes glimmered with mischief. “Oh, don’t look so grim, wolf-boy. If even the ice prince can slip, then maybe the little dove is more dangerous than she looks.” His grin sharpened, thin as a blade. “Or more tempting.” Damien said nothing at first. He stood apart, his gaze fixed on the horizon where storm clouds gathered unnaturally fast, drawn as if by the rhythm of his unsettled heart.

13: Seraphine, Second Skin & Silver Sparks

Seraphine woke with a scream. The infirmary was empty, save for the faint glow of moonlight through stained glass. Sweat clung to her skin, and the sheets were tangled, scorched at the edges. Her hands trembled. Silver sparks danced between her fingertips, fading quickly but not quickly enough. She pressed her palms into the mattress, forcing the glow down, down, until it vanished. Her heartbeat thundered. The dream had felt too real. The shadows, the crimson-eyed intruder, the fire that had burst from within her… Her breath caught. She remembered him. The smile is like a blade. The way he recoiled when she touched him. “Lucien,” she whispered, the name slipping unbidden from her lips. The door creaked. A healer peeked in, startled. “Seraphine? You’re awake…” Seraphine raised her head, her silver eyes gleaming faintly in the dark. “Yes,” she said, though her voice trembled. “I’m awake.” The healer stepped fully into the room, a middle-aged fae woman with hair l

14: Lucien, Liability and Lost girl

The door shut with a dull click, leaving Seraphine in the hush of the infirmary. For a long moment, she didn’t move. The sheets were cool under her palms, but her skin still buzzed with heat. “I won’t blame you,” she whispered to the empty room, as if saying it aloud might make it truer. Her throat tightened. She had meant every word, but now that Alaric was gone, the enormity of what she’d asked settled like a stone in her stomach. She’d invited a predator closer, a vampire who had nearly drained her without restraint. And yet… he wasn’t the one haunting her most. Her breath hitched as her mind returned to the dream. Lucien. The smile like a blade, the voice that coiled into her bones. He hadn’t just appeared there, he had entered her, crossed the veil of sleep as if her mind was his playground. But then… something had happened. Her body shivered at the memory of silver fire bursting from her hand, of words she didn’t recognize spilling from her lips. She had thrown him

15: Shadows, Sinking, and Suffocating

Seraphine hadn’t slept again after the nightmare. By dawn, the silver glow under her skin had finally faded, but the memory of it clung like smoke. She kept her curtains drawn tight, willing the day to pass her by. A knock shattered that hope. “Seraphine?” Lyra’s voice, soft but urgent. Before Sera could answer, the door creaked open and Lyra slipped in, followed by Mina with her braids swinging and Caleb trying and failing To carry a tray of tea without spilling it. “You’re alive!” Mina blurted, then flushed. “I mean…obviously you are, but God, do you have any idea how worried we were?” Lyra perched on the edge of the bed, eyes shining with relief. “The entire school is buzzing. They said you were injured in class… and then…” she hesitated, lowering her voice, “…they said Alaric Vortemont bit you.” Caleb set the tray down with a clatter. “Not they said. Everyone’s saying it. Hallways, dining hall, and even the dueling grounds. You’re all anyone talks about right now.”

16: Flowers, fairness & Forgetting Everything

The four of them wandered deeper into the Moonveil Garden, the silvery glow washing over their faces. The air smelled faintly of night-blooming jasmine, sweet and calming. Caleb flopped dramatically onto the grass, arms spread wide. “This is it. This is where I’ll live now. Forget the dorms, forget the academy. Just bury me in flowers and let the garden take me.” Lyra snorted, tugging at his sleeve. “Don’t tempt it. Some of these flowers eat bugs the size of your head. You’d last about a day.” Sera laughed, the sound surprising even herself. It had been days, no, weeks since laughter felt natural. Mina sank onto a low stone bench, shadows flickering lazily around her ankles. “You two are ridiculous. This is supposed to be peaceful.” “Peaceful can be ridiculous,” Caleb said, plucking one of the glowing blossoms and tucking it behind Sera’s ear. “There. Now you look like a fairy queen.” Heat rose to Sera’s cheeks, but Lyra only leaned in with a mischievous grin. “Queen Serap

17: Sorry, Sadness, and Sorrows

Seraphine stumbled back from the jeweled bloom, heart pounding, then spun on her heel and rushed toward the fountain where her friends were still chatting. “Mina, Lyra, Caleb…” Her voice cracked. “Something… something just happened. The flower, it spoke to me.” All three turned sharply, faces stiff with shock. For a moment, silence hung in the garden. Then Caleb snorted. Lyra clapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking. And before Sera could even process it, both of them burst into laughter. Her stomach dropped. “What…what are you doing?” Lyra waved her hands quickly, still half-laughing. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, it’s just, we thought you’d find it funny.” “Funny?” Sera’s voice rose, sharp and trembling. Lyra winced. “It was a prank, Sera. That’s all. I… I used my illusion magic to make the flower talk.” She lifted her palms as though in surrender. “We didn’t mean to scare you.” The world tilted under Sera’s feet. “A prank?” Her striking blue eyes burned, tears th

18: Mate, Monster, & The Messiah

Kade leaned against the stone balustrade of the East Tower, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the storm-washed horizon. The night air smelled of iron and pine, sharp enough to sting. “You heard him,” Kade muttered, his voice a low growl. “Lucien called her Messiah. And then he shut his damned mouth like he’d sworn an oath.” Damien stood beside him, the faint glimmer of firelight flickering in his irises. His jaw was tight, fists clenched at his sides. “I did. And I don’t like it.” For a long moment, neither spoke. The wind howled through the spires of Aetherborn, carrying with it the weight of unspoken thoughts. Kade finally turned, eyes narrowing. “When I first saw her, I hated her. I wanted her gone. Weak. Fragile. Too human.” He spat the last word like it was poison. Damien gave a humorless chuckle, though there was no warmth in it. “You weren’t the only one. I thought she’d burn out before she even took her first class. A spark too thin to survive here.” His fingers curled, flames

19: Accusation, Assumption, & alignment

The nine-tailed fox shrieked, a sound like claws dragging over glass and thunder splitting open at once. Its tails whipped forward, striking with enough force to split mountains. Kade was already moving. His wolf form blurred across the ground, faster than her eyes could follow, golden fur glowing faintly in the dim light. He darted between crashing tails, weaving in and out with savage precision. When a tail slammed down, he leapt, his claws flashing like blades as he tore at the beast’s flank. Blood, dark and shimmering like oil spilled, hissing as it touched the earth. The fox retaliated instantly, three tails swinging to crush him. The ground shattered, craters forming with every blow. Kade was fast, but even he was caught, one tail clipped him and hurled him across the clearing like a rag doll. He struck stone with a sickening crack, dust and debris exploding around his massive body. “KADE!” Sera cried, voice breaking, silver sparks spraying helplessly from her trembling fi

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