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I looked up as I hugged her to see that the boys were filing out, being so very considerate as to give us some time together.

For the first time ever, there wasn’t this awful weight between us bearing down on our connection, on our bond. Now the secret had been revealed, despite the less than ideal way in which it had come about, it felt a whole lot lighter in some respects.

For once, we could just be.

Here we were, not powerful beings who the world had tried to contain and control, not victims of circumstance.

And not strained with each other either.

Here we were just mother and daughter.

10

~Vorzyr~

I glanced down at my phone, looking over the text message exchange in the Group Chat the four of us had set up when we’d come back to Maven Academy yesterday afternoon. We’d only started sending texts in it this morning, though, when Ariana had taken her family up on an invitation to meet and talk out their issues regarding the massive secret they’d kept from her, wanting to make peace, to be with her.

She’d missed two classes because of it, but she’d be back for the afternoon ones, fortunately. And Kai was being his usual diligent self and taking notes for her.

One missed class wasWar Strategy and Supernatural Diplomacywith the Dark Fae, Professor Thalric Voss. I’d been in that class as well and, honestly, she hadn’t missed a lot. For her.I’dlearned quite a bit even with that one class, because the Dracoryn Realm was very dragon-centric, so those sorts of things when it came to the wider supernatural world weren’t actually taught. A subject like that was just geared to the politics surrounding the different Houses in the Realm. But here in this class at Maven Academy, it encompassed everything. But for Ariana, it was kind of moot. She already understood so muchwhere that was concerned. Hell, she’d grown up around that sort of thing.

The other class she’d missed had beenCombat and Power Suppressionwith Professor Veyna Morrigan. Her missing that was probably for the best with everything else going on.

I hadn’t been in that class. I had another course I had to complete for a semester before I was permitted to because of thecontrol issuesI’d been sent here for by my parents. So, instead, I’d had to endure a nightmareandan insult of a class inControlled Transformation and Shifter Regulation.It was taught by Professor Magnus Holloway, a werewolf. He was a judgmental shit and it really seemed like he hated his wolf nature and everything about the animal side of himself with the way he’d carried on in class. He hadn’t said one positive thing about animal nature during the entire class. It had all been geared toward harsh warnings of the downsides of it, the lack of control.

To say I hadn’t cared for it didn’t even begin to cover it.

It had gotten under my skin something fierce.

And that was why I was finding myself looking over our texts now. It was helping to calm me down.

Somewhat, because after I’d gotten out of class, I’d been looking forward to training with Kai on my Primal Celestial Resonance at his lab, but he’d been a no-show.

Kai Hunter had stood me up.

The day was not turning out well, to say the least.

Focus on the texts. Breathe.

A smile formed on my face when I looked at my nickname for Nyx when we were texting, something I’d thought of only recently, and just started to employ.

Luscious:Enjoy the time with your family this morning, Halo. Despite current issues, it’s a very valuable thing when you’re as close as your family is.

Goddess:We’ll sort things out. I hear you, cutie pie.

Luscious:You’re handling this really well.

Hell Lord:Understatement there.

Vorzyr:That’s our goddess in action.

Goddess:You’re going to make me blush and I’m approaching my family home.

Hell Lord:Going to. That sounds like a challenge.

Vorzyr:You just woke the beast. And sadly, I don’t mean me.

Luscious:Oh, damn.