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Oh no.

“It’s happening again. Dammit,” I choked, panic taking me.

My allure was leaking out everywhere.

It occurred when I was super hyped up and excitable—like now. Another reason why I didn’t let myself feel that often.

I just… I hadn’t wanted to tamper it down this time. I’d just wanted to be in the moment and revel for once.

But now there was this.

I saw Kai’s hand sparking with his magic. He was countering my allure on him, but then I saw him move to do the same to everyone else.

It would strain him far too much, and he couldn’t afford to do that with this class. He needed access to his full magical ability. He’d been looking forward to it for so long.

“Kai, don’t,” I told him. “I’ll… I’ll go. I’ll head outside, do some of my parkour out of the way of everyone.”

“No,”he told me. “You’re not living your life like that. You’ve spent too long removing yourself from situations and missing out.”

“He doesn’t have to,” a familiar voice sounded, just a moment before Kai and I were both stunned into inaction as Ariana burst from a cloud of teleportation, then swept both hands out in the very next moment, her magic sweeping through the room in a high arc.

Instantly, the weight bearing down on me fell away.

I drew in a steady, unencumbered breath.

And then everyone stopped in their tracks.

Those come-hither looks went away.

Their sexual need and intent broke.

They blinked several times, and then they went back to what they were doing like nothing had ever happened.

That last part didn’t happen normally.

People remembered, and then they were pissed at me for a long time afterward.

Ariana caught my eye and winked.

She must have added something to the spell.

A very minor memory wipe.

My gut twisted.

She hated violating free will, but she’d just basically done that now—all for me. Allbecauseof me.

I saw Kai register what had happened.

But all I was seeing from him was pride at what she’d done.

That she’d both protected me and used her power like a boss. She was much more comfortable with it after she’d gotten control during that implosion outside Solumira. It had shifted so much for her.

As she came over to us, I brushed past Kai, intending to leave.

“It’s all okay now,” she told me, there so quickly and stepping into my path. Or maybe I was moving so slowly in some sort of daze after what had just happened. “It will hold all class, so you don’t need to worry. You can just focus on the lesson.”

“I… I can’t. Not after what you had to do for me. I know how much it pains you to—”