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“You are too valuable to send out into the fight,” I explained, softening my tone. “And your engineering projects are doing a lot more for our cause than you probably realize. Trust me, you’re supporting the military just by staying here and giving them any technological advantage possible.”

“I guess I get nostalgic about the days when me, you, and Jade were the shifter army,” he said, half-grinning.

The mention of Jade brought on another wave of sadness. She’d been our friend back in the old school—a naga. We’d studied together for years, being the same age and going through the same classes. We’d even graduated at the same time. But Jade had been killed in one of our fights against the vampires. Hadrian had taken her tail as a trophy.

“Back then, we were the only ones willing to fight,” I said. “And now, we’ve been able to train numerous others to continue what we started.”

“I’m not eighteen anymore, either,” Kai added. “As much as I hate admitting it, being stuck behind a lab table for seven years has made me pudgy and slow.”

I chuckled. “That makes one of us.”

Kai shot me a glare, making me laugh even harder.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “The end of Hadrian is near. I can feel it. Stay here and invent. We need you. Soon, none of us will be needed on the front lines ever again, and I can grow old and fat with you.”

My smart watch chimed, alerting me that a meeting was about to start.

“I’ve got an appointment with Arya Walker. She’s probably at my classroom door waiting for me.”

Kai’s dark eyes grew wide. “TheArya?”

I nodded, then turned around and headed for the nearby door that led to the hallway of classrooms.

“Do you still believe?” Kai called after me.

“Yes,” I replied without turning around. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I swept through the large entryway, my shoes tapping the smooth flooring. Following the curve of The Dome, I stepped past the first four classrooms. Sure enough, I found Arya leaning against the closed door. She was busy chatting away with another student—Ashlyn Summers, one of the phoenix shifters and daughter of Ignacius Summers, one of the school’s greatest protectors.

“Sorry I’m late, Miss Walker,” I said, interrupting their quiet conversation. “I was tied up talking with another teacher.”

Ashlyn gave me a smile, then winked at Arya. “I’ll see you in class.”

Arya nodded and waved, stepping away from the door. “See you later.”

Tapping my watch, I opened the door to my classroom.

“Thank you for coming, Arya,” I said. “I’m glad to see you’ve been able to make some friends here at the school.”

We stepped inside, triggering the sensor that turned the lights on.

“Ashlyn is great,” she replied. “And it hasn’t been easy, but I’ve managed to make a few other friends.”

I nodded as I sat down in the chair behind my desk. I powered on the tablet built into my desk and gestured at the chairs in front of me. “Please, have a seat.”

Arya pulled one of the chairs out from under the desk and sat down quickly.

“Who else have you made friends with here at the school?”

She shrugged, looking down at her lap. “Not too many others, really. The only mer who is willing to be friends with me so far has been Kendall. The other mer students have kept their distance from me, except for the ones who seem to especially hate me.”

I frowned. I hadn’t expected the ostracism that was happening, and I really didn’t know what I could do about it. Turns out, whether human or shifter, teens could still be assholes to each other.

“I’m sorry you’re struggling with the other mers here. I wish we’d found you sooner. It would have helped in a lot of ways. But then again, your experiences growing up with humans have made you the person you are today. Had you come earlier, you might not be the young lady you’ve become.”

I hoped the words would give her some food for thought.

“Have you made any other friends with students outside of the mer?”