Page 15 of Academy of the Wicked, Year Three (The Paranormal Elites of Wicked Academy #3)

"Solitude... and love will never find you. Your greed and hate will be your end, and my kind will never accept you."

The Fae leans closer, voice dropping to whisper that carries more force than any shout.

"Without the chalice, your destiny is irreversible. The hate in your heart will come to light, and the same siblings destined to love you despite your flaws will be your end before you can try and taste the power of ruling."

They turn away then, dismissal complete.

The girl stands alone in darkness that no longer feels beautiful, surrounded by butterflies whose light seems to mock rather than decorate.

The vision shatters.

I blink, disoriented by the sudden transition. No longer observer but participant. No longer memory but present.

I stand beside Cassius, my hand small in his, my form that of the six-year-old I've become in this space between spaces.

I look up at him, seeing understanding dawn in those silver eyes.

"She was the outcast from the beginning," he whispers, voice carefully neutral, "by a being of Fae who didn't have the mercy to ease the truth to her."

I nod slowly, processing what I've witnessed.

Elena.

The third girl.

The one given no destiny but failure, no future but betrayal.

But questions remain.

How did that broken child become the sister who tried to destroy me?

What happened between that moment of cruel prophecy and the life I remember—what little of it remains clear?

I squeeze his hand, lower lip extending in a pout that feels natural on this child-face.

"I don't remember what happens after."

He nods slowly, considering. "Maybe as we get closer to the Academy, you'll remember little by little?"

I nod, but my shoulders sink with the weight of new understanding.

The hatred for Fae that burns in my blood—is it even mine?

Or is it Elena's rage, inherited along with everything else she tried to steal?

The realm's violence toward Nikki suddenly makes terrible sense.

Not personal vendetta but ancestral fury, responding to the very presence of those who cursed us before we could walk.

I don't realize Cassius has knelt until his hands gently force my chin up. His face fills my vision, silver eyes serious but kind.

"It's not your fault for how you've reacted," he says, and the certainty in his voice makes something tight in my chest loosen.

"Now I understand why the realm is harsh on Nikki.

Maybe there's further explanation, but for now, we have to focus on unlocking the truth that can help get the final key. "

His expression shifts slightly, reminding without pushing.

"You're the final guardian, remember?"

I pout, understanding but not liking it. When he tilts his head in question, I look away and admit what truly frightens me.

"I'm scared."

The admission feels huge in this small body. Scary feels too simple a word for the complexity of emotion, but it's what my child-voice can manage.

He nods slowly, no dismissal or platitude.

Just acknowledgment.

"It's scary doing everything alone, isn't it?"

I nod again, and suddenly his arms are around me, lifting me with easy strength. I'm small enough that he can hold me like the child I appear to be, and something about that makes me feel safer than any show of power could.

"I understand," he says against my hair. "My realm is scary too when you have a lot of responsibility. But you have to remember—you're not alone."

He pulls back enough to meet my eyes.

"You have me."

I study his face, my small hands coming up to press against his cheeks. The skin is cool beneath my palms, familiar even in this strange form.

"But... you'll leave." The words emerge small, broken by certainty built from too many examples. "Everyone leaves me."

His smile transforms his face. Not the calculated expressions I'm used to, not the careful control of a Duskwalker prince. This is genuine in a way that makes my eyes widen with wonder.

"You're mine, Little Mouse." His voice carries absolute certainty and power. "That bond mark is a reminder of that. I won't leave you. Even if it means facing death."

I frown, reality intruding on the comfort of his words.

"But the others aren't here."

"They're somewhere," he assures me, his voice calmer now. "They won't leave you either."

He pauses, mischief entering his expression.

"Even Nikki," he adds with a wink.

I pout in annoyance at the teasing, which draws a chuckle from him.

His shadow tendrils come alive, ruffling my hair with gentle touches, poking at my cheeks until giggles escape despite my attempt at maintaining grumpiness.

The laughter fades as he leans close, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. The gesture is protective, paternal in a way that makes me wonder if this is what having a father should feel like.

It’s an odd thought, but then it also makes me think Cassius would be a good father one day…

Would we have children?

Beings of darkness who will have their futures read and determined before fate can settle it in stone?

"Trust us to get you to the gate," he says softly. "If we're worthy... then you can reward us with the final key. What do you say?"

I consider the offer, this bargain between guardian and guardians.

Trust for keys.

Faith for freedom.

"There they are!"

The voice breaks through our moment. I turn to see them approaching through the strange landscape—Atticus moving with vampire grace despite obvious exhaustion, Zeke's cat-eyes tracking everything, Mortimer scholarly even in crisis, and Nikki...

Nikki who looks at me without fear despite what my realm has done to her.

I look back at Cassius, his earlier words proven true.

They came. Despite everything, they found us.

"See?" he says gently. "Think you can trust us a bit longer?"

I nod slowly, but trust needs more than words.

I lift my hand, smallest finger extended in the universal gesture of childhood promises.

"Promise," I whisper, the single word carrying weight of the goal, the bargain, the hope that maybe this time will be different.

Cassius adjusts his hold, freeing one hand to meet mine.

His pinky seems enormous next to mine, but the connection is perfect.

"Promise, Little Mouse."

Our fingers close around each other, sealing something more binding than any magical contract.

I huff with childish indignation, needing to assert some control in this situation.

"I'm a big mouse! I'm six and a half!"

The half is important. Every fraction counts when you're small.

His smirk is perfectly Cassius—controlled amusement that manages to be both irritating and endearing.

"Whatever you say."

The others have nearly reached us now. I can see Atticus's expression shifting from relief to confusion as he processes my child-form. Can see Mortimer's scholarly mind already cataloging questions. Can see Zeke's quiet acceptance of yet another impossibility.

Can see Nikki, looking at me with something like understanding. As if she, too, knows what it means to be judged before you could defend yourself. To be condemned by prophecy and circumstance rather than action.

Just looking at them makes me briefly recall memories that don’t feel like mine — more so my brothers. The brief interaction with them, leading them…here.It’s odd and confusing.

To be one person but then be separate as well?

Maybe that's why Gabriel— my brother I didn't know I had —showed her kindness.

Broken recognizes broken, even across the divide of ancestral hatred.

"Little Mouse?" Atticus's voice carries disbelief as he stops a few feet away, clearly overhearing our conversation with that supernatural hearing that most vampires have. "Is that...?"

"It's me," I confirm, voice piping high with childhood's pitch. "Just...smaller. I think?"

"And significantly more adorable," Zeke observes with characteristic calm. "Though the fire crown is new."

Fire crown? I reach up, feeling warmth above my head.

Sure enough, the element of power that was in the haunting fairytale of what must be our childhood has now come into physical fruition.

The mark of my heritage remains.

"We need to reach the Academy," Mortimer says, ever practical. "The final key?—"

"She knows," Cassius interrupts gently. "We've made a deal."

Atticus's eyes narrow slightly.

"What kind of deal?"

I straighten in Cassius's arms, trying for authority despite my diminutive size.

"If you're worthy, you get the key. If not..." I trail off, not actually sure what happens if they're not worthy.

Do I remain guardian forever? Does the realm reset? Does everyone die?

"We'll be worthy," Nikki says quietly. The certainty in her voice surprises me. "We have to be."

It feels odd for her to be confident, but I feel the need to give her a chance.

All of them a chance…

Looking at them— these people who've chased me through realms and transformations, who've faced death and worse for someone who might be the villain of this story —I find myself hoping she's right.

The path to the Academy stretches before us, painted in shadows and possibilities.

I'm still scared. Still uncertain.

Still carrying memories that might not even be mine and hatred that definitely isn't.

But I'm not alone.

For now, that will have to be enough as we walk into the depths of this plague of wickedness…

That all started with Elena.