Page 161 of Obsidian and Frost

The push and pull with Velra, until she’d then come to me and connected the way I’d wanted for so long.

My bloodlust getting the best of me when Immortal blood had overwhelmed my senses and I’d then fed on Cassius like a fucking maniac.

And over the last few days… Sylas. Him being… weird. Kind of withdrawn, I guess. I mean, he was still present, still hanging with us. But there was something off.

And through all that, I’d also been trying to juggle the intensity of classes being in full swing at Wraeven Academy.

With said classes, it had taken a while to get back here, to my work with Crossborn.

At the start of the year, Warlow had worked with the Academy to carve out time in our schedules and to arrange things with our professors, so we could come here and still participate.

This team meant a lot to the both of us, so being back here was no small thing.

I’d even spent the last few nights in preparation, going over the next stage of the implementation of the system that I’d come up with.

Hybrid Integration Curriculum Initiative (HICI).

It involved revamping Academy and Coven curriculums across the supernatural world to include specific hybrid-focused learning.

Unlike the project that Velra and Nyx had developed together, Crossborn Refuge System, which was a transitional sanctuary program for hybrid beings, it wasn’t a massive physical thing that people could see and identify. My system was unseen and integrated into the lifeblood of learning across the supernatural world.

Or it would be soon. Once it was fully implemented.

Unfortunately, change like that took time. Overhauling massive systems, especially the archaic ones of the Covens, was a huge deal.

After this meeting, Velra was headed out with Nyx to visit the third site of their CRS facilities that had been created now. Nyx had graduated from Maven Academy a while ago so he was working on that and with Crossborn fulltime, traveling the supernatural world and overseeing it all.

Applause rang out and Velra clapped her hand against mine to join in, making me smile, as Warlow announced that we had a dozen new members coming in, currently being fully and deeply vetted, wanting to join Crossborn.

Our team had been so small and contained until now, but we’d already made such great strides that it had not only drawn attention, but also given hybrids the courage to step forward like we had.

I looked over at Branok Vire, a Basilisk-Vampire hybrid who was a powerhouse in multicolored regal-like robes, his shock of white hair bound with pink cords. He was the one who’d been in charge of recruitment, and he’d clearly been doing a bang-up job. I gave him a thumbs-up and he winked at me.

We also had Seralyn Vale, a Light Fae-Dark Fae hybrid—talk about a complicated combination there for her. She’d been heading Public Perception and Relational Reformation to try to shift the perception and stereotypes associated with hybrid beings, and to basically kick the asses of the prejudiced. She sat in a poised, graceful kind of state and flipped her flowing black hair aside every now and then while she listened to Warlow.

And then there was Kael Dravon, a Djinn-Werewolf hybrid, who was a bold fucker like Nyx—his auburn hair spiked in a crazy-ass way, always wearing some sort of low-cut sheer shirt or tank and showing off his red and orange tattoos that swirled all over his body. He was rough around the edges with his attitude, but just beneath it he was a really nice guy.

“And that about wraps it up,” Warlow finished. He snatched up the document I’d handed him to further develop HICI, and looked out at me. “I’ll read over this and get back to you.” He gestured at how thick the document was and grinned. “Always happy to see this level of dedication to our work here. Well done.”

I gave him a chin lift, and as he stepped down from the Speaker’s Circle and people started filing out as he did, Velra squeezed my hand. I must have had a wide-eyed look on my face because she chuckled and told me, “Don’t look so surprised. You put a bitching level of effort into that proposal.”

“Abitching level,huh?”

She tickled under my chin, making me squirm.

“Aww, I love how ticklish you are,” she said, doing it again, then moving to my chest.

I pushed out of my seat. “Stop, woman. You’re driving me crazy.”

She rose to her feet too. “In a good way?”

I slid my hands down to her hips. “Even with the tickling, still in a good way, yes.” I beamed out at her. “Always in a phenomenal way, love.”

A throat cleared and I craned my neck to see Nyx standing there. “Sorry to break up this heartfelt scene, but we need to head out if we’re gonna cover everything before your evening class.”

“Fuck, yes, don’t miss that. It’sCombat and Power Synergywith Professor Drenn Voxe, the Dragon-Wolf hybrid. I already have him forInstinct & Invocation: Harnessing the Inner Beastand he’s the greatest. He really embraces both sides of himself and in a really positive and fun way. He’s not all about repression of the animal or our natural instincts, he’s fully about rolling with it. You’re gonna love him. And the class itself—we get to kick ass.”

Velra chuckled. “With you so excited, how could I dare to miss it, sweets?”