Page 5 of Obsidian and Frost

He’d been sent here to train Ariana Martel, the only angel—True Celestial—ever birthed outside the Celestial Plane. When he’d discovered their true despicable intent behind that, that they’d wanted to take Ariana out and also gain a dangerous and controlling foothold over the supernatural world, he’d allied with her, her boyfriends, and her powerful family which consisted of other Fallen and leaders of the supernatural world.

That alliance had resulted in them managing to sever the connection between the Celestial Plane and our mortal world a couple of months later. Cassius had almost died fulfilling his part of that Severance spell. I’d felt him through our Soul Brand bond and assisted just in time to save him.

But not before the Celestial Plane had punished him by making him a Fallen—or an Immortal as was the more common term.

Since that day, about three months ago, I hadn’t seen or heard from him.

Not once.

And that’s okay.

Itwasokay.

Honestly, it had to be.

Especially today.

I was starting out on a new path.

One that would change everything—in the best ways imaginable.

Not more hiding for me.

No more running fromPuritasor my family who loathed what I’d been made into through those Chimera Circle experiments. Those despicable magical scientists were gone now, too. The supernatural governing body, the Guardian Movement, had shut them down once and for all. No more forcibly turning supernatural beings into hybrids, like they’d done to me. I’d once only been Dark Fae, hailing from a prominent family of the Royal Fae Court, but those sick bastards had made me part Wraith as well. Their kidnapping had turned into torture and torment, forever altering my genetic and supernatural makeupandcausing my family to disown me for no longer being apureDark Fae being.

It had altered everything.

And until a few months ago, I’d been living my life in hiding from my parents and my brother, especially, due to his ties toPuritas.

Then I’d been offered a role by Warlow Boyd in a hybrid-only team, Crossborn, that existed to assist others like me and improve their lives.

The decision to come out of hiding to see to that had shifted a lot for me.

And today would be a step even further in that direction.

It was to be my first day at Wraeven Academy.

There were many academies across the supernatural world, but this one seemed truly perfect for me. It was geared towarddarker beings, the curriculum, its policies, and even the housing arrangements reflecting that.

Home to the feared, the hunted, and the deadly.

That was its kind of tongue-in-cheek motto.

And I loved it.

It was going to be perfect.

Smiling to myself and managing to shake off the emotional remnants of that nightmare as I focused on Wraeven, I finished in the shower and stepped out.

Then I dried and dressed myself with my magic, even putting on my deep, smoky eye makeup and my black lipstick in the same burst of power.

I walked to the mirror and checked my appearance.

I’d chosen my go-to outfit, which functioned like a security blanket, I figured.

My sleek black corset with the faux silver charms over my lower stomach that were shaped like broken chains. I’d actually made them—one of my hobbies and another grounding strategy that I used when the trauma rose up and got too much in the moment. The corset gave way to a pair of black leather pants that were tucked into combat boots.

Yeah, I was good to go.