Chapter 3

Silas walks up to me, frowning the same way he used to when I got in trouble as a kid.

He grabs my arm.

"Alright. I know you're mad at me."

"But a bond is for life. It's not a toy to use when you're throwing a tantrum."

He looks at Kaelen, contempt written all over his face.

"He comes from the Feral Orphanage. His bloodline is filth. He hasn't passed a single combat evaluation in three years."

"What is he going to protect you with?"

Kaelen's body stiffens for a heartbeat.

The next moment, a cold black serpent's tail slips quietly around my ankle.

I pause.

Because of my mind gift, I can feel the emotions of anyone near me.

This little snake is something else.

Under the pressure of the strongest shifter in the room, he doesn't flinch. He stands perfectly straight.

Which means he isn't afraid of Silas at all.

But the tail around my ankle tells me the truth.

He is scared.

Scared I'll give him up.

I can't help it—I smile. I look up at Silas.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"I'm an adult."

"I know what I'm doing."

Silas's frown deepens.

"Ellie! You've been spoiled at home your whole life. You have no idea how dangerous the world is."

"The Dark Surge is coming. Your bonded mate decides whether you live or die."

"Once you calm down, you'll see my choice was the right one."

He has always been like this.

Deciding who I can be friends with, deciding what's dangerous for me, even deciding what my life should look like.

I used to listen to Silas because I trusted him.

Not because I had no mind of my own.

I shake his hand off, hard.

"I get to decide if he is right for me."

The tail around my ankle gives an excited little quiver.

It tickles. I hook my pinky around Kaelen's. "Stop it."

Silas's face darkens. He steps forward to grab me again.

But Kaelen moves first. His expression snaps into something else entirely, blocking me from Silas. His blood-red slit pupils glare at the White Tiger.

"Don't touch her."

Silas's fur bristles down his arms.

"You've got a death wish."

Before they can tear into each other, Seraphina steps between them.

"Silas. Let it go."

She turns to me.

"Elara. I hope you don't come to regret this."

Silas opens his mouth to say more, but the mentors keeping order finally pull him back.

I lead Kaelen up to the Head Mentor.

"Please register us."

Silver bond marks flow into the spellbook.

A cold voice rings out from the spellbook.

"Human, Elara. Serpent shifter, Kaelen. Bond confirmed."

"Cleared for graduation."

Kaelen stares at the spellbook, dazed.

He doesn't move until the mentor prompts him. Then he follows me out.

We walk down an empty hallway. He suddenly stops.

The tail around my ankle slides away, fast.

"I'm sorry."

He drops his head, like he has done something wrong.

"I was just scared you'd give me up. I didn't mean to hold on to you like that."

I look at his pale, beautiful face.

"Relax. I chose you. I won't just throw you away."

Kaelen lifts his eyes.

The unease in those red slit pupils slowly fades.

He bends down and looks up at me like he has nowhere else in the world to go.

"Then… My mate."

"The dorms close tonight."

His cool, smooth tail traces along my wrist, moving in a slow, teasing stroke.

"I have nowhere to go."

"Can you take me home?"

$#{ 4| Take Me Home}$#

For some reason, my heart beats a little faster.

"O—okay."

I turn away in a hurry, and miss the dangerous little smile at the corner of Kaelen's mouth.

After I started at the Academy, my parents bought me a small house nearby.

Kaelen follows me home.

The moment we step inside, he follows me like a shadow.

I pull out a fresh set of sheets.

"The guest room is next door. You'll sleep there tonight."

Kaelen doesn't take them.

His eyes drop, and his tail winds slowly up my calf.

"Snakes have low body temperature."

"Sleeping alone… it gets cold."

I raise a brow.

Snakes are cold-blooded. Since when do they get cold?

I look at him.

Kaelen is pale and pretty, black hair falling loose around his neck, his slit pupils wide and shiny as he looks up at me.

He is a snake, but he is better at puppy eyes than any puppy.

"Then how did you sleep in the Academy dorms before?"

"I just dealt with it."

He leans down, his cool breath brushing my ear.

"But now I have a mate."

"Do I still have to just deal with it?"

The tail slides higher.

My ears burn. I push his forehead back.

"Cut it out."

Kaelen blinks, all innocence, and flips it back on me:

"Elara, you're being mean to me."

The tail winds tighter.

I never would have guessed the quietest snake in the Academy is this shameless behind closed doors.

If he stays any longer, I might lose control. I shove him into the guest room, fast.

In the middle of the night, I jolt awake.

A strong wave of fear comes through the bond.

I run into the guest room and find Kaelen curled up on the bed, black hair soaked with cold sweat, mumbling over and over:

"Don't hit me…"

"I'll be good."

"Don't send me away…"

My chest aches. I take his hand and pour my calming gift into him.

The next instant, I fall into a pitch-black lake.

At the bottom coils a massive shadow I can't fully make out.

Its power is cold and vast, roaring beneath the surface.

Before I can get closer, the shadow shifts.

His whole inner world shakes.

My eyes snap open.

Kaelen is awake too.

Instinctively, he yanks me into his arms, his tail locking tight around my waist.

"Elara, don't go."

His voice is still shaking.

I pat his back gently.

"I'm not going."

"I won't leave you."

Kaelen buries his face in the crook of my neck. His cold lips brush my skin, barely there.

"Then stay with me tonight."

"Just one night."

Feeling the fear still trembling inside him, I stay.

When I wake up the next morning, I'm wrapped up tight in his arms.

Right then, the doorbell rings.

I open the door. Silas is standing outside.

His eyes slide past me and land on Kaelen, whose shirt is hanging loose around his collar.

The tail is still curled around my waist.

Silas's face darkens.

"You two slept together last night?"

Before I can answer, Kaelen hugs me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Elara felt sorry for me. She didn't want me to be cold."

A vein jumps at Silas's temple.

He shoves an Academy notice into my hand.

"To prepare for the Dark Surge, every graduate has to complete a full year of combat training."

Then he turns his cold gaze on Kaelen.

"Accidents happen on the training grounds."

"If one of a bonded pair dies, the bond breaks."

Silas looks back at me, dead certain.

"Ellie, I'll set you free."

I push Kaelen behind me. My voice goes flat.

"Silas."

"Lay one finger on him. I dare you."