Page 31 of Vayn

No descendant wanted to bond with a dud. I could understand why. They feared their children would become duds also. So, though Jasied was sexy as fuck and nice to me, I knew better than to want anything more from him than a casual conversation between classes.

"Great game last night, huh?" Jasied asked, trying to engage me in conversation.

Though I didn't look their way, I could hear Rage and Dread growling softly at his presence, their protective instincts heightened.

"Yeah, it was really exciting," I answered, even though I hadn't been there. I'd only heard about it from other students. I wasn't much of a sports enthusiast. In the human realm, I went to Super Bowl parties just for the food and liquor.

"Maybe you could come to the next one," he suggested, his smile never faltering. "I promise it'll be a lot of fun."

That promise only made my shadows growl louder.

"I'll think about it," I replied, trying to ease the tension in the air. I knew my guardians wouldn't approve, but I also didn't want to seem rude.

"Alright," he conceded, still grinning as he straightened up and started to walk away. "Have a good day, Destiny."

"You too," I murmured, watching him walk away.

"Focus on your class, Destiny," Rage's gruff voice whispered in my ear, snapping me back to reality. I nodded, refocusing on the lecture at hand.

As the lecture droned on, my thoughts wandered back to Jasied and his previous attempts to get me to hang out. Maybe I should've just had a wild one-night stand with him. Then, I wouldn't be so sexually frustrated and ready to jump my shadows.

"Are you thinking about your lecture or that jock with the weird face?" Dread whispered, his voice a low, throaty rumble that resonated deep within me.

"My lecture," I lied, loving how jealous they were.

Jasied walked past me again, leaving the class to go to the bathroom. My shadows watched his every step. When he returned, he strode past my desk again, flashing me another warm smile as he moved to take his seat. In an instant, almost too quickly for me to register, Rage's leg shot out, catching Jasied's ankle and sending him sprawling forward. Damn it, Rage!

"Wha—?" Jasied gasped, but his instincts kicked in, and he caught himself in a pushup position just before his face could slam into the ground. The entire room erupted in laughter, amused by his unexpected acrobatics.

"Nice save!" someone called out.

Jasied grinned, turning the moment into a playful act as he did a few pushups, then pushed himself back up onto his feet.

"What can I say? I love working out," he quipped, shooting me a wink before taking his seat amidst the ongoing laughter.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I cast a glance at Rage, who smirked triumphantly. I couldn't deny that a small part of me was pleased by his protective display, but it also left me with a twinge of guilt for causing such a scene. At least no one knew I was involved because cancel culture was as real here as it was in the human realm.

"Was that really necessary?" I thought, suppressing the urge to chastise him further.

"Can't have anyone getting too close to you, now, can we?" Rage replied.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because you're our..." Rage started, only to have Vayn speak over him from the back of the room.

"Because it's our duty to watch over our charge," Vayn growled. "Now focus on the lesson and stop flirting with every male you see."

"I didn't flirt..."

"Focus," Vayn growled.

Pouting, I looked to the shadows for help.

Charm pointed at the book. "Focus, Beautiful."

Rage and Dread were still glaring at Jasied, even though he was already in his seat. And Bliss was no longer massaging my shoulders. Instead, he gently turned my face back forward whenever I tried to look behind me to make sure Jasied was okay. This just went from being an interesting lecture due to my shadows to a prison sentence due to my shadows. Damn.

I ignored them for the rest of the lecture, suddenly finding the professor extremely interesting. And though they made their displeasure at being ignored known by growling, I didn’t care. When had I flirted? I’d purposely not flirted so that I wouldn’t irritate them. They were the only ones I wanted to flirt with these days, with their crazy asses.