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I turn my gaze back to the roof. Some were positively lethal, basically giants, and I was seriously worried about the roof caving in from their weight. The recruits freak out when a huge one takes flight, moving high in the air, and making Darius growl.
“Get a fucking grip on yourselves!” he booms at them. I laugh as he shakes his head, waving them off the field. I watch the huge phoenix fly around, circling the field.
The phoenix lands on the grass about a hundred meters away when I realize he has caught something. The shriek of whatever he caught makes my heart flutter in my chest, and I swallow as the phoenix rips it apart before tossing his head back and swallowing it.
“Marvelous creatures, but fuck, they’re savages,” Darius mutters. He tosses his arm across my shoulders when the siren blares, signaling the end of class.
“Come on, you should eat,” he says, steering me toward the castle doors. Ryze walks along my shoulder and onto Darius'. He tenses briefly before Ryze starts smacking his beak on Darius' head like he is trying to crack open a coconut. Darius grabs his beak.
“Don't push your luck, Ryze. I will stuff you like a damn turkey,” Darius warns him. Ryze caws but stops, instead playing with his hair.
“Where are Kalen and Lycus?”
“Classes,” Darius says, and I nod.
“Kalen is doing classes now?" I ask.
“No, he is just with Lycus. He doesn't teach, not anymore,” Darius answers.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because.” is all Darius answers. I head for the mess hall when Darius grabs my shoulder, steering me back toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” he asks, looking at me confused. I shake it off. I didn't think, I just headed where I usually went.
“I don't want you alone with them. You stay with one of us from now on, no exceptions,” Darius says, nudging me toward the stairs, and I don't hesitate to follow. That is fine by me if it means not being around the recruits.
We see Tobias in the corridor as we head back upstairs. He glances at us before turning back to whoever he was talking to. As we approach, his eyes go to Darius, some silent message passing between them.Whatever is going on between them has Tobias angry.
“Is everything alright?” I ask them. They look at each other before Darius walks off. I look at Tobias for an answer, but he shrugs, and I know I’m not going to get any answers.
* * *
Days pass, and one thing becomes clear as I step into the shower to get ready for class. Something is going on between Darius and Tobias. They are hiding something. Even Kalen and Lycus seem suspicious about whatever it is.
They barely speak, and when they do, the tone is never friendly, making me wonder what happened. I rinse my hair out, listening to them argue. Lycus opens the shower door, stepping into the shower behind me before turning me around. His fingers replace mine as he starts massaging my scalp, rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. Kalen shakes his head, washing himself as he glares at the bathroom door where Darius and Tobias are again at each other's throats.
“Man, I seriously can't take much more of their fighting,” Kalen mutters. I’ve noticed the darkness seeping back into Kalen over the last couple of days. I knew he was picking up on their energy, and it worries me to see his mind take him back to dark places.
“Leave it, Kalen. They will sort out whatever is going on,” Lycus tells him. I purse my lips hoping he is right. Darius has been sleeping in my old room for the last two days. I hate how my bond calls out to him, making me want to go to him, claim him. My mates must feel the same because Tobias is miserable. And now we are hardly getting any sleep with Kalen constantly getting up in the middle of the night searching for him. Each night we have had to try to lead Kalen back to bed.
Yet, they remain tight-lipped whenever Lycus, Kalen, or myself are around, speaking in riddles and having digs at each other. Well, it’s more Tobias who keeps provoking Darius. I sigh, pushing past Lycus and grabbing a towel, when I hear something shatter.
“Aleera, stay here,” Lycus growls, reaching for my hand, but I pull back.
“No, I am bloody sick of it,” I snap.
“Aleera, Lycus is right. Let them deal with it. You don't want to get between whatever is going on out there,” Kalen says. I sigh, chewing my lip, before hearing the door slam.
Kalen gets out, wraps a towel around his waist, and comes over to me. He grips my hips tugging me against him, and presses his lips to my forehead. I sigh, waiting a few minutes to ensure the fighting in the room has indeed stopped.
When I hear nothing, I open the door to find Darius glaring at the burning wood in the fireplace. He looks over at us as we walk out but says nothing. Kalen moves toward the closet while I make my way over to Darius, stopping in front of him. He reaches for me tugging me down on his lap. My towel pushes up my thighs as I straddle him, and he runs his hands up my legs to my ass.
His hand grips my ass hard, making me squirm, his eyes flickering. I can see Kalen watching us from the closet doorway as he changes, yet I don’t understand the troubled expression he wears.
ChapterSixteen
“What's going on?” I ask Darius. He looks up at me, nipping at my neck, making me shudder.
