-Finn-
I feel Alexia's emotions settle through the bond, a soft ripple of calm. She laughs at something Jasper and Kaia were arguing about, and gods, I love that laugh. It's been nothing but a whirlwind for her lately, and I'm glad we're here to help her through it all. The council's appearance had rattled all of us, even if we wouldn't admit it, and knowing they were still on campus, watching, made it worse.
Kaia jabs a finger at Jasper from where she stands near the desk. "You can't bribe the dining hall workers for extra pastries."
"It's not bribery, it's appreciation," Jasper replies, sprawled across the floor, propping himself on his elbows with a smirk. "Besides, they like me."
Kaia snorts. "They like your tips."
Alexia giggles beside me, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hide it behind her mug. The sound loosens something in my chest, and I let my arm rest along the back of her shoulders, pulling her gently closer.
"Cards?" Jasper says suddenly, sitting up and pulling a battered deck from his pocket. "We need something to distract us before Kaia decides to organize the sock drawer for fun."
Kaia rolls her eyes but drops onto the floor, crossing her legs. "Deal me in, but I'm watching your hands."
"I don't cheat," Jasper protests, but his grin said otherwise.
Soren finally steps away from the window, dragging Kaia's desk chair over to the circle and sitting with quiet ease, his eyes still flicking occasionally toward the window and the courtyard beyond. The black-robed council enforcers are still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting and watching. We all knew the tension hasn't lifted.
They start playing, laughter and playful insults filling the room as Jasper accused Kaia of cheating, Kaia threatens to hex him if he even tried, and Soren shakes his head, muttering about "children."
Alexia watches them with a small, amused smile, her laughter joining theirs, the bond pulsing with warm light each time she leans against me. For a moment, it almost felt normal, the world outside forgotten.
But then I feel her fingers tighten on her mug, her shoulders stiffening as the laughter fades from her eyes, even as she tried to keep smiling.
"Hey…" Her voice was soft, hesitant. "I…um.."
I turn to her, brushing my thumb along her shoulder. "What's wrong, love?"
The others pause, Kaia lowering her cards, Jasper's smirk slipping, and Soren's gaze lifting to her.
Alexia swallows, staring down at the swirl of tea in her mug. "When I… blacked out. After the courtyard… I had a dream."
Kaia tilts her head, concern in her eyes. "What kind of dream?"
Alexia's lips press together before she forced out the words. "There was a man. I couldn't see his face, but… his eyes." She shivers, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "They were glowing blue. He told me… he told me he was coming."
Silence falls, the warmth in the room fading into something cold and heavy. Even Jasper's playful grin was gone as he looks at her.
"A man with glowing blue eyes," Kaia repeats quietly.
Alexia nods. "It didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt… real. Heavy."
The bond between us trembles with her fear, and I press closer, letting my warmth flow through it, steady and calm. "Dreams can't hurt you, love," I say softly.
"I know," she whispers, but her voice cracked, her eyes still distant.
Soren's jaw tightens, and his eyes darken, a thoughtful, calculating look flickering across his features before he schools it away. He taps a single finger on the edge of the desk, lips pressed in a thin line, like he was putting something together in his head but wasn't ready to say it aloud.
Kaia's eyes narrows, watching Soren before turning back to Alexia. "Whoever that creep was, if he thinks he can just show up and threaten you, he's got another thing coming."
Jasper forces a grin, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, let him try. We'll kick his shadowy ass."
Alexia lest out a small, shaky laugh, pressing her forehead against my shoulder as the bond warms again, the fear loosening its hold for just a moment.
I rest my chin on her hair, holding her close, letting her know she wasn't alone, that she wouldn't ever be alone.
Soren finally speaks, his voice calm but edged. "Let us know if you see him again. Or if you feel anything like that dream trying to come back."
Alexia lifts her head, nodding slowly, her eyes glancing between all of us. "Okay. Thank you."
"Always," I say softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear.
Kaia claps her hands once, forcing brightness back into her voice. "Alright, enough doom talk. It's my turn to destroy Jasper."
"You wish," Jasper retorts, swiping the deck from Soren and shuffling with a flourish that made Kaia roll her eyes.
As the game resumes, the room fills again with laughter and playful threats, pushing back the lingering shadows, if only for now. Alexia stayed curled against me, her fingers brushing against mine, her smile small but real as she watches her family bicker and cheat their way through cards. And I swear, quietly, that whatever that man in her dreams was, whatever storm was coming, we would face it. Together.