CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: PROTECTORS AND PROVOCATION’S

He turned his head, fixing Kayla with a look of pure, bored amusement. "Wow, Kayla. ’Pathetic?’ ’Pet?’ That’s strong language," he said, his voice dangerously smooth. "Careful. If I’m just a ’pet,’ you might want to ask yourself why a Tier 1 Warlady abandoned the frontlines just to come running the second she heard I was in trouble." He said.

’Yeah. I forgot about that. Why is she really here?’ he thought, having only ever known her cold contempt.

Marceline and Ravena had pointed it out earlier, insisting she left the frontlines the moment she heard he was in the Council’s custody, but he’d dismissed it. He’d assumed Ysmeine had forced her into it.

But seeing her here, even arguing against his consort plan... she was invested. Marceline’s words echoed in his mind—that deep down, Kayla didn’t hate him and would do anything to protect him. Was that why she was here? Not just to sneer, but because she genuinely cared?

The idea was so contradictory to the woman who looked at him like a genetic mistake that it felt absurd. ’Yeah, it’s so.... Wildly absurd. She is probably here for another reason.’ he thought to himself.

Zaeryn’s words hit their mark with surgical precision.

Kayla visibly recoiled, her face flushing a deep crimson before hardening back into an icy mask. Her hand clenched at her side. "Don’t flatter yourself, anomaly," she snapped, her voice tight with a fury that felt far too personal.

"I didn’t ’come running.’ I came here because Ysmeine called me, and as her sister, it’s my duty to answer her calls and be there for her."

Mireille watched the exchange, her expression carefully neutral, though her eyes flicked between the Tier-One Warlady and the anomaly she was assigned to guard. This family was exhausting, and... utterly captivating.

She respected Kayla’s power, but watching one of the most formidable warriors in the Queendom get so visibly rattled by the very "pet" she claimed to despise was fascinating.

Kayla strode back into the house, leaving Mireille alone on the patio.

Zaeryn let out a slow breath as the tension dissipated with Kayla’s exit. He’d heard every word. The star beasts was an enemy that learns. It confirmed everything the System had warned him about.

The system had also urged him to grow stronger. He might not want to fight the Vorthak in the future, or even face the Dragon Lord, but a man who wasn’t a monster and chose not to be one was, in truth, simply naïve. So the plan was simple—get stronger. Even if he never intended to use that strength, he would be ready. Just in case.

He closed his eyes, focusing inward, pushing the strategic nightmare aside and concentrating on the new, electric hum beneath his skin. Kinetic Acceleration.

Ravena’s power. It felt like a coiled spring in his core, entirely separate from the raw strength gifted by Ysmeine or the vitae weaving from Daphne.

This was different. This was speed.

He needed to test it. He needed to control it.

Focusing on the memory of Ravena—the heat of her skin, the possessive claim of their kiss, the surge of the synchronization—he reached for that new energy. He pictured the far end of the pool and pushed.

It wasn’t a thought. It was an explosion.

Zaeryn shot through the water like a human torpedo, an uncontrollable burst of force that defied physics. The water barely had time to resist before he slammed shoulder-first into the reinforced crystal wall of the pool.

WHUMP!

Water erupted over the patio decking. Zaeryn surfaced sputtering, his entire shoulder aching, but a wild, painful grin split his face.

"Goddess Marea!"

The water hit Mireille and she was on her feet instantly, her blade half-drawn from its sheath, her stance dropping into a combat crouch as she scanned for the threat. She stared at Zaeryn, who was rubbing his shoulder and laughing.

"What in the hell was that?" Mireille demanded, sheathing her weapon, her professional shock warring with disbelief.

"Just... testing the water," Zaeryn gasped, the adrenaline thrumming. "Found a new gear, I guess."

Mireille’s eyes narrowed. She had seen the displacement, the sheer velocity. That wasn’t a "new gear." That was Vitae. Raw, uncontrolled, and wielded by a male. It confirmed everything she and Arya had witnessed in Tiffany’s office.

"That," she said, her voice dropping to a low, serious command, "was uncontrolled. That was reckless. You’re lucky you didn’t shatter your own shoulder or crack the pool wall."

"That’s what I was thinking," Zaeryn admitted, flexing his aching muscles. "Know anyone who can teach me how to drive this thing without crashing?"

Mireille stared at him, the pieces of her assignment clicking into place. Observe the anomaly. Ensure containment. Her orders hadn’t specified passive observation. If he possessed this power, letting him run around uncontrolled was the security risk. Training him wasn’t just an option; it was her duty.

"Yes," she said, her tone flat and absolute. "Me."

Zaeryn blinked, surprised by the sudden, definitive answer. "Tomorrow. 0500 hours. Here," Mireille commanded, her gaze sweeping the patio as if already converting it into a training ground. She smiled faintly, "This assignment may be a waste of my combat skills, but I will not be responsible for an untrained anomaly who accidentally torpedoes himself through a civilian building. Don’t be late."

Mireille gave him one last, assessing look, as if confirming he wouldn’t try to torpedo himself through another wall, then turned with a crisp pivot. "0500," she repeated, and strode back into the house, leaving him alone in the steaming water.

Zaeryn let his head fall back against the pool edge, the ache in his shoulder already fading.

He was a bit excited now and couldn’t wait for his training with Mireille to start. He had a teacher. A very strict, intimidating teacher, but one nonetheless.

What made him the most excited was for when he finally masters his powers and could wield vitae, it would not only make him strong, but it would change everything for him in this world ruled by women.

He was processing this new reality when a familiar, musical voice jerked him back to reality.

"Trying to master your new toy already?"

He opened his eyes.

Ravena stood at the edge of the decking, a predatory smile playing on her lips. She wasn’t in her casual clothes anymore. She wore this world’s version of a bikini, a series of strategically placed dark green straps and panels that seemed held together more by sheer confidence than physics.

It left almost nothing to the imagination, showcasing the lean muscle of her toned stomach, the sharp jut of her hips, and the ink of her tattoo curling provocatively above the low-cut fabric.

She didn’t wait for an answer, just descended the steps into the pool, the warm water lapping at her thighs and waist. She moved toward him with the same fluid confidence she always had. Her green eyes locked into his.

"You know," she whispered, stopping just inches away, her body brushing his beneath the water. "If you wanted to test your ’Kinetic Acceleration,’ you should have just asked. I know a few ways we could... accelerate."

Zaeryn’s grin was instantaneous. "Is that an offer?"

"It’s a promise," she murmured, before snaking her arms around his neck.

Zaeryn pulled her into a kiss that was anything but hesitant.

It was a reunion—wet, hot, and demanding. Their mouths claimed each other with the same fierce, possessive fire from their synchronization.

His hands immediately found their place, sliding down her back to cup the curve of her ass, pulling her flush against him. He felt the hard press of her nipples against his chest, the tangle of their legs beneath the swirling water.

Things got steamy fast, the memory of their night igniting instantly. His hand slid lower, brushing the edge of her bikini bottom, feeling her arch into his touch.

He was ready to pull her onto the pool ledge and pick up exactly where they left off when she suddenly broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to leave him breathless and aching.

"Wait," she panted, though her eyes were still hazy with desire.

"What?" Zaeryn groaned, trying to pull her back.

"As much as I’d love to continue this," she whispered, nipping his lower lip, "Ysmeine sent me. She wants to speak with you. Said it was important."

She gave him one last, lingering kiss that promised later, then unwrapped herself from his arms and glided back toward the steps. She climbed out, the water sluicing off her curves, leaving Zaeryn alone in the suddenly too-cold water.

"Seriously?" Zaeryn groaned aloud, annoyed that she got him riled up and was now leaving him like that. "Oh, no you don’t!"

He scrambled out of the pool, water dripping onto the polished floor. "You can’t just... do that and walk away!"

Ravena glanced over her shoulder, her green eyes sparkling with pure mischief. She slowed her pace to a deliberate, hip-swinging walk, just barely staying out of his reach.

"Can’t I?" she purred. "Looks like I just did."

Zaeryn lunged, trying to grab her arm. Ravena sidestepped him with the effortless grace of a Tier-3 Vitae wielder toying with a civilian, letting him speed past her.

Zaeryn turned around, but by then she was already out of his reach.

Ravena burst out laughing, a bright, genuine sound. "Nice try. But you’re way too slow, Zae."

She blew him a kiss and disappeared down the hall toward the living area, leaving him standing there, flushed and frustrated. ’I’ll get her back.’

He ran a hand through his wet hair, the thrumming of the Eros Engine and his own body demanding a release that was now postponed.

With a frustrated sigh, he walked inside, and found Ysmeine in her chambers.

The room was cast in the dim, ambient light of a vast holo-screen that was just powering down. She stood silhouetted against it, perfectly still.

"Hey, you took your time." She said,

"Sorry, Ravena didn’t tell me immediately." He apologized." Ravena said it was important," He said, still rubbing his still-damp hair with the end of his towel. "What’s up? Is it the Council again?" Seeing as it looked like Ysmeine just got off a Holo-summon.

Ysmeine turned, her smoky green eyes serious. "No. Nothing like that." She paused. "I just finished... an encrypted Holo-summon Call,"

Zaeryn’s frustration evaporated. "With who?"

"With High Commander Lysara," Ysmeine said. "And... with Athea."

"Athea? What did she want?"

"They’ve made a decision about you, Zaeryn. About your... abilities," Ysmeine said, ignoring the chill in his tone.

"What decision? Back to the labs?"

No," Ysmeine said, and a slow, proud smile finally touched her lips as she stepped closer. "You’re not going back to the lab. And you’re not going back to your old academy."

Zaeryn blinked, relief immediately replacing suspicion. "Fine by me. I wasn’t learning anything there anyway. So what’s the catch? Am I... just not going to go to school anymore?"

"Wouldn’t you like that? But not exactly." Her smile widened. "Athea has decided that you should master your Vitae signatures. And so you’re being enrolled in a specialized branch of the Citadel, an elite training facility usually reserved only for the most promising Warlady candidates."

She placed her hands firmly on his bare shoulders. "They are going to teach you how to use Vitae, finally."