Zaeryn’s mind went blank for a second before instinct took over. He kissed her back, eting her intensity with his own. His hands slid down to her hips, cupping her ass lightly, feeling the smooth curve under his palms. Marceline’s soft gasp vibrated against his mouth, only fueling the heat between them.
Marceline giggled against his lips, a soft, breathy sound that sent shivers down his spine. "Wow... you just keep getting bolder and bolder, don’t you?"
"Hey, I’m just responding to your... encouragent," he teased.
She pressed closer, and resud kissing him, her body molding against his, fingers tangling in his hair as she deepened the kiss. Every movent was deliberate, every touch charged, the air around them thick with desire and tension.
Just then, Kayla ca back into the atrium after she had stepped out. And the view that greeted her was not sothing she was happy to see.
Although she had seen them share innocent kisses before and it was a normal greeting, this was different, more charged with sexual energy and it made her frown deepen into a mask of sothing.
Kayla’s jaw clenched. She always hated this. It was like everyone seed to look at him as so sort of chosen one who should be pampered and cuddled. And now even more than that, they seed to have so sort of sexual chemistry with him, which was grating on her even more.
To say this was the only reason she despised Zaeryn would be a lie. Her dislike had roots deeper than his charm, twisted into the wreckage of her family’s dreams. Before him, House Noctis had purpose. Marceline had a sharp ambition, Ysine had a quiet determination, and Kayla herself, was training to carve their na into the kingdom’s nobility. They were a force, united, chasing power and prestige.
Then Zaeryn arrived, a storm in human form, and everything shifted. Ysine, her sister, was the first to fall. She abandoned noble college, her eyes starry with devotion to him.
The dream of elevating House Noctis to greatness crumbled, leaving Kayla, the iron-willed warlady, as the sole torchbearer. But it wasn’t just Ysine. Even Aeris, her fierce niece, traded her warlady’s armor just so she could spend more ti with Zaeryn.
To Kayla, he wasn’t a savior—he was a thief, stealing futures and leaving chaos in his wake.
She walked further into the atrium, her boots clicking sharply against the polished floor. "Hey," she said, her voice a low blade, cutting through the haze of Marceline’s flirtation with Zaeryn.
They stopped Marceline’s hand lingering on his chest as they turned to her.
Kayla sank into a chair, her posture rigid, her eyes pinning Zaeryn. "Does your girlfriend know about your little royal family connection?"
Zaeryn straightened. "No. I haven’t told her yet. So, I think we should be careful speaking about it around her. I’ll tell her when I think it’s the right ti."
Marceline tilted her head, her synth-coffee mug hovering near her lips. "Honey, that’s no small secret. I’d keep it close a little longer if I were you."
Zaeryn nodded. He trusted Sage. She had a sharp mind and sharper loyalty, but so risks weren’t worth taking. Not yet.
Just then, Ysine and Aeris returned to the atrium, walking side-by-side in an animated discussion.
"I’m telling you, she’s just too secretive," Aeris said, gesturing emphatically. "There’s no way the writers are setting her up as just a loyal guard. She absolutely has sothing to do with the Queen’s death."
Ysine shook her head, a thoughtful smile on her lips. "The foreshadowing all points to the Chancellor, darling. That scene with the unsigned military directive? That was too deliberate to be a red herring."
"Uhh, what are you two talking about?" Zaeryn cut in, looking between them with an amused frown.
Aeris rolled her eyes dramatically, turning to him. "Gods, Zaeryn, keep up. We’re talking about Royal Reckoning. Mom thinks Chancellor Valerius is the killer, but I know it’s the Royal Guard, Lady Vespera. She’s been hiding sothing since episode one."
"It’s the season finale next week," Aeris added, her tone invested in the way only a true fan’s could be.
Zaeryn nodded slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, that." Not one to miss an opportunity to stir the pot, he let out a theatrical sigh. "I never watch it. I’m pretty sure I outgrew my teen angst phase years ago, and I don’t need a show where everyone whispers dramatically in dark rooms to remind of it."
"Teen angst?!" Aeris shot back, placing her hands on her hips in mock outrage. "It’s a complex exploration of political subterfuge and moral ambiguity! You just don’t like it because you have to actually think while watching it."
Zaeryn grinned. "My brainpower is reserved for more important things. Like what I’m having for lunch."
Ysine chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, you two. Ceasefire."
"Speaking of secrets," Zaeryn said, his voice steady but carrying a weight that made the air hum, "there’s sothing you both should know. I can wield Vitae."
The room went still, the kind of silence that swallows sound. Marceline’s mug froze midair, her green eyes wide, the coffee’s synthetic steam curling like a ghost. Kayla’s hand, resting on her thigh, curled into a fist.
She broke the silence with a laugh, sharp and venomous. "That’s a pathetic joke, Zaeryn. A male wielding Vitae? Impossible. Stop fishing for attention."
A frown made its way towards Zaeryn’s face. Of course. She never missed a chance to throw an insult his way, it made Zaeryn hate her for that.
"He’s not lying," Ysine interjected, her voice a hushed spark in the tension. "He showed yesterday. It’s real."
Kayla’s eyes narrowed. "Prove it," she demanded, her tone a challenge wrapped in ice.
Zaeryn’s face hardened, no trace of his usual playfulness. He raised a hand, his focus palpable, and a faint golden wisp sparked to life between his fingers. It flickered, fragile but undeniable, dancing in the morning light before fading like a dying star. The room seed to hold its breath.
Kayla stared, her usual cold mask shattered by a flicker of sothing. Shock? Fascination? Well, shock was the correct word, but so is fascination. She never would have thought sothing like this was ever possible. A male with Vitae? That too, Zaeryn?
She leaned forward, her gaze dissecting the space where the energy had been. "Unusual doesn’t even begin to cover it," she muttered, her voice low, dangerous.
Ysine’s lips curved into a mischievous grin, her eyes glinting with delight. "He can mimic Vitae signatures from those... close to him." She paused, savoring the mont. "And through sex too."
Marceline choked on her coffee, a rare crack in her poised facade. "You’re telling ," she said, "he gets this power through sex? If I didn’t know better, I’d say the little deviant crafted that trick himself."
Zaeryn’s hand raked through his hair, a nervous tic. "It’s not like that. It’s... complicated. Also, I don’t need to have sex. I need a bond to absorb it."
So ti passed and now Kayla and Marceline had finally processed everything. Especially for Kayla, it was hard to believe at first, but with a demonstration, she couldn’t argue against it. He was a Vitae wielder, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Whose Vitae signature did you just mimic?" she asked. Not knowing how to feel about all this.
"That signature?" He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "It’s Daphne’s. A chief scientist at the citadel."
Just then, the atrium door hissed open. Sage and Ravena stepped back inside together.
The air between them seed to have cooled into an uneasy truce, but the tension still clung to them like a second skin.
"Oh, you two are back." Ysine comnted.
Ravena’s lips curled into a smile. "Yes. Sage... made understand sothing." She revealed.
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