"My daughter, Daisy, is what is called an Archangel. Not only does she have standard angel gifts, like healing, but she can also judge an individual with a single look and determine if they are worthy of redemption."
I looked back at Yuriel's wings, loving how brilliantly white they were.
"Yuriel has earned redemption for all the sacrifices he made for his people. He didn't become a fallen angel by choice but received the hardship such a burden left on his shoulders. He protected my daughter and the woman he loves, a woman who was willing to jump into the line of battle to protect our town. Let everyone take note of today, and how grateful we should be for their intervention and protection," Daniel declared, loud and clear.
The silence in the square only lasted for a few seconds before people began to clap and cheer. The kids squealed and giggled while the adults clapped and nodded their heads in acceptance.
Professor Xin helped Yuriel up, gesturing for him to put his wings away to save some strength. My own wings retreated into my back and Dimitri helped me up and gave me his shoulder for support.
"Let's head to the medical center. We'll talk things out la—"
"FIRE!"
We all flinched at the shout, our heads darting to the side to see the smoke coming from the fourth floor of the library.
"Oh, no!" I gasped and looked to Daniel, who gritted his teeth.
"The building will burn up at this rate. The fire department won't get here on time."
"We can't do anything?" Wolfgang asked.
"We don't have enough magic. The books are protected from water to ensure they don't get ruined if anything spills. When we call the fire department, they summon natural rain from the gods that can put out the fire extremely fast, but it'll take them at least ten minutes to get here with the commotion from the hunter attack. The building will be destroyed by then."
Watching in horror, we noticed how quickly the fire was spreading. I bit my lip, feeling angered by the act of terrorism toward knowledge as ancient as some of the books in this library.
Books were one of the very things I loved enjoyed when I was isolated for being gifted and missed out on plenty of parties.
This wasn't how it should have ended.
No. It wouldn't end like this. Not while I was around.
Clenching my fists and feeling the warm sensation of the ring, I moved out of Dimitri's hold, taking a few steady steps forward.
"Silver? Hold on. You don't have any more magic," Ryuu warned.
"I won't let this place burn because of Nikko. She thinks she won. Far from it."
My hair began to flow, the turquoise highlights doubling as strands of white and gold began to take over. The ring burned, and in seconds it morphed into my staff, the glistening diamond on top beginning to spin and charge.
My wings outstretched, and I felt a flowing power inside me, gathering and growing with every second. I looked above, focusing my energy toward the very gods Daniel said we needed.
* * *
"Don't let the enemy laugh. Aid the people that follow and praise your holy names. Shower us with rain, droplets of purity upon our land, and let those who wish for our world to burn be defeated! Rain Oh Ran Ne La Ah Rux!"
* * *
The scepter in my hand shone uncontrollably and a white magic circle appeared beneath my feet, resulting in a turquoise beam that shot upward into the sky.
Great thunder charged through the sky, and like a fast-forwarded tape, clouds began to roll in.
Within a minute and one loud roar of thunder, the first drops of rain hit the ground. Then, heavy showers descended around us, raining down on the building and fighting the flames.
We watched in amazement as the blaze began to dim until there was nothing but smoke that drifted high into the sky. I lowered my arms and looked to the sky, closing my eyes and trying to keep my rapid breathing steady.
"Thank you for heeding my call. You've left us victorious." I breathed, my shoulders lifting up and down from my inhales and exhales.
The rain began to stop, fading from its heavy downpour to a light drizzle. When it finally cleared, the stars began to twinkle, and it was hard to even grasp that just seconds earlier it had been raining torrentially.
The staff in my hand began to dissolve, the ring returning to its rightful place on my finger. My wings returned to my back and my knees buckled, my body falling back.
I was caught by someone, and it took a moment for my nose to catch the bits of cinder with the mix of cologne.
Dimitri...
"You did amazing, Blossom," Dimitri whispered. I felt him lightly kiss my lips, a flicker of energy flowing from him to me. "Sleep, Silver. We'll handle the rest."
My body relaxed in his arms, and I felt myself being lifted up.
We'd won this battle. All I could hope is that we’d win whatever war was brewing.
11
Year Three and The Confidence of a Shapeshifter
~TWELVE WEEKS LATER~
"Thanks for coming with me, Dimitri," I whispered, holding his hand tightly.
It was to hide the slight trembling, as I was still trying to calm myself after the two-hour-long physical exam and multiple tests I’d had to undergo at the S.S.S. Organization Hospital and Treatment Center for Top Spies.
He squeezed my hand back, the two of us coming to a stop as we waited in the courtyard for the others.
"Anytime," he whispered and kissed me, his arms pulling me into a hug that I happily accepted.
I'd been dreading the examination since the day Daichi informed me it would happen on our first day back from the almost five-month vacation we had thanks to Year Two being cut short.
After our discovery of what Lia truly was, we'd spent our remaining vacation training for long, hard hours five days a week. The weekends were spent recovering, which normally involved us sleeping, eating, drinking wine, and having thrilling sex in various combinations of threesomes, foursomes, or all-night-long fivesomes.
It was what helped ease any anxiety that tried to bring me down as the start of the school year approached. I was indeed riled up from the different variations of testing I'd gone through, and without Dimitri’s presence — and the passionate sex I’d had with Ryuu and Yuriel this morning — I would have had three panic attacks instead of one short one.
I'd requested a female team of specialists, having had a strong hunch that I'd be cloaked in hickeys or some other evidence that flaunted my active sex life.
None of them seemed to mind and they actually rooted me on when we did have a minute or two to chat between scans, record keeping, and assessments.
The team of specialists and doctors were super nice, reminding me a bit of Mitten’s kind bedside manner. It was the machines and actual testing that made me panic, even though the team was really understanding with the knowledge of who I was.
I wasn't worried about the true details of the strong gene within my DNA being revealed because the health team assigned to me was sworn by magic not to share anything. The magical oath was done in front of me — and in Shirley and Clarissa's presence — and was one of the things that gave me peace of mind whenever I thought of it. To have it all finally over with was a relief, but it made me feel like a vulnerable mess and school hadn't even started yet.
We'd been given brand new uniforms earlier this morning; some were for combat and others were strictly for professional days like today, but they all featured the same combination of black, gold, and purple.
I wore a skirt with a black silk dress shirt that had gold trim and a purple graph check pattern. I finished off the look with purple blazer with gold trim, a gold tie patterned with purple and black plaid, and heeled black shoes that were comfortable for me to run in if I had to.
I’d curled my hair to give it the illusion of being shorter, and had quickly done my makeup after the testing, my lips now a berry purple, and my eyes giving off a piercing look thanks to the plum and black shadowing I'd done on my eyelids.
With the additio
n of mascara, eyeliner, contour, and light red blush, I looked both professional and flawless for the start of the year.
None of us knew what to expect with this first day, and we weren't going to fall prey to any tricks.
Professor Xin had taken his time to train us to the best of his ability in multiple areas of physical strength, combat, endurance, and problem-solving, as well as shifter components, spell casting, and magic enchantments.
We'd picked up a few hints from him about how the markings would be useful this year, and that left me a bit happy that I had an advantage under my sleeve, having endured plenty of magic enhancements being drawn onto my skin or appearing naturally.
My new charms for my bracelet had come in last night, and I now wore the charm bracelet my sister had gifted me once more, all of its charms fully charged and ready to go.
Star was exploring the interior silk of my Blazer pocket, wearing a new purple collar with a gold metal bow for the lock. She had a black bow tied to her horn, an added touch that seemed cute after I'd seen the style in a magazine Zuri and I had looked through during a sleepover last week.
Star’s magic ability had grown exceptionally during the summer and she could stay out for hours if she wanted to, though she still appeared and disappeared as she chose — unless I went near the bottle of catnip Zuri had bought for her.
Yes, my uni-kitten was spoiled.
By the end of the day, we'd be given our magic weapons, something I wasn't sure I was excited for. Gaining our weapons would surely be an eventful experience, but it also solidified the fact we had less than two more years left with S.S.S.
It was amazing how the last two years had truly gone by so quickly, and though we felt a lot stronger than we had at the beginning of summer,I felt the next couple of months before our spy missions were going to be intense.
The tension brewing in the air was strong today, and I couldn't really blame anyone for feeling a little stiff, even in the school environment. Though today was the day when students should be laughing, bickering, meeting up in the halls, and feeling pumped for what was to come, everyone was pretty silent and speed walking through the halls, while security men and women at had been posted at every other pillar or hallway to ensure nothing happened for what looked to be the entire school year.
The sight of them reminded me of the thick bundle of paper we'd received with our uniforms: the booklet that explained the new policy and curriculum being forced upon us.
Instead of us going to missions and doing tons of training tasks, our first semester would be solely in-class book sessions and basically boring shit.
More than seventy-five percent of the student body was downright pissed about the change that was affecting not just the third-year students, but the fourth-years as well. Their focus was to basically feel the heat of being a spy and get to see what path they wanted to take before they officially graduated.
Yet, due to the sorority incident and the current investigations going on, it seemed like Shirley had no choice but to switch things up — even if most of us didn't approve of it.
It was obvious by the long line at the administration office, many students were requesting to either pause their studies or even use one of their strikes to hold their place until the curriculum changed back to before.
Those who remained were on extra alert, everyone a little on the edge as we waited for the next chaotic disaster to strike. The tense atmosphere was getting to me, and Dimitri held me tightly against him to ease my swift heart rate.
Rumors were spreading about another school attempting to shut S.S.S. down. We'd asked Professor Xin about it early this morning, and all he said was that we should be extra careful about the chance of spies being on campus.
With the triple amount of security on campus, the odds were slim, but at the same time, S.S.S. did train some of the best, slickest spies in the world.
Who knew if one or a few were hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike?
I also felt that this new rival school must have been up to something if they were doing their best to try and meddle in my affairs by representing Nikko, but I shoved it to the back of my mind.
It was obvious that when we entered the halls of S.S.S, I'd have to have my back straight, chin up, and hide all bits of vulnerability away, but at the same time, the first-day nerves added with everything else were getting to me.
Dimitri pressed me gently against the pillar behind me, and I looked up as he pressed a hand against the cement above my head and leaned in to kiss me soothingly.
"Blossom." His voice was but a whisper. "I can smell your fear."
"Sorry," I apologized, the acknowledgment only leaving me more worried that I'd fuck up the persona I wanted to portray.
"The testing really messed with you today," Dimitri acknowledged and kissed me again. "Try not to stress and instead focus on what you want to prove. I don't think anything crazy will happen with how tense everyone is, but I want you to be prepared."
"Okay," I whispered, and gripped the sides of his blazer, pulling him even closer, shielding my body from view as I leaned up slightly to kiss him. The touch of his warm lips against mine was helping, and he reciprocated the kiss with a deep one.
His low moan eased out the tension in my muscles, and I felt Wolfgang's presence close by before catching Ryuu’s and Yuriel's scents in the air along with my wolf mate’s.
Dimitri wrapped up the kiss with one last bit of tongue action before we worked on catching our breath.
"We're going to be right here if you need some strength." He winked and his eyes glowed, Hellsin taking over briefly. "And I'll wreck shit if anyone tries to bother our Blossom."
"Thanks, Hellsin," I whispered and kissed him. He smirked against my lips, and then pulled back to give Dimitri control.
"Morning, Silver. Morning, Dimitri," Wolfgang greeted. "You guys were gone when we woke up."
"The appointment was super early," I replied and moved from the pillar to hug him. He kissed my neck while hugging me tightly. "You all right? You're not looking too hot."
"I think I look extra hot in my uniform, thank you very much," I joked. "I'm okay. The testing was a bit difficult."
Ryuu moved behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. He kissed the top of my head and I couldn't help leaning my head back, expecting his lips to lay on mine.
"Morning, Silver," he greeted. "It was difficult? Are you still up to going to class? We could skip."
"No skipping the first day." I smirked. "I'm up for it. Today's a short day anyway."
"Okay." He planted another kiss on my lips before passing me over to Yuriel, who pulled me into his arms.
"Hey, Silver," he greeted. "If you're feeling uncomfortable anytime during the day, just say so. Shirley and Clarissa would understand, knowing that you had your testing and how it affects you."
"Thanks, Yuriel." I felt a lot better with just them standing around me. "Let's get today over with and then maybe we can enjoy a night of rosé and our yearly tradition."
The four of them grinned, knowing exactly what I was referring to.
"I'm so happy with that idea, I could skip class," Dimitri playfully sang.
"Please don't pull a Wizard of Oz," Wolfgang groaned. "No one wants to see you skip."
"He'd get distracted halfway through by catching the scent of our distress," Yuriel muttered.
"Hmph. Would not. Your death scent still bugs me, and I've been around you for two years. Distress is nothing to your baby powder smell."
"As if that's a bad thing." Yuriel smirked. "Silver loves it."
"I actually do," I admitted and giggled when Yuriel kissed me in reply.
"You really do smell like baby powder. Would be cool to use my hellhound sniffing powers all the time." I hugged him tightly before letting go, but he slipped his hand into mine, a gentle grin on his face.
"Someone’s just got to train harder." He winked.
"Ugh. I got four traits. That's far too hard to balance i
n three months," I whined.
"You just like when she sneaks into your room in her hellhound form." Dimitri rolled his eyes at Yuriel, whose grin only widened.
"True, but you do it all the time. Let us enjoy the comforting heat of her body. Plus, she won't break my bed."
"I didn't break your bed," Dimitri whined. "It was old."
"It was brand new and you broke it after the whole 'let's have sex for five hours straight' idea went downhill," Yuriel countered.
My face grew red and Wolfgang and Ryuu laughed, catching the attention of a few students.
"Guys! We're in public!" I hushed them, feeling even more embarrassed that we were talking about our very frequent sexual activities in public. "There could be spies listening."
"They can if they want." Wolfgang shrugged. "They can investigate how an active sex life is healthy to any supernatural shifter's soul."
"Agreed." Ryuu smirked.
"Ugh," I groaned. "Can we go to class, please?"
"As you wish, Princess Blossom Rosé Wine-A-Lot," Dimitri hummed into my ear. He kissed my cheek and slapped my ass.
"Dimitri!" My face was burning red, but all he did was laugh and wink at me. "I'll take the lead, Princess Blossom."
"We better have stocked the fridge with rosé." Wolfgang chuckled. "I'll be at the back."
"Guess I get to stand over here," Ryuu pleasantly replied and moved to stand on my other side, his hand slipping in mine. "Time to face Year Three with a bang."
"I hope not." I sighed and shook my head. "We got enough during the party, remember?"
"Truth," Wolfgang nodded. "Let's avoid parties this year."
"Another good idea," I agreed.
We began to head to the main office; Shirley had called our team to meet about something. I was sure that with this new school year, she would warn us to be careful and try not to worry about the investigation going on.
We had all been assured that no matter the end result of the investigation, they wouldn't be allowed to interfere with our classes or interrupt our concentration when it came to our schooling.
SSS: Year Three (Supernatural Spy School Book 3) Page 15