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Chapter 92
~Valerie’s POV~
The slap of the ball against the court echoed through the gym, loud and rhythmic, but my mind wasn’t in it.
Not really.
Not with the mory of Ash’s hands on my waist, steadying , or Axel’s lips savouring mine.
Not with Dristan’s kiss, the kind that haunted my dreams.
And certainly not with Xade’s hungry lips on mine and his demonic smirk, the one that lit my nerves like a fuse waiting to explode.
I didn’t know how I made it through the volleyball match without missing every serve. But I didn’t let the team down. Sohow, I held it together.
Barely.
Still, I must have slipped up more than I thought, because after our scrimmage, our assistant Coach, Professor Ivan, called over with a furrowed brow.
"Valerie, are you alright?"
I blinked, wiping sweat from my brow. "Yeah."
He gave a look. "You’ve been off. It’s okay if you need a break, especially after what happened in the simulation do."
I almost said no. Nearly forced a smile and pushed through it like it was nothing or I was so kind of female Avatar Kiyoshi or Yangchen or even Korra, but nah. I was like Aang when he first woke up from the iceberg.
And maybe a break was exactly what I needed. Besides, this could afford a chance to make my plan and sneak out to find what I needed about the emblem since my search in PSA so far hasn’t yielded any fruit.
Not like it could drop out from thin air. I needed to belong.
"Alright," I nodded. "Thanks, Coach."
I grabbed my bag, slung it over one shoulder, and made my way out. I didn’t head to the dorms right away. My feet had other plans.
They carried to the training arena—one of the older ones, rarely used this late. The sky outside had already started bleeding into dusk, casting long shadows through the high windows.
I stepped inside, dropped my bag near the edge, and rolled my shoulders.
Ti to vent.
I summoned my aura slowly, feeling it stir beneath my skin as I moved into position. Every strike, every stretch, every controlled burst of power was ant to clear my head.
But it didn’t.
Because they followed in my mind.
Axel. Dristan. Xade.
I saw them—uninvited but vivid—in the corners of my mind.
The steady rhythm of my punches echoed across the empty training arena—just , my fists, and the burn in my muscles.
That was how I liked it until it wasn’t just anymore.
I didn’t hear footsteps. I didn’t need to. I felt him—Axel—before I saw him.
He lingered near the far wall, arms crossed, quiet as a shadow. Watching and always watching. His expression was blank, but his eyes—those sharp, deep red eyes—never left .
"You here to stare or fight?" I called over my shoulder without stopping.
A beat passed. "Spar?"
I turned slightly and nodded once. "Try not to whine when I bruise that pride."
He walked over silently, no arrogance in his gait, just calm control. We circled each other, letting instinct dictate the first strike.
But before either of us could move, another shift in the air, much colder and sharper.
I didn’t hear Dristan approach either. He just appeared like a silent storm, stepping into the light, arms behind his back, gaze locked on . He didn’t say a word.
He didn’t need to; his presence was loud enough.
Ash nodded to him, but Dristan’s attention didn’t waver.
His eyes, calculating, held sothing else today. He wasn’t just here to train. And then ust when I thought I had been interrupted enough, a soft chuckle followed.
"Now this is a gathering," ca Xade’s voice, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous.
He strolled in like he owned the arena—head high, smirk in place, water bottle spinning in one hand. His eyes raked over like I was a puzzle he intended to solve.
"Thirsty?" he offered, stepping into my space and holding the bottle out.
I hesitated, not wanting to speak but also wanting him to leave alone, I yielded. Xade leaned a little closer, brushing my fingers a second too long as I took it.
I swallowed hard—and not from the water. My pulse spiked.
I hated it.
"I was supposed to train," I muttered, "not perform for a crowd of bonded idiots."
But my body betrayed . My breath hitched when Axel caught my wrist mid-move gently.
And just like that, they bridged the gap between and them. My knees wobbled when Dristan’s gaze traced the curve of my shoulder, lingering too long.
And gods help , Xade’s smirk lit a fuse in my chest I was trying really hard not to ignite.
"You shouldn’t push yourself like that," Axel said quietly. "You’ll break."
"She doesn’t break," Dristan said coolly from behind . "She bends—then sharpens."
"Mm," Xade murmured, stepping in behind again and when he spoke, his voice was like a low whisper in my ear. "But even sharp things lt under the right heat."
I whirled around and glared at all three of them. "You done posturing?"
Axel’s gaze softened. Dristan didn’t move. Xade just grinned wider.
They weren’t done. Not even close.
I turned back to the training dummy, throwing a hard punch, but winced as pain flared in my knuckles.
Ash was beside in a second, reaching out. "You’re bleeding."
"It’s nothing," I said, but he grabbed my wrist again, thumbing over the cut, eyes darkening.
His touch lingered too long, then Xade appeared behind , closer this ti. One hand reached around, correcting my stance. His chest pressed lightly to my back, heat pouring from him.
"You’re off balance," he whispered.
I should have pulled away but I didn’t.
Because Dristan was in front of now, too close to touch, he stepped between and the dummy, his eyes locked on mine as Xade side-stepped.
He wasn’t smiling. He was watching like a predator watching a fla.
For a mont, everything stilled and no one spoke.
Even Astra stirred in my chest, low and curious.
"Let them." Her voice was velvet. "Let them all fight for it. Poor boys. They think they’re in control."
I sucked in a breath. Every part of was on fire, and I hated it.
"This isn’t a fair fight," I muttered, half to myself.
"Then surrender," Xade purred, lips brushing too close to my ear.
I turned, just enough to glare at him. "Over my dead body."
But even I couldn’t deny it because it felt dangerously close and the next thing I knew.... Dristan’s hand slid up to my throat—not rough, but just enough to tilt my chin back to kiss .
His mouth hovered over mine, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my lips. My heart thundered imagining what his lips would feel like even before they made their descent.
One more second—just one.
"Valerie?" The voice snapped the illusion clean apart.
I blinked hard.
The illusion vanished like smoke, and I sucked in a sharp breath, realising I was standing there, staring up at the ceiling like a daydrear caught mid-spell with my head tilted back, neck exposed like I was about to be kissed by a ghost.
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