Fallen University: Year Two

Reaching over, I gave his hand a squeeze. I knew he had a lot of hangups about his previous time in the underworld, but I wanted him to know he’d get no judgement from me for anything he’d done during that time.

Then I heard an excited whoop from overhead and stood, shading my eyes as I searched the sky. A moment later, Kingston flew into view, carrying an extremely exuberant Jayce on his back.

“This is awesome!” the blond man shouted.

“This is awesome, awesome, awesome, this is awesome!” the birds shouted back.

I shuddered. “Ugh. That’s fucking me up.”

“You get used to it,” Xero assured me. “Hey, where’s Kai?” He shouted up at Jayce.

“Right here,” Kai replied.

I looked around but didn’t see him.

“Up there.” Xero pointed to the tree behind me. Kai was perched on a high branch, eating some of the provisions we’d brought.

Kingston landed a moment later, bucked Jayce off of his back, and shifted into his human form. He shook himself and grinned.

“We found a path through the woods,” he announced. “But I’m going to need to spend most of my time in the air, keeping an eye on the route. These guys got lost twice.”

“I wasn’t lost,” Kai retorted, his angular features pinching in a highly offended look. “I just didn’t know where Jayce was. As far as I’m concerned, that means Jayce was lost.”

“I knew exactly where I wasn’t the whole time, thank you very much,” the man in question said with a self-deprecating grin. “But, yeah, no, we need Kingston up there, or we’ll be lost for actual days.”

“You didn’t see any big, bright purple flowers in there, did you?” I asked nervously, shooting a glance toward the thick, ominous forest.

Jayce shook his head. “Nope. But there was this one crazy vine thing that tried to grab me. Oh, and there are these toads that are like, this big.” He held his hands up, indicating a circle bigger than a dinner plate. “They’re pretty too. Kind of a teal color, I guess?”

“Pretty dangerous,” Xero warned. “They won’t chase you down, but they will bite you if you get too close.”

“I feel like getting bit by a toad is the least of our concerns,” I said.

Kai dropped down behind us, landing without a sound. “That’s because you’re thinking of earth toads. One of those little fuckers tried to get me. Its teeth are bigger than mine and their mouths smell like formaldehyde.”

“You smelled its mouth?” Jayce wrinkled his nose.

Kai blinked at him with exaggerated patience. “Kind of hard to avoid when something’s trying to bite your nose off. Are we going to stand here talking or are we gonna go? Because I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t really feel like being in the middle of the woods come nightfall.”

Of course everybody agreed with that sentiment. Kai and Jayce led the way to the path they’d found while Kingston kept watch over us from above. Xero was our field guide, pointing out plants and animals that could kill us—which, honestly, was pretty much everything. Jayce was the scout, darting back and forth every so often to check out the path ahead. Kai crept along like a shadow, watching everyone’s backs.

I might have brought us all together, but they had grown into a cohesive unit all on their own. Pride and adoration swelled up inside of me. A lot was still up in the air between us, but they were my men, and they were going to save the fucking world.

“Stop!” Jayce was breathless from his most recent scouting venture as he darted through the trees toward us, holding out a hand. “There’s something up ahead.”

Kingston circled around once, then dived down between the trees limbs and landed on his human feet. His shifts were becoming seamless. He’d had a hell of a lot of practice the past few weeks.

“A whole herd of something,” he added.

My eyes widened, and I peered deeper into the forest. “What kind of something?”

“Like moose? But way bigger. And scarier. With big, sharp teeth and glowing eyes.”

“Harpy eaters,” Xero grunted.

My eyes widened. “Like… little harpies?”

“Sometimes,” he said. “But the full-grown ones can take down an adult harpy. I’ve never seen one in person, but I’ve heard about them. They use their antlers to catch the harpies mid-flight, toss them around and slice them up a bit, then tear them to shreds with their hooves and teeth.”