"...No."
The word hung in the air, blunt and final.
I nodded slowly. My expectations hadn't been high to begin with—Zephyr wasn't exactly the nurturing mentor type. No, he in fact was, but I only him that way in academics. Same couldn't be said for combat, right?
But then—
"Someone else can."
My head snapped up. Zephyr's expression hadn't changed, but his gaze flicked meaningfully behind me.
Someone else?
"Who?" I asked, pulse jumping.
Zephyr's lips thinned. "...My master."
His master?
My brain stuttered for half a second before clicking.
No way.
I whirled around—
And there, floating midair with a book held delicately in his tail, was Virion. The emerald-scaled serpent peered at me over the pages, its eyes gleaming with amusement.
Sneaky as always. Like he hadn't just materialized out of nowhere.
"What?" Virion's voice was dry as desert wind. "Don't want to?"
I barely stopped myself from gaping.
How could I refuse?!
