I smelled him the second he walked into the school.
Too clean. Like bleach trying to mask the scent of death. That kind of sterile never came from soap. It came from something darker.
The kind of smell that clung to the back of your throat and made your instincts bristle.
I sat at the back of chemistry, staring past the teacher and out the window, pretending to listen while my mind stayed locked on him—the new substitute roaming the halls like he owned the place. Like he belonged.
But he didn't. He reeked of Hunter.
And not just any kind. This one had patience. Control. The calm ones were the worst. They didn't strike fast.
They watched. Waited. Measured how deep they'd have to dig the blade.
Nova had no idea.
I saw it in the way she walked past me earlier—tight shoulders, clenched jaw, hoodie pulled too high like she could disappear behind it. She was scared, but she probably didn't know what she was scared of.
She hadn't learned how to hide her aura yet. And I hadn't gotten the chance to explain her new reality.
Not like she gave me the chance.
It's almost like she has been actively trying to avoid me after our time in detention.
Which made her a walking target.
I did. I'd been trained to shrink it, mold it until I blended in like smoke in fog. You didn't survive in this world by announcing your identity.
But Nova... she glowed like a match in the dark. I'm surprised they haven't gotten her yet.
The bell rang. Students shuffled out. I stayed seated, eyes on the hallway through the window. The sub walked past again, slow, like he was counting seconds.
I stood and followed.
I kept my pace casual, hoodie up, steps light. Most people wouldn't notice me. That was the point.
I followed him down to the east wing. The quietest part of school between periods.
That's where he stopped.
Outside Nova's classroom. She was taking a different class today.
He leaned against the wall like he had all the time in the world, arms crossed, head tilted.
Predator posture.
I gritted my teeth and walked away.
For now.
I couldn't blow my cover. Not yet.
Nova needed to see it for herself. Needed to feel it before she'd believe me. She was stubborn like that. Brave to the point of reckless.
But I'd promised myself—I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her again.
Not while I was breathing. And at least till I confirm she is a Solarian dragon.
---
Lunch was chaotic as usual. But I didn't sit with anyone. I perched against the fence by the gym, scanning faces, searching for hers.
When I finally saw Nova, she looked different.
Eyes wide. Shoulders stiff. Blood on her sleeve.
Not hers, but fresh.
Shit.
I dropped my tray and was across the lot before I had time to think.
"Nova!" I grabbed her arm just before she passed me. "Hey—what happened?"
She looked up at me, startled. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Then she saw me—really saw me—and the tension cracked.
"Lucian," she breathed. "He—he was in my class. The sub. He said—he said something about Solarian—"
"Where is he now?" I cut in, already scanning the lot.
"I don't know. He disappeared. Like… gone. Vanished."
Not good. Not normal. Even for Hunters.
"Come with me."
She hesitated. "Why?"
"Because you're not safe out here."
She didn't ask more questions. Just followed.
We ducked behind the gym and into the maintenance hallway I knew the janitor never checked.
Once the door shut behind us, I turned on her.
"You didn't tell anyone?"
"I didn't know what to say!" she snapped, voice shaking. "He knew who I was, Lucian. He knew things I didn't even—what the hell is a Solarian?"
I cursed under my breath. "Later. Right now, we've got bigger problems."
"Like being hunted?" she said dryly.
I looked at her.
She flinched. "Okay. Dumb question."
My pulse thundered. I wasn't ready for this. Not this fast.
Nova wasn't trained. She didn't know the rules of our world—how deep the bloodlines went, how much danger we'd just inherited.
"He marked you," I said.
She blinked. "With what?"
I reached forward, gently brushing the collar of her hoodie aside.
There it was.
Barely visible, but glowing faintly now under the skin near her neck.
The blood mark.
"He tagged your aura. Every Hunter from here to Canada will be able to feel it now."
Nova paled. "How do I get it off?"
"You don't. Not until he's dead."
She swallowed hard. "Cool. Great."
Then—without warning—the lights above us flickered.
And then they went out.
Every instinct in my body roared awake.
"Stay behind me," I said, pushing her back toward the wall.
The silence wasn't empty.
It was crowded.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.
Slow.
Deliberate.
The sub stepped into view.
But he wasn't alone.
Flanking him were two more—dressed like students, but they moved in a way that was not normal. Too precise. Too graceful.
And their eyes glowed faintly blue.
"Nova Acrux," the sub said, smiling like we were all at a dinner party. "And Lucian Voss. Been a while since I saw one of your kind."
I stepped forward, jaw tight. "Leave her out of this."
"I don't take orders from traitors," he hissed.
Then he lunged.
I caught his wrist mid-air and twisted.
Bone cracked.
He screamed, but his partners moved fast—one toward Nova, one toward me.
I spun, kicked the first one in the gut hard enough to send him flying into the lockers.
"Nova, run!"
She didn't. She stayed.
Of course she did.
She slammed her elbow into the second Hunter's ribs as he grabbed her, then ducked and grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall.
She sprayed it into his face.
He roared, blinded.
I turned just as the lead Hunter slammed his fist into my chest.
It should've crushed ribs.
But I held my ground.
His eyes widened. "You—"
"Yeah," I growled. "Dragon."
My skin shimmered. Scales flickered down my neck, not full shift—but enough.
I grabbed his jacket and flung him into the wall.
He hit it so hard the plaster cracked.
Nova stared at me.
Breathless. Eyes wide. "You're like me."
"I told you," I said, panting. "You're not alone."
A beat passed.
Then something clicked behind us.
A voice—smooth, feminine—echoed from the shadows.
"Not bad, Voss. But this was just a test."
Another figure stepped out.
Tall. Red leather coat. Dark hair. Pale skin.
Eyes glowing violet.
The sub groaned from the floor. "Cassiel…"
She didn't look at him.
She looked at us.
Then smiled.
"You really think the Aurelian order only sent one of us?"