Unblessed Witch (Phases of the Moon #4)

22. Deva

22

DEVA

“Okay, I completely do not blame you for moving out of our dorm,” Lavinia declared, looking around the massive space we were getting ready in today. Not that she had a freakin’ right to talk. I knew for a fact that neither Lavinia nor Odessa were spending most nights in their dorm. Possibly not even Briar…

“I just can’t believe this is the first time you’re stopping over here—it’s almost the holidays,” I teased.

“Lavinia, we told you it was awesome,” Briar agreed, flipping through a magazine for makeup ideas.

And it was awesome . I hadn’t known what to expect when my men said that they were redoing and expanding their dorms, but since returning to the academy, we had been living the dream.

The entire seven bedroom apartment was created around how we functioned as a group, affording each person a space for their own stuff—like Oz’s room filled with potions and books—while there was a primary bedroom that we all slept in. Right now we were getting ready in the main den, lit up by a warm crackling fireplace and filled with expensive furniture that was currently littered with luxury gowns, makeup, and hair products.

Tonight was the Frost Moon gala—which essentially was a holiday party that Odessa had suggested to the sector on a whim. Professor Vevau had almost immediately approved. I had a feeling that with the upheaval happening in Carmina, they wanted something fun and festive before everyone left to go home. It was a nice gesture, and Odessa had been hard at work ensuring that each type of witch would be celebrated despite it being lunar oriented.

“I just don’t know how they got permission to get such extensive renovations done,” Odessa scoffed. “I swear, the Nyx name is like a magic wand—you just have it and people are like ‘ do whatever you want ’.”

I nearly snorted because she wasn’t wrong in the least. I knew that I could use that same level of power—hell, Grimshaw had already tried to tell several people that my last name was now Nyx. Which it wasn’t; we weren’t freakin’ married. But I was still uncomfortable wielding that type of influence over others.

“I mean, I feel like they’re getting better about how they use it,” Briar said a tad defensively as I parted a piece of hair and began curling it with a hair wand.

Lavinia turned sharply and narrowed her eyes on her cousin. “Well it makes sense you would think that. After all, Assistant Professor Lycidas is a Nyx.”

Briar’s cheeks heated. “Shut up. He’s just a friend.”

Friend my ass.

But it wasn’t like any of us had a right to talk; each of us had settled into a comfortable routine with our men. Letting out a small yawn as I drank down the coffee Lazaro grabbed me from the dining hall, I finished curling Briar’s hair and then started on my own, wondering when the guys would be back. I hadn’t gotten to ask them what they were up to today, too distracted by my friends when they’d arrived early to get ready, but now I found myself missing their presence.

Coming back to DIA was one of the best decisions I had made. Truly, life had been pretty damn perfect since coming back. There were a lot of big moves happening in Carmina right now, but I trusted the Society to handle the transitional period. Plus, I planned on using what I learned here at the academy to help in a larger capacity once we graduated.

Until then, I was going to do my best to be as ‘normal’ of a young witch as possible.

And thanks to my men, I was getting a lot more ‘normal’ experiences. From random date nights, to movie marathon weekends, and even in between class quickies—which were as hot as they sounded—I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. It was a sweet life, being able to focus on deciding between having a panini or a salad for lunch instead of worrying about Astaroth threatening my life and those in all of Carmina.

“Here’s that eyeshadow palette I mentioned,” Lavinia said, dancing over from where she was styling Odessa’s updo. I bopped my head to the upbeat music filling my dorm as I opened the palette, finding a dark, smokey range of shades.

“Where did you get this?” I asked curiously. It looked brand new.

“I may have done some shopping in the other territories recently…and trading with other students.” Lavinia shrugged unapologetically. “That main pavilion is so handy for meeting up.”

“I just love that you’re trading stuff like makeup and outfits. Most people would use it for far more fun and dangerous shit,” I murmured, causing Lavinia to flash a smile and shrug.

Parties were thrown every weekend in one place or another within the sector, but we usually chose to stay in, still exhausted from everything that had happened. Tonight was one of the first nights that I was excited to go out dancing and maybe even drink.

As I did my eye makeup, finally having had some experience and practice over the past two months, I found myself thankful for her little makeup trade—the colors making my eyes pop. After applying some faint blush, silver highlighter, and a darker lip shade, I used powder to set my makeup. As I finished up, I caught the end of the conversation Lavinia and Odessa were having about some people from our class, my brow dipping slightly.

I needed to be more social, I’d decided. Lavinia and Odessa were so damn good at it, even Briar, but I wasn't nearly as much of an extrovert as they were. I loved my insulated group of my men and my best friends. A big reason that I mostly kept to myself, though, was because my classmates didn’t exactly interact with me in the same way they interacted with Lavinia or Odessa.

Outside of Dylan occasionally glaring at me, I had yet to face any real backlash for the truth coming out. But while no one was overtly mean or unfriendly, they also didn’t try to get particularly close to me. Partially because my men were scary, but also probably because they’d heard what I was capable of. And I couldn’t blame them.

It was no secret that I had nearly single-handedly defeated Astaroth, so it was understandable that it gave the other students a bit of a pause when they considered how to treat me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wasn’t a huge fan of people fearing me, but then again, if they hadn’t liked me to begin with…maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

The staff treated me differently too. Professor Boneclaw didn’t even try to hide his favoritism of me or Oz, allowing us to do whatever we wanted while he taught everyone else. To be fair, most of the time we were pretty damn attentive—as long as you ignored the way that Oz was always touching me in some way, shape, or form.

Something I would never complain about.

Professor Vevau was a bit less stern than before, and at the end of class, he almost always stopped to talk to Lazaro—the conversation usually turning to me. Vevau was insistent that I could advance my lunar magic and learn to create even more unique combinations of my magic if I had more training. I appreciated him trying to push my improvement as a student, but I really didn’t need more power.

Really, really didn’t want more power.

Then there was Professor Shade, who had quickly apologized to Grimshaw and me for the incident that had sparked the need for us to leave the academy. She had even offered to have us transfer classes while assuring us that Professor Ledvot had taken a leave of absence and wouldn’t be a problem. We had decided to stay in her class with the understanding that Grimshaw and I would always be partners.

Which was probably safer anyway—it’s not like anyone else wanted to spar against us.

So while I felt the need to be more social…it probably wasn’t in the cards for me.

“Alright.” I stood up from the table and mirror I’d been using to get ready. “Does this look okay?”

“Yes!” Briar nodded enthusiastically. “I love your hair down. It’s so long!”

“And the silver streaks look so cool,” Odessa added.

“It matches the dress you’ll be wearing.” Lavinia nodded toward the gown as I approached the rack curiously, having let her pick out my dress. I was getting better about normal things, but picking a gown for a gala was still completely out of my wheelhouse.

A sudden purr and brush against my leg had me looking down to find not one but two cats— Boo in her shifted form to match Magus. Before grabbing my dress, I crouched down and scooped both of them up. “Nope. You two can’t be over here—even you, Boo. You’re going to get fur everywhere.”

I was surprised they were even out here. Their room was sizable, providing each creature their own little space. Boo was flourishing and extremely happy with her circumstances, and I was thankful every day that she had come into my life. Not only to help regulate my magic but because she was a constant source of cuteness and humor.

Kissing both of them on top of their heads, I waltzed back to the rack and grabbed my dress. Hanging it on a hook, I slipped off my robe—already having a white slip underneath with built-in undergarments—and stepped into the material of the gown.

“Could someone zip me?”

“Got you!” Odessa hopped up, helping me pull the dress over my hips and pull on the delicate sleeves. She zipped it up, and it fit absolutely perfectly. Like a glove. Lavinia really knew how to pick them.

The gown was an A-line silver piece made of a sparkly brocade material. The skirt was covered in several layers of tulle, and the bodice had crystals that started at the halter neckline and trailed down to the start of the skirt. It was gorgeous, the beading on the shoulders which hung from the neckline in loops showcasing the runes that shone prominently on my body at all times now.

“You look amazing,” Odessa said. I flashed her a soft smile and stepped into my comfortable heels. They weren’t the stilettos that Lavinia wore—only two and a half inches—but they gave me a bit of height and felt good to dance in.

Getting to work helping my friends finish getting ready, I didn’t even realize how much time had until we were all ready and they were leaving, all of us promising to meet at the event.

Midway through closing the door to my dorm, I stopped at the sound of a familiar voice greeting my friends. Waiting in the doorway, I smiled as Cage made his way up the stairs, already dressed in an expensive tux. When his eyes met mine, they deepened into maroon.

“Little siren,” he groaned, putting a hand over his heart dramatically. “You are so fucking beautiful it actually hurts.”

I laughed, placing a hand on his chest and rubbing it. “You’re pretty strong, I feel like you’ll survive.”

“Not sure.” He surged forward and kissed me. “Though I hope to survive at least long enough to see this dress of yours on the floor.”

“Cage!” I let out a giggle as he nipped my lip.

“Love you saying my name. Now come on, little siren—we’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Where are the others?” I asked curiously, stepping inside to grab a navy blue cloak that I wrapped around my shoulders. Cage closed the door and locked it before leading me toward the stairs.

“Waiting for you.” He smirked. “We’ve been busy—hard at work—but I promise it’s worth it.”

“Well now I’m excited! I just assumed you were off doing whatever it is you do when I’m not around.”

“You mean follow you around?” I shook my head as Cage took my hand and kissed the top, pulling me outside. The early evening sky painted everything in shades of blue and purple. “You should be excited for everything to come, little siren.”

“Everything?” I teased. “Like our entire life?”

Cage’s face turned serious for a moment, turning me toward him as he tipped my chin up. “Like our entire life, little siren. I love you so damn much, Deva.”

“I love you too.”

His words and tone were lighthearted, but there was a far more serious note to Cage tonight, and I was beyond intrigued.

“Now come on. I can’t be the reason we are late.” He winked.

As we made our way down a path that ran behind the dining hall, the lights illuminating the grounds around it, I found myself incredibly confused. Even more so when Cage opened a gate that led into a garden I hadn’t even realized existed. Excitement rolled through me at the knowledge that something was happening. I just wasn’t sure what.

“Cage, what are we—” My confusion was easily transformed into awe as we broke through the treeline into the garden.

Neatly trimmed hedgerows lined gardens of wildflowers in colors of blue, purple, and black. A small pond sat near the back of the space, and atop it were lunar obs that floated and cast a beautiful silvery glow on everything. Even shadows danced around the edges of the garden like a moving river.

“See? I’m giving you that tour,” Cage drew out as he led me down the gravel path, making me laugh.

“But don’t worry, no one will be dying on this one.” Grimshaw appeared behind me, wrapping a hand around my waist and tipping my chin up. The kiss he brushed across my lips had my breath catching.

“Well that’s good since I love the dress I’m wearing,” I teased.

“You look stunning,” he said so seriously it made my heart squeeze. “I love you, little jaguar.”

“I love you more.” I kissed him again before looking back toward the lake, where I noticed Lazaro and Oz. “What’s this all about?”

Alek appeared in a swirl of shadows in front of me, offering his hand. I took it, and when he tugged me into his arms, I sighed happily into the kiss he offered. I had no idea what was going on, but I absolutely wouldn’t complain. With all the kisses they were giving me, my head felt almost dizzy.

“ Zaya ,” he groaned, pulling back and looking over my dress. “That color shouldn’t be allowed on you.”

“Is it bad?” I asked, knowing full well it wasn’t. Not even close.

“ Nyet . Too good,” he said, smoothing his hand down my throat. “Too beautiful, too fucking perfect—as always.”

“I love you,” I whispered, softening against him.

“I will love you for the rest of our lives—and far past that.”

After another kiss, he led me to the others, and I did a little twirl and landed right in Lazaro’s arms as he stepped forward to meet us. The man seemed unusually eager, a buzzing energy to him that had me wanting to calm him down.

“You seem almost nervous,” I said softly in confusion.

“Of course I am.” He brushed his nose against mine. “Don’t want to fuck this up. Not when we all love you so damn much.”

“What do you mean?—”

Lazaro stepped to the side before I could finish my sentence. Oz stood in front of me, the others behind him as he held out a navy box in his hand. What the…

“Deva.” Oz’s voice was rough with emotion. “Marry us. Marry us and spend the rest of our lives—the rest of eternity—together.”

Holy hell. My knees felt wobbly as I realized that they were serious. This was happening! I was being proposed to, their expressions filled with so much intense affection and love it was nearly overwhelming. My eyes stung as he opened up the box to reveal a gorgeous white gold ring with a massive moonstone in the center, surrounded by diamonds. Perfection.

“Yes—absolutely yes .”