Chapter 3: Miles

I felt Katrina's back stiffen when I placed my hand on her waist, and I wondered if she felt the same strong connection that I felt towards her. I could tell my cousins had taken an interest in her as well. They didn't know her, nor had they seen her powers in action, but from the looks on their faces, they wanted to devour her the same as I; even Samael, Heir to the underworld, Mr. Dark Brooding himself, took an interest in her.

"First off, Beckett, I didn't fuck her. I watched over while she slept after she drained her powers fighting off a succubus. Secondly, Aphelion, Katrina is gorgeous, hence my need to constantly be touching her, and lastly, Samael, can you get that angry ass look off your face? You're scaring her."

"Wait, what?" Katrina asked, pulling away from me, turning to face me. "What powers?"

"Kitten," I replied calmly, reaching out to grab her arms in case she took the news wrong. "That white light you saw before that snake, Raphael, flew backward; that was real; it wasn't your imagination."

Katrina laughed hysterically. "Okay, Okay, is this where the guy with the camera comes out and yells, gotcha?"

My cousins looked at me confused; I hadn't mentioned that Katrina was raised in the human world, completely ignorant that the Gods existed and that we weren't just a "mythology" that the historians had written about.

"No, babe, this is the real deal," I responded, observing her eyes.

"Of course, you have to be fucking crazy." She laughed, shaking her head. "You were too good to be true, deliciously hot man that was attracted to me and charming, yep, should've known that you were batshit crazy. Red Flag alert." She responded, clearly not joking.

Aphelion stood up from his seat, walking cautiously over to us before standing next to me. "We aren't joking, princess." He replied, lifting his hand and caressing her with the gentle breeze of the wind.

"Th.. that's coincidental," Katrina replied, looking over her shoulder. "I'm sure someone turned on a fan. Listen, I get it, pick on the poor naive girl, let's have some fun with her, but I really ought to be going." She responded, backing away towards the door.

"Enough." Roared Samael, blue flames sprouting all over his body. He always was the one with the shortest temper.

"Oh my," Katrina whispered before she fainted; luckily, Aphelion was quick enough to catch her in his arms.

"Wow." When she was in his arms, he said breathlessly, "Do you feel the sparks when you touch her?" He asked.

"More like a surge in my power," I responded, watching over Katrina carefully.

"That must be what I'm feeling too."

Aphelion was the Heir to the Kingdom in the sky, he was the firstborn son of Zeus and Hera, so it made sense that a surge in his power would feel like sparks erupting.

"Did you have to scare her?" Beckett asked, turning towards Samael, his eyes swirling with the power of the ocean.

"Why didn't you inform us that she was completely unaware of her power?" Samael asked, ignoring Beckett, glaring my way.

"I didn't exactly have time to feel you all in," I replied. "Katrina used Heavenly Light, a power I haven't seen since Michael descended. When I informed Headmaster Simmons, he called a meeting immediately."

"I didn't think you would bring the girl." The headmaster responded, "This is a matter that needs to be discussed between the Heirs unless you want me to bring it up with the current Kings and Queens?" He said, raising his eyebrows at us. If he brought it up with them, they would destroy Katrina; she had an unknown power; it was more than just the heavenly light in her that they would see as a threat.

"What else was I supposed to do with her?" I asked, "If I left her in my room, she would have disappeared or run into one of the other students in the halls."

"Did you tell her that her friends died last night?" Becket asked, looking at Katrina, his eyes full of concern; I could tell her he felt the pull towards her.

"No," I responded, feeling guilty. "I didn't even know how to tell Katrina about her power, and how was I to tell her that anyone who wasn't someone with divine blood would die by seeing her power."

"What were they doing on the club's top floor anyway?" Samael asked, continuing to glare at me. "That floor is strictly for individuals who share the blood of the Gods."

"I felt this pull towards her, and I wanted to watch her closely. I could tell her friends were mortals, but I couldn't get a read on her. My power is drawn to her like she was made for me. I didn't know then what she was, but now, I know that she is at least part angel, a species we had thought long gone, and something else. I can feel another strong power within her, but I can't detect it. It's a power that I've never felt before."

"Hmm... Interesting." The headmaster replied, stroking his long beard. "Do you all feel this pull towards her?" He asked, looking around at my cousins.

"Yes," They all nodded in unison.

"I thought so by your reactions. She must be powerful indeed."

"So, what do we do now?" I asked, looking over at Katrina in Aphelion's arms, watching him look over her adoringly. I could feel jealously rearing its ugly head, but I pushed it down if the others felt drawn to her. Who was I to tell them not to go near her?

"We enroll her into the academy, where we can keep a closer eye on her and help her gain control of her powers."

"And if she doesn't want to enroll?" Beckett asked, crossing his arms.

"She has no choice in the matter. Either have her enroll or inform the Gods about her." The headmaster responded. "You all should head to class. When she awakes, I'll tell her the news about her friends and advise her that she is now a student at divine academy."

"Where will she be staying?" I asked, feeling a pain deep within about being apart from her.

"She'll be moved to the upper floor, away from the rest of the students, for their safety and hers."

"I will move up there too," I replied, not as a question but as a command; technically, I was a higher power than the headmaster, his soon-to-be king, once I graduated from the academy.

"Us too," Aphelion responded, finally looking away from Katrina to stare at the headmaster, willing him to try and defy him.

"I wouldn't expect any less; now get to class."

We all reluctantly left the office and headed to our first class, the one I excelled at the most, Sparring.

***APHELION***

I grunted as Beckett landed a kick on my thigh, my thoughts wandering away from sparring and back to the beautiful woman lying in the headmaster's office. I had never felt so drawn to another being before. Sure I had had flings with most of the girls in this academy, actually, but I never felt like I wanted to settle down and belong to someone. As Heir to the Sky Kingdom, Son of Zeus and Hera, I knew that I would need to find someone to settle down with eventually; my father would prefer one of the daughters from the Norse Gods to strengthen our Kingdom, but I hadn't been ready to settle down. This woman, whose name I didn't even know yet, made me want to settle down; she made me want to be hers and hers alone, to damn with strengthening the Kingdom.

"Aphelion, are you trying to let me kick your ass today?" Beckett asked, landing a punch to my jaw.

I sent a bolt of lightning at him, which he quickly dodged before shooting a burst of ice at me. I threw up a shield blocking it.

"How can you focus on sparring right now?" I asked him.

"Poseidon and Amphitrite raised me not to let anything distract me." He responded casually. I always thought it was weird that Beckett called his parents by their given names, but I also knew some gods weren't as attentive to their children like mine.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked, feigning a kick to the waist, which he blocked while sending a bolt of lightning that he didn't see until his opportunity to dodge was missed; he threw up a shield. Still, my lighting was more potent than a magic shield, busting through it and sending a spark of electricity to him. I laughed as I watched his normally perfect brown curls frizz.

"Cheat." He grunted, blasting me with ice-cold water. "And yes, I think she'll be fine. Miles said she was strong-willed. Her name is Katrina, by the way."

I looked at him, confused; certain Miles hadn't mentioned her name.

"I asked him while we were walking to class." He replied calmly.

"So you are curious about her," I responded.

"Of course I am; I've never met another person who has been able to make my power surge as she has. I hadn't even touched her, and I could feel the power of the sea whirling through my blood."

We felt the professor's gaze falling on us and ceased our conversation, not wanting anyone to find out about Katrina just yet. We upped our Sparring using the force of our godly powers, drawing the professor's attention away from us.

Fuck. I don't know how I'm going to pay attention in the rest of my classes today, with thoughts of Katrina running through my mind. I wanted to ditch the remainder of my classes but knew I couldn't. Hermes, my father's messenger, who watched my attendance and grades in school, would report back to my father immediately, and then I would feel the wrath of Zeus.