☼ Chapter II ☼

picture; Sawyer Codaihme

song; "Human" by Civil Twilight

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Genevieve's voice started over the intercom just as I stepped over the threshold of the door. The scene of the room was different from what I was used to and what I would've expected.

In my language classes, the rooms were similar to that of a normal college classroom. Combats were done out on the field or in a bare room with weapons hanging on the walls or placed around the perimeter and a mass amount of space.

In Gifts & Powers, most sat crisscrossed on a simple mat or pillow and just concentrated. This was unlike all of those classes.

The room's ceiling was high, and on the back wall were tall glass double-paned windows that stretched from the roof to the floor.

The setting sun's rays poured over the black marble floors, lighting up the speckles of purple and gold that were hidden unless examined under direct sun or moonlight. The seats were curved along the walls in semi-circles on either side of the room, and were about three rows thick; a set of black marble stairs led up to the higher seats and tables towards the back.

Crimson cushioned bar chairs with silver, metal backs sat behind black marble tables on white pillars. Most of the seats were already occupied, and I knew I was late.

"You look like a lost puppy. Wandered down to the seventh year wing, angel?" A gruff and surprisingly American voice spoke up and I turned my head to see an extremely attractive man standing off to the side of the room near a huge mahogany desk.

It was impossible to not drink his image. Lush, rich jet-black hair that looked softer than a cloud and was slightly longer than average covered his head, while a strong angular jaw and violet-blue eyes created handsome and manlier features to his face.

His five o'clock shadow was a salt-and-pepper colour, making him appear even more rugged. From his confident stance, I could tell that he was probably high ranked in the Unknown World.

The smirk he wore on his lips didn't take away from the intensity in his eyes as he watched me like a predator may prey, but if anything, it felt as if he didn't realize he was doing so.

He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt, dark jeans, and black combat boots. Gray and black tattoos laced up his arms from his wrists and disappeared under his shirt sleeves, which made me notice how fit he was.

His arms were the perfect amount of attractive muscle and his skin held a sweet golden tan. Broad shoulders and a directly drawn chest and stomach was evident even through his t-shirt, and I was trying to hide the fact I was eating it up.

"I'm not lost, actually." My voice came out snappier than I'd meant it to and my face grew hot; thankfully, no one could tell I was blushing because of the warm shade of brown my skin was.

The man's eyebrow quirked up at my comment I grasped absently at my dark, kinky curls and raked my fingers down, uncoiling the hair only for it to spring abruptly back into place, more voluminous than before.

It was something I did whenever I was nervous or unsure and trying to hide it, one of my really old habits.

I smiled for no reason, trying to mask my uncertainty. "Uh, excuse me. I'm—"

"The sixth year, aren't you?" The man that had spoken before stepped closer to me, his eyes raking down my body. It wasn't sexual, but rather sizing me up. "Princess Reinove, right?"

"My name is Sonya." I corrected flatly, returning my attention to him.

The smirk widened to a smile and something skittered across his face for a moment, almost like he recognized me as someone he cared very much about. I knitted my brows together, but didn't say anything else.

"Sonya." His eyes twinkled with amusement and I liked the way he looked at me. It held a different kind of admiration than any of my other Mentors had regarded me with. Respect. "My name is Sawyer. I'm going to be your IOS teacher this year."

"You?" I nearly choked.

"Don't look the type? I get that a lot. My brother is the one that likes to fight. I like sticking to the textbooks." Sawyer sauntered to the center of the room and did a quick sweep before settling on an empty seat I'd overlooked twice in the front row. "It's all yours, Sonya."

All eyes pasted onto me as I moved to sit next to a blonde guy with cocoa colored eyes. He offered me a small smile and I dredged up one of my own in response.

"I'm Carson," he leaned over to say in a hushed tone. "If you need any help with anything, just let me know." I nodded at him, my smile growing in size as I mouthed "thank you".

"Okay, everyone; open your textbooks to page twelve so we can get started. We're going to start from the very beginning. Chapter one is the Creation of Our Kind, am I correct?" Mumbled approvals floated throughout the room and Sawyer flashed a smile. "I'm sure all of you know what Light and Darkness are, but I bet you probably didn't know that they had once been one force." Sawyer launched into his lecture, telling all about our birth at the beginning of time.

Sorcerers, or witches, were the first of our kind. They were born amongst humans, and their magic came from the elements, nature, and even from within themselves once they Ascended.

The same God that made humans made Sorcerers and they were incredibly Powerful, until the others of our kind came along. In the Old Age, Sorcerers were called Balancers and were nature's Keeper; since Sorcerer's were the balance of nature, Light and Darkness became two separate forces after the birth of the first Original Balancer, Sorcha Preudova.

Nephilim are nearly as Ancient as Sorcerers, considering they are offspring of incubus demons that raped human women. When Lucifer Morningstar was thrown out of Heaven, the angels that followed him became demons as well.

Lucifer was anguished in the beginning after falling, but after the birth of the first Sorcerer, he discovered Darkness and began to wield it and soon became the Dark Lord that Christians know in modern day.

Because Lucifer was tainted and became a Dark God, the Royal lines of the Nephilim weren't based off the most Ancient of their kind, but based off the strongest incubus who mated with Sorcerers or Vampyres and were loyal to the Crown of the Unknown World, so despite Nephilim being half-demon and half-mortal, they were some of the strongest of our kind.

The first Royal Nephilim was Olivia Meisente, who was also Chosen by the Goddess and Her Consort—the God Erebus—of the rest of our kind: Nyx.

Nyx and Erebus together impregnated eight mortal women, similar to what the Christian god did to Jesus's mother, Mary. These women were called the First Mothers since they brought about the birth of the first of our kind, the Originals.

Nyx and Erebus birthed two Original Royal lines of two different traces of flesh and spirit: first the Vampyres and then the Lycans.

Lucifer, who had come to be regarded as a God amongst Sorcerers, Nephilim, and humans alike, perceived the Vampyres and Lycans and Nyx as a threat to his new kingdom of Darkness.

To keep the Vampyres and Lycans weak, he pushed the force Darkness upon them and forced Vampyres to become slaves to the blood they required to survive and most Lycans to die during their first Shift into their true form.

Lucifer bid Darkness to pursue the Nephilim and Sorcerers who worshipped Nyx and Erebus as well, wanting the world to be completely tainted by the Black Force and him to be the only God the supernaturals worshipped.

To answer this, Nyx implemented Light into Her Children and kept their true nature suppressed until they came of age.

Once Vampyres reached a certain age, a phase called the Change would force Vampyres to allow their true forms to take control; this caused them to become ash under the rays of the sun and experience ravenous bloodlust so much so it pushed them to the edge of insanity.

Since all the Lycanthrope before had died painfully during their first Shift due to the exhaustion and agony of the beast overruling the human part, Nyx decided the Lycans' beast needed something to fight and live for.

This is when She created Soul Mates through a spiritual Thread.

The sound of the bell going off made me falter over my pencil and create a stray mark on my paper.

Sighing, I slapped my binder and textbook closed as I moved slower than everyone else who was rushing to their next class. IOS was the only class I had today, but I'd be meeting up again with my personal Mentor Genevieve in a little over an hour.

"Princess," My head snapped up to Sawyer who was standing right in front of me. His eyes were looking right through me and he was quiet for such a long time that I didn't think he had anything else to say.

"I... have something for you." He said finally, and his tone wavered, almost like the uncertainty was tangible. I knitted my brows together at him, but didn't say anything.

Letting my stuff alone, I followed him to the back corner of the room where a bunch of mahogany-wood cabinets sat.

Plucking a leather-bound and worn book from the first shelf of the cabinet, Sawyer turned it over to me.

"What is it?" I was too curious to keep from asking as I grasped it. The binding was incredibly smooth and cool under my fingers.

"Open it and see." I didn't appreciate his coyness, but did as told. In an almost illegible but elegant script, there was a line written on the inside of the front cover.

I place this on paper to comfort myself in the knowledge that these things were real once it is all over. – Eloize Reinove.

"Eloize Reinove." I echoed her name as I read it. "Who was she?"

"You mean who is she?" Sawyer seemed amused by my amazement. "I'm guessing she's a grandmother of yours, since you both have the same Royal last name."

"She's alive?" I wondered why my voice cracked. Sawyer's smile was giddy as he nodded. "Could I meet her?" The question was dripping in excitement, and I could feel my jade eyes were wide, probably glinting with a childish gleam.

As far as I knew, I had no remaining blood relatives besides my father who was still back in America.

"Of course she's alive; she's an Elder, but she hates it when people call her that. And as for you meeting her, I think we can definitely work something out. I think she'd like to meet you, too."

"You know her personally? How? Are you friends?" I stopped as a new thought dawned on me. "How old are you exactly, Sawyer?" My eyes narrowed like I was squinting to look at something far away and hard to see.

He honestly didn't look a day over thirty-five.

He let forth a good-natured laugh that warmed me from the inside out. "I'm too old for you. But my brother's in your range if you like the charm of Codaihme Nephilim."

"Codaihme Nephilim?" My eyebrows rose in slight surprise. Not only did Sawyer not possess nearly any of the taciturn, dreary traits that were common amongst Nephilim, but I'd seen photos of Trenton before that Lorelai kept at all times. They didn't look much alike at all.

"Are you Trenton Codaihme's brother?"

Sawyer's violet-blue eyes darkened at the question and he nodded slowly, his demeanor quickly growing gloomy.

"Yeah, do you know him?" Sawyer seemed hopeful, and I wondered if he maybe spoke to him sometimes. Maybe I could tell Lorelai to cheer her up and let her know that he was okay--at least he was still alive.

"Um," I started, my eyes turning down to my feet as I shook my head. "No, I've never met him. My best friend's brother is really close to him."

"Ankiel Ylisove?" It was Sawyer's turn to look surprised now. I nodded as a smile broke over my Mentor's face. "I've known that kid since he was fourteen and Lorelai since she was twelve. Eloize was very close to their father, Josiah Ylisove."

"Was?" A sliver of anxiety dove into my stomach and I swallowed. Why had Eloize and Lorelai's father drifted apart? Did he betray her in some way?

I'd never met Lorelai's father. He worked as a Protector and was never around for her or Lorelai's mother who was the Alpha of Lorelai's family Pack back in England.

"Yeah, Eloize used to be the Head of Seikrov Nyx and was great friends with him when he worked here as a Mentor. He eventually left the position to go back to the role of a Protector when Genevieve Seilyar suggested." The emphasis that Sawyer spoke with was venomous and I narrowed my eyes but didn't say anything.

Genevieve and Lorelai's father didn't get along. Sawyer Codaihme didn't seem to prefer her either. I suddenly understood why Ankiel and Trenton may have reason to leave the Academy, and Lorelai was left out of the loop.

I wondered if she knew about the resentment her father had towards Genevieve, and I also wondered why.

"How do you know Eloize anyway?" I questioned again, circling back to more important matters. "Are you friends with her, too?"

"We're more than friends, Princess." I was taken aback once again by how easy-going Sawyer was. His suggestive tone was almost funny, but I was too surprised by how casual he was being with me to even laugh. "She's my Sufletul Oglinda."

"Sufletul Oglinda?" My voice repeated back to him. I understood the words translated to "soul mirror" in Romanian. "Is that like a Soul Mate?"

Sawyer nodded curtly. "It's the Vampyre and Nephilim equivalent. Only those tainted with Dark Blood have them. Having Dark Blood makes the Change and Ascending even worse than normal, so Nyx allowed us to have Mates as well."

"I could have Dark Blood." Despite the dread I should be feeling at the thought, especially when remnants of memories of my sister shoving me through the glass-paned sliding door in our family home when I was sixteen resurfaced, I felt giddy.

Cetilayn had pounced, her jade eyes turning black-crimson with hunger when I began bleeding and Meredith had to incapacitate her.

Regardless of the horrid memory my mind dredged up, I smiled because it could mean there might be someone out there for me too. That person would love me wholly and unconditionally, irrevocably.

Who wouldn't want that, no matter the cost? Especially someone like me, who'd lost all of her family either to death or blinding fear.

"You could." Sawyer agreed and his words were slow, almost cautious, and he was looking at me strangely as I continued to smile at the idea of having a Mate. "But I don't know if that's a very comforting thought."

"I just want a Mate." I explained quickly as I didn't want him to think that I'm weird or crazy. "I think it would be amazing to have someone love you like you're all that matters to them." After indulging in the idea for a moment longer, I returned to earth.

"So, you and my like... great times forty grandma are Mates. Are you two the only Reinove-Codaihme couple?"

"That we know of. Most of the Reinove line has died off. You're the youngest that the Elders know about, the final Child of your family so far." I nodded.

I knew this, and it was the reason the Elders wanted me to attend the Academy in the first place—so that I was under their protection. They needed to protect the last Reinove who could bear children to continue my line.

It was clear to me that because I was here and Cetilayn wasn't, it meant that she had Changed once she ran away from home.

I guess it also meant that she didn't have any children while she was gone all that time, otherwise, there would probably be a seven year old running around being called the Final Child instead of me.

"Yeah," I responded after a while and I didn't mean for my voice to be so dismissive, but I didn't like to think about Cetilayn much.

Knowing she was out there somewhere and never came for me hurt, especially if she knew Meredith was dead. I know she had to have felt it. "You go home to her every night?"

"I do," Sawyer's eyes gleamed with a faraway, dreamy look. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my lips. He looked so lovestruck it was almost comical. "It was crazy how we worked out. I met her when I was eighteen years old, and she had been in Head Vierseut's place. I'd been busted for selling charmed valerian and nightshade. They're herbs that can actually affect us, especially if dried and spelled.

"Anyway, she was supposed to figure out a suitable punishment for selling drugs on campus to her students, but she fell in love with me at first sight. She was frozen at thirty-four human years old, but had lived more than nine centuries. That didn't matter to me of course.

She was so beautiful, and she tried to resist the pull for a long time, but when I started Ascending, Eloize couldn't take seeing me in pain, delirious, and bloodthirsty, knowing she could comfort me.

I finally graduated from the Academy and Eloize finally gave in and we've been Mated and together ever since. I've been with her for twenty-three years and it still feels like the first day every time I see her."

"Whoa." It was all I could think to say. It was amazing how they'd been together as long as I'd been alive and they still were so deeply in love with one another.

Another question barreled passed my lips before I could keep it at bay, "Vampyre and Nephilim can have Mates. Can their Mates be any race?"

"I would assume so, though I believe it is usually paired Nephilim to Nephilim or Vampyre to Vampyre, or obviously," Sawyer paused gesturing grandly to himself and then towards Eloize's journal. "Nephilim to Vampyre. The Goddess needs our other half to be strong enough to support us through the Change or Ascending."

"That makes sense." I paused as well, just like Sawyer had a moment ago and turned my eyes down to Eloize's journal. "Could I...?" I stopped again, surveying his unsure expression. "I'll be extra careful, Sawyer." My eyes pleaded with him, and something flickered across Sawyer's face but his reluctance slowly melted away.

"Well," He began on a sigh, folding his arms across his broad chest. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Just be sure to bring it back Friday for our next class.

There are some details in there on the Red War that aren't in the textbook and I want to share them with the class."

I nodded eagerly as a beaming smile formed onto my face. I started to thank him when the shrill bell resounded across the walls of the empty classroom and I soon heard footsteps coming towards us.

Many year sevens began to file into the seats haphazardly around us. "Thanks, Sawyer." Offering another smile, I took a step back, still facing him. "I've gotta go meet with my personal Mentor soon, so I better get going."

"Genevieve, right?" I nodded and something dark flicked through his eyes, but he pushed forth a smile. Sawyer looked like he very much wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to.

"Come around anytime you'd like Sonya. If you ever need help or advice, I'll be here." I nodded, feeling as if his words held a heavier meaning than what they appeared to have on the surface. Just before I exited the room, Sawyer caught my attention again with a sudden outburst of "Hey!" I turned back to look at him, eyebrows raised in expectance. "Be careful, okay?"

My brows knitted together in confusion, but I nodded anyway before smiling and waving goodbye again.