Morning sunlight filtered into the dorm room, soft and golden.
Elias stirred awake, tangled in the sheets, limbs heavy, body warm — no, too warm.
And there, nestled beside him like a smug predator, was Rael. His golden hair spilled over the pillow, one arm thrown possessively over Elias's waist. His chest, broad and heavy, rose and fell gently.
Elias tried to move. The arm tightened.
"Not yet," Rael murmured, voice still thick with sleep. "You're too delicious when you squirm."
Elias's cheeks burned. How was he supposed to survive this demon if mornings kept starting like this?
"Rael, I have class."
A lazy kiss pressed against the side of his neck. Elias shivered.
"I'll see you after…" Rael whispered.
Later, Elias half-ran to his Advanced Magical Elements class, barely making it through the doors before Professor Salverin started. He dropped into a seat and tried to focus.
Tried.
Really tried.
But something was wrong.
The air around him shimmered faintly. His fingers tingled with a weird heat.
When he raised his hand to conjure a simple flame orb — his assigned exercise — the orb didn't appear.
Instead, a sizzling pulse shot out of his palm, slamming into the blackboard and melting a giant chunk of it into a puddle of bubbling goo.
The entire classroom froze.
Professor Salverin blinked once, twice. His long silver mustache twitched.
"Mr. Wynn," he said, voice dangerously calm. "Care to explain?"
Elias swallowed. Hard.
"I, uh… upgraded the spell?"
A snort came from the back of the room — Wyll, of course, hiding a laugh behind his sleeve. The professor only sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Detention," he muttered. "After class."
Later that evening, detention wasn't so bad. Mostly because Rael had snuck into his room again.
Elias sat cross-legged on the bed, frustration oozing from every pore.
"I don't get it!" he groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "I barely tried to use magic, and it exploded!"
Rael lounged on the windowsill, bathed in moonlight like some sort of lazy, golden god. His pecs glistened faintly under his open shirt. He was barefoot, relaxed, too damn sexy for Elias's peace of mind.
"It's because," Rael said smoothly, "your body's still adjusting."
"Adjusting to what?!"
Rael's smile was slow, hungry, and strangely tender.
"Our bond," he said. "Remember? When we... shared ourselves, you absorbed a part of my magic. Primordial demon magic. It's ancient, wild. It's fusing with your natural magic now."
Elias gaped. "Are you saying I'm… part demon now?"
Rael chuckled, low and wicked.
"No. You're still human." He crossed the room in two strides, cupping Elias's face with warm hands.
"But you're mine now, in ways you don't even understand yet."
Elias shivered, heat sparking through his blood. Rael's thumb brushed his lower lip.
"Let me teach you," Rael whispered, voice dropping an octave lower. "Let me train you. Body… mind… magic..."
Their mouths crashed together, a desperate, hungry kiss that left Elias dizzy.
When they pulled apart, Rael's forehead pressed against his.
"You have no idea how powerful you're going to become, Elias."
And somehow, in that moment, between the mess of magic and melted classrooms, Elias believed him.