ARIA'S POV
I wake up to someone knocking on my door.
My whole body aches. Last night's battle replays in my mind—Malachai's vampires pouring through the broken wards, the chaos, the fighting. Professor Crane and the faculty managed to drive them back eventually, but not before three students were injured.
Vivian escaped with Malachai. But not before she screamed at me: "You can't hide behind your vampire boyfriends forever!"
The bonds. I can feel them even now—three distinct connections thrumming inside me. Lucian's feels like cold steel and absolute control. Kieran's burns like barely contained fire. Dorian's is ancient and deep like an ocean.
And through each bond, I feel their emotions. Concern. Protectiveness. Hunger.
The knock comes again. Harder.
"Aria?" Lucian's voice. "Open the door."
Elena is already awake, sitting at her desk with wide eyes. "That's the fourth time he's knocked. I think he's worried."
I drag myself out of bed and unlock the door. Lucian looks perfect despite the battle—not a hair out of place, his black shirt pressed, his silver eyes sharp. But I can feel his anxiety through the bond. He's been worried about me all night.
"You look terrible," he says bluntly.
"Good morning to you too."
His lips twitch almost into a smile. "Your training starts today. You can't stay helpless."
"I'm exhausted. Can't it wait—"
"No." His voice turns serious. "Malachai will be back. Your stepmother won't give up. And next time, you need to be able to defend yourself."
He's right. I know he's right. But everything hurts, and I barely slept.
Through our bond, Lucian feels my exhaustion. His expression softens slightly. "I'll have food brought to the training room. And healing tea. But we're doing this, Aria. Now."
"Fine." I grab clothes from my closet. "Give me five minutes."
"Three," he counters.
"Four."
"Deal." He actually smiles this time. A real smile that makes my stomach flutter despite my exhaustion.
I change quickly while Elena watches with obvious amusement. "So the vampire boyfriend is bossy."
"He's not my boyfriend—"
"You're literally bonded to him for eternity. That's like marriage times a thousand." She grins. "Also, you have THREE vampire boyfriends now. That's iconic."
"They're not—" I stop, because what are they? My protectors? My eternal bond-mates? "It's complicated."
"It's hot," Elena corrects. "Now go train with your hot vampire men before Lucian breaks down the door."
Lucian leads me through empty corridors to a private training room deep in the academy's lower levels. The room is huge—padded floors, weapons on the walls, and two vampires already waiting.
Kieran leans against the far wall, arms crossed. He's wearing a simple black shirt that shows his scars clearly. When he sees me, something shifts in his dark eyes. "You're late."
"I'm exhausted," I counter.
"Good." He pushes off the wall. "You'll be exhausted when someone attacks you too. Better learn to fight through it."
Dorian stands by a bookshelf, looking elegant as always in a dark coat. "Kieran, try to be gentle. She barely survived last night."
"Gentle won't keep her alive," Kieran shoots back.
The three of them look at me, and I feel their emotions through the bonds. Lucian's determination. Kieran's fierce protectiveness hiding under gruffness. Dorian's ancient patience.
"So what exactly am I learning?" I ask.
"Everything," Lucian says. "I'll teach you politics and strategy. How to navigate vampire society, read power plays, protect yourself socially."
"I'll teach you combat," Kieran adds, moving to the center of the room. "How to fight opponents stronger and faster than you. How to survive when you're outmatched."
"And I'll teach you blood magic," Dorian finishes. "How to control your Bloodborn abilities. How to use your power instead of being used by it."
My head spins. "That's... a lot."
"You have three teachers now," Lucian says, a hint of pride in his voice. "The bonds let us share knowledge directly. You'll learn faster than any normal student."
"We'll start with combat," Kieran announces. "Since that's what'll keep you breathing."
He gestures for me to join him on the mat. I walk over slowly, my body still aching from last night.
"Hit me," Kieran says.
"What?"
"Hit me. As hard as you can."
I look at Lucian and Dorian. They both nod encouragingly.
"This is stupid," I mutter, but I make a fist and punch Kieran's chest.
It's like hitting a brick wall. Pain shoots through my knuckles. Kieran doesn't even flinch.
"Pathetic," he says bluntly. "Again."
Anger flares through me. I punch harder. Still nothing.
"You're pulling your punches," Kieran observes. "You're scared of hurting me. Why?"
"Because you're stronger than me!"
"Exactly. So you need to fight smarter, not harder." He moves so fast I barely see it, sweeping my legs out from under me. I crash onto the mat, breathless.
"Someone attacks you," Kieran says, standing over me. "What do you do?"
"Run?" I gasp.
"Wrong. You fight dirty." He offers his hand and pulls me up. "Vampires are stronger, faster, and nearly indestructible. You can't win with strength. You win with strategy."
For the next hour, Kieran pushes me past every limit. He teaches me where vampires are vulnerable—eyes, throat, joints. He shows me how to use momentum against stronger opponents. How to break holds. How to escape when grabbed.
He doesn't hold back. Every time I fall, he makes me get up. Every time I want to quit, he pushes harder.
"You're not training to fight vampires," he says during a water break. His scarred face is intense. "You're training so you never feel helpless again. There's a difference."
Something in his voice makes me look up. Through our bond, I feel his emotion—not just determination, but pain. Old pain. Deep pain.
"What happened to you?" I ask quietly.
His expression closes off. "That's not—"
"Your scars." I gesture to the silver burns on his neck and arms. "How did you get them?"
Silence. Then: "Vampire hunters. They burned my village, killed everyone I loved. I begged a vampire to turn me so I could get revenge. These scars are from when I fought back."
"Did you?" I whisper. "Get revenge?"
"Yes." His voice is hollow. "And then I spent decades hating what I'd become. The monster the hunters feared." He looks at me directly. "That's why I'm teaching you to fight. So you never have to become something you hate just to survive."
The honesty breaks something in my chest. I reach out without thinking and touch one of his scars. He flinches, but doesn't pull away.
"Your blood could heal these," he says quietly. "Make the pain stop. But I won't ask for it. Not until you're ready to give it freely."
"Why?"
"Because you deserve a choice." His dark eyes meet mine. "Something I never had."
Before I can respond, Lucian clears his throat. "My turn."
Kieran steps back, and Lucian takes his place. But instead of teaching me to fight, he circles me slowly.
"Vampire society is a battlefield," he says. "More dangerous than physical combat because the weapons are words, status, and perception."
"I don't understand—"
"You walked into breakfast yesterday like you were apologizing for existing," Lucian says. "Shoulders hunched. Eyes down. Body language screaming 'I'm weak.'"
"I was trying not to draw attention!"
"You drew the wrong kind." He stops in front of me. "Watch."
He demonstrates—shoulders back, chin up, moving with absolute confidence. Even his stillness radiates power.
"Now you," he commands.
I try to copy him, but it feels wrong. Fake.
"You're performing," Lucian observes. "Don't perform. Believe it." He moves behind me, adjusting my posture with his cold hands. "You survived three years of abuse. You walked into a vampire academy and lived. You bonded with three of the most powerful vampires here."
His hands rest on my shoulders. Through our bond, I feel his absolute certainty.
"You're not weak, Aria. You never were. You just believed the lies they told you." His voice drops lower. "Stand like you know what you are."
"What am I?" I whisper.
"Mine." The word is possessive, certain. "Ours. The girl who's about to change everything."
Something shifts inside me. When I straighten up this time, it feels different. Real.
"There," Lucian says with satisfaction. "That's what I want to see. Now hold that feeling."
For the next hour, he teaches me to read vampire social cues. How to spot threats. How to use the bonds to my advantage. How to command respect without saying a word.
It's exhausting in a completely different way than Kieran's training.
Finally, Dorian steps forward. "My turn. And I think Aria needs a break from being pushed around."
He leads me to a quiet corner with cushions and candles. "Blood magic isn't about force. It's about connection. Understanding."
He sits, gesturing for me to join him. When I do, he takes my hand—the one I cut yesterday that's already healed thanks to the bonds.
"Close your eyes," he instructs. "Feel the bonds. Really feel them."
I close my eyes. Immediately, I sense all three connections. Silver threads linking me to each vampire.
"Good," Dorian murmurs. "Now follow my thread. See what I see."
I focus on his bond—ancient and deep. Suddenly, I'm seeing through his eyes. Seeing myself sitting across from him. It's disorienting and beautiful.
"That's telepathy through the bond," Dorian explains. "Now try to push an emotion to me."
I think of warmth. Gratitude. Trust.
Through our bond, I feel Dorian's surprise and pleasure. "Very good. Most Bloodborn take weeks to manage that."
"What else can I do?" I ask, opening my eyes.
"Everything." His eyes gleam with ancient knowledge. "You can sense vampire emotions. Strengthen or weaken them. Eventually, you'll be able to share our abilities—speed, strength, compulsion. You're not just bonded to us, Aria. You're becoming something between human and vampire."
"Is that good?"
"That's powerful." He squeezes my hand gently. "And power is what you need to survive."
We practice for another hour. By the time we finish, I'm mentally and physically exhausted. But also stronger somehow. More confident.
The three vampires stand before me—so different yet united in their purpose. Protecting me. Teaching me. Making me dangerous.
"Same time tomorrow," Lucian says.
"Every day," Kieran adds. "Until you can defend yourself properly."
"And until you understand what you truly are," Dorian finishes.
I look at them—my three bond-mates, my teachers, my protectors. A month ago, I was nothing. Nobody. Celeste's servant.
Now I'm something else entirely.
"Thank you," I say quietly. "For everything."
Through the bonds, I feel their responses. Lucian's fierce pride. Kieran's rough affection. Dorian's patient devotion.
"Thank us when you survive," Lucian says, but his eyes are warm.
As I leave the training room, my phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number:
"You can't train forever. Eventually you'll bleed again. And when you do, I'll be waiting. You're mine, little Bloodborn. You just don't know it yet. - M.T."
Malachai Thorn.
I delete the message, but my hands shake.
He's right. I can't hide forever.
But now I have three vampires teaching me to fight back.
And I'm done being prey.
Time to become the predator.