Ingrid hesitated, and Zaeryn's heart sank slightly. She was considering Leia's words, he could see it.

"You're making sense," Ingrid admitted slowly. "But I still believe him. I felt it when we were having sex. It was like a piece of my Vitae was—"

"You had SEX with him?!" Leia's voice shot up, genuine shock breaking through her usual controlled anger.

Ingrid's face went crimson, but her gaze didn't waver. She said nothing, but the confirmation was written all over her expression.

Leia stared at her friend, stunned into momentary silence. "Oh, Marea's mercy," she finally whispered, her fury temporarily replaced by disbelief. "You did. You actually slept with the anomaly. Within a day of meeting him."

"It's not just about that!" Ingrid insisted. "The connection... it's real. It's more than just physical. Ask Genevieve—she'll tell you the same thing."

"Goddess," Leia breathed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Genevieve too?"

Ingrid didn't deny it.

Leia's disbelief hardened back into her usual mask of cold annoyance. "You're an idiot, Ingrid. You let a male—a Vitae-wielding male—get that close, and now he has your abilities. You haven't just been compromised; you've actively armed a potential enemy. Do you even understand what he is? What he could become?"

"I've thought about it," Ingrid said, her voice firm and steady now. "I've considered all the risks. But I don't think he's like that. In fact, I know he's not like that."

"How?" Leia demanded. "How can you possibly know that after one day?"

"Because I can feel it," Ingrid replied simply. "The bond goes both ways, Leia. I can sense his intentions. And they're not malicious. He's not trying to use me. He's just trying to survive."

Leia shook her head slowly, her expression a mixture of frustration and genuine concern. "You're being naive. Bonds can be faked. Emotions can be manipulated. You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment."

"And you're letting your prejudice cloud yours," Ingrid shot back. "You decided he was a threat the moment you saw him. You never gave him a chance."

"Because I'm not stupid, and I can see through people." Leia shot back, "But clearly, you're dumb."

The two women stared at each other, the tension thick enough to cut. Zaeryn decided this was probably a good time to make his presence known before things escalated further. He stepped forward, his footsteps deliberately audible. "Hey," he called out casually, as if he'd just rounded the corner and hadn't been listening to their entire conversation.

Both women turned toward him immediately.

Ingrid's expression snapped from her argument with Leia to Zaeryn. The tension in her shoulders didn't disappear; it transformed. A possessive and utterly defiant smile spread across her face.

"You heard that, huh?" she murmured.

Before Zaeryn could respond, she closed the distance, grabbed the front of his uniform, and yanked him forward. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him down as she pressed her body flush against his in a blatant, public claim.

Her stormy eyes locked on his, a silent challenge passing between them. "If Leia thinks I'm an idiot," Ingrid whispered, "she might as well see why."

Her mouth crashed against his.

It wasn't hesitant or shy. It felt deep, searing and a territorial kiss, a declaration to Leia and the entire hallway. Her tongue swept into his mouth, demanding, exploring, claiming. Zaeryn, caught completely off guard by her sudden passion, could only melt into it. He felt the soft, full press of her breasts squish against his chest, the heat of her skin radiating through his uniform.

Zaeryn's hands instinctively found her waist, pulling her flush against him as he returned the kiss with equal intensity. Just as he was getting lost in the feel of her, he felt a sharp, playful bite on his lower lip.

He pulled back with a surprised hiss, his eyes wide. "Wow."

Ingrid just grinned, her stormy eyes sparkling with pure triumph, her lips looking swollen and thoroughly kissed.

"You better get used to that," she whispered, her breath warm on his tingling lip. "I'm your girlfriend now."

Zaeryn's eyebrows shot up as he ran a thumb over his lip. "Already claiming me? Getting bold, are we?"

Ingrid's smile faded, replaced by a challenging, almost serious glare. "Yes," she said, her voice firm. "You have my Vitae inside you now. You're marked." Her gaze was unwavering. "That makes us a thing. So yeah, I'm claiming you."

"And... what about Sage?" Zaeryn asked, remembering her defiant words from the night before.

Ingrid scoffed, waving a dismissive hand as if swatting away an annoying fly. "I don't care about Sage. We'll work out a schedule. We'll get along just fine."

She gave him one last, hungry look, then leaned in to steal another quick, hard kiss. "See you later, I have a class to attend."

She turned and sauntered away, her hips swaying with deliberate confidence, leaving Zaeryn standing there, thoroughly kissed, slightly stunned, and now, without a doubt, the absolute center of the Lyceum's gossip storm. He turned, his eyes landing on Leia who was going through her locker room.

She closed the locker and turned to him.

"Hey Leia." Zaeryn said.

Leia's head snapped around, her expression a perfect mask of pure, unadulterated disgust. If she had started to like him before he revealed himself as a 'parasite,' now she didn't like him at all. Not even a little.

"What do you want, anomaly?" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. She gestured vaguely in the direction Ingrid had just sauntered off. "Done swapping spit? Or are you already looking for your next 'bond'?"

The sarcasm was thick, but Zaeryn was feeling way too good to let it bother him. He just grinned, leaning casually against the locker beside hers. "Just being friendly. You looked a little lonely over here now that your friend left."

"Lonely?" Leia's smirk was cold and scary. "Don't flatter yourself. Also, don't even bother, I can see through you. I know what you're up to, anomaly."

"Oh? And what is that?" Zaeryn asked, his playful grin disappearing into disappointment as he realised that his and Leia's relationship, which was already nonexistent, was now even worse. And he needed them to get along, not the other way.

"You're not 'being friendly.' You're hunting." Her lips curled in that familiar sneer, her eyes raking over him with pure contempt. "You're a parasite, anomaly. You feed off people."

"That's not true. But you're welcome to believe whatever." Zaeryn said.

"Also, I just wanted to tell you that, I was wrong to challenge you, you're clearly the better fighter between us."

Leia dismissed his words and just left, Zaeryn watched her walk off down the corridor, her crimson braid swinging like a warning pendulum.

"Well," he muttered to himself, turning his gaze ahead on the exit. "This day is just getting better and better. Time to go home."

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