CHAPTER 239: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

Chapter 239

Daphne

I pull my fingers out, slick and trembling, and my bunny collapses face-first into the mattress.

Out cold.

...Wow.

I blink at her limp little body, ears twitching faintly, chest heaving shallow but steady.

"Did I just...?" I glance down at my hand, then slowly raise my fingers to my mouth. My tongue flicks over them, savoring the taste. "Huh. Guess I really did."

She doesn’t move. Not a twitch.

My grin falters. I lean down, brushing her shoulder with a claw-tip. "Alive?"

Nothing.

I nudge harder, panic trickling in. "Hey. Bunny?"

Still no response. My chest tightens, and for a second the thought claws through me—I broke her.

Then she lets out the tiniest little snore. A soft, squeaky exhale.

Relief crashes over me so hard I nearly sag onto the bed. Gods. I laugh under my breath, shaky.

Well.

Round of applause for me—I literally knocked her out.

She’s sprawled across my ruined bed, face buried in the sheets, ears twitching faintly even in sleep. I glance around at the destruction. The bedding is shredded to ribbons, little claw marks carved through every layer. The mattress? Completely soaked.

I whistle low under my breath. "Didn’t know those delicate little claws were this sharp, bunny."

I reach out to tuck her hair back from her flushed face, but before I can, her form shimmers. A soft glow. Then—poof.

Fur. Long ears. A tiny, trembling rabbit where my bunny used to be.

I stifle the laugh bubbling up, biting down on my knuckle. Of course. Instinct. Her body protecting itself the only way it knows how.

A little white puffball lies sprawled across the ruined sheets, ears drooping, twitching every now and then in exhausted dreams.

That’s adorable.

The bed is hopeless. Nothing’s going to save it.

So I scoop her up gently, her tiny paws curling against my chest, her nose twitching in her sleep. She fits so perfectly in my hand it’s almost unfair.

I pace the room for a while, cradling her against me, listening to the steady little thump of her heart. She’s so warm. So soft. My little bunny.

Finally, I lay her down on the rug near the window, where the moonlight filters in through the curtains. She twitches once, ears flicking, before curling in on herself like a ball of fluff.

I shift.

My body stretches, bones reshaping, muscles sliding into the sleek familiar power of my other form. Lowering myself beside her tiny form. She doesn’t stir, just breathes, steady and even.

Carefully, I nudge her closer with my nose until she’s tucked beneath my chin. She’s so small like this I’m afraid I’ll crush her if I’m not careful. So I curl my body around her, a wall of warmth and muscle, shielding her from everything.

She twitches again, letting out the faintest squeak in her sleep.

I lick her fur once. Long. Slow. A soft rumble leaves my chest, half-growl, half-purr.

She sighs, nose twitching, then burrows closer.

It’s just me. And my bunny.

What more could I ask for?

***

Felix

I hear the whispers trailing after me down the corridor, the way Felaris students pretend not to stare while gossip drips off their tongues.

Yesterday’s trial. The Panther’s interference. The so-called new ta.

Useless noise.

Don’t they have better things to do? Exams are breathing down our necks and they waste their time like this.

I shove my hands in my pockets, jaw tight, and keep walking. I need answers, not rumors.

The professor’s office is empty when I arrive. Figures. He’s never where he’s supposed to be when I need him.

Fine. Staff room, then.

The double doors loom tall and heavy, carved with the crest of Felaris. I knock, sharp and impatient.

"Come in," a soft voice calls. Feminine. Not one I recognize.

I push the door open.

And freeze.

She’s sitting by the wide bay window, sunlight spilling across her as if it belongs to her alone. Long blonde hair cascades over her shoulders in waves, catching every stray beam of light. Her green eyes lift lazily from a stack of papers, steady, unhurried, as though she’s been expecting me.

For a moment, the breath stalls in my chest.

Beautiful.

Dangerously so.

Her lips curve into the faintest smile, polite, practiced. "Your Highness." She inclines her head ever so slightly.

"I’ve been waiting to meet you."

I notice her ears—prey, though I can’t pin exactly what kind—and the faint flick of her tail behind her.

She’s stunning.

"For me...?" I ask, hesitantly, suddenly self-conscious under the weight of her gaze.

"Of course. Aren’t you here for Professor Jocasta?" she says, tilting her head, golden hair brushing her shoulder as her green eyes lock onto mine.

I clear my throat. "Uh... yeah."

"He left me with these." She gestures to the neat stack of papers, her movements precise, graceful. "Something unavoidable came up."

"Of course. Thank you. Miss, uh..." I trail off, distracted, my eyes lingering too long before I catch myself.

"Edith," she says smoothly, her smile widening just a fraction. "Edith Veyron. I’m the new teaching assistant for Musical Arts."

Right. There had been rumors about the new TA.

Guess I should have listened—because wow.

"A pleasure to meet you," I say, trying not to sound too obvious.

She extends her arm, poised, expectant. One brow arches ever so slightly, as though testing me.

Right. Noble etiquette.

I step forward and take her hand, warm and soft against my palm. My lips brush the back of it lightly, formal, but my pulse betrays me—kicking harder than it should for something so rehearsed.

Her smile deepens, a shade warmer now, though still carefully measured. "Likewise, Your Highness." She withdraws her hand, slow, deliberate, leaving the ghost of her touch behind.

Then she slides the stack of papers toward me. I almost fumble them, more focused on the gleam in her green eyes than the damned documents.

"Professor Jocasta said you’d find all the notes you need in here," she adds, her tone silky, professional—yet there’s a softness at the edge of it, like she knows exactly how distracting she is.

For a moment, I can’t decide whether she’s being polite, or if she’s playing a game.

Either way, I already know I’ll be thinking about that smile later.