Ethan had stormed off the bleachers the second he saw Lily running up to Mia, knowing full well that the young fairy would take care of her human friend. He had bigger problems that threatened to overtake him at any moment. It wasn't enough that his inner Vila had chosen her, now everyone knew. And if the whole school knew, his parents would soon find out too. Which was truly not a good thing.

He walked briskly toward the tunnel back to the castle, but the grimace of pain and the charred remnants of his wings betrayed his picturesque state. Yet his physical pain was nothing compared to the tumult of his thoughts. His wings would grow back eventually and his Vila had finally given him some respite, content to have protected the human. On the other hand, he had signed the death warrant for his peace of mind the second his instinct had taken over at the approach of this ball of fire.

Before entering the tunnel, Ethan paused for a moment to lean against the cool stone of the square, one hand gripping his ribs – some of which had broken from the impact – and the other supporting his forehead. He allowed himself two seconds of respite before resuming his ascent to his room. A respite he did not find. Closing his eyes and obscuring the world around him, he could almost hear the shrill sound of the heels of the woman who had given him life echoing on the icy stone of the school, heralding a sentence he wished he would never have to hear.

Damn it was fucking obvious this was gonna happen sooner or later the second my Vila smelled her. Why now? The universe must really hate my guts, for real. Adam...

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his reverie. He pushed it away immediately, with a little too much energy. He didn't like being caught off guard, even less when he wasn't at his best.

"You're hurt. Come, I'll take you to..." began a young fairy in a tone he didn't like. She spoke to him as if he were a wounded and frightened little animal and that at the slightest sudden movement he was going to bite her.

"Leave me the fuck alone," he replied dryly.

When she still didn't seem ready to leave, he fixed his stern gaze on her person. She held it for a few seconds and eventually looked away, accepting her defeat. Fairies were fiercer than they looked, and could be very stubborn and tenacious with recalcitrant patients. Except when the patient in question was a Vila. In this case, it was better not to insist too much if they wanted to keep their head on their shoulders.

"Very well. At least take some ointments", she sighed, reaching into her satchel and pulling out two jars.

She handed them to him, and when he didn't seem inclined to take them, she insisted, pushing them against his broken ribs. A growl escaped Ethan's lips, turning into a sigh when he realized that if he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, he had better accept what she had just given him.

When the fairy finally decided to leave him alone, he was able to resume his walk to his room. A few panicked students passed him, but he didn't mind. What happened in the arena itself was the least of his worries right now.

A few minutes later, Ethan closed the door to his sacred lair behind him. A sigh of relief ran through him as he laid his battered body on the bed and sat up. Bringing the pots of ointment back to eye level, he scanned them quickly to find out what they were for. One was intended to heal burns and the second to reattach broken bones.

Perfect. She didn't completely waste my time, at least.

The Vila carefully removed his t-shirt, although the task was not as complicated as expected considering the charred state of said garment, and hastened to distribute a significant layer of the ointment on his broken ribs. The effect was immediate: a feeling of warmth invaded his chest as the creamy texture penetrated his skin. He could almost feel his bones returning to their original state, but the numbing effect of the remedy kept him from feeling any pain.

Then he moved on to the anti-burn cream which turned out to be much more complicated to apply since the affected area was mainly at the height of the birth of his wings. He could have simply retracted them entirely as if they had never been there, but he was afraid that they would take longer to heal if he neglected them like this.

Ethan got up and planted himself in front of the long-standing mirror beside his bed, his back facing the mirror to observe the damage. The fireball had been much more powerful than he had anticipated. A simple spell shouldn't have charred his entire wings. However, if the two membranes half burned coming out of his back weren't proof enough of his poor wing's state, the fact that there was nothing left except these two piles of flesh and skin was. When he tried to touch them, he found that the area was still hot and the fire was still trying to gain a few inches of flesh.

Ethan sighed grimacing before applying the ointment somehow. At least they wouldn't get damaged any more than they already were. He massaged the cream into his flesh, then finally retracted his wings to let them heal quietly.

When he was done tending to his wounds, he retracted his wings and headed to the bathroom in the Vilas district to take a quick shower and then change. He didn't have time to rest immediately, it would have to wait a few more hours.

The looks that fell on him as he walked through the halls of the castle did nothing to ease his mind. Some were filled with pity, others were overflowing with hatred and promises of revenge.

Great, that means everyone knows. News travels fast here.

True to form, he answered them with a condescending look, daring them to say or do anything he didn't like. Some were quickly discouraged and turned their attention to other things, others did not budge. He was used to the stern looks of some of the students, but it was different now. They had a way to get to him, a way to get revenge.

Vassili was waiting for him at his office entrance as soon as the Vila left the arena, having anticipated his arrival. The vampire waved him in and followed him, closing the door behind him. Before he had a chance to sit down, Ethan started pacing.

"I'm fucked, I'm so fucked. Everyone already knows. I told you it was gonna happen."

"Calm down," Vassili told him, settling down in his chair. "They won't do anything to her on the school's grounds."

"How can you be so sure of that? Do you think school rules are going to stop them from carrying out their revenge? It was exactly what they had been waiting for: a way to hurt my family." Ethan couldn't help but chuckle coldly as he said those words. "They don't even realize they're going to play my mother's game by trying to reach me through the human. I know very well what they already imagine, that they are going to use her so that I end up destroying my family. Too bad for them: if I had that kind of power, I would have already suffocated my mother with my own hands. It's not threatening Mia that will change the situation. What's more, she would be extremely happy if they ended up killing her. She wouldn't have to get her hands dirty like she had to with my brother..."

"Maybe, but I don't think they'll go so far as to try to kill her. It wouldn't make any sense."

"Only you can bet that they can still think coherently when they're so blinded by the hatred their parents instilled in them. They hate my family from the bottom of their being, even though my mother is the only one responsible for all this."

"Then you will have to protect her. You don't really have a choice anymore."

Ethan stopped pacing and finally sat down in the seat across from his professor's desk, fuming. An electric shock ran through his ribs in response to his abrupt and quick gesture. They may have been resoldered, but they were still relatively fragile.

Vassili waited a few seconds for the young man to collect his thoughts again and speak again:

"I know you thought you could fight your inner Vila, but what happened today should give you a good reality check: you won't win this fight."

Again, Ethan chuckled coldly but remained silent. He had already realized this the day before when his dreams were filled with the presence of the young woman. Although he still didn't accept his fate, his body and his inner Vila exerted such pressure that it didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't stay away from her for long. All he had left was the pleasure he got from acting like a complete asshole to her. His Vila might be forcing him to appreciate her physical presence, but his mind was still far from it. And even that he couldn't afford now. If he was going to protect her, he had to be part of her life. Which he wouldn't be able to accomplish if she continued to find his presence inconvenient and annoying.

Damn, as if the situation wasn't enough on its own, I'm going to have to make an effort on my attitude now.

"I know," finally replied Ethan, standing up. "Let me know if you hear anything new. Especially if it comes from my mother."

Vassili nodded before Ethan took his leave, closing the door behind him.

Rest now, he decided. She is in no immediate danger with the fairies busy caring for her.

And so much the better, because if he had to face her right now, he couldn't have guaranteed to remain calm and polite after this nightmarish day.

Might as well take advantage of the few hours I have left to sleep with peace of mind before it really becomes my problem.

At least, that was what he was trying to convince himself before he crashed into his bed. The attempt was not very successful. He quickly fell asleep, exhausted, but his subconscious seemed determined to torture him through nightmares that woke him several times during the night. In each one, the dreams were showing him a new creative way Mia could die. He almost came to regret having hot steamy dreams involving her.

Almost.