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is
absorbed into your body.”
    “Yes, yes, so you told me before.” I remembered
waking up with my head on her lap. Seeing I was still alive,
Caprice had quickly explained what she had done, and why.
    Caprice continued as she had that day seven
months ago. “By bonding you to the Lanfears you gained protection
from the other Prides. And even if we leave that aside, the fact
that you are bonded means they couldn’t fight over you either.”
    “Yeah, I know that—I mean I know that now . Still, it’s more a branding than a bonding.”
    Caprice’s eyes narrowed, then she glanced away.
“Trust you to think of it that way.”
    I sighed softly. “I had no idea I was the center
of so much attention.”
    “Neither did we,” she said. “However, we should
be thankful those elements in the Raynar Pride have been suitably
reprimanded and suppressed.”
    I bit my lower lip. “The Raynars, huh. Closest
cousins to the Lanfears.”
    “Cousins, and nothing more.”
    I narrowed my eyes as I discretely looked around
at the cafeteria. “You think they’ll make a move on me now that I’m
here? It’s been seven months since I became a Familiar.”
    Caprice stopped eating again. “They’d better
not,” she whispered. “Next time, I won’t be so gentle with
them.”
    Talk about a cold whisper. I actually had to
refrain a shudder. If what I witnessed almost seven months ago on
the rooftop was ‘gentle’ I’d hate to see what she meant by ‘not so
gentle’.”
    “Besides,” she added, “you’re not helpless
anymore.”
    Involuntarily I glanced down at my right wrist
where the wide bracelet was hidden under my shirt sleeve.
    No, I wasn’t as helpless anymore, but
compared to Caprice, I was like a child venturing onto his first
unsteady steps after spending months crawling along the ground.
    Thinking I’d better change the subject, I tapped
my chest where the scar lay. “You know this does itch every once in
a while.”
    Caprice tightened her fingers on the utensils
she held though her face remained blank. “Caelum, I believe I have
already made amends to the situation.”
    “You mean that compensation you paid me?”
    Her face was starting to grow a little red.
    She knew exactly what I meant by
compensation.
    I really enjoyed teasing her.
    She was a lovely girl, and I especially enjoyed
trying to pry that emotionless persona off her.
    I’d also made up my mind some time ago that she
was one of the few I’d fight to protect.
    She was special to me.
    No girl had ever stabbed me in the chest, and
then saved me.
    You could say she’d left an indelible mark on
me.
    I watched her swallow as she looked down at the
table. Her voice was low, but I heard it clearly. “At the time you
said that was all you wanted.”
    “And I’m truly happy for them.” I smiled at her.
“I keep them in my top drawer.”
    The utensils in her hands trembled, though her
face was perfectly under control. “If you ever tell anyone about
them, I swear I’ll stick another knife into you.”
    “Then you’ll have to compensate me with another
pair of your racy black panties.”
    Caprice exhaled loudly. It sounded like an angry
whoosh. Amazingly, she was still expressionless. Well, she’d had
plenty of practice being around me for the last six months.
    I gave her my customary cheery smile. “Someday,
you’ll have to wear those panties for me again. Until then, I’m
keeping them safe and sound.”
    “You’re incorrigible.”
    The sound of crashing metal on the ground below
made me look over the edge of the balcony railing we were sitting
beside.
    On the first floor of the cafeteria, a girl had
a dropped her food tray on the ground. It didn’t look like an
accident to me since five other girls faced her in a crescent. They
wore the white uniforms of third year seniors. The girl was wearing
the midnight blue blazer of a second year student.
    Midnight blue, just like mine.
    I narrowed my eyes and focused on the pins
hanging off her