Chapter 52 Chapter 52

Chapter 52 Chapter 52
Kaelani POV

When I step out of the locker room, Zaire is standing outside waiting for me. The second he sees me, he pushes away from the wall and walks over.
“Hey, Kieran told us what happened,” he says. His eyes drop briefly to my hands before coming back to my face. “Whatever happened to you last night sent your magic into overdrive. It needs to be released back into the earth.”
“I don't really have time for that right now.”
“I know, because it has to be done at the tree,” he says low.
Of course it does. Because apparently nothing involving my magic can ever be simple.
“Just try not to kill him,” he adds.
I glare at him. “That's not funny.”
His lips twitch. “A little.”
“Zaire.”
“Okay, okay.” He grabs both of my hands, and warmth immediately spreads through my palms. The buzzing underneath my skin doesn't disappear, but it dulls enough that I can finally unclench my fingers.
I look down at our hands. “How are you doing that?”
“I'm not. You're calming down.”
I raise a brow.
“Apparently I'm calming,” he says with a grin.
“Don't let that go to your head.”
“You got this,” he says.
He squeezes my hands once before releasing them, and I take a slow breath.
Kieran stands off to the side, already dressed for the spar. His eyes move between Zaire and me before settling on my face. There's no teasing in them now, only that same concern from when I shocked him earlier.
I make my way over to him.
“Just don't hurt me too bad, okay?” he asks.
I laugh. “Oh, stop. You might win.”
“Winning doesn't matter today,” he says, bumping my shoulder lightly with his.
I look at him. Kieran is probably one of the most competitive people I know, so hearing him say that tells me exactly how worried he actually is.
“Focus on me and not the buzzing, okay?”
I nod.
“I can do that.”
We walk onto the field and step inside the sparring circle. The noise around us fades slightly as I roll my shoulders and shake out my hands. Across from me, Kieran settles into his stance, and something inside me immediately clicks into place.
This part I know.
I've been fighting longer than I've understood why Dad was training me to fight.
“Two-minute spar,” Mr. Connors announces. His eyes move between us before settling briefly on me. “Begin.”
The whistle blows.
Kieran and I circle each other for a few seconds, neither of us rushing to make the first move. I keep my eyes on his upper body instead of his hands. Hands can lie. Shoulders usually don't.
Kieran shifts his weight.
Then he charges.
He swings toward my side, but I move out of the way. He immediately changes direction, trying to catch me with his opposite hand, but his left shoulder flexes before the punch comes.
I move right.
His fist misses my jaw by inches.
I drive my fist into his side.
Kieran hisses and steps back.
“Damn,” he mutters.
I grin. “You told me to focus.”
“Didn't say focus that hard.”
I barely have time to laugh before he's coming at me again.
This time he's faster.
He throws a quick combination, forcing me to block the first hit and duck beneath the second. I come back with a strike toward his ribs, but he catches my wrist and turns me away from him. I twist with the movement instead of fighting it, wrench my arm free, and drive my elbow backward.
He blocks it.
The impact sends another pulse of energy through my arm.
The buzz beneath my skin reacts to every hit now, rising and falling like something inside me is following the rhythm of the fight.
“Lani,” Nyra warns.
“I know.”
Kieran catches me across the face with a clean hit.
My head snaps sideways, and the stadium reacts with a collective sound.
I taste blood where my teeth caught the inside of my cheek.
Kieran hesitates.
Wrong move.
My foot connects with his ribs in return.
He stumbles sideways before catching himself.
“I'm fine,” I tell him before he can ask. “Stop holding back.”
His eyes narrow slightly.
“You sure?”
“Fight me, Kieran.”
Something changes in his expression.
He comes at me again.
Now we're actually fighting.
We exchange blow after blow, and I have to work harder to read him. He's good. Really fucking good. He doesn't repeat combinations, and every time I think I've figured out what he's going to do, he changes his angle.
I block a strike toward my ribs and immediately counter. He catches my forearm. I twist free. He sweeps at my leg, but I jump back before he can take me down.
The buzzing grows stronger.
A light crackle of energy moves across my fingertips.
My stomach drops.
Not now.
I curl my fingers into my palms and force my attention back onto Kieran.
Focus on me and not the buzzing.
His words replay in my head.
So I focus.
His breathing.
His feet.
His shoulders.
The way his weight shifts slightly onto his front leg right before he attacks.
He swings.
I dodge.
He follows immediately with another punch, and this one clips my shoulder. I pivot before he can capitalize on it and land a hit against his stomach.
Kieran grunts but doesn't back away.
Instead, he catches me around the waist.
Oh, hell no.
I drop my weight before he can take me down, hook my leg behind his, and force him to release me. We separate for barely a second before he comes forward again.
Someone in the stands starts yelling his name. Someone else yells mine.
I don't look.
Kieran throws another punch. I block it. He follows with his left, and I barely get out of the way.
Then he overextends.
Only slightly.
But Dad has spent years teaching me that slightly is enough.
I drop low and sweep his leg out from under him.
Kieran hits the mat.
Before he can roll away, I follow him down, catch one of his wrists and pin it above his head while using my weight to keep him flat. His free hand catches my hip, but he's a second too late.
Mr. Connors blows the whistle.
“Time!”
I breathe heavily, trying to catch my breath, my curls falling around my face as I look down at Kieran. He's breathing just as hard beneath me, but there's a grin slowly spreading across his face.
“You look entirely too happy about losing,” I say between breaths.
“I'm enjoying the view.”
My brows furrow.
Then I realize I'm still sitting on top of him.
His hands are resting lightly on my hips.
“Um, Lani?” Kaia's voice suddenly enters my head.
“What?”
“The entire Junior and Senior class is currently watching you sit on top of Kieran.”
My eyes widen.
I gasp and scramble off him.
Kieran starts laughing.
“Shut up,” I hiss, my entire face heating.
A few laughs sound across the stadium, followed by enough whistles that I seriously consider walking straight back into the locker room and never coming out.
Kaia's laugh is somehow louder than everybody else's.
Kieran gets to his feet beside me, still looking way too amused with himself.
“Don't.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“Your face did.”
His grin widens.
We turn toward the board and wait for our scores.
Technique. Defense. Offense. Strategy. Control. Stamina.
The numbers calculate across the screen before the final totals appear.
Kieran Vale — Blue Mountain: 98
Kaelani Quinn — Blackridge: 100
The entire stadium goes silent.
I stare at the board.
One hundred.
Then the stadium erupts into cheers.
The sound hits me all at once, and before I can fully process another perfect score, Kieran turns toward me with a huge smile.
He grabs me and pulls me into a hug, lifting me off the ground.
I laugh, grabbing his shoulders.
“I'm proud of you,” he says low in my ear.
Something about hearing that from the person I just beat makes warmth spread through my chest.
I shiver.
“I deserve a kiss for the loss. My ego is wounded now,” he says.
I slap his chest.
“Boy, bye.”
“That's cold.”
He puts me down laughing, and I shake my head as we start toward the locker rooms. The buzzing is still there underneath my skin, but it isn't nearly as intense as it was before the spar.
Maybe Zaire was right.
Maybe some of the energy just needed somewhere to go.
Before we can make it to the locker rooms, Aliza approaches us.
One look at her face tells me whatever she wants isn't going to be pleasant.
“Are you two happy with yourselves?” she asks.
I sigh.
“What are you talking about now, Aliza?”
“You two were practically dry humping on the field.”
I snort. “Aliza, I pinned him during a spar.”
“With your legs around him!”
I stare at her. “How exactly did you want me to pin him? Politely ask him not to move?”
Kieran coughs beside me, suspiciously close to a laugh.
“That's definitely a stretch, but I get it. Your feelings are hurt,” I say.
Her eyes narrow.
“We're going to go.”
I grab Kieran's hand.
His fingers lace through mine without hesitation.
Aliza's eyes immediately drop to our joined hands.
She screeches before slapping them apart.
“This is not happening! Why her?” she demands, looking at Kieran.
The question hits somewhere deeper than I expect.
Kieran looks at me.
Then at her.
“Why not her?”
Everything inside me goes quiet.
Aliza screams before storming away.
I barely notice her leave.
My eyes stay on Kieran.
Why not her?
Three simple words shouldn't mean this much.
But they do.
Because there was a time when I asked myself that exact question every time I saw him with her.
Why her?
Why wasn't I enough for him to see me?
Kieran's eyes land on mine.
Something takes over.
I grab his face and pull him toward me, closing the distance before I have enough time to overthink what I'm doing.
My lips crash against his.
Kieran makes a surprised sound against my mouth before chuckling softly and kissing me back.
The buzzing beneath my skin settles even more as I kiss him deeper.
His hands find my waist, and the restless energy that has been crawling through me all morning finally quiets to a faint hum.
He moans softly into the kiss, and heat rushes through me at the sound.
Kieran pulls back, his breathing heavier as his forehead rests against mine.
“If I don't stop now, I won't be able to,” he says low.
My heart pounds against my chest.
“What are you three doing to me?” I whisper.
He smiles.
“Making your life better.”
“Still undetermined,” I say as I move around him.
His laugh follows me, but I only make it a couple of steps before stopping.
I turn slightly.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saying, ‘Why not her?’” My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag. “It's why I kissed you. For a long time, I always wondered why not me while watching you date her.”
The amusement disappears from his face.
“So... thank you.”
I turn away.
Kieran grabs my hand.
Before I can ask what he's doing, he spins me back toward him.
His lips meet mine again.
The kiss is quick and urgent, catching me completely off guard. My hand grips the front of his shirt before I even realize I've done it.
When we separate, we're both breathing harder.
Kieran looks directly into my eyes.
“It should have always been you, Kaelani.”
My breath catches.
He steps back before turning and walking toward the boys' locker room.
I don't move.
For several seconds, I just stand there staring after him while those words replay in my head.
It should have always been you.
Goddess.
I finally push open the door to the girls' locker room. I don't bother changing out of my workout clothes. I just need a minute where Kieran isn't standing in front of me making my brain stop working.
I lightly touch my lips, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face.
“You kissed him first,” Nyra says teasingly.
I roll my eyes even though she can't see me do it.
“Twice, technically.”
“You're coming out of your shell.”
I lean back against the locker.
“It's them.”
“I know. All of them are good for you. Kaia helped, but all of them are good for you.”
I stare at my reflection for a second. A week ago, I would've laughed if somebody told me I'd be standing in a locker room smiling because Kieran Vale kissed me after I beat him in a spar.
Actually, I probably would've assumed they hit their head.
When I step outside, Kieran is standing there waiting for me.
I stop. “Seriously?”
He smiles and walks over.
“So you just went inside to get away from me?”
I freeze.
“Maybe. That was a lot.”
“You know you kissed me first.”
I narrow my eyes.
“Twice, actually,” he says, winking.
“Keep counting and there won't be a third.”
“So you're saying there's going to be a third?”
I stare at him.
His grin becomes insufferable.
“Shut up.”
He laughs before lacing his fingers through mine.
Then his expression softens.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
I look down at our hands.
After Aliza slapped them apart, something about him asking before taking my hand again makes my chest warm.
I nod.
His lips curl slightly before he leads us back toward our seats.
The moment we get there, Kaia turns toward us.
“You guys were gone a while. What were you doing?”
“You are annoying.”
“Hey, I'm just asking what we're all thinking.”
“Nobody is thinking that but you,” Caelum says.
“Thank you,” I say, pointing at him.
“I was thinking it,” Sebastian says.
“Nobody asked you.”
Kaia bursts out laughing.
I sit between Zaire and Liam, and Kieran drops into the seat directly in front of me, settling between my legs like this arrangement somehow became normal overnight.
“You did good, Shorty,” Zaire says before kissing my temple.
The gesture is quick and easy, but I still feel it after he pulls away.
“Yeah, another perfect score. You're making us all look bad,” Liam says.
I laugh.
“Train harder, I guess,” I say, winking at him.
“Wow, it's like that?” he asks, feigning hurt.
I laugh again before leaning over and resting my head against his shoulder.
“You're so dramatic.”
His shoulder shifts beneath my cheek as he gets comfortable, and Kieran reaches back absentmindedly, resting one hand against my knee. Zaire sits close enough that our arms brush.
For a second, I forget about the message.
I forget about the Chosen One, my missing third side, the burning symbols, and whatever is waiting for me when this awakening happens.
I'm just sitting with them, waiting for the next names to appear on the board.
Then that faint buzz moves beneath my skin again.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind me that whatever happened last night isn't over.