Xavier woke to the sound of gentle snoring against his chest. He cracked open one eye, then the other. Silver hair spilled across his torso, the scent of her perfume filling his nostrils. Calypso had wrapped herself around him like a particularly clingy octopus, one leg thrown over his, one arm clutching his waist, her head nestled in the crook of his neck.
This is getting to be a habit.
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand: 6:57 AM. Classes started at 8:30.
"Shit."
Xavier tried to extract himself from Calypso's grasp, only to have her grip tighten. Her face scrunched up in protest, eyes still firmly shut.
"Five more years," she mumbled, burying her face deeper into his neck.
"We don't have five more minutes, let alone years." Xavier poked her side. "First day of classes, remember?"
One pink eye cracked open, glaring at him. "I'm a goddess. I don't do mornings."
"Apparently gods don't do alarm clocks either."
Xavier rolled, flipping their positions. Calypso squeaked as she found herself pinned beneath him, both pink eyes now wide open. Her silver hair fanned out across the pillow, creating an effect that might have been angelic if not for the murderous expression on her face.
"Get. Off."
Xavier grinned down at her. "Make me, goddess."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, pink irises glowing with the faintest hint of essentia. "I could turn you into a toad."
"But you won't, because we're late, and you'd have to explain to the academy why your cousin suddenly became amphibious." He pushed himself up, freeing her from his weight. "Now move your divine ass. I need to shower."
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching his arms overhead. The muscles in his back rippled beneath his skin as he rolled his shoulders, working out the kinks from another night spent as Calypso's personal body pillow.
Behind him, Calypso made an incoherent sound that might have been a curse in some ancient divine language. The mattress shifted as she got up, and he felt a rush of air as something sailed past his head—a pillow, he realized, as it hit the wall with a soft thump.
"Missed," he called over his shoulder, heading for the bathroom.
"I wasn't aiming for you," she grumbled, her footsteps padding across the floor behind him. "If I had been, you'd be unconscious."
Xavier reached the bathroom door first, slipping inside and shutting it in her face. He heard her indignant gasp, followed by a thump as she collided with the closed door.
"Xavier Valentine!" Her voice rose an octave. "Open this door right now!"
"Sorry, can't hear you over the shower!" He turned the water on full blast to emphasize his point, grinning at her muffled shriek of frustration.
The doorknob rattled violently. "I swear by all that's holy, I will make you regret this!"
Xavier stripped off his boxers and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over him. "Better start getting creative with those threats, goddess. You've been making the same ones for days now."
He grabbed his shampoo—the expensive kind Calypso had insisted on buying because "no cousin of mine is using three-in-one garbage"—and worked it into his white hair. The bathroom filled with steam, fogging the glass shower door and mirror.
Just as he was rinsing the suds from his hair, the bathroom door burst open. Xavier tensed, ready for divine retribution, but Calypso merely stomped to the sink, pointedly ignoring his naked form visible through the foggy glass.
"Forty-three minutes," she announced, grabbing her toothbrush. "That's how long we have until we need to leave."
Xavier turned off the water and slid the shower door open, reaching for a towel. "Plenty of time."
"For you, maybe." She jabbed her toothbrush in his direction. "Some of us need more than five minutes to look presentable."
"I don't know." Xavier wrapped the towel around his waist, water droplets still clinging to his chest and shoulders. "You look pretty good first thing in the morning."
Calypso froze, toothbrush halfway to her mouth, her eyes meeting his in the mirror.
"Flattery will not save you from my wrath," she declared, squeezing toothpaste onto her brush with excessive force. "Now get out so I can shower."
Xavier raised his hands in surrender, backing toward the door. "All yours, your divinity."
He retreated to the bedroom, drops of water marking his path across the floor. His Catalyst Academy uniform hung on the closet door where he'd left it the night before—navy pants, white button-up shirt, navy blazer with the academy's crystal emblem on the breast pocket. Standard issue, except for the red stripe on the right sleeve that marked him as a first-year in Class-D.
Xavier dried himself quickly, then slipped on a pair of black boxer briefs. He'd just finished buttoning his shirt when the bathroom door opened, releasing a cloud of steam and the scent of Calypso's floral shampoo.
She emerged wrapped in a towel, silver hair dripping wet and clinging to her shoulders. Without acknowledging him, she stalked to the dresser and began rummaging through the drawers.
"You used all the hot water," she accused, pulling out a pair of black thigh-high stockings.
"Did not." Xavier tucked his shirt into his pants. "There's plenty left."
"Liar." She dropped her towel.
Xavier's hands stilled on his belt buckle. Even after living together, the display of her naked body still caught him off guard. Divine perfection wasn't just a turn of phrase with Calypso—it was literal truth.
She pulled on a pair of lacy black panties, then sat on the edge of the bed to roll on her stockings. The black material slid up her legs, clinging to her skin as she adjusted them to mid-thigh height. The contrast of the dark fabric against her pale skin was striking.
"You're staring," she said without looking up, smoothing the lace band at the top of her left stocking.
Xavier forced his attention back to his belt. "Just making sure you're doing it right. Wouldn't want you to look sloppy on our first day."
She snorted, standing to clasp her bra—black like the stockings, with delicate rose patterns embroidered into the cups. "As if I could ever look anything less than perfect."
"That's my line."
Xavier turned to the mirror on the closet door, running his fingers through his damp white hair to style it into its signature tousled look. He picked up the cologne from the dresser and applied it sparingly to his neck and wrists.
Behind him, Calypso had put on the same uniform as his, but it looked entirely different on her frame. The skirt hit mid-thigh, revealing several centimeters of skin before the black stockings began. The white button-up hugged her curves, and she'd left the top two buttons undone, showing just a hint of cleavage.
"How do I look?"
"Like you're trying to get me expelled before we even start." Xavier adjusted his collar. "Button up before some poor professor has a heart attack."
Calypso stuck out her tongue at him but complied, fastening one of the buttons. "Better?"
"Marginally."
She stepped close to him, reaching up to straighten his tie. Her fingers brushed against his chest as she worked, her scent enveloping him. "There. Now you look like a proper student."
Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither moved. This close, Xavier could see flecks of darker pink in her irises, like rose petals floating in crystal pools. Her lips parted slightly, and he found his gaze drawn to them.
The alarm clock blared, shattering the moment.
"Shit!" Calypso jumped back.
She darted to the bathroom, nearly tripping over the towel she'd left on the floor. Xavier heard the hair dryer start up as he slipped on his blazer and checked his reflection one final time.
Perfect, as always.
Xavier grabbed his bag from the chair by the desk, checking its contents. Academy tablet, notebooks, pens, student ID. Everything seemed in order.
Twenty-five minutes later, Calypso emerged from the bathroom, her silver hair now dry and styled into elegant waves that cascaded down her back. She'd applied minimal makeup—just enough to enhance her already perfect features—and added small crystal earrings that caught the light when she moved.
"Have you seen my bag?" She looked around frantically, lifting pillows and looking under the bed.
"By the door where you left it." Xavier pointed to the navy messenger bag sitting innocuously by the apartment entrance.
Calypso straightened, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "I knew that."
"Of course you did." Xavier checked his watch. "Ten minutes. We should go."
Calypso nodded, grabbing her bag from beside the door. "Do we have everything? Student IDs? Tablets? Lunch money?"
"We're not five, Calypso. And yes, we have everything." Xavier opened the apartment door, gesturing for her to go first. "After you, Ms. Valentine."
She paused in the doorway, looking back at the apartment—their home for the past few days. Despite its modest size, it had become something of a sanctuary for them both.
"It feels strange," she said quietly. "Starting this... charade."
"Think of it as a job," he suggested, locking the door behind them. "We've both played roles before."
"I'm a goddess, not an actress."
"Could've fooled me with all the dramatics."
The elevator arrived with a soft ding, and they stepped inside. As the doors closed, Xavier caught Calypso's reflection in the polished metal. Despite her complaints, there was excitement in her eyes.
"Ready to be a student for the first time?" he asked as the elevator began its descent.
"Been ready for centuries."
Xavier laughed, the sound bouncing off the elevator walls. "That's my girl."
Together they descended toward their first day at Catalyst Academy and the next chapter in their unlikely partnership.
Neither knew what awaited them in the halls of the prestigious hunter academy. Neither could predict the bonds they would form, the enemies they would make, or the truths they would uncover. But as the elevator reached the ground floor and the doors slid open to reveal the bustling lobby, one thing was certain: nothing in this world would ever be the same again.
END OF VOLUME 1