PROJECT: CAYRO

Star Zaraki:

October 19, 2025

04:30 EST

The Bracton House

Hampton, VA.

Cracking my eyes open, I was greeted by darkness. I was facing the wall, Cayro molded against my back, his arm under my head and the other draped around my waist. His soft, steady breathing brushed against my neck. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I pinged Scuzball through my neural implant.

"What time is it?" I thought to the AI.

"It’s four twenty-three in the morning, Star," Scuzball replied quietly.

"Thanks."

"Everything alright?" He asked, a bit too perceptive for an AI.

"Yeah, just woke up is all," I yawned.

"Okay. You know where to find me if you need anything."

"I do. Thanks."

Cayro and I had gone to bed early last night after our mind-sharing session. I had broken down again after seeing the memories of us as kids. We hadn’t talked much about it since; we just curled up together and eventually fell asleep. But now, lying awake, I wasn’t tired anymore. With a huff, I carefully slid out from his arms and padded to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind me.

I took a moment to use the bathroom, then washed my face at the vanity. Glancing at the mirror, I held up my hand and summoned a small orb of purple light. The energy glowed softly in my palm, comforting in its warmth and familiarity. I’d been experimenting with this ability for the past month, ever since that night in the stadium when I had unleashed it. The thrill of it had been intoxicating—a rush of pure, raw power.

Spinning the orb with a thought, I marveled at the ease with which I controlled it now. But with Cayro shutting out the world for so long, I hadn’t had a chance to discuss this new ability with anyone. My father would have been the logical choice, but he was stuck halfway across the world on the Autumn. And Scuzball… well, he was monitoring my neural net for spikes but didn’t really know what the energy was, or whether it could cause damage to the implants. His advice was vague: "Be careful," he had said.

Collapsing the orb, I watched the purple particles dissolve into nothing, like dust drifting down the drain. I left the bathroom and crawled back into bed, nestling into my spot beside Cayro. He stirred, grumbling sleepily before slowly opening his eyes, letting out a long, deep yawn.

His gaze locked onto mine, glowing faintly in the dim light. I could feel him examining me, his presence brushing up against mine. Tentatively, I prodded his mental barriers, curious about his state. He allowed me in without hesitation. His mind was still a mess—fractured memories, chaotic emotions—but there was a small, stable anchor now, something he was clinging to as he worked through the wreckage. Progress, however slight.

"Are you okay, Star?" His voice broke through the haze of our mental link, drawing my attention back to his face.

I smiled softly, reaching out to place my hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips. "Yeah," I whispered, "I was just checking on you."

"I'm doing a bit better," he admitted, his glowing eyes studying mine. "I talked to Grandpa. He gave me some advice… interesting advice. And having you in my mind again—"

"I know. I saw the conversation."

"I’m glad you did," he said with a faint smile.

"Want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

He shook his head slightly. "Maybe later. Right now, I want to know what’s on your mind?" He asked, reversing the question back at me, surprising me.

"What makes you think there’s something on my mind?" I asked, trying to deflect.

He smiled softly, running his thumb over the space between my eyebrows. "You get this little crease when you're thinking about something important," he said. "And your presence… it changes. Darkens, I guess? Not in a bad way, but it's noticeable."

I hadn’t realized Cayro had learned to read me so well. His insight made my heart skip a beat, a warmth spreading through me. Well, if he wanted to know what was on my mind, I might as well use this time to talk about the strange abilities I had been discovering.

“You remember our entrance into the stadium, before the challenge?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” he said softly, his gaze steady on mine.

“During the flight, I released this... energy. It came out of my hand, formed into a huge ball, and shattered when we flew through it. After that, I let more of it out and shared it with you,” I explained, searching his face.

“I remember,” he murmured, his eyes darkening with memory.

“I haven’t really been able to talk to anyone about it,” I continued. “I wanted to talk to you, but you weren’t ready.” There was no accusation in my voice, only understanding.

“I’m sorry, Star. I—” he began, but I pressed my finger gently to his lips.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I knew you weren’t doing well. Don’t apologize for that.”

He gave me a half-hearted glare, his lips pursed beneath my finger, but I smiled, letting him know it was fine.

“We haven’t had time to really talk about everything between us,” I said, my voice soft, careful. “With everything that’s been happening, it feels like we’ve been running nonstop. But now… now that we’ve both calmed down a little, I want to talk.” I laced my fingers with his, seeking comfort in the connection.

He nodded, silently giving me the space to continue.

“I’ve been playing around with the energy,” I confessed. “Whenever I’ve had time alone. I haven’t done much, just... small things. Floating objects in my hand. Testing what I can create.”

His curiosity piqued. “Really?”

“Yeah. Wanna see?”

His answer was immediate. “Sure.”

I rolled onto my back and lifted my hand, focusing. A small orb of purple light appeared in my palm, illuminating the room in its soft, ethereal glow. I glanced over at Cayro, who was transfixed, eyes locked on the orb as it hovered just above my hand. The image of a skyboard flashed through my mind, and I focused on that shape. The orb responded, morphing, flattening into a translucent skyboard, no larger than a paper airplane.

It rotated slowly above my palm. I lowered my hand so he could get a closer look, the soft glow casting dancing shadows across his face. He reached out, fingers brushing the surface of the skyboard. The moment he touched it, the energy rippled, responding to him in a way that surprised me. His touch felt familiar to the energy, like it recognized him.

“That’s... amazing,” he breathed, his admiration clear.

“What do you think it is?” I asked, hoping he might have an idea, some insight that could help me understand.

“Magic,” he said, his voice full of wonder.

“Magic?” I echoed, surprised by his certainty.

“What else could it be?” he asked, his gaze shifting from the skyboard to meet my eyes.

“I... don’t know,” I admitted.

“Try flying it around,” he suggested, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

I hadn’t thought to try that. Focusing on a flight path, I pushed the object forward—but instead of gracefully gliding as I’d pictured, it shot upward, veering sideways before slamming into the wall. The impact was silent, but the skyboard shattered into tiny particles that drifted down like miniature falling stars.

“Oops,” I muttered, embarrassed by the failure.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” Cayro said, chuckling softly.

“I haven’t figured everything out yet,” I replied sheepishly, glancing at him. “I need to experiment more. Practice.”

“You’ll get it,” he assured me, his tone playful but sincere.

I hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been weighing on me. “Do you think we’ll be okay?”

His expression turned serious. “I don’t know. A lot has changed in such a short time.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Finding out I’m some kind of dragon thing, learning that werewolves are real, and now... magic. It’s a lot.”

He slid his hand over mine, squeezing gently. His touch grounded me, the warmth of his skin reassuring. “Can you do it again?” he asked, his voice quieter now, as though he wasn’t just asking about the magic.

I nodded and lifted my hand once more. This time, when I reached for the energy inside me, I felt something different—an unexpected surge. It was as if the power came not just from within, but from somewhere else, like an outside force was feeding into it. Pushing the energy through my palm, I formed another orb. But this one wasn’t just purple; streaks of green electricity crackled through it, weaving in and out like bolts of lightning.

Cayro’s eyes widened in awe. “That’s... new.”

I stared slack-jawed at the orb hovering above my palm, the green streaks weaving through it like miniature bolts of lightning. That wasn’t coming from me. Slowly, I turned my head to look at Cayro, whose expression mirrored my own surprise.

“Is that… coming from you?” I asked in a hushed voice.

“I think so,” he replied, his brow furrowing in confusion. “It feels like your presence is drawing something out from inside my chest.”

Curious, I pulled my hand away from his, and the green streaks disappeared, leaving only the purple glow of my magic. I blinked, laying there for a moment before placing my hand back over his. Instantly, the green streaks returned, surging through the orb like they belonged there.

Well, damn.

Without a word, I collapsed the orb and slid closer to him, the warmth of his body wrapping around me like a blanket. “Put your arm out,” I instructed softly.

“Like this?” he asked, raising his arm in the same way I had moments before.

“Yeah!” I whispered, excitement bubbling up inside me.

“Alright… now what?” His tone was both curious and uncertain.

“Um…” I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Remember where you felt the draw from?” I asked, hoping he could tap into it.

“Mhm,” he nodded.

“Okay, now try thinking about drawing from that feeling, pushing it up your arm and out through your hand,” I explained, albeit a little unsure myself.

We lay there in silence for a few moments as Cayro focused. His brow creased with concentration, but nothing happened at first. Then his expression shifted—strained, like he was constipated. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh.

“You’re not helping, babe,” he grumbled without breaking focus.

“Sorry,” I giggled, unable to stop myself.

His eyes fluttered closed as he tried again. I gently probed his presence with mine, feeling his energy shift within our shared mental link. It started as a faint glow, deep green and dim, but it grew brighter and brighter as he focused. Glancing up at his hand, I saw it—a small, unstable orb of green energy, sparking erratically in random directions.

“Uh… Cayro? Maybe you should stop,” I said nervously, watching the energy flicker uncontrollably.

“Huh?” His eyes snapped open just in time to see the tennis-ball-sized orb launch from his palm, rocketing upward and slamming into the ceiling with a resounding explosion. The entire house shook with the force of the impact, emerald light flashing through the room as chunks of drywall rained down on us in a cloud of dust.

I lay there, wide-eyed, staring up at the basketball-sized hole in the ceiling. I was at a complete loss for words. We just blew a hole… no, he just blew a hole in the ceiling. A massive one.

“Oops…” was all I managed to say.

“Fuck…” Cayro growled, louder and angrier than I’d ever heard him.

The bedroom door burst open with a crash. Mr. Bracton charged in, pistol drawn, ready to shoot at whatever intruder had caused the commotion. Mrs. Bracton was right behind him, her face etched with concern, and trailing them was Lyra—well, the massive silver-furred wolf that was Lyra, bristling and ready to rip something apart.

All three of them froze mid-step, their eyes locking onto the still-glowing remnants of Cayro’s orb, the particles drifting lazily toward the carpet in the dim light. It didn’t take them long to notice the scattered drywall and the rather conspicuous hole in the ceiling.

Mr. Bracton was the first to speak. “The fuck happened?” he blurted, his voice a mix of disbelief and exasperation. Mrs. Bracton and Lyra both followed his gaze upward, their expressions quickly shifting from concern to confusion.

All eyes eventually landed on us. I shot them a toothy grin and side-eyed Cayro, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I couldn’t resist.

“Cayro got a bit too excited!” I said, my voice loud and playful, breaking the tension.

Cayro facepalmed, groaning in embarrassment, while Mrs. Bracton pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head before turning on her heel and walking out. Mr. Bracton, however, fought back laughter, cupping his mouth and chin with one hand to hide his smirk.

Lyra, still in her wolf form, looked between the ceiling and Cayro with her mouth hanging open. Finally, she shifted back, her expression one of utter disbelief as she deadpanned, “Damn, Alpha. Talk about being pent up.”

With that, she walked out, leaving us alone in the wreckage of the room.

Mr. Bracton snorted before finally losing his composure. He turned to face us and chuckled, shaking his head with a grin.

"Just clean up the mess," he said, leaving the room and grabbing the door to close it behind him.

"Grandpa! We didn’t… it’s not like… we weren’t doing... anything," Cayro stammered, trying—and failing—to explain.

His grandfather paused before the door was fully shut. "I don’t want to know. I... don’t... want... to... know. Just clean up the mess. I’m going back to bed." His chuckle echoed from the other side of the door before it clicked shut.

I stared at the door for a moment, slightly stunned that we’d actually gotten away without any further questioning.

“Really, Star? 'I got a bit too excited?'” Cayro groaned, giving me an exasperated look. “That was the best you could come up with?”

“It got us out of trouble, didn’t it?” I shot back with a snarky grin.

“Oh no. We’re not out of the woods yet. In fact, I’m pretty sure you just poured gasoline on the whole situation,” he muttered, running his hand through his hair.

“What do you mean?” I asked, playing innocent.

“What do I mean? You just told everyone in the house I blew a hole in the ceiling because I was... sexually pent up!” He stared at me, disbelief evident in his voice.

“So?” I shrugged, fighting back a smirk.

Cayro closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as though he was trying to ward off an oncoming headache—or maybe an aneurism. I went back to brushing debris off the bed and shaking out the blankets, trying not to laugh.

“This is revenge for something, isn’t it?” he deadpanned, his eyes narrowing.

“Maybe.” I shrugged again, kicking pieces of drywall into a pile in the corner of the room.

“What did I do?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

“If you can’t recall anything, that’s okay,” I replied casually. He hadn’t done anything to deserve revenge—yet—but the opportunity to mess with him was just too good to pass up.

I slipped out of the room, heading downstairs to grab a trash bag and broom. As I passed Mr. and Mrs. Bracton’s room, I overheard their quiet conversation.

“What in the world happened in there?” Mrs. Bracton asked.

“I didn’t ask,” Mr. Bracton replied. “I don’t know if Star was being serious or if she was just joking.”

“Well, something happened,” Mrs. Bracton muttered.

“Obviously… I just don’t know if I should be proud of my grandson or concerned for Star. Can she even handle that kind of... kickback?” Mr. Bracton pondered aloud, clearly torn between amusement and genuine concern.

“Honey…” Mrs. Bracton began, but I hurried past their room before I heard more, biting my lip to stifle a laugh.

When I got back to our room, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face, which didn’t go unnoticed by Cayro. I told him what I’d overheard, and the look on his face was priceless. The blush creeping up his neck was a rare sight, and I relished every second of it.

We spent the next few minutes cleaning up the debris before crawling back into bed. Cayro lay on his back, staring up at the gaping hole in the ceiling. I nestled against him, molding myself to his side as I slid my hand under his shirt. My fingertips traced the hard lines of his abs, feeling each rise and fall as he breathed.

“Should we go for round two?” I teased playfully, my voice low and seductive.

“You’re a menace,” he muttered, but a grin finally cracked across his face.

“You’re only now realizing this?” I asked with a sly smile.

“No... I just didn’t realize how devious you could be,” he replied, his tone soft but laced with amusement.

I grinned, leaning in to press a kiss along his jawline. He hummed in response, closing his eyes as I nipped gently at his skin, slowly working my way toward his lips. A low, rumbling growl escaped his throat, sending a delicious shiver down my spine.

I loved hearing that growl—especially when I was the one who caused it.

Kissing him softly, I nibbled on his lower lip, the familiar thrill running through me. For whatever reason, seeing Cayro all grouchy made my blood hum. I shifted, half straddling, half laying on him as he looked up at me, arching an eyebrow. Grinning, I crossed my arms and rested them on his chest, pinning him with my playful gaze.

"Do I have your undivided attention now?" I teased.

"Mhm," he grumbled, his expression betraying a mix of frustration and amusement.

"Good," I replied, rocking my hips into his.

"Star..." His voice was a low warning, his eyes flaring with emerald fire.

"Hmm?" I hummed innocently, even though we both knew better.

"You're being a menace..." he replied, his hands sliding across my ass, fingers gripping me firmly.

"I know," I said, leaning closer. "But seeing you all grumbly and grouchy? It's hot."

"This isn't the time or place to play," he muttered, his jaw clenched in restraint.

"I know, but it's distracting you," I said, biting my lower lip, letting the suggestion linger between us.

"Very much so..." His voice was a rumble deep in his chest, vibrating through my entire body.

I wiggled my hips again, earning another growl from him that sent a shudder of pleasure through me. That sound—low, primal—made every nerve in my body hum with anticipation. Damn... that felt amazing. I could feel my body reacting, a heat spreading that was becoming harder to ignore. Cayro’s body responded just as quickly, and I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. We couldn’t afford to take things further, not with the hole in the ceiling already raising eyebrows.

“You are so pent up,” I teased.

“No thanks to you,” he muttered, squeezing my ass in retaliation, making my breath hitch.

“Mmm, nope. Did I ever tell you about the time I blew up the Captain’s office?” I asked, my lips grazing his chin.

“You blew up Andrew’s office?” he repeated, his voice husky with disbelief, one eyebrow shooting up.

“Yep. Got sent to the brig for it too,” I said proudly, flashing a mischievous grin. “Totally worth it.”

Cayro pulled me tighter against his hips, his arousal pressing into me in a way that made me shiver all over again. I let my body sink fully against his, draping my arms around his neck and nestling my head in the crook of his shoulder.

“I need to know how you managed to blow up Andrew’s office, and what he did to deserve that,” he rumbled softly in my ear.

“When I was twelve, the Captain yelled at me for playing with one of the team’s trophies. They’d won it during a competition, and I... uh, accidentally broke the little figure riding a skyboard off of it.”

“I’m guessing he didn’t take that very well?” Cayro asked, the amused tone in his voice impossible to miss.

“Nope. He spent a solid hour lecturing me about respecting other people's things. I stopped listening about halfway through,” I admitted, grinning to myself at the memory.

“Oh boy…” Cayro sighed, his grip loosening slightly as he adjusted, settling into the story.

I shifted my hips again, enjoying the way he reacted—his arousal sliding against me and sending a bolt of pleasure shooting up my spine. I couldn’t help the soft hiss that escaped me. But I pushed through, continuing the story.

“The next day, we docked in Taiwan for supplies. It just so happened to be the day of their New Year’s festival, so we took the day off and went exploring. At one of the festival booths, we stumbled on a firework stand.”

“Let me guess, that’s when your little revenge plan started forming?” he asked, the smirk creeping back into his voice.

“Yes and no,” I replied. “I hadn’t quite figured out what revenge really meant back then. But when I saw the massive firework mortar shell on display... well, let’s just say things clicked.”

“You didn’t…” Cayro’s eyes widened slightly, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

“I did,” I grinned, watching his reaction closely. “I begged and pleaded for fireworks—I’d never actually seen any in person before. Ms. Tiffany and Nathan caved and bought a bunch. They asked which one I wanted, and I pointed right at that big mortar shell at the front of the display.”

Cayro raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. I shot him a wicked grin, waiting for the inevitable question.

"How big was this mortar shell?" he asked quizzically.

“About the size of a basketball,” I said nonchalantly.

“You didn’t…” he repeated, still stunned, the look of surprise growing on his face.

“I did,” I said, my grin widening. “And I carried that big bastard all the way back to the Autumn by myself.”

Cayro chuckled as he tried to imagine me lugging around a giant firework shell. Hearing him laugh always had a way of calming me, grounding me in the chaos we usually found ourselves in. I leaned down and pressed a quick, teasing kiss to his lips before he spoke again.

"What happened next?" he asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

“Well,” I began with a grin, “when we got back to the ship, the Captain was not thrilled about the fireworks. He made us store them in his office, insisting it was for 'safe keeping' until we could set them off in a controlled environment.”

“That was his second mistake," Cayro said, laughing softly.

“Exactly,” I replied, chuckling. "That evening, we all watched the festival fireworks from the skydeck. I was mesmerized, totally hooked on the power of them. And once everyone went to bed, I waited. When I was sure they were asleep, I snuck down to the bridge."

“Who was on watch?” Cayro asked, incredulous.

“Casey,” I said with a playful roll of my eyes. “He was in the captain’s chair, watching something on the big viewing monitor we used to have on the upper deck. He was so engrossed, I slipped past him without any trouble and made my way into the Captain's office.”

“There was a big viewing monitor on the upper deck?” Cayro asked, a mixture of disbelief and amusement creeping into his voice.

“There used to be,” I replied, grinning. “I took care of that problem.”

Cayro’s eyes widened, and he shot me an arched look. I couldn’t help but giggle at his expression, clearly imagining the chaos that followed. I leaned down and kissed his jaw, still amused by his reaction.

“So, you got into the office, set up the fireworks… What then?” he asked, clearly intrigued.

“I found the stash of fireworks, pulled out a lighter the Captain kept in his desk for whatever reason, and I lit the fuse to my big mortar shell. Then I made my escape, slipping past Casey again without him noticing.”

“If you made it past Casey, how did you get caught?” Cayro asked, his curiosity deepening.

“I didn’t realize the Captain had set an alarm on his office door,” I admitted, chuckling. “I was halfway to my room when he caught me. Right when he started questioning me, the shell went off. The entire ship rocked, and the two of us got knocked off our feet.”

“Oh shit,” Cayro said, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Yeah, the explosion woke everyone up,” I said, unable to hold back my laughter. “Casey came stumbling out of the bridge, covered in soot, hair all blown back, with this look of utter shock on his face. He had no idea what hit him.”

I sent the memory of that moment over our shared link, and Cayro’s laughter rumbled through his chest. It was deep and husky, shaking both of us as we lay there.

“Damn, Star! You gave him shell shock,” he laughed, his whole body shaking with amusement.

“The whole upper deck exploded outward. It was bad,” I admitted between chuckles. “That’s how the Captain’s first desk and that cursed trophy were destroyed.”

“I can see that,” he said, grinning.

“You know, what’s left of that trophy is still mounted on his office wall,” I added with a mischievous smirk.

“You’re a menace,” Cayro said softly, shaking his head.

“I know, love,” I murmured, nuzzling against his neck, letting my body melt into his.

We lay there in comfortable silence for a while, the tension of the day melting away. I felt his breathing slow, his body relaxing beneath me as he drifted back into sleep. I didn’t want him worrying about the hole in the ceiling or the absurdity of the morning. Right now, he needed peace, and I needed him to relax. As I stretched out on top of him, his steady heartbeat beneath me was like a lullaby, soothing me while the world outside our little bubble faded away.