Page 62 of Secrets and Shadows

Lilith cuts me off. “I’m sure you have.” There’s something off in her tone, and she deliberately doesn’t look at me.

“I’m sorry about what happened. If you need anything—” The annoyance on her face intensifies, her jaw clenching, confirming what I sensed. The realization makes my words trail off. “Wait, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, you have some nerve coming here and acting like you don’t know what’s wrong,” she snaps at me through her teeth. Her gray eyes, flecked with purple, blaze with anger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of her. Even when she verbally spars with Vaughn, she doesn’t look this angry. Even when she was all-consumed by her magic during training she didn’t lash out like this. This is different.

“I genuinely have no idea what’s going on, Lilith,” I reply, my voice steady. A few students pass by, casting curious glances our way, and I realize there’s too many ears around, but I ignore them, focused on figuring out what’s bothering her before her class starts.

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. You and your friends only got close to me because yourheadmistressordered you to, not because you actually care. And I, like an idiot, fell for it. Of course I did.” She delivers all of this in a harsh whisper, and I, again, look around at how many people are trying to eavesdrop. I pull her into a corner where fewer people can listen in. Lilith continues like it doesn’t matter who hears. Shit. She’s really angry.

“At least she had the decency to explain her actions and tell me why she had to do it. She… she didn’tpretendto give a shit about me.”

What is Bennett’s plan? After our last meeting it’s pretty clear she doesn’t trust me to report back on Lilith accurately anymore and it seems she’s now trying to gain a favor with her by making us the villains.

What did she say to Lilith that she actually believed her? That stings more than I anticipated, especially after our last time together. I thought things were different now, that she trusted me. My stomach churns at the thought of what might’ve happened between her and Bennett.

How can I possibly explain this to her? Anything I say will sound like an excuse or a way to save my own skin.

“So, do me a favor and stay away from me. For good. And tell your friends the same,” she says louder, pushing past me to leave.

I reach out and grab her arm, desperate to pull her back toward me. But she yanks herself free, her glare sharp enough to cut. The anger radiating from her is a warning that I shouldn’t come any closer. “Wait, Lilith, it’s not like that. Please, let me explain,” I say, trying, and failing, to keep my tone calm. It comes out more like a plea.

“Like hell I’m going to believe a word that comes out of your mouth,” she snarls. Without another word, she turns her back on me and darts into the classroom.

Ah fuck.

I’m left standing there, frustrated and at a loss, knowing I need to sort this mess out.

Now I need to tell Vaughn and Kai that we majorly fucked up. That’s going to go well. Shit.

Lilith’s assumptionsare completely off base. While we did have initial orders to follow when she first arrived at the academy and her powers were revealed, things have changed for me, Vaughn, and Kai since then. Our loyalties changed completely. Because of her.

Vaughn doesn’t typically chase after people or indulge in them like he does with Lilith. Which I realize now that it’s not an obsession; it’s something deeper. Kai’s bond with her speaks volumes, especially how much he keeps an eye on her from the shadows. As for me, well, I had every intention of keeping up boundaries between us and helping with her training, but she crossed that line and there’s no way I’m going to let her walk away now.

As I step into the common room, I gesture for them to come closer so we can address this situation. We need to discuss it immediately and formulate a plan for damage control.

Vaughn raises an eyebrow as he approaches, setting aside the book he’d been reading. “What’s wrong?”

With all the history between us, I don’t have to say anything for him to read me almost as well as I can usually read others.

“Lilith found out about Bennett ordering us to keep an eye on her,” I explain quickly. Vaughn’s mouth drops open while Kai remains stoic. But the tick in his jaw tells me he’s angry. “The headmistress paid her a visit last night. I think she’s trying to twist things to her advantage, making us the bad guys and gaining her trust. She must know we have been hiding our relationships with her. Either way, it doesn’t look good right now. Lilith is furious and seems to have lost all trust in all three of us.”

“Bennett? That bitch...” Vaughn swears.

Still, there’s no reaction from Kai apart from that tick.

“Yeah. She was really upset, I’ve never seen her that furious,” I say with a sigh. “That brings us to our next issue: what do we do about Lilith and Bennett?”

“Leave Bennett to me,” Kai all but growls.

I don’t want to know the details of his plan; it’s probably best that I don’t. He usually handles the dirty work within Operation Nightfall, including eliminating any Rogues who try to enter the academy grounds. And his history with the headmistress is… complicated. But I don’t doubt that his loyalties now lie with Lilith. If all they say about bonds is true, it can’t be any other way.

“I’ll try to talk to Lilith...” Vaughn starts, but I shake my head. That feels like the worst option right now. If the mere sight of me made her that angry, Vaughn will definitely make matters worse.

“No, let’s not. We need to handle this carefully and thoughtfully so it doesn’t seem like we’re making excuses,” I respond firmly. For now, Bennett has to be our main focus, and we’ll leave it to Kai’s bloody hands to deal with.

Twenty-Five

KAI

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