Page 58 of Of Shadow and Moon

Nasarea nods, her lips curving into a small, determined smile. “Then let’s start getting some answers.”

Nazriel shifts across the room, his chair scraping against the floor as he stands. His piercing glare is still locked on us, his hands clenched at his sides. It’s clear he’s furious, though whether it’s with Nasarea, me, or the both of us for being friends, I can’t tell. Either way, I can feel his wrath. I welcome it.

“Let’s go,” Nasarea says, standing and grabbing her tray. “We’ve got a lot to figure out, and I’d rather not have the ice prince having a temper tantrum and distracting me.” She snickers, and I can’t help but let out a quiet laugh, the tension between us easing just slightly.

I follow her lead, casting one last glance at Nazriel. His stare feels like a challenge, but for now, I have bigger problems to deal with. As Nasarea and I leave the dining hall, I can’t shake the feeling that this is only the beginning of something much bigger, and much more dangerous, than either of us could have imagined.

Chapter 33

Selestina

Rain streaks across the window, in a soft and persistent flow, blurring the world beyond into a hazy watercolor of grays and silvers. The steady rhythm of it against the glass matches the restless beat of my thoughts. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I take a long, steadying breath and let my gaze wander to the mountains in the distance. Snow caps have begun to form at their peaks. Clouds cling to the summits, veiling their heights in misty secrecy, but there’s enough of a break for me to see the white creeping downward like frost along the edge of a window.

The sight should calm me, but it doesn’t.

The weight of everything I’m juggling presses down harder with every breath I take. I’m one more fuck up away from a lobotomy.

Keeping up with classes feels impossible enough, but balancing that with Alexander’s expectations and knowing I have to tell him something about Etzli soon, all while maintaining the facade of who I am, is suffocating.

Every step feels like a tightrope over an abyss, onemisstep from total ruin. I’m fooling the princes, Nasarea, everyone, but for how much longer? The balance is tipping, and I can see the cracks forming beneath me. It’s notifeverything falls apart; it’swhen.

I thought Obsidian Academy would be simple. Just another mission. Another challenge to conquer and leave behind. I never expected to get tangled in feelings I’ve spent years locking away. But here I am, forming a tentative friendship with someone I despised just a month ago. And the princes… gods, the princes. I hate them. I hate that they keep popping up everywhere.

I hate it. I don’t let feelings get involved. Not after the last time.

My chest tightens at the memory, unwelcome but insistent to wreak havoc.

Diego.

The boy who taught me what it meant to trust, only to tear that trust apart. The boy I thought loved me, who whispered those very words the night he became my first. My first everything. The boy who, by morning, had already reported me to Alexander. I’d snuck out that night, yes, butwith him. We’d gone to a tavern far enough away to feel safe, to forget in the embrace of each other. And yet, he handed me over on a silver platter to our torturer.

Diego, my best friend.

The boy who brought back Persian lilies from Metztli because he knew they were my favorite.

Diego, who held me at night after Alexander’s fire left its cruel marks on my skin, burns healed only on my face, never my body.

Diego, the betrayer.

I shake my head, trying to dislodge the memory, but itsroots are deep. It’s a reminder of why I can’t let my guard down. Not again.

Because if I fall, I’ll fall too hard.

Forcing the thoughts away, I tug on my uniform, pulling fishnet tights beneath the skirt and lacing up my black boots with mechanical efficiency. My shoulder bag is heavy as I sling it across me, the weight grounding me as I take one last glance at Nasarea. She’s still asleep, her breaths slow and even.

I don’t know how she does it. She’s never awake when I leave, yet she always manages to show up to class perfectly composed, her hair and makeup flawless. It’s almost irritating.

I shake my head and smother a laugh as I walk out to face whatever today has for me.

Combat is slowly becomingmy favorite class, like I hoped it would. We have practiced for so long, I can pretend that I’ve picked up on the training and don’t have to hold back as much. The training field is alive with movement. The ground is packed dirt, uneven in places where countless fights have worn it down. The sun is high making sweat bead along my temple while I hear grunts, sharp exhales, and the impact of fists against flesh.

Professor Karr has a new arrangement where everyday we pair up against a new person. It’s supposed to help us “expect the unexpected.” Stupid, but I get it. If I was teaching someone to fight, and fight good, this is exactly what I would do too.

I barely have a second to breathe before Kaelion lunges at me again.

I twist to the side, just out of reach of his strike, feeling the rush of air as his fist slices past my shoulder. He doesn’t give me time to reset, closing the distance with a brutal efficiency that forces me to stay on my toes.

“You fight like acoward,” he spits, dark eyes burning with fury.

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