Page 107 of Saints & Sinners

“I see you are still broody as always, Mr Cain.”

That was short-lived.

I turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge Nadael with a tense smile and hoped she would take that as a sign that I did not want to engage in conversation.

She chuckled. “And just as non-talkative as the first day you arrived here.”

My jaw clenched as I surveyed the crowd, and my fingers dug into the folded letter in my pocket, crumpling it further. “I had my reasons back then.” Still do.

Nadael sighed. I could just about picture her red lips pursed in a way that reminded me of when my mother would be disappointed with me for misbehaving. “You’ve always been an excellent Ascendant, Mr Cain. I know your brother would be proud.”

I saw red for a second, my breath sharp in my chest as memories of Nadael and Council members telling me my brother could not join me at Celestia swirled in my vision. I was ready to tell Nadael, something that I shouldn’t, but then—

Someone caught my eye.

Grace had just walked in, and for a moment, the entire room felt like it tilted.

Her timid eyes searched the hall as I stared at her. She wasn’t wearing something flashy or overly formal. No, it was somethingelse entirely—her.

The gown was golden, deep and rich, fading into darker shades at the hem. Black branches stretched upward like they were reaching for the sunflowers that bloomed across the fabric. The off-the-shoulder design framed her collarbones, the soft curves of her neck and the way the dress hugged her waist before flowing into somethinguntouchable.

Her curls were down, untamed and wild—the way I always liked them.

Marnie then trailed beside her in a sparkly green gown, but it didn’t matter. No one else mattered.

Nadael was still talking, but her words blurred as my gaze lingered on Grace.

I needed to get away.

“I appreciate what you’re telling me, Nadael—”A fucking lie. “But if you’ll just excuse me.”

I didn’t wait for her response as I moved, weaving through the crowd, not fast enough but still too fast to be casual.

Grace’s eye caught mine halfway across the room, and for a second, I forgot where I was. Forgot why I couldn’t just pull her in and kiss her right there in front of everyone.

Instead, I stopped just short of her, my heart beating way too fast for the first time in years. “Grace,” I said, quieter than I meant to.

Her lips curved into a small smile, uncertain but radiant.

“You’re…” I faltered, searching for something that could match what I was seeing.

Stunningdidn’t even begin to cover it, but it was all I could manage.

Her bronzed cheeks flushed the faintest pink, and I wanted nothing more than to close the space between us. But before I could, a group of students, voices high with excitement, pulledher away with compliments and questions about her dress.

I stood there, rooted in place, watching as she was whisked away. Yet even while others surrounded her, laughing and chatting, her eyes still found mine.

Then Joe appeared, standing close and saying something in her ear.

Grace wasn’t really listening, though. Her eyes were still on me.

The letter in my pocket suddenly felt heavier than ever.

I pictured my brother writing it, but nothing felt real about it. I hadn’t even shown Grace the letter when she found out about Aaron, and yet I now realized I didn’t need to cling to it. All it was, was a reminder of the unknown.

I pulled the letter out slowly, staring at the messy scrawl for only a second as my grip on it tightened.

Then, I tore it.

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