Page 70 of Black Wing and Shadows
I didn’t promise. I simply stared at him, and for a moment, we were both too stubborn to look away. The cheer from the field rolled over us, and my head turned before I stopped it. Zane was laughing with his teammates, cheeks flushed, hair wind-tossed. His eyes found mine—then Alex’s—and the smile faltered hardly enough for me to notice.
Alex leaned back in his chair like he owned the space between us. “Here comes the bodyguard,” he murmured, not trying to hide the edge in his voice.
“Don’t start,” I warned.
“Who’s starting? I’m only saying… he looks ready to defend his claim.”
“I’m not—” I stopped myself. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted in front of others, but Alex’s eyes were now fixed on Zane, as if he was watching a storm approaching and challenging it to strike.
Zane reached us with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Everything good here?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “Merely catching up. Been a while since I got to talk to her without you stealing all her time”
Zane huffed out a laugh, clapping a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I don’t steal. She likes me better.”
Alex’s smirk twitched, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Come on, Anam Cara,” Zane said, tilting his head toward the field. “Walk with me. They’re starting another round.”
I got up, brushing my palms on my pants. “See you around, Alex.”
“Yeah,” he said, but his gaze stayed on Zane for a beat too long.
We headed toward the bean bag toss in an easy silence. Zane’s hand brushed mine—steady, grounding, not a claim. “He’s fine,” Zane said at last, as if answering the question I hadn’t asked. “We’ve got years between us. I know where we stand.”
“And where’s that?” I asked.
“He’s my friend. You’re my mate. That’s not changing. It will all work out.” His tone was warm, confident, but I could hear the layer beneath it—like he was shoring up a wall before the storm really hit.
The music drifted across the courtyard, lilting strings mingling with the rhythmic stomp of boots on stone. Lanterns swayed overhead, throwing warm gold light over the crowd. Zane twirled me beneath his arm, the grin on his face making my heart skip.
“You’re getting better,” he teased, one hand steady at my back.
“I’ve had a good teacher,” I shot back, letting him spin me again. Across the courtyard, Lili danced with a pair of younger cadets, laughing so hard she nearly tripped over her own boots. Sadie was nearby, dancing closely with a female cadet. Alex was somewhere in the crowd, moving stiffly to the beat like he’d been dragged there under protest. The air was sweet with spiced cider and roasting meat, the kind of night where you almost forgot the weight of the day. Almost.
Then the shadow fell.
It swept over the courtyard like a cloud blotting out the moon—fast, silent at first, until the wind hit. A rush of air slammed into us, tearing through the lantern lines and sending them spinning wildly. Shouts rose as a dragon dropped lower, the glint of red scales catching torchlight. The dragon’s wings beat hard enough to scatter tables and send mugs of cider crashing to the ground.
“Down!” someone yelled.
Zane yanked me in close, shielding me as a gust knocked dancers off their feet. The dragon banked sharply above, the force of its turn toppling a row of chairs. Sparks leapt from a shattered lantern, setting a nearby banner alight. Panic surged through the crowd—cadets shoving to clear the square, instructors shouting orders no one could hear over the roar of wings. Somewhere in the chaos, I caught a glimpse of Lili grabbing a younger cadet out of the path of a falling canopy beam.
Zane’s grip tightened. “Stay with me.”
The dragon wheeled once more overhead, and in its wake the courtyard dissolved into a storm of light, shadow, and the kind of fear that sat deep in your bones. The crowd surged as the dragon dipped low again, its roar splitting the night in two. Zane’s hand was an anchor in the flood of bodies—until someone slammed into us from behind.
His grip tore free from mine.
“Zane!” I shouted, but my voice was drowned out by the noise. The crowd of cadets pushed me sideways, away from the courtyard’s center. Someone fell in front of me, and I had to jump over them or get caught. The heat from the burning banner pressed against my right side, so I ducked instinctively while smoke stung my throat. A shadow from a dragon's wing flew over the cobblestones, and I looked up just in time to see the smaller dragon banking again—too close. Its powerful downstroke jarred my teeth and forced the air from my lungs.
I clattered to the edge of the courtyard, where overturned tables and broken wood created a maze. A Healer cadet—wide-eyed and trembling—was trapped beneath a heavy bench. Instinctively, I knelt down and scrambled my fingers at the wood.
“Push on three!” I yelled. She nodded once, tears streaking through soot on her cheeks. One. Two. Three—
We shoved, and the bench rolled enough for her to crawl free. The dragon’s cry ripped across the courtyard again, closer this time, followed by the unmistakable snap of a tether breaking. My heart slammed against my ribs. This wasn’t normal—something was wrong.
“Auriella!” The voice was faint but cut through—Zane’s, somewhere on the other side of the courtyard.
