Page 85 of Black Wing and Shadows
The tightness in my chest eased enough to breathe finally. “Guess I owe you my life now.”
He shook his head, eyes holding mine with unwavering intensity. “You owe me nothing. Please… don’t scare me like that again.”
***
Less than an hour after leaving the infirmary, we got word to report to Kamban’s office. The command wing felt colder than usual. Tension crackled in the air of the conference room. Major General Kamban sat at the head of the table, posture rigid, eyes hard as flint.
We filed in—Lili, Alex, Eli, Oliver, Zane and me—and lined up along the far wall. The silence dragged out, sharp and oppressive.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet but dangerous. “You left this college without orders. You violated restricted flight protocols, exposed two bonded dragons to unsecured airspace, and engaged hostiles without proper support. That level of insubordination could’ve gotten all of you killed.”
His gaze sliced across each of us—sharp as any blade. “Let me make one thing clear—this is not a fucking playground. There are no second chances out there. If you break protocol again—well, let’s not.”
The threat lingered over us like a storm about to break. As the air felt ready to snap, Kamban leaned back, his expression shifting—merely a fraction—toward something soft.
“That being said..." His tone softened just slightly, enough to notice the change. “You managed to bring back General Blackcreek’s daughter alive. If we had lost her..." He exhaled slowly, the sound weighty and purposeful. “It wouldn’t have only been a personal tragedy. It would have been a fucking political disaster. The sort that topples commands, fractures alliances, and leaves us open to every enemy willing to circle for the kill.”
He looked me over, and for the first time, there was something almost—almost—real in his eyes. “You saved her. That’s not something I can ignore.”
The steel slid back into his voice. “So, here’s how it goes: extra watch duty, no weekend privileges. Two weeks. And when it’s over, you’ll remember your goddamn orders aren’t suggestions.”
“Am I actually being disciplined for being kidnapped?” I cocked my brow.
Kamban’s gaze pinned me—hard enough to bruise. “You were the objective, Cadet Blackcreek. You were the whole fucking reason they risked breaking protocol. Whether you like it or not, your presence raises the stakes. You don’t get to be careless.”
“I didn’t exactly sign up to get kidnapped,” I shot back, my brow going higher.
“Exactly,” he snapped. “Which is why you will learn from this—how to never be a fucking liability again.” His stare froze me. “In this world, being taken is as much a failure as not coming back. Do better.”
The silence after was colder than the wind outside.
“Two weeks,” he reiterated, rising as if the gods had decreed it. “Extra watch. No weekends. And if I have to rescue any of you from a situation like this again, you won’t be standing in my office.”
The office door thudded shut behind us, echoing down the corridor. The others peeled away in silence—footsteps fading—until it was only Zane and I standing under the shitty corridor lights.
I could still feel the weight of Kamban’s words coiled in my chest. “Am I supposed to feel grateful for that?”
Zane’s jaw flexed. “Grateful you’re alive? Yeah. For him? Fuck no.”
I stopped, making him turn. “You heard him—being taken is as much a failure as not coming back. Like I had a fucking choice.”
He stepped close, his voice low. “That’s the thing, Auri. In his world, there’s always a choice. And you either make the right one, or someone else pays for it.”
Anger flared in my chest. “I did fight.”
“I know you did,” he said, voice firm but not unkind. “I saw what you did to those bastards. That’s not the point.”
“What the fuck is the point?” I snapped.
He didn’t look away. “The point is, you’re here. And I’m not letting him—or anyone—use what happened to shove you in a corner. But you have to keep your head, because next time, I might not get there in time.”
His words landed like a punch I wasn’t ready for. My throat tightened, but I didn’t look away. “You always find me.”
His lips pressed into a hard line. “I always fucking will. But I’d rather not have to drag you out of another cell to prove it.”
For a moment, the hall was all bristling tension and breath between us. He jerked his head toward the exit. “Come on, little Savage. Let’s get out of here before someone else decides to chew our asses.”
We stepped out into the cool night, Kamban’s office still clinging to us. Zane stayed close, his eyes already scanning the courtyard like he was hunting the next threat.
