Page 124 of Black Wing and Shadows
A long silence stretched before his reply.“You’re right. This isn’t just killing. It’s performance. Whoever’s doing this wants us afraid, wants us watching.”
“It’s working,”I admitted, pressing my palm to my chest. My bond mark thrummed faintly with unease.“Everyone’s jumpy. Sadie hadn’t said two words since we saw her. What happens when cadets start turning on each other?”
“They already are,”he said.“I’ve heard the whispers. Branch against branch. Wing against wing. It’s tearing at the seams.”
I shut my eyes and leaned my back against the wall. “Winter break can’t come soon enough.”
The thought slipped out before I could stop it, and the silence on the bond shifted.
“Where are you going?”Zane asked.
My stomach tightened. I didn’t know. I had been pondering the thought for a few days. Knowing, we couldn’t be separated for long.
“I don’t… know.”The words felt small.“My father’s house isn’t home. It never has been. Not since… I swallowed hard. Not since my mother died.He wouldn’t care if I came or not. I don’t have anywhere else. He surely won’t be there. And what about us, our bond, our powers?”
The bond hummed warm, steady. Zane didn’t rush his reply. “Come with me.”
My breath caught.“What?”
“To my family’s palace. It’s not perfect. It’s… complicated. But it’s safer than going back to your father’s. And you wouldn’t be alone.”
The offer settled between us, heavy and bright all at once. I mean, it was what I wanted, deep down, but also the thought terrified me. He had a lot of siblings, and his father was the fucking duke for goodness sake. Not to mention I killed his brothers, Zane’s uncles.
And then the image of Harlyn slipped back, the dread in my chest easing just enough for me to breathe.
“Think about it, you deserve somewhere that feels like home, Auri. Even if it’s only for two weeks.”
The bond was quiet for a long stretch, but my chest wouldn’t loosen. My thoughts spun too fast, words tumbled out before I could stop them.“What if I manifest there? At your palace. In front of your family. In front of your father. None of you Drusearons channel raw power—you don’t know what it’s like. What if my power breaks loose? What if I destroy something? What if I hurt someone? What if I make your family hate me before they even know me?”
Zane’s reply was steady, like iron wrapped around fire.“We’ll deal with it. Together. If you burn a hall, we’ll rebuild it. If my father hates it, well he hates it. You won’t be alone, Auri. Not in this. Not ever again.”
I pressed my palm hard to my bond mark and forced myself to believe it. Another thought burned hotter than the rest, one I refused to say aloud until now.
My voice shook.“What about… what I did to your uncles?”
The silence that followed nearly broke me. My throat closed, but the words wouldn’t stay buried.
“You know… what happened…”Tears started to blur my vision, hot and unwanted.“I killed them both, Zane. How do I face your family with that? How do I walk into your father’s house when I’ve spilled Drusearon blood?”
His answer cracked through the bond, fierce and unyielding.“You don’t apologize for surviving.”His voice dropped, sharp as a blade.“The one who touched you deserved death the moment he laid hands on you. And the one who shielded him deserved it the moment he chose to stand between you and justice. You didn’t kill them for being Drusearons, Auri. You killed them for what they did.”
My breath hitched, the tears slipping free.“But your father—”
“My father,”Zane cut me off, his temper bleeding through the bond,“is not a god. He is a duke. And as far as I know, he believes your father was the one responsible, not you. He doesn’t know what happened to you, and ifhe did and he didn’t punish him by death, then I wouldn’t want to associate with him.”
The conviction in his voice broke something loose inside me, leaving me raw and trembling. I curled deeper into my blanket, the ache in my chest sharp and sweet all at once.
“You make it sound simple.”
“It is.”His thought struck fierce, hard-edged.“It is when it comes to you.”The next pulse came softer, gentler, almost breaking at the edges.
For the first time since seeing Harlyn strung up, my breath came easier. The fear didn’t vanish, but it eased—like a shadow pushed back by firelight. I wanted to believe him. Gods, I wanted to. I knew deep down if I didn’t want to go, he would go with me wherever I chose—but I didn’t want him to sacrifice the holiday with his family. I also didn’t want to be away from him, especially not for two weeks.
CHAPTER 42
The tension in the stadium classroom was already sharp when Feather Wing filed in. Still, it snapped taut the moment Professors Melamora, Fogg, and Pascal entered together, their faces saying there wasn't anything good to announce. Behind them was a group of second lieutenants. I scanned each of them fast. As my gaze fell on the last one, my eyes widened, and my stomach dropped.
Fuck. This can't be happening. I dropped my head quickly, hoping he didn’t notice me either. We had only released some steam together a few times before I left for here. Maybe he wouldn’t remember me.
