I kiss him. And that’s all it takes.
He flips us fast. I’m on my back, breath stolen, and suddenly, we’re not talking anymore.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
This time, it’s not the smoke or the fire that wakes me. It’s the ache.
A hollow stretch beneath my chest, sharp and pulling, like something vital’s been carved out and left behind. Not mine. Not entirely.
At first, like all the previous dreams, the darkness thickened around me, but this time I didn’t flinch. Iknowit now—the shape that moves like breath through shadow. Heavy-scaled, flexing slow, dark green and glinting where the light catches. Then those eyes find me again—violet, familiar—and the sound that follows isn’t a roar.
It’s a call. Made of wind and hunger, scraping along every Thread in my body like it’s searching. Like itknowsme.
Come.
I wake with a gasp, reaching out like I can grab hold of whatever I just left behind. But when I look down, my hands are empty.
For a second, I don’t know where I am. Then my eyes adjust—full moon bleeding through the curtains, rough wooden walls,cold air slipping through half-closed shutters. Talen beside me. The Outpost, Ravenscross.
He doesn’t wake, just shifts as I move, wrapping his arm low around my waist, instinctive, possessive. The other hooks under my shoulder, pulling me back into his chest. Warm breath brushes my neck as his body heat seeps into mine like it never left.
The ache doesn’t vanish. But it quiets and sleep takes me again.
“Why doesStrannt keep staring at me like that?” Ezzy asks, stiffening beside me.
I follow her gaze across the courtyard, catching his weaselly eyes on her. He always gives me the creeps. But we’re here, gathering for the Second-year Trials—they’ll start any minute—and there’s something else in his stare I can’t name.
She crosses her arms, shifting from foot to foot.God, I swear if he touches her, even once, I’ll put him in the ground. Because lately things have been better between us again.
Ezzy’s not said anything, not directly, but she’s been doing little things like bringing back extra soup from the food hall when she knows I’ve skipped meals, even covering for me when I overslept last week.
We’re not where we were. And that’s on me. I broke it. Took advantage of the first person here who trusted me when I didn’t deserve it. All because I couldn’t see past my own bitterness about a system—a really fucked up system—but a system Ezzy was born into and taught to follow. A system she’s never been given the luxury to question.
She’s still cautious, still guarded. But she’s here. Standing next to me and that counts. So I swing an arm around her shoulder, guiding her away from Strannt’s stare.
Every second-year cadet’s here—black uniforms, clean boots, polished daggers strapped tight. Summer Trials mark the end of year two, and the tension sticks like sweat—thick, sour, impossible to shake.
Most are here to show off. But me? I want to survive the Trials and get answers from Talen. I trust him. I told him I do. But now I’m realising just how much I’ve handed him—my questions, my hope… maybe even my heart. And if he breaks it, I don’t know what’s left.
It’s been two days since Ravenscross. Since him. But the warmth hasn’t faded. Not even close.
The next morning, when I woke in the outpost, he was already up. A fresh bath waited—steam rising, scent of soap curling through the cool wooden room. While I soaked, he sent the two cadets off on some pointless errand—looking for the lost key—then joined me, slid in quiet and unhurried, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
For a while, he stayed silent. Just sat behind me, knees braced around mine, and ran the damp cloth over my back—slow, steady strokes, like he already knew exactly where I was sore.
When he finally did speak, he let me ask the questions. So I did, pressed him on the Second-year Trials, what to expect, what they’d throw at us. He said no one ever finds out what Serrane’s planned until the day, though usually you go in as a group. And yeah, sticking with people you trust makes sense, but he said it can be smart to take on a few extras—cadets you don’t know—just to cover weaknesses, offset whatever unexpected bullshit they throw at us. He told me I’m ready, that I’ll be fine. And I believe him, but that doesn’t make it easier.
“Oh, hey Brian!” Ezzy calls as a lanky shadow slips past us.
Brian stops, just for a second, and gives a stiff, awkward wave.
I haven’t seen him since I asked about his Thread research.I still feel bad about lying to him, which is probably why I’ve been avoiding thinking about it until Talen brought him up on our way back to the Citadel. Said he was curious what Brian had figured out about the bond. I told him what I knew. Most of it, he already seemed familiar with, though.
But before I can even say hi, Brian mutters something about needing to go and veers off toward the edge of the courtyard, eyes locked on the ground.
Then a shift in the air behind me, a shoulder brushes mine, just enough to be deliberate.
“Cadet Bloom.” Talen nods as he passes, stride steady, face unreadable, but just before he turns his head back—he winks. Quick. Precise. Just for me.
