And I let him.
Smoke still clings to my tongue, acrid and thick, but my magic’s gone now, burned out, yet I can still feel the echo of it. A hollow buzz under my skin, like something that used to be alive.
I squeeze my eyes shut. Like that’ll help. But the room’s too loud. The blood’s too bright.
I didn’t want this. I never wantedthis.
"Two Threads simultaneously..." My eyes snap open as Quinn steps in front of me. "Even seasoned officers struggle with that. For a cadet? It’s nearly unheard of." He moves in closer, eyes watchful, calculating. "I see why High Chancellor Merrin was so eager to get his hands on you. The potential is... unprecedented. Especially in someone so young. So untrained. So... rough around the edges."
Standing there shaking, I want to scream. At him, at myself, at everyone. But I can’t. I’m too tired. Too empty.
“I think we’re done for today. We’ll, um, meet next week to discuss the outcomes and learn from them.” His eyes flick toward the girl in the fourth row. The one I nearly killed. “You, yes, you. Please follow Cadet Ryven and me to the Healing Wing for a checkup.”
Movement catches at the edge of my vision, Ryven. He shoots me one last look before stepping off the platform, trailing after Quinn and the girl I nearly suffocated. The fear on his face is already gone, replaced by something colder. Something personal. Like I didn’t just bruise his body, I touched something deeper.
Then the room snaps, like someone cut a wire and the class jolts back to life. Benches scrape. Boots thud as cadets start filing out in tense little clumps. Only now does it hit me, how many eyes were on me. How many still are.
God, one month, get the journals, get out clean, but this place?—
A shadow cuts across the floor. Talen.
He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t smirk. Just stands there, face blank, unreadable, one hand buried deep in his pocket like he’s got time to kill.
The sight of him slams into me, a sudden jolt stealing the air from my chest, because fuck—I’ve got nothing now. No magic. No plan. Just the throb in my arm and the dead silence undermy skin where my Threads should be. And he’s the last person I want seeing me like this, empty, weak, vulnerable.
But I don’t give him the satisfaction. I brace against the pain, force it back where it belongs, and square myself like I’m not two seconds from tipping over.
“Disappointed I didn’t die?” I rasp.
At first he just watches me, still, silent. Then that smile unfurls—slow, crooked, left side first. Like it’s carved in. And fuck, it’s familiar now. I’ve seen enough of it to know exactly what follows.
“You think I would be,” he mocks. “But I’m actually... impressed.” The smile spreads, slow but wicked, like he’s savouring something as he takes a step closer. “At first, I figured I’d let someone else deal with you. Quicker. Easier. You didn’t exactly strike me as a long-term problem. But after you showed me those littlethornsI knew you were hiding...” A breath, another step. “Maybe I do need to get my hands on you.” His head tilts, eyes gleaming now. “I didn’t realise you’d be so much fun to play with?—”
“Lyra!”Ezzy bolts toward me, then halts as her eyes flick from me to Talen, and I watch it hit her. The weight of him. The kind of stillness that doesn’t read as calm, just... dangerous.
She doesn’t speak. Just stiffens.
Behind her, I catch sight of Finn and Rowan hovering near the base of the platform, wide-eyed. Like they’re not sure if I’m about to collapse or catch fire. I don’t blame them, neither feels off the table.
Ezzy takes a step closer, hand outstretched, ready to pull me away again. Like I’m still that girl. The one who needs saving.
But not this time.
Not while he’s still watching.
I meet Talen’s eyes. My arm’s still screaming, legs shake, every part of me feels one wrong breath from coming apart—but I hold his gaze. He doesn’t get to see me fold.
“You want me?” My voice grates out. “Get in line behind Ryven.” Then I turn and walk out quick, before he can say anything back.
The corridor is too bright.Too glaring. Cadets move in perfect lines, voices low, footsteps crisp on stone, like nothing just happened.
I just want to get back to the dorm, figure out a plan, preferably without anyone else trying to corner or kill me.
But my ears still ring, my arm’s on fire and I can’t shake the feeling that every eye is on me. Watching. Judging. Waiting for me to crack. Still, I push forward, head down, pace steady.
Then, footsteps behind me, a spike of pain as fingers clamp down on my arm. Ezzy. She pulls hard, dragging me sideways into an empty lecture theatre. I twist away, instinct kicking in, but it sends a fresh jolt through the burn. I hiss, stumble, and she uses the moment to shove the door open.
Two more bodies slip in behind us, Rowan and Finn, and the door clicks shut. Ezzy lets go. Dragging in a breath, I wince as I rub my arm. In front of me, she’s already pacing—short, tight strides across the lecture theatre floor, hands twitching at her sides like she’s not sure whether to reach for me or brace for impact.
