They will rise with fire in their bones and ruin in their wake.
My pulse pounds in my ears as I move closer, the same feeling resonating deep inside of me, but before I can reach them, Elodie rears her fist back once again and slams it into Willow’s face. The crunch is audible, but it’s the instant knowledge that she’s knocked her out cold that circles around us.
With a sigh, she stands, dusting off her uniform before she turns to look at me. “Don’t judge me. That bitch deserved it. Besides, since I heard everyone complaining that they don’t have access to their magic, it was fair game at this point,” she mutters, and I nod, at a loss for words.
Gulping, I eliminate the remainder of the distance between us, lifting my bracelet toward her, and her mouth forms the perfectOas understanding dawns.
“You.”
“Apparently so,” I rasp, every part of my body on fire now as I feel lightheaded. Elodie must feel the same because she all but falls into my arms.
With our chests pressed together, I secure my free hand at her back as I lift my bracelet-clad arm so we can press our palms together. She moves slowly, but the second her skin touches mine, my eyes close and my head snaps back.
Blood shall bind you.
The prophecy rings in my ears as the ground shifts beneath us, and a moment later, we find ourselves back in the dining hall. My bracelet is gone, so is hers, yet the feeling in my chest barely subsides.
She blinks up at me, her blue eyes like the ocean as she stares at me, and I can’t seem to let her go. My heart beats faster and my soul ignites like never before as the prophecy continues to consume me.
Love shall break you.
17
ELODIE
“Can you believe they made us continue the day with this feeling?” I grumble, rubbing my clenched knuckles against my chest for what feels like the millionth time today.
It’s as if the warmth inside of me is determined to keep me locked in time, wrapped in Thorne’s arms. That seems like the only moment it eased off enough to breathe, but being so close to him is not for the faint-hearted. Especially since my body has been calling for me to go to him all day, and he hasn’t even been able to look in my direction.
The concern from him this morning, regarding Jude’s text message, has gone. Hell, I’ve even seen his back stiffen when I walk into a room. It could be nothing, and maybe I’m overreacting, but my gut tells me otherwise. The second we completed the challenge, he made sure I could balance on my own before he hightailed it out of there without a word.
Stupidly, I expected more. Surely this sensation rippling through every inch of my body when it comes to him isn’t all one-sided, but it’s clear it must be, or he’s fighting it a hell of a lot better than I am.
It doesn’t make sense. Nothing seems to make sense in this place anymore.
The only constants I actually have are Ocean and Rion. The psychotic bestie I never knew I needed or wanted, and the golden retriever who seems determined to wrap his glow around me at all costs.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I don’t feel any different,” Ocean murmurs, tucking a loose blonde curl behind her ear as she offers me a concerned smile, and I shake my head.
If she doesn’t know what I’m talking about, then what is it I’m feeling? “Did your whole body not feel like it was on fire when your bracelet matched with Kaiden?” I ask, referring to the guy from Institute Eleven that she was paired with, and she shrugs.
“No. My wrist was on fire, sure, but otherwise, I was fine, and I was definitely okay the second the trial was over,” she explains as we head out of the main academy building, but instead of heading toward Institute Thirteen like usual, she turns to the left, making me frown.
“Are we not heading back to Institute Thirteen?” I ask, and she twists her hands together nervously as she shakes her head.
“I thought you might prefer more of a distraction. So we could maybe search the library again if you feel like it?” she offers, worrying her bottom lip, and I tilt my head as I stare at her.
“What for?” I ask, sensing an awkwardness in the air that wasn’t there before.
The last time we went to the library, all we managed to successfully find were books on the institute games, but it’s been a dead end on the other topics that matter. There’s no harm in looking again, but it feels doubtful. When she doesn’t answer, the energy becomes clearer, and I cock a brow at her. “Ocean?”
She clears her throat, but her gaze doesn’t manage to find mine. “Rion told me about your parents while you were gone, and I wanted to help you find more about your past.”
I gape at her in surprise. My silence must panic her, because her gaze quickly meets mine as her eyes widen. “Don’t be mad, he?—”
“I’m not mad,” I interject before she can get herself all worked up, and her shoulders relax as I wrap my arms around her in an awkward hug. “Thank you,” I murmur, even though I’m unsure where we’re supposed to look, but she’s right; I need the distraction, and what better way to combat that than with something actually productive.
The alternative I have is something that’s been playing on my mind since the second Thorne saved me from Jude, but for now, I put it on the back burner as I let her link her arm through mine and drag me toward the library.
