Eventually, the room fell into the quiet that only came with exhaustion. Miles and Shadrie said their goodnights, but I was reluctant to move from where I was sandwiched between my mates. The idea of walking into whatever trial I’d face tomorrow without them made my chest ache.
“You should get some rest,” Gabriel murmured against my ear. “We all should.”
I tilted my head to look at him, then at Zypher on my other side. The thought of being alone in my bed with nothing but my thoughts for company made my throat tighten.
“Stay with me.” The words slipped out before I could second-guess them. My voice was softer than I meant, almost pleading. “Both of you. Just… don’t leave me alone tonight.”
Zypher’s blue eyes softened instantly, and he reached up, brushing a knuckle gently along my jaw. “If that is your wish, Dilectus, then nothing in this realm can keep me away.”
Gabriel hesitated, his uncertainty about his place written plainly on his face. I stared at him, my eyes pleading with him to see the sincerity of my request. Finally, he gave a short nod. “If that’s what you want.” His tone was quieter than I’d ever heard it, stripped down to raw longing.
I threaded my fingers through his and squeezed. “I do.”
We stood and walked the short distance to my room in a small, clumsy procession. Gabriel lingered at the door as if unsure whether to cross the threshold, while Zypher moved with quiet certainty to my bed. The lamp in my room threw a warm pool of light across my comforter, leaving the rest of the space in shadows. For a moment, the world felt unbearably fragile and ridiculously ordinary all at once.
I climbed into my bed, folding back the comforter andmotioning for my mates to join me. Zypher shed his T-shirt, leaving him in a pair of black sweatpants as he slid in on one side. A satisfied sigh escaped me as he wrapped an arm around me, tucking me into his side. Gabriel hesitated at the other edge, clicked off the lamp, and then eased himself down with a soft curse. He moved as if he were negotiating with himself—half refusal to cross my boundaries, half wracked with his own need to be near me. His entire body went stiff as he settled under the blanket, and I moved from Zypher’s side to lay my head on my vampire’s chest. My hand found his in the dark, and I curled my fingers tightly around his. His chest was solid beneath my cheek, but his body stayed stiff, as if he didn’t believe he had the right to be here.
“Gabriel,” I whispered into the dark. “I want you here. Not because I’m scared. Not because I need protection. Because I want you.”
His breath hitched. For a long moment, he didn’t answer, his hand twitching beneath mine like he wasn’t sure if he should hold on or let go. “Selir, I want this more than my next breath, but you shouldn’t want me here,” he said finally, voice rough. “Not after everything I did to you. There hasn’t been enough time to prove to you that I’ve truly changed. I haven’t done enough to earn a place in your bed.”
I lifted my head to look at him; even in the darkness, I could make out the raw uncertainty in his eyes. His jaw was tight, as if he were bracing for me to agree with him. My heart clenched at the thought, having forgiven him before my mind had caught up.
“You were cruel,” I admitted softly. “You pushed me away when I didn’t understand why. And yes, it hurt.” His eyes flinched at the word. I reached up, cupping his cheek, forcing him to see me. “But you’re here now. You’ve been at my side when you didn’t have to be. And I don’t care about what you think you deserve, I care about what I choose. And I choose you.”
Something in him cracked then, a tremor running throughhis body as though my words had landed in a place he hadn’t dared open. His hand squeezed mine back, tentative at first, then firmer, almost desperate. “Gods, I don’t deserve you, but I will spend the rest of my existence trying to.”
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between us, thick, vulnerable, honest. Then Zypher spoke. “Our Dilectus has chosen well, bond brother.” His voice was low and teasing, but threaded with something warmer than mockery.
Gabriel grunted something that might have been a retort, but it had lost its edge. His fingers tightened around mine, then relaxed, as if he were finally allowing himself the small, treacherous luxury of trust. Zypher shifted, pulling me a little closer so my back was flush against his chest without forcing me to leave my position sprawled across my vampire. Gabriel’s other hand came to rest over ours, an awkward, polite claim that somehow made the three of us fit together like pieces that had been waiting to be snapped into place. Sleep pulled me under in soft, warm waves of security where I lay wrapped in the arms of my mates.
Morning came too soon, and I had to fight the urge to stay tucked beneath the blankets with Zypher and Gabriel. It was only their insistence that they needed to return to their rooms and prepare for the first trial that allowed me to let them go and prepare myself. We met for a light breakfast in the dining hall before Zypher split off to join the Third Years, leaving Shadrie, Miles, Gabriel, and me to merge with the crowd of First Years making their way to the cathedral where we’d had our magic unveiled the first day of term. The building seemed to exude an ominous air as we made our way inside to take a seat.
“Greetings, First Years,” a woman I didn’t recognize spoke from the front of the room, her voice magically carrying throughout the building. “For those of you who haven’t met me, I am Dean Femirea. For the last few centuries, I have had the pleasure of overseeing this academy and watchinggeneration after generation rise—or fall—within these walls. Today, you will face your first true test at this academy.”
She paused, letting her words settle as hushed whispers rolled through the space. “Today, you will face the Labyrinth of Shadows. This is not a trial you can survive with brute strength; you must rely on your wit and will.” A portal shimmered into existence behind her. “Once you step through this portal, you will be faced with a maze of mirrors and illusions, where only the academy knows what you will be shown. Some of you may see truths you wish to remain hidden; some of you may be confronted with your deepest fears. If you manage to overcome whatever it is you see, you will emerge stronger. Those of you who do not,” her lips curved, though there was nothing kind in their shape, “will find your minds broken beyond repair.”
A ripple of unease passed through the gathered students. My pulse pounded in my ears, but I kept my chin held high.
“When your name is called, you will enter alone. There is no aid, no escape but forward. Remember: fear can rule you, or you can rule it. The choice, as always, is yours,” Femirea said with one last glance across the crowd before stepping back for a professor to take her place.
One by one, students were called, swallowed by the portal. Some returned mere moments later, ashen and shrinking, but alive. I could only guess what the ones who didn’t were experiencing, though the trial sounded similar to the one Zypher told us he’d been through. My stomach coiled tighter with each name called until mine finally rang out across the dwindling crowd.
“Bechora Knight.”
I forced myself onto unsteady feet, sparing a final look at my friends. Gabriel’s gaze burned into me as I moved forward, the echo of Femirea’s warning chilling me more than the portal itself. I hesitated at the edge, forcing a shaky breath into my lungs before stepping through. The air shifted immediately, cool and damp, carrying a metallic tang that set my teethon edge. Before me stretched a chamber lined with mirrors, endless corridors branching into reflections of reflections. My own face multiplied into dozens, each set of eyes sharp, accusing.
“Bechora Knightvale,” a cacophony of voices hissed in unison. The name rattled through the space like a curse as a crown of black iron materialized atop my head in the reflections. “Heir to the stolen throne. Born to rule. Born to right the realm. Too weak to take it.”
I shook my head. “That is not my name,” I snapped, taking a step forward.
“Weak.” The voices hissed in defiance as the mirrors rippled.
In their depths, a new scene replaced my reflection. I recognized myself as a toddler, cradled in the arms of a human woman who held a striking resemblance to me. Beside her stood a fae male, his emerald-green eyes the same color as mine. I knew with every fiber of my being that these were my parents. Geordie moved toward them; his usually cheerful face twisted in agony.
“This is the only way,” he said. “She has to survive.” He turned to the male, his eyes pleading. “I promise, father, I will keep her safe.”
Tears slid down the woman’s face as she reached an arm out to embrace Geordie. “You are not of my blood, Geordalis, but you are the son of my heart. You will keep your half-sister safe until it is time for her to return to this realm and set things right.”
