I stop walking. “I think…he sensed it. The Veil magic. He tore through it like it was nothing.”
Tamsin’s face shifts, something cautious behind her sarcasm. “That’s not supposed to be possible. Even the strongest fae need rituals to slip through the Veil like that. I don't know of any demons that can.”
I nod slowly. “And when he touched me—just my cheek—it was like something inside me recognized him. On a soul level.”
Tamsin doesn’t speak for a few seconds, which is rare. Then, “That book didn’t just react to you, Lindsay. It responded. And if Kael felt it through the Veil, that means whatever is happening to you? It’s bigger than we thought.”
I swallow. “You felt it too.”
She gives me a look. “Yeah. My bloodline doesn’t play nice with Veil surges. It flared cold the second your hand touched that cover.”
We walk a little farther before she adds, more quietly, “You think he knows what you are?”
I wrap my arms around myself. “He said I didn’t. Which means he probably does.”
“Classic cryptic demon nonsense,” Tamsin mutters, rubbing her temples. “Next time he appears from thin air, maybe stop him before he goes all soul-touchy and vanishes like Batman.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out shaky. My mind keeps replaying the look in Kael’s eyes—like he felt the connection too.
Tamsin and I round the last corner of the rotting hall. The air shifts immediately—lighter, warmer, less like the Veil is breathing down my neck.
Which is exactly when I feel it.
A hum. A pressure. A tug in my sternum—familiar in a way that makes my stomach twist.
Raiden.
He stands at the far end of the corridor, rigid as a blade, hands fisted at his sides. His jaw clenches when he sees me. Not anger, but something worse. Fear sharpened into fury.
“Shit,” Tamsin breathes under her breath. “He looks like he’s about two seconds from flipping a table. Or a person. Probably you.”
I shoot her a warning look, but she’s already backing away like a cat that wants no part of the incoming thunderstorm.
“Well,” she says brightly, inching backward. “This is where I—Bye.”
“Traitor,” I hiss.
“Love you too!” she calls, already halfway down the hall.
Then she’s gone. And it’s just Raiden.
He waits until she’s out of sight before he moves. One step. Two. Controlled, lethal strides until he’s standing right in front of me, close enough that his tether-magic hits me like a hotter, more focused surge than the book’s.
“You were in there.” His voice is low, quiet in the way that I’ve come to learn means he’s barely holding it together.
“I—”
He cuts me off. “Lindsay.” My name cracks out of him like a warning and a plea all at once. “What were you doing in the Forbidden Wing?”
I swallow. “Exploring.”
His eyes flash. “Exploring?” He takes another step, caging me against the stone. “The Veil rippled. Hard. I felt you slip out ofrange for a second, like something swallowed the bond. Do you understand how close that was to?—”
He breaks off, dragging a hand through his hair. His breathing is uneven. He’s not angry because I broke a rule—he’s angry because I scared him.
I hate that that stings and soothes me at the same time.
“I had it under control,” I say quietly.
