When he finally pulls back, Stellan is flushed and breathing hard, but the crushing weight of his anxiety has faded tosomething manageable. Jade's transformed it, fed on the panic and left desire in its place.
"Better," Jade declares, licking his lips. "Now you'll be thinking about what I'm going to do to you tonight instead of spiraling about the hunters."
"I hate you," Stellan mutters, but there's no heat in it.
"You love me." Jade steals one more kiss before releasing him. "Now let's go eat."
"Skye's right. The students have been watching us all week, seeing us train and transform and accept our true natures. If we hide now, it undermines everything we've been showing them."
Rumi's wings fold against his back, and he grins with that reckless confidence that makes him so dangerous and so compelling. "Besides, I'm hungry. And if we're going to face down Council hunters in two days, I'd rather do it on a full stomach."
The tension in the room breaks slightly, and we gather our things to head to breakfast. As we walk through the corridors, I notice the way students react to us now. Some still back away, still afraid of what we represent. But others watch with something like hope in their eyes, like we're proof that being different doesn't mean being broken.
In the cafeteria, Liz and her group are holding court at their usual table, and I can hear her voice carrying across the room even before we enter. "They're freaks. All of them. Especially that phoenix. You all saw what happened. The whole building could have burned down."
I'm about to ignore her, to just walk past and sit at our table like usual, but Stellan stops walking. Heat ripples across his skin, orange bleeding into his irises, anger mixing with hurt in his expression.
"Let it go," I murmur, touching his arm. "She's not worth it."
But Stellan shakes his head. "No. I'm done letting people like her decide what I'm worth."
He walks straight toward Liz's table, and the cafeteria goes silent.
13
STELLAN
Liz'sexpressionshiftsfromsmug to uncertain as I approach her table. The cafeteria has gone completely silent, every eye tracking my movement.
"You don't know anything about phoenixes," I say, keeping my voice steady even though my fire wants to flare. "You're just repeating what your father told you. And your father has been lying to everyone for centuries."
Her face goes pale. "My father has nothing to do with—"
"Dmitri," I interrupt, and the name makes several students gasp. "The first Praestes. The one who created the seven-element system to control what he couldn't understand. The one who's been eliminating anyone who proves his categories are lies." I lean closer, letting my eyes glow orange just enough to make my point. "You want to talk about dangerous? Ask yourfather what he really is. Ask him how many essence types he's destroyed to maintain his power."
I turn and walk away before she can respond, leaving her pale and shaking at her table. I don't know if I've planted a seed of doubt or just made an enemy. But I'm done letting her define me.
We eat quickly after that, the confrontation hanging over the table like smoke. My mates keep glancing at me with a mixture of pride and concern, but no one mentions what just happened. There'll be time to talk about it later.
The next two days blur together in a haze of preparation and growing dread. The entire academy knows something big is coming.
I can feel their eyes on me every time I walk through the halls, tracking my movements like I'm a bomb waiting to detonate. Some students look hopeful, like maybe if I succeed, they'll have proof that different isn't dangerous. Like my success could mean their own differences are acceptable too. Others look terrified, like they're already planning my funeral, already mourning the loss of another rejected Magila to the Council's systematic elimination.
Liz is the worst. She's been gathering followers all week, students who believe the seven-element system exists for good reason. Students who are convinced that Dmitri's categories are protecting them rather than imprisoning them. Every time I pass her group, she makes sure I hear the whispers. Makes sure everyone hears them.
"Phoenixes were eliminated for a reason. They're too powerful, too unstable. The historical records are clear about that."
"The Council knows what it's doing. If they're sending hunters, it's because he's dangerous. They don't waste resources on false threats."
"We should petition to have him removed before the test. For our safety. What if he loses control during the demonstration and burns us all?"
My fire wants to prove her right, wants to explode and show her exactly how dangerous I can be. The heat builds under my skin, begging for release, begging to show everyone what a phoenix really looks like when pushed too far. But Jade's hand finds mine before the flames can manifest, his demon hunger drinking in my rage before it can turn destructive. His fierce certainty pulses into me. No one is taking me away from him.
"Don't let her get to you," Jade murmurs, his demon voice layered with darkness that makes several nearby students flinch. "She's been saying the same thing for days. It's just noise."
"She wants me gone." My voice comes out bitter, and I hate how weak I sound. How afraid.
"She wants the old system back because it made her feel safe. Even if that safety was a lie, even if it was built on the suffering of people like us." Jade squeezes my hand, his claws pressing gently against my skin. Not threatening, just present. A reminder that he's here, that he's chosen me. "Let her talk. In two days, you're going to prove every single one of them wrong."
