“Hold on, Amund.” Val’s face hovers over me. “You’re my family now. Please, I can’t lose you, too.”
Mother is there. So is Father.
I try to speak, but the world constricts to a pinpoint.
Then everything goes dark.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVEEDITH
Heightened Senses is one of the only classes I share with Amund, but he still hasn’t arrived yet. Each time the door swings open, I look up. Some part of me hopes to see Amund standing there, while another part dreads it.
Isaac strides in, followed by Tala. He stretches his arms out, wrapping one around Tala’s back. The two start whispering with each other.
Seeing them makes me think of Amund. How he guided the knife as I held it, showing me where he’s weakest. It seems like something a hunter should never share. Especially not with a berserkr. But Amund did anyway.
For me.
When Amund was showing me all his vulnerabilities, I felt just as vulnerable.
I still do. The class fills up and there’s still no sign of him. I bounce my leg, scribbling in my notebook. Where is Amund? He’s never missed this class before. I think of how he gripped my hand last night.Somethingchanged between us after I kissed him. He seemed evenmore reserved than usual. More uncomfortable, too.
Is he avoiding me now?
I nibble on my nail. Maeve—or more likely, Gunnar, since he’s been covering her classes lately—hasn’t shown up yet. There’s still time for Amund to arrive. Maybe he’s training and is running late. The door opens and Valerie strides in. Her gaze flicks my way before she heads for the back of the room.
Clearly, she doesn’t approve of Amund helping me. I doubt anyone here would. The divide between the class is as clear as ever—berserkir on the left, hunters on the right. I start flipping through my notes to distract myself, rereading where we left off last class.
“Did you hear there was another attack?” Kris whispers to a student beside them.
I blink, looking around the room. “What attack?”
“Oh yeah,” Isaac says. “Last night.”
He says it so nonchalantly, like he’s not the one responsible—
Wait.Amund.
He was on patrol last night, wasn’t he? He went straight there after our training.
Is Amund hurt? Isthatwhy he hasn’t shown up?
My chest grows tight at the thought.
“At least it was another hunter,” Tala mutters, fueling my fear.
“Watch it, ma chérie,” Valerie says while using one of her knives to clean under her nails. She doesn’t bother glancing up, but it’s obvious she’s listening to every word. Everyone in the room is. “That’s my best friend you’re talking about.”
My stomach sinks. She must mean Amund.
Tala smiles, baring her fangs. “Now you know how it feels, then.”
“Not quite.” Valerie levels her with a gaze. “Amund survived.”
Tala rushes toward Valerie.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” hunters and berserkir alike cheer loudly.
Tala snarls.
