In. Then out.
And it’s atiredbreath. One full of things we haven’t dared say aloud.
“We can’t do this,” he says finally, and though his tone is calm, the words cut. “Not out here. Not like this.”
His hand flexes against the blanket. Not reaching for me, not pulling away. Just existing. Caught between.
My stomach twists.
He’s not ashamed. I don’t think it’s that. But I see the fear creeping in, slow and choking. I feel it in myself too, slithering under my skin, curling around the warmth we just shared and snuffing it out inch by inch.
“Theo…” I start, but I don’t know what I’m trying to say. That it’s okay? That we’ll be careful? That I’ll pretend none of this happened if he wants me to?
He turns his face toward me, and though his eyes can’t find mine, I feel the shift in his focus. “What do we call this, Liam?” he asks, voice softer now. “What do wedowith it?”
There’s no malice in his question. Just exhaustion. Hope, maybe. But fear too. The kind that comes from knowing the world has never made room for boys like us. Not in daylight. Not with flowers blooming around our ankles and sun on our skin like a promise we were never supposed to keep.
I slide closer again, just enough for my knee to press against his.
“I don’t know what to call it,” I say, steady this time. “But I know it’s real.”
He nods slowly. Once.
Then he whispers, almost too low to hear, “And if someone sees? If someone finds out?”
I close my hand over his.
“They won’t.”
But even as I say it, we both know it’s not a promise I can keep.
30
HARPER
“We’re going where?”
The question slips out sharper than intended, but Poppy hardly flinches. She stands in the corridor clutching the pockets of her robe, her posture small but stubborn, as if bracing herself against a storm no one else can see. Her wide green eyes lock onto mine with a desperation that leaves no room for indifference.
“The Forbidden Forest,” she says, voice earnest, breath a little unsteady. “There have been reports, creatures going missing, nests destroyed, protective wards broken. Some of the woodland guardians think Shadeborne hunters have been pushing past the outer boundary. They’re scared. And I… I can’t just leave it alone.”
Her words sink like stones in my chest. That forest was sacred long before any of us learned to wield wands. My father used to take what he wanted from it, pelts, bones, rare bloodlines, and force Liam and me to stand still while he explained the value of a dying creature. I can still feel the weight of those cloaks on my shoulders, the warmth stolen from beasts that deserved better.
Poppy doesn’t know any of that. She only knows she’s asking for help.
Sebastian steps into the conversation with a tension that radiates off him. He folds his arms, gaze fixed on Poppy with the kind of scrutiny that comes from weeks of watching theword “Shadeborne” hover like a loaded curse over every breath.
“And asking Harper was your first choice?” His tone isn’t cruel, but it’s guarded, coiled like a hand ready to shield something fragile.
Poppy nods vigorously, hope flickering again. “Your friend told me she was the best person to ask.”
My brows knit. “What friend?”
“Oh!” Her face brightens as if recalling some delightful detail. “The tall boy with the dark hair. A bit brooding. Definitely handsome. He said you were the sort of person who gets things done.”
Sebastian goes still beside me. I don’t have to look to know who she’s describing. Ares has a way of inserting himself into conversations he’s not part of and decisions that aren’t his to make.
Poppy tilts her head thoughtfully. “He was in the hallway by the library. We spoke about the forest, and he insisted you’d understand.”
