The laughter settles. I cross to the table and drop into a chair, burying my face in my hands.
Locke’s voice cuts through, softer now. “You look happy, Nova.”
I peek through my fingers. He’s watching me—something warm underneath the smirk.
“That’s what matters.”
Vaelor sets a plate in front of me. Eggs, toast, fruit. I look up at him and he’s smiling—that warm, steady smile that makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay.
“Eat,” he says. “We leave in twenty.”
Right. The meeting. The Nightmare Order conversation that’s definitely not just about the fire.
I pick up my fork.
At least today can’t get any worse.
Chapter 40
Kyron
I can’t stop thinking about last night.
We’re walking to the administrative building — all of us, moving together like we always do — and my brain is somewhere else entirely. Back in my room. Back in my bed. Back in the moment when everything went tight and bright and I felt something click into place.
Not just physical. Not just good.
Real.
A bond. An actual fucking bond. The kind that’s supposed to be myth, exaggeration, some historical footnote.
I felt it. I felther. Her heartbeat syncing with mine. A thread going taut between us that had nothing to do with bodies and everything to do with something older. Something the system says doesn’t exist anymore.
Maybe never existed at all.
We’re cutting through the east quad when Rane gestures toward the tree line.
“Getting warmer finally. We should hit the lake soon.”
“There’s a lake?” Nova glances in the direction he’s pointing.
“Just past the north boundary. Technically off-campus, but nobody cares.” Rane grins. “It’s where everyone goes when training gets too intense. Or when Locke needs to cool off after punching someone.”
“I’ve punched you exactly once.”
“It was memorable.”
Nova’s quiet for a second. “I haven’t been swimming since my parents.”
“Well,” Rane says finally, giving her a moment, “when this is over, we’re fixing that.”
She almost smiles.
I fall back a few steps, letting Locke and Rane pull ahead with Nova between them. Vaelor’s beside me, steady as always.
“Hey. Quick question.”
“Yeah?”
