His heart was beating against my ear, and his arms wrapped around me in an embrace that made my body automatically relax.
His touch was like a key that unlocked an inner ward within me. Everything I’d been holding in escaped.
He held me there, his arms strong and stabilizing, my head under his chin. I cried against his chest harder than I had done since that night. The pain and suffering that I’d let build within me crept out, but there was something else flowing from deep within, too—a joy I didn’t know I could feel anymore. Something that made me laugh through my tears and smile while I was drowning in grief.
And as I realized it, all I could think about was how he’d never be able to wear this shirt again.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You never need to thank me,” he said. “Nightfall is not an easy place to get used to.”
The contact was soothing in ways I didn’t know existed.
He pulled me close to him and lay with me there on the plush cushions of the observation deck. The lanterns dimmed around us.
Soon, the rise and fall of his chest against my back convinced me he wasn’t going anywhere. Sleep had delivered its invitation in the form of his body resting against mine. Waves of sleep slowly crashed upon the shores of my mind. I rested my hand against his arm, which was draped over my hip. I felt likenothing could touch me in this moment; like nothing in the world could ever hurt me.
We were awakenedthe next day by the voices of a few Adepts coming in at dawn to do their coursework. I sat bolt upright in utter panic.
They were as shocked as I was, and I was hyper-aware of what it looked like. One whispered to the other, shaking her head, while the other stifled a giggle, but it was cut short when they caught sight of Blake.
The moment they recognized him as one of the Aurkai, their expressions changed to one of fear. They left abruptly, not waiting around to hear what Blake had to say.
Embarrassed and unsure what to say, I stood up and muttered a thank you as Blake watched me, his hair tousled in such a way that it looked like it’d been styled that way.
I took my time going back to the dorm, grabbing a muffin from the dining hall. On my way out, a few Initiates watched me, looking away quickly when I glanced at them.
When I got to my room, I took a shower, still reveling in how he’d felt so close to me. Tucked in his arms, I’d gotten the best sleep I’d had in months. When I finished dressing, there was an immediate loud banging on the door.
As alarming as it was, I couldn’t help but notice a small scroll on my nightstand that wasn’t there before. The pounding ensued again.
“I’m coming, stop banging!” I shouted.
Shuffling over to the door, I unlocked it, and it swung open.
Melanie shoved past me, slamming the door behind her, and started pacing in the middle of my dorm.
“What the?—”
“Is it true?” she asked, her voice shaking with rage, her violet eyes furious.
“Is what true?” I asked, still rubbing sleep away.
“Do not mess with me, Anna. Did you sleep with Blake?” she snapped.
I stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time.
“Um—”
“I should kill you,” she muttered, pacing again.
“Stop!” I shouted, tired of her cutting me off. “I didn’t sleep with him, I fell asleep beside him,” I said. “It wasn’t like what you’re thinking.”
She stopped, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she watched me with a tortured expression.
“You fell asleep beside him?”
I nodded sheepishly. “Yes, he was helping me with my Celestial Observances assignment and it got late.”
