“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile.
“No, you’re not,” she said quietly.
In the darkest moments after the Nightfall Shield had abandoned me, I’d called my mother and sobbed until I had no tears left, telling her everything about the emails, about their betrayal, about how they’d tried to erase me.
“We support your decision to transfer,” my father said, his voice gentle but firm. “London will be good for you. A fresh start.”
Fresh tears threatened to spill over. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“Jupiter.” Percy’s voice behind me made me tense. “We should greet the Assembly Council.”
I turned to find all four of them standing there, watching my reunion with barely concealed anxiety. They knew what I’d told my parents. They knew exactly how my family would view them now.
“Mr. and Mrs. Black. It’s an honor to finally meet you. I’m Percy Whitlock, and this is Aiden Reece, Draco Hawthorne, and Eris Grant.”
My father’s smile was glacial as he extended his hand. “Mr. Whitlock. We’ve heard quite a bit about you and yourshield.”
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. My mother didn’t even attempt a smile, just nodded curtly at each of them in turn.
“Jupiter speaks very highly of you both,” Draco said, clearly trying to salvage the situation.
“We can’t say the same, I’m afraid,” my mother replied, her voice dripping with polite venom.
Eris actually flinched. Good.
“The Assembly Council is waiting,” Aiden reminded us.
“Go,” my father told me. “We’ll be right here. We’re not going anywhere.”
I hugged them once more before allowing the shield to guide me toward where several distinguished-looking Assembly members stood conversing. Each touch from them felt like a burning brand. Percy’s hand at the small of my back, Aiden’s fingers brushing mine as he handed me a glass of champagne,Draco’s arm against mine as we stood listening to some Council member drone on about cooperation between academies.
For the next hour, we moved through the crowd like the perfect unit we were supposed to be. I smiled and nodded and answered questions about my Ophis designation, all while feeling like I was being torn apart from the inside.
“You’re doing great,” Percy murmured as we moved away from a particularly tedious conversation. “Just a few more hours.”
“Don’t talk to me like we’re friends,” I hissed through my smile.
His eyes darkened with hurt, but before he could respond, a new group approached us. Five men, all strikingly handsome in tailored suits, moved through the crowd with the confidence of shield warriors, but not ones I recognized from Dominion.
“Nightfall Shield,” the tallest of them greeted, extending his hand to Percy. “Lucas Bennett. We’ve heard a great deal about you.” His accent was heavily British.
Percy’s grip visibly tightened as they shook hands. “Bennett. I wasn’t aware Stardust Shield would be attending tonight.”
“Last-minute invitation from the Assembly,” Lucas replied with a charming smile. His eyes shifted to me, and his expression softened with interest. “And you must be Jupiter Black. The Ophis designation. I’m afraid everyone failed to mention how breathtaking you are. Your director was just telling us about you and your time at Dominion.”
I couldn’t help but smile back.”All good things, I hope.”
“Absolutely fascinating things,” he corrected, his icy blue eyes glowing slightly. The other members of his shield moved closer, forming a loose semicircle around us.
Lucas introduced them one by one. James, with his bright cat-like green eyes and quick smile, Theo, with dark slightly wavy hair falling to his shoulders, Phoenix, whose golden-brownskin seemed to glow under the chandelier light; and finally Rowan, with muscles, a beard, and dark curls pulled into a knot, with an easy laugh that made something warm unfurl in my chest.
“We’ve heard you might be joining us in London soon,” Rowan said, leaning in close enough that his words were just for me. His eyes flicked to the Nightfall Shield and back, one eyebrow raising in silent question.
I felt a surge of possessive fury through the bond that nearly made me gasp. All four of my shield members had gone rigid, their expressions hardening into barely contained hostility.
“Yes,” I confirmed, meeting Rowan’s gaze directly. “I’ll be transferring in a few days, actually. Alone.”
“Wonderful,” Lucas said, stepping closer. “We’d be happy to show you around, help you get settled.” His eyes traveled appreciatively over my dress, lingering just long enough to be flattering without crossing into disrespectful. “London can be quite overwhelming at first.”
