Never her.
I shift in the chair, trying not to think about the way Bree looked earlier when she came back from the Oath Chamber—exhausted but radiant, silver mist clinging to her like a second skin. The way she moves through this place like she was made for it.
Maybe she was.
A sound cuts through the quiet—footsteps outside, fast and urgent.
I’m on my feet before the door opens.
A young Feeder bursts in, breathless, eyes wide. “They’re coming. Ten minutes out. The Council—” He swallows hard. “And the man with them.”
My pulse spikes, but I keep my voice level. “Wake Thane. I’ll get Bree.”
He nods and takes off down the hall.
I move quickly through the corridors, boots silent on stone. The Sanctuary is still sleeping—peaceful, unaware. I pass closed doors, hearing faint breathing, the occasional rustle of movement.
When I reach Bree’s room, I hesitate for half a second.
Then I push the door open.
The space is dimly lit, a single lantern burning low on the bedside table. She’s asleep, tangled in blankets, Theo beside her with one arm draped protectively across her waist. The faint shimmer of Ether glows around them both like morning fog.
She looks younger like this. Softer.
I cross to the bed and kneel beside it, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently. “Bree. Wake up.”
Her eyes snap open immediately—clear, sharp, fully aware despite having been asleep seconds ago. Theo stirs beside her, already alert.
“What is it?”
“They’re here. Ten minutes out.”
She sits up in one fluid motion, and Theo follows, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed on the other side. No panic. No hesitation. Just readiness from both of them.
“I’ll wake the others,” Theo says, already moving toward the door.
I step back, giving Bree space, averting my gaze as she stands and moves toward the wardrobe where her leathers hang.
The white ones.
I’ve seen them before at Auren’s—sleek, reinforced, somehow both elegant and deadly. When she pulls them on, the air in the room changes. The Ether responds, curling tighter around her, brighter.
She’s not just a woman getting dressed.
She’s armoring herself.
I move toward the door. “I’ll help Theo—”
“Wait.”
I stop. Turn back.
She crosses to me, stopping close enough that I can feel the hum of her magic against my skin. It’s warm, electric, alive.
Her voice softens. “Just in case I don’t get another chance to do this.”
Before I can ask what she means, she kisses me.
