Izabel looks decidedly worried, but nods and reclines in her bunk. I wince as my muscles strain on the way up to the second level of the bed, but even once I’m there, the tension doesn’t leave me. Izabel’s words were hardly comforting.
It’s like I thought, like Lee said.
The Bonding Trials are vicious and cutthroat. The Ascent may be over, but the Trials are still just getting started. I have to watch my back.
My mind is rifling through possibilities as I close my eyes. Would someone try to attack me in my sleep here? Will my faulty bond with Anassa end up killing me first? I’m convinced I’ll never fall asleep up until the very moment my mind starts to away, exhaustion getting the better of me.
The sleep that takes me is deep and unbearably heavy. Dark, even.
And in that darkness, a voice that turns my blood cold, chanting like the beat of a heart.
“Lumina, Lumina, LUMINA.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I’m jolted awake.
At first, my scattered brain thinks the ceiling is caving in. The sound that rattles through my skull is so loud and deep that it’s borderline apocalyptic. But as I bolt upright, mouth dry and hair a mess, I realize it’s a horn meant to wake us. The resonating note of it lingers in my ears even as the brutal sound fades, and alongside the low note, a high-pitched hiss.
Lumina.
I swallow, trying to combat the dryness of my mouth. My head is pounding. My muscles are horribly sore. It’s barely brightening outside, yet the room is a flurry of activity all around me. From my perch atop my bunk, I can see that all the other Rawbonds are already dressed and done up, their bunks tidied, their hair wet from their baths.
They move with a practiced efficiency. I watch blearily as the beautiful blonde woman in the next bunk over cinches the leather straps across her uniform with ease, like her hands have been repeating that complicated maneuver her entire life. In moments, the uniform leathers are snug, buckled tight as if they were made for her body.
Then again, maybe they were. They’ve been readying themselves for this their entire lives, I recall suddenly. They knew that horn blast was coming. They all know precisely how to wear their uniforms and how much time they’d have this morning to prepare for the day.
“Meryn,” Izabel says, smacking the side of our bed. “Hurry up. Come on.”
I scramble into motion, tearing my blanket away and stiffly descending the slats of the bed.
“What is all this?” I ask, hurrying to my dresser to grab my things.
“We’re already supposed to be assembling in the common lounge for breakfast. You need to get ready.” Her eyes move over me. “Tidy your hair, maybe. Looks matter around here.”
Looks matter, whatever that means. I tug my hair out of its ties, nearly scaring myself shitless when the silver-white of it flashes across my eyes.
Right. That.
Apparently, I don’t have time to bathe because Izabel half-drags me out of the room the moment I return in uniform. I’m still struggling with the stiff leather jacket and the various straps and buckles when we pass through the Strategos antechamber and enter the common lounge.
Most of the Rawbonds have made it here before us, including Venna, so we snag the only remaining spot big enough for the two of us to sit side-by-side.
Izabel grumbles under her breath as we approach. “Just ignore him,” she warns.
“Well, well, well.” It’s the redhead I noticed chattering loudly in the courtyard before. There are eyes on him always, like people are looking to him as an example. “How are you two this fine morning?”
Izabel slides in beside him. “Fine,” she grunts out and pats the seat beside her. I sit, studying the man she seems to have no patience for. He’s stereotypically handsome, slightly older than the other Rawbonds, with pale eyelashes and a few freckles on the tip of his nose. “This is Tomison.”
He leans around Izabel to smile at me. It’s a smile that screams,I’m likeable, and you’re meant to like me. I’m pretty sure it usually works on people.
“I’m Tomison Thorne. Future Alpha of the Strategos Pa?—”
“His ego is compensating for something,” Izabel interrupts, making me snort.
Tomison just chuckles good heartedly. “Eat up, Izabel. We’ve probably only got a few minutes before we’re heading out.”
The atmosphere between them is unexpectedly easy, and I realize that they already know each other. They’re both from Bonded families. They likely grew up together or at the very least crossed paths.
