“Already making yourself at home, I see.” I could hear voices in the background—laughter, conversation, the familiar sounds of Dominion’s common areas. My heart gave a painful squeeze.
“The room’s actually pretty nice,” I admitted, angling my phone to give them a quick view. “Better than I expected.”
“Fancy,” Tye whistled. “Is that a fireplace in your bedroom? Meanwhile, we’re still dealing with radiators that sound like they’re summoning demons.”
“They gave me the top floor of a freaking stone tower.”
“Of course they have a stone tower,” Lydia rolled her eyes. “Leave it to the British to be extra about everything.”
I shifted to sit up, propping myself against the headboard. “How are things there?”
Something passed between them—a quick glance I might have missed if I didn’t know them so well.
“Same old,” Tye said too casually.
“Lydia,” I pressed, knowing she’d crack.
She sighed. “They’re miserable, if that’s what you’re asking. No one sees them except for in training, and it’s only because they’re hard to miss. Aiden lost his shit yesterday and burned down one of the training rooms. Almost got expelled.”
“Unfortunate,” I said, trying to sound as bored as possible.
But I’d felt it, what she was describing. There’d been a massive wave of heat and rage through the bond, but instead of prodding to find out what was happening, I masked it with a mental wall of ice.
“Oh!” Lydia suddenly brightened. “Someone wants to say hi—Rafe!”
The camera shifted, and I caught sight of Rafe walking past in the background. He paused, then leaned into frame, his easy smile exactly as I remembered it.
“Hey, Jupiter,” he waved. “How’s London treating you?”
Rafe was a massive man, with muscles for days. I could see exactly why Lydia was all moon-eyed over him. Last I heard from him, he’d actually called me right before I left Dominion and apologized for the way he treated me, even if it wasn’t to my face. I appreciated it though, and gave Lydia even more of my approval.
“So far so good. I hear Dreadwatch is top ranking since you bonded with Lydia. Congrats.”
His smile widened, genuine warmth in his green eyes. “Thanks! We got fucking lucky.” He glanced at Lydia with such obvious affection that I felt another painful twist in my chest. That was how a shield should look at their axis. “Anyway, don’t be a stranger, okay?”
He disappeared from view as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving me with a lump in my throat.
“So,” Tye said, “have you met any hot British shield warriors yet?”
I snorted. “I’ve been here for all of three hours, Tye.”
“That’s plenty of time. Remember whenwemet? You threatened to stab me within the first five minutes. That’s calledconnection, sweetheart.”
“You deserved it,” Lydia and I said in unison.
She told me all about her progress with her new shield, Tye’s latest escapades, campus gossip I no longer had any stake in but still found myself hungry for. It felt normal, this connection to my old life, but also increasingly distant, like watching a movie of a place I used to live.
I glanced at the time and sighed. “I’ve got to go soon. Meeting with Professor Winters before dinner.”
“Already getting called to the principal’s office?” Tye teased. “That’s got to be a record, even for you.”
“It’s just to go over my schedule,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Though I’m sure I’ll find a way to get in trouble by tomorrow.”
“That’s our Jupe.”
“I miss you guys,” I said roughly, trying my hardest to keep the pesky tears at bay.
“We miss you too,” Lydia said softly. “It’s not the same here without you.”
