“You can trust him, right?”
I didn’t have to ask who she was talking about. Of course it was Valen. She’d been the one to encourage me to go after him in the first place. And she was far too observant to miss my recent improvement in mood and focus.
I nodded. “Yes. He won’t hurt me.”
“Archer!” A familiar voice called out from across the crowd, and I turned to see Lila pushing through the gathered students toward us. She looked shaken, her usually perfect composure cracked around the edges.
“Lila,” I said as she reached us, noting the way her hands were trembling slightly. “Are you alright?”
“I was in the library when it happened,” she said, her voice tight. “I saw them, Archer. The ones who did it.”
My stomach dropped. “You saw them? Did you recognize anyone?”
“Three of them, all wearing masks.” She glanced around nervously. “I couldn’t make out much more than that. They teleported out before I could catch up with them.”
If Lila had seen them, if they’d been brazen enough to attack in broad daylight with witnesses around, then this was even worse than I’d thought. These weren’t just cowards striking in the dark. They were confident, organized, and apparently didn’t care who saw them.
“Did you tell security?” Amelia asked, her voice higher than usual.
“Of course,” Lila nodded. “But with the masks... there wasn’t much to go on. They were all average height, average build. Could have been anyone.” She paused, then looked directly at me. “As soon as I realized what was going on, I went after Valen to make sure he was okay.”
My heart almost stopped completely as she spoke. “You went after him?” I managed to ask, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. “Is he—did something happen to him?”
“He’s fine,” Lila said quickly, but there was something in her expression that made my stomach clench. “But Archer, when I found him... he was in full vampire mode. I’ve never seen him like that before. His fangs were out, his eyes were glowing, and he looked like he was ready to tear someone apart with his bare hands.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Valen in that state meant he was either terrified or absolutely furious. Given that someone had attacked his student and desecrated his fencing salle, I was betting on furious.
“Where is he now?” I asked, already scanning the crowd for any sign of his familiar figure.
“Still talking to security, last I saw,” Lila replied. “But Archer, you should stay away from the athletic building for now. Security isn’t letting anyone in who doesn’t absolutely need to be there.”
The thought of not being able to check on him myself, of having to rely on secondhand information about his safety, made my chest tight with anxiety. The bond we’d established might have faded slightly over the past couple of days, but I could still feel the echo of it, and right now it was telling me he needed me.
“Lila, would you escort my sister back to her dorm?” I asked. “I need to go check on Valen.” She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but I cut her off. “Please.”
Lila studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Fine. But you be careful, Archer. If the Purity Front is really back, they might be watching for people who get too close to their targets.”
“I will,” I promised, though we both knew I was probably lying. If Valen was in trouble, if he needed me, I wasn’t going to let some terrorist group keep me away from him.
“Come on, Amelia,” Lila said, taking my sister’s arm. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
Amelia looked like she wanted to argue, but one glance at my expression seemed to convince her that I wasn’t going to be swayed. “Just... don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“When have I ever done anything stupid?” I asked with a weak smile.
“Do you want me to make a list?” she shot back, but there was affection in her voice despite her worry.
I watched them walk away, Lila’s protective instincts clearly kicking in as she guided Amelia through the crowd and away from the athletic complex. Only when they were out of sight did I turn my attention back to the security perimeter.
The officers were still blocking the main entrance, their battle wands at the ready. But I knew this building better than most students. There were service entrances, emergency exits, windows that didn’t quite latch properly. Growing up with Amelia as a sister had taught me a few things about creative problem-solving.
I circled around to the back of the building, staying in the shadows and keeping my movements casual. The last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself when I was about to break several school rules. But the need to see Valen, to make sure he was really okay, overrode any concern about potential consequences.
The service entrance near the equipment storage was unguarded, probably because security assumed no student would be stupid enough to try sneaking in during an active investigation. They clearly didn’t know how stubborn I could be when someone I cared about was involved.
I slipped inside, the familiar smell of the athletic complex hitting me immediately. But underneath the usual scents of sweat and cleaning supplies, there was something else. Something acrid and wrong that made my nose wrinkle in disgust.
The hallway was eerily quiet as I made my way toward the fencing salle, my footsteps echoing despite my efforts to move silently. Every shadow seemed threatening now, every corner a potential hiding spot for attackers who might still be lurking around.
