The tunnels are too quiet.
I’ve been sitting with my back against the stone wall for hours, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the symbol on the wall that signifies the door to Phoenix Hall for what feels like hours.
Logan said he’d meet me here as soon as he could.
That was... I don’t even know how long ago. There are no sunlight or clocks in here. There’s only the orange glow of the torches lining the walls and the steady drip of water deeper in the tunnels.
Where is he? What if they caught him? What if they connected him to me? What if Tobias Cane is digging through his memories and learning all our secrets?
My chest tightens, and I press my forehead to my knees, forcing myself to breathe.
It doesn’t help. Because the last thing I saw before fire traveling off the hillside was dozens of faces staring at me like I was a monster.
What if they’re right? After all, I killed Elizabeth. Her body crumpled to the ground because my lightning hit her instead of the hellhound.
The thought hits me fresh, like it does every few minutes, and my whole body shudders.
Stop. You need to hold it together until Logan gets here.
IfLogan gets here.
Eventually, footsteps echo from farther down the passage.
I scramble to my feet so fast I nearly fall over, electricity crackling at my fingertips. The silver light illuminates the stone walls, casting wild shadows that make the tunnel look like a nightmare.
Calm down. It could be Logan. It’s probably Logan.
But what if it’s not?
The footsteps get closer. They’re steady and measured—the kind of footsteps that belong to a person who knows exactly where they’re going.
A figure rounds the corner. It’s Logan, with his dark hair falling across his forehead and those cheekbones that could cut glass. His eyes lock on mine, and his expression shifts frombraced-for-the-worstto relief when he sees I’m in one piece.
He’s carrying a canvas bag over one shoulder and a water bottle in his free hand.
“You’re okay.” The words tumble out of me as I close the distance between us. “I thought they caught you, I thought?—”
“I’m fine.” He catches me before I can crash into him, one arm wrapping around my waist while the other balances the supplies. A spark jumps where my fingers grip his shirt, and his arm tightens around me.
When I pull back, he’s nothing like the hillside. Color has returned to his face, warm where it was gray. His hands are steady, and his arm around my waist is firm, holding me like he has no intention of letting go.
“I’m sorry it took so long,” he says. “I needed to calm everyone and get them to safety, speak to the faculty and Council members, and gather food and water for you.”
“What’s going on out there?” I pull back to look at him. “Are they searching for me? Hunting me? Do they want to kill me?”
“Jade.” His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin like he’s memorizing the shape of my face. “Breathe.”
I try. It comes out shaky and uneven.
He sets the bag down against the wall. “You need to eat.”
“I don’t care about food. I care about what’s happening out there.”
He studies my face for a long moment, as if deciding how much to tell me. And he better tell me everything, because I swear to every god in existence that I willlose itif he doesn’t.
“Everyone’s confined to their dorms,” he finally says. “The Council members are coordinating search parties to find you.”
“Search parties,” I repeat the words like they’re in a foreign language. “For me.”
