Page 165 of The Fifth Heir

Sebastian arrived before Leander reached the common room.

I had barely finished asking the Fifth Wing to find him when Shadow appeared beneath the study door. It spread across the floor, gathered beside the desk, and rose into his human form.

He looked at the red wall runes.

“What happened?”

“Leander told me the truth.”

Sebastian’s attention moved to the closed door. “All of it?”

“I don’t know. I suppose that depends upon whether another demonstration tries to kill me.”

He crossed the study and stopped on the opposite side of the desk.

The scale at my wrist remained visible, though its colors had faded after the healer treated me. A faint clear edge reflected the lamplight whenever I moved.

Sebastian looked at it.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“Any heat?”

“No.”

“Pressure beneath the skin?”

“Not until you started asking questions.”

He lifted his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “That wasn’t fair.”

“It was accurate.”

He did not sit. He waited as though I had summoned him for a specific task rather than because I did not want Leander nearby.

I folded my arms, then let them drop when the scale caught against my sleeve.

“Leander gave his family information about me. They used it to design the demonstration.”

“I know.”

“Did you know before today?”

“No.”

“Would you tell me if you had?”

“Yes.”

I looked at him.

He understood the doubt.

“I submitted the assessment report without telling you,” he said. “I won’t repeat that decision.”