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When I glanced over, he wasn’t looking at the sky.

The realization sent warmth curling in my stomach, spreading through my limbs. The quiet moments we’d shared over these weeks—the brush of hands passing books, the shared smiles when I mastered a difficult concept, the way he always seemed to know when I needed encouragement—they’d all been leading to this moment.

Keane’s gaze dipped to my lips for the barest fraction of a second before he caught himself. I saw the moment he tried to stop this.

He failed.

His lips met mine, and my heart fluttered.

His kiss was gentle, careful—like he was afraid I might shatter. Or maybe he was the one who might break. My hands curled into his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pulling away. If there was hesitation in him, I wanted to erase it, to tell him that whatever this was, I wasn’t running.

The dead things in the tower walls sighed happily, their whispers full of ancient memories of other kisses shared beneath these stars.

When we finally broke apart, his forehead rested against mine, breath uneven, pulse unsteady.

I should have said something, but my thoughts were a tangled mess—because I hadn’t just kissed Keane. I had wanted to.

His fingers stayed tangled with mine, the warmth between us undeniable, and yet—

The pure energy flowing through our joined magic only made the corruption in his other spells more alarming. Whatever these stabilization sessions were supposed to accomplish, they seemed to be doing the opposite. But I didn’t know how to tell him that without driving him away.

Undergrove’s words surfaced again.Your father saw connections others missed.Had my father discovered something about magic itself? Something the Council hadn’t wanted to be revealed?

“I should take you back to your studies,” Keane murmured. But he didn’t move.

“Probably.” I didn’t move either.

Not yet. Not while the stars were still falling, and his hand was still in mine, and our magic still hummed with something unspoken between us.

So we stayed. Watching meteors paint silver trails across the sky while we pretended we were still studying. He corrected me when I fumbled the details of a magical equation, his voice dipping into something lower, softer.

Neither of us let go.

29

Keane

She’d been staringat the same page for ten minutes, her brow furrowed in that way that made me want to smooth away her worries. Wisp pressed against my leg as I approached her table in the library, my familiar’s form flickering slightly with shared anxiety.

“Lost in thought?” I asked, sliding into the chair beside her. The after effects of my last stability session still lingered, making my temples throb, but I pushed the pain aside. Today wasn’t about Uncle’s therapy or Council politics. Today was just for us.

“Just struggling with the theory.” She closed the book with a sigh. Scout greeted Wisp, their forms intertwining in a way that made something in my chest ache. My familiar had never connected with anyone like this before.

I glanced around to ensure we were alone before letting my fingers brush hers on the table. “Then maybe we should study somewhere else.”

Her pulse jumped beneath my touch. “What?”

“Silverpine Pages in town. It’s warded, and they have better coffee than the dining hall.” Heat crept up my neck as I traced patterns on her hand, remembering how she’d felt in my arms under the stars. “Plus, I found some old texts there that might help with your theory work.”

“So this is just about studying?” The teasing note in her voice made my heart stutter.

“The town’s actually perfect,” I said quietly, fighting the urge to pull her closer. “Somewhere we don’t have to worry about Cyrus or Elio walking in.” Somewhere I could pretend we were just two people finding each other, not heirs.

I opened a portal, focusing hard to keep the edges stable. The familiar interior of the bookstore shimmered into view, and for a moment the pain in my head spiked—a reminder that I needed another therapy session soon. Wisp’s form wavered, but I forced the portal steady. Control mattered more than comfort.

“Come on,” I said, offering my hand more boldly now that we were hidden between the stacks. “Just for an hour.”

Her fingers slid into mine like they belonged there. The simple contact made my magic flow more naturally, as if she anchored it. Scout chirped excitedly, already scrambling toward the portal while Wisp pressed closer to my side.