Page 29

She’s awake now.
Barely sitting upright, swaying a little like gravity’s still figuring out what to do with her. Elias and I are practically crawling over each other to get to her first. I win, obviously—because I cheat. I shove a hand against Elias’s chest and wedge myself in at her side like I’ve always belonged there. Which, I mean… I do.
“Welcome back to the land of the conscious, my ethereal goddess of doom and questionable decisions,” I say, voice low and reverent as I drape her in my coat like it’s sacred armor. “I would’ve kissed you awake like some tragic fairytale prince, but Elias insisted on being weird about it. Something about consent and dignity. Ugh. Ruining the romance.”
“Silas,” she croaks, barely audible, but the way she says my name?
I melt. Publicly. Shamelessly.
Elias groans beside me. “He’s going to be insufferable for at least a week now. Possibly longer if she smiles at him.”
“Sheblinkedat me once and I wrote her a sonnet,” I shoot back, grinning at her like I’ve never known pain in my life. “Don’t tempt me, Luna. I’ll do it again. And this time I’m adding a chorus.”
Luna leans into me slightly, and it’s not dramatic or grand. Just a tilt of her head that brushes my shoulder like she forgotshe wasn’t allowed to rely on anyone. My grin softens, my hands stilling where I was tugging her blanket tighter.
She’s pale. Not her usual hauntingly sexy shade of “probably hexed a priest once,” but something worse. Drained. Like the world took too much from her again and left her to deal with the overdraft.
Riven hasn’t moved. He’s five feet away with his arms crossed like he’s guarding a shrine, red eyes sharp, unreadable. But he’s here. Still. And for Riven, that’s saying something.
“You scared the hell out of us,” I whisper, low enough that only she hears it. “Not cool, Moonbeam.”
She blinks slowly, lashes trembling, like there’s still too much she can’t say. But she reaches out, fingers fumbling for mine. I give them to her without hesitation.
Elias shifts beside me, clearing his throat. “So. I made a bet with Silas while you were passed out.”
“No, you did not,” I snap. “Donottell her about the bet.”
“He said if you died, he’d become a monk,” Elias says flatly. “Renounce all sin. Grow a beard. Pray daily.”
“It was ahypothetical scenario! Don’t listen to him, Luna. You know I’d haunt you. Sexy ghost style.”
She huffs a laugh. Barely a sound, but it’s real. I’d die a thousand times for it.
Behind us, Riven finally speaks. “She needs to rest. She’s not safe yet.”
Elias nods. “No one’s ever safe here.”
And he’s right. The clearing around us is too still. Too sharp. Like this version of Daemon Academy isn’t rebuilt—it’srememberingitself through nightmares. The stones beneath our feet remember what it meant to be soaked in blood. The walls that aren’t there anymore? Theymissthe screams.
But right now, I’m focused on Luna.
“Hey,” I murmur, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek, careful not to look too serious. “Just so you know, when you’re feeling better, I’m planning to do something incredibly dumb and self-sacrificial for you. Possibly involving glitter. Definitely involving nudity.”
Elias snorts. “She’ll bind you just to shut you up.”
“Too late. Already bound. She loves me.”
Luna doesn’t correct me.
Which means I win.
Riven moves toward the fire like he owns it, and honestly? He might. Bastard looks carved from war and poetry, all shadows and smolder. The flames kiss across the sharp edges of his face like they’ve missed him. I’d hate him if he wasn’t so fucking useful in a fight. And also kinda hot. But that’s beside the point.
He crouches near Luna like he’s not dying to touch her, but his voice is low and careful. “What happened?”
She swallows. Once. Twice. Her mouth opens, then closes again, like the words are ash in her throat. And I feel it. That instinct. The bond pulling taut. Lust isn’t always desire. Sometimes it’s protection. Sometimes it’s throwing yourself in front of the train even if it turns you into roadkill.
“She passed out,” I say, shrugging like it didn’t nearly cave my chest in. “Dramatically. Ten out of ten performance. I almost gave her mouth-to-mouth.”