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He ran both hands through his messy, slept-on hair. “I couldn’t leave you, Huntyr. You need someone to get through the Transcendent with, and I’m here. We’ve been practicing for this.”

“That was before!”

“I still need to get into The Golden City. So do you. Nothing has changed—”

“Everythinghas changed! Goddess above, Wolf! Everything is different now!”

His shoulders slumped. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but let me do this. Let me help you through this test, and you’ll never have to talk to me again once we get into The Golden City.”

“How? How do I forget everything after last night and pretend like this is normal?”

Wolf took half a step forward. “You look into my eyes, and you feel your own heart when I tell you I will die before I let anything happen to you, Huntress. You’re safe with me, and youmight not want to believe it, but deep inside of you somewhere I know you can feel that truth.”

There was no arrogant smirk, no teasing smile.

And damn it all, because he was right. He lied to me, but something inside of me urged me to trust what he was saying. He would keep me safe.

I didn’t want to partner with Wolf for the Transcendent, but I also didn’t want to die. Wolf kept secrets. He lied to me about who—what—he was. Even thinking about it now sent a vile taste to my mouth.

I could never fucking trust him again when it came to his intentions. But I knew one thing: Wolf would not let me die during this test. If I wanted to get into The Golden City, this was my best shot.

“Fine,” I replied. “Get ready. We don’t want to be late.”

I spun around and slid out of the bedroom, leaving him there alone. I couldn’t be around him any more than I absolutely needed to. Wolf had a way of infiltrating my every waking thought, of making me forget all the horrible things about him.

Fuck.

I hated that I still needed him, hated that I felt safe near him.

He was a vampyre, the one thing I had spent my entire life killing, training to kill.

Hating.

But Wolf was nothing like those vampyres I had slain so many times. He wasn’t incoherent; he wasn’t rabid. His body wasn’t decomposing as he stopped at nothing to get my blood.

No, Wolf was more angel than vampyre, more god than demon.

He was a beautiful predator, hidden in plain sight.

Last night’s revelation had shattered everything I knew to be true about the bloodsucking monsters. I had been with Wolf forweeks now, had been sleeping in this room beside him, and not once did he do anything but protect me.

Well, there was the time he punched me in the face during training to make a point, but that was different.

Even then, he was protecting me.

Wolf emerged from the bathroom wearing his training leathers. His muscles had leaned out in the weeks at the academy, and even the holsters on his thighs seemed to bulge against the sheer muscle of him.

“I know you don’t trust me,” Wolf said as he stepped toward me. “I don’t blame you. But I will protect you, Huntress. I spent every fucking day since I met you trying to keep you safe, and I won’t stop. Not now.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to swallow down the wave of emotion that followed. I didn’t have the time or the energy for this, and I had cried way too much last night to let a single tear fall today.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I retorted. “We don’t have to be friends, Wolf. We both do our parts to stay alive, and as soon as we’re in The Golden City, we’ll go our separate ways.”

His nostrils flared, but he eventually nodded.

We both turned and funneled out the door, following the rest of the students silently into the study chamber.

Everyone dressed in their best leathers and tactical gear. Weapons strapped across chests, thighs, backs. The rest of the females had their hair tied back tightly, ready for combat.