Page 173 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

He took a slow bite, but his gaze flicked to me—lavender darkened at the edges, a storm of deep-violet rimmed with the black sheen of Dark Fire. My stomach tightened, and I was too warm beneath my layers. I knew that look. He felt it too—this pull that tangled between us like an invisible cord. And when his eyes dipped to my mouth, my breath hitched.

I thought—gods above—I thought he was going to kiss me. Right there, in front of the entire squad, with the fire crackling low and the scent of cinnamon thick in the air. I wanted him to. Every part of me screamed for it.

But instead, he shifted his bowl to the side and stood up.

“We need to head back,” Zander said in a clipped voice.

The moment snapped like a twig beneath a boot, and my breath came out in a slow exhale. He turned away, shoulders tense, and started packing up his gear.

I clenched my spoon so tightly I nearly bent the metal. My pulse thundered in my ears, still waiting for something that was never going to happen.

Coward,I thought bitterly—though I wasn’t sure if I meant him... or myself.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

We worked quickly to clean up the camp, kicking dirt over the fire and packing our gear with efficiency. Jax muttered something about missing his bed, and Riven elbowed him in the ribs, grinning. The easy banter was a comfort, something solid after the chaos of the last few days.

Kaelith stood still as I flung the leather lasso around her neck, her scales cold beneath my fingers.You’re being suspiciously cooperative,I said in my mind.

You would know if I wasn’t,she quipped, her wings flicking just enough to send a gust of wind into my face.

I tied the rope off and swung onto her back. Within seconds, our squad was in the air, soaring back to the Ascension Grounds.

The compound was quiet when we landed. The air felt heavier than usual, like a storm just waiting to break. I slid down Kaelith’s side, releasing her with a quick tug of the rope before coiling it and stowing it in my pack.

A court courier jogged toward Zander as he dismounted, whispering in his ear as soon as he moved away from Hein.

“Squad, gather up,” Zander called out to us as soon as the courier left.

We grouped together just past the dragons, forming a loose circle. Zander’s face was hard, grim in a way that made my stomach tighten.

“I’ve been informed that the Order is looking for Ashe,” he said flatly. “But there is not a kill order on her.”

Riven’s hand curled into a fist. “Yet.”

“Still,” Zander continued, “she needs to be with one of us at all times. I don’t care if you’re on the mats, in the dining hall, or just walking to the washroom. One of you is glued to her side.”

“I agree,” Jax added. “No offense, Ashe, but your father’s got a nasty reputation, and I’d rather not give him a chance to get his hands on you.”

I swallowed hard. Their concern should have made me feel safe. Instead, all I could think about was the mess I’d been dragged into. My father’s threats. The Blood Fae’s cryptic warnings. And the knowledge that someone had manipulated Remy’s report to twist my past into something dangerous.

I nodded along with their plans for safety protocols, fully aware that I planned to break them. There were too many questions—and too few answers—to sit back and hide. Whatever it took, I was going to find out the truth.

Even if I had to do it alone. And it all started with the prisoner in the castle.

Zander turned as Major Ledor ordered the squads to assemble.

The day was brutal.

Training in the ring started immediately, and Zander pushed us harder than usual—sparring drills, grappling, takedown sequences—until my arms shook from fatigue. Every strike I made felt sluggish, my body weak with exhaustion. When Major Ledor finally called us to assemble in the courtyard for an hour-long lecture about protocol, I struggled to keep my eyes open. The entire squad looked like they were one breath away from face-planting into the dirt.

Weapons training followed, testing what little strength we had left. My muscles screamed every time I lifted my rapier. Jax even slipped during a lesson, landing flat on his back, and none of us had the energy to laugh at him.

By the time we returned to our room after dinner, we were too drained for conversation. One by one, we took turns washing up, moving like the walking dead as we crawled into our bunks. I fell asleep before I could even pull the blankets over my shoulders.

But I had learned a long time ago how to set an internal clock—and when I woke just past midnight, I knew I wouldn’t be going back to sleep.