Page 57 of Bonds of Starfall

Her jaw clenched as she typed:

No. I’m going back to training. It’s time.

Lucien watchedas the dappled sunlight cast strips of rainbows on Vesperin’s pale cheeks, gaunt—but not as bad as a week ago.

He pushed up his glasses with the tip of his finger, trying not to show the shaking in his hands.

"I’m going back, Lucien." Vesperin’s white hair fell into her face as she stared down at the plate of eggs and toast he had made for her, two small white pills sitting beside a glass of water, condensation sliding down the side and pooling on the marble countertop. "Today."

He knew this was going to happen. Grief could do terrible things, but Vesperin was stronger than letting it wither her—Lucien knew that the shadows under her eyes and fog in her brain were because of what Sabine and Talor had been doing to her. The drugs, the experiments…

At least at the dorm, they could not reach her.

He settled his hands on the counter, fingers splayed, brushing against her bare arms.

"Are you sure, Vesperin?"

She looked up at him, grey eyes wide, pale brows upturned in grief. "Yes." She licked her lips. "I think I need—no, I know I need to do this."

It would go back to the way it always had been. With Lucien seeing her an hour per week at the hospital, reduced to mere doctor and patient; though, in truth, she was his very reason for breathing.

"I’ll drive you." Lucien tugged his phone out of his back pocket, preparing to reschedule a few of the appointments he had today—nothing major, thankfully.

"You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine," she said.

Lucien sighed, wishing he could freeze this moment and make her stay safe with him forever. "I want to."

Rin’sfirst day back at the Academy was stilted.

Keir seemed to walk on eggshells around her, and Xara was quiet, wrapping her in a strong hug. Rin didn’t cry; she had no tears left, just determination.

Director Ilsa welcomed her back with a clap on the shoulder, quickly getting to business as she directed Rin to the assignments posted for her. Rin’s last grade flickered on the projection, reminding her of a scythe, a white cloak, and a Star tattoo etched under gentle blue eyes.

Her grade was…

"A thirty-three?" Rin questioned aloud, trying not to fiddle with the tight black pants sticking to her skin. It felt weird to wear her uniform after living in baggy clothes for over a month.

Director Ilsa cleared her throat, folding her hands behind her back. The woman’s red hair was tugged away from her face in many thick braids, revealing her severe, hardened features. "The assignment was completed unsuccessfully, Vesperin. I regret that your score is so low, but it is factual." Her eyes pinned Rin to the spot. "Frankly, I don’t give a shit about your last name. If you cannot show up and meet the expectations for Alpha Team, we have more deserving trainees to fill your spot." The words weren’t harsh—just matter-of-fact. Rin understood. This spot had been paid for with the Blackfall name.

Rin’s fingers curled weakly into a fist at her side, nails biting into her palm. "Understood." She reached forward, fingershovering over the wordAssignmentson the board, revealing a list—all in Nova Zone 21. Strange.

She sighed, shoulders curling forward awkwardly in the thick harness wrapped around her waist.

These meager assignments weren’t enough. She neededmore.

Rin tapped out of the assignments board, and the display shifted to the home screen, revealing the rankings and the Hunter’s Guild insignia.

There was a section on the board she hadn’t noticed before. A small sign that read,Volunteer Posting.

Rin clicked on it, revealing a single line that made her heart stutter to a stop in her chest. Bile rose in the back of her throat, and black spots speckled her vision. Wavering, she braced a pale, shaking hand on the wall to hold herself up.

Volunteers Needed for an Off-Planet Mission.

Hunters needed: one.

Duration: two weeks.

Objective: find and eliminate a stowaway Rogue.