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“It’s not control, Severyn.” His other hand slipped over my chest, undoing three buttons. “I simply don’t want you to overheat from you thinking about my hands sliding up the inside of your wet thighs. Your crush on me is adorable.”

I ground my teeth. “I don’t like you. You’re the one who carried me home.”

“If it weren’t me, you’d be bound with daylight tethers now. Monty seems to have his eyes on you. Do you enjoy the attention of a powerful ruler?”

“You believe I am that weak? That I’d allow Monty to take me home?”

“That drink brings out desires, and you’ve yet to kick me out.”

“Desires are foolish. ”

My body couldn’t lie to my mind. I enjoyed this more than I wanted, too. Like I needed him in the vilest way. What the fuck was wrong with me?

He traced a shape over my underwear, daring to slip it over and touch my skin.

I breathed through the ash, biting my lip to silence my pleasure.

“Oh, Severyn. If I was cruel, I might have caved to you, but pleasuring you after you’ve been poisoned by a drink is not on my mind.

” He slipped his hand, his thumb skimming a scar on my thigh, then another, pausing as he traced each jagged line.

When he reached the fifth, his breath hitched. “Was this Callum?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I hissed.

“Did he… where else did he hurt you?” Anger rippled in his voice, yet it softened into something unfamiliar, something almost tender. “Tell me what he did to you.”

“He made it known that he had marked me. To ensure I was undesirable.”

Archer’s hand hovered, and shadows melted over the scars, dark tendrils brushing my skin like whispers. “You will never see torture in these scars again. If anyone dares to harm you, I’ll mark you myself until shadows are your desire.”

I fisted the covers over my thighs. “I don’t need your protection. And you can leave now.”

A flicker of something unreadable passed through his gaze. It seemed to take every ounce of restraint for him to stand. “Keep telling yourself you hate me. Maybe one of us will start to believe it.” The shadows retracted into his palm. “Get some sleep. You have a big race coming up.”

Before I could respond, Archer disappeared. I traced the faint, glowing marks left on my thighs as if he had painted my body with starlight.

Shadow and stars couldn’t erase Callum’s scars entirely, but it was five fewer lines to bear .

Moments later, Malachi stumbled inside, red wine dripping from her soaked blouse. “Shit, did you hear that thunder?” Her eyes darted around the room, and she shook the ends of her damp hair.

I swallowed hard, the echoes of Archer’s touch still trembling in my chest. “Yeah, I did.”

Malachi collapsed onto my bed, her weight bouncing the mattress. “Sorry about Monty. He can be… aggressive when he gets an idea in his head.”

Desperate for a distraction, I blurted, “What do you know about neval hair?”

Her lips tightened into a grim line. “There’s been someone hunting anyone with that mark. They have been for nearly four decades. How did you not know?”

“Someone’s hunting me? And what are scorpion riders?”

Malachi yawned, stretching her arms like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

“I figured you knew. Ask me tomorrow. It’ll take at least an hour to explain, and I don’t have the energy right now.

” She reached for her lantern, but before she could extinguish it, I flicked my gaze to the candle and stole the flame, snuffing it out myself.

“That’s… an interesting trick,” she murmured, her voice laced with surprise.

And in the enveloping darkness, I allowed myself a small, proud smile.

Pounding sounded at the door. Hastily, I glanced out the window where the sun broke through. I’d slept in, and Malachi was gone, and from the looks of my whirled covers, she tried to wake me as well .

I outstretched my hand toward the door, falling out of bed as it unlocked. Gods… my head pounded.

“Severyn,” Damien gasped, surveying yesterday’s clothes on my body and the rips in my stockings. “Did you trip walking home last night? Your tights are shredded.”

I waited for the spiraling questions once my thoughts of last night leaked out. I changed quickly, asking, “Where did you go last night?” He held the door open as I ran my fingers through my tangled locks. “I was worried about you.”

Walking to combat, Damien kept his eyes low. “Monty’s thoughts are loud. He wanted some personal time with you, and I wasn’t interested in seeing you swoon over him. I understand the desire for power, especially for someone like you.”

I stared at him. “You thought I was interested in Monty?”

“Well, there was someone on your mind last night,” Damien sneered. “And your thoughts are muddled after I left, so I don’t know what happened.”

I didn’t know what happened last night. I couldn’t tell him about Archer taking me home and how close we were. “Nothing happened.”

He’d only marked me with his shadows.

Damien grinned. “I trust you, Severyn.” He pushed open the iron doors as we left the grand hall. His boot kicked a stone, chipping along the onyx path.

“Good,” I whispered. Liquid lies coursed through my heated veins.

“That was some storm we had last night,” he chuckled low. “Did you know that when certain quells are shared, they can create a new power? Fire and wind can create a tornado, but fire and shadows make thunder and lightning. How interesting is that?”

My body iced. “That is interesting. ”

Damien glanced at the glass pendant around my neck. “Your necklace is twisted, Sev.”

My cheeks heated. I gripped the chain, centering the pendant. “Nothing happened between us. He walked me home,” I hissed.

“Oh, I know .”

I let out a choked breath of ash. “Good.”

“I think your barter with him is quite cute, though. I never saw it coming,” he muttered, “now you understand when I say that whatever friendship we have will shatter in a few months.”

I did a complete spin to face him, grabbing his elbow. “Then you must have heard why I made that deal, Damien. I’ll die if I don’t get the cure. You know it killed me keeping this a secret from you.”

Somehow, he knew. The shield Archer placed between us, warding our words, had failed.

A mask of cold slicked his features. The Damien who walked me to class was gone within a night’s breadth. Power. Damien chose power over me, over my life.

“That’s a bit dramatic, Severyn. It didn’t kill you. I thought it was rather easy for you, how every day you’d smile at me, and I’d pretend I didn’t know. Perhaps I do want that title. It is mine to claim, and you said it yourself—you’re just another Bridger trying to claim heirship.”

I wanted to cry for how cruel he was being. “I suppose your decision has been made then.”

Damien tightened his lips. “What is it they call us? Rivals ?” He shrugged. “We have a few more months until we truly shatter.”