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The days that followed blurred into a strange, intoxicating rhythm. Everything had changed since the moment I lost myself to Hunter, and training with him had taken on a whole new meaning. When he wasn’t teaching me, he would use any chance he had to steal me while no one was looking.

The first time it happened, we’d been sparring in the forests, where he’d pinned me to the ground, his hands gripping my wrists above my head.

I’d expected another remark about my stance or form; instead, his eyes darkened, and before I knew it, his lips crashed on mine. It was reckless and unapologetic.

The following day, when it was Saturday, he surprised me with a packet of condoms he’d bought from a corner shop just a few miles off Celestia.

From then on, it became our unspoken routine, finding corners of Celestia where no one would think to look—an empty storage room behind the training grounds and even the armory once again.

During another session, when I was with other Warriors, I caught sight of the Angelic Council watching from the sidelines.

They stood there beside Azrael, their quills scratching against parchment as they jotted down whatever notes they had.

My nerves nearly got the best of me, but Hunter’s voice steadied me.

“You’re fine,” he had murmured, his hand brushing against mine under the guise of adjusting my stance.

I nodded, pushing past their stares with the bit of strength I had in me.

By the time Azrael dismissed us, the Councils’ expressions were unreadable, but their glances towards me felt strange.

I was glad Joe wasn’t with them during that moment, but I couldn’t help my paranoia get the best of me, thinking they somehow knew Hunter and I were doing something behind their backs.

Our stolen moments weren’t always so controlled, though, and that stood the test when Hunter came by Marnie’s dorm when her roommates weren’t there. He’d surprised me by hiding in the shower and grabbing me like I was all his and only his.

“Grace!” Marnie’s voice echoed from outside the bathroom. “Are you okay? You’ve been in there forever.”

I bit my lip, trying to suppress the moan threatening to escape as Hunter gripped my thighs tighter. His lips were on my neck, his breath hot against my skin as he moved against me.

“I-I’m fine!” I stammered, my fingers clutching the countertop behind me, desperate to hold on as he pushed me closer to the edge.

“Are you sure?” She didn’t sound so convinced, which only worsened when Hunter’s movements grew deeper. I almost yelped.

“I said I’m fine!” I practically shouted, earning a low chuckle from Hunter that vibrated against my chest. His hand slipped lower, and I clenched my teeth, my breathing ragged as Marnie’s footsteps faded.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” he teased, sounding smug.

“Shut up,” I managed to whisper before the words dissolved into a sharp gasp as he made me come undone right there.

One afternoon, though, after I stumbled during training, I felt that familiar panic start clawing at the edges of my mind. Hunter pulled me aside, away from the sight of Warriors around us and handed me a smooth blue stone on a leather cord he had crafted for me.

“What’s this?” I asked, staring at the stone like it might come to life.

“It’s something to focus on,” he said, and my head snapped up at him. He pried it from my fingers and placed it over my head, letting it dangle from my neck. “When it gets too much, hold it and ground yourself. It’s a way of distracting your mind.”

He was called by Azrael after that, leaving me speechless over his gesture. A sudden warm feeling pricked at my heart as I watched him speak with Azrael off-field, and I struggled to control it. He’d made me something, all the while he played with my ring around his pinky.

By the time the rankings were posted in the common rooms, I was sure I would find Hunter at the top of the list. I’d made my way through Ascendants crowded around, searching for their names as my eyes scanned the list, seeing Hunter and Silas at the top before they landed on number ten— Grace Martin —I froze.

“What?” I whispered, blinking as if my name would be gone from the list the next time I opened my eyes.

It hadn’t.

Eden appeared beside me, smiling with delight. “Congratulations!” she said. “Keep this up, and you may prove the Council wrong yet.”

As she winked at me and walked away to congratulate others on making it into the top ten, the realization sank deep into my stomach.

I caught Matias’s glare from across the room, his jaw tight, before I looked back at the list and saw that my name was above his.

Later that evening, once I’d let the reality of being in the top ten sink in, Nadael’s voice rang through the canteen.

“Attention, all Ascendants. It is with great pleasure that I say that the competition ball will be reinstated this year—the first in over thirty years, thanks to Eden’s proposal of uniting and celebrating you all.”

Excited murmurs broke out through the canteen while Marnie clapped beside me. My brows drew together as I searched for the person I wanted to see, but he wasn’t there. There was only Brandon and Silas again, though Silas’s gaze was fixated on someone else from across the room.

Veronica.

She was alone, opposite him on another table, looking just as irritated as she always looked.

“Now,” Nadael continued, and as if Veronica knew I was staring at her, she looked up, and I quickly turned my head. “The ball will take place three weeks from now, where the chosen participants for the competition will be picked.”

“Oh, my goodness, do you know what this means?” Marnie leaned into me and whispered. “Dresses! Finally! I’m so tired of wearing the same clothes all the time.”

I smiled at her enthusiasm, but as she talked about gowns and accessories, I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d wear. I didn’t exactly have a closet full of gowns. I’d already risked going out when I wasn’t supposed to, so the thought of standing out— again —made my stomach twist.

Still, as everyone else broke out into chatter over the ball, I found myself reeling in on the fact that the competition was nearing and things were about to change. I wasn’t sure if I was ready; all I was sure about was Hunter, and even then, we were balancing on a thin line.