Page 23 of Storm of Stars

I braced my hands on the cold metal counter, my breathing ragged as panic clawed its way up my throat, threatening to drown me. My whole body trembled under the crushing weight of what had just happened. The room felt smaller now, suffocating me with the memory of her voice, of those venom-laced words.

I didn’t even hear the door open, but the moment a pair of hands gripped my shoulders, I flinched, a choked sound escaping me. And then I felt the warmth of familiar touch, grounding me. Slowly, I turned, my vision clearing enough to see my Wildguard. Each of them wore a different expression, but the same fear etched into their eyes.

“What’s wrong, love?” Thorne asked, his voice low, but brittle as glass ready to shatter.

“Was that Archon Veritas we saw leaving your room?” Zaffir’s words were tight, his jaw clenched so hard the muscles twitched.

Briar didn’t say anything at first, she just took my hand, her grip firm, solid. A tether.

Ezra, though, looked like a man seconds from murder, his fists balled so tightly his knuckles were bloodless. His gaze flicked toward the door like he might chase her down and finish what Praxis started years ago.

I managed a shaky nod. “She knows…”

Thorne’s face drained of color. “All of it?”

“Not… specifics,” I said, my voice little more than a ghost of itself. “But she knows we have the power to start something. She knows that I know it, too.”

Some of the tension eased from them, but not much. The threat still hung thick in the air, an executioner’s blade suspended above us all.

“What did she want?” Ezra demanded, his voice sharp, brittle with barely restrained violence.

“She offered me a deal,” I whispered.

“What kind of deal?” Briar finally spoke, his voice low, bracing for the worst.

“She said… if I calm the rebellion… if I convince everyone that I’m loyal to Praxis… she’ll make sure Jax gets medicine. And doctors. For the rest of his life.”

Thorne dragged a hand through his hair, his expression darkening.

“And if you don’t?” Briar asked.

The words stuck in my throat. But I forced them out. “She’ll kill him.”

The moment they left my lips, a sob broke free. I collapsed against the counter, the grief and fear threatening to crush me. Zaffir was there in an instant, arms around me, pulling me close, holding me together when I was breaking apart.

“Shhh… shhh, it’s alright. I’ve got you,” he murmured against my hair, though his voice trembled too.

“What are we going to do now?” Briar asked, scanning the room, the question slicing through the silence like a blade.

“We call it off,” Thorne said, his voice quiet but resolute.

We all turned to him, stunned.

“What?” I croaked.

“We knew it was a risk. We knew Praxis wouldn’t sit idle if they caught wind of this. But she’s made a direct threat now, love.” His eyes found mine, so heartbreakingly kind and full ofregret. “I won’t ask you to choose between your brother and my mother’s rebellion. That isn’t a choice.”

I hated the way he looked at me, like I’d already made the decision to surrender. Like the fight had drained from me. But hadn’t it? Could I risk Jax’s life for this? Could I live with myself if I didn’t?

And yet… I could feel it. That rising heat. That storm gathering inside my chest. The same storm Veritas had seen, and feared. She was afraid. It may have been hidden behind her threats and calm demeanor. But the truth of it was there, clear and vivid. She was afraid.

And I couldn’t risk losing that momentum.

“I don’t want to stop,” I said. The words were true, but it felt like ash on my tongue. “I just… I wish I could tell Ava and Jax. Get them out. Warn them.”

“Maybe you can,” Thorne murmured.

I looked up sharply. “What do you mean?”