Zane's Point Of View The next morning, sunlight filtered through the slatted blinds in dusty gold ribbons, landing in bands across the wooden floor. I woke still drenched in the shadow of insomnia, my chest tight, mind racing, adrenaline refusing to fade. The soft hum of life in the dormitory was enough to rattle the last threads of tortured sleep from my memory.Heavy-eyed, I padded down the narrow corridor, past closed doors and dimly lit hallways until I reached the living room. The common area felt cocooned in early morning hush, chairs scattered and portraits watching from the walls. Charlie was leaning against a window sill, backlit by the rising sun, fiddling with something small in his hands.He looked up as I entered, ducking his chin in greeting. “You up early.” I rubbed my eyes. “Barely up, man.”Charlie smiled and held out a beautifully wrapped gift, pale teal paper tied with a silver ribbon. “This was left at the door for you. No name, just says ‘Zane.’ Why don't you ope
Zane's Point Of View He stared at me, quiet. Still. Like he was studying me again, like he could see everything I was trying to hide.I turned away.The moment I stepped out of the hot spring, the air hit me like ice, but I welcomed it. I needed to feel something other than him. I grabbed my clothes, barely managing to get dressed with trembling fingers. My chest burned, and my jaw clenched so tight it ached.I didn’t look back as I walked away. The path back to the dorms felt endless.Each step was mechanical. I was walking, yes, but my mind wasn’t with me. It was still in that spring, wrapped in heat, drowning in Ronan’s scent, and burning with the feel of his hands on my skin.I shouldn’t have let it get that far. I shouldn’t have kissed him back. But gods… I had. I wanted it. I wanted him. And that scared the hell out of me.By the time I reached the dorm, the sun was already slipping behind the peaks. The sky was painted with dusky orange and lavender hues, but I barely noticed.
Zane's Point Of View The steam curled around us like breath… thick, languid, and slow, coating the air with heat and tension that was impossible to ignore. The gentle ripples of the enchanted spring lapped against my chest, but they couldn’t drown the thunderstorm inside me. My skin already burned, not from the temperature, but from the very presence of the man moving toward me.Ronan.He emerged through the veil of mist like some mythical creature born from the depths, naked, sure, and impossibly real. Beads of water slid down the hard planes of his chest, tracing the sharp dips and curves of muscle, dancing along the ridges of his abs, and disappearing beneath the water’s surface. His silver hair was damp and tousled, framing his angular face like a crown. The shadows clung to his jawline, to the sharpness of his cheekbones. His eyes glowed softly, moonlight over molten stone, and they were focused entirely on me.My breath caught. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even speak.He came c
Zane's Point Of View The night air wrapped around me like velvet, cool and heavy with magic still lingering in the atmosphere. I cradled the ancient stone tablet against my chest, feeling the faint hum of power vibrating through it. The ballroom had finally emptied, laughter fading, gowns rustling, and heels clicking off into the distance. The excitement had died down, but inside me, everything still burned… my head, my heart, my entire being.Every nerve felt fried, every thought sluggish, like my mind had run a marathon and my body just realized it. The weight of the legacy, the truth about my mother, the explosion of attention from the dance, it was all too much.I sank onto one of the marble benches outside the ballroom, clutching the tablet. It was then I felt a familiar presence approaching from behind.“You’re gonna fall over if you sit like that,” came Ronan’s voice, husky and low. He sounded tired, and when I looked up at him, I saw it too, his sharp features were paler tha
Zane's Point Of View “Tonight’s Ball Star is…”Elaris Mavellen’s voice rang out across the grand ballroom like a bell cutting through fog.The entire space went silent.Utterly.Completely.It was a stillness I could feel, a trembling hush suspended in magic and disbelief. My breath hitched. My chest felt too tight. The blood in my ears thundered like an army marching toward my heart.Then… “ZANE!”The sound of my name exploded across the hall like lightning cracking the sky in half. For a moment, I couldn’t move.What?My name… my name was echoed in magic and light, repeated by the crowd, stamped into the very air. Spotlights beamed down, searing warmth into my skin. Golden-silver magic curled around my arms and waist like threads of destiny.I blinked.Wide-eyed. Disbelieving. My knees threatened to give way.Was this… real?“Zane,” Elaris said, her voice gentler now, but no less powerful, “step forward.”I did.Not because I felt confident. Not because I felt worthy. I stepped for
Ronan's Point Of ViewThe hall had quieted again, though not from peace. This silence felt charged, like the moments before a thunderstorm breaks the skies in half.I could feel their stares on us.The professors from both academies sat in their velvet chairs, blank-faced and unmoving, but their auras flared with interest. The crowd, which had once cheered like savages for Miles and Alisa, now fell into a hush laced with curiosity and anticipation.They wanted a show.And I intended to give them one.I glanced sideways at Zane.He stood beside me, jaw tight, eyes flickering with nerves that he tried hard to mask. But I could sense everything… every tremor, every flicker of doubt, through the link that pulsed between us like a golden tether laced with fire.I leaned toward him slightly, voice a mere breath above silence. “Close your eyes,” I murmured, “Just follow me.”He didn’t argue.That’s what shocked me the most.His lashes fell, his breath slowed, and for a moment, just a brief,