LOGINCaden's POVMy heart thumped as I got up from my seat and walked towards Mira. I watched her fight from the stands, watched that venom wolf melt a piece of the gate before it even faced her, watched Mira barely dodge a bite that would've dissolved her leg to nothing.I winced so many times. She barely survived it. Barely scraped past elimination by one point.~She's not going to make it through many more of these without her beast.~By the time I got to her, she was still catching her breath. Sweat covered her face as she panted. I pulled her into a hug before she could say anything, holding her really tight."I was worried about you," I said against her hair."I was scared, too." She laughed. "But I couldn't bear to get eliminated.""That was incredible." I pulled back just enough to look at her. "You managed to destroy the beast and overtake the other girl.""Everything happened so fast. I can't even explain how I did it." Josh reached us next. "That's my girl," he said, smiling
Mira's POVLord Veron's brows lifted. He leaned forward and tapped his fingers on the desk."That's a serious claim," he said slowly. "Are you sure about this?""How do I explain this? I can't say I'm 100% sure," I kept my voice steady. "But something about him didn't sit right. He doesn't look like the person who attacked me. The size, everything."He peered at me intently, like he expected me to get scared and deny what I was saying. I held his gaze, but I lowered my head out of respect."I appreciate you bringing this to me," he said finally. "I'll look into it myself. Whatever I find out, I'll let you know.""Thank you, my lord.""Wait, have you spoken to anyone else about this?" His eyes stayed fixed on mine. "Anyone at all?"Josh's face flashed through my mind. I told him about it. He was the only one I'd spoken to about the matter. Until now.~But why does it matter who I've told?~I noticed Lord Veron was getting impatient."No," I said. "Just you. I haven't told anyone."Some
Veron's POVThe office felt too quiet after Grimshaw left with the body.I remained by the window a long time, still watching the dark settle over the grounds. It all sounded crazy. One Guardian. Alive. After all my efforts to wipe them out. A sigh escaped my lips. I wished the damn woman had spoken fast. There's one more guardian. That's all I got out of her before she died on my floor. She could have just mentioned a name, and we would have a proper lead. ~One word. She was one word away from solving my problem. But now I've got nothing.~I walked back to my desk and dropped into the chair. The genealogy books sat on the desk in their stack. I'd gone through all of them already. There was no clue whose detail she was hiding. Whoever that archivist was protecting, she buried it well. Buried it so deep that not even pliers and a broken shoulder could dig it out fast enough. Fuck!I slammed my palms on the desk in frustration. My pen rolled off and hit the floor.Damn it. How was I
Grimshaw's POVLord Veron looked up when I dragged the archivist through the door, and his eyes narrowed."You took too long," he said, folding his arms across his chest."There were complications," I said."Complications?" He rose slowly from his chair, circling the desk. "I gave you a simple task. Find her. Bring her here. It shouldn't have taken this long. Are you getting incompetent at your job?"I raised my shirt to show him the wounds on my chest and shoulder. Deep gashes that were yet to heal."She wasn't alone," I said. "She's part of a coven. I walked into a room full of witches and had to battle them to get her."Lord Veron's eyes moved over the wounds, then back to my face. "I don't care about excuses. Just get the job done. Always. That is the only thing you're good at, so keep doing it well or I'll kick your ass!"I sighed. He would never appreciate anything I did. If only he knew how hard it was to get this woman."Bring her over here."I dragged her closer and forced he
Josh's POVMy body dropped onto the bed like a sack of bricks the second I got back to my room.Phew! That was such a draining training session. All my muscles ached in a way I hadn't felt in a long while. The simulated beast I went up against in training nearly tore my arm off before I put it down. My reflexes were slower than I liked to admit, and the trainer's face told me exactly how close I was to getting eliminated. ~That thing almost had me. I need to be faster going forward.~I lay there on my bed, staring at the ceiling and ignoring the voices of boys around talking about the unlucky students who have been eliminated. I let my breathing settle as my eyes threatened to close. A nap wouldn't be bad after the way I'd exerted my body. The lunch alarm buzzed across the campus. I groaned and forced myself upright. My stomach growled loud enough to remind me I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.I adjusted my jacket and dragged myself to the dining hall. I looked around, ex
Caden's POVI kissed her again, harder this time. My hand slipped under her top. My palm skimmed her ribs and I felt her breath catch. My fingers pushed the fabric up her waist.Her hand caught mine."Wait."I stopped."Someone might come," she whispered. Her eyes flicked to the common room door. "It's still daylight, someone might walk in."I looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed. Her mouth was still parted from the kiss. Her thighs were pressed together tight and her hips were shifting on the couch cushion. Every part of her was telling me she wanted more.We just couldn't be caught in the act if that door opened.I understood.I kissed her jaw instead. Slow. Then her throat. My mouth moved down to the hollow at the base of her neck and I pressed my lips there. Her pulse hammered against my tongue."Caden...""I've got you."My hand moved to her thigh. I ran my palm up the side of her thigh, over her skirt, then back down. She whimpered.I kissed lower. Across her collarbone. Down
Chapter SixMira's POVThe medic pressed two fingers against my ribs. I winced."Breath out," she said. "Slowly."I exhaled. Pain gripped my side like an electric shock.She nodded. "Not broken. But close."Thank Goodness.She moved to my shoulder next. She rotated it carefully and I bit my lip, tr
Mira's POV The crowd pulled back to give us space.I rolled my neck and flexed my wrists. My ankle was still throbbing from the leopard fight. My forearm had a long red scrape from where I had hit the ground. I did not look at either injury. Looking at things made them hurt more.Caden stood acros
Mira's POVJosh rushed over to me. He stepped between me and the Ironridge boy and put one hand on my shoulder. His grip was firm."What are you doing?""I'm trying to make him eat his words."An instructor cut through the crowd before Josh could say something. He was a thin man with permed hair an
Mira's POV We arrived at Ironridge Academy by bus the next day. Josh sat beside me and pointed out buildings to me. He had been here before. The students here were built differently. Not just physically, though that was part of it. It was the way they carried themselves. The confidence. The aura







