LOGINJulianna POV
We weren’t walking so much as being maneuvered.
Cassian had one firm hand wrapped around Scott’s upper arm, not quite restraining him but not trusting him either. The man walked half a step ahead, broad shoulders rigid, blade strapped across his back catching the late afternoon light. The little girl clung to Seraphine’s free hand, stealing glances back at us every few steps—wide-eyed, curious, yet not afraid. Seraphine stayed close—too
Julianna POVWe weren’t walking so much as being maneuvered.Cassian had one firm hand wrapped around Scott’s upper arm, not quite restraining him but not trusting him either. The man walked half a step ahead, broad shoulders rigid, blade strapped across his back catching the late afternoon light. The little girl clung to Seraphine’s free hand, stealing glances back at us every few steps—wide-eyed, curious, yet not afraid. Seraphine stayed close—too close—on Scott’s other side, like she expected him to vanish again if she blinked.I trailed slightly behind them, steadying myself. The nosebleed had slowed thanks to pressure, but my head still felt packed with cotton and thunder.I could feel the tension rolling off Scott in waves—every muscle coiled, every breath shallow. Every time Seraphine spoke to Cassian or answered the little girl’s quiet questions, his fingers tightened around my arm. Not enough
Julianna POVThe ground hit us like a slap. Not hard enough to break bones, but hard enough to knock the breath out of me. I landed on my side, dirt grinding into my cheek, grass wet against my palms. For a second the world was just ringing ears and spinning sky, too blue, too clean, no trace of the academy’s haze.Scott groaned somewhere to my left.I pushed up on shaking arms. My head pounded. Something warm trickled from my nose. I wiped it with the back of my hand—blood. Bright red against pale skin.“Julie—” Scott’s voice cracked. He was already on his knees, scanning me, then the trees, then the dirt road stretching ahead.We weren’t in the dorm anymore.Wooden houses with thatched roofs lined the path. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys. A child’s laughter drifted from somewhere nearby, followed by the cluck of chickens. The air smelled of pine, fresh bread, and something faintly metallic
Julianna POVThe walk back to the dorms felt longer than it should have. Rain had left the paths slick and reflective; every step echoed. Scott didn’t speak again after we left the burial ground. He just walked beside me—close enough that our arms brushed occasionally, far enough that I could still feel the distance he kept from everything and everyone.When we reached the suite, Lyra was waiting. She sat cross-legged on the common-room couch, a mug of something red and steaming in her hands. Her eyes flicked from me to Scott and back again. She didn’t ask questions. Just nodded once—like she already knew everything worth knowing.“Night, you two,” she said quietly. Then she stood, stretched, and disappeared into her room without another word.Scott lingered in the doorway of the room.“See you tomorrow,” he repeated.“Tomorrow,” I echoed.He closed the door softly.I
Julianna POVThe rain didn’t stop, the air thick and cool, the kind of damp that clings to your skin long after the drops are gone. It softened, thinned to a mist that clung to skin and hair, but it never fully went away—like grief that learned how to whisper instead of scream.Scott and I sat beneath the old oak, the world narrowed to wet stone, damp earth, and the quiet weight between us. The cookies were mostly gone now. The box lay empty at our feet, a small, foolish offering that somehow felt important.For a long time, Scott said nothing.He stared at the gravestone, eyes unfocused, like he was looking through it instead of at it.I didn’t rush him. For a long time he just stared.Then he spoke. His voice was low. Rough around the edges. Like every word cost him something.“You want the whole story?”I nodded. “Only if you want to tell it.”He looked at me then—really looked. Sea-green eyes still red-rimmed, but steady.“I do,” he said. “I think… I need to.”He exhaled. Shaky.“
Chapter 137Julianna POVWhen I reached the iron gate—simple, black, no sign—I hesitated. This felt too private. Too raw.But I’d come this far. I pushed through.The plot was small. Six headstones in a loose semicircle, grass neatly kept, flowers replaced regularly even when no one was watching. Three names stood out: Seraphine Thane, Mara Thane, and Elowen Thane. Birth and death dates carved deep. The other three were older—grandparents, maybe an aunt. Quiet witnesses.Lily was there.She sat cross-legged in front of Mara’s stone, hands folded in her lap, eyes closed. Raindrops slid down her face; she didn’t wipe them away. Cameron and Caleb stood a few paces back, shoulders touching like they were holding each other up. Lila paced slowly along the edge, arms wrapped around herself. Kaid leaned against an oak, staring at nothing.No Scott.Lily opened her eyes when she heard my footsteps. F
Julianna POVFour days had passed since the blue portal ripped open in cave and spat Lyra and Scott back into our lives like they’d never left. Four days of stolen glances, half-finished sentences, and the kind of quiet that presses against your ribs until breathing hurts. The academy kept moving classes droned on, bells rang, students laughed in the corridors, but everything felt slightly off-center, like a painting hung one degree crooked.I haven't seen Scott properly since that day. He showed up to classes, sat in the back row like always, answered questions in that flat, clipped voice he’d started using. No pranks. No smirks. Just… absence wearing his face.Lyra was better at pretending. She cracked jokes, hanged upside-down while reading, teased me like how she was does. But even she had shadows under her eyes that no amount of vampire glamour could hide. They told us what happened with the monks and what they went through so I guess they still need time to process.That morning







