LOGINScott POV
If someone had told me the most dangerous thing in this village wasn’t Revenants or ancient artifacts, but dinner—I might have laughed.
Seraphine burned the porridge.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
The pot sat in the hearth, blackened on one side, smoke curling lazily upward as she poked at it with a wooden spoon like it had personally offended her.
Scott POVIf someone had told me the most dangerous thing in this village wasn’t Revenants or ancient artifacts, but dinner—I might have laughed.Seraphine burned the porridge.Not metaphorically. Literally.The pot sat in the hearth, blackened on one side, smoke curling lazily upward as she poked at it with a wooden spoon like it had personally offended her.“It’s fine,” she insisted.Cassian stared at the ruined pot. “It’s charcoal.”“It’s crispy.”Liora leaned over the table, nose wrinkling. “I’m not eating this.”Julianna covered her mouth, fa
Scott POVThe hallway outside the spare room was narrow and dimly lit by a single lantern hanging from a beam. The flame danced, throwing long shadows across the wooden floorboards. Seraphine stood with her back against the opposite wall, arms crossed, green eyes locked on me like she could see straight through the lie of “Ren.”She didn’t speak at first. Just watched.I leaned against the doorframe, trying to look casual. My heart was hammering so hard I was sure she could hear it.“You matched every element I threw,” she said finally. Quiet. Precise. “Every single one. With just fire.”I forced a shrug. “I’ve been in a lot of fights. That’s all.”“That’s not all.” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t patronize me.”“I’m not.”She pushed off the wall. Took one step closer. The lantern light caught the loose strands of h
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.“







