CHAPTER 3

ARIA'S POV 

The dust in the deepest basement of the Blackthorn library was choking. The underground storage facility looked more like a medieval dungeon than a place of learning, lined with towering, iron-reinforced bookcases that stretched up into the gloom. A single, flickering fluorescent bulb hummed overhead, casting long, skeletal shadows across the floorboards.

I slammed a massive, leather-bound tome onto a cart, wiping a streak of black grime across my forehead. My torn blazer was hung over the back of a nearby chair, leaving me in my simple white undershirt. 

"You're missing a spot on the top shelf, charity case."

I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Kael was leaning against a stone pillar a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest. He was now wearing a tight black t-shirt that showed off the ridiculous, athletic build of someone who spent all his free time picking fights. Professor Nightfall had dragged him down here to serve isolation detention right alongside me.

"If you're so worried about the top shelf, your highness, feel free to use those oversized paws of yours and clean it yourself," I said, not bothering to look at him as I shoved another stack of books into place.

"Watch your mouth, Aria," Kael growled. "We aren't in front of a crowd anymore. There is no one here to stop me if I decide to teach you some manners."

"Oh, I'm terrified," I said, finally turning around to face him, a mocking smirk on my lips. I gripped my dust rag tightly. "What are you going to do? Try to flex that invisible muscle that didn't do a damn thing to me this morning?"

Kael’s eyes flared a bright, predatory gold. In a flash of terrifying, unnatural speed, he closed the distance between us. Before I could even blink, his hands slammed onto the iron bookcase on either side of my head, trapping me against the cold metal. His face was inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin, smelling faintly of mint and woodsmoke.

"That's exactly what we're going to talk about," Kael hissed, his upper lip curling to reveal the sharp edges of his teeth. "What trick did you use this morning?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, mutt," I said, looking him dead in the eye, refusing to let him see the erratic thumping of my heart.

"Don't play stupid with me," Kael snapped, leaning in so close his nose almost touched mine. "My aura should have had you begging for mercy on the floor. It should have broken your spirit in seconds. Even the strongest witches at this academy can barely stand straight when I unleash it. But you? You didn't even flinch."

"Maybe your little party trick just isn't as impressive as you think it is," I shot back, placing my hands firmly against his chest and pushing with everything I had.

He didn't budge an inch.

"It's not a trick, and you know it," Kael growled, his golden eyes scanning my face, searching for any sign of deception. "And that's not even the strangest part. When I sniffed over you, I didn't get a scent. And that's an anomaly. You do not have any power or magic, Who sent you here? What are you hiding?"

"I'm hiding the fact that I have a massive headache from listening to you talk!" I yelled.

With a surge of raw, frustrated adrenaline, I planted both feet against the floor and shoved him backward. 

Kael stumbled back a step, but as my hands violently slammed into the ancient woodwork of the shelf, a sharp, metallic clack echoed through the silent basement.

The heavy bookshelf didn't fall forward. Instead, a deep, grinding sound of turning iron gears groaned from behind the stone wall. Kael froze, his eyes widening as the entire massive bookcase began to slowly slide backward into the masonry, revealing a dark, yawning chasm in the stone.

A blast of unnatural, ice-cold air rushed out of the opening, carrying the heavy stench of stagnant water, old blood, and ancient rot. It was a freezing, pitch-black passage that seemed to plunge straight down into the bowels of the earth beneath the academy.

"What the hell..." I whispered, taking a step toward the dark opening.

"Stay back!" Kael yelled.

Before I could take another step, Kael grabbed my waist and violently yanked me backward, throwing his own body in front of the hidden opening. He slammed his hand against a concealed iron lever inside the stone seam, and the heavy mahogany bookshelf instantly ground forward, sealing the dark passage away and locking it back into the wall with a heavy, definitive thud.

The basement went completely silent again, save for our heavy breathing.

"What was that?" I demanded, my voice shaking slightly. "Where does that lead?"

Kael turned around slowly, his chest heaving. He reached out, his grip on my shoulders surprisingly gentle, though his fingers were trembling.

"Listen to me very carefully, Aria," Kael whispered, his voice deadly serious. "You did not see that. You will forget that wall ever moved. You will finish your detention, you will graduate, and you will stay away from the dark corners of this school."

"You can't just tell me to ignore a secret passage in the middle of a school, Kael!" I snapped, trying to pull away from his grip. "What is down there?"

"Death," Kael said, his golden eyes boring into mine with a chilling, sincere intensity that sent a violent shiver straight down my spine. "A girl with no magic won’t survive a single night if she starts digging into the shadows of this place. If you value your life, and the life of whatever family you have left, you will keep your head down. Do you understand me? Don't look for answers you aren't ready to face."

I stared at him, stunned by the sudden, protective gravity in his voice. I slowly nodded, keeping my mouth shut as he finally let go of my shoulders, turned on his heel, and marched back into the upper library, leaving me alone in the dim basement.

"Fine," I muttered under my breath, looking back at the seamless stone wall. "I won't dig."

But as I looked down at the floorboards right where the bookshelf had slid open, a glint of metallic bronze caught the flickering light of the bulb.

I knelt down, my heart hammering against my ribs. Tucked into a small crack in the stone floor was a heavy, ancient-looking key. It was etched with intricate, strange symbols that looked vaguely like a family crest—a crest that felt strangely familiar, though I couldn't place why. It must have dislodged from the mechanism when I shoved the shelf.

I quickly scooped it up. I slipped it deep into the pocket of my jeans, looking back up at the heavy mahogany bookcase.

Kael thought I was a fragile, defenseless human who would scare easily. He was wrong. I was going to find out exactly what this school was hiding, even if I had to tear down every single wall to do it.