Alle Kapitel von Book One of the Rosewood Trilogy: The Broken Sanctum: Kapitel 71 – Kapitel 80

Defense class ended with the usual chaos.Sweaty students spilled out of the arena doors, laughing, arguing, or complaining about whatever Bastian had put them through that day.I leaned against the stone wall across from the locker room hallway, arms crossed loosely as I watched them file past.Most of them didn’t even look at me.A few girls did.I ignored them.I was waiting.It didn’t take long.The dark braid appeared first.Then the rest of her.Esme stepped through the arena doors, wiping a bit of sweat from her neck as she headed toward the locker rooms.Perfect timing.I pushed off the wall and stepped directly into her path.She walked straight into me.Again.Her hands landed on my chest as she stumbled slightly.I grinned.“You really need to stop running into me.”Her green eyes flashed up at me immediately.“You should stop running into me.”I laughed.“Technically I was standing still.”“That’s debatable.”She crossed her arms slightly, though the faint blush on her che

Flight class ended with the usual ache in my shoulders.We hadn’t actually flown much yet. The headmaster still insisted on drills, control exercises, and endless repetitions of wing extensions and retractions.But the muscles were new.And wings, apparently, had a lot of them.Students drifted away from the arena in small clusters, laughing and talking as they headed back toward campus.I lingered just long enough to avoid the worst of the crowd.My sister did the opposite.Liliana hung back, chatting with the headmaster in that overly sweet voice she used when she wanted something.It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.The moment I stepped onto the path that led away from the flight cliffs, someone stepped directly into my way.I stopped.And sighed.“Cassian.”My brother’s golden eyes burned with cold hatred.He didn’t even try to hide it anymore.That was new.Usually he let his friends do the dirty work—tripping me in the halls, knocking my books over, “accidentally” slammin

The academy began preparing for Winter Solstice almost immediately.Lanterns appeared along the stone walkways first—silver glass globes that glowed softly once night fell. The courtyard trees were wrapped in strands of small lights that shimmered like frost between the branches.Students talked about little else.The Winter Solstice dance.The biggest event of the year.Angels loved ceremonies.Apparently dances counted.I noticed it everywhere.Fabric samples pinned to boards in the common rooms where students debated colors and styles.Girls whispering excitedly about dresses.Groups of boys pretending they weren’t trying to figure out who they were going to ask.Even the teachers seemed lighter.The air had turned colder too.Real winter creeping in.Thin frost clung to the edges of the gardens in the mornings, and my breath puffed white in the air during early classes.Normally I loved winter.This year…I mostly wanted to hide.Atlas had seen my wings.The memory replayed in my

“Alright,” Calyx said, leaning back in his chair and pointing a finger at me. “You’ve been suspiciously quiet all day.”I glanced up from tightening the cuff on my sleeve.“That’s because you’re suspiciously loud.”“Deflection,” he said smugly.Malachi sat in the armchair near the window, already dressed for the evening in a dark green shirt that stretched across his broad chest. A shifter girl from one of his classes had apparently convinced him to go to the dance.Zeke adjusted the cufflinks on his pristine white shirt.Typical angel.Calyx had managed to ask two girls.Two.He claimed it was “strategic planning.”I called it greed.Calyx pointed again.“So who are you going with?”I grinned.“You’ll see.”Malachi snorted.“That means he’s doing it on purpose.”“Doing what?” Calyx asked.Malachi jerked his chin toward Zeke.“Pissing him off.”Zeke didn’t look up.“I truly don’t care.”Which meant he absolutely cared.I straightened the black jacket over my shoulders.Simple outfit t

The teachers dragged Cassian away before I could land another hit.Probably for the best.Because if I’d gotten one more swing in, I might not have stopped.Bastian’s grip on my shoulder tightened as the demon inside me snarled for another round.“Enough,” he said sharply.I jerked my arm free.My eyes scanned the room.She wasn’t there.My stomach dropped.“Where is she?”No one answered.The dance had dissolved into chaos. Students whispered in tight groups while teachers barked orders to restore control.I shoved past them toward the exit.Cold air hit my face as I stepped outside.“Atlas.”Bastian’s voice followed immediately.I ignored him, scanning the courtyard, the paths leading away from the arena, the dark stretches of campus beyond the lantern light.Nothing.No small girl in a blush dress.No black hair disappearing into the shadows.Just empty paths.“Atlas.”This time Bastian grabbed my arm and spun me around.His usually calm green eyes were sharp with irritation.“I to