NadiaThe guard rotation started the next morning. Two Ashford warriors trailed a careful distance behind me at school, blending in as older students, while Kade barely left my side between classes."This feels excessive," I said, glancing at the two warriors pretending to study a bulletin board near my locker."Six scouts breached a defended border two nights ago," Kade said. "Excessive is relative."I couldn't argue with that, even though the constant watching made my skin itch. Priya noticed immediately, of course."Okay, either you have secret bodyguards now," she said at lunch, eyeing the warriors at a nearby table, "or those guys have a very specific interest in the salad bar.""They're bodyguards," I admitted. "Long story.""With you, it's always a long story." She didn't push further, just squeezed my hand once under the table, a small gesture of solidarity that meant more than she probably realized.Days passed with no further incidents, though the tension never fully faded.
Last Updated : 2026-09-01 Read more