Thornhill Academy. Chapter 142

**Evander**

It’s late when Rhaziel returns. The fire’s burned down to embers, the attic quiet except for the soft rhythm of breathing from the couch. Kael and Allison are asleep under the same blanket, limbs tangled, her hair spilling over his chest. Every so often, she murmurs something, the faintest flicker of blue beneath her skin when her dreams shift. I close my book, the sound too loud in the stillness. Rhaziel steps through the shadows near the window, solidifying in that unnerving way of his—like the darkness just decides to take his shape again. His eyes find the couch immediately and for a moment, he just stands there, watching her. The silver in his irises softens, the edges of his power folding in on themselves until he looks almost human.

“Everything alright?” I ask quietly.

He doesn’t answer right away. His tail moves once, slow and deliberate, before he finally speaks. “For now.”

I nod toward the book in his hand. “You went out for a walk with reading material?”

“Not quite.” He glances at the sleeping pair again. “I went to check on her 'not mate'.”

It takes me a second to understand. “Cage.”

“Yes.”

I sit forward, elbows on my knees. “And?”

Rhaziel’s expression darkens. “He was on the phone. Late. The conversation wasn’t meant for anyone else’s ears.”

That gets my attention. “Who was he talking to?”

“I can’t be certain,” he says slowly, “but I believe it was his father.” He paces once, the quiet scrape of his boots on the wooden floor the only sound. “The tone was… subservient. Report-like. He was giving updates.”

My chest tightens. “Updates on what?”

Her name doesn’t need to be said, I already know.

Rhaziel stops pacing and turns to me fully. “On her.”

For a second, the room feels too small. The fire cracks with a slight, fragile sound. “What kind of updates?”

“The kind that don’t end well,” he says flatly. “He told his father she’s been… different lately. That she’s getting stronger. And then—” He hesitates, eyes flicking back toward the couch. “He mentioned the bond.”

I swear under my breath. “He told them?”

Rhaziel nods once. “His father didn’t sound surprised. Only… interested.”

I drag a hand down my face. “So that’s it, then. The council’s already been watching, and now he's handing them more confirmation.”

Rhaziel’s jaw tightens. “Worse. His father is coming here. Three days from now.”

I look up sharply. “To Thornhill?”

“Yes. Officially, it’s an inspection. Unofficially, it’s a hunt.”

The words land heavily. Across the room, Allison stirs in her sleep, her fingers tightening around the edge of Kael’s shirt. Rhaziel goes still until she settles again. Then he lowers his voice.

“I could kill him,” he says simply.

“Cage or his father?”

“Either.”

I stare at him for a long moment. “You’re serious.”

“I am always serious.”

“Rhaziel—”

He cuts me off with a quiet growl. “You don’t understand. I heard him speak about her like she was an experiment. A thing. They’ve been waiting for her to slip, waiting for proof of what she is. His father plans to make sure they get it.”

I stand, crossing to the window. The glass is cold under my palm as I look out at the night. The campus below is dark, silent except for the faint hum of the wards that protect the dorms. She doesn’t know yet how little those wards will matter if the council decides to move.

“What exactly did Cage say?” I ask.

“He said she’s unstable,” Rhaziel replies, voice sharp. “That there is more to her than she is saying and he just needs to get her to crack so he can find out what it is she's hiding.”

I close my eyes. “He’s setting her up.”

“Yes,” Rhaziel says. “And I am not inclined to let that stand.”

I turn back toward him. “And what, you’ll kill the son of a council leader? Right before his father arrives? You’ll start a war, Rhaziel.”

He shrugs one shoulder, expression unreadable. “Then let it come.”

“That’s not your call.”

He looks at me, eyes narrowing slightly. “You think she would mourn him?”

I hesitate. “She’s not cruel.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

Silence stretches between us.

“She’d hate it,” I say finally. “Even if she knew it was justified... She's too kind.”

Rhaziel exhales through his nose, the tension in his shoulders shifting but not leaving. “I suspected as much.”

“So you came to talk to me instead of doing it.”

He glances away. “Consider this… restraint.”

I almost smile. “That’s new for you.”

He doesn’t rise to it. His gaze drifts back toward her, softening again. “She sleeps better here,” he says quietly. “Even with everything around her unravelling.”

“She’s safest with all of us,” I tell him. “That’s what matters.”

“For now.”

The way he says it makes something cold twist in my gut. I lean against the window frame, crossing my arms. “So what do we do?”

“Nothing—yet,” Rhaziel says. “I’ll keep watch, and I'll have my people keep watch. If his father steps foot on this campus with the intent I suspect, I’ll know.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

He looks at me then, a faint flicker of amusement touching his expression. “I’m never wrong about men like him.”

The clock on the wall ticks quietly. Outside, rain starts against the roof, soft and steady. After a while, Rhaziel moves closer to the couch. He kneels beside it, just long enough to brush his claws lightly through Allison’s hair, careful not to wake her. The faint blue light under her skin brightens, just for a heartbeat, before fading again.

“She shouldn’t have to fight this battle,” he murmurs.

“She won’t be alone when she does,” I answer.

He straightens, his shadows stretching and curling at his feet. “Then let’s make sure she’s ready.”

I nod. “Three days, then.”

“Three days.”

He fades back toward the window, his form blurring until he’s little more than a silhouette in the dark. “Get some sleep, dragon. Tomorrow will come too soon.”

I glance once more at the couch. Kael shifts in his sleep, pulling her closer, and she hums softly, content.

“I’ll sleep when she’s safe,” I murmur.

But by the time I turn back, Rhaziel’s already gone.