Thornhill Academy. Chapter 80

The knock on my door came just before Evander's voice, "Everyone decent in there?"

Tessa squealed before I even moved. “He’s here!”

I rolled my eyes, smoothing my hands down the silk of my dress and trying to ignore the flutter in my chest. When I opened the door, every rational thought I’d had dissolved into smoke. Evander stood there in that dark bluesuit that fit him like sin itself, the fabric dark as midnight, his golden tie shimmering faintly with an enchantment. His usually wild hair was pushed back, a few defiant strands still falling into his eyes, and those eyes… gods, they glowed faintly under the lights. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of one of Tessa’s romance novels: dangerous, powerful, and completely, unfairly, mine.

He blinked, visibly stunned when he saw me.

“Well?” I asked, pretending not to fidget.

He exhaled slowly, stepping closer until I could feel the heat rolling off him. “You’re…” His voice went low, reverent. “You’re breathtaking, my pet.”

Before I could reply, he spun me gently by the waist, letting the silver threads of my dress shimmer under the light. The way he looked at me made my dragon preen inside my chest, smug and delighted.

“I’ll never recover from this,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple.

Tessa made a dramatic noise behind us. “Alright, you two, let’s go before you start undressing each other with your eyes. The festival awaits!”

Evander chuckled, offering both of us his arms like some charming gentleman from an old movie. “Shall we, ladies?”

And so we went, down the lantern-lit halls, through arched glass doors that opened onto the grand courtyard. The transformation was unreal. The space had been turned into a world of silver and starlight. Floating lanterns hung in constellations above the crowd, while soft music drifted through the air, blending laughter and the faint hum of magic. Tables were draped in white silk and red petals, enchanted fountains sent arcs of glowing water through the air, and the moon itself hung massive and low, bathing everything in a silver glow. It was… perfect.

“Holy stars,” Tessa breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

Evander leaned in close. “Not as beautiful as you.”

I elbowed him lightly. “You’re impossible.”

“Correct.”

We were halfway across the floor when a familiar voice called out, warm and bright.

“Rivers! Tessa!”

I turned to see Rynor, waving from near the band. His horns gleamed a polished purple-green under the lights, and his grin was as mischievous as ever.

Tessa lit up instantly. “Rynor!” she squealed, practically bouncing as he crossed the floor with that easy, confident swagger.

“Couldn’t let you attend without a proper dance partner,” he said, bowing low with a flash of sharp teeth before offering her his hand.

Tessa giggled and took it, and just like that, she was gone, spinning and laughing among the crowd.

Evander’s arm slid around my waist, pulling me close. “Looks like we’re next, pet.”

The music shifted, soft and slow. I looked up at him, his smile all charm and hunger, and my heart gave a nervous, excited flutter. The night was beautiful...but even fairytales end, right?

Evander’s hand found mine. He drew me toward the centre of the dance floor. Around us, couples spun in lazy circles beneath the glowing lanterns, but the moment his palm pressed against the small of my back, the world narrowed to just us.

“Relax,” he murmured, his breath warm against my temple. “You’re too tense, pet.”

“I’m not...”

He chuckled. “Just follow my lead.”

I flushed, and he only smiled wider and pulled me closer, my body fitting neatly against his as he began to sway us to the rhythm.

“Stop thinking,” he whispered. “Just feel.”

So I did. I let my body melt into his, the heat of him sinking into me until it was impossible to tell where one of us ended and the other began. My fingers curled against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat. His hand slid down my back, fingers tracing lazy circles that made goosebumps rise along my skin.

“You look like a dream,” he said softly. “Like the moon decided to take human form just to torment me.”

I laughed quietly. “That’s dramatic, even for you.”

He bent his head, brushing his lips against my ear. “Maybe. But it’s true.”

The song shifted, slower now, and I tilted my head back just enough to meet his eyes. Gods, those eyes. They weren’t just golden, they were molten, alive, full of all the things he hadn't said aloud. He spun me then, his hand never leaving mine, my dress flaring like a pool of liquid starlight around us. I laughed again and when he caught me back against him, it felt like falling into the safest place I’d ever known. The crowd faded away. The music dimmed. There was only him. Evander Drayke, my dragon, my fire, my impossible. His forehead rested against mine, our breaths mingling, my magic humming low and content between us.

“This,” he whispered, his lips brushing mine, “is the only kind of eternity I want.”

The kiss that followed wasn’t urgent or wild, it was slow and peaceful, like a promise in motion. His thumb brushed along my jaw as he deepened it, his other hand curling possessively around my waist. I felt the warmth of his power flicker between us like shared sunlight. It was perfect. Too perfect. Because when I opened my eyes, the moment cracked.

Across the room, near one of the shadowed pillars, Kael stood half in darkness, half bathed in silver light. His black suit hung open at the chest, no tie, collar loosened like he couldn’t be bothered to care. The amber in his eyes caught the candlelight as he lifted a flask to his lips, his expression unreadable, except it wasn’t, not really, not to me. He looked lonely. The kind of loneliness that wasn’t from being alone, but from watching what you want dance in someone else’s arms. My chest tightened. Evander still held me, still swayed me gently, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Kael. He leaned against a marble pillar, watching us, his jaw ticking just once. When our eyes met, something in the air shifted, a faint hum, like static crawling across my skin. My dragon stirred restlessly. I blinked, heart stumbling. The air felt heavier suddenly, charged, as if a thundercloud had drifted through the hall unseen.

Evander noticed my stillness. “Pet?” he murmured, pulling back slightly to look at me.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Just...dizzy.”

He frowned, concern knitting his brow, but before he could press further, the music swelled again, bright and distracting, and Tessa’s laugh rang out somewhere behind us as Rynor twirled her across the floor. I let Evander guide me through the rest of the song, smiling when he smiled, pretending not to feel the tension coiling tighter inside me. But every time I dared to glance back toward the pillars, Kael was still there. Still watching. Still alone.