Thornhill Academy. Chapter 82

Silver light poured from the skylights, spilling over the marble floors like liquid moonfire. I could feel it, the pull of ancient magic stirring the air, vibrating deep in my bones. The whisper of something older than time itself brushed against my skin. Around me, people lifted their faces to the heavens as threads of light began to descend, graceful as falling stars. Each one pulsed once, twice… then darted toward the crowd below. Tessa, near me, gasped when a streak of silver dove into her chest. Her body glowed faintly, the veins beneath her skin lighting up like soft starlight before the energy gathered, pulsing outward, bursting through her in a beam of brilliant blue. The light streaked across the room, arcing like lightning before it struck Rynor. The moment the blue sank into him, his eyes widened, the green of his irises swirling with the same luminescent glow.

Tessa’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my gods,” she whispered, voice trembling between shock and delight. And then the hall erupted with cheers as Rynor grinned, slow and disbelieving, before stepping toward her. “Knew it,” he murmured, and then he kissed her deeply. Tessa’s laugh broke against his lips, joy spilling out of her like a melody.

All around us, more silver streaks descended. Threads of fate weaving, snapping, connecting. Some cried. Some laughed. One girl fell to her knees, sobbing as her light found two others, two threads of blue splitting from her heart, intertwining with two people across the floor. The three of them stood there, dumbstruck, as murmurs rippled through the crowd. The air shimmered again, thicker now, and the magic in my chest thrummed like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine. A single strand of silver curved through the air toward me. It entered through my sternum, the force of it stealing the breath from my lungs. Heat bloomed inside of me, not pain, but power, a soft ache that spread through every vein, every nerve, until I thought I’d burst from it. Then the warmth gathered, twisting, building… before it exploded outward. Blue light surged from my chest, searing through the air in five separate directions. The first arrowed straight beside me, into Evander.

He stiffened, a sharp inhale through his teeth, his golden eyes flashing molten bright as the mark of the bond ignited between us. The second beam streaked across the floor, straight into Kael.

He groaned, clutching his chest, his entire body trembling as his head lifted to meet my gaze. His eyes burned, molten amber swirling with silver light, and my dragon stirred inside me with a purr of recognition. The third light twisted midair and struck the back of the room... into Professor Hill. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe for a full second, his hand curling into a fist before he met my eyes, grey irises glowing faintly blue. My heart thundered in disbelief. The fourth flared to the side, slamming into Cage. He doubled over, snarling in confusion, his hands gripping the edge of the table like he could rip it apart. “What the fuck!”

And then the fifth…The fifth beam didn’t find anyone at all. It lingered, twisting in the air like smoke caught between realities, searching... seeking. The energy shimmered, erratic, pulling toward the far side of the room where the light thinned into shadow. The crowd parted instinctively. And from those shadows, the darkness moved, and *he* stepped forward. Impossibly tall. Skin the deep shade of midnight, not black, not blue, but something that swallowed both. Two curved, obsidian horns rose from his head, sweeping back like polished onyx. Glowing symbols wound over his bare chest, across his shoulders and down his arms, pulsing with the same eerie blue as the light that had left me. His eyes were galaxies. Vast, endless, ancient. A long, dark tail curled lazily behind him, tipped in silver. His dress pants hung low on his hips, the muscles in his abdomen shifting with every measured step. And as he stopped at the edge of the dance floor, the final beam of light, my light, found him. It slammed into his chest with a sound like thunder cracking the world in two. The entire courtyard fell silent, and I forgot how to breathe. The blue light rippled outward from him, faint constellations flaring to life beneath his skin, and when he found his way in front of me, he lifted my chin with his finger and smirked, "Hello, my Queen."

A shiver shot down my spine. The hall seemed to exhale around us, a few people gasping, others backing away as though they knew something impossible had just happened.

I took a shaky breath, stepping back slightly. “I…” My voice cracked, useless. “I..”

My gaze darted instinctively to the side to Evander. He was still there, golden eyes wide, jaw tight, his dragon burning behind his stare. But instead of rage, all I saw in him was love. A quiet, painful sort of acceptance that twisted something inside of me. Then his eyes flicked past me to Kael. And that was when I saw his hands shaking, claws threatening to emerge, his eyes glowing a dangerous red. His jaw was clenched so tight it could’ve cracked bone, and his chest rose and fell in heavy, uneven breaths. My stomach dropped. Kael’s hellhound was surfacing, and the fury pouring off him felt like a physical force.

“Kael..” I started, taking a small step forward, but he turned on his heel before I could finish.

He stormed toward the edge of the courtyard, people scrambling to get out of his way as the air thickened with the scent of smoke and fury.

“Shit,” Evander muttered under his breath, his own dragon flaring hot in response. He glanced back at me, concern flashing through his molten gaze. “I'd better go after him.”

I nodded quickly, throat too tight to speak. “Okay,” I whispered.

He hesitated, his hand brushing mine, a spark of reassurance. Then he took off after Kael, disappearing into the silver-lit crowd. My chest ached at the sudden emptiness where his presence had been. When I turned back, the man was still there, towering over me, immovable, his tail lazily curling and uncurling behind him. His eyes followed every flicker of emotion across my face like he was memorising it. Over his shoulder, I could see that Professor Hill and Cage had already vanished into the dispersing crowd. Of course. Both of them had looked like they’d seen a ghost. I didn’t blame them, hell, I’d feel like a ghost right now if this man’s stare didn’t make me feel so… achingly alive.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady the tremor in my voice. “Um… hello?”

It came out smaller than I’d intended. The corner of his mouth curved up into a really fucking beautiful smile. "I knew it was you." He said, before taking my hand, and the next thing I knew, we were surrounded in darkness.