Page 26 of The Bound Blood
I glance at Tamsin, but she’s already sitting straighter.
“You’re not just a legacy student,” I say slowly. I don’t know why I didn’t put it together already. Maybe that’s why he’s such an ass. “You’re tied to one of the ruling families.”
“Not just tied,” Auron says. “I’m bound to the Circle of Blood. By birth and by oath. Which means if I openly defy the Council, I will lose more than either of you.”
“That’s… dramatic,” Tamsin mutters.
“It’s also true,” Auron snaps. “If they suspect I’m interfering, they’ll call me back home. And I won’t be able to protect her at all.”
I blink. “So you wantusto do the interfering.”
Auron’s expression doesn’t shift. “You’re not bound to legacy oaths. You don’t have eyes watching your every move. I do. You two are nobody’s.”
“That is both insulting and weirdly flattering,” Tamsin says, then frowns. “Wait, you want us to start a riot?”
“Not a riot,” he says. “A movement. One that makes it politically dangerous for the Council to touch her.”
I stare at him. “You want us to sway public opinion?”
“Student opinion,” he clarifies. “You can stir things up without it being traced back to power plays. I can’t. If I make a move, it becomes a political statement. If you do it, it’s just students being students.”
Tamsin snorts. “Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You said you wanted to protect her,” Auron replies evenly. “This is how you do it. Make noise. Make the Council hesitate. Force them to think twice.”
I glance at Tamsin. Her foot has stopped tapping, her smile gone thoughtful.
“And you think that’ll actually work?” I ask slowly. “If we get enough students to back her—talk about what really happened, make them question the Council’s version…”
“I think it’s the only chance you’ve got,” Auron says.
“And what doyouget out of it?” Tamsin asks, arms folded. “Besides staying conveniently unpunished.”
Auron doesn’t blink. “I get to keep breathing. And so does she.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. It's not enough. Not for me. But I can tell we’re not going to get more than that. And honestly… he might not even be lying.
“We’ll need the right people,” I say, already thinking through names. “House reps. Aether and Astral majors. People with influence. If we stir this up wrong, it backfires. They’ll double down.”
Tamsin grins, already energized. “Ohhh, I love a good secret rebellion. Like an underground newsletter but with more fire.”
Auron just gives us both a look like he’s already regretting this.
“Good,” he mutters. “Then get to work. We don’t have long.”
He turns to go.
“Wait,” I say, before I can stop myself. “Does she… does Lindsay know? About this?”
“No,” Auron says without turning around. “And she can’t. Not yet.”
Then he disappears between the shelves, as silent and swift as a shadow.
Tamsin exhales and leans back with a groan. “Well. Guess we’re starting a magical political coup before dinner.”
I sit across from her, heart racing. “We’re going to save her.” The mark on my palm itches, and when I glance down, it’s glowing. I curl my fingers around it and put my hand beneath the table. Tamsin might know I’m tethered to Lindsay because she was there when Professor Marris came to me about it last night, but I’m not ready to share that part of myself with her, even if she is a friend.
Tamsin gives me a look. “You say that like it’s a promise.”
