Page 81 of The Bound Blood
I meet his gaze—cold on cold, night meeting night—and incline my head.
“Still hiding from your father here, I see,” I say softly.
Kael’s shadows hiss. Lovely.
But it’s the girl who I’m truly interested in. She hasn’t said another word. She hasn’t reacted to my flirting—not overtly.
But every time I direct my attention toward her companions, her shoulders tighten. Her jaw sets. Her pulse jumps.
She feels every shift in the room.
And she watches me as much as I watch her. Perfect.
Veyne finally finds his voice. “You will all be assigned to Night Rounds. Effective tonight.”
The three students go still. Kael bristles, and Nyssa tilts her head, like her father’s announcement was expected.
I rise slowly, brushing imaginary dust from my sleeves.
“One request,” I say.
Veyne tenses. “Yes?”
“I would like to be added to the patrols.”
He blanches. Nyssa’s magic spikes with alarm. Kael’s shadows curl tighter.
“P-Patrols?” Veyne stammers. “That is usually?—”
“I wasn’t asking,” I remind him with a pleasant smile. “I’m an envoy, not a decoration.”
Silence.
Then Veyne bows his head. “As you wish, Prince Dorian.”
Of course he does.
I look back at the girl one last time—and catch her watching me with that same intensity, trying to figure out if I’m here to help or destroy everything she loves.
I give her the faintest smile. Let her wonder.
Because I haven’t decided yet.
The moment Veyne dismisses us, I slip out the door ahead of the others—not to leave, but to breathe. The corridor is dim, lantern-light flickering against old stone. The air feels thick with tension and old magic.
Nyssa follows a breath later, closing the door behind her with the soft click of someone trained to move like a whisper.
“Dorian,” she says, voice low.
I turn slightly, offering her a half-smile. “You disapprove.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” Her arms fold across her chest in a very un-royal, very irritated gesture. “Patrolling the Veil perimeter isn’t safe right now. You shouldn’t be out there, even with another person.”
I arch a brow at her. “Alone? My dear, I’ll be with three chaos magnets and a shadow prince. Hardly alone.”
She doesn’t laugh.
I soften my tone—slightly. “Nyssa. If it isn’t safe for me…” I gesture back toward the office, where students argue softly through the door. “Then it certainly isn’t safe for any of them.”
