Page 84 of The Bound Blood
LINDSAY
It feelslike the entire academy exhaled fear and inhaled frantic determination after that meeting.
Classes are canceled. Finals postponed. The hallways vibrate with movement—students carry boxes of candles, chalk, ritual bowls, and containers of powdered moonstone. Faculty bark orders. Every fae on campus looks wired and over-caffeinated, which is saying something. It’s almost as if having the Fae Prince here has them all overcompensating or attempting to get his attention.
The Solstice Ritual isn’t going to happen for another five weeks apparently, not that I have paid attention to any of that since the dance. But preparations for them have been pushed up. They're the only thing anyone can talk about.
And everyone looks at me like I might accidentally fracture the veil again by breathing wrong.
Great.
Right back to the suspicion; no longer the hero. Not that I need to be viewed as a hero. I really just want to be treated like everyone else. A student here to learn control.
The campus transforms in front of my eyes. Even the stone walls seem to vibrate with it. The moving staircases becomemore erratic, and the tilt to some of the balconies almost seem to be moving to observe everything.
Ritual circles get scrubbed into the courtyard stones, at least they look like the circle that the council put me in when they tried to bind me. A shiver runs down my spine as I look at them. It’s not fear exactly, but awareness that they can be used for good or bad.
The ancient protective runes around the academy are being repainted by fae with trembling hands. And the prince walks among them, whispering things I can’t hear to each one he passes. Their hands become steady and sure as he moves on, so he must be reassuring them. It’s interesting to watch.
Everyone must walk in pairs now. No exceptions. And Tamsin had to help a few fae with something ritual-related, so I’m with Raiden.
He walks beside me, acting more like a guard than a boyfriend—if he is my boyfriend. I think he’s my boyfriend… maybe? Not that defining it matters right now. There are more pressing things. Like the patrol schedule in my hands.
Raiden hovers over my shoulder like he’s trying to intimidate the ink into rearranging itself.
My name has five patrol assignments for this week:
Dorian
Raiden
Auron
Kael
Nolan
And, of course, the universe hates me, because the very first patrol on this list? Dorian. Exactly as he promised. I stare at it like the name might vanish if I glare hard enough. I don’t think I’m a fan of his royal highness. And if he calls me a little mouse again, he might learn that I’m more akin to a lion.
Shaking myself out of thoughts of Dorian, I blink and point at the name in the middle. “What is Auron doing on this list?”
Raiden leans over my shoulder, scowling. “Good question.”
“Are we the only ones stuck with this?” I ask. We were the only ones called to Headmaster Veyne’s office after the meeting, but Auron’s on here…which means maybe other magically-strong students got assigned too.
“Apparently not,” Raiden says as Nolan approaches us with Mira Cade. They’re both carrying stacks of books—very on-brand for them.
“We found some history texts about the original Solstice Ritual,” Nolan says. “It was—” He stops when he sees our faces. “What’s wrong?”
I hold up my list. “Auron is on here.”
Nolan winces. Mira doesn’t even bother hiding her reaction.
“He probably didn’t volunteer,” Mira says, shifting one of her books under her arm. “His dad is on the Council. They definitely volunteered him.”
Great. Forced volunteerism. That always bodes well. I fold the schedule once, twice, trying not to picture what patrolling with Auron would even look like. My own personal hell.
He gets under my skin, and I can’t explain it. Almost the same feeling as having an itch you can’t reach, a constant annoyance until you’re able to scratch it. He’s so sure of himself. Confidence is cute on Nolan. On Auron, it makes me want to punch him in the throat.
