Cassius POV
Cassius leaned against the stone railing of the academy’s upper courtyard, his sharp eyes scanning the pathways below. His thoughts had been a chaotic mess ever since the attack, torn between his duty to uncover the growing threat of Caelum and his constant worry about Zoe. When he saw the door to Ellara’s office open, his attention snapped to her.
Zoe stepped into the cool twilight, her movements measured and thoughtful. The faint glow of the moon illuminated her face, still pale from her ordeal, but strikingly beautiful in its quiet determination. Her brow was furrowed as though the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.
Cassius felt an ache in his chest, a longing he rarely allowed himself to feel. He wanted to reach out, to touch her, to tell her she wasn’t alone i
