I stuck to the shadows the next week, avoiding the dorm as much as I could. I drifted from library alcoves to empty classrooms, anywhere I wouldn't risk running into Kael—or worse, Jude with more questions. My nerves were frayed thin. Every time a door creaked or a floorboard groaned, I flinched.
Jude hadn’t outright said anything, but I saw it in his eyes. The way he lingered too long when I spoke. The way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes anymore. He was suspicious. He didn’t know the truth—but he was circling it.
I was already scared. Then I saw him.
Lucas.
It had only been a month since I left home. A month of careful planning, of cloaking spells and fresh identities. A month of running.
Yet there he was—striding through the quad like he belonged, like he hadn’t once sworn to
