The dorm was quiet, almost peaceful. I lay on my bunk, knees hugged to my chest, staring at the ceiling.
My mind wouldn’t stop spinning—about the shift test, about Kade’s suspicious eyes, about the way Asher had thrown himself into chaos just to protect me.
The sticky pine scent of the failed masking potion still clung to my skin. Shame and relief twisted together in my stomach. I’d survived. Barely.
Time moved slow in the dark. I listened to the muffled sounds outside: voices fading, doors closing.
Each creak made me jump. I kept expecting someone to burst in and drag me out into the light. But no one came.
Until Asher…
The door cracked open. I shot up, heart pounding, fists tight on the blanket. For a second, I thought it was Kade, or worse, Darius. But then I caught his scent—sto
