Chapter 25
Seph
Elliot wouldn’t let me turn myself in.
We had reached a stalemate.
He had told me a plan was in motion, but I had to wait.
So I did what I could.
I went searching for Dev.
Sy was resting. I had waited until I was sure. His wounds were bad, still unhealed. I knew it would take time before he could go flying again.
Still, he had stayed with me. Until I could convince him I was tired too.
But I couldn’t find Dev in his room, or anywhere else.
And it made me nervous.
We hadn’t talked about what we had shared. What he had done for me.
And I didn’t know how he felt about it.
Finally, I found him in a training room, throwing knives at a wall.
“Hey,” I said quietly.
He looked up at me, then averted his eyes. “Hey.” He threw another knife. It hit the target with a thump.
“I didn’t see you in the food hall.”
“I wasn’t hungry.”
He threw another blade. He still wouldn’t look at me.
“Oh,” I said quietly.
“Did Elliot tell you the plan?” he asked, his voice oddly formal.
“Not yet. I think they are trying to fine tune the details.”
“They won’t hand over Gideon or you without a fight.”
“I know. But I won’t leave Kieran or Ash either. There has to be something I can do.”
He finally looked at me. “Elliot’s good at this stuff. He’ll figure it out. And when he needs me, I’ll go,” Dev said.
I looked at him carefully and lowered myself to the floor against the wall.
“Dev, I wanted to talk about what happened – “
He turned away again, busying himself along the wall as he collected his blades.
“Don’t worry about it. It was just a glitch. We don’t have to go over it.”
I stilled. “A glitch? What do you mean?”
He spun to face me. “You don’t need to make it into something it isn’t,” he said, jaw tight. “It was a mistake. Just two people finding closeness for one moment. It doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes everything!” I exclaimed. “Do you even know what last night meant to me – “
“Well, it didn’t mean the same to me.” His voice cracked. “I’m sorry.”
The lie was painfully clear.
My breath caught. I wanted to hit him. “Stop it!”
“Stop what, Seph?” Dev sighed.
“Stop minimising this! Dev. I like you – “
He shook his head. “No you don’t. Not like that.”
“I do! And last night mattered to me.”
For a moment something flashed in his eyes. Then it was gone.
“Look, Seph. You barely know me. And everything around you is crazy right now. You don’t know how you feel.”
“And I’m not going to let you decide that in the middle of a crisis.”
“You don’t get to tell me how I feel,” I snapped.
Dev threw one of his knives to the ground. “Goddammit Seph. You have had so little damn experience with the world. How can you even expect to know anything?”
I stepped back at the words, like it was a physical blow.
Dev went still. He dragged a hand through his hair, jaw tight. “That was—” He exhaled hard. “That was a shitty thing to say.”
He stepped towards me. “Seph, I like you. I do. But we’re friends.”
“Dev—”
“And I’ll always be your friend. But what happened between us can’t happen again. I shouldn’t have let it go there.” His jaw tightened. “I don’t want to risk losing what we already have.”
He looked at me fully now, eyes guarded but not unkind.
“So, I’m stopping it. Right here.”
I felt like crumpling.
“What if I don’t want you to?” I asked finally, my voice shaky.
He looked away first.
“You already have people who can stand steady with you.” A beat. “You’ll be okay.”
“Dev,” I said softly
“I can’t be what you’d need, Seph. That’s the truth.”
He bent to retrieve a knife from the floor, movements precise, almost mechanical.
I watched him, my chest tightening.
“And what exactly do I need, Dev?” I asked, the bitterness slipping through. “Go on. Tell me.”
He met my eyes — and said nothing.
The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating.
I stood slowly and straightened my shoulders.
“My life has never been normal. You know that. But not once — not once — have I doubted how I feel about anyone. Not Ash. Not even Kieran.”
I held his gaze.
“And not you.”
“Seph—”
“No.” My voice steadied. “Don’t decide for me. If you don’t trust yourself, say that. If you’re scared, say that. But don’t dress it up like you’re protecting me.”
For a heartbeat, something flickered across his face.
“I’m not complicated,” I continued, quieter now. “I choose who I choose.”
I stepped back toward the door.
“So if you’re walking away, at least have the courage to call it what it is.”
I turned and left.
Behind me, metal slammed into the wall — then clattered violently to the floor.