Chapter 7 #2
Later that evening, as the academy finally quieted, I stripped out of my armor and pulled on a pair of sweats before dropping onto my bed.
My muscles still buzzed from the day, every ache earned.
For once, exhaustion settled deep in my bones.
Training had worn me down. The argument with Rynlee still scraped at the back of my mind.
The constant weight of command pressed heavier than usual.
And beneath it all, the Eastern Encampment lingered.
I had sent word to Derek earlier, but there’d been no reply yet.
I couldn’t decide whether that was a good sign or a bad one.
I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the black headboard, staring at the shadows quivering along the ceiling.
Ruin had been forced here. The thought irritated me more than it should have.
Her father understood the path she was meant to take, healing, the Sanctum, a life far from this place.
So why send her to Arcanna? To harden her?
To break her? Or because something else was pulling the strings?
My father’s voice surfaced unbidden. No, you will stay here, Aiden.
That’s final. The Eastern Encampment had seen skirmishes before, and if there was movement now, maybe it was nothing.
The treaty with the Blood Assassins still held.
So why not just send me and a few other third years?
We would be back before the Fourfold rite.
Instead, he was traveling all the way to Celestaris to deal with something so close to home.
That didn’t add up. It also didn’t make sense that Yarrows had refused to let his daughter go where she belonged.
Two fathers.
Two decisions.
Both locking us within these walls. Why? The question gnawed at me. Maybe it wasn’t pride. Maybe it wasn’t control. Maybe they knew something we didn’t. I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes. None of it made sense. But for now, it didn’t matter. I was here.
A knock sounded at my door. Before I could answer, it opened and Jasmine slipped inside, her hair loose around her shoulders, a familiar smile tugging at her lips. I smirked despite myself; the tension of the day already fading as she crossed the room.
My heart gave an unexpected stutter when I took her in, sleep shorts hugging her hips, a thin tank top clinging to warm skin. She smelled of cinnamon and spice, comforting and intoxicating all at once. Yeah. This…this I understood.
“Hey,” I murmured, pulling her onto my lap and pressing my lips to hers.
“Hey,” she breathed in return, smiling; I flipped us easily, settling between her legs as her hands traced every line of my body.
Her hands tangled in my hair, her quiet, breathy sounds grounding me at that moment.
For a while, nothing existed but us. The rhythm.
The heat. The simple, uncomplicated release I’d been craving all day.
When it was over, I fell back beside her, chest heaving.
She curled into me easily, head resting against my chest, our breaths slowly evening out.
“Mm… that was good,” she murmured, a teasing smile in her voice.
I chuckled, running my fingers through her dark, silken hair. “Yeah.” For a moment, I let myself relax.
She shifted slightly. “Has your father returned yet? From Celetaris?”
I sighed, eyes drifting to the ceiling. “No. He must still be buried in politics with the High King. It is strange he’s been gone this long.” The shadows whispered faintly at the edges of my mind, but I shoved them back and focused on the warmth of her hand tracing idle shapes across my chest.
“Maybe it’s worse than we thought,” Jasmine murmured.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to think about that right now.” I leaned down and kissed her again, quick, intentional. She laughed softly, and for a heartbeat, the weight lifted. It didn’t last.
“So,” she said after a moment, sitting up and pulling the sheet around herself. “What’s with you and that first-year?”
I rolled my eyes and exhaled. “There’s nothing with us, Jas.”
She arched her brow. “Really? Because you seem… pretty hard on her.”
“Hard?” I scoffed lightly, rising to grab my water. “Trust me, she hasn’t seen that side of me. I’m pushing her because she needs it. Growing up, she had it easy. Too easy.”
“Mmm.” Her smile sharpened a touch. “Because from the outside, it kind of seems like you’re bordering on bullying, Aid.”
I let out a low laugh, shaking my head. “This isn’t bullying.
She needs the truth, even if it hurts. This place is not for the weak, and you know that.
I’m not going to coddle her when she feels like quitting.
” I paused, jaw tightening. “That’s what her parents did.
My father took more pride in watching her get back up than he ever did observing me punch a post until my knuckles bled.
” I leaned forward; forearms braced on my legs.
Jasmine shifted closer, her hand moving in slow, soothing strokes along my back.
“Well,” she softly uttered, “then I support you. You’re right, Arcanna is brutal. She needs to understand that.” I nodded. This…this was why I loved Jasmine. She didn’t mistake firmness for cruelty. She understood who I was. Why I did things the way I did.