Chapter 23 #2
The ballroom was stunningly decorated for the evening.
Like a gothic cathedral of dark stone, vaulted ceilings hung with silvered banners and glowing lanterns.
Glass windows rose thirty feet, letting in moonlight across the marble floors.
The sound of hundreds of voices hit me at once, but I kept moving.
The moment we entered, a hush fell. It was subtle, but I felt it ripple through the crowd. All eyes turned to us—the freak show, the anomaly, the first Ophiuchus in ten thousand years.
I could feel the pressure of it bearing down, but I didn’t flinch. Assembly members surged forward, all of them desperate to get a piece of me. Hands extended, faces painted with professional smiles, voices cloyingly sweet as they tried to out-politeness each other.
“Miss Black, such a pleasure, such a privilege, we’ve followed your progress with great interest…”
“You look radiant, my dear, simply radiant. As does your shield. So impressive.”
I recognized some of them from New York. I played the game, smiling, shaking hands, letting them prattle on. All the while, I scanned the crowd for threats, for allies, for anyone who might make this night easier or harder.
Scattered through the crowd were members of the Order.
Some wore the formal silver pin on their lapel.
Others just gave me the subtlest nod. I recognized Tala, stone-faced and regal in velvet, her eyes meeting mine across the room.
Next to her, Malakai, raising his glass in a salute, looking so much like Phoenix it was jarring sometimes.
There were others, too. Some of them I barely knew, but their faces shone with pride and encouragement.
The tension in my spine eased, just a little. I wasn’t alone. In the bond, the guys felt it too. The relief, the flicker of hope, the anticipation of what was coming.
But not everyone was happy.
I caught a flash of blonde hair and icy blue eyes. A woman was shouldering through the crowd, gaze fixed on me with naked disgust. Lyssa. Eris’s Dominion stalker, the one who’d tried to sabotage us for months while her bestie Melissa created bogus messages, making me look like a liar to my shield.
She swept past, heels clicking, and hissed “myth bitch” under her breath as she went by.
I snorted at the stupid-ass high-school insult, and stuck my foot out just enough. Her heel caught my toe, and she went sprawling forward, arms pinwheeling. She hit the floor with a smack loud enough to silence at least a dozen conversations.
There was a small, perfect moment of silence. She glared up at me, face going splotchy red, but there was nothing she could say. Not here. Not now.
I turned away, letting the crowd swallow her humiliation. Percy’s voice purred in my head, ‘That was hot.’
‘Ten out of ten,’ said Jamie.
I kept my face neutral, but inside I was cackling.
The Assembly kept coming. I was introduced to at least thirty more people, none of whose names I remembered. Their hands were cold, their smiles colder. But I played along. Meanwhile, the guys formed a loose half-circle behind me, silent, imposing, making sure nobody got too close.
At the far end of the ballroom, the headmistress herself was waiting, ringed by security and her own shield. She smiled at me, arms open, and we did the obligatory photo op.
We stood in front of the massive glass windows for a formal portrait. The Assembly’s photographer lined us up. Noodle flicked his tongue, clearly enjoying the attention.
Percy’s father stood at the edge of the crowd. Beside him stood Mr. Reece, Aiden’s father, taller, leaner, with ash-blonde hair gone white at the roots. He had the same golden eyes as his son, but colder, flatter. He was smiling, but it didn’t reach anywhere near his eyes.
My stomach dropped through the floor. I hadn’t seen either of them since Dominion. Since the attack on Draco and Eris. We’d never found the attacker. But I’d always known that Charles had arranged it. That they’d sent someone to hurt my shield as a way to lure me back to Dominion.
My hands curled at my sides, nails biting into my palms, and for one glorious, blinding second I imagined myself crossing the ballroom, grabbing Charles Callahan by his expensive lapels, and smashing his face into the nearest marble column until his teeth scattered across the floor like pearls.
Noodle tightened around my neck. ‘Not worth jail.’
I breathed. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. The rage didn’t leave, but I was pretty sure I could pretend for a little while.
They were coming toward us. I felt Percy go rigid beside me.
Through the bond, his emotions were a hurricane of fury, shame, defiance, and underneath all of it, a deep, old hurt.
Aiden was worse. His magic was spiking, the bond humming with barely contained Leo fire, and I caught the faintest whiff of smoke.
“Steady,” I murmured, so quiet only they could hear. “Not here. Not tonight.”
Percy’s jaw unclenched by a millimeter. Aiden’s hands, which had been fisted at his sides, loosened.
Charles reached us. His smile was practiced, polished, and completely empty. “Miss Black. You look well.”
“Mr. Callahan.” I extended my hand, because I had to, because the cameras were watching, because the entire Assembly was watching. His grip was dry and firm, and I wanted to break every finger. “It’s been a while.”
“Indeed it has.” His eyes swept over me with the clinical detachment of a man appraising livestock. “The Assembly speaks very highly of your progress. We’re all quite impressed.”
“Thank you.” The words tasted like ash. “I’ve had excellent teachers.”
His gaze flicked to Percy, and something dark moved behind his eyes. A warning. A reminder. Percy met it head-on, chin lifted, jaw set, and I felt the bond surge with something fierce and protective. Charles’s mouth tightened, just barely, and he released my hand.
Aiden’s father stepped forward next. “Jupiter. A pleasure.”
“Mr. Reece.” I shook his hand too. “I hope you’ve been well.”
There was that flat, soulless smile again. “The Assembly keeps us all on our toes. But we’ve been following your training with great interest. We’re looking forward to the demonstration tonight. Very much.”
“We won’t disappoint then,” I said, and let my own smile sharpen to something that was not friendly.
Charles turned to Percy. For a long, loaded moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them crackled. Then Charles reached up and clapped his hand on Percy’s shoulder, hard enough that I saw Percy’s spine lock, and leaned in close.
“Maybe you’re not a total loss after all,” Charles said. “We’ll talk later.”
He squeezed Percy’s shoulder once, then released him, turned on his heel, and walked away without another word.
Mr. Reece followed, his golden eyes lingering on Aiden for one more beat.
It was a look that carried the weight of a thousand unspoken disappointments.
Then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Behind them, I caught a flash of blonde hair and familiar gold eyes.
Eliza stood where her father had been, arms folded, watching the exchange with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
She met my gaze, held it for a beat, and gave me a single, curt nod.
Not friendly, not even hostile, just an acknowledgment, before turning and following her father into the crowd.
“You okay?” I asked Percy.
His eyes were still fixed on the spot where his father had stood. The red glow at the edges of his irises was fading, but slowly. “Fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
He looked at me then, and something cracked behind the mask. Just for a second. “Later,” he said. “After.”
I nodded. The bond hummed with shared fury, even Jamie was glaring after their fathers as if he might throw a punch on behalf of his shield brothers. Aiden was breathing hard through his nose, his golden eyes tracking his father’s retreating back.
The headmistress’s voice rang out over the ballroom, cutting through the noise. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll please take your seats. The ceremony is about to begin.”
We found our table near the front of the room.
It was draped in black silk, set with silver flatware and crystal glasses that caught the lantern light.
Our names were engraved on small cards. JUPITER BLACK, HORIZON SHIELD.
The sight of it, our name printed in gold ink on heavy cardstock, made something fierce and proud bloom in my chest.
The ballroom settled. Crystal clinked. Chairs scraped. The murmur of conversation dropped to a low, expectant hum. Director Calla Orion took the stage. She was a tall woman, severe and elegant in a silver gown, her dark hair pulled into a tight chignon.
“Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Assembly, honored guests. Welcome to the Bonding Gala.” A ripple of applause.
She smiled, waited for it to fade. “Tonight, we celebrate the formation of eighteen new shield teams from both Dominion and Imperium academies. These young men and women represent the future of our community. The next generation of protectors, of warriors, of leaders.” She paused for dramatic flair.
“Please hold your applause until all teams have been presented.”
The first name rang out. “The Duskfall Shield. Dominion Academy. Axis: Cassia Marta, designation Cancer.”
Cassia, a woman with long red hair, led a shield team of four tall men up to the stage, where they officially announced their bonding.
One by one, the teams were called. The Sapphire Shield from Imperium.
The Emberlight Shield from Dominion. The Nightblade Shield and so on.
Some I recognized as faces from training sessions, names from the roster boards.
Others were strangers. My palms were sweating.
I wiped them on the silk of my dress, trying not to fidget.
The last name before ours, the Tempest Shield from Dominion, took their bow and filed off the stage to scattered applause. The ballroom went quiet.