Chapter 10
Seph
Sy was out on the edge of the track in dragon form, perched along the wall overlooking the valley.
His dragon was monstrous — black as onyx, scales catching the low light like polished stone. Vast wings lay folded at his sides, every line of him coiled and watchful.
He was my sentinel.
When I entered the space, his head turned slowly. He inclined it in a brief nod to me in acknowledgment.
His gaze slid past me to Kieran, where he stood talking intensely to Sable.
For a moment, those serpentine eyes narrowed, something ancient and territorial stirring beneath the surface.
Then Sy turned back to the horizon, attention already withdrawn, as if Kieran no longer warranted it.
Ash tugged lightly on my arm. “Come on,” he murmured.
He pulled me toward the track, away from the wall. It didn’t take long for Ash to lap me.
Running was not my forte.
Still, I welcomed the air — the burn in my lungs, the steady rhythm of my feet. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it until now.
As I circled the track, my thoughts drifted — unwilling — to my father. To my family.
Did they know yet what had happened? Would they come for him? Would my mother even notice that I was gone?
I hated that these thoughts still had teeth. That they could still sink in so easily.
Life had changed for me since Darkmoor. I wasn’t the same girl in that room, waiting for her life to begin.
But who was I?
A void. A vacuum. A bridge.
I looked at Sy.
Persephone Quinn?
I thought of Sable.
She used to fill my entire world.
So why did it feel like she didn’t really want me here?
I felt Ash watching me while he ran. His eyes were usually on me in one shape or form. Sweat dripped over my brow, and I wished I could strip the gloves from my hand. That I could wear shorts or a dress without fear.
I thought of that morning. The way Ash had touched me.
Is it possible?
Could I ever have a normal life?
The thought was strong, bright and unrepentant.
Could I do more than touch?
Would I even dare?
In the middle of the track, Dev had stripped down to just shorts and a black, skin-tight workout shirt. Sunlight caught on his skin as he lifted, muscles flexing with controlled precision. For the first time since I’d known him, he wasn’t hiding behind tailored suits or sharp edges.
He was just… Dev.
His biceps strained as he hauled the weighted bar up, sweat already glistening along his arms and collarbone. The sun was hot against my skin — grounding, real.
I slowed without meaning to, my feet stuttering on the track as my attention caught.
I hesitated.
And stared — before I could stop myself.
He was beautiful in the most controlled, deliberate way. His black hair curled at the nape of his neck, his shirt pulled tight across straining muscle.
Something warm pooled low in my stomach before I could stop it. I felt hot in a way that had nothing to do with the sun.
Ash chose that moment to pass me again, then slowed to a stop at my side.
He followed my gaze and chuckled. “Show off,” he muttered.
At the sound, Dev startled — looking directly at me in surprise. His eyes widened… then softened, just a fraction.
Heat flamed across my cheeks. I snapped my gaze away.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
Ash snickered and pressed lightly at the small of my back. “Keep going, pervert.”
I felt Dev’s eyes on me as I ran.
Ash stayed by my side.
When we stopped to take a break, he sat with me on the grass.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just thinking.” I said.
“About Dev?” he asked, his voice careful. I glanced at him quickly.
He bounced his legs on the spot, unable to stay still for too long.
“It’s OK if you like him you know.” Ash said finally. “I like him.”
“I like you.” I said quickly.
He bounced even faster, his grin broadening. “I know.” He winked at me. The air whispered playfully around my ears, drawn to Ash’s mood.
“What else can you do with the wind?” I asked. “How much control do you have over it?”
Ash darted his fingers around, twirling his fingers. Before my eyes a small tornado began to twist on his hand.
“The wind is a friend. I don’t control it, it … helps me.” Ash bit his lip. For a moment his eyes went far away. “When I was a kid, it was my only friend.”
“I’m glad you had something,” I said quietly.
“Didn’t you have Kieran?”
I laughed out loud. “I thought I did. Turns out I was wrong. He told me it was always a plan to befriend me. How about that?”
Ash’s face clouded over. “I should kill him.”
He glared at Kieran, who just looked confused.
“No! No Ash, really.” I said, lifting my hand. “I don’t want you to. It’s ok.”
“It’s not okay to use people.”
“It’s not okay,” I said quietly. “But I don’t want to carry it. Hating him won’t fix what he broke.”
Ash’s face brightened with wonder. “Why do you do that? Why do you forgive like that? Don’t you ever get mad?”
I hesitated.
“I’ve been mad. I’ve been hurt. I’ve been scared. Before you came for me, in Marr’s hellscape, I…I killed a woman.”
“Seph,” Ash said, “what happened to you in there wasn’t your fault.”
“It doesn’t make it better.”
“So, what do you think that means?”
“I’ll do what I have to,” I said after a moment. “I’ll help where I can. I don’t want to be that girl again. I want to be able to fight back.”
“For Elliot?”
I was thoughtful. “I don’t know yet. This place, the Equinox, even Kieran. I think they have good intentions, but.”
“So paves the road to hell.”
At Ash’s words I smiled. “Yeah.”
Ash leaped up and held out his hands. “Well, if you want to be strong, it starts here. With me. With us.”
“Us?”
He nodded towards Dev. “He likes you, you know. So does K.”
“Kieran will never choose me, Ash. Not over the cause.”
“Then choose him,” Ash said, frowning slightly. “He’s a good person, deep down. I think so, at least.”
I looked at Kieran. He was watching me closely.
I wasn’t sure if it was me he saw— or my power.
And I wasn’t sure which answer scared me more.