Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
Jupiter
I woke up to Noodle sliding across my cheek, his cool scales a balm against my fevered skin.
My throat felt raw from screaming into my pillow all night, and my body ached like I’d been hit by a truck.
Aiden had been with someone again, I’d felt every touch, every kiss, every moment when he tried and failed to perform.
The emotional aftermath had been worse than if he’d succeeded.
‘You smell sick,’ Noodle said, his tongue flicking near my ear.
“I’m fine,” I lied, pushing myself up from the floor where I’d collapsed sometime after midnight.
My arms throbbed with fresh crescent marks where I’d dug my nails into my skin, desperate for any pain that might distract from what was pouring through the bond. I pulled my sleeves down to cover them, wincing as the fabric brushed against the raw wounds.
It had been three weeks since my life imploded. Three weeks since they’d found those emails I never wrote, messages detailing plans I never made, manipulations I would never have conceived. Three weeks of hell.
I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, avoiding my reflection. I already knew what I’d see. Hollow eyes, dark circles, and skin that had gone from pale to nearly translucent. I’d lost weight I couldn’t afford to lose, and my hands trembled constantly now.
The bond was killing me.
That was the cruel irony. Whoever had planted those emails had known exactly what they were doing. The bond itself remained intact, and I could block them from accessing me, but they never bothered blocking themselves.
I could feel everything. Their anger. Their pain. Their disgust. And worse, their attempts to erase me with other women.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Lydia.
L: You coming to class today?
I stared at the message. I’d missed six training sessions already this week. The write-ups were piling up on my desk, each one threatening more serious consequences if I didn’t “fulfill my academic obligations.” As if I cared about any of that anymore.
J: No.
L: Tye’s coming to get you in 20. No arguments.
I didn’t bother responding. Arguing with Lydia was pointless when she got like this.
I pulled on a black turtleneck and leggings, the most coverage I could manage. The less skin I showed, the fewer whispers followed me.
My laptop sat open on the desk, the screen filled with scans of ancient texts on bond-breaking that I’d been translating all night.
So far, every potential solution was worse than the problem.
Rituals that would leave me catatonic, spells that required blood sacrifices, potions with ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce.
But I had to find something. I couldn’t keep living like this, feeling them with other women, feeling their hatred directed at me like poison in my veins.
Yeah, their cocks were soft and Aiden threw up when they touched him, but I’d felt it when a woman put her mouth on Percy’s useless cock, when Eris ran his fingers over bare skin.
‘Food?’ Noodle asked, coiling around my wrist.
“Not hungry,” I mumbled, but I grabbed an apple anyway. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten a full meal.
A knock at the door made me flinch. I knew immediately it wasn’t Tye.
“Jupiter?” Professor Hartwell’s voice. My magic theory professor. “I need to speak with you.”
I considered pretending I wasn’t there, but she’d just come back later. With a sigh, I opened the door.
“You missed another session,” she said without preamble, her eyes taking in my disheveled appearance with professional concern. “That’s seven this week.”
“I’m aware.”
She held out another slip of paper. “This isn’t a write-up. It’s a summons from Director Waverly. Tomorrow, nine a.m.”
I took it without looking at it. “Fine.”
Professor Hartwell didn’t leave. Instead, she shifted uncomfortably. “Jupiter, I don’t know what happened between you and the Nightfall Shield, but—“
“With all due respect,” I cut her off, “you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But I know what a broken bond looks like. I’ve seen zodiacs waste away from it.”
I laughed harshly. “Is that what this is? A wellness check?”
“It’s concern from someone who doesn’t believe you’re capable of what they’re saying.”
That caught me off guard. “What?”
“The emails,” she said simply. “I’ve known Director Orion for twenty years. Sensitive information like that would never be allowed via email.”
Something cold lodged in my chest. “You… don’t think I wrote them?”
“No,” she said firmly. “I don’t. And I’ve told Director Waverly as much.”
Before I could process this, heavy footsteps announced Tye’s arrival. He rounded the corner, his broad frame filling the hallway, eyes narrowing when he spotted Professor Hartwell.
“Everything okay here?” he asked, positioning himself slightly between us.
Professor Hartwell stepped back. “Just delivering a message. Think about what I said, Jupiter.”
After she left, Tye turned to me. “What was that about?”
“Nothing,” I said, the first flicker of something other than despair sparking in my chest. “Just another write-up.”
“Well, grab your stuff. Lydia’s waiting for us at the training hall.”
“Tye, I can’t—“
“Yes, you can. Jupe, you can’t keep hiding. That’s exactly what they want.”
“Who?”
“Whoever set you up.” His eyes darkened. “I’m going to find them, by the way. And when I do, they’re going to wish they’d never been born.”
I didn’t argue as he practically dragged me to the training gym. My legs felt like lead, and every step closer to where I might see them filled me with dread. But Tye was right. Hiding was getting me nowhere.
The hall fell silent when I entered, dozens of eyes turning to stare. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, letting Tye guide me to where Lydia waited.
“You look like shit,” she said by way of greeting, but her eyes were soft with concern.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“I got us a corner spot,” she said. “Away from everyone else.”
I nodded gratefully, and we began basic warm-ups. My body protested every movement, weak from lack of food and sleep. But gradually, the familiar routine began to calm my frayed nerves.
Until they walked in.
All four of them. They didn’t even glance in my direction, but I felt their awareness of me. Through the bond, I sensed their emotions shift—anger, disgust, and underneath it all, a confusing thread of longing they immediately suppressed.
The pain hit me so suddenly that I doubled over, gasping.
“Jupe?” Lydia was at my side instantly. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I managed, straightening with effort. “Just a cramp.”
Tye wasn’t fooled. His eyes followed my gaze to the Nightfall Shield, understanding dawning on his face.
“They’re still affecting you,” he said quietly. “Through the bond.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
“That’s it.” He stood, rolling his shoulders. “I’m going to beat the shit out of them.”
“Tye, no,” I grabbed his arm. “It won’t help.”
“Maybe not, but it’ll make me feel better.”
“Please,” I whispered. “Just... help me get through this session. I need to prove I can do this.”
He reluctantly backed down, but positioned himself between me and them for the rest of the training session, glaring daggers at anyone who looked my way.
I went through the motions mechanically, focusing on my breathing, on the movement of my body, anything but the constant barrage of emotions leaking through the bond.
I was almost through it when Melissa sauntered up to Percy, placing a possessive hand on his chest. The casual touch sent a wave of nausea through me, and I stumbled, dropping my practice staff.
Lydia caught me before I hit the floor. “That’s it,” she hissed. “We’re leaving.”
“No,” I protested weakly. “I can finish.”
But my body betrayed me. As Percy’s hand settled on Melissa’s waist, a fresh wave of agony tore through me. I bit my lip until I tasted blood, desperately fighting back a scream.
Tye and Lydia practically carried me out, my legs giving way the moment we cleared the doors. In the empty corridor, I finally let the tears fall, silent sobs shaking my body as Tye held me upright.
“This has to stop,” Lydia said. “They’re killing you, Jupe.”
“It’s not their fault,” I whispered. “They think I betrayed them. They think I manipulated them.”
“But you didn’t!”
“They don’t know that.” I wiped my tears with shaking hands. “Someone went to a lot of trouble to make them believe I did.”
“Who would do that?” Tye asked, his arm still supporting me. “And why?”
“Someone who doesn’t want me bonded to them,” I said, the pieces finally starting to align in my mind.
“The same person who left that threatening ward in my room the first week. Someone with enough access to fake very real looking Assembly correspondence, and who knew details about me that nobody outside of my shield could possibly know.”
Lydia’s eyes widened. “You think it’s someone at Dominion? Someone with power?”
“It has to be,” I said, feeling stronger as anger began to replace despair. “And I’m going to find out who.”
“We’re going to find out,” Tye corrected. “But first, we’re getting you something to eat. You look like you’re about to collapse.”
As they led me toward the dining hall, I felt a familiar presence brush against my consciousness—Draco, his emotions all over the place. For the briefest moment, it felt like he was reaching for me through the bond, searching.
Then it was gone, shut down so completely it left an aching void in its place.
I pulled my sleeves down further, covering the marks on my arms. Tomorrow, I would meet with Director Waverly. I would start investigating who might have wanted to destroy my bond with the Nightfall Shield. I would find a way to prove my innocence.
But tonight, I would curl up on my floor again, biting my pillow to muffle my screams as Percy would probably finally took Melissa to his bed, as Draco buried himself in ancient texts instead of sleep, as Eris drank himself into oblivion, as Aiden’s restless energy prowled the campus looking for distractions that never worked.
Tonight, I would endure. Because that’s all I could do now.