Chapter 14
Elira
Apparently, a field trip was in order today.
After a week of brutal training had passed, I had woken to find a neatly folded pile of clothes waiting at the end of my cot—thicker denim pants, a long woollen coat, sturdy new boots, and leather gloves. All of it far better quality than the standard-issue uniform I was used to.
I dressed quickly, my fingers brushing over the fabric with reluctant curiosity.
The coat was a soft shade of blue that caught the morning light and made my eyes gleam like frost. The cut was tailored, more fitted than anything I’d worn in weeks, and it moved with me like it had been made for me.
The boots were supple, the leather moulding easily around my calves, built for movement, not just show.
Whoever had picked these out knew exactly what I needed—and exactly how I’d look in them.
I scrubbed my face clean in the basin, the water icy against my skin, then worked quickly to tame my hair, twisting it into a knot at the crown of my head. I tucked my necklace under my shirt. When I looked up, the girl staring back at me in the mirror made me pause.
For just a moment, I felt… pretty.
“Look at you,” Leo drawled from the doorway, his voice carrying that lazy charm he wore like a second skin. He leaned against the frame, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Don’t you clean up nicely.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t bother snapping back. The words hung in the air between us, oddly sincere for Leo.
Instead, I reached for my gloves and tugged them on, the supple leather sliding over my fingers. “So,” I asked, turning toward him, “where are we going today?”
He stepped into the room, the air shifting with his presence. “We’ve got an errand to run. Outside the castle walls.”
I stilled. “Outside?”
“Don’t get any ideas, trouble,” Leo said smoothly, like he was commenting on the weather.
“We’ve marked your magical signature. Even if you tried to vanish into the wind, we’d find you.
” His gaze flicked up, sharp and knowing.
“And considering the king knows your face now… well, let’s just say the world out there wouldn’t be any kinder. ”
“I think I could get away from you if I really tried,” I muttered, just to see what he’d do.
He stepped closer—slow, deliberate, his lion just below the surface of his skin—until the air between us grew taut. His eyes glowed with heat.
“Do it,” he whispered, practically purring, his voice low and hungry. “I’d love a good hunt.”
“Leo, leave the girl alone,” Phoenix called from the hallway beyond my door. His voice was calm but carried enough weight to still the air between us.
He stepped into the room, the low light catching the quicksilver in his eyes. They swept over me—quick, but thorough—and for the briefest moment, something warm flickered there.
But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. His expression cooled, unreadable again. A wall slammed down behind his gaze, and whatever I thought I saw was gone.
He lingered near the doorway, his gaze flicking to Leo in silent warning before returning to me.
“You ready for this?” he asked, voice quieter now, like it was meant just for me.
I nodded, though the nerves in my stomach twisted tighter. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Phoenix gave a short nod, then stepped closer, his tone unreadable but not unkind. “Stay sharp out there. It’s about as safe out there as it is in here. Watch your back.”
His words felt heavier than they should’ve. Like he wasn’t just talking about danger in the streets.
I swallowed. “I can handle myself.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips—just a twitch, really. “I know you can.” Then he turned and gestured toward the hallway. “Come on. Slade and our fearless leader are waiting.”
They led me down the long, echoing hallway toward the dreaded elevator. My boots clicked against the stone in rhythm with my heartbeat—too fast, too loud. As the metal doors yawned open, I hesitated for half a breath before stepping inside.
It wasn’t getting any easier stepping in this claustrophobic contraption.
The space was cold, cramped. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. I closed my eyes.
Then—warmth. A hand closed around mine, steady and unexpected.
I opened my eyes to find Leo beside me, his expression unreadable, almost surprised by his own gesture. His palm was rough and calloused, but his grip was steady. Protective. Human.
“I got you,” he said quietly.
I didn’t pull away.
Neither did he.
Phoenix pressed a button I hadn’t noticed before, and a narrow panel on the wall slid open with a faint hiss, revealing a biometric lock. Extra precaution. My heart ticked a little faster.
Without hesitation, he placed his palm against the glowing screen. A soft hum vibrated through the air, followed by a green pulse of light.
“Elite master Shade, Phoenix. Clear,” a voice chimed from the panel.
He glanced sideways, catching the surprise on my face, and winked. “Security’s tighter these days.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you have to protect your latest acquisition, huh.”
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Something like that.”
When the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, I found myself staring into a grand lobby I had never seen before. The ceiling arched high above us, vaulted and domed in elegant stonework, while polished wood floors gleamed beneath our boots. But none of that held my focus.
There, across the room, stood a door. A real one. Heavy glass and steel framing the impossible: daylight.
We stepped out, the elevator sealing shut behind us with a soft hiss, as if locking away the world I’d just come from. The air felt different here. Lighter.
Beyond the door, framed in the morning sun, Slade and Thorne stood with their backs to us. Both dressed down in civilian clothes, dark coats and fitted trousers, just like Leo and Phoenix. The shift in appearance was subtle, but it made them feel more dangerous, not less.
Their presence was quiet and watchful.
When we stepped outside, the cool air hit me like a sharp, welcome reminder of freedom. The horses were tethered nearby, their breath misting in the morning light.
Thorne stood by one of the horses, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the creature’s reins as if it was the only thing holding his attention. He didn’t look at me, not yet.
I started toward Leo automatically, my feet already moving in his direction as if they knew where they were supposed to go. But then—before I could even make it halfway to him—something stopped me.
A strong, unyielding hand closed around my wrist, pulling me back.
I spun around, ready to snap at whoever had the audacity to touch me, but then I saw him.
Thorne.
His jaw was clenched, eyes dark with an intensity I hadn’t expected. "Not Leo," he said, his voice a low growl. "You’re riding with me, Elira."
I pulled my arm out of his grip, glaring at him.
“No, I’m not.”
Leo stepped forward instinctively. “I can take her…”
The look Thorne sent him could’ve melted steel.
"Don’t make me drag you," he warned, his voice still calm, but there was a raw edge to it. A warning I knew all too well.
Before I could finish my sentence, his hand shot out again, gripping my wrist with unrelenting force. I didn’t even have time to react before he yanked me toward him.
"Stop," I hissed, trying to wrench myself free. "I’m not—"
Thorne didn’t listen. He only tightened his grip, dragging me toward the waiting horse, his eyes dark and unreadable.
I dug my heels in, pushing back, my body resisting his force. "Let go of me, you jackass!" I growled, my heart pounding with a mix of fury and something else I didn’t want to admit.
"You don’t get a choice," he said, his voice steady, though there was a dangerous edge to it. "Get on the horse. Now."
I could’ve kicked him. “I don’t want to!”
Before I could react, he lifted me off the ground effortlessly, his grip like iron. It was like I weighed nothing at all. "Put me down!" I snapped, kicking at him.
Thorne didn’t even flinch. He held me up, his face hard, and without another word, placed me in the saddle of the horse.
I shot him a look that would’ve made a lesser man flinch. "You’re unbelievable."
He didn’t answer. He only swung up behind me, settling in with a smooth, practiced motion that sent the horse into motion. His presence engulfed me as his body pressed close against mine, his arm brushing against my side as he took the reins.
I tensed, my body reacting against my will. The closeness was suffocating, and yet, my skin prickled at the heat that radiated from him. My pulse quickened, betraying me.
I glared at him, my pulse pounding in my ears. "You’re such an asshole."
"Yeah, well, you aren’t exactly a delight, little shadow." He muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as if he found my frustration amusing.
I shot a glance over my shoulder and caught Leo snickering behind us, clearly enjoying the show. Even Phoenix couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes, sending me a look that said, you’re stuck with him, sorry. Deal with it.
Slade, however, remained silent as usual, his unreadable expression masking whatever thoughts were running through his head. But unlike the others, there was something different in the way he was watching me. A subtle protectiveness in his gaze that I hadn't noticed before.
I turned my attention back to the road ahead, gritting my teeth.
It wasn’t just the constant proximity to Thorne that was driving me crazy—it was the fact that I couldn’t shake the feeling that this ride, this moment, wasn’t about me winning or losing.
It was about Thorne—his control, his presence, and me, stuck in the middle of it all like usual.
The horse moved steadily beneath us, but I could feel every subtle shift of his body as he held the reins, his arms wrapped around me, keeping me in place. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating even, and yet, there was no way to escape it.