Chapter 20
Jupiter
I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand. Lucas and Rowan were still asleep, their bodies warm against mine, their breathing deep and even. I carefully extracted myself from between them, trying not to wake them as I reached for my phone.
It was a text from Lydia.
L: Back on campus and heard you were here! Come to my room ASAP. Miss you!
My heart leapt. How the hell did she even know that?
I quickly replied that I’d be there in fifteen minutes, then slipped out of bed.
I pulled on some borrowed clothes, ran a brush through my tangled hair, and scribbled a quick note on the counter for Lucas and Rowan before quietly leaving the guest suite.
The morning air was crisp as I made my way across campus to Lydia’s dorm.
Students were already heading to breakfast, giving me curious glances as I passed.
I kept my head down, not in the mood for questions about why I was back at Dominion.
When I reached Lydia’s room, I knocked softly.
The door flew open almost immediately, and I was engulfed in a fierce hug.
“Jupe!” Lydia squealed, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe. “I’ve been so fucking worried about you!”
Tye appeared behind her, his face breaking into a wide grin. “There’s our girl!” He pulled me into a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. “Damn, you look good, got muscles and everything. London must be treating you well.”
I laughed, feeling some of the tension from the past day melt away in an instant. “You guys have no idea how good it is to see you.”
They ushered me into Lydia’s room, which was much the same as I remembered, cozy and cluttered, with textbooks stacked on every surface and fairy lights strung across the ceiling. We settled onto her small couch, Tye sprawling in an armchair while Lydia and I squeezed onto the loveseat.
“So we heard about what happened last night. The attack on Draco and Eris. Is everyone okay?” She must have seen the question in my eyes because she waved me off. “Nothing’s a secret around here, you should know that.”
I groaned, tucking my legs beneath me. “It was close, but Lucas was able to pull the toxin out of Draco’s system. Eris just has a concussion.”
“Lucas?” Tye raised an eyebrow. “As in, Stardust Shield Lucas Bennett with the nice ass?”
A blush crept up my neck. “That’d be the one. He’s an Aquarius. His water manipulation abilities were perfect for extracting the neurotoxin.”
Tye’s grin widened. “So the rumors are true? You’ve got yourself some new eye candy panting after you? I bet it’s got Nightfall in a fucking panty twist.”
Lydia swatted his arm. “Tye! That’s not the important part.” She turned back to me. “I’m just glad everyone’s okay. What happened exactly?”
I gave them the rundown—the dart through Draco’s window, the neurotoxin, my desperate portal to Imperium, and the attack on Eris. As I spoke, their faces grew increasingly concerned.
“This sounds like a professional hit,” Tye said when I finished.
“I know. I think someone’s after the shield. Maybe because I’m the Ophis? One of the blue-blooded families who wants me out of the picture?”
Lydia frowned thoughtfully. “It’s possible, but it would make more sense for them to want you on their side. The Ophis designation is one of a kind and powerful.”
“Unless they see you as a threat,” Tye suggested. “But there’s another possibility.” He leaned forward. “What if this was a ploy to lure you back to Dominion? To get you to come back to your shield team?”
I hated that they’d come to a similar conclusion as me. “You think someone staged the attack to bring me back?”
“It’s not impossible,” Lydia said with a shrug. “The timing is suspicious. You’ve been at Imperium for weeks, and suddenly there’s an attack on your former shield the moment you start getting close to Stardust?”
I sat back, my mind racing. “If anyone wanted to bring me back to Dominion, it would be one of them—Percy or Aiden’s dad. They’ve always been obsessed with the idea of their sons being at the top of the social hierarchy, especially with the famous Ophis.”
“Charles Callahan would definitely have the resources to arrange something like this,” Tye agreed. “And Aiden’s father has connections to some pretty shady Assembly officials.”
I filed that thought away for later. I’d need to look into it when I got back to Imperium.
“Enough about me,” I said, forcing a smile. “How are things with your new bonded mates?”
Lydia’s face lit up, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “It’s amazing, Jupe. I never thought I’d find something like this. Rafe is so protective, and Valeria...” She sighed dreamily. “They make me feel so safe and wanted. You haven’t even met John and Alex yet.”
“I’m happy for you, Lyd. You of all people deserve it.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you and Stardust...?”
I hesitated, unsure how to answer. “It’s complicated. We’re not bonded, but there’s definitely something there. I’m taking it slow this time.”
‘You sit on a throne of lies,’ Noodle would have said if I hadn’t left him in the room with the guys. There was absolutely nothing slow about what I was doing with Stardust.
“Smart,” Tye nodded knowingly, as if even he didn’t buy my bullshit. “No rushing into anything.”
“How’s your human girlfriend doing?”
Tye’s eyes brightened. “Actually, I’ve petitioned the Assembly to let me bring her in on the secret. I’ve been seeing her for so long now, and keeping this part of my life hidden is killing me.”
“Seriously? That’s a big step.”
“I know, but I love her. And if she can’t accept this part of me, then we’re not meant to be. I’ve already started the paperwork. If they approve, she might even be able to visit the academy.”
“That’s amazing. I really hope it works out, and that she doesn’t freak out.”
We spent the next hour catching up. For a little while, I could almost forget what was waiting for me. I could almost pretend we were back in my room at the Assembly headquarters, and nothing else mattered but training.
But eventually, I had to face reality again. I checked my phone and saw a text from Lucas asking where I was.
“I should get back. We’re heading back to Imperium this afternoon.”
Lydia hugged me tightly. “Promise you’ll be careful? And keep me updated on what’s happening with the attack investigation?”
“I promise. And you’ll let me know if you hear anything about who might be behind it? I know you love sleuthing.”
“You know me too well.” She grinned. “We’ve got your back, always.”
Tye pulled me into another bear hug. “Don’t be a stranger, Black. And if those Stardust boys give you any trouble, you know where to find me.”
I laughed, fighting back the stinging in my eyes. “Thanks, guys. I needed this.”
As I made my way back to the guest suite, my mind kept returning to Tye’s theory. What if the attack had been staged to bring me back to Dominion? What if someone was manipulating events to keep me away from Stardust and tied to Nightfall?
The thought made my stomach churn. If someone was willing to poison a zodiac warrior just to get to me, what else might they be capable of?
I needed to talk to Lucas and Rowan about this. And when we got back to Imperium, I needed to have a serious conversation with all of Stardust about a lot of complicated things, and there was no part of me that was looking forward to it.
I was about to push open the door to the guest suite when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, expecting another text from Lucas asking where I was. Instead, I saw Draco’s name on the screen.
D: Constellarium.
My finger hovered over the delete button, but curiosity won out.
I hesitated, my hand on the doorknob. I could ignore it.
Go back inside, curl up with Lucas and Rowan, and pretend I hadn’t seen the message.
But something pulled me away from the door, down the corridor, and up the winding staircase that led to the tower.
The only light in the tower came from a single candle flickering on the floor. Draco was lying on his back in the center of the room, exactly where we’d once gazed at the stars together. He didn’t move when I entered, but I knew he’d heard me.
“You came. I wasn’t sure if you’d ignore me.”
“I should have. What do you want, Draco?”
He sat up slowly, his eyes finding mine. He looked exhausted, shadows darkening the hollows beneath his eyes. “I wanted to talk to you. Away from the others.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You made your feelings perfectly clear weeks ago.”
“We were wrong. I was wrong. And I’ve spent every day since regretting it.”
“And that’s supposed to make it better? A simple ‘I was wrong’ erases that kind of pain?”
“No,” he admitted. “Nothing will erase that. But I have a proposal.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not interested in your proposals.”
“Just hear me out.” He stood, moving closer but keeping a careful distance between us. “What happened last night proved something. We’re vulnerable when we’re apart. All of us.”
“So?”
“So I think we should transfer to Imperium. As a combat unit.”
I stared at him, certain I’d misheard. “You want to follow me to Imperium? After everything?”
“Yes. But not as your mates. As your shield. Strictly professional. No romantic entanglements, no attempts to win you back. Just a combat unit that works together. People do it all the time. Not every shield end up together romantically, so I know it can happen.”
“Are you insane? I left for a reason, Draco. I needed to get away from you, from all of you.”
He took a step closer. “The bond is killing us, Jupiter. You feel it too, I know you do. The distance is agony. And last night proved that we’re stronger together. We need each other.”
“I don’t need you,” I spat, but the words rang hollow. The bond had been pulling at me constantly since I’d arrived, a constant ache that I’d been trying to ignore.
“As a combat unit, we’re stronger with you than without you. And you’re stronger with us. Our job is to fight the bane, and we can’t do that at half power or distracted. We’re not just putting ourselves in danger, but everyone else around us.”
I turned away, staring at the closed dome above us. “What’s the point of me leaving if you’re just going to follow me? What was the point of any of it?”
Draco was silent for a long moment. I wondered if he even had an answer.
What was the point of it all? I ran as far away as I physically could and still, they were like ghosts that haunted my every moment of every day.
And he was right. The distance was painful.
I woke up every morning feeling like half of me was ripped off at the seam.
“Maybe there isn’t a point. Maybe this is just our life now. Maybe we’re meant to be together, even if it’s not in the way we originally thought.”
I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over. I was so damn sick of crying over these men. “I can’t go back to how things were, Draco. I won’t.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to consider a new arrangement. One where we respect your boundaries, where we work together professionally, and where we all stop suffering because of the distance.”
I turned to face him again. “And if I say no?”
“Then we’ll accept that. We’ll stay here, and we’ll continue to suffer. But I think you know as well as I do that this separation isn’t sustainable. Not for any of us. This bond has settled in deep, and there’s no force in the world that’s going to dissolve it shy of death.”
He was right, and I hated him for it. And after last night, after feeling Draco’s life slipping away through our connection, I couldn’t deny that we were connected in ways that went beyond a simple choice.
“I’ll think about it,” I said finally. “But I’m not making any promises.”
Draco nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “That’s all I’m asking.” I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me at the door. “Jupiter?”
I looked back at him, silhouetted against the candlelight. “What?”
“I never stopped loving you. None of us did. And I know that doesn’t change anything, but I needed you to know that one, singular truth because it’s all I have left.”
“Goodbye, Draco.”
I left him standing there in the darkness, my mind racing. As I made my way back to the guest suite, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. If maybe the only way forward was to find a way to work together, even if it meant setting aside the pain of the past.
But as I pushed open the door to the suite and saw Lucas and Rowan waiting for me, concern etched on their faces, I knew that whatever decision I made would affect more than just me and Nightfall. It would affect Stardust too, and the fragile new connections I was building with them.
And that made everything infinitely more fucking complicated.