Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The ashink letter
nik
Late afternoon light slanted through the aspen trees as I drove the Thorn back towards the Oscuro Veil.
He fought like they always did—desperate, feral, teeth gnashing—but I barely felt their hatred anymore.
Muscle memory took over. A firm grip on his neck.
A solid shove to the chest—hard enough to crack bones—and he flew through the tear with a snarl, back into the kingdom of darkness where he belonged.
I didn’t bother to watch him land. I simply turned to face the two Lightner soldiers from my patrol. “Stay here and guard the tear. I’ll go notify the healers.”
“Yes, Sir,” they both chimed unanimously.
With a nod, I spun on my heel and sauntered towards the horse I’d leapt from a few paces away.
Once I was in the saddle, I took off through the trees, never once losing focus of my surroundings or the potential Thorns who lay waiting in the shadows.
Letting my mind still left too much room for thought.
It had been over a month of putting all my energy into work and I wasn’t about to slow down now. Because if I did, I’d think of Blythe.
And that hurt too much.
Even when I tried my hardest not to, my mind stayed stuck on the moment I found her note.
She told me not to follow her, and despite wanting to respect her wishes, I’d still raced to the Lucius gates to look for her.
I’d gone so far as to search The Grey and the outskirts surrounding it, but she was like a star winking out as the sun rose.
She was gone.
My heart shattered at that moment. But I had wanted her to stay in Lucius because she wanted to, not because she was being forced.
Wind whipped through my crimson feathers as I thundered through the woods, my heartbeat matching that of the pounding hooves on the horse.
The amulet around my neck bounced against my chest like a heavy weight.
It hadn’t taken long to replace it given my current ranking, and no one had even questioned me when I’d told them I’d misplaced it.
There was no point in telling them Blythe took it. I couldn’t even say I was resentful when I’d found it missing. No, the only emotion I’d felt was anger at myself for being too much too soon.
No doubt I’d scared her away. I had to be the idiot that confessed his love when she clearly wasn’t ready.
Love was just another weight she hadn’t asked to carry.
Then I’d added to that weight by telling her I could have been there the night she died. I could have saved her if I’d ignored my pride and just shown up. She knew I didn’t kill her, but knowing didn’t stop the guilt still gnawing at my chest.
With gritted teeth, I spurred the horse faster, reaching the Lucius gates in District Five just as the sun was setting.
By the time I reached the compound, the sky had dipped into deep gold and shadow.
I barely had one foot inside before voices cut through the courtyard—sharp, heated.
“You left him!”
“I had it under control—”
“You lost control!”
I slowed, attention snapping towards the noise.
Two Lightners stood near the training ring—new recruits by the look of them. The male was squared up, posture rigid, fury barely contained. The female stood opposite him, chin lifted, eyes blazing, her hands clenched so tight her knuckles had gone white.
“He’s injured because of you,” the male snapped.
“I was just doing my job,” she shot back. “The Thorn was running its mouth—”
The male huffed in frustration. “It baited you, and you took it.”
Something in my chest shifted. I’d heard those words before. Felt them all too deeply.
I stepped forward. “That’s enough,” I said, low, but firm.
Both of them turned. Recognition flickering. They straightened instinctively. “Major Nikolas.”
My gaze moved between them, settling on the female. Her anger was still there, bright, raw and barely leashed. I knew that feeling all too well.
“You got separated from your partner?” I said.
Her jaw tightened. “Yes.”
“And your partner was injured?”
“I made a call—”
“You reacted,” I corrected, not unkindly, but firm.
Her brown eyes flashed. “They were running their mouth, saying how they were going to go after the innocent in The Grey. I couldn't let them get away with it.”
The male let out a short breath. “But that decision cost—”
I held up a hand, cutting him off before he could finish. His mouth snapped shut, then I looked back at the female. “They will say whatever they need to say to get under your skin,” I went on. “They’ll twist, taunt, lie—doesn’t matter. All they need is a crack.”
Her hands flexed at her sides, fingers curling like she was still holding onto the moment. “I’m sorry, Major.”
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair, the motion doing nothing to settle the restless energy still pacing under my skin. I could still hear it—When Snake gets his hands on her. Still see it—crimson on my hands, the way I hadn’t stopped.
“They bait you,” I said, the words sitting heavy on my tongue, too familiar. “And the second you bite, you stop thinking straight. Everything narrows, sharp and loud, until all you can see is them—and you forget what’s beside you. What actually matters.”
Her gaze dropped, just slightly.
“That’s when people get hurt,” I added, quieter now.
I shifted my weight, forcing some of the edge out of my tone, though it didn’t disappear entirely. “Anger isn’t the problem,” I said, slower this time, like I was working through it as much as telling her. “You’re allowed to feel it. Means something is worth fighting for.”
Her eyes lifted back to mine. “You make it sound easy.”
I huffed a soft laugh and shook my head. “Trust me, it's not. But anger doesn’t get to decide what you do next.” I paused, my jaw tightening. “If you let it take over, the darkness wins.”
Silence stretched thick and unmoving, and for a second, I wasn’t sure if I was talking to her . . . or reminding myself.
I turned to the male. “How is your friend?”
He swallowed, shoulders lowering just slightly. “He’s in the infirmary, but stable.”
I nodded once. “Both of you take the afternoon off and go and sit with him.”
Before they could turn away, I caught the female's gaze. “And next time, you don’t chase the thing running its mouth, you protect the Lightner beside you.”
She gave a small nod. “Yes, Sir.”
I offered her a smile. “Light guide you.”
“And keep you,” she replied.
The pair moved off, and I turned to head towards my office. The echo of my own words lingered. My anger wasn’t something I’d mastered, but it was something I was finally starting to understand.
Or at least that’s what I told myself.
I’d only just set foot into my office when my ears popped, and Matthias appeared in front of me. It still caught me off guard when he used his winnowing to appear in front of me.
His face was grave, jaw set, and his usually bright blue eyes appeared duller. My stomach dropped, and my thoughts raced between Adalia and my parents.
“What is it?” I asked, not even bothering with pleasantries.
Matthias shook his head and held out a small piece of folded parchment. My fingers trembled as I took it from him—no, not trembled. They shook, the movement uneven, clumsy, like my body had forgotten how to be steady. I fumbled the fold, tearing it open faster than I meant to.
I recognised the way the letter ‘t’ curled at the bottom. It was Blythe’s writing.
I’m sorry, Nik. Please forgive me. I need you. I’ll be at Abby’s tonight, but please be careful. Snake is waiting for you.
~S.
The sounds of Lucius around me were muffled. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart began to pound erratically. She’d signed it with an S. So out of respect I’d keep her real name a secret until she was ready to tell the world who she really was.
Relief hit first—sharp, violent, almost painful in the way it tore through me, and then the anger followed.
Hot. Immediate. Consuming.
My grip tightened on the parchment, the paper crumpling beneath my fingers as something ugly reared up inside me. My pulse slammed hard, fast, each beat louder than the last.
“She’s alive,” Matthias said quietly. “But not safe.”
I read the note twice. Then again. Slower.
My worst nightmare had come true. Snake had her.
I looked at Matthias, trying so hard to cage the anger clawing its way through my skin. “She needs me. I have to go.”
I turned, already moving, as his hand caught my arm, firm enough to stop me.
“Wait, Nik. You can’t just storm into Oscuro and snatch her away like some knight in shining armour,” he said with a firm tone that I’d not heard in some time.
Heat surged, sharp and immediate. “She asked for me,” I snapped, the words slipping out before I could temper them. “She needs—”
“And Snake is waiting,” Matthias cut in.
That stopped me. Not fully—but enough.
My jaw tightened. “You think I don’t know that?”
“I think you’re not thinking about what that actually means,” he said, holding my gaze now. “If Snake knows you’re coming—or even suspects—then there will be eyes everywhere. It won’t be simple.”
A flicker of unease twisted in my gut, but I shoved it down. “She said Abby’s,” I muttered, like repeating it might make it safer. “That’s where she’ll be.”
“And what if Abby’s already been compromised?” he asked.
My head snapped up. “And what if she isn’t?”
Matthias held my stare, not backing down. “We don’t know that she hasn’t been dragged into this. If Sapphire is with Snake, anyone tied to her is at risk.”
My chest felt tight again, the anger flaring—hot, restless, looking for somewhere to go. If anything had happened to Blythe, I’d find every single soul that had touched her and I’d True Death them.
I dragged a hand down my face, breath rough, the need to move still clawing at me. Go. Now. Before it’s too late.
But another voice whispered. Don’t let it decide what you do next.
Matthias was right. I needed some sort of a plan. “Matth—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not trying to stop you. Tell me how I can help.”
Relief washed over me and I almost pulled the tall, tattooed male in for an embrace. “We have to get her out.”
Matthias nodded immediately. No argument. No cautionary lecture. “Then we do it right. Because we will be no good to her if we don’t think this through.”
I tempered the heat long enough to uncurl my fists. “What do you suggest?”
He ran a hand through his hair, thinking. “Her note says she will be at Abby’s tonight. That gives us a window, but not a guarantee.”
I nodded, already running through the possibilities. “We winnow to Abby’s like we did before.”
“Not as ourselves,” he agreed. “If Snake’s watching, he’ll be looking for colour.”
I glanced at his blue wings. “Then we disguise ourselves again.”
Matthias nodded. “And we assume the second we step through, we’re not alone.”