Rage ignited in my veins. I spun around, throwing my hands out in front of me, and unleashed my wrath. Starlight magic erupted from my palms in a blinding, searing torrent of silver-white fire. It struck the wet pavement directly between us, vaporizing the rain instantly in a massive hiss of steam. The asphalt cracked and bubbled under the intensity of the heat, creating a blazing, scorched trench of cosmic fire that separated me from the Nightfall Shield.
Percy skidded to a halt just inches from the flames, throwing his arms up to shield his face from the blistering heat. Aiden, Eris, and Draco slammed into a stop right behind him, their faces illuminated by the eerie, silver glow of my magic.
“Cross that, and I’ll aim higher next time. I amdoneplaying with you.”
They stood frozen on the other side. The flames reflected in their devastated eyes, and even though my heart was shattering all over again, I didn’t regret it. But for one moment, I looked into a pair of violet eyes, and something twisted in my gut. Out of the four of them, Draco was the only one who never even attempted to touch another woman. Was I being unfair to him?
Lucas was waiting by the open rear doors, tracking the Nightfall Shield over my shoulder as I approached. He didn’t say a word, just extended a massive, armored hand. I took it, letting him pull me up into the dim, red-lit interior of the bay.
Rowan, Jamie, Theo, and Phoenix were already strapped in, their weapons stowed, their faces grim and watchful. Lucas climbed in right behind me and slammed the heavy metal doors shut, plunging us into the secure, fortified belly of the vehicle.
“Go,” Lucas ordered the driver through the intercom. “Get us back behind the wards.”
The engine roared to life, the vibrations rattling up through the floor as the transport surged forward. I stumbled slightly as the vehicle turned sharply, but Rowan’s hand shot out, catchingmy hip and steadying me until I could drop into the empty seat beside him.
The adrenaline crash hit me the second my weight settled onto the bench.
My vision swam, the edges blurring into static as the fiery itch of my Aelari healing continued to knit my shattered ribs back together. I leaned my head back against the cold metal bulkhead, closing my eyes and forcing myself to take slow, shallow breaths.
Noodle slithered out under the seat where I’d left him behind for his own safety.’You burn bright, little star.’
Tears pricked my eyes as I brought his little head up and kissed him between the eyes. “I love you, Nood.”
“Here,” Theo said gently. I opened my eyes to see him holding out a clean, dry towel. I took it, pressing it against my face to wipe away the mixture of rain, sweat, and darkmatter ash that coated my skin.
“Your ribs,” Jamie said, frowning at my chest. “Are they set?”
“They’re healing,” I said, wincing as the transport hit a pothole. “The bone is mostly fused, but the muscle tissue is still knitting. It’ll ache for a few days, but I’m fine.”
“You took a direct hit,” Phoenix rumbled from the opposite bench, his sheer size making the armored transport feel small. “You shouldn’t have even been able to stand up, let alone scorch the earth.”
“I’m harder to kill than I look,” I said, forcing a weak smirk.
Lucas was glaring. “What they did back there... engaging another shield in the middle of an active incursion zone. It’s a court-martial offense. If the Assembly gets wind of it, Nightfall will be stripped of their ranks.”
“They won’t get wind of it,” I said, resting my head back against the wall. “Because I’m not reporting it. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t either.”
Rowan let out a low growl, shifting his broadsword so it rested against the floor. “They endangered civilians, Jupiter. They endangeredyou. They completely broke protocol because they couldn’t handle their own bruised egos.”
“I know. But if the Assembly strips them of their ranks, they’ll be recalled for trial. I don’t want them punished by a bureaucratic council. I want them to have to live with the fact that they ruined the best thing they ever had, and there is absolutely nothing they can do to fix it. A trial just gives them an excuse to play the victims. I won’t give them that.”
Rowan’s jaw ticked, but he nodded slowly, accepting my reasoning.
“The wards are close,” Lucas warned, his voice dropping an octave. “Brace yourself.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the edge of the metal bench so hard my knuckles turned white. I visualized the massive, diamond-hard wall of starlight I had built in my mind. I reinforced it, pouring my exhaustion and my lingering rage into the foundation, sealing every possible crack.
The transport crossed the threshold of Imperium’s ancient magical boundary. The change was instantaneous. The frantic, desperate battering of Nightfall’s emotions against my subconscious was suddenly muffled, like someone turning down the volume on a blaring radio until it was nothing but a low, distant hum. The wards of the academy wrapped around me like a heavy, protective blanket, shielding me from the full weight of the axis bond. It was still there, still painful, but to a manageable amount.
I let out a long, shuddering breath, my body sagging against the restraints.
Jamie nudged me. “You’re safe, Jupe.”
“For now…”
9
Jupiter
