“No. Please. Just—let me get this out.” He pulls away and looks down, shoulders tense, as if trying to wrestle stillness from the storm inside him. “I shouldn’t have walked away from you. I should’ve stayed. Let you explain.”
Guilt pools in his eyes, heavy and unshakable. I can see him weighing every word—measuring them like something he might still get wrong.
“It took me a week to realize what a monumental idiot I had been,” he says quietly. “But then we got shipped out to Fort Wyenth and…” He runs a hand through his hair, looking past me and out the window before his gaze locks back on mine. “Look, I know there are things you aren’t telling me?—”
I move toward him, heart aching to smooth the pain tightening his jaw, the pain I put there. The pain he still wears like a shield. But he lifts a hand, halting me.
“Iknowthere are things you aren’t telling me,” he repeats, the words rough, scraping his throat. “Maybe there are things you can’t tell me. And I’m not asking for that. Not now.” He looks up again, his gaze locking with mine—steady, searching. Vulnerable. “What I am asking for,” he says slowly, “is that we promise not to lie to each other.”
Hope and uncertainty hang between us, a fragile thread.
“Can you promise me that?”
His question reverberates through me, the ripples lapping the edges of old wounds.
I step closer—and this time, he doesn’t move away.
I thread my fingers through his, drawing our hands to my chest, pressing them against my heart. Hoping the steady beat lets him see the truth.
“I promise,” I whisper.
And I mean it.
* * *
We finish getting dressed.
Noa goes out to talk to Finn and Ryan while I slip into the bathroom. I put some loose curls in my hair and add a touch of rouge to my lips and cheeks. Tonight matters. Everyone will be there—including visiting dignitaries, officers, and the Vikhrostrum delegation.
When I emerge, the boys turn from the bar.
Finn lets out a low whistle, that ever-present gleam now back in his eyes. “Damn, Farris, you clean up good!”
Noa looks up, eyes narrowing in appreciation. He shoves whatever article he was reading at Finn and strides toward me. “Mine,” he growls playfully, grabbing me from behind and then reaching for my hand as he kisses me.
When we’re ready to leave, Noa lets go of me to open the door just as Finn falls into step beside me and bumps my shoulder with a grin.
“Glad to have you back, Farris,” he says, loud enough to be overheard. “This one’s been a nightmare without you. Moody as hell, snapped at half the squad. We almost staged an intervention.”
Noa doesn’t react—just pushes the door open with calm precision—but I catch the flicker in his jaw, the slight pause in his movement.
The door swings shut behind us, the night air crisp with a hint of snow. Finn and Ryan walk ahead, in deep discussion about the new Vikhrostrum students. For a moment, Noa and Iwalk in silence—our hands brushing, then linking again like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Noa exhales softly beside me, and squeezes my hand in his. As if to remind him that I’m still here—that this is real. His fingers tighten around mine—not possessive, just certain. Like he’s anchoring himself to the moment, to me. As we walk toward the quad, I know we’re not just finding our way back.
This time, we’re moving forward, together.
CHAPTER 24
Not all duels begin with power drawn. Some begin with a nod—and end before a hand is ever raised.
—The Art of Elemental Dueling: Principles of Discipline and Dominance
When we reach the quad, firepits flicker softly, each one ringed with smooth white stones that catch the firelight and glow faintly, a welcome warmth contrasting the frost that lingers in the air.
Overhead, strings of fairy lights crisscross the night sky, casting a golden shimmer across the gathering. In the heart of the space, long tables are draped in crisp white linens and stretched beneath the lights, gold metal chairs neatly arranged on either side. Fire magick further traps the warmth in a dome of heat.
A line of guests—students, professors, and visitors alike—are already gathered at the buffet near the back. The air is thick with the mouthwatering scent of roasted potatoes and herb-crusted tenderloin—garlic, rosemary, and the tang of red wine thread through the space.
