Page 16 of We Steal The Flight

“Yes. Real.” I pop the cap off another potion. “Drink this. You’re already looking less pale.”

“You never fussed over me half this much. I’m fine,” he grumbles, but he takes the potion and drinks it in one go.

Maz pats his shoulder. “You don’t look fine, fucker. We have been worried.”

“Thank fuck we got you out.” Kane rubs his face. “I hated every moment I couldn’t get to you. I’m sorry.”

Vale shakes his head. “I made my choice, and it was nothing I couldn’t handle.” The darkness in his eyes tells me otherwise. The torture has shaken him up, and I want all of the Umbral Authority dead for it.

All of us are silent for a long moment. Kane breaks it. “We can’t leave here. Bloodstone Academy island. I tried…” He gulps once. “But it felt like every step into the sea was a dagger in my chest until I had to turn back.”

“I know about the spell.” I look at Vale. “Why did you do that spell in the first place? What spell was it?”

“What happened, man?” Maz asks next.

“It was for you. For the curse,” Vale slowly explains after drinking the potion. He’s starting to get a bit of color back into his face now. I pull out the little vial that my mother made for him and hand it to him. He sighs, but he drinks it too. “It was to bind your life to mine, in case…well, fuck, you know it all.” He looks at Maz and Black, who are confused. “I was cursed too, and my curse was for Juniper’s heart to stop if she fell in love with me. I made the spell to save her.”

“Clearly, it backfired,” Kane adds, but there is no tension in his voice. He doesn’t blame Vale and neither do I. Spells are messy and complicated when dealing with life and blood.

“I don’t know why. I thought it would only link Kane’s life to mine, but it was like the castle itself got in the middle. That thing down in the basement—it messed with the spell, weaving magic through the spell and altering it. I never felt any power like it, and then soon it was too late. I couldn’t hold on to the spell, and I had to let go. It was going to take both our lives, and when it finished, it bound us to the academy and saved us both. That thing wanted us to stay, and it won,” Vale growls.

“It didn’t win,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “We should all rest until Lyra returns.”

“Who is Lyra?” Vale questions.

“I’m going to spy on what’s going on outside. Give you guys a bit of time to explain it all.” Maz kisses the top of my head before stretching.

Kane looks at me for a moment before turning away. “I’ll come with you, Maz,” Kane says. “We still have to talk, and I want to know who Lyra is too.”

“There are a lot of trunks with clothes, and there’s a shower room back there. We built in bedrooms and various things for people that needed to hide,” Black tells me. “Why don’t you help Vale get to the shower? I’ll get some food going for all of us. We could all eat after using that much magic.”

“Thank you, Black.” I nod in agreement.

“Do you need help standing?” I offer Vale, even though he is so huge I might just collapse if I tried.

He smirks and my heart patters. “No, I’m good, Hex.” Everyone goes their own way, and I stay close to Vale’s side as he walks to the back room, knowing the way. The back cavern is a dome full of bunk beds and trunks lining the walls. I open a few before finding clothes that would fit Vale, and he finds towels in another trunk before heading to the back of the room. I follow, stepping into the bathroom.

“I’ll leave you—” I offer, putting the clothes on the vanity.

“Please don’t. Just stay with me,” he asks, a hint of pleading in his tone.

“Okay,” I answer simply. I shut the shower room door behind me and lean against it as Vale moves around, flicking on the warm yellow lights. There are two toilets, two sinks, and one huge shower block with several showerheads. He flicks them all on with a whisper of a spell, and the cold water turns instantly warm.

“I’m surprised you’ve got any magic left after everything you’ve been through,” I admit.

“Those potions are good.” He rips his shirt off, and I wince. All over his chest are dozens of scars—some that have healed, some not, and all are recent enough that it makes me hate the Umbral Authority even more.

Vale looks over his shoulder, somehow sensing my unease. “When your memories didn’t work, they tried whipping and daggers.”

I push down the sickness rising in my throat. “I’m sorry. What were they asking from you?”

“They wanted to know where you were. They wanted to know exactly what happened down in that basement. Of course, I told them all to fuck off. I’d rather die than give up anything about you,” he snarls.

“Vale,” I whisper.

“They only want to get to you. Anyone else is just in the way, and they would have used me against you. I was planning to die, Hex. Die or I’ll find you myself. Never once did I consider letting them use me against you.” He starts to undo his belt for the shower. My cheeks burn as I avert my eyes, hearing the denim hit the floor. Underwear, shoes, socks…all of it falls away. I hear him get into the water. Then his gravelly voice echoes. “Come in with me.”

It’s a question, one laid bare between two people who literally just ripped their memories apart, surrendering everything. I could say no. He wouldn’t judge me for it. I could walk out, but I don’t want to. I pull my cloak off first, and it drops to the floor. I feel him watching me as every piece of clothing comes off, until I’m wearing nothing. I undo my braid, letting my messy, wavy hair fall around my shoulders. When I turn and look at him, his eyes are glowing—somewhat his dragon, somewhat him.