Page 15 of Bloom in Darkness

She walks away without another word. I keep watching until she disappears around the corner.

Astra lets go of my wrist, but the tremor in his hand is worse now. He curls his fingers into his palm and tucks it against his thigh.

“You need to go home.”

Astra looks up at me with exhausted frustration, the tremor still moving through the hand he has tucked against his thigh. “I can’t, Bryn. I still have another set.”

Every part of me wants to tell him the set doesn’t matter, but I already promised not to make tonight worse for him. I reach for him slowly instead, settling my palm against his nape when he doesn’t pull away. His eyes close as he leans into me, and I keep him there for a few seconds while I stare past his shoulder toward the hallway Sabine disappeared down.

Then Astra pulls away before either of us can get comfortable. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“You better.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I ignore it until Astra glances down. “Answer it.”

“It can wait.”

“Bryn.”

I pull it out before he has to say my name again. Caelan.

Get your ass over here.

A second message appears before I can answer.

Now.

Astra catches my expression and gives me the first real hint of amusement I’ve seen from him tonight. “Caelan?”

“Yes.”

“You should probably go.”

“I’m not leaving because he tells me to.”

“No, you’re leaving because you’re glaring at everything like you want a body count and I asked you not to start here.”

I hold his gaze until the smile disappears, though some of the strain around his eyes eases with it.

“Text me when you’re done, and sit down if you get dizzy again.”

Astra exhales through his nose. “I will sit down, drink water, and behave like a responsible adult.”

I don’t believe him, and he knows it. I leave anyway because staying is only going to make keeping my promise harder.

\\\*

By the time I reach the Forge, I need to hit something. I shove the back door open hard enough that it slams against the concrete stopper. Derrick looks up from his scarred desk near the locker room, takes one look at my face, and his hands freeze over his keyboard.

I don’t give Derrick a chance to speak. “Put me on the card.”

He blinks down at the schedule. “You’re not scheduled tonight, Bryn. The card is already full.”

“Then move someone.”

Derrick’s eyes dart toward the hallway like he’s praying for backup. “I can’t just rearrange the whole—”

“I need a fight. Now.”