-Soren-
The cracks are getting harder to ignore.
Finn and Asher pass each other like storm fronts, tension rolling off them so thick my shadows twitch around my boots. Jasper's smile stutters, the coin in his hand spinning and catching, spinning and catching, never settling. Kaia watches us all with tight-lipped frustration, and even Lyra has stopped asking what's wrong.
Expect she's not just avoiding us anymore.
She's been hanging around Asher.
I've seen them in quiet corners of the courtyard, heads bent close, Lyra's arms crossed, eyes darting, Asher's jaw tight as he talks low, sharp, intense. Once, I saw Lyra place a hand on his arm, murmuring something that made his expression darken before he turned away.
She doesn't think anyone sees.
But the shadows do.
I see Alexia before she sees me, alone under the orchard trees. She's sitting in the grass, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them, her forehead pressed to her arms, hair falling forward in tangled waves.
Zeus is sprawled beside her, his head on her feet, tail thumping softly when I approach, but he doesn't move, standing guard.
The vines in the orchard are restless, sensing her fear, reaching toward her with trembling leaves, waiting for a crack.
I sink down a few feet away, letting the shadows flicker, stretching toward her before pulling back, letting her choose.
She lifts her head, blinking, her eyes rimmed red, cheeks blotchy, tear tracks bright in the soft light. She pushes hair back from her face with a shaking hand.
"Hi," she says softly, like it's all she can manage.
"Hi."
She uncurls her legs, letting Zeus crawl into his lap, his head resting on thigh as he absently strokes his fur.
"They're scared of me," she whispers, voice raw. "Everyone is."
"I know," I admit.
She lets out a weak, bitter laugh. "You too?"
The shadows are still around us, waiting for my answer.
"No." I say, and I mean it.
Her eyes fill, her lips trembling. "Then why does it feel like I'm losing everyone?"
I glance at the vines swaying near her boots, at the purple bruise on her wrist where one must have caught her. The tension in the halls. Finn's fear under his anger. Jasper's watchful silence. Asher's coldness - and Lyra's whispers.
She's not wrong.
But I can't let her believe it's her fault.
I shift closer, brushing my fingers lightly over her wrist before taking her hand, threading our fingers together. The bond hums, warm, hesitant, grounding us.
"You're not losing me," I say, voice low, steady. "And sure in hell ain't losing Finn."
Her shoulders shake as she laughs, a broken sound. "I'm trying so hard, Soren. I don't know what else to do."
"You're doing enough."
She looks up at me, her eyes wide, searching, afraid, and something in me breaks.
I cup her face, brushing away a tear with my thumb, and before I can think better of it, I lean in and kiss her.
She gasps softly, but then she kisses me back, her hands clutching at my shirt, pulling me closer, her lips warm and desperate. The shadows flare around us, wrapping us in a cocoon, shutting out the orchard, the whispers, the fear.
She shifts, swinging a leg over to straddle my lap, pressing her body flush against mine as her chaos flares, the vines rustling around us.
Zeus lifts his head with a soft grunt, standing and steeping to the side, circling twice before flopping down nearby, his watchful gaze on us as if making sure she's safe before settling.
Her hands tangle in my hair, tugging gently, pulling a groan from my throat as I deepen the kiss, letting her taste the hunger I've kept hidden for too long. Her breath hitches, a soft moan escaping as she rocks against me, the bond burning, alive, demanding. My hands slide up her back, gripping her hips, grounding her, grounding me, as we lose ourselves in each other.
"Lex," I murmured against her mouth, my voice rough.
"Soren," she breathes, her forehead pressing to mine, her eyes closed, her lashes damp with tears.
I press soft kisses to her jaw, her temple, the corner of her lips, trying to calm the chaos flickering in her aura, feeling the vines twitch before settling, soothed by the shadows dancing gently around them.
We stay like that, wrapped in each other, until her breath evens, the tension bleeding out of her shoulders.
As the sun sets, washing the orchard in lavender and gold, she finally pulls back, resting her head against my shoulder, her hand still gripping mine.
"Thank you," she whispers, so softly I almost miss it.
I press a kiss to the top of her head. "Always."
When we stand, Zeus bumps her hip with his nose, making her smile, small but real. We walk back to the dorms, our fingers intertwined, the shadows weaving between us like a promise.
At the door, she hesitates, turning to me, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
"You're not losing me," I repeated. "Neither is Finn."
She smiles again before leaning in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my lips before slipping inside, the door closing quietly behind her.
I stand there, the orchard wind carrying the last of the sunset's warmth, the taste of her still on my lips.
They think she's dangerous.
They think she'll destroy us.
And maybe they're right.
But I don't care.
When the time comes, when the chaos inside her finally breaks -
I will protect her.
Even if it means standing against them all.