Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Allison

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Morning will be rising soon in the mortal realm. I know it even before Rhaziel says it. The air feels thinner

here when time starts to shift again.

He stands beside me near the edge of the terrace, the horizon stretched in every direction like liquid ink.

“It is almost time,” he says quietly. “Your realm calls for you.”

I nod, trying not to show how heavy that sounds. “Guess I can’t stay forever.”

He studies me, head tilted, eyes soft. “Are you ready to go back?”

I think about it for a moment-about the silence, the stillness, the shadows that never judged me once. About how it felt to finally breathe without hiding. Them I look at him. “Yeah. I am. I feel… lighter. It was

good to be here, to just… let everything out.”

Rhaziel’s expression warms; it’s not a smile exactly, but it’s close. “I am glad,” he says. “You needed it. And

I enjoyed having you to myself.”

“Me too,” I admit. “The one-on-one time was nice.”

He leans down, brushing his lips against my forehead. “Then we will find more of it.”

The world folds in around us before I can say anything else. The darkness rises, quiet and certain, and when it recedes, the familiar ceiling of the attic waits above us again. Kael and Evander are already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kael’s hair sticks up like he lost a fight with a pillow, and Evander’s halfway through buttoning his shirt.

Kael’s the first to spot us. “Well, look who crawled out of the shadows,” he says, grinning. “Daddy staying

for breakfast?”

Rhaziel’s lips curve in that slow, knowing way of his. “I already ate mine,” he replies smoothly, “in bed.”

Kael chokes on nothing. Evander sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Of course you did.”

I can’t stop the laugh that slips out. “You’re like a peacock with his feathers out,” I tell Rhaziel, and he only looks pleased about it.

He steps closer, brushing a hand along my arm where the sigils lie faint beneath the skin. “You are well?”

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Chapter 135

he asks, quieter now, for me alone.

“I am,” I say, and I mean it. “Better than I’ve felt in a long time.”

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“Good.” His thumb traces one of the markings, the touch almost reverent. “Then my realm has served its

purpose.”

Evander stands, crossing his arms as he looks between us. “You heading back, or staying?”

Rhaziel inclines his head. “I will return at dusk. The realm stirs when I am away too long.”

Kael chuckles. “So, bedtime check-ins now. You’re setting the bar high, Shadow King.”

Rhaziel glances at him, one brow arching. “Kings do not check in. They return.”

Kael grins wider. “Sure, Daddy.”

The tiniest sound escapes Rhaziel-somewhere between a sigh and a laugh-as he leans down to press a soft kiss against my temple. “Try not to burn the place down while I am gone.”

“No promises,” I say.

He turns to leave, shadows gathering faintly at his feet, and pauses once more at the door. “Hummingbird,”

he says softly, “thank you.”

“For what?”

“For reminding me what it feels like to want to come back.”

Then the shadows close around him, swallowing him whole until only the faint scent of smoke lingers in

the air.

Kael exhales, shaking his head. “Every time he does that, I swear I lose a year of my life.”

Evander smirks. “You’d have to have one to lose.”

Their bickering drifts around me like background noise, familiar and grounding. I move toward the window, watching the early light filter through the glass, pale and cool. I press a hand against my chest where the faint sigils lie, glowing softly beneath the skin. They hum back quietly, reminding me that the shadow realm’s power still moves with me, that he still moves with me. Maybe I really can be both-light and

shadow, mortal and demon, theirs and mine.

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The quiet doesn’t last long. Kael’s still complaining about shadows in his lungs when I pull open the wardrobe. The Thornhill uniform has always leaned on the wrong side of respectable with a tight jacket, too-short skirt, stockings that never stay where they’re meant to, but today, I’m not aiming for respectable. I’m aiming for his attention. Mr. By-the-Book. The man who looks at me like I’m the line he swore never to

cross. He keeps pretending distance will fix the pull between us. Maybe he needs a reminder that the bond

doesn’t bend to rules. The blouse I picked is the thinnest of the lot, buttons done just enough to look like I

tried. The skirt’s high enough that I can feel the air against the backs of my thighs. I leave the tie loose, lips painted a deep shade of red that Tessa once called sin incarnate. My hair falls straight down my back, black and heavy, the ends brushing the small of my spine. I dust on just enough highlighter to make my

cheekbones catch the light and step into the heels that add a clean inch of sin to every stride. Kael and

Evander are mid-argument about breakfast when I fasten the last strap. The metallic click of the buckle is

the only warning they get. They both turn and freeze.

Kael’s fork clatters onto his plate. “What-what are you up to, trouble?”

I lift one brow, adjusting the cuff of my jacket. “Getting ready for class.”

Evander crosses his arms, eyes narrowing. “You look like you’re planning a crime.”

“Not a crime,” I say lightly, reaching for my bag. “A lesson.”

Kael tilts his head, still watching me with that mix of amusement and worry. “For who?”

I meet his gaze, a smile curving slowly. “For a certain professor who still thinks rules are thicker than

fate.”

Kael laughs, shaking his head. “You’re gonna give the man a stroke.”

“Maybe,” I say, sliding my lipstick into the pocket of my skirt. “Maybe I’ll give him a reason to live.”

Evander pinches the bridge of his nose, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like we’re all

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