Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Allison

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Sunlight finds the cracks between the curtains and crawls across my face, far too bright for someone who

spent half the night invading another person’s space. Kel’s still asleep beside me, sprawled across half the

bed, one arm draped over my stomach like a warm weight. He’s snoring softly, completely unbothered by

the world. Evander’s at the table, already reading with a cup of coffee steaming beside him. The smell is

divine. And Rhazeil-of course-stands by the window as if he’s been there all morning. Shadows coil lazily

at his feet, his silver eyes reflecting the soft light. The bracelet on his wrist glows a quiet yellow, humming

with satisfaction.

“Good morning, little terror,” he murmurs without looking back.

I groan and roll over, burying my face in the pillow. “You sound pleased with yourself.”

“I’m never not pleased with myself.”

Evander doesn’t look up from his page. “That sounds like guilt talking.”

“It’s not guilt.” My voice is muffled. “It’s exhaustion.”

Kael stirs beside me, blinking, his hair a total disaster. What’d I miss?”

Rhaziel’s tail flicks, amusement curling through the bond. “Nothing of importance.”

م

I peek out from under the blanket to glare at him. “Right, nothing at all.”

“Accurate,” he replies, perfectly calm.

Evander sighs into his cup. “Please tell me you didn’t-

“We did,” Rhazeil says before I can stop him.

Kael grins like a kid catching gossip. “Oh, you did. That explains the power surge last night. Thought

maybe you two were-”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” I warn.

He smirks.”-bonding.”

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Chapter 147

The pillow I throw at his face earns me a muffled laugh and nothing else.

Evander sets his book down and gives me a look that’s too serious for this early. “You can’t keep doing

that, Allison. It’s reckless.”

“I’m not making it a habit.”

“She’ll make it a hobby,” Kael mutters.

“Enough,” I say, standing and stretching. “Coffee, then breakfast.”

Rhaziel watches me cross the room, voice dropping low. “You’re glowing again.”

I glance down at the faint shimmer beneath my skin. “Guess revenge suits me.”

Kael whistles low. “You’re damn right it does.”

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By the time we head downstairs, the dorm halls buzz with the usual Sunday chaos-students heading for breakfast, chatter echoing against the walls. Rhaziel doesn’t come; he fades back into his realm with a lazy flick of his tail and a promise to return before nightfall. Evander and Kael flank me on the way to the dining hall, bickering about whose turn it is to cook later. For a moment, life feels almost normal again. Then I see Cage. He’s sitting near the far window, posture rigid, eyes darting to every corner of the room like he’s waiting for something to leap out. His hand trembles when he reaches for his coffee. There’s a cut on his knuckle and dark circles under his eyes, like he hasn’t slept in days. He flinches when someone behind him laughs. When a plate clatters on the counter and he jumps hard enough to spill his drink. But when someone tries to help him clean it, his reaction isn’t fear-it’s venom.

“Don’t touch me,” he snaps, his voice sharp enough to cut. The student stumbles back, startled.

Kael leans closer to me. “Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the nightmare.”

Evander hums quietly. “He’s not right. Look at his eyes.

Cage looks… unhinged. Not in the wild, screaming kind of way-more like someone who’s standing on a knife-edge and knows it. He glares at everyone who passes, muttering under his breath when people whisper. The arrogance he used to wear like armour is racked now, the pieces slipping to reveal something uglier beneath. We take a table a few rows over and I can feel his gaze flicker in our direction once-just a fraction too long. Then he looks away, his jaw tight, like the sight of me irritates him.

“Think he remembers?” Kael whispers.

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Chapter 147

“Oh, he remembers,” I murmur. “He just doesn’t know if it was real or not.”

“Maybe that’s enough.”

Evander sets his cup down carefully. “He’s unravelling.”

“Good,” I say before I can stop myself.

Kael smirks. “Sexy, trouble.”

“Remind me never to make you mad,” Evander mutters.

The first class of the day doesn’t help him. Cage arrives late, eyes bloodshot, his hair damp like he tried to wash something off that wouldn’t come clean. He slams his bag on the desk, mutters an apology without meaning it, and spends the first ten minutes drumming his fingers against the wood.

When a girl behind him accidentally drops a quill, he spins on her. “Can you not?”

The whole room goes quiet and the girl mutters a shaky sorry, but he doesn’t turn back immediately. His jaw works, and there’s a flicker in his aura-something dark, sour, almost… desperate.

Kael leans toward me. “He’s losing it.”

“He’s just angry,” I whisper back. “Anger’s easier than fear.”

Maybe I should feel bad. But I don’t. Halfway through the lesson, the professor asks a question about focus charms. Cage answers too quickly and way too sharply, his voice laced with irritation. “Maybe if people actually paid attention instead of whispering, they’d get it right.”

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