Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Cage

I catch her in the hall between classes. The corridor’s nearly empty-just the distant chatter of students heading the other way. Perfect. She doesn’t see me until my hand closes around her arm.

“What the hell” she starts, but I’m already pulling her into the narrow alcove between the stairwell and the window. The light slants through the glass in fractured bars, cutting across her face. Her eyes flash. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Her back hits the wall, and I press my chest against hers. The space between us isn’t even a breath. “Cut the act,” I say. My voice comes out low, rougher than I intended. “What are you hiding, Allison?”

She jerks her arm, but I don’t let go. Not yet. The bond thrums like static between us-too close, too loud.

“Nothing,” she bites out.

I huff a laugh, stepping closer. The move pushes her back until her shoulders touch the stone. “You expect me to believe that? You?”

Her glare could cut glass. “You’ve lost it.”

“No,” I say, leaning in until her breath hits my throat. “You’re the one losing it. I can feel it through the bond. One second you’re calm, the next you’re shaking the whole damn academy with whatever’s under your skin. You think no one notices, but they do. I do.”

Her pulse jumps in her throat. I can feel it against my hand where I still hold her arm. I should let go. I don’t.

“You’re hiding something,” I press. “Tell me what it is.”

Her chin lifts, stubborn. “Go to hell.”

I laugh, sharp and humourless. “Already there.”

She shoves me then-hands flat against my chest, strong enough that it surprises me. I barely shift an inch, but the jolt of it burns straight through the fog

in my head. I like that she fought back. The part of me that still remembers what the bond is supposed to mean likes it too much.

“Asshole,” she snaps.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Probably.”

Her scent fills the small space, sharp enough to mess with my balance. My mind keeps flicking back and forth-between orders, between desire, between all the damn noise that doesn’t make sense anymore. I’m supposed to hate her. Supposed to expose her. Supposed to break her so Father can finally say I did something right. But gods help me, I can’t stop looking at her mouth when she’s angry.

“You think you can just corner me?” she says, shoving me again.

“I think I just did.”

“You don’t scare me.”

“Good.” I lean closer, close enough that my breath stirs the hair by her ear. “Fear makes people weak. I’m done with your lies, Allison. Tell me what you’re

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Chapter 153

hiding.”

Her hand snaps up, palm glowing faintly with restrained magic. “Let go, Cage.”

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The sound of my name from her mouth makes my pulse stutter. I hate that it does. I force a laugh to cover it. “There it is. That spark. Took you long enough

to stop pretending you were better than me.”

She glares, and for a second, I see it-the flare of blue light under her skin. It’s faint, but it’s there. What the hell is that?

“You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

“Then tell me,” I push, words breaking loose faster now. “Tell me what makes the bond hum like that every time you breathe. Tell me why I can’t stop

thinking about-”

She slaps her hand against my chest, magic flaring just enough to sting. “Because you’re obsessed,” she snaps. “Because you can’t stand the idea that you don’t have control over something for once. And because deep down you know I’ll never belong to you.”

The words hit harder than they should. I should laugh. I should throw them back at her. Instead, I press closer until there’s nowhere left for her to go. The bond sings in my ribs, hot and frantic. I can almost taste the next word she’s going to say. I hate her. I want her. The two thoughts crash together until I

can’t tell them apart.

“Don’t test me, Rivers.” My voice is a growl. “You don’t know what I’ll-”

She cuts me off, eyes blazing. “You don’t know what I am.”

The air tightens. Something in me breaks loose all at once. The fury, the need, the confusion-every twisted piece of it spikes. My hand lifts before I can think. I mean to slam it against the wall beside her, to trap her there with words, not touch. But then she looks up at me-defiant, furious, beautiful-and every thought burns out. I think about kissing her. I almost do. Then the light dies.

Every candle along the hall snuffs out at once. Shadows spill in like smoke, cold and alive, crawling across the floor and up the walls.

“What-” I start, but the words cut off as the air drops to freezing. The bond in my chest goes dead silent. Then something yanks me backwards hard. My back hits the far wall with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. Pain blooms across my shoulders. I blink against the dark and realise we’re not alone anymore. The shadows part and a figure steps through them. Tall, broad, horned, with eyes burning blue like frostfire. Rhaziel. The stories don’t do him justice. Seven feet of nightmare in a tailored coat, power coiling off him in waves. The kind of presence that makes the air bow. He’s between us before 1 can move. One hand braces the wall beside my head, claws digging into stone. The other wraps around my throat, not tight, just enough to remind me he could end me with a thought.

His voice rumbles low, otherworldly. “You touched my queen.”

I can’t speak. The shadows are alive around him, whispering, shifting.

Allison’s hand flies to her mouth. “Rhaziel-”

“Stay back,” he says without looking at her. His eyes never leave mine. “I warned them what would happen if I ever smelled your hands on her.”

“I wasn’t- I start, but his grip tightens just enough to silence me.

“Liar,” he says softly. It’s worse than shouting.

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