Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Rhaziel

The shadows take us before the boy’s heartbeat has even steadied. The mortal world folds around us, the hall dissolving into smoke and static, until only my realm remains-dark skies split by blue lightning, the air thick with the hum of power that belongs to me and me alone. The ground ripples like ink beneath our feet. Allison stumbles once as the shift settles, but I’m already there, a hand on her waist, the other still trembling from what I nearly did. My pulse roars like thunder. My claws ache to tear. The scent of that boy’s fear still clings to me.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she says softly. Her voice carries here-gentle, steady, the only sound that doesn’t bow to my rage.

I don’t answer. My tail lashes once behind me, hard enough to slice through the mist. The memory keeps replaying-the way he touched her, the sound of her gasp, his fingers on her skin. The darkness surges, responding to every pulse of anger that rolls through me.

Allison reaches for me, but I take a step back. “If I touch you now,” I rasp, “I’ll break something I can’t fix.”

“You didn’t break anything,” she says. “You protected me.”

Her calm cuts through the chaos like light through a storm. She’s the only thing that can. Still, the fury burns. It’s deeper than jealousy; it’s instinct, written into every vein of my being. I am a shadow. I am possession and vow. When another dares to touch what is mine, every part of me rises to devour. The ground trembles. The air thickens until even she can feel it. I drag a hand down my face, claws scraping lightly against my jaw. “You should not have been

alone with him.”

“I wasn’t alone for long,” she says, and I can hear the ghost of a smile in her voice. “You fixed that.”

That nearly pulls a laugh from me, but it dies too quickly. “He could have hurt you.”

“He didn’t.”

“He would have,” I say, sharper than intended. “Men like him only ever know how to take. To pry. To destroy.”

She crosses the few steps between us. The courage of it stuns me every time. “And what are you doing right now?” she asks quietly.

The question halts me. She tilts her head, eyes bright against the darkness. “You’re destroying yourself over something that didn’t happen. You’re letting

him win.”

The truth of it lands like a blow. The power that had been clawing at my control recedes just enough for air to move through my chest again. I look down at her-small, fierce, fearless. Every breath she takes tastes like home and danger.

“You are not supposed to see me like this,” I say, voice rough.

“I see you exactly as you are,” she answers. “And you’re allowed to be angry. You’re just not allowed to drown in it.”

The words strip me of whatever defences I still had. The storm breaks inside my tips, all fury bleeding out into exhaustion. I drop to one knee before I even realise I’m moving. The realm stills with me, shadows bowing low. Her hands hover at first, then rest lightly against my shoulders. My breath shakes once.

“Rhaziel,” she murmurs.

I bow my head until my forehead meets her chest. The sound of her heartbeat steadies the last of the tremors inside me. The scent of her fills my lungs. For a long time, neither of us speaks. The realm hums softly, alive with her presence.

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17:12 Thu, Jan 1 MA

Chapter 154

ส. 25

“I almost killed him,” I say at last, the words small but heavy. “Not because he deserved it, but because I couldn’t bear the thought of him touching you.”

Her fingers thread gently through my hair. “You didn’t.”

“I wanted to.”

“I know.”

Her acceptance undoes me more than any reprimand could.

“I am not proud of it,” I say quietly. “I have worn many titles-King, Lord, Monster-but never fool. Until you.”

She laughs softly, her fingers stilling against my scalp. “You’re not a fool.”

“No?”

“No.” Her voice lowers, serious now. “You’re someone who’s learning what it means to care. You’re someone who’s spent too long surrounded by people who

only fear you.”

I close my eyes. “And you don’t?”

She shakes her head. “Not even a little.”

The admission pulls something deep from my chest-a low rumble, the kind of sound that isn’t quite a purr but close. It vibrates through both of us.

Her hand slides down to my jaw, her thumb brushing the edge of my lower lip. “See? That’s better,” she teases lightly. “Breathing helps.”

I huff a quiet laugh, lifting my head enough to look at her properly. “You think you’re very clever, don’t you?”

“I know I am.”

Her smile pulls the corners of my mouth before I can stop it. I rise slowly to my full height, still keeping my hands at my sides because if I touch her now, I won’t stop. “He is lucky you stopped me,” I say. “If I had my way, his nightmares would never end.

She studies me for a moment, expression softening. “Then let me give him one or two, just to make you feel better.”

That earns her a quiet, genuine laugh. The tension finally loosens in my shoulders. I cup her cheek, claws barely grazing her skin. “You would do that?”

“I already have,” she says with a smirk.

Of course she has. My queen doesn’t need saving. She’s the storm and the calm after it, all at once.

I lean forward until my forehead touches hers, our breaths mingling in the stillness. Ile will not touch you again,” I murmur. “I will make certain of it.”

“I know,” she whispers. “But next time… let me handle it first.”

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