Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Rhaziel

Dawn comes slowly. It is much too gentle for a world preparing for war. For a long moment, I don’t move. I lie here, feeling the weight of Allison’s legs tucked over my hip. Her long dark hair is still beautifully braided down her back, and the faint glow of the warded lanterns still hovers above us like sleepy stars. Kael is snoring on my shoulder. Evander is half-buried under a blanket, one hand stretched over Cassian, resting near Allison’s hip as if his body refused to stop guarding her even in sleep. I breathe in the scent of her. I bask in the quiet-the rare, perfect peace. It won’t last. It never does, but I’ll take every second I may have. When she stirs, the others wake instinctively. Cassian is the first to tense always so ready, so alert then relaxes when he realises her small exhale is just that: an exhale, nothing more.

–

“Morning,” Kael mumbles, voice gravelly, face pressed into my ribs.

“You’re drooling on me,” I reply.

“Eh,” he murmurs, unconcerned.

Allison laughs. Soft, barely there, but real.

I would burn kingdoms for that sound. We all shift slowly out of the pile of limbs, blankets, and tangled warmth. The men stretch; Allison curls into the

pillows with a long, luxurious sigh that punches straight through my ribs. She deserves soft mornings, Sweet ones. Ones that don’t end in blood…But this is

not that world. Not yet. I will make it that world for her, though, one day.

A knock sounds at the tent flap. Evander is on guard instantly shirtless, hair a wreck, looking like a warrior who didn’t get enough sleep but could still

kill a god if required. Runners enter with trays of food: fruits, breads, steaming meats, pitchers of cool water, and clean utensils. They set everything on the

table with reverence before bowing toward Allison. Then another runner arrives with what looks like-Kael gasps dramatically.

“More fresh clothes.”

The runner looks terrified as Kael takes the folded stack, as if it’s a newborn child he’s being trusted with for the first time.

Evander snorts. “We did need them.”

An understatement. We all smelled like smoke, blood, old magic, and trauma. They smell worse than I do, though.

company,

Kael is the first to grab a towel and disappear behind the adjoining wash partition. The sound that follows is a moan so ungodly it should not echo in polite

*

“Ohhhh my gods,” he calls. “It’s HOT WATER. REAL HOT WATER. I MIGHT CRY.”

Cassian rubs his eyes. “Please don’t.”

Evander smirks. “Too late, he already is.”

I help Allison sit up, adjusting pillows behind her back, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. She leans into my hand with utter trust, and something feral and tender blooms inside my chest. The others rotate through the washing area Evander, then Cassian

the simple luxury of being cared for. When it’s my turn, I bathe fast. I don’t like being away from het.

each emerging transformed by cleanliness and

By the time I step out, steam curling behind me, I see Kael perched at the tent flap, talking to the same runner who brought the clothes.

“Any chance you’ve got a phone?” he asks, casual but hopeful.

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17:44 Thu, Jan 1 MA

Chapter 204

The young man nods and hands one over.

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Kael grins. “Legend.”

We all stare at him. Including Allison, who holds a piece of bread halfway to her mouth like she’s bracing for whatever disaster he’s about to unleash.

Kael pockets the phone, then shrugs. “Gotta call Mumma. Let her know I found my mate, quit school, and joined the rebellion.”

He winks boldly at Allison before slipping outside.

Evander mutters, “Should probably… call mine too,” before rising and following him out into the morning light.

That leaves three. Cassian sits at Allison’s side, quietly drifting his fingers through her braid as if petting a cat and making sure she is still safe, still okay.

I crouch in front of her, take her hands, and lift them to my lips. She softens instantly.

“I must check in on the kingdom before the meeting,” I murmur. “Only for a short while.”

Her expression flickers through worry, acceptance, and a hint of sadness, but she nods.

“Go,” she whispers. “I’ll be okay.”

Will she? With Cassian beside her, and with his protective instincts sharpened by last night’s breakthroughs? Yes. She will. I turn my head toward him with

a look that says everything it needs to.

Cassian straightens, shoulders squared, understanding blazing clear. Don’t leave her. Guard her. His nod is silent but absolute.

I press a kiss to Allison’s forehead, letting my shadows brush over her skin a promise, a tether, a whisper of devotion that spans realms.

“I’ll return soon,

hummingbird.”

She leans into me, breath catching with something soft and aching. “Okay.”

1

I stand, letting my hand drift from hers last, and step toward the tent flap. Kael’s laughter carries’ faintly from outside something about his mother threatening to “tan his wolfy arse” through the phone. Evander’s low rumble of a voice follows, apologising to someone with much gentler patience. He speaks as he would to Allison. I look once over my shoulder to see Cassian shift closer to Allison as I move away. He’s learning. I know he will protect our mate. I give him one last look of approval before stepping out into the morning sun, shadows swirling eagerly at my heels. A kingdom awaits my command, but first I must organise my own soldiers to guard their Queen. A war awaits, and Allison will not be left vulnerable. But before I face the endless tangle of politics, I pause just outside the tent. The morning is crisp. The camp hums with distant voices and the sound of sharpening blades. Shadows gather at my back, eager for orders… yet my thoughts remain inside, with the girl who holds my heart. I inhale once, slow and steady. Today will demand strategy, restraint, and the promise of blood. But she wakes to warmth, food, and protection. That is enough to steady me. My soldiers can wait. My kingdom can wait. But ensuring her safety? That comes first. Always.

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Thornhill Academy.