Chapter 11
The academy's courtyard looked ordinary under the morning sun—quiet, peaceful, almost innocent. Students hurried between classes, unaware of the danger pulsing beneath their feet. For a moment, Elara wished she could be like them again. Normal. Unaware. Safe.
But safety had left the academy the moment she saw Lucien behind that hidden window.
Lucien walked beside her now, hood drawn low, trying to shield himself from the sunlight. Though he moved calmly, Elara saw the strain in his expression, the way the light seemed to press against him like a weight.
"You shouldn't be out here," she whispered.
Lucien shook his head. "After last night, I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"That doesn't mean you have to burn for it," she argued softly.
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I won't burn. Just… weaken."
Elara frowned. "That's not reassuring."
He stopped walking, turning slightly to face her. "Elara… Kade targeted you for a reason. He won't stop. If he approaches you again—anywhere, anytime—you run. Don't try to talk to him. Don't try to protect me."
She stiffened. "I'm not leaving you to face him alone."
"You might have to." His voice dropped to a painful whisper. "I can't risk losing you."
Before she could respond, a sudden shadow streaked across the courtyard—fast and silent. Lucien snapped his gaze upward.
"Elara—get back."
She barely had time to react before a dark blur crashed down between them, sending a gust of wind spiraling outward. Students screamed and scrambled away as the impact cracked the stone path beneath their feet.
When the dust settled, a girl stood at the center of the shattered ground.
She looked sixteen—maybe seventeen. Raven-black hair spilled down her back, and her eyes gleamed an unsettling shade of crimson. She wore the academy uniform, but something about her felt… wrong. Like the shadows clung to her on purpose.
"Lucien," she said sweetly. "You didn't tell me your little human toy was so cute."
Lucien's eyes widened in recognition. "Riven."
Elara's stomach tightened. Riven. Another vampire. And judging from Lucien's reaction—one far more dangerous than she looked.
Riven twirled a piece of broken stone between her fingers. "Kade said you'd be boring alone, but this?" She grinned wickedly. "This is interesting."
Lucien stepped in front of Elara instantly. "What are you doing here?"
"Delivering a message." Riven dropped the stone; it hit the ground with a sharp crack. "Your oath isn't breaking. It's twisting. And when it finishes twisting…" Her red eyes flicked toward Elara. "…she'll feel it too."
Elara's pulse quickened. "Feel what?"
Riven ignored her. "Kade wants you both at sundown. West wing. He says he's tired of waiting."
Lucien stiffened. "Tell him I'm not coming."
Riven smirked. "Tell him yourself."
Then—just as suddenly as she appeared—she vanished in a burst of dark wind, leaving the courtyard trembling in silence.
Elara swallowed hard.
"What do we do?"
Lucien's answer was immediate, raw.
"We fight fate… or we die trying."
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