Page 94 of Darkness and Deceit
Lilith pulls back from Kai just enough to look up at both of us. She’s shaking, but her eyes are blazing. “You came for me.”
“Of course we did,” I say. My voice is hoarse. “Wealwayswill.”
She moves like she wants to reach for me—like there’s more to say—but her knees buckle again and Kai catches her with ease.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs. “I’ve got you.”
And he does.
But so do I.
So doesVaughn.
We all do.
And whatever comes next—we’re facing it together.
Thirty-One
AUGUSTUS
Fear isa strange thing to feel.
Among the Keepers, it is something we are trained to avoid—acknowledge it, maybe, but never succumb. Never let it surface. We are instruments of the Balance. And instruments are not meant to question.
But right now, I do.
I question everything.
From the moment I was born, my path was predetermined, my purpose carved from prophecy and silence. For centuries, we have served without pause, trusting the laws written before any of us took our first breath. But now, standing here in the warded wing of Obsidian Academy, I can not help but wonder if we have misread the Balance altogether.
I have rinsed the blood from my hands. Scrubbed the dirt from under my nails. Changed into a fresh robe. But none of it makes me feel whole. The dust of the cave still clings to my mind. I ache with the memory of holding her, oftouching her.
Lilith.
I was never supposed to touch her.
And yet I did. I let instinct override law. I let fear, true fear, guide me. And in doing so, I shattered a boundary I never thought I would cross.
Keepers do not touch.
Keepers do not protect.
And yet—I protected her with my body, gave her my magic, let my hand wrap around hers like it wasnatural. Like it wasright.
Itfeltright.
The Keepers stationed here move like shadows, heads bent over reports, eyes fixed on ancient scrolls and calibrated magical readings. This section of the academy was sealed off just for us—a makeshift command post layered in enchantments. The air here tastes like dust and duty. No one looks up. No one greets me.
Good.
Let them not notice the storm under my skin.
“Augustus,” a voice calls quietly.
I glance up and find Mara watching me from the far end of the hall, her posture rigid as always. Her silver braids are pulled back, robes spotless, expression unreadable. She lifts one hand in a subtle summons. I cross the space between us in a handful of steps.
She does not smile. She never does.
