It was one of the King’s elite guards.

His face was hidden, but Theron could read enough from the way he moved. Controlled. Light on his feet. An air-bender.

So his father had already begun to act.

But why send an air-bender?

Air benders were never used for intimidation or capture. Air benders are usually reserved for slipping in without being seen, and for... listening.

So, he was looking for something... or someone, under the orders of the King.

Theron’s hand lifted, almost lazily, though his fingers were already shaping a rune. Light bent around them in a thin, precise shimmer, folding over the window like silk drawn across glass.

A barrier.

Delicate enough to be missed and strong enough to stop anyone who did not know what they were doing.

If someone was watching, let them watch. They would see nothing.

And if they tried to come closer...

Theron’s eyes dimmed, the warning in them quiet and cold.

They would regret it.

Behind him, Aveline shifted softly in her sleep, one hand curling deeper into the blanket. The movement softened his expression almost immediately.

For a moment, he looked back at her. The tension in his shoulders eased. His gaze gentled.

Then he looked to the window again, and the softness vanished just as quickly.

Whoever was outside had chosen the wrong room.

Theron kept watching.

The guard paused at the neighboring window, peered in, then moved on as though nothing had happened. A moment later, he vanished into the dark beyond the tavern, swallowed by the night.

Was it only a routine patrol?

Or had his father already started tightening the net?

Theron lowered himself into the chair beside the bed, but he did not take his eyes off the window for long.

Aveline still slept peacefully, untouched by all of it, breathing softly beneath the covers.

Theron watched her for a while in silence.

Aveline...

Theron’s hands trembled.

He had thought he would have at least a month—enough time to prepare, to arrange safeguards, to put distance between Aveline and the danger he had hoped to outrun.

So how had his father found out so quickly?

If Aveline had simply been some passing woman, it would have been one thing.

But she was not.

If Kael was right, and Theron had no reason not to believe him, then Aveline was already suspicious enough by her origin alone. A girl from Aurelmont, appearing at the exact wrong time, with powers no one could yet explain, was dangerous enough to make men whisper.

Beyond dangerous, if the wrong people learned the truth.

And then there was the more frightening thought.

Theron’s jaw tightened.

Aveline should never have been left behind in that homeland of hers. Not if what had happened to her parents was real. Not if his own suspicions were even half right.

Maybe it had not been a random attack. Maybe someone had ordered it.

Maybe his father... who was still the finest light-bender in the kingdom, the one man capable of turning brilliance into a weapon, gave the command to eliminate her.

And if the assassin had failed?

If Aveline had been too difficult to catch, too hidden to reach, too alive to kill? Then perhaps they had reported her dead anyway. And maybe that was why she was left alone for the past ten years, and maybe that was why they let him believe she was fine and didn’t allow to meet her.

Theron’s fingers curled so tightly that his knuckles ached.

How had she survived that night? Did she use her bending to conceal herself? Could she use her bending in Aurelmont too? Had she been frightened and alone and forced to hide while the world believed her gone?

The thought sat in his chest like a stone.

He drew in a slow breath and let it out again, forcing his hands open.

No.

He could not afford to unravel now.

He had to think. He had to be careful.

The academy was still the best option, perhaps the only one. With the Archduke’s name over it, no one would immediately think to search there for her. If she stayed close to the Crown Arcanum, she could be hidden in plain sight.

But there was a risk.

Everyone who entered would eventually be tested. Their hidden ability would not remain hidden forever.

Unless...

Theron’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Unless he used Kael’s connection to the nobility.

If Aveline entered under noble sponsorship, she would avoid the initial screening. That would buy him time. Enough time to understand what she was. Enough time to protect her before the court could reach for her.

And then...

His gaze shifted toward the bed.

Aveline slept so peacefully it almost hurt to look at her.

And yet even in sleep, she looked as if she belonged nowhere in this world and everywhere in his thoughts.

And if the King was already searching for her...

Theron’s expression hardened.

Then he would move faster.

No matter what it cost him.

But what if it was the Caelvaris family? 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

What if this was retaliation for the way he had ignored their golden daughter? Had he, by refusing a dance and brushing off their deliberate introductions, placed Aveline in danger without meaning to?

If that was true, then the Crown Arcanum itself might not be safe for her at all.

Theron crossed to the bed and, as he expected, Hamilton peered out from the covers.

"Do not let anyone near her," Theron said quietly, his gaze sharpening as it settled on the tiny creature. "If she is ever in danger and cannot handle it herself, make enough commotion to stall them."

He paused, the severity in his face easing as his eyes drifted to Aveline.

"I will be there in a moment."

It was a promise.

Hamilton’s little ears twitched.

"Use your mouth this time instead of your nostrils," Theron added dryly.

The tiny beast blinked at him, as though the thought had never once occurred to him.

Theron’s hand softened as he gently patted Hamilton’s head. The creature understood him better than most people did. And with Hamilton by her side, the Arcanum would be the safest place for Aveline.

For now.

Theron stepped closer to her.

Once again, he had to leave without a proper goodbye.

But this time, she would not be out of his reach. She would be within his sight, within his protection. He would make sure of it.

Still, his heart pulled him toward her.

He bent slowly, careful not to wake her, and leaned in just a little closer, drawn by that quiet urge to steal one last kiss before he left.

One last kiss.

Just as he neared her, while Hamilton struggled in outrage beside him and tried very hard to threaten him with a tiny puff of fire through his mouth...

Aveline’s eyes opened.

And for one suspended second... neither of them moved.