Chapter 8

Before I could react, Kieran was already moving.

He met Icarus head-on and landed a clean, solid strike right into him.

Icarus flew out of the courtyard like a rag doll.

He hit the ground hard and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Seraphina stomped her foot in frustration and rushed after him.

Even then, she still turned back to steal one last look at Kieran before leaving.

I hurried to shut the door,

then pulled Kieran toward me and checked him over head to toe.

"Are you hurt? Does anything hurt? You scared me half to death.

Why would you take him head-on like that? What was I supposed to do if you got hurt?"

Kieran stared at me for a moment.

Then he suddenly reached for my hand and held on.

"I don't know. I just saw them treating you like that, and I got angry.

I only wanted to stand up for you."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Looking at him like that—so helpless, so innocent—I couldn't bring myself to scold him.

Besides, those two had it coming.

So I let it go and spent the next few minutes talking him down.

I'd already forgotten about the strange intimacy in his voice

when he called my name earlier.

But in his eyes, just for an instant,

something flickered — quiet, satisfied, like a plan that had gone exactly right.