I wasn't afraid of tonight.

That was the first thing I realized as I stood inside Professor Fisher's greenhouse before dawn, surrounded by hanging herbs and rows of carefully labeled plants.

I had spent enough time in this place to know every corner. It was where I came when the academy became too loud, when my thoughts became too difficult to manage, and when pretending to be someone else felt exhausting.

But this morning, I wasn't hiding.

I was thinking about Cassian. About tonight. About ...