"His eyes held storms I didn't know how to survive."

The night pressed down around us like velvet, moonlight spilling silver across the Academy's ancient courtyard. Shadows pooled beneath stone archways and around the bases of carved pillars, while overhead the stars glittered like scattered diamonds against the dark tapestry of sky.

Darius stood so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body through his wool doublet, could catch the scent of pine needles and wood smoke that clung to ...