Chapter 61 | Threats in the Shadows | Leah
The peace doesn't last.
Two weeks after the reform passes, the first assassination attempt happens. I'm walking through the academy gardens, going over the new landscaping plans with the groundskeeper, when a shadow-bolt flies past my ear and slams into a tree trunk.
I hit the ground immediately, shield up, looking for the attacker. Kael's training kicks in—shield and sense, move and counter. I spot the shooter on a rooftop three buildings away, a masked figure already running.
Kael shows up in seconds, his Shadow-glide getting him there in a heartbeat. But the attacker is gone, disappeared into the academy's underground passages.
"Are you hurt?" Kael's hands are on me, checking, his eyes wild with fear.
"No." I'm shaking, but I'm fine. "They missed."
"They won't next time." His face goes hard. "Leah, you need bodyguards. Around the clock."
"I won't live in a cage."
"It's not a cage. It's—"
"It's a cage." I look at him, keeping my voice steady. "Kael, I didn't fight for freedom just to lose it to my own guards. I'll be careful. I'll take precautions. But I won't hide."
He argues. I push back. In the end, we compromise—a small security team, low-key, staying out of the way. Four guards, rotating shifts, keeping their distance unless I need them.
"Thank you," he says when we reach the agreement.
"For what?"
"For compromising. For understanding that I need to protect you. Not just for you. For me."
I take his hand. "I know. And I love you for it. But you also need to understand that I'm not fragile. I'm the Progenitor's heir. I have my own power."
"I know." He squeezes my fingers. "But humor me anyway."
I laugh, despite everything. "Okay. I'll humor you."
The investigation into the assassination attempt turns up nothing. The shooter left no trace, no weapon, no clues. Professional. House Frost, almost definitely. But no proof.
"We'll find them," Kieran promises. "Eventually."
"Eventually isn't good enough," Kael growls.
"It's what we have." Kieran's amber eyes look tired. "Kael, we're winning. The reform is in place. The people support it. Lord Frost is isolated, his allies leaving him every day. He's desperate. Desperate people make mistakes."
"Desperate people also do desperate things."
"Then we stay alert." Kieran looks at me. "And we trust the Progenitor's heir to protect herself."
I nod, my hand on my belly, where the baby keeps growing. Five months now. Halfway there. The protective circle Kael wove around the baby hums with power, a constant reminder of what I'm fighting for.
The days pass in a mix of hope and fear. Progress and setbacks. Victory and close calls. We roll out the reform piece by piece, adjusting, adapting, dealing with resistance at every turn.
And through it all, the baby grows. My body changes. My power deepens. The silver veins spread across my skin, forming patterns of ancient beauty and terrible strength.
"You're glowing," Ivy says during one of her visits. "Literally. In the sunlight, your skin shimmers."
"The Progenitor's mark," I say. "It's getting more active as the pregnancy goes on."
"Is that normal?"
"Nothing about me is normal." I smile. "But the healer says it's fine. The baby is healthy. Strong."
"A Prince's child." Ivy shakes her head. "Leah, do you ever stop and think about how crazy your life has become?"
"Every day." I look out the window at the academy below, the students walking together—Pureblood and former Nullblood, side by side. "And every day, I know it was worth it. All of it. The pain, the fear, the struggle. Worth it."
Ivy hugs me. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"I know." I hug her back. "But I couldn't have done it without you. Without Kael. Without everyone who believed in me."
"Then let's keep believing." She steps back, her smile bright. "For the future. For the baby. For the world we're building."
"For the world we're building."
Together.