Chapter 151: In the veins
Zara’s POV
The Academy had never looked so radiant, and yet I couldn’t shake the unease curling in my stomach.
The grand ballroom glowed with silver chandeliers strung like constellations overhead. Music from a live ensemble floated through the air, delicate notes of violins and harps weaving between laughter and whispered gossip. The students were dressed in finery—gowns of silk and some velvet, suits sharp enough to cut through the tension hanging unseen above us.
It should have been a night of beauty, a night of stolen smiles and clumsy dances, a reprieve from the shadows that stalked our every waking moment. But it didn’t feel like safety. Not to me.
Not with Atlas somewhere in the same hall
Jace’s hand tightened around mine, steadying me. He’d shown up at my door earlier in the evening, nerves written across his face, his tuxedo fitting him like he was born to wear it. When I’d opened the door, he’d just… stared, eyes tracing the gown Aunt May had insisted I wear—a dark sapphire blue that shimmered under the light.
Now, as we walked together into the ballroom, I felt the bond pulse between us, silver heat curling just under my skin. His presence grounded me. He’d confessed his love only yesterday, and the bond had snapped into place, wild and undeniable. It should have been overwhelming. In truth, it was, but it was also the first thing that made me feel steady in months.
Zarek had warned me that Atlas might try something tonight. He’d been pale, limping, still bruised from the last attack, but stubborn enough to sneak out of the infirmary. He’d cornered me that afternoon, his usual cocky grin dimmed with seriousness. “Don’t let your guard down, Zara. Atlas won’t let you walk away after what you did in front of the school.”
I hadn’t forgotten his warning. Not for a second.
“Hey.” Jace leaned down, his voice just for me. “Stop glaring like you’re about to stab someone. It’s a ball. Try to—what’s the word? Enjoy yourself?”
I rolled my eyes, though a corner of my mouth twitched. “I don’t think stabbing is off the table yet.”
He smirked. “Fair. But tonight’s about us. Just us. Let him glower from across the room. You’re with me.”
Those words did something reckless to my heart. I squeezed his hand, the bond sparking between us, and nodded. “Just us.”
.
The music swelled, and pairs of students spilled onto the dance floor. The scent of roses and candle wax filled the air, mingling with the soft perfume of gowns brushing past me. Teachers stood at the edges, watchful but smiling, pretending everything was under control after weeks of chaos.
I almost let myself believe them. Almost.
Halfway through our first dance, my eyes caught him.
Atlas.
He stood near the far end of the ballroom, dressed in black so sharp it was almost regal. His hair was slicked back, his smile polite and practiced as he spoke to a cluster of students. To anyone else, he looked the picture of perfection—the golden boy who could do no wrong.
But I saw it.
The flicker of madness in his eyes when they found mine. The curl of his mouth, too sharp to be real.
My pulse faltered.
“Zara?” Jace murmured, his arm steady around me.
I swallowed. “He’s here.”
Jace’s eyes flicked across the room, landing on Atlas. His jaw clenched. “Ignore him.”
But I couldn’t. Not when I knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with me ignoring him.
.
The night wore on, and laughter rose, glasses clinked, skirts twirled. I danced with Jace, with Zarek when he limped his way over and demanded a turn despite his injuries, even once with Alex, who whispered a nervous “be careful” in my ear.
Still, Atlas lingered.
He didn’t dance. He didn’t drink. He just watched.
A predator in suit.
.
It happened near midnight.
The music had reached a fever pitch, students whirling faster, voices rising in joy. The chandeliers gleamed like captured stars. For a moment, I almost thought maybe we’d make it through the night without his poison spilling into it.
Then Atlas moved.
He stepped into the center of the floor, alone, his presence so commanding that the dancers stilled instinctively. Silence rippled outward like a wave.
“What is he doing?” Jace muttered beside me.
I knew before Atlas even opened his mouth.
He practised the dragon trigger, I don’t know how he did it but it triggered something in me and i burst out fire.
No.
No, no, no.
“That’s fire,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Fire.”
Confusion surged around the room. Teachers pushed through the crowd, shouting orders. But they were too late.
Atlas’s smiled. “You all wanted proof, didn’t you?” he said, his voice smooth, echoing against the high ceilings. “Proof that curses can be harnessed. Proof that power can be stolen.”
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed it. I let out more fire.
Flames erupted, roaring outward in a torrent of crimson-gold fire that licked the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Chandeliers crashed down as chains melted. Students screamed, gowns igniting as they scrambled for the exits. The sweet scent of roses turned to acrid smoke in an instant.
I staggered back, horror ripping through me.
Atlas stood in the center of the inferno, untouched, laughing. “Do you see now? She isn’t cursed—she’s a weapon. And I control it!”
His gaze locked on mine across the flames, and I felt my knees weaken.
“Zara!” Jace pulled me back, shielding me from falling debris as plaster rained from the ceiling. His arm steadied me, his eyes wild with panic. “We have to get you out of here—”
“No,” I gasped, my throat raw. “He’s triggering me. If I don’t stop him—”
“You’ll die,” Jace snapped. “And then what? He wins. I won’t let him take you too.”
But even as he spoke, the bond between us pulsed violently, as if urging me forward. Urging me to take back what was mine.
All around us, chaos reigned. Teachers struggled to form barriers against the flames. Students cried out, some collapsing from smoke. The Academy’s great ballroom—the jewel of safety—was collapsing into ash.
“This is only the beginning,” he called, his voice carrying even through the roar of flames. “If I can burn this hall, imagine what I can do to the world. Imagine what I can do to you.”