Chapter 44 · The Mentor's Lie

"Don't kill him." Julian caught my wrist before my blade reached Alden's throat.

The old man laughed from the floor, one hand pressed to the hole in his side. Blood slipped between his fingers. His other hand still clutched the black power shard he'd ripped from the League vault.

"Let go," I said.

Julian's grip tightened. "Not while you're shaking like that."

"I'm shaking because I want to cut his head off."

"Yeah. I noticed."

The shard pulsed once.

Power slammed through me.

My knees hit the concrete. A dark line flashed up my arm, under my skin, and my shield answered with a violent crack. The air split around us. Metal shelves bent away from my body. Julian staggered, but he didn't release me.

Alden dragged himself backward, smiling through blood. "There she is. My best student. Still so easy to provoke."

I raised my free hand. A shield blade formed above his chest.

"Vesper." Julian stepped between us. "Look at me."

"Move."

"No."

"You don't get to tell me no."

"Actually, I do right now." He pulled me hard enough that my shoulder struck his chest. His warmth cut through the cold rush crawling over my skin.