I didn't wait for Cassiel to finish her sentence.
I grabbed Nova's hand and ran.
Through the busted hallway, over broken tile, past the stunned bodies of the Hunters we'd dropped. I didn't care where we ended up, as long as it wasn't there.
Nova's grip was tight in mine, her breath ragged and loud behind me. But she didn't stumble. She didn't slow.
We hit the emergency exit and burst into sunlight, straight into the back lot behind the east wing. The old running track stretched out to the woods.
No cameras. No teachers. Nothing but weeds, dirt, and whatever the hell was chasing us now.
"Where are we going?" she panted.
"Somewhere they won't follow." I yanked her toward the tree line. "Hold on."
"To what—"
She didn't finish before I scooped her into my arms and launched us into the air with a single push off the ground. My legs burned, muscles stretching into something not-quite-human. Not full shift. Just enough to get us clear.
Nova clutched my neck like her life depended on it—which it did.
"Lucian—what the hell are you doing—"
"We don't have time. Just trust me."
She muttered something I couldn't catch, but she didn't argue again.
The trees blurred below us. I dropped behind a thicket and kept moving, cutting through the underbrush until the sound of sirens and yelling was a distant echo.
I didn't stop until we hit the edge of the east field—where the old greenhouse stood, half-swallowed by vines and time. The glass panels were cracked. The frame looked like it'd fall if I breathed too hard near it.
Perfect.
I pushed the door open with my shoulder and stepped inside.
It was cooler in here. Dust hung in the air like memory. Sunlight leaked through the stained glass above, casting rust-colored shapes across Nova's face as I set her down.
She pulled away the second her feet touched the ground.
"You lied to me."
I leaned against the door, catching my breath. "About what?"
"You're a dragon."
"I never did. You just didn't believe I was."
She scoffed. "Just—just like that? No big deal?"
I ran a hand through my hair. "Would you have believed me if I hadn't transformed a little? I literally showed you my flames but I guess you thought it was a parlor trick."
She didn't answer.
Exactly.
Silence fell between us, thick and heavy.
Then her hand curled into a fist. "That woman—the one with the violet eyes—she said the Aurelian order sent more. You know what that means?"
I nodded. "They think you're Solarian."
She stared at me. "I don't even know what that is."
I stepped closer. "It's a bloodline. A dangerous one. Golden fire, old magic. Not like us."
"Us," she repeated bitterly. "There is no us, Lucian. You've been hiding what you are from the moment we met."
"And you've been walking around with dragonfire bleeding out of your pores without a clue what you're doing," I snapped, louder than I meant to.
She blinked at me, startled.
I exhaled hard, forcing myself to lower my voice. "I've been trying to keep you safe. That's all."
"I don't need you to protect me."
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed overhead.
I tensed. "Did you hear—"
But Nova didn't hear me. She was trembling.
"Nova?"
"I—I can't feel my hands," she whispered.
I rushed to her side just as the light around her fingers began to shimmer—like heat rippling off asphalt.
Oh no.
Her eyes widened in panic. "Lucian, something's happening—I can't stop it—"
"Nova. Look at me." I grabbed her shoulders. "You're panicking. You need to calm down."
But it was too late.
The flare came like a burst of heat—quick, hot, and furious.
Flames erupted from her palms, a circle of searing red and orange exploding out around us.
I shoved her back and shielded her with my body.
The fire scorched the floor, singed the rotting benches, and set an old rake ablaze in the corner.
But I didn't move.
I didn't have to.
The moment the fire hit my skin, I felt it.
It recognized me.
Same color. Same burn. Same core.
Not golden.
Not Solarian.
She was like me.
When it faded, Nova fell to her knees, shaking.
I knelt beside her. "Nova—Nova, breathe. You're okay."
Her fingers twitched in the dirt. "I didn't mean to… I didn't know that could happen."
"It's not your fault. It's instinct. It comes out when we panic."
She looked up at me, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "It could've killed you."
I smirked. "Nah. Fire's my thing."
That pulled the smallest laugh from her. Barely there. But I saw it.
I sat down beside her, knees brushing.
She didn't move away this time.
"I thought… I thought they were right," I admitted.
"Who?"
"The Aurelian order. The rumors. The way your aura feels… It's not normal. It's powerful. Like a storm trying to fit in a glass bottle."
Nova swallowed. "So, what does this mean?"
"It means you're not Solarian," I said. "Your fire—it's the same as mine."
Her eyes flicked to me, hopeful. "You're sure?"
"Red and orange. Not gold. That's enough for now."
She sat quietly, brushing her hands over the scorched dirt.
I watched her. The way her brow furrowed. The faint freckles dusting her cheekbones. The way her lip quivered when she was deep in thought.
I'd been wrong about her.
She wasn't fragile.
She was fire barely holding itself together.
I reached for her hand.
She let me hold it.
"I'm sorry I didn't explain some more," I said.
She didn't say anything.
"I didn't know how."
Finally, she looked at me. "What happens now?"
"We keep moving. We stay hidden. And I teach you how to control it."
"And if more Hunters come?"
"They will."
"Lucian."
"Yeah?"
"What if I am Solarian? What if the fire just looks like yours now, but—what if it changes?"
I paused. "Then we deal with it when we get there."
She nodded slowly. But I could still see the doubt in her eyes.
She turned away from me, walking to the edge of the broken greenhouse.
The glass caught the light just right, painting gold across her hair.
For a second, I felt it again.
That flicker of heat under my ribs.
Not danger.
Fear.
Of losing her. Of not being enough to protect her from whatever storm was building out there.
"I need to know more," she said suddenly.
"About?"
"About what I am. What they think I am. Why they're after me."
I stood, brushing off my jeans. "Then you're not gonna like what comes next."
She turned. "Try me."
I walked up to her, our shadows overlapping. "There's a war coming, Nova. Has been brewing for a long time. Between the rogues and the house dragons. Between Solarian dragons and the rest of the dragon population. You're not just caught in it. You might be the spark that sets off another."
Her eyes searched mine. "And you? What are you in all this?"
"I'm the guy who's going to make sure you don't get into trouble."
There's no way I was telling her about my past.
She stared at me for a long second, chest rising and falling fast.
Then she stepped back.
"You keep saying I'm not Solarian. But what if that's not true?" she whispered. "What if I am?"
I didn't answer. Couldn't. For some reason, it felt like she was wishing to be a Solarian dragon.
Because the thing was—I'd asked myself that same question.
And I wasn't sure we were ready for the answer.
Outside, a branch snapped.
Both our heads whipped toward the door.
I pulled her behind me as something—someone—moved through the brush.
Boots scraped against gravel.
"Let's get out of here." I said.
With that, I pulled her through the back door.