Freya hesitated, as though my shock had opened a door she wasn't ready to step through. Her fingers twisted together in her lap, trembling. "They showed up later this afternoon," she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Back at school. All of them. It was like they hadn't just vanished. No explanation. Just… appeared."
I blinked at her, dazed. "And no one questioned it?"
"Of course they did. Half the academy was in a frenzy. Elias looked like he'd gone ten rounds with a hurricane, and Lucian…" Her mouth twisted. "Lucian looked worse. They were both covered in bruises. Cut up. Growling at each other like caged animals about to lunge. Only Rowan wasn't. Everyone thought it was some kind of weird performance. But it wasn't."
