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Home / Urban / SHADOWS OF THE BLOODLINE / CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 55
Author: Jenny Paul
last update2026-02-02 20:19:30

Aeris POV

The office was small and messy, nothing at all like the huge training grounds of the Sanctum below. I sat at a desk behind me, which had seen better days, with its surface filled with old books, scattered papers, and empty coffee cups I hadn't bothered to clear away. The fluorescent lights above flickered from time to time, throwing odd shadows along the walls.

I had been musing still over Wilder's bruises when my phone rang.

The screen told me what number some unknown variety was, bu
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    Author's POVShe closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel it. Really feel. All the fear she'd been carrying around - fear of her power, of failure, of letting everyone down. All the grief at seeing that girl die in the facility hallway. All the confusion about her grandmother, her mother, this family she'd never known existed.And underneath all of it -- deeper, stronger -- the loneliness. The gaping hole that was in her chest as long as she could remember. The surety that she was unwanted, unloved, and aloneExcept now she knew that wasn't the case. Her mother had loved her. Her grandmother had been looking for her. She had people.She had family.The fire in her palms responded and flickered to life. But instead of demanding that it take a specific shape, instead of forcing it into a ball and trying to aim, Eilish just . . . asked.Please, she thought. Help me. I need to hit that target. Can you help me?The fire pulsed once, warm and almost affectionate. Like a cat rubbing on he

  • CHAPTER 90

    Author's POVEilish held the photograph to her chest, her entire body trembling with silent sobs. Sixteen years. Sixteen years of wondering if anybody had ever loved her. If she had ever mattered to anybody. If she was worth anything more than the checks for foster care.And here was proof. Right in her hands. Evidence that once, someone had loved her fiercely. Absolutely. Without question."You were cherished," Astoria said as she took a step closer. She hesitantly raised her hand as if she weren't sure touch would be welcome, and slowly placed her hand on Eilish's shoulder. "You are loved. By your mother, wherever her spirit dwells. By me, who never stopped looking for you. And--" she glanced back at the others at Rune and Wilder and the rest, "--by them. Your chosen family."The hole in Eilish's chest - the one that had been there for as long as she could remember, sharp and cutting and impossible to ignore - was still there. It would likely always be there. But something about thi

  • CHAPTER 89

    Author's POVAstoria Aristarkh strode down the stairs with the same grace she'd shown yesterday, dressed today in dark slacks and a cream-colored blouse that probably cost more than everything in the Sanctum combined.Her white hair was pulled back from her face, revealing those high cheekbones, those pale eyes thatmissed nothing, yet revealed nothing.Two of her tactical team flanked her - different people from yesterday, but with the same professional competence, the same quiet deadliness."I do apologize for the unexpected visit," Astoria said when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. "But I couldn't stay away."Aeris lowered his hand, and the fire went out. "We were just about to plan the file retrieval.""Yes," said Astoria and moved into the common area like she'd been invited. "About that. I have some thoughts."They huddled around the table--Aeris, Astoria, Rune, Kaladin, Zayan, Wilder, and Eilish. The two tactical team members standing around the doorway are silent and wa

  • CHAPTER 88

    Author's POVThey called it quits for the day after Astoria left.Nobody said it explicitly, but they all felt it - the weight of too much information, too many revelations, too many emotions compressed into too few hours. Aeris has his informant beaten and infected. Eilish's gran mum is showing up along with tactical teams and ancient knowledge. Backup files containing secrets worth dying for—a timeline measured in days rather than weeks.It was too much to process while faking functionality.So, Aeris dismissed them early, sent them to their rooms, and told them to rest. Tomorrow it would be different, he said. Tomorrow they'd train early - earlier than usual and then make plans to retrieve those files.But tonight they needed sleep.Nobody argued.Rune went to his room and lay on his cot, staring at the ceiling, replaying that moment when his light had merged with Wilder's shadows. Twice now. Twice it had occurred, and neither time had seemed like an accident. It felt like somethin

  • CHAPTER 87

    Author's POV "Everything that he collected for you," Astoria said, "is still intact. Safe. Waiting for you to go get it." She looked at him directly. "He made sure of that before they got to him. Made sure his work wouldn't go to waste."Aeris stared at the paper for quite some time. His throat worked, as though he was trying to swallow something sharp."Why are you telling me this?" he asked finally. "Why help us?"Astoria's expression changed. Not quite a smile but something warmer. More human."Because my granddaughter is a member of your group," she said simply. "Because you're fighting Grimfall, and now that makes us allies whether we planned it or not." She looked at Eilish, then back at Aeris. "And because the guy who did this to your informant is the same guy who's been hunting the descendants of Etherwind for months. This same man who killed my daughter sixteen years ago.The room went silent."Cross," Aeris said. It wasn't a question."Cross," Astoria confirmed. Her voice h

  • CHAPTER 86

    Author's POVAstoria Aristarkh did something then that nobody expected.She reached across the table, picked up the half-eaten sandwich of Zayan with her perfectly manicured fingers, ripped off a morsel of bread and chicken, and ate it.Just like that. No hesitation. No disgust. She chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and made a small sound of appreciation."Not bad," she set the sandwich back down. "A little dry, but the seasoning is excellent."Zayan looked at her with his mouth slightly open. He looked down at his sandwich, then back at her, then at the sandwich again, like he just couldn't believe what had just happened.Eilish couldn't either.This woman -- with her white hair and her ethereal beauty and her tactical team and her ancient Watcher tattoos -- had just eaten their food. Their cheap, thrown-together, grocery store food that Aeris had picked up on sale. Food that someone with her appearance, movement, who clearly had money and resources, shouldn't even acknowledge, much le

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