Chapter 31
Vanya
Of all the alleys in all the cursed cities in the damn kingdom… fate really chose this one to ruin my life.
There I stood. As Vanya.
Not Vaughn.
Not the boy with bad football kicks and a short temper.
Vanya. In a dress. With flowers braided in my hair. Right in front of the one person I swore I wouldn’t let see me like this until I graduated Thalvion and burned the damn academy to ash.
I took a breath and told myself to play along. Just for now. Long enough to get out of this. Long enough to survive.
“How do you know?” I asked flatly.
Kross’s hand relaxed slightly on my arm, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he stepped closer, his scent washing over me like some sick spell. I hated how familiar it had become. Pine and smoke and danger and something I didn’t want to n
