The Ember Lord: A Dark Academia Reverse Harem Romance Novella by Danica Brooks

Author:Danica Brooks [Brooks, Danica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Danica Brooks
Published: 2024-12-11T00:00:00+00:00

Whispered Lies

KIT

“Kit." Jace's voice is soft, careful. Like I might shatter. "Come away from there. We need to talk about-"

"She's the ghost that haunts this hall," I whisper. A chill passes down my spine again and I turn, knowing what I'll see.

Kianna is sitting on my bed the way she always does, but this time she looks much sadder than usual. She's still in her uniform, but it's dingy and burned in places. Her hair has lost it's luster and her skin looks like someone turned the saturation down on a photo.

"I'm sorry," she says softly. "I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. Not until you were ready."

"Ready for what?"

She stands, and for the first time I notice how she seems to flicker at the edges, like a candle flame in wind. "To understand."

"Kit," Ash says behind me slowly. "Come here."

I ignore him and walk towards my friend. The one who held me when Jace broke my heart to pieces. The one who prepared me before the gala and was there for me when everything was falling apart around me. The only one who ever seemed to care about me for me rather than the power I had inside me. The one who understood.

"Why didn't you tell me," I ask quietly, still moving forward.

"Kit," Jace says and I feel him take a step towards me.

Kianna looks at him, her face shifting into such rage and hatred that it makes my steps falter. Then, without warning, her hand shoots out, reaching for my arm. Behind me, I hear multiple voices shout.

"DON'T-"

"KIT, MOVE-"

"NO-"

But Kianna's fingers close around my wrist faster than anyone can move, and the world dissolves into darkness.

The last thing I hear is Jace screaming my name.

When the darkness clears, I'm standing in a different version of the university. The buildings are the same, but newer, fresher. Students mill about in clothes that would've been fashionable thirty years ago. And beside me...

"This is my memory," Kianna says softly. She looks different here - vibrant and alive, her uniform pristine, her dark skin glowing with youth and vitality. "The day it all began."

I watch as another Kianna walks across the quad, books clutched to her chest. She's beautiful, radiating the kind of power that draws attention. Several students turn to watch her pass.

"I was like you," she continues. "Stronger than the other siphons. Special, they said. Capable of handling multiple bonds without burning out."

A young man approaches memory-Kianna. My heart stops.

It's Marcus Abbott. Decades younger but unmistakable. He's devastatingly handsome, with Jace's bright green eyes and sharp features softened by youth and charm. He smiles at memory-Kianna, and I watch her fall a little bit in love.

"He was different then. Or seemed to be." Kianna's voice hardens. "He and Thomas were the strongest students in our year. When they both wanted to bond with me..."

The scene shifts. We're in an elegant room I don't recognize. Memory-Kianna sits between Marcus and another young man - Thomas, I assume. They're all laughing, sharing wine, looking at each other with such heat it makes me blush.

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