OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OF HEADMASTERS, FREEZING ORDERS,

"Guess we have the front row seat now on how the Ice President works," Saichel whistled under his breath. "He's mad because his council set traps that could've hurt his girlfriend."

Fair. And maybe slightly true. Students slowly filed out. One by one, some in groups. The Ardent Court didn't move. Neither did I.

I waited outside the Aureum Gymnasium, watching the sky shift orange-blue as the sun dipped past the rooftop.

He came out ten minutes later, expression unreadable.

"Why are you still here?" KD asked, his voice cold again. "You should've gone to the infirmary like the rest of your group."

I shrugged. "The doctor's just one. Can't accommodate all of us. So I figured... might as well wait for my boyfriend."

His shoulders stiffened.

Victory.

He looked at me for a beat longer, as if trying to decide whether to scold me or scoop me into his arms.

He sighed. "I'm still mad, you know."

I raised my brows. "With who? Your council or my Court?"

"Both," he muttered. "Especially you, though. Because—"

"—I scared you?" I cut in.

KD's jaw ticked. "Both, yeah. That was supposed to be a normal manhunt game. You staged it like you were in a warzone."

I smiled. "Because that's how the Court moves. Dramatic and theatrical."

His voice came out quiet, almost like he didn't want to ask.
"You said... you don't hear his heartbeat."

He meant Xythe.

His eyes met mine—not angry, just... unsure.
"Then why do I see a web of eight different heartbeats connecting to yours?"

I didn't answer right away.
I let out a breath, slow and heavy.

"Crown Protocol," I said. "I can't tell anyone unless my cousin, Lyle, says so."

He didn't look away. Didn't even blink.

"But if you're Saichel," I added quietly, "you can say anything. Because no one ever believes him anyway."

"Actually... those threads? They're mostly for simulation battle. Or things the Headmasters ask the Ardent Court to handle."

I bit my lower lip. "But for everyday, it's just Xythe and Saichel. Connected to my ring."

I held up my pinky, showing him the faintly glowing band pulsing against my skin.

KD didn't argue. He just stared again—probably because he knew he couldn't do anything. Crown Protocol. Ardent immunity. He had no power over that.

So instead, he pulled me into a hug—tight, unshaken. The kind that stitched something back together without a single word.

His breath was warm near my ear when he spoke.
"I was scared," he whispered. "Because I didn't know that part of your world. I'm scared I might lose you."

"You won't," I whispered back, hugging him just as tightly. "You never will."

Then, so soft I almost missed it, he murmured:
"I wish I could hear yours too."

We walked to the Sepharim Wing–infirmary–in silence. Except, silence didn't last long. The hallway outside the infirmary was packed. Inside, too. KD scanned the area like a general assessing battlefield casualties. Then he pulled out his phone, thumbed something fast, and lifted it to his ear.