OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: OF LONGINGS, LOYALTIES, AND THE SPACE I KEEP

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: OF LONGINGS, LOYALTIES, AND THE SPACE I KEEP

RIYEE'S POV

Spending free period at Crownspire Library is not my thing. Yet here I am, stuck between Saichel on one side and Xythe across the table. I'd rather be in the Allievo Commons where people actually breathe.

I love books. But libraries? They don't breathe—they smother. The hush here isn't peaceful; it's a gag made of silence, with the with the librarian's eyes lurking like a predator, waiting to strike the moment you exhale too loud.

"Why are we here again?" I whispered to Saichel, just loud enough for him and Xythe to catch. The last thing I wanted was the librarian's death glare.

Saichel leaned closer, voice dropping conspiratorially. "We're watching Rowan Lopez. Tofer flagged anomalies in his feed—something's off with him."

"Seb confirmed," Xythe added, tone flat. Colder than usual. Not Ice-President-cold like KD—hollow cold, like his words were spoken through glass. "Possible Project: Rowan activation."

My frown deepened. "KD's pulse pattern is steady. I can feel it through the thread Keryn built into my band. If his pulse is steady, then Rowan should still be dormant. That's the rule. So why does Tofer's feed say otherwise?"

Xythe shrugged, sharp and detached, his gaze sliding past me instead of meeting mine. That tiny avoidance cut sharper than anything he said. "Could be reprogrammed. Wouldn't be the first time."

I didn't reply. My gaze drifted five tables away where Rowan Lopez sat with his friends. Laughing. Gesturing. Ordinary. Too ordinary. The kind of ordinary that makes you look twice.

He was the only confirmed Halcyon-connected student inside Supreme Allievo Academy. Maybe there were others hiding in plain sight. Maybe not. But Rowan being flagged now meant one thing.

Not surveillance.
Not questioning.
Elimination.

Lucian Ortega was easy. He made himself a villain, and villains deserve endings. But Rowan? He smiles, jokes, plays the part of a normal classmate. Killing someone who looks harmless feels like murdering an illusion

An hour later, Rowan finally stood. Books tucked neatly under his arm, smile plastered across his face—he looked every bit the perfect student. Too perfect.

We followed. Not too close, not too far—just enough to keep him from noticing the weight of three pairs of eyes tracking his every move.

The library's suffocating quiet bled into the corridors, where footsteps echoed against polished stone. Rowan walked casually, greeting classmates with that same practiced ease. Normal. Harmless. Forgettable.

But Tofer's feed didn't lie. Neither did Seb.
And Rowan wasn't normal. He was the kill-switch wired to KD's heart.
And I wasn't about to let him pull it.

"Notice something?" Saichel whispered, covering it with a fake yawn, as if we were just three bored students wandering by accident.

"His gait," Xythe murmured. "Too measured. He's counting his steps." His eyes flicked toward me for a fraction of a second—then away, as if even that brief connection was too much. Distance. Always distance.

My skin crawled. Who the hell counts their steps unless they've been trained to?

Rowan turned down the west hall—the one that led to the old observatory wing. Hardly anyone went there. Too quiet, too cut off. Perfect for conversations that shouldn't be overheard.

I caught Xythe's gaze. He gave the smallest nod, confirming what I was already thinking. No words wasted. No softness offered. Just ice, precise and unyielding.