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SHADOWBOUND
Chapter 48

Chapter 48

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The magical aftermath hasn't yet dissipated, clinging to the hall of The Night School like the last notes of a song, supercharging the stillness with its lingering presence. The grandeur of the hall felt different at that moment; normally, it would be bustling with energy and reverberating with the sounds of mystical lessons and laughter. But not tonight. Tonight, the grand hall was cloaked in silence, echoing back only our intertwined spells and whispers from earlier.

It was just Hunter and me now, alone in the hushed aftermath, navigating through the remnants of protective spells that we and the others had crafted before they melted away into the night's embrace. I felt this weird pressure in the atmosphere—it was as if the very air was heavy with potential, infused with the powers we'd unleashed and drawn out into something tangible. The whispers of past sorcery seemed to seep from the stone walls around us, hinting at secrets and ancient tales that felt so much bigger than anything I'd ever known—a promise of things both terrifying and exhilarating.

All became quiet—so deadly quiet that I could almost hear my own heartbeat. And then our gazes locked. Hunter's eyes found mine across the empty space that suddenly felt charged with a million unsaid words. That familiar yet always elusive tension that had buzzed quietly between us whenever our paths crossed... Well, it was no longer lurking in the background; it was right there front and center, impossible to ignore. And it felt like there was this invisible force weaving around us—much like one of our enchantments—pulsively pulling us toward each other. It seemed even space itself couldn't resist bending to this strange gravity between our hearts.

As we slowly closed the gap between us, there wasn't the slightest need for speech. All of our joined adventures, the ordeals we'd powered through, and the secrets we hid within—the weight of it all spoke louder than words ever could in the hushed language of our gazes. The heaviness of everything hanging over us, the 'off-limits' sign hanging over what we felt for each other, it all just intensified the electricity surging between us, a current too live, too wild to be tamed.

The moment our hands found each other's, oh, it was like lightning struck me. Our fingers laced together tightly, and even that simple touch was humming with a million things we left unsaid. Hunter's warmth seeped through my skin; it soothed the never-ending storm inside me. His touch was like him saying without a single word that no matter what storms may come, we're braving them side by side.

Then our lips? They collided, and I swear everything else just vanished. It was like every feeling we'd tried to keep hidden erupted in that one kiss—a blend of yearning, understanding, and feeling so darn different from the world that though it once isolated us, now it was the very thing pulling us closer. That kiss sparked something wild within me, kindling a passion that had been waiting oh-so-patiently for just this moment to show itself.

I could feel it, you know? That intense pull between us—it was like something you could almost touch, twisting and turning through the core of who we are. And trust me, it wasn't just about liking how the other looked; it went deeper than that. It was like our souls were just two pieces of the same puzzle, wandering through some endless night until they bumped into each other.

After our kiss ended and we stepped back, gasping for air and with our eyes shining like crazy, it hit us both. There was no pretending anymore or trying to forget what had just happened. We had crossed some invisible line, and there was no going back to not knowing, not feeling all of this. Everything we went through here at The Night School, every trial we faced together, it melded us into something strong - like diamond-strong.

So here we were, standing in the middle of The Night School's massive hall with all its protective charms that were supposed to keep us safe from whatever lurked beyond its walls. But being safe from the world outside didn't really matter when a whole new kind of scary thing was starting right between us—the terror of falling for each other too hard. Looking into each other's eyes, I realized there's a kind of magic that doesn't come from spells or incantations.

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It’s the kind of wild magic that happens when you fall for someone you're not supposed to—so strong and fierce it could turn your world upside down forever.

The buildup to prom at The Night School stretched out like a long, sweet dream, filled to the brim with this wild mix of nerves and pure joy. I watched as we all got caught up in the whirlwind, the buzz of excitement. Seriously, it was like all the rough stuff we'd been through just hit pause so we could get giddy over this one magical night on the horizon. Every time I let myself picture showing up with Hunter, my heart did this little skip and dance routine. We were kind of each other's secret sweets now, our connection this hidden silky string tying us together beneath everything else.

"You're going to have the best time," I told Lila one afternoon as we lounged in my room, surrounded by a sea of glossy prom adverts and dress catalogs. She was on the fence for ages about going with Alex. But after a whole lot of nudging from me and some deep soul-searching on her part, she finally said yes. Still, I could tell it wasn't an easy yes—a sort of bittersweet thing—but she had this quiet hope that maybe it could patch up some of the jagged edges left between us.

Madison’s story was the real plot twist though. Out of nowhere, she was suddenly all into Victor—he’s one of us, a night-walker with a dangerously sharp smile that apparently could melt hearts or something. Every time they were together, there was this change in her, like she was seeing things in color for the first time. “He’s different, Em,” she confessed to me one evening as we sat perched on her window sill looking out into the dark sky. “Victor actually gets me.”

As for me? Well, I'm counting down seconds here until prom night when I can be there with Hunter, our hands entwined, kinda declaring to everyone and no one at all that what we have is real—even if it's our little secret tucked away from prying eyes.

The long-awaited night of prom had finally come, and our school's grand hall had undergone a complete transformation—it was like stepping into a fantasy world that pulsed under the soft glow of ethereal lights, swathed in decorations that seemed to wink and shimmer with magic. The air itself seemed alive, vibrating with the symphony of our collective heartbeats, each of us utterly entranced by the enchantment of it all.

Hunter's hand was warm in mine as we stood together, a solid, reassuring presence amid the swirls of laughter and dance. We were islands in the stream of celebration, connected through a silent bond that felt both small and impossibly significant.

"Think we stand a chance?" Hunter whispered with that half-grin I'd come to adore.

I squeezed his hand, letting out a nervous laugh. "In this fairy tale? Maybe we'll pull off an upset."

The anticipation built to a crescendo as the votes for prom royalty were being tallied; I could hear my heartbeat over the music. Then, like thunder rolling across a clear night sky, our names echoed through the hall—Emily and Hunter, king and queen of prom.

A laugh bubbled out from me—a mix of pure joy and sheer amazement—as we looped arms and turned to face everyone. Cheering filled my ears like ocean waves. But across the crowd, I caught sight of Alex. His smoldering gaze cut through the festivities, his eyes dark with unspoken anger.

"Why can't he just be happy for us?" I muttered under my breath to Hunter, trying to hold on to the moment despite the storm brewing in Alex's eyes.

What went down at the coronation is still pretty much etched in my brain - like, it was supposed to be epic, you know? One moment we were all clinking our glasses in a toast, and then out of nowhere, it got mega hot. I mean, so hot you'd think the sun crashed the party. In an instant, everyone went from chill to sheer panic as that blazing inferno swallowed The Night School whole. Screams bounced off the walls, cutting through the banging music and festive sounds like some screwed-up remix nobody asked for.

"Run!" someone shouted, and it was like a starting gun for the most twisted race ever. Kids stampeded for the exits; I could see Tristan tripping over someone's discarded robe, totally eating it on his way out. Our magical night was turning into legit horror movie material. It was hard to think with all the smoke and crying carving up my concentration.

Hunter and I? We were hit from behind and everything blurred. This monster of a fire ripping was through everything—lockers, classrooms, memories. And then, while dodging a burning banner falling from the ceiling, I heard Lila's voice slicing through the roar of the flames: "Emily! Hunter! Where are you guys?!"