A Fractured Light (Beautiful Dark)

another?
    Maybe it was because my gut was telling me something else.
    Deep down I knew that, while the Order had control over Devin’s mind and body, they couldn’t control his heart. They could force a sword into his hand and force Raven into his life, but they couldn’t force him to be happy. And when I looked at him, I knew he wasn’t. There were so many things he was holding back. His eyes told me all I needed to know.
    There was someone good in there, someone who wanted desperately to escape. I knew it even if he didn’t.
    “Oh, Skye, don’t go so soon,” Raven said sweetly.
    “I hope you two are happy together,” I said. “But you both better stay far, far away from me.”
    “Skye, wait,” Devin blurted.
    “Devin,” Raven said sharply, and he fell back.
    I turned and walked away down the hall.
    Asher was waiting for me at my locker, wearing his familiar beat-up army jacket and jeans. There was something so comforting about seeing him there waiting for me. He was my rock, my reality, and the weird encounter with Devin and Raven was just another bad dream. Asher was the one I woke up to. He broke into the slightly wicked grin that used to make me fight back a smile. But now I let myself get lost in it.
    “I missed you last night,” I said, inserting myself under his arm and snuggling in. He kissed the top of my head.
    “Gideon told me what happened on the road. Are you okay?”
    Was I? I thought about all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours: focusing more of my powers, asking Gideon to help me, my decision to rejoin the ski team. Even my confrontation with Devin. All of it felt like it was leading me toward some kind of moment of clarity.
    “I’ve never been better,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. His lips were soft and warm and sent tiny pinpricks of light through my nerve endings. He wove a hand up my neck and through my hair.
    “Mmm,” he murmured. “So I don’t need to kick anyone’s ass?”
    “Not unless you want to.” I grinned, pulling away.
    “Oh, you have no idea.” Asher’s eyes clouded over.
    “Get a room, you two,” Cassie said, her locker door slamming shut next to us.
    “You’re one to talk!” I yelled, swatting her. “Babes.”
    “Babes?” said Asher. He turned to me. “Really?”
    “Shut up.” Cassie laughed. “Dan said it first.”
    The bell rang, and we headed for homeroom.
    Devin was standing at the opposite end of the hall, watching us. Alone. When our eyes met, he turned and walked through the doorway.
     
    Cassie and I were the first ones at lunch. She sat across the table, sipping her Odwalla juice and eyeing me.
    She glanced around to make sure the boys were out of earshot. “That was cute this morning,” she said.
    “What was cute?” I asked, playing absently with the crust of a slice of bread.
    “ Almost as cute as me and Dan. Are you trying to compete with us? Because it won’t work. We’ve already won.”
    “Are you talking about Asher?”
    “The very same.” She grinned.
    “Well,” I said, “I hate to break it to you, but you guys don’t stand a chance.”
    “No, but seriously, though,” Cassie said, spearing a sprig of broccoli. “You seem really happy.” She paused. “I’ve never seen you like this. So are you? Happy? Tell me for real. Because it’s about time you were.”
    “I am,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling stupidly. Everything in my life was converging toward what I wanted. I was on a path, and the trees were bowing to reveal the way to me. “I really think I am.”
    “So . . . have you guys done it yet?”
    “Cassie!”
    “Well, you were staying with the guy in a cabin! In the woods! Cut off from the rest of humanity! Seems like plenty of opportunities might have arisen.”
    “We’re not—” I started to say. “We haven’t—” but stopped. Why hadn’t we come closer? It’s not like I hadn’t wanted to. There were a few times at the cabin when we’d been alone, but I’d still been recovering. And now that Aunt Jo was home every night, we ran the risk of being interrupted—like the other night. “It just hasn’t . . . felt right yet.” I paused.
    But that wasn’t exactly it. The real reason was much more complicated. I was afraid . And not for the obvious reasons. When I was alone with Asher, our lips sparking in the night when they touched, I had so much trouble controlling my powers. He had that effect on me, the singular ability to turn my blood