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The rain hasn’t stopped all day.
Liam sits on the edge of the flight field wall, boots muddy, shirt still damp from drills. His muscles ache, but it’s nothing compared to the weight sitting in his chest. The air smells of wet stone, of leather, of dragons beyond the wall, low rumbles of their breathing vibrating through the storm-thick air. Basgiath is quieter than usual tonight, the cadets sheltering from the relentless downpour. Quiet enough that Liam’s thoughts, thoughts usually drowned out by noise, by orders, by motion, feel loud. Too loud.
He scrubs a hand through his wet hair, lets out a long breath. The ache isn’t just from drills. It’s from everything he hasn’t said, hasn’t allowed himself to feel, all the tiny particles of fire because he shouldn’t be thinking about her.
Cami Riorson. Xaden’s sister. His best friend’s sister. The one person who should be untouchable.
And yet.....she’s all he thinks about.
He presses his palm against his chest, like he could hold it all in, like it might keep him from shattering wide open right here in the rain. He can still see her earlier today, laughing after her sparring match, a victorious gleam in her eyes as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Gods, that smile. That sound. It had been so easy to smile back, even as something sharp twisted in his ribs.
And then, unbidden, another memory surfaces.
‘flashback’
It had been weeks ago, maybe longer, a normal training day. The field had been chaos, cadets yelling over one another, sweat and blood mixing in the dirt. Cami had been sparring a second year twice her size, refusing to back down even when it was clear she was overmatched. Liam had been halfway across the yard when he saw the other cadet’s strike coming too high, too reckless. He didn’t think. He just moved. Head empty, blood roaring in his ears.
He’d grabbed the other cadet by the collar and hauled him back before the blow landed, shoving him away with a snarl that surprised even him. “Watch it,” he’d growled, his voice colder than he’d ever heard it. “You dont take cheap fucking shots with the first years Barlow” he’d snarled.
When he turned, Cami was staring at him, breathing hard, eyes wide. For a second, she looked like she might yell at him for interfering but instead, she just smiled. Small. Grateful. A little crooked. Malec, it had knocked the air right out of him.
That was the moment, Liam realizes now. The exact second something inside him shifted. When protecting her stopped being about duty to Xaden and became something else entirely Something so painstakingly powerful.
‘present’
“Liam.”
That snaps him back to the present. The voice is rough, familiar. Not hers.
Xaden.
Liam’s shoulders stiffen. He doesn’t turn, not right away. He feels the weight of Xaden’s presence before he even sees him. The shadow of him drops onto the wall beside Liam, black hair plastered to his face, his usual unreadable expression in place. For a while, neither of them speaks. Just the sound of rain and a harsh breeze between them.
“You’ve been quiet lately,” Xaden says finally, his tone casual, but not really. “Quieter than usual.” Liam lets out a humorless huff. “You would notice.” Xaden doesn’t rise to the bait. He just studies him, too sharp to miss what’s written all over Liam’s face.
“This about Cami?”
Liam swallows hard. The words almost stick, but he nods anyway. No point lying. Not to Xaden. Xaden exhales slowly, rain dripping off his jaw. “I figured.” He doesn’t sound surprised. Just tired, resigned “She’s my sister, Liam.” he says not unkindly, he never is harsh with Liam.
“I know.” The words come out hoarse. “And that’s why I’ve been trying to bury this. To stay out of her way. I’d never hurt her. Or you.” Xaden’s jaw works. For a second, Liam expects him to threaten him, to tell him to stay the hell away. But instead, Xaden leans forward, elbows on his knees, staring out over the flight field.
“She’s been through more than most people can imagine,” he says finally, his voice quiet, quiet in that way that’s only ever present when talking about his baby sister. “Losing our parents. Losing everything. She’s the only family I have left. If you’re going to do this, if you’re going to feel this way about her, you’d better fucking mean it.”
Liam’s throat tightens. He means it more than he’s ever meant anything. “I do,” he says simply. “She makes me want to fight harder. Be better. She’s… everything.” Xaden glances at him, sharp and assessing. After a long moment, he nods once. “Then don’t screw it up. Because if you hurt her-”
“You’ll kill me. Yeah, I figured.” Liam’s voice is dry, but his chest feels strangely lighter. Not approval. But maybe permission. Xaden almost smiles. Almost. “Good. Then we understand each other.”
By the time Cami finds him that night, the rain has softened to a mist. The world feels hushed, like it’s holding its breath. Liam is still sitting on the wall, head tipped back, eyes half-closed as he listens to the quiet.
“You missed dinner,” she says as she approaches, pulling her hood down. Her bubble braids are damp, wisps sticking to her face. “Xaden’s been glowering at everyone.”
Liam chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, we talked.”
“Oh?” She arches a brow, curious. “And you survived?”
“Barely.” He shifts, making space for her, and she sits beside him. For a moment, neither of them speaks. Her knee brushes his, and that’s all it takes for his heart to start racing. “Liam,” she says softly, tilting her head to look at him. “What’s going on with you?”
He swallows hard, then lets the words spill. “I can’t stop thinking about you. And I know I shouldn’t. But I swear, Cami I’d cross every line, fight every battle, just to keep you safe. Malec- you make me want to be someone who fucking survives this place.”
Her breath catches. She studies him, quiet for a long moment, like she’s trying to decide whether to close the distance or run. And then she reaches out, brushing her fingers over the back of his hand. “I’m not asking you to fight for me,” she whispers. “I’m just asking you to stay.”
Something in Liam’s chest twists painfully, but he nods, the promise heavy in his bones. “I’ll stay,” he says, and it feels like an oath. “For as long as I can.” She smiles then, small and sad and beautiful, and it undoes him. He wants to kiss her, wants to memorize the shape of her mouth, but he doesn’t. Not yet.
Instead, he just sits with her until the mist fades, until the stars finally break through the clouds. And for the first time in weeks, he feels like he can breathe because no matter what battles lie ahead, no matter what this war takes from them he won’t be far.
Present day......
The battlefield is fire and shadow. Smoke stings his eyes, every breath tastes of blood and ash. Liam’s legs give out, his body hitting the mud hard curling next to Deigh his dying dragon, and he knows this is it there’s no getting back up, no more second chances. His vision tunnels, the sounds of battle of the venin- of everything distant, like someone is slowly turning the world down.
But as darkness edges in, he isn’t afraid.
He thinks of the wall, of rain sliding down Cami’s hair, of the stars breaking through at the end of that night. He remembers the way her voice trembled when she whispered, Just stay, and the way it settled in his bones like a vow.
His fingers curl against the ground, slick with his own blood, but he smiles through it. He stayed. Gods, he stayed as long as he could. Long enough to make sure she was safe.
The sounds of war fade completely now. All he hears is rain, gentle and steady, though he knows there’s no rain here. All he feels is warmth, like she’s sitting beside him again, knee brushing his, her hand finding his in the dark.
And just before everything goes quiet, Liam breathes out the last thought he’ll ever have, soft, steady, and certain:
I’m not far, Cami. I never will be.