Darkbeam IV
Date: 2020-12-22 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy
Description: Please note that this is not for YA Audience like the Dragonian Series The 4th Part in the Rubicon's Story. Blake Leaf is experiencing all sorts of new feelings after the Dent, and because of his past, the princess of Paegeia isn't making it easy to trust him. Only time and breaking through her layers will show her that he has changed. Then maybe their bond will heal and they will be find the missing ingredient in order to kill the Saadedine and free the people of Etan. Now all he can do is to hope and pray that his secrets and past isn't going to come back and mess up his his progress. Darkbe
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing

DARKBEAM II

Adrienne Woods

Darkbeam Part II

Copyright © 2018 Adrienne Woods

Illustration: Joemel Requeza

If you purchased this book from anyone other than Fire Quill Publishing or a licensed FQP reseller, you should be aware this book is stolen property.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

All graphics and text associated with Fire Quill Publishing.

First Fire Quill publishing edition April 2018

ISBN-13: 9781947649187

To all the Rubicon fans out there, this one is by far my favorite.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Also by Adrienne Woods

Part I

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Part II

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

About the Author

First and the most important, as always, thanks is to our Father in Heaven, for blessing me every day, without Your guidance, I wouldn’t have done or finished with this if You were not involved in this every day. You are my purpose of life and I will love You till the end of time.

Then I would like to thank my extraordinary beta readers, you know who you are, for your valuable input, patience and willingness to delve into this world time and time again.

For the endless support of my family; I would be lost without your loving support and your ability to keep me pursuing this project when I didn’t want to carry on.

A special thanks to my wonderful editors, Monique and Jess, you have become true citizens of Paegeia, and your insight to the words on these pages stayed true to Blake through and through. A big thank you for polishing my work to perfection.

To my cover artist Joemel. There are just no more words to describe your work and talent. You were able to reach into my imagination, capture, and re-imagine what was inside my mind.

To my publishing company, Fire Quill, for giving a home to my series and to the best team I ever worked with. Carlyle, and Anika, you are all stars for making my novels reach much further then I dream for.

Last, but not the least, a big thanks to my fans. I will always, always be grateful for your love and support. Without you this series would not have lifted off.

I hope that none of you will be disappointed with this part.

Lots of love

Adrienne Woods

The Dragonian Series

Firebolt

Thunderlight

Frostbite

Moonbreeze

Starlight

NOVELLAS

Venom

Poison

All the above titles are available in audio
via Tantor Media.

DRAGONIAN SERIES SPIN OFF NOVELS

THE BEAM SERIES

Moonbeam

Starbeam

Darkbeam Part I-III

Firebeam

The Journal with Blake Leaf

The World Of Paegeia

Illustrated by Joemel Requeza

DREAM CASTER SERIES

LIGHT

SHADOW

MILLEU

Part I

“We’ve got another gig.” Isaac’s enthusiasm spilled through my Cammy.

“When and where?”

Elena was set to come stay at our house soon. The mere thought made my insides crawl.

My parents had flung open their doors to her. My father hadn’t set eyes on her yet—she hadn’t been in a bed near me when they’d visited me in the infirmary—but one look at her and he would know. He’d beat the truth out of me.

On the one paw, I was glad we’d gotten a part of him back, but on the other, this meant that the old Sir Robert, one of the few dragons the Rubicon feared, was back. I despised fear.

And he was focused on me.

When Elena came, I’d have to keep a low profile. If that meant more gigs, so be it. It was better than brooding on my mountaintop at least.

Isaac replied—the gig was on the day George would return. He and his family had left to spend the summer on an island on the other side of the Wall to celebrate that his little sister finally received her human form.

If only I could cross the Wall… but the Ancients would refuse.

They strongly believed I wouldn’t come back—and jeopardize everything they’d done to shroud Paegeia in secrecy, unknown by the rest of the world.

Sometimes, I felt like a prisoner.

I shouldn’t feel like that. I should rule Paegeia.

If I were to show everyone the truth, they would force her to face me in the arena. She would Ascend and I would break. No matter how fucked up it was, I’d end up with her.

Sure, I would become the ruler. But fuck ruling like that. I’d rule by myself and not as a slave to that ignorant blondie.

I wanted it all for myself. One day, when the darkness overtook me and I lost my sense of self, I would seize this world. Probably the one behind the Wall, too.

That was how greedy my darkness was.

“See you then?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you at Longbottoms.”

“Another gig already?” Tabitha lifted her head from my chest.

“Yeah, George’s welcome-home bash.”

“Must be good to have all the money in the world.” She was referring to Becky. Ever since George had Dented on her, they’d been inseparable.

I asked him shortly after the King of Lion mission—that was what everyone called it now—how the Dent felt. He’d shaken his head and left without a word.

From the look on his face, I had a feeling he had no idea.

George would rather die than admit the truth: that what his intense connection with Becky was not genuine, that it was forced on him by a spell.

A cold shiver rushed up my spine from the thought of the Dent. Denting wasn’t something beautiful or admirable.

The Dent was a kind of slavery. It made dragons lose everything.

It reminded me of the irrepressible sensations every time I dreamed about the redhead. Were the dreams even about Elena? Blonde Elena looked nothing like the girl in my dreams.

Tabitha sighed. “What’s going on with you lately? Your head’s always somewhere else.”

“Thinking about Brian.” The lie slipped easily off my tongue. “He shouldn’t have died.”

I lied more and more these days. Tabitha was spot-on: my mind constantly strayed, either to the Dent or Elena.

“That’s not on you. If anyone should feel guilty, it’s that dragon spawn. She never should’ve gone after that stupid sword.”

I knew why Elena had done what she did. But she was wrong. She’d learn the sword wasn’t her destiny after all.

The other day, I’d gone to the museum in Etan—in disguise, of course—to look at the foretellings in the Book of Shadows.

Something had prompted Elena to fixate on the lost King of Lion sword, and I had to know what had spurred the mission.

When I saw it, not far from a couple of mine that were still black, my lungs deflated in shock.

A day will come and a day will go, a choice you’ll have to make otherwise the truth will never be known.

Irene hadn’t told me about this foretelling.

She was adamant that Elena didn’t belong in Paegeia. She wasn’t special, which was why she didn’t see anything from the spawn.

But after what Elena had done, I knew that would change.

Irene would dig deeper, and she’d realize the reason she couldn’t see anything wasn’t because Elena wasn’t special, but because she was extremely special—King Albert special. She had never been able to see his future clearly. It had something to do with his bloodline possessing magical abilities, and Elena’s axes that night proved it. Their blood protected them from harm and from Irene’s sight.

I knew the words belong to Elena.

And I knew it was about my claiming.

I opened my eyes and found Tabitha still staring at me, her eyes soft.

I pulled my arm out from underneath her and got up, pulling on my boxer shorts and t-shirt. I was hungry.

I found my parents in the kitchen.

It was weird seeing my father, knowing that he had no recollection of what he had been a few months ago.

Samuel had kept his word and took away those memories. It was part of my prize money: get my father back and keep my family safe.

My mom smiled at me. “Morning, sweetheart. You hungry?” Her British accent was always more charming in the mornings.

“Starving.”

My father didn’t offer a greeting, just grunted at me to get my attention.

I turned my head to look at him.

“Are you being safe with the Snow Dragon?”

“Dad,” I whined.

“Blake, we can’t afford another mouth to feed.”

“I’m not stupid. Believe me, the last thing I want is a fucking egg.”

My father picked up the newspaper and my mother took a deep breath.

Sammy came bounding into the kitchen, kissing my mom on her cheek as she grabbed a piece of toast.

“Where are you going?” my father asked.

“To Becky’s. And I’m taking Daisy,” she said turning to me.

Daisy was the VW Beetle I got cheaply and fixed up with Ty and Isaac’s help.

Sammy leaned down and brushed a kiss over his cheeks. “See you later.”

With that, she turned and left, and a few minutes later we heard the roar of the Beetle.

“You remember that Elena will be staying with us next week, right, Robert?” Mom said, turning to look at my father.

He sighed. “Does the girl know we’re not as fortunate as the Johnsons?”

“Robert, I’m sure Sammy told her. Besides, she was the one who had the guts to go after the sword when no one else wanted to.”

“I know.” My father sighed again and looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“I heard her mark is really dark. Is it true?”

“I’ve never seen her mark,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. It had to be hidden beneath all those layers she usually wore.

Ever since we’d produced the new King of Lion weapons—Elena’s axes—my father wanted to know everything about the mission. I hated it. I’d tried to tell him as little as I could, but it got worse when King Caleb and half of the members agreed that Elena wouldn’t get her name on the brass plate with the other five women that made it out of the cavern. They called the Ancients to a meeting, and my father attended for the first time in fucking forever. Why now?

It wasn’t good.

The Ancients ruled that being a spawn of a dragon gave her the advantage.

The half-and-half race had been treated like runts for years. Now one stepped up and did something admirable, and suddenly they had an advantage.

Elena wasn’t a runt, but that’s what they all believed.

I’d thought it would backfire and they would sense who she was, but luckily, she wasn’t ready and Master Longwei spoke in her defense.

After that, my father wanted to know all about her.

When he finally sees her, he would watch me like a hawk, like most of the professors at Dragonia.

My mother set a plate of food in front of me and another in front of my father, and we ate in silence. After my last bite, I thanked my mom and left the kitchen.

“Your plate won’t magically put itself in the sink, Blake,” my mother called after me.

With a sigh, I went back and put my plate in the sink.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

I shook my head in annoyance as I went back upstairs, where Tabitha was already dressed and waiting for me.

I pulled on more appropriate clothing, and then we left for Isaac’s.

George’s party was starting, but Tabitha hypnotized me with her body.

I desperately wished it was Irene who was making me late, but there was no way I could see her during the summer.

I couldn’t wait for school to start and I could lie in her arms again. Could be with her again.

Tabitha had to do for now, and I had to indulge while I could, because my mother was going to send her packing once Elena came.

It was as if everything was working against me, wanting me to give in and tell Elena who she was.

I wondered whether my father knew about her, but if he did, he wouldn’t be here with us. He’d have left to protect her years ago, and he would’ve told us about her. Would’ve told me there was hope.

Why had his rider kept Elena a secret?

At the end of his life, had he truly believed that my father could’ve been the one who would betray them?

If only he’d known. My father would’ve died for King Albert without giving his family a second thought.

Whatever the king’s reasoning, it had died with him.

When Tabitha and I reached Longbottoms, my stomach started to churn.

Elena was here.

I parked the Beetle and rested my head against the steering wheel to get my nausea under control.

“Nervous?” Tabitha asked as she stroked my back.

“Always,” I lied.

She was looking as gorgeous as always. Dressed to kill in a short denim skirt and high-heeled boots that showcased her long legs. Her denim jacket covered an extremely tight and skimpy shirt, showing off enough cleavage to tease me.

I bit my lower lip as my eyes roamed over her body.

Tabitha narrowed her eyes playfully and leaned her face closer to mine.

“If you’re nervous, just remember that I’m right in the crowd, cheering the loudest.” She kissed me lightly.

“With the way you’re dressed tonight, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget the words to every single song.”

She laughed. “It’s to remind you that you are with one of the most beautiful girls in Paegeia.”

“Ouch, I like,” I teased and kissed her again.

Isaac and Ty banged on the door.

“C’mon, Romeo, there is time for that later,” Isaac said.

I groaned softly.

Tabitha got out of the car. “You boys are so evil.”

“I’m not the one with Beelzebub written over my face,” Isaac teased.

Tabitha giggled and walked up the stairs.

Isaac frowned at me. “You okay?”

Telling the guys that I was nervous wouldn’t work, and neither would telling them that I was sick, because I had the ability to heal myself. I couldn’t lie to them, but I had to.

“Yeah, just a feeling, I guess.”

“A feeling?”

“It could be the Moonbolt finally arriving.”

“We are so going to hit the casinos when that happens,” Ty joked as we headed up a different set of stairs.

Longbottoms was already packed to the rafters.

When we reached the stage and started tuning our instruments, my stomach turned again. I hadn’t seen Elena for almost three weeks and it had been blissful. Now, I got the full dose, a reminder of who she was.

I hated it.

Everyone was great until Elena and Arianna started with their crap.

I tried to ignore it.

If Elena was in danger, there was a chance that I would do something stupid again, and risk giving everything away.

And with Arianna, it could lead to that. Those two did not like each other much

Elena came back inside, but not before someone outside recognized her.

The Prince of Tith’s new girlfriend.

Ever since they had gone to the gallery, everyone wanted a picture of Elena. It made the front page of tabloids, and every radio show wanted to know the girl who had stolen Princess Arianna’s betrothed.

Which was when Elena discovered the arrangement King Helmut and King Caleb had.

Things weren’t looking good for Lucian.

I glanced over at Elena, and saw Becky and George taking her away. My stomach finally started to settle once Sammy took Elena home in my Beetle.

Thank heavens for small miracles.

After that, the night seemed to fly by.

We sat and partied with George until about two in the morning when Becky got tired.

When Isaac announced that he needed to leave, it was our cue.

Tabitha and I shifted into our dragon forms and flew back to my house.

I growled as my stomach started turning again, pissed that Sammy brought Elena here.

“Blake, you okay?” Tabitha asked.

“I’m fine,” I bit out as I touched down on the ground and shifted back into my human form.

When we reached the stairs, Tabitha pounced on me, her hands roaming over my skin and her lips burning a trail on my neck.

I let out a rough laugh as I pushed her into my room, slamming her against the wall, my mouth crashing against hers. I lifted her easily and her legs wrapped around my waist, hiking up her tiny skirt as I drove into her.

A banging sounded on the other side of the wall and I groaned while Tabitha giggled into my shoulder.

“Shut the hell up. We’re trying to sleep!” Sammy yelled.

I laughed breathlessly. “Let’s tone it down a notch,” I mouthed.

Tabitha moved against me, not deterred by my sister’s interference.

I walked her to my bed and gave it my all. I don’t do things halfway. Not for anybody.

I didn’t give a shit about my sister—she should’ve known by now.

The next morning, I let Tabitha sleep in while I went down to get something to eat.

I froze on the bottom step when I heard my father say my name.

“—if Blake is lying?”

“C’mon. He doesn’t want to be dark, Robert. He would’ve said something to us.”

My father didn’t reply.

He’d seen her and I was sure the paranoia was just starting.

“He saved her life, Issy.”

“Which is a sign that he is fighting against the darkness inside him, nothing else,” my mother’s strong British accent punctuated every word.

I’d always wondered why we hadn’t adopted her accent, since she was the one constant in our lives. But both Sammy and I had gotten Dad’s accent.

Bracing myself, I stepped into the kitchen.

“Morning,” I said, grimacing at the stern look my mother gave me.

I hated that look.

I could feel my father’s eyes penetrating my soul, trying to find the secret I was so desperately trying to hide, but I didn’t look at him.

Instead, I kept my eyes on my mother.

“This came for you,” she said as she threw the latest edition of my monthly subscription to a bike magazine on the table. Just the distraction I needed.

My father’s chair screeched as he pushed away from the table just as my sister came bounding into the kitchen.

He kissed her on her head as she said good morning, then continued out the kitchen.

Sammy glared at me.

“What?” I snapped.

“You are so unbelievable.”

“Mind your own business, Samantha,” I hissed, taking a sip of the coffee my mother put in front of me.

“Oh, I would if you don’t drag me into it. Three hours, Blake!”

The front door opened and Becky waltzed in with George in tow.

Great, the Brady Bunch had arrived.

“Good morning,” Becky said in a singsong tone.

My mother kissed her on both cheeks and asked after Becky’s mother, who, by some miracle, had become friends with mine.

George took a seat next to me while the three women chatted.

“You guys hungry?” my mother asked

George grinned. “Is that fish giblets I smell?”

“It is,” my mother said.

“Then count me in.”

Becky sat down on the chair my father had just vacated and opened his newspaper.

“Oh, Elena is going to flip when she sees this,” Becky muttered.

As if on cue, the churning in my stomach returned right as Elena walked into the kitchen. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elena squeezing Becky around her neck.

“Oh crap.” She grabbed the newspaper out of Becky’s hand.

“It’s just a picture of a hand, Elena,” Becky said.

“I know, but look at this heading. They make me sound just as evil as Goran.”

Drama queen. She’d barely gotten a tiny dose of his evil ways back on that mountain.

Goran must have realized who she was the moment he set his eyes on her.

“Breakfast, Elena?” my mom asked.

“Yes, please,” she said, not taking her eyes off the paper. “This is such—” she stopped. She couldn’t even swear. How pathetic. And she was supposed to be my rider?

“Tell me about it. I can’t wait to hear her speech at the revealing,” Becky said, annoyance clear in her tone.

I didn’t have time for this, but if I got up now, my mother would definitely know something was up. I couldn’t just leave with no reason, so I stayed seated at the table.

“Ex! Ex! She didn’t do anything. She was just as helpless as all of us! If it had been up to her, she would’ve left me there to bleed out.” Elena chucked the paper on the table.

I shouldn’t have helped her at all that day, but I had. I should’ve let her die.

I could feel her eyes on me, but I just concentrated on the article and the fucking magnificent bike spread out on the page.

It was gorgeous. A replica of the number in Andie’s shop.

“Thanks,” Elena said as my mother handed her a cup of coffee.

“You’re welcome, and don’t let that article bother you so much,” my mom whispered, then she leveled me with that stern look again.

“What?”

She huffed and turned around to continue preparing breakfast.

My eyes caught Elena’s and it felt as if King Albert looked back at me, like one of his warning glares.

It felt like déjà vu.

I looked back down at the article, not paying her the attention she so desperately wanted.

Finally, my mother served breakfast, and I immediately dug in, ignoring the conversation going on around me.

“Ah man, can you imagine all that horsepower between your legs?” George asked.

“Yeah, there are only a few in the world. I bet it’s like riding a dragon.”

George laughed. “Depending on what type of riding you’re referring to.”

I snorted. Even though he was tamed, he was still Chromatic.

I got up the second my plate was cleaned, thanked my mother, who still glared at me, and left.

Elena left with Becky, George, and Sammy a few minutes later, and the weight that had settled on my lungs vanished. I could take a proper breath again.

As Tabitha and I got ready to meet up with Isaac, my father called me from the kitchen.

I groaned.

“I’ll wait for you in the car,” Tabitha said as she walked out the door.

Sighing, I went to the kitchen, where my mother was looking at my father with an unreadable expression.

“I have to know, Issy.”

I frowned. “Know what?”

My mother shook her head. “It’s not that, Robert.”

My father ignored her and turned toward me. “Why did you save Elena’s life?”

I huffed and chuckled. “Because she was bleeding out, Dad. Should I have just let her die? She’s Sammy’s friend, and she’s a brave girl who went into the Sacred Cavern and made it back out. I think that’s reason enough to have saved her life. Heaven knows we’re gonna need brave people like her the day I turn dark.”

My father looked away, but not before I saw the guilt settling on his face.

“What the fuck is going in on that mind of yours, Dad?”

“She just reminds me of… ”

“Of who?” I pushed.

He let out a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t matter.”

“No, tell me. Because all the teachers are making a fuss about Elena. They say her father was a dragon but she wears the mark of the Dragonians.”

Pushing my father might just be the thing I needed.

“I don’t know,” he snapped.

I turned to my mother. “Do you know who he’s talking about, Mom?”

“I said it doesn’t matter!” my father yelled as he got up with such force that his chair toppled over.

I raised an eyebrow at my mother, and she waited until my father’s heavy footsteps receded and a door slammed upstairs.

My mother blew out a breath. “She reminds us of Albert, Blake.”

I widened my eyes. “King Albert?” I asked, layering just enough shock in my voice to sound believable.

My mother pursed her lips and stared at me. Finally, she nodded.

I chuckled. “And he thinks that I’m what? Hiding the fact that she is my rider?” I laughed again. “Does he seriously think I would put myself—”

“I know, Blake. I told him that. That you wouldn’t. You don’t want to be dark.”

I let my fist drop to the table and shook my head in disbelief.

“Baby, we’re just worried about you. But you are not going to turn dark. I firmly believe Lucian will claim you.”

“Yeah, right,” I muttered before turning on my heel and storming out the door.

I’d never thought that it would be so easy to fool my father, to lie without an ounce of regret. Hopefully, it would be the last of my father’s worries now.

No one could ever find out who Elena was.

Tabitha winked at me as I walked onto the stage at Longbottoms. I was relieved to see that she had tamped down her bitchiness from being kicked out of my house in a few days so Elena could stay there.

I wasn’t happy about it either.

It was almost enough to think that this was some ploy of my father’s. That he suspected she was my rider and wanted Tabitha gone so Elena and I… But no, that could never happen.

I was still stressing the fuck out that it would.

I braced myself for the churning nausea when I spotted Sammy and Becky in the crowd, but it didn’t come.

I nodded at Isaac, and we launched into “Neverbreath.”

As always, my sister sang along every word, completely oblivious to who inspired the song.

Still, I had no idea how Elena could be the redhead from my dreams. But if it wasn’t Elena, who was it?

Had the Moonbolt in me woken up? Even so, why did my vision show red hair and freckles?

I shook the thought out of my head and swept my eyes over the crowd as I sang.

I knew Arianna was here, because she had taken Tabitha up to the VIP section just as our set started, and I hadn’t seen her since. Then George and Dean joined Becky and Sammy’s table.

Where the hell was Elena?

Lucian couldn’t be back yet. He would’ve called me. And I would’ve seen it in the tabloids if he had come back from the hunting trip his father had dragged him on.

I almost felt sorry for Lucian. King Helmut was doing everything in his power to keep Lucian and Elena apart to make sure he married Arianna.

But Irene had seen Elena with Lucian in her visions.

Yet another reason I couldn’t tell anyone who Elena was.

Lucian deserved his happy ending.

Even if it cost me my freedom, the good part of me, he deserved to be happy.

When we were done playing for the night, I wiped the sweat from my brow and went up to the VIP lounge.

Tabitha was passed out on one of the couches, and she didn’t even stir when I touched her shoulder.

Nicole, Lucian’s cousin, was there with a few of her friends. Ty was flirting with them all at once while Isaac chatted with Nicole.

They were celebrating Nicole finally getting into Dragonia Academy.

They’d discovered a tiny mark on her.

All of a sudden.

I bet her father had burned her in a way that resembled the mark of the riders.

That’s how desperate they were.

Ty had a stash of Fire Cain and I did a couple lines before I started drowning myself in booze. Anything to take the edge off.

Arianna flirted shamelessly with me, grazing my arm or my leg, laughing at everything I said.

She got up and headed to the bathroom, winking at me over her shoulder.

Hell, if that wasn’t a sign, I didn’t know my ass from my elbow.

She slipped through the door and I followed her.

I’d barely set foot inside the door before she grabbed me, sucking my neck like I was a drug and she was addicted.

I backed her up against the wall and pounded into her hard and fast. When we were done, I felt a blissful peace fall over me, like nothing I’d ever experienced. As Arianna sat dazed and on the edge of passing out, I stumbled outside.

Without realizing what I was doing, I found myself in the air, heading toward Lucille’s home.

I was calm, ecstatic. It felt unnatural.

Why was I so happy?

It was as if an outside force was guiding me to becoming happier.

I landed in Lucille’s backyard and shifted back to my human form.

I pulled on my jeans and shirt, then picked up a few pebbles from the garden and gently threw them at a window.

My stomach wasn’t turning, even though I knew Elena was inside.

“Elena,” I whispered her name.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I couldn’t stop.

I threw another pebble and called her name, louder this time.

The door opened and a joy I only felt when I entered Irene’s room washed over me.

Sammy face appeared at the window and just like that, the feeling disappeared.

“What do you want?” she hissed.

“I need to speak to Elena.” I chuckled. “Go get her.” All my problems would disappear if she would just go get Elena. I was so stupid before. I wanted to be dark. It was so silly.

“Blake, you’re drunk. Go home.”

“No, just send Elena out. Please.”

“The hell I’m going to do that. Leave, or I’ll call Dad to drag your ass back home.”

“Elena!” I yelled again, right as Sammy was about to close the balcony door.

“Dammit, Blake. Go home. You had enough fun with Arianna tonight. Elena isn’t that type of girl.”

Jeez, I knew she wasn’t that type of girl. “I only want to speak to her, Sammy.”

“Oh, please, you can’t even speak properly. Talk to her in the morning. Go.” Sammy closed the door, and I heard a flick of the lock and the sound of something heavy being dragged in front of it.

I groaned. There went the possibility of sneaking into their room.

Fine. I’d see her tomorrow.

Idiots.

I pulled my clothes off, transformed, and with a few flaps, I was in the air. I crashed on my bed a few minutes later.

When I woke up, I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been the night before.

I was so wasted, I could have blabbed my secret to anyone.

What was happening? Why didn’t the darkness in me wake up and threaten to kill her?

I could never do that again.

Just then, Tabitha barged through my door. “Seriously, you are unbelievable!”

“Please, not now. My head.”

“I don’t care about your fucking head. I care about where you stuck you dick last night.”

“What?”

“You screwed Arianna again. What the fuck, Blake?”

I groaned. “I don’t even remember that.”

“Oh, don’t. You are such a fucking asshole,” she hissed as she stormed out.

I let her go, burrowing my face into my pillow to block out the sunlight streaming into my room.

It wasn’t like her leaving me was that big a deal, anyway. I had bigger problems to deal with right now, like how the fuck I was going to explain last night’s behavior to my sister.

I’d have to tell her I was super horny and Elena was the only girl close by.

Sammy would believe that. She had last night.

I just had to keep my distance from Elena Watkins whenever I was drunk off my ass.

Ignoring Elena wasn’t that hard. She made it easy, because she never even mentioned the incident. When I saw her a few days later—my father had the brilliant idea to camp with the Johnsons—she wasn’t friendly toward me at all.

She still made me feel sick to my core but I managed to hide it.

I was fantastic at pretending.

Tabitha joined us on the camping trip, which was a welcome distraction now that she had calmed down about the Arianna incident.

We set up camp while the parents made hotdogs. That night, around the campfire, Dad spoke about the greatest king that ever lived for the first time in what felt like forever.

I didn’t like it.

My father hadn’t spoken about his rider in the past fifteen years, and now here he was, telling Elena about King Albert and what he meant to him.

Could he know I was lying?

The darkness in me was frantic.

It wanted me to kill my father, silence him, so instead I drowned myself in alcohol.

Finally, the parents went to sleep.

Tabitha was passed out on my shoulder, and I had some fun with her, using magic to make her lips move as I spoke for her.

“Oh, I think you are the smartest person in the entire world, Blake.” Everyone laughed except Elena. She rolled her eyes and sipped on her fruity drink. “I am the dumbest. Please take me now, Blake.”

George roared with laughter.

Sammy chuckled. “You are disgusting.”

“What?”

“She doesn’t think that. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I laughed. “But I do agree with her on that last part.”

Sammy gasped and Elena looked away as I picked Tabitha up and threw her over my shoulder. I took her to the tent and put her into bed.

Everyone was quite surprised when I exited the tent again.

“That was fast,” George joked and Becky slapped him hard. “Ouch, it was just a joke.”

“I’m not that big of an asshole,” I said.

“One never knows with you,” Sammy bit out.

I laughed as my gaze landed on Elena.

She stared back at me.

I desperately wanted to know what was going on her head.

She looked over her shoulder then back at me.

I grinned and she finally looked away and she shook her head.

Her heart rate rose slightly as the same peaceful bliss I felt that night with Arianna filled me.

Tonight I was going to tell her who she truly was. I felt it in my core and the beast couldn’t do anything about it.

He was gone. Drunk out of his mind.

I was in control.

Her Cammy buzzed.

It had to be Lucian. He was always there, coming to her rescue.

Pure hatred for swelled in me as she walked away to speak to him.

He knew I was here and he knew I couldn’t be trusted. I’d taken his girlfriend away once, I could do it again. But this time it was different.

Elena wasn’t his to begin with.

She had been created for me.

He needed to back off.

“I’m worried about him. He does really messed up stuff when he’s not himself,” Lucian voiced his worry.

Exactly what I thought. A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth as she answered him, soothing his worries.

If she knew me as well as he did, she’d know better than to brush off his concerns.

Lucian let out a frustrated groan. “I miss you so much. I want to come home. This is getting ridiculous.”

I snarled inwardly. I didn’t like him talking to her in that loving tone. She wasn’t his.

“They’ll change their minds once they meet you.”

“I hope you’re right. I don’t want to see you get married to that cow.”

He laughed.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your cousin? She’s not the friendliest, or a big fan of me, Lucian.”

Sammy went to the tent and George and Becky were occupied with one another. I got up and moved slowly toward Elena and ducked so Lucian wouldn’t see me.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to impress Nicole. Who gives a shit what she thinks?”

“I do. She’s your family.”

“Not close. She’s been a pain in the ass since the day she could crawl.”

Elena laughed, and the sound did all sorts of things to my body. “Okay, fine. She’s not important.”

“You’ll see, they will love you. I promise.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

“I’ve got to go. We have an early hunt so my father will probably wake up soon. I hate these stupid hunts. It’s not my thing.”

She giggled. Sweet heavens. “Okay, go, before your dad takes away your Cammy and we won’t be able to speak at all.”

“Love you,” he said.

“Love you more.”

I fumed. She had absolutely no idea what the fuck that word meant.

“I doubt that.” His face disappeared.

I moved in, stopping mere inches away from her back. She huffed, but then her body went stiff and she slowly turned around.

I smiled as I leaned back against the tree.

“What do you want?” she bit out.

“I just want to talk, Elena. Why are you so uptight?”

“Probably because I haven’t had as much alcohol as you tonight,” she said sarcastically and took a few steps in the direction of the others.

I gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her. The tingling of her touch sent aches through my body. She stared at me, eyes wide and heart thumping loudly.

George and Becky had wielded a shield around them, so I decided to do the same. I didn’t need Sammy overhearing barging out of the tent to save her friend.

My shield popped into place, and silence surrounded us.

“C’mon. I’m not going to eat you,” I said in a honey-glazed tone as I looked down at her.

Elena’s throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, but she quickly regained her composure.

“You’re drunk. Believe me, if you were sober, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

“Says who?” The words barely make it out.

“Me. It’s a fact.”

I smiled again. “It’s just a big act, Elena. You must know that.”

“A big act?”

I shrugged and she swallowed hard again. “Yeah.” She made the Sun-Blast in me crazy with need. The things I wanted to do with this delicate flower…

“Why do you think I saved your life?”

“Because you would’ve done that for anybody else on that mission.” She parrots the answer I had given her a month ago.

I raised my eyebrows playfully, teasing her, and shook my head.

Her eyes locked with mine.

“I saved you because of what you are to me. Your father isn’t a dragon, Elena, he never was.” I chuckled. “A dragon knows when he lays his eyes on his rider.” I bit my lower lip and waited for her reply.

She didn’t say a word, just stared at my lips.

She wasn’t hearing a single word I said.

She was under my spell.

Fuck.

Our love was written in the stars and I knew if I kissed her, something big would happen.

My face leaned down, and she lifted her head.

Lucian was far from her mind. She wanted me to kiss her, and I desperately did too.

I could feel her sweet, warm breath on my lips.

“Elena!” Sammy’s shrill voice broke the spell. Elena startled and looked at me in confusion.

I flashed her a smile.

“What are you doing, Blake? Mom told you so many times not to do that to anyone.” Sammy shook her head in disgust and pulled Elena away.

I ground my teeth hard.

Sammy Leaf… always a fucking pain in my ass.

“You are pathetic, you know that?” she said and walked back to their tent with Elena.

“I don’t…” she started. She still sounded out of it.

I hadn’t thought my persuasion would work so easily on her.

It was obvious that she felt something more than irritation for me.

Lucian was going down.

Tomorrow, I’d figure out how to speak to her.

George and Becky stared at me as Sammy zipped up their tent.

“What the hell, dude?”

I shrugged. “See you losers tomorrow,” I said and disappeared into my own tent.

I groaned when I saw Tabitha curled up in the sleeping bag next to mine. Sighing, I crashed down next to her and perked my ears so I could listen to Sammy explaining what I had just done to Elena.

Persuasion was one of my most precious gifts. Filling someone’s mind with nothing and controlling them.

I hadn’t planned to use it on her, but the voice was set and when she looked into my eyes, she started to lose control.

Just a pity she hadn’t heard a word I said.

“Dude, what the hell was that last night?” George asked me the next morning.

“I was drunk. I don’t know what I did. Believe me, Elena is the last girl I want,” I said, hoping he’d buy it.

He chuckled. “You sure are messed up when you’re drunk.

“Don’t tell Tabitha.”

“I won’t, but it’s not me you need to worry about. Sammy is really angry.”

“I’ll handle my sister.”

George wasn’t exaggerating. Sammy was beyond pissed. I found her in the woods, where she and a few others were washing dishes.

“Don’t!” she yelled when she saw me.

“Just a minute, please,” I begged.

After a long pause, she huffed and followed me further into the woods.

I wielded my shield, and from the confusion in her eyes, it only raised more questions, but I would answer them later.

“I know what I did last night was fucked up. I don’t know what I was doing.” I begged her with my eyes to believe me.

“If you ever do that again—”

“I don’t even want your friend, I swear. You know I do fucked up things when I’m drunk. You can tell Mom and Dad the truth if I ever do this again.”

“Fine. Don’t think I’ll hesitate to tell Mom or Dad.”

I nodded.

The beast inside me was stark raving mad. He wanted to kill Elena. I wanted to kill her.

So why did I want her so much when I was out of it?

I trudged back to the campsite, where I completely ignored Elena for the rest of our trip. But I could feel her judgmental eyes on me.

When we got home, I called Isaac, needing a place to crash for a few days while Elena stayed with us. She was set to arrive in a couple hours, and I clearly wasn’t safe around her until my thick head realized that I didn’t want her.

It was all fucked up.

I hoped to all that was holy that Sammy would keep her mouth shut. If any of this reached my father’s ears, he would bombard me with questions and I doubted I’d be able to sidestep them this time.

I relaxed on my bed after I got off my Cammy with Isaac, who had given me the okay to crash at his place, and watched as Tabitha moved around my room, picking up her clothes and stuffing them into her bag.

“Ugh, I hate her. It’s so fucking unfair that I have to leave so the spawn can come stay,” Tabitha complained.

“I know. And believe me, I’m starting to hate her, too.”

Tabitha grinned and climbed onto the bed, snuggling into my arms.

I placed a soft kiss on her head and stroked her arm.

“Why can’t I stay?” she mumbled into my shoulder.

“You know my father doesn’t like having too many people in his house.”

“I know, but why does she get to stay here?”

“Because she’s an orphan with no home. She shouldn’t even be in Dragonia Academy.”

“Then why is she?”

“Because the old fart reads way too much into her mark. Irene thinks it’s just a birth birthmark.”

Tabitha kept quiet and I tilted my head to look down at her.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. You’re just so formal with her. I don’t like it.”

“I’m the Rubicon, Tabitha. I’m formal with everyone. No one is above me.”

She smiled. “I know. Believe me, that part I know.” She got up and grabbed a sweater from over my desk chair and chucked it into her bag.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, it’s just something I learned the hard way. I struggle to deal with some of your needs.”

She was starting to piss me off.

“Are we talking about the Arianna thing again? I told you I’m sorry. How many times—”

“I know, and it’s okay. It’s just that you do stupid shit when I’m not around.”

“Believe me, I won’t do stupid shit this time.”

She laughed. “Yeah, Elena is hardly noticeable. Besides, Lucian will try to cut your balls off this time. Don’t even think about it. Lucian is the only one who can tame you. You need to remember that.”

“No one can tame me,” I snapped.

“I didn’t mean it like that. But he is one of the few who keeps on trying.”

She shouldered her bag and looked at me expectantly.

I got up and followed her out of my room.

I wouldn’t be seeing her for three weeks, which might give me the perfect opportunity to sneak off to visit Irene.

I knew she lived somewhere in one of the Dragon cities, the one near Areeth.

If I could just see her, it would be enough.

Crashing at Isaac’s was great. It was always fun to hang out with Missy, and our band managed to get some quality practice in. Ty had written a song, which didn’t have a lot of potential on its own, but I could use parts of it with one of my songs.

All too soon, I had to go back home.

Elena wasn’t there when I returned.

As I said hello my dad mentioned we had tickets for the Warbel opening ceremony.

One of his friends from King Albert’s court couldn’t make it, so he’d given my father five tickets, which meant the spawn would be joining us.

I’d have to keep my distance from her. I couldn’t be close to her while I was intoxicated.

When she returned later that afternoon, I slipped to my room and stayed there.

Saturday finally arrived and I decided I’d rather meet everyone at the game than travel with them—I fucking hated the elevators—and my dad gave me my ticket in case I arrived first.

When I got to the arena, Blaze found me and led me up to the VIP lounge. Blaze was one of the best people I knew, always championing for me to get a spot on her team, but the damn council wouldn’t budge. They thought I had too many abilities. It didn’t help that my Pink Kiss was extremely deadly.

The council even refused to let me participate in my human form, even though Blaze tried to convince them it would be an extraordinary outlet for my rage.

Now, I could do nothing but sit on the sidelines and watch useless jocks play the one sport I had any interest in.

“I’m sorry, big guy,” Blaze said in her thick European accent.

“You tried. I guess I have to thank my big bad wolf part.”

She scrunched up her nose and pretended to growl at me. I chuckled as she handed me a beer.

“I need to get ready for the game, but you should be fine here. It’s one of the best spots to watch the game.”

“Thanks, Blaze.”

She gave me a small nod. “See you later,” she said as she walked out the door.

I had the lounge to myself for a couple minutes before the VIP guests started filing in.

A few of them had served with my father in the Dragon League and they talked to me about the good old times.

It was hard to listen to.

My father had been such a different dragon before Goran had betrayed the king and queen. He’d had a commanding presence and he had been revered almost as much as the king and queen. Now, he was barely holding himself together. He was practically a disgrace. I shook my head as I walked away from the reminiscing group. He had fallen so far.

That annoying churning hit my stomach, indicating that Elena—and my family—were near.

I despised her for having this effect on me even when there were thousands of people in the arena.

It was never going to go away.

I craved a stronger drink, but I needed to stay sober. I couldn’t risk repeating my drunken actions around her. It was only a matter of time before I slipped up and spilled the beans.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… Oh, and dragons.”

The crowds cheered, their roaring deafening.

“Welcome to the 205th annual opening of the Warbel games!”

Fireworks shot off, enormous starbursts glittering in the sky. The display reminded me of the only time I went to the other side of the Wall. To China.

It was an honor to be celebrated by the humans.

I knew the Ancients would never allow me to visit again. I’d only get past the Wall again if I gave up my freedom and became a slave.

Lost in my own thoughts, I barely heard the announcer.

I was so weak when I wasn’t myself.

The beast hated when I my weakness. So did I.

I flicked my attention back to the announcer. It did me no good to wallow in my thoughts.

“Now the moment everyone has been waiting for. I’m honored to present this year’s teams. The Sapphires!”

The human and dragon players showed off, and I watched them for a bit before I turned and walked to the bar.

I needed another drink, but I had to pace myself.

I sat at the bar until I heard the whistle blow, indicating the start of the game. I didn’t care about the boring introductions and speeches. I was only interested in the action.

There were grumbles all around because McIntosh was the ref this year. I was pissed too. He was allowed to be a referee, but I wasn’t allowed to join a team?

Fucking Ancients.

Granted, McIntosh didn’t have the numerous dangerous abilities I did, but he was a fucking cheat who used to coach the Yellow Hornets.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Yellow Hornets won the entire league this year; that shady fuck would probably ensure they won every game.

I was sure they would beat the Sapphires tonight.

I headed back to my seat and settled in to watch the frost, fire, and acid balls flying through the air.

The balls bounced off shields that protected the crowd, each crash loud and reverberating.

The spectators went wild when the first goal was scored, making waves around the crevice. I loathed the waves; it always made me feel like I was going to drown in the sea of people.

“Luke is in great shape this year,” Uys said from my right.

“I’ve seen better,” I said as I raised my beer to my mouth.

Uys let out a loud laugh. “I heard they declined you a spot again this year.”

“It’s fine. Wouldn’t be a fair game if they let me play.”

“I’m sure the crowd would love you, Blake.”

I grinned and turned back to the game just as Luke scored.

The Sapphires went crazy.

The whistle blew, and the Yellow Hornets fought to redeem themselves, scoring almost immediately.

But that didn’t deter the Sapphires. They were on fire, scoring three times in the next ten minutes.

The VIP lounge went ballistic.

The room collectively gasped as a fireball slammed into one of the players.

But if they couldn’t handle getting hurt, then they shouldn’t be playing the game.

A teammate caught the player and rushed him to the medical station at the edge of the action.

Back before the creepers took Etan over, Constance used to be a medic at the games, and she used to take me and Anouk to the games with her.

A deep ache tore through my heart when I realized that Anouk hadn’t crossed my mind in forever.

Anouk was my cousin, and the bravest little Sun-Blast I had known. Shit had gone down before she’d matured into her human form.

Now, she was trapped behind the creepers, probably dead for all I knew.

The sudden silence of the crowd drew me out of my depressing thoughts.

“What the hell?” Uys exclaimed, and I whipped my head toward the game.

The dragons were flapping their wings and hovering in midair. Their eyes were glassy and vacant.

Their human teammates tried to speak to the dragons, but none of them responded.

Everyone was tittering and whispering under the breath.

“Boy, maybe you should get your butt down there.” Worry laced Uys’s every word.

I realized the dragons were all facing in the same direction. The exact spot where I knew my family and Elena were seated.

Oh fuck.

Before I could move, the dragons charged as one.

I didn’t stay to see the outcome.

I pushed through the crowd in the VIP lounge, wrenching open the door as I reached it. The click of locks echoed through the hallway.

They were locking the damn doors!

I sprinted toward the closest window and jumped out of it without a second thought.

I landed among the crowd, while they rushed to the exits. I didn’t morph, in case whatever was happening to the dragons affected me.

My gaze quickly found my father amid the dragons attacking the shield, which was starting to give way.

What could control a dragon? My mind immediately went to Goran, but it was impossible for him to be here. If he was, he would have taken me, and most of the people here would have perished already.

No, he wasn’t here. But someone else was doing his bidding.

But why?

Elena.

That was the only fathomable reason.

Goran knew she was my only hope, my ticket to becoming good. Clearly, he didn’t like that.

He wanted me all for himself.

The shield disappeared and I surged forward toward my family. They were fighting to keep everyone around them protected.

I wasn’t paying attention to them. My eyes swept over everyone, looking for the only person that mattered at this moment.

Elena.

Finally, I saw her, frozen on the spot, staring ahead of her like a damn idiot.

And she was supposed to be my rider? Un-fucking-believable.

I slammed into her, one of my wings morphing partially.

“Get the shield up!” I roared.

I could hear Elena’s heart beating rapidly, and relief coursed through my veins like a drug. She was okay.

The fire scorched my wing, the burn worse than any pain I had ever experienced.

I looked down at Elena. She was petrified.

“Just stay down,” I hissed.

“What’s happening?”

“I don’t know, but for some reason they’re aiming at the four of you.”

I felt it then, the need to not protect her. To lift up my wing and let her be incinerated. I willed all my power to do so, but my wing didn’t want to open. It made me want to rip her head off. Why couldn’t I control my own body? This was fucked up. The beast inside me went nuts. He blamed the human part of me for being so weak.

The shield still wasn’t back up.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked softly.

“I’m fine, just don’t move.”

“How did you…” She stopped.

“Did I what?” She couldn’t even speak in full sentences. It irritated the shit out of me.

“Goran is alive, he’s here!” She started squirming, trying to get away.

Was she nuts as well?

“Elena, calm down. He’s not here.”

“No, Blake, he’s here! Before, I couldn’t move, just like that night.”

“Relax.” My eyes met hers and her body started to relax. She was so easy to persuade. “He is not here. If he was, we would’ve been dead.” I looked around for my father, but my wing blocked my view. “Dad, get the shield up!”

“We’re trying, Blake. Just hold on.”

“Fucking ass balls.”

I knew my father wouldn’t be able to get the wall up with the dickhead breathing fire. I had no choice, I had to leave her to gain control over whatever this was. “Elena, don’t move. I’m going to try to divert the Sun-Blast’s fire. Just lie still.”

“Fire?”

Seriously? She was so fucking annoying. A grunt that sounded more like a growl left my mouth.

I raised my wing slightly to make room for my other wing to expand when it morphed. There was a tiny pull, and then my other wing was free.

I continued to shield Elena with one of my wings, and flapped the other one to move myself into the path of the fire.

I hoped it would work.

Still in my human form, I managed to divert most of the flames with my wing.

I looked back down at Elena, her face scrunched up in pain. The heat was starting to singe her skin.

Fuck.

I couldn’t go back, I had to carry out this plan.

“Mom?” I yelled. She was Elena’s only hope now.

“I’m ready, just get that flame away.”

My one wing was working overtime, and the other one would never be the same again. All because I had this fucking hero complex when it came to the spawn.

Why the fuck did I always end up saving her?

I started pushing back at the dragon and his fire, moving away from Elena as I did.

Amid the commotion, Blaze and a few members of both teams came to assist.

With their help, the shield finally popped back into place.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my mother healing Elena.

I snapped my head back to the dragon, shifting into my dragon form completely. I pushed him back, desperate to protect my family.

The dragon finally snapped out of it. One by one, every dragon that had been attacking the crowd seemed to regain control of themselves. Then their eyes rolled to the back of their heads and they fell to the ground.

A resonating incantation floated to my ears as a group of Dragonians cast a spell to make the unconscious dragons hover in the air.

Elena was still babbling like crazy about Goran, which was only making everyone panic more.

She was such an idiot.

Goran wasn’t here!

My mother finally managed to get through to her and she calmed down.

I felt her eyes on me, but I didn’t stop searching the crowd for whoever was powerful enough to control those dragons’ mind.

They were still here, I could feel it.

Blaze came storming toward us—I hadn’t even noticed that she’d left.

“Hey bad wolf, you okay?”

I nodded, still scanning the crowd.

“One of the dragons woke up. She said she was under a spell. From what she explained, and the side effects she experienced, it sounds like the Hickerus spell. They were forced to attack.”

The Hickerus spell? That spell didn’t work on dragons. My father echoed my thoughts.

“Well, someone really strong made it work.” She shrugged and jumped back on her raider, flying away after giving my mother instructions to make sure everyone was okay.

Elena was frantic again, telling everyone that she was certain Goran was here, because before I slammed her down, she couldn’t move, just like she hadn’t been able to move on the mountain.

My father tried to calm her down.

A two year old can do that spell, I thought snidely to myself.

“Goran is behind this, I can feel it,” she continued to babble.

He wasn’t here, but—and I was admitting this grudgingly—Elena had a point.

Goran was up to his old tricks again. He’d tried to kill Elena.

Something caught my eye, and I locked onto a woman wearing a hoody.

She’d have been in the clear if she hadn’t looked suspiciously over her shoulder at me.

She growled and pushed the guy in front of her away.

It was my turn to chase.

The chase was brutal. Whatever this woman was, she was fast.

She ran into the nearby woods and I had no choice but to morph back into my human form and run after her on foot.

Her scent was sickeningly sweet, unlike anything I’ve smelled before, but I could sense the danger in it.

I loved everything about her scent.

I followed her, pumping my arms hard at my sides to pick up speed. She came into view right as we cleared the trees near the edge of the cliff.

My father and George were in the sky overhead, but they weren’t close enough to swoop in.

I reached out to grab her, but she dove off the cliff before my hand could close around her arm.

I stopped short at the edge of the cliff, my eyes widening when she morphed in midair and let out a high-pitched eagle cry.

Shock made me freeze for a split second before I shifted and followed her off the cliff.

I had to be seeing things. These creatures were long dead. Extinct.

But this bitch had just made a mistake.

Nothing and no one was faster than I was in the air. I’d catch up to her, even with my wing fucked up. She was going down, and she was gonna sing like a little bird once I was done with her.

I closed the distance between us in a flash, ready to take her down, but I needed to avoid her tail.

Their tails were venomous, and had a stinger lodged in the tip.

Not even my mother would be able to heal me if she managed to get that stinger into me.

I crashed into her, one of my claws holding her tail away from my body.

She screeched and scratched at me with her talons.

I grabbed her wings, wrenching at them, wanting to rip them off her.

We twisted in the air and I finally managed to trap her in my claws. But suddenly, she let out another screech and vanished from my grip, leaving me clutching a bunch of feathers.

How the fuck had she just disappeared

I let out a loud roar of frustration as George, Becky, and my father caught up.

“You lost her!” my father bellowed in outrage.

“I didn’t lose her. I fucking had her!”

“Then where is she, Blake?” Becky asked.

“I don’t know,” I snapped. I was pissed off and confused.

“Blake, you are not making any sense.”

“She disappeared, Becky. We have another problem,” I said, looking at my father. I held out my claw and showed him the feathers.

“Blake, it can’t be. Are you sure?”

“I saw her. She’s a Hippogriff.”

We flew to Lucille’s house, and humiliation roiled within me when I remembered the last time I’d been here—the night I had been drunk and high off my ass and desperate to talk to Elena.

I pushed that feeling away and focused on the matter at hand—fucking Hippogriffs.

How the hell were Hippogriffs still alive? As far as I knew they’d been extinct ages ago.

When we neared Lucille’s home and started to descend, the voices of those in the house became clearer, and my confusion only grew when I heard my sister talking about teaming up with Elena.

I’d barely touched down on the ground when I shifted back to my human form. I caught the robe Becky threw me after she handed George one, and quickly pulled it on, following her into her home.

Lucille grabbed Becky and littered her face with kisses. My eyes immediately sought Elena, searching for any sign that she had Ascended.

It had hit me on the way in. She’d gotten hit by that dragon’s fire. Her face had boiled. That could have caused her to Ascend since my fire was the strongest there was. It would only be a matter of time before she showed them her real fire. My fire. The Pink Kiss.

Then they would all know the truth.

“I’m fine, Mom. Seriously,” Becky whined.

“You could have died tonight. Don’t ever jump on George’s back like that again.”

“Relax, he caught me.”

“I’ll always catch her,” George boasted.

I’ve never been this terrified.

If I hadn’t saved Elena, she could have easily Ascended.

“Elena is a Fire-Wielder,” my sister yelled.

I froze. Fuck. No. Please not this.

“Are you shitting me?” Becky shrieked. “You’ve Ascended?”

“Becky!” Lucille scolded in her motherly tone.

I stared at Elena again and she met my gaze.

I could see her becoming uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. I was fuming.

“No, but she can handle Fire-powder,” Sammy answered.

The tightness on my chest eased a bit, but I was still pissed off.

“What?”

“She took a small sip by mistake and it should’ve burned a hole straight down her throat. It didn’t,” Sammy answered.

“Master Longwei thinks she’s close to her Ascension,” my mother said.

I hadn’t realized he was here, but I didn’t have time to care right now.

“You took a sip of Fire-powder?” I bit out through my clenched jaw. “I just saved your life, and you try to kill yourself with Fire-powder?”

“I didn’t try to kill myself. What’s your problem?” She glared at me. “I might have Ascended if you hadn’t bowled me over.”

I chuckled. “You would’ve been killed, Elena.”

“Master Longwei doesn’t think so,” Sammy said snidely.

“Enough!” The entire room fell silent at my father’s shout.

I tried to calm myself, but it wasn’t working. She hadn’t Ascended, and even though I was glad about it, I was still fucking furious. “I don’t have time for this. Stay away from Fire-powder. You’re not a dragon.” I turned back to the door and stormed out of the house.

I needed to get to Irene. She would be able to see where that Hippogriff bitch went, and then I could hunt her down.

She wouldn’t escape me twice.

Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find Irene’s loft.

I just followed my heart.

“Blake.” Irene smiled seductively as she opened the door. She wrapped her arms around me and practically dragged me inside.

“As much as I want to do this right now, we can’t. This is a matter of high importance, Irene.”

She let go of me and looked at me with concern. “What’s wrong?”

I told her what had happened at the Warbel games and how the possessed dragons tried to finish the job Goran couldn’t. Then I told her that she needed to find the Hippogriff so I could go after it.

Worry flashed over her face before we shifted and headed to Lucille’s house.

“Only for a year, honey,” I heard my mother say as we touched down on the lawn. “It was before you and Blake were hatched.”

“You really think not telling us about this thing that could make people vanish into thin air was the best for Paegeia?” my father hissed.

“At the time, yes. But I don’t know any more, Robert,” Master Longwei replied.

“Chong, what are you not telling me?”

We entered the house and Master Longwei stood up to greet Irene.

“I’m so glad that you came.”

“I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

My mom and Lucille welcomed her, and Irene greeted everyone graciously—even the spawn, who just glared at her before she lowered her head.

Elena was so fucking weak. She would never be ready, would never be worthy to be my rider.

Irene’s gaze fell on the feather my father clutched in his hand.

“May I?”

My father’s jaw muscles pumped as he contemplated her request.

I hated the way he treated Irene. It wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t been able to see who was going to betray his rider. From where I was standing, it didn’t look as if their relationship had been special anyway. If it had been, my father would have known that King Albert and Queen Catherine had had a child.

“She’s the only one who can tell us what happened, Dad.”

He looked at me for a split second, then handed her the feather with caution.

I saw the fierce hatred in his eyes.

Irene took the feather and Lucille led her to the couch.

Irene closed her eyes and the room became extremely quiet, as if we were all holding our breath.

This was one of the things I loved most about Irene, watching her have a true vision.

When her eyes flashed open, they were pure white.

She opened her mouth to speak, and I stepped forward. I was beyond ready to grab that Hippogriff bitch.

Irene’s eyes changed back to her normal blue just as suddenly as they had changed to white.

The moment she came out of her trance, her chest heaved and she let out a wracking cough.

Lucille ran to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.

Irene gulped it down as she regained control but her eyes stayed wide with horror.

“What is it, Irene?” my father said, breaking the tense silence.

She stared into nothing, ignoring his question.

“Irene!” he barked.

Irene slowly turned to look at my father.

“What did you see?” His tone was still demanding, although his voice has softened a bit.

“Nothing.” She frowned, a deep crease forming between her eyebrows. “I lost it.”

There was a collective gasp in the room.

How was that possible? Irene had never lost one of her visions before.

“Is Goran in Paegeia?” My father sounded more hostile than ever before. “Irene!”

She shook her head.

“Is he still in Etan?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!” Her voice rose with her panic and tears welled up in her eyes.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Robert,” my mother berated, laying her hand on his arm.

“Issy, she is the only one who can tell us what’s going on.”

“I’ve never lost my sight before. I could feel it coming to me, and then...nothing. It was blocked by a force so strong. I’ve only felt a block like that once before,” Irene said.

“You’re saying someone is deliberately doing this?” Master Longwei asked.

Irene looked at my father again, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

“No, Irene,” my father said, his voice low and defeated. He looked like the sad, pathetic asshole he had been up until a few months ago.

“What are they talking about?” Elena asked.

I had so much anger bubbling up inside me. I wanted to yell at her and tell her that this was all her fault. Irene couldn’t see the Hippogriff because of its intentions. Just like she couldn’t see Goran was going to betray King Albert.

“I don’t know,” Sammy whispered. “By the look on Dad’s face, it could only mean one person.”

“Who?”

But I didn’t need to hear Sammy’s answer to know she was wrong. It’s not him.

It’s his spawn.

“I can’t explain it to you any other way, Robert. It was the exact same feeling. I felt something, and then it vanished. The only foretelling I ever received that was linked to them was so vague and I walked around with a headache the entire week. I could feel something, it just didn’t happen.”

“Irene, is he still alive?”

I gasped.

“You know that answer. Caleb confirmed it a long time ago. Stop hoping.”

“Then tell me what you saw.”

“Nothing. I didn’t see a single thing, and that scares me more than anything in this world,” she spat. It was about damn time that she got angry.

“I’m sorry, Robert. I’m of no use. Goodnight, everyone, and I am truly sorry.”

I watched her leave. I couldn’t let her be alone tonight, not when she was going through something like this.

I followed her, not giving another thought to anyone in the room.

Irene needed me tonight, just like I had needed her on countless occasions. It was time to return the favor.

She spent most of the night crying and talking about her sight, rubbing her head to get rid of her pounding ache.

White-hot rage burned inside me, and I wished I could take it out on Elena since she was the reason for Irene’s turmoil.

Irene used to get headaches whenever she glimpsed King Albert’s or Queen Catherine’s futures. Now she was experiencing the same with Elena.

It was only a matter of time before I disappeared from her visions as well.

Fucking Elena.

She shouldn’t be here. The beast stirred inside me, urging me to get rid of her, to kill her.

She would never be worthy to claim me.

She made me sick, physically and mentally.

“Your father is going to kill me if he finds you here,” Irene murmured.

“Don’t worry about my father. I’m twenty-one. He can’t do shit.”

She blew out a breath and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Don’t say that, Blake.”

“I’m the Rubicon, Irene, not some stupid dragon.”

She smiled and I kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him.”

“You don’t mean that. I’ll lose my job at Dragonia. Well, I’m sure after this, Master Longwei will fire me anyway.” She got up and sat on the edge of the bed.

I peppered kisses on her creamy white shoulder. “He would be seriously stupid if he did that.”

She chuckled but then she sighed slowly.

“You really saw nothing?”

She looked at me over her shoulder. “Blake, I swear. If I saw something I would’ve told you. I forgot what it felt like not to be able to see anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was exactly like when I tried to look into King Albert’s future. The times I managed to get a glimpse, I thought my head was going to explode.”

Don’t say anything, Blake, keep your mouth shut.

“But how, Irene? He’s dead.”

“I know, but somehow, he’s protecting that Hippogriff, Blake.”

I didn’t like lying to her, but I would die with my secret. Irene could not know that Elena was the one blocking her, and that somehow the Hippogriff was connected to Elena. Her intent.

It only made the hatred inside me grow.

“Hey.” Irene touched my chin. “What’s going through that mind of yours?”

I shook my head. “Just thinking of what could block you like that.” I kissed her hand. “I don’t like it.”

“It’s bound to happen. I’m not saying it’s linked to King Albert, but it’s something as powerful and good as he was.”

“You think it might be Goran?”

“No, believe me. Goran is not good. I still see him from time to time. Not even the creepers could block me.”

“What is he doing?”

“He’s plotting. But I haven’t seen anything like this. I don’t think he’s attached to the Hippogriff.”

“So, the Hippogriff isn’t evil?”

“I don’t know, Blake. All I know is she’s powerful. I think you’re right. She’s trying to finish what Goran started. He doesn’t want brave Dragonians and dragons on this side when he escapes. You need to be careful.” She leaned into me and I wrapped my arm around her.

“He won’t kill me, Irene. He wants me to join him.”

“But he will kill everyone you love to break you.”

I knew that and I didn’t like it, but I still had to keep my secret hidden.

To me, Elena meant enslavement. And no way in hell was I going to be anyone’s slave. No matter what George said about the Dent, he could never sell me on it. The guy was walking, talking proof that the Dent was nothing more than bondage.

I woke up in the middle of the night to Irene talking in her sleep.

I was about to wake her when it dawned on me that she wasn’t simply talking in her sleep—she was making a foretelling. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the entire thing, but she mentioned a dangerous stranger that was set in his ways. One that would destroy Paegeia. Her final warning was to be cautious.

She wrenched awake, coughing uncontrollably, her body shaking violently.

I leaped of bed to get her a glass of water, and she gulped it down in to large swallows.

Her breath came out in harsh pants, her face pale, a frown marring her gorgeous face. Her eyes were frozen and focused. She barely blinked, barely registered that I was in the room.

“Irene.” I brushed my fingers over her arm. Her skin was like ice.

My touch startled her and she jumped, gasping. She turned her gaze toward me, her face crumpling as a sob tore through her.

I gathered her into my arms and pressed my lips to her hair.

“You must find the stranger, Blake.”

“Of course, but how? How will I know who it is?”

She described a sweet smell, exactly like the scent I had chased through the woods and to the edge of the cliff. The Hippogriff.

Danger was still around us.

“I must call Master Longwei. I need to tell him of the danger. None of you are safe, Blake. It’s after all of you.”

It wasn’t, but I couldn’t tell her that.

It was only after Elena.

Goran knew who she was the minute he saw her, just like I had, and he wanted to kill her, because she was a threat to his plans.

I waited until Irene had drifted back to sleep before I left. The sky was starting to lighten when I landed back at my house and snuck inside, my stomach churning the second I’d landed.

I hated that Elena still had this effect over me.

The beast filled my head with murderous thoughts.

He wanted her gone, dead, erased, so he could be free to do what he wanted and needed without consequences.

And all that stood in the beast’s way was me and Elena.

I crashed down onto my bed, exhausted from the events of the day—and night—but I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Irene’s unconscious warning kept playing over and over in my mind.

The Hippogriff—the stranger, as Irene had called her—was dangerous. She was doing Goran’s work.

There was no way to know what form she would take to attack us. And how would she get close to us?

I punched my pillow in frustration. Nothing made any fucking sense.

My father was like a bear with a sore tooth the next day, and we all made sure to keep our distance. He had to stand in front of the council and replay the events of the previous day, the Hippogriff’s feather his only evidence.

They’d tried to force me to go as well, but I had better things to do than prove my innocence in what had gone down at the Warbel game. It didn’t matter to the council that my family and I were the ones trying to protect everyone. Whenever anyone went in front of the council, it felt like you had to defend yourself, no matter if your actions were pure and for the benefit of those around you.

Rather my father than me.

Lucian was coming home today. I hoped that meant he’d be taking Elena off our hands, so I could at least breathe with ease in my own home, but I knew there was a slim chance of that happening. King Helmut and Queen Margerite weren’t exactly fond of Elena.

And I knew that because I had to endure hearing about Elena every damn time I turned on the radio.

If the radio hosts weren’t blabbering on about her relationship with Lucian, they were discussing her part in the King of Lion mission.

Everyone wanted to know who she was and where she had come from.

Their fascination with her made me nervous. I was terrified someone would see the resemblance between King Albert and Elena. Especially once they got a good look at her eyes. Elena and King Albert’s eyes were exactly the same.

I rubbed a hand over my face and switched the radio off when the presenter mentioned Elena Watkins again. The dragon spawn.

I loathed it when they called her that. I was the only one who had the right to call her that.

The conflicting feelings roiling around inside me weirded me out. A part of me wanted to defend her at every turn, but another part wanted to rip her head off.

“It’s just words, Blake,” my mother said, squeezing my shoulder.

“It’s not like I care, Mom. I’m just tired of hearing the same damn conversation on every radio station.”

“I know. And I’m sure once the revealing of the King of Lion at the museum is over, the fuss will be too. By the way, your father said you have to go.”

I shook my head, my breath coming out of my nose in a huff. Sometimes I wish I could remind her what a loser he used to be, but I’d paid with my soul for that to disappear. I paid for him to be the man he had once been, even though that man had died a long time ago.

It irked me that he became such a fucking loser, and that he got off easy. But my mother deserved better than what he had put my family through with his drinking and gambling, and she’d made it clear that she would never divorce him.

She loved him too much to give up on him like that.

So, it had been up to me to fix it for her.

“Blake, you have to be there.”

“Fine, I’ll try to make an appearance.” I got up and left the kitchen. I didn’t want to be there when Elena came down to get breakfast.

I slammed my bedroom door and pulled out my Cammy to call Isaac.

I needed to get away from Elena. And I could use our new album as an excuse to get out of my house.

“So I take it that you have to go, since you were the one to save princess and all,” Isaac said.

I laughed. He thought dating Lucian was the closest she got to the title. Only I knew how true his joke was.

By keeping it to myself, I was practically giving Paegeia away, and I knew it was wrong. But whenever I thought about Elena and I together… I couldn’t even fathom the idea of us as a couple.

When that day came, I wouldn’t be me anymore. I’d be her puppet, her slave. A lost little puppy dog obeying her every command.

Sometimes, that life sounded worse than belonging to Goran. At least I’d want to be with Goran. I’d choose him, because by then, it would be too late for me anyway.

But it would still be my choice.

I strummed the guitar and tuned it in a bit more.

“You are going, right?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Dammit, Blake. You have all these opportunities and perks, yet you just throw them away like they’re nothing.”

“Believe me, it’s not a perk, Isaac. That room is going to be filled with hypocrites and snobs. Not my scene.”

“Fine, let me take your place. I want to meet this Elena, the girl with nine lives.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see if she really has nine lives,” I joked as I set the guitar aside and stood up.

I said my goodbyes and went outside, where I shifted and took to the air, heading back home.

I couldn’t believe I was being forced to go to a stupid revealing.

There was nothing they could say that would bring Brian back, or make our experience of that night any less terrifying.

None of us were supposed to be alive, but we were. I didn’t know whether we owed our lives to Elena because of her blood, or to Brian because of his sacrifice. Either way, it didn’t justify anything.

I had almost given everything away when Lucian had presented the new King of Lion axes to his father and the council.

He’d told them that the axes belonged to Queen Catherine and that King Albert’s blood must have come in contact with the axes at some point.

Master Longwei had watched me with a hawk’s eye. He was just waiting for one slip.

They’d asked me about it, and I told them that whether it was special blood or not, those axes had been blessed in some way by King Albert, and that was why they were like the sword. I said they should stop trying to figure out what it was, and be glad that we had a new King of Lion weapon.

As I flew, I mulled over the conflict within my mind.

I wanted to win my darkness, but not on the path before me. I wanted to stay as far away as I could from Elena, but the more I did, the more I was giving myself away with who she truly was. What she was to me. I knew that no matter how hard I fought to skip the revealing, I had to be there, had to play the part of the miserable Rubicon that had no way out, no hope for the future, or I’d end up losing my freedom altogether.

I decided not to go to the revealing.

“Blake,” my father scolded. “You are the Rubicon. You have to speak in honor of your friend.”

“I don’t have to do anything. Just the mere fact that everyone is making such a huge fuss about this is against everything Brian believed in, Dad. This isn’t honoring him. I’ll honor him the way he’d want to be honored.”

“And how is that? By getting drunk and who knows what else?”

“That’s the dragon he used to be.”

“Fine. Do whatever you want, because that is exactly where this is going to end. You always end up shaming this family, Blake, and I am sick and tired of it.”

I started to laugh, loud and derisively. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from telling him how he had shamed our family. “Believe what you want. You’ve never been on my side anyway.”

“Don’t give me that shit!” It looked like he wanted to say more, but I wasn’t going to stick around and listen to his bullshit.

I didn’t care what he told everyone, but I wasn’t going near that revealing.

I ended up back at Isaac’s where a few of Brian’s other friends had gathered. We cracked open a couple of beers and spent the afternoon drinking and speaking in the third person—the way Brian always had.

As night fell, I grew restless, and my mind became clouded. I knew I would end up chasing after Elena again. It had become something of a drunken habit.

I grabbed my tux out of my backpack—a part of me had known I’d end up going to the revealing—and put it on, foregoing the tie, and got my drunk ass to Elm.

They were already busy with speeches, though I didn’t hear a word.

I found Elena leaning against the wall on the left side of the room, and I stalked through the crowd.

I stopped when I was right behind her, and a small smile played on my face when I realized she had no idea I was here.

My eyes played over the bare skin her skirt revealed. Her scent drifted to my nose. She smelled like summer. I inhaled deeply, wanting to capture the scent and bury it in my soul.

When I wasn’t myself, Elena was the most stunning person I had ever seen. Right now I didn’t care that I’d have to give up my freedom to be with her.

She was an angel. My angel.

Arianna was babbling about something, but I was only half-listening. This whole thing was ridiculous. Arianna was such a dumb, fake bitch.

As if to prove my point, she produced some fake tears. I knew they were fake because her high and mighty self would never cry over a dragon. She didn’t have it in her, didn’t have the heart to possess that kind of love.

Her little display managed to melt everyone’s heart, which—though I loathed to admit it—was something Arianna had in common with me. We could charm a crowd with just a smile or a wink.

She bent toward Brian’s parents. “I wish with all my heart that Brian hadn’t passed. I would’ve gladly taken his place.”

I snorted. Please.

But the crowd, and Brian’s parents, soaked it up. These people actually believed her.

My eyes wandered back to Elena in front of me.

She must be hiding from Lucian.

It didn’t say much about their relationship. Maybe tonight she would hear me out. Truly listen to what I had to say to her.

More people stepped up to speak about Brian’s bravery and how King Albert had always believed that the Chromatics were just as brave and majestic as the Metallics. Brian had proved it.

They spoke about a bunch of boring stuff I had no interest in. So, I listened to the soft beating of Elena’s heart instead.

She hated the limelight, the exact opposite of her parents. But then again, she had no idea they were her parents.

They revealed the wax figure that would serve as a reminder of the King of Lion mission, and I had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep my laughter from bubbling out.

They’d replicated Brian’s dragon form. Brian, who was not the type of dragon who wanted praise. They’d chosen the wrong person to use as a mascot.

But everyone else seemed to think it was just perfect.

I suddenly felt obligated to say something.

“I’ve changed my mind,” I spoke loudly.

Elena turned around, her eyes wide.

I flashed her a grin. “Don’t go anywhere,” I murmured.

I pushed through the crowd. I could hear them whispering and muttering about how intoxicated I was and what a shame I had to be for my family.

Music to my ears.

I stepped onto the podium with what little grace I possessed, and grabbed a glass of champagne from the nearest waiter.

Some spilled onto my shirt and I chuckled as I grabbed the microphone.

“I’ve decided to give my speech after all.”

I stared into the crowd, my gaze flicking from person to person until I locked eyes with Elena, still standing in the spot I’d left her. She was listening this time.

“Nice turnout.”

Elena looked away and I turned my head toward Brian standing in his box. “Brian,” I saluted him and downed my glass.

The crowd was dead silent, waiting with bated breath to hear what I had to say.

“There is one thing missing, though, and from the buzz that has been going on for the past few weeks, I’d have thought you’d all have gotten it right,” I said sarcastically. “I need to set one thing straight.” I looked at all the idiots who had decided to put the Sun-Blast into the box and not the actual person who deserved to be honored. “You forgot to put Elena in that box.”

The crowd gasped almost as one.

“None of you on that mission, including myself, can take any credit for how this turned out. Not even the Princess of Areeth.” I looked at one of the reporters below me, who was busy typing on his tablet. “You’re taking this down, right?” I asked with a salacious grin. The man nodded. “Good. As the papers stated before, the Princess of Areeth saved the day with her enhanced ability in incantations, blah, blah, blah. Biggest load of crap! She wasn’t even worthy enough to enter the Sacred Cavern.”

In the distance, I heard King Caleb’s angry voice. Scolding me, scolding King Helmut to take the joker off the stage. I was ruining a perfect evening.

My father stepped up next to me and grabbed my arm. “Blake, you’re drunk, let’s go.”

“No, you wanted me to speak, now let me speak,” I growled, shaking out of his grip.

He looked like he wanted to punch me, but he wouldn’t do it in front of an audience.

“We would have failed if Elena hadn’t gone into that cavern and discovered just exactly where the sword was,” I carried on. “She gave up so much by asking the pond the whereabouts of the sword. She could’ve asked for anything, the truth, it would’ve been revealed it to her.” I laughed. “So by the way, no dragon is allowed in that cavern.”

Some laughed, others shook their head in disgust.

“Blake, that’s enough,” my father hissed.

“I’ll say when it’s enough!” I sneered at the crowd. “And not to mention facing Goran indirectly. We were all useless. He’s going to get out of Etan soon, and then you will probably put your trust in a bunch of teenagers again, teenagers who can’t even stand each other. Lucky for Paegeia, we are its future. Disgusting for its present. You couldn’t even do what a bunch of teenagers did, and now, now you don’t even want to grant her name with the other six. Why, because she has abilities? I haven’t seen them. She had an advantage, her father was a dragon. She is the scum of the scum in your eyes. I guess King Albert was right about everything, not just about the Chromatics being noble. I will not honor this event, unless you do what is right and put her in that box, too. It wasn’t just Brian who had the guts to sacrifice himself, but she did, too, and no matter what you say, the mark of the Keeper doesn’t lie. Thank heavens you can’t take that away as well.”

I dropped the mic and stormed off the podium.

My father followed as I headed back to where Elena had been standing, but she was gone.

He grabbed my arm, fingers digging hard into my skin, and dragged me into the nearest room, where the stone floor opened to a set of stairs that led to a higher level.

“How dare you say those things?”

I laughed. “What did you want me to say? I can’t lie, and if you think I’m going to suck up to those idiots out there—”

“You are the Rubicon! Those people expect you to give an honorable speech at events like this. Look at you, you reek of alcohol and—” He sighed, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I raked a hand through my hair, already bored with this conversation. He was about to launch into the King Albert speech. My father was so predictable.

“When is this going to stop? I raised you better than this.”

I snickered. Yeah right, you gave up the minute those creepers divided you and your rider.

My father sneered at me. “You would have broken King Albert’s heart.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “He doesn’t give a shit. He’s dead. It’s about time you dealt with that.”

My father’s palm connected with my cheek in a resounding slap.

I rubbed at my cheek, stretching my jaw to ease the sting. My father could count his blessings that the beast lay dormant tonight, otherwise he’d have lost his hand.

“Don’t push me, Blake. Albert was our king, the greatest king Paegeia has ever seen, and he deserves all the respect in the world, even in death.”

I didn’t reply, just tried to keep my temper at bay, which, surprisingly, wasn’t difficult.

My father marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I leaned against the wall, breathing hard, my eyes closed. The sound of a second heartbeat filled my ears, approaching from the stairs.

I sniffed at the air, enjoying Elena’s enticing summer scent.

A smile played on my lips as I climbed the stairs.

Her heartbeat grew louder, indicating that I was close to where she hid, where she’d come to be alone.

The door banged opened behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder, swearing quietly when I saw Lucian barreling up the stairs behind me.

Why was he always showing up?

She wasn’t his! She was mine!

“What the hell was that about?” Lucian roared, distrust clear in his voice.

I faced him down. “What are you going to do?” I said, hearing Elena’s heartbeat quicken.

“Don’t start with me, Blake. I’m not in a good mood.” He fisted his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo pants. He glared up at me, trying to intimidate me. Like that was going to work.

“Let me get one thing clear, Blake. Elena is off limits.”

I started to laugh. I was the one who had a say in whether or not she was off limits.

I didn’t say it out loud, although I wanted to.

But I remembered what a dog I had been to him back when he was dating Arianna. I’d slept with her when Lucian loved her.

From the way he looked at Elena, I knew he admired and loved her as much, if not more, than he had Arianna.

“Relax, Lucian. I don’t want your girl. I just wanted to give her the credit she deserves.” The lie slipped off my tongue with ease.

Lucian shook his head, and then he broke the tension by chuckling. “That speech was something else, man.” He slapped me good-naturedly on my shoulder.

I grinned at him.

“Did you have to be drunk, though?”

I didn’t have a witty retort, so I kept my mouth shut and shrugged.

Somehow, Lucian always managed to make me feel small, not that he intended to. It was just the magnitude of his presence that made me feel like a loser. I’d leave Elena alone tonight. There’d be another time to I tell her the truth.

I walked down the stairs past Lucian, but stopped when he spoke.

“What are we going to do with you?”

A deadly silence filled the air between us as I took a moment to contemplate my answer. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and turned my head to look at him. “Slay me.”

Lucian stared at me. “Nah, you’re too good for that.” He smiled, and I returned it, inclining my head slightly before I continued toward the door.

You’ll know the truth soon, Lucian.

Camera flashed blinded me as I stepped into the hallway.

“Get out of my way,” I grunted as I pushed my way through the crowd of cockroaches toward the exit. The second the fresh night air hit me, I stripped and shifted as I jumped into the sky—the only place I could be myself.

I woke up the next day, , blinking against the harsh sunlight glaring in my face. Missy stared down at me.

I hated being watched while I slept.

“If your father bans me from this house, I’m blaming you.” I croaked. My throat was dry, and my mouth tasted like ass. The glories of a hangover.

“My father would never find out, Blake. Besides, it’s not like you would give me the time of day anyway. How’s the Snow Dragon?”

“Hopefully good. She’s at home.”

Missy laughed. “By the way, your father called. And the newspaper is all about your wonderful speech from last night. You have a secret crush on this Elena chick or something?”

I chuckled. “No. I just figured she needed a bit more recognition than what she was getting.”

“Did she really become the sixth person to get out of the Cavern?”

I nodded.

“What is it like? What did she say about it?”

“She didn’t say anything, Miss Nosy. And I don’t think she will, just like the five women before her.”

“How do you think she managed to get through the cave?”

I shrugged.

“I know what you’re like, Blake. Don’t ruin this for Lucian. He’s one of your best friends.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Lucian looks really happy with her. I overheard Ty talking Isaac about you and a princess that was with Lucian at the time. Please, don’t.”

“Believe me, I would never go for Elena.”

“That’s not what the paper is saying. Read page five. I’m sure your phone is filled with messages from the Snow Dragon.” She got up and walked out the room.

I forgot how nosy Chimeras were. Missy was no exception.

Fucking great. What had I said last night? I know I hadn’t blabbered out Elena’s real identity, otherwise it’d be front page news.

I got up and dressed, before venturing into the kitchen.

“Morning, Blake.” Yuri smiled as sipped his coffee.

“Morning.”

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah, sorry if I was a menace last night.”

“Not at all. You know you are always welcome here.”

He studied me intensely, just like my father when he’d asked me about Elena. Yuri had also known King Albert.

Everyone was watching my every move, as if they suspected Elena’s real identity, but couldn’t quite put two and two together.

Thank my lucky scales Elena came through the Wall. Since humans couldn’t go to the other side, , I was sure that Master Longwei would’ve put Elena in that ring with me a long time ago otherwise.

I picked up the newspaper and saw Elena and Lucian on the front page.

For the first time, she wasn’t blocking her face.

It was about fucking time.

I didn’t like the picture, though. Not because she was with Lucian, but because of how much she reminded me of her mother, Queen Catherine.

I sighed.

Someone was bound to figure this out eventually. It was hard enough that I’d had to lie to Lucian when he’d asked me if anyone besides my father knew the royals that well.

I knew of someone who did. But the Ancients had wiped away all signs of her existence.

I knew she hadn’t done what the Ancients had accused her of.

She would’ve died protecting the queen.

Then it hit me.

Lucian’s foretelling.

For ages, I’d thought the date in Lucian’s foretelling was the date I would turn dark, but with her in my mind, another thought punched through me.

“Blake, you okay?” Yuri asked.

His voice jarred me out of my thoughts and I slapped the newspaper onto the table.

“Yeah, I just remembered that I’m late. I’ve got to go. Thanks, Yuri,” I said. I got up so fast my chair skidded across the floor.

“What should I tell Isaac?” Yuri yelled as I reached the front door.

“Tell him he’s worth a thousand friends. And sorry, but I really had to go.”

I took off my shirt as I walked down their path and opened the gate. I stripped off my pants, shifting immediately. I needed to get my ass to the nearest internet café. I couldn’t risk searching this at home.

I doubted that I’d find anything. The Ancients had done a thorough job of erasing her from every system.

But I knew it in my bones that what Irene had seen was indeed linked to Lucian, but it didn’t have anything to do with him or anything else claiming me.

No, Irene had seen something completely different.

I wasn’t going to turn on the 23rd of August. The date had nothing to do with my future, but something important that had happened in the past.

I changed direction. I would use my compulsion if I had to, because I knew my father would be able to tell me when Tanya left the queen, and I had a funny feeling that it would be the 23rd of August. A few weeks after Elena was born.

No way was that a coincidence.

Lucian was right, it was linked to my claiming.

It was linked to Elena, and he was going to find out the truth.

I had to stop him.

My father confirmed it.

Tanya had left on the 23rd of August.

“Why are you asking about Tanya, Blake? You know the law. If the Ancients found out—”

“It’s not like that, Dad. I had a dream about her, and just wondered why she left. I thought you knew. That’s all.” I shrugged, drumming my fingers on the table.

“I don’t know the details, son. I only know she left because Albert and Tanya didn’t get along.”

“Do you think she betrayed the queen?”

“As much as I hated Tanya, there was no way she would have done that. She was too close to the queen.”

“Then why did she leave, Dad?”

“Because King Albert asked the queen to choose. He paid dearly for that as Katie was never the same. Blake, you know this.”

“Yeah, I remember how sad she was. I just didn’t know why.”

My father frowned at me. “What was the dream about, Blake?”

“It was vague. The Ancients caught her and I can’t remember what happened after that, but it was overwhelming,” I lied.

“You think it’s your Moonbolt?”

“No, I have the lightning but I don’t have the visions yet.” I sighed.

“You will, soon.” The corner of my father’s lip curved.

I nodded as I got up and left.

Even if it was a lie, that was the longest conversation we’d had in a long time.

It felt good, but I knew it wouldn’t last.

Our relationship would never go back to what it had once been.

Him confirming what I already knew didn’t make any of this easier, either.

Irene couldn’t see me in her visions anymore, but she had no problem seeing Lucian. Whatever he planned to do, I knew it would lead to the truth. And soon, the beast inside me would know it, too.

Where was Tanya now? I had no idea whether she was in Paegeia, but if she was, Lucian would find her.

A dragon, especially a Dent, was bound to promises. From what I knew, Tanya would’ve made a vow to Queen Catherine to keep her spawn a secret. I doubted that Lucian would ever guess it right.

Luckily, he didn’t even have a clue. I’d made sure of that.

I didn’t stay at home. Elena was still there and her presence wasn’t good for me. And if I saw her, I’d have to explain last night’s performance to her.

Not that it mattered to her.

She was used to it by now.

Either she was as good at pretending as I was, or she truly didn’t care.

If it was the latter, I didn’t like it. I knew for a fact that she did like me in her own way.

Her heart had betrayed her more than once.

Lucian and Missy’s words popped into my mind.

If Missy knew the truth she wouldn’t have thought that, but for the first time in a long time, I was glad for my reputation.

If she thought that was the reason I’d said those words last night, so much the better.

I didn’t care what the paper said. I had more important things to worry about at the moment. Like what the fuck was I going to do when Lucian discovered the truth?

I felt the beast stir inside me, but I tamped him down. He didn’t like my restlessness. If he emerged, he’d be raving mad, and his lust for blood would overpower me.

I knew who he would want to kill, but if he attacked her, she would Ascend.

Facing her wasn’t an option. It would be the first mistake the beast made.

Someone else would have to do it for him, and it wasn’t going to be me.

I was finally safe from doing the worst thing he wanted me to do, but that didn’t mean he would stop.

He would find a way—he always did—and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be around to save her this time.

It was a long and hard flight to Irene’s apartment, but anything to be away from Elena.

As the new school year approached, darkness threatened to overwhelm me. Thoughts about killing Elena filled the dark corners of my mind. The beast was constantly on edge.

I felt like I was about to explode.

The only way out of this was Fire Cain, and I’d promised Irene I wouldn’t use it without her.

It was one of the reasons I was with her.

She had a stash of Fire Cain and the touch to calm the beast.

He didn’t stand a chance. Even if it was only a night, I would be getting a small reprieve from it.

“Blake, I see nothing,” Irene finally said after several failed attempts to glimpse my future.

The heady scent of sex surrounded us, thick in the air.

I leaned forward and snorted another line. I let it flow through my veins, burning all the way down, keeping him dormant.

Irene’s confession didn’t bother me. I knew why she couldn’t see anything.

It wasn’t because I would turn, it was because of Elena.

I despised it. Elena had no right to even try to protect me from the one person I loved.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her.

“Don’t say that,” she hissed.

I gave a slight shake of my head. “I’ve made peace with it, Irene, you should do the same.”

“Not this time, Blake. Too many people promised that it would be different this time.”

I chuckled wryly. “Lucian is never going to claim me, Irene.”

She fell silent. I didn’t like her quiet thoughts. The last thing I needed was Irene wondering why I’d made peace with it. I turned to look at her.

“What is it?”

She shook her head. “Just been thinking a lot.”

“About what?” I said through clenched teeth.

She took a deep breath. “Maybe Lucian isn’t the only one who can claim you.” She looked straight into my eyes, her gaze unwavering.

I waited. Don’t say her name. I pretended to be dumbstruck and shook my head.

“The new girl.”

Laughter burst out of me. “You can’t be serious.”

“We can’t ignore the facts, Blake. Her mark is dark. Added to that, she is the sixth person to get out of the Sacred Cavern alive.”

“Her father was a fucking dragon,” I snarled.

“It doesn’t matter. She was born with the mark.”

I slammed my fist on the bedside table, the neat lines of Fire Cain scattering into a heap. “It’s a birthmark; you said it yourself.”

“I know what I said and I regret the way I treated her.”

I could see it in her eyes. Irene didn’t like to be wrong about anyone and she had been so wrong about Elena.

“You know, she has a foretelling.”

I schooled my features into an expression of shock. “What does it say?”

“A day will come and a day will go, a choice you’ll have to make otherwise the truth will never be known. I thought that was why she went after the sword, why she was so eager to go into that cave, because she knew that she would succeed, but her foretelling is still black, Blake. That wasn’t it.”

“And you think it has something to do with me?”

Shut up, Blake. Irene isn’t stupid. If I said anything slightly wrong, she would know.

“Maybe, it just doesn’t make any sense.”

“In what way, Irene? Please enlighten me,” I said sarcastically.

“I don’t know. Nothing makes sense to me, Blake. I struggle to see her future. I know she’s with Lucian, but I still don’t see her.”

I narrowed my eyes, feeling the crease between my eyes deepen. “What do you mean?”

“In one of my visions I saw Lucian happy with someone, but I never saw who it was. When I try to see into Elena’s future, I get the same kind of headaches I used to get whenever I tried to look into Albert and Catherine’s future. A few of the professors believe Al and Kate somehow found a way to get her past the Wall.”

“What?” I asked in disbelief.

“A dragon always knows, Blake… I need you to be honest with me.”

I sprang up from the bed and paced the length of the room. “Honest about what, Irene?”

“Who is she?”

“Elena?”

Kill, the beast inside me hissed.

I’m not killing Irene.

“Yes,” Irene interrupted my murderous thoughts. “I see how she riles you up, Blake. The tabloids, when you are drunk… Oh my gosh.” She started to laugh ass he pinned me with stern look. “You tried to tell her, didn’t you?”

“Irene,” I warned.

“Please tell me that this is my imagination.”

I wanted to say she is insane but I couldn’t lie anymore. My jaw muscles pumped, and my entire body went rigid.

“Blake, answer me.”

“She is not worthy of becoming my rider! She didn’t even know that dragons existed.”

Irene gaped.

I let out a humorless laugh. “And the higher power has given her some authority over me? No fucking way. I am not going to be tamed by that.”

Irene shook her head. “With the right training she will be worthy.”

“No!”

“Dammit, Blake! Why haven’t you told anyone? I was rude to her. She is King Albert and Queen Catherine’s blood. The true princess of Paegeia. You can’t expect me to just sit here and pretend I don’t know. Master Longwei needs to know the truth.”

She reached for her Cammy and spoke his name, but I was too fast. I lunged toward her, grabbing the Cammy from her hand and throwing it against the wall. It shattered.

Irene’s eyes widened with fear.

I grabbed her shoulders. “So help me, Irene, you tell them anything—”

“Blake, please, she is your only chance to fight the darkness.”

“No! She is nothing to me.”

The intensity of my rage surprised me. I didn’t sound like myself.

I slammed her into the wall, and her head thudded back at the impact. Her heart pounded, enticing the beast inside me.

“Blake, please, don’t do this,” Irene begged.

My eyes found hers and I spoke in my honey-glazed tone. “You will forget everything that happened here tonight. I was never here. Elena is dragon spawn. She doesn’t deserve to be at Dragonia Academy.”

Irene’s eyes changed from bright blue to a glowing forest green. My compulsion came naturally when I was under the influence.

“You and I, we were never anything but Viden and student. Our love never existed. I’m the Rubicon.”

“You are the Rubicon.”

“I am dark,” I growled in her ear.

“You are dark.”

“And no one can tame me.”

“No one can tame you.”

Her eyes closed and her body fell limply into my arms.

A stray tear ran down my cheek as I gently put her limp body on the bed.

Irene had given me no choice. She would be my downfall, literally.

I grabbed my clothes off the floor, and took Irene’s stash of Fire Cain off the bedside table, slipping it into my pants pocket.

One good thing would come out my compelling her to forget our relationship: she’d forget her addiction. She’d gotten addicted to the Fire Cain because of me.

I wiped the tears from my face and glanced at Irene one last time before I turned and fled from her apartment. I took to the sky and let the dragon take over.

My mind was hazy from the Fire Cain. I didn’t even know if I was flying straight.

The sickeningly sweet scent that I smelled on the Hippogriff the night of the Warbel games hit me, overpowering my senses.

I sniffed at the air until I could pinpoint the exact location of the scent. I hovered above a closed warehouse.

I couldn’t make out what was being said inside—there were too many voices and I was too wasted to concentrate properly.

The voices overpowered my mind and the smell burned my nostrils.

They needed to die.

Irene had said that the stranger was dangerous, that we were all in jeopardy.

I didn’t think, I just opened my mouth and let my fire loose onto the warehouse.

It would incinerate everyone inside. I didn’t care.

I watched for a few minutes as the warehouse burned to the ground, then took off as the air filled with wailing sirens.

I groaned as I stretched out on my bed. My head throbbed, and my entire body screamed in pain.

What happened?

I couldn’t remember anything.

I could smell Sammy’s scent in my room, like she had spent the entire night here.

I tried to open my eyes, but exhaustion overtook me and I drifted away again.

My mother’s sobs echoed in my ears and I tried to lift my head, but it ached too much.

Broken memories of my father’s wrath flashed in my mind, but they made no sense. I had been too out of it last night.

My aching body told me that I had gotten a beating, and a terrible one at that.

Finally, I managed to take a deep breath through my nose and forced my eyes open.

Everything was blurry and I winced as I blinked. Even that hurt.

The smell of blood mixed with antiseptic hung heavy in the room.

Yeah, another beating.

My father hadn’t given me such a beating in ages.

“Blake?” my mother rasped.

“Leave me alone, please.” My throat was so dry every word burned.

“I need to speak to you.”

“Mom, please get the fuck out of my room,” I croaked. She let out another sob. The door shut behind her, and I let out a sigh.

I didn’t care what she wanted to speak to me about.

I muffled a scream into my pillow as I stretched, pain shooting through every nerve.

I forced my healing ability to stop. I needed the pain.

Humiliation coursed through me when I realized Elena was still here, witnessing the ugly part of what happened to dragons when they didn’t have a rider.

I tried to force her out of my mind.

Whenever I thought about her, I became more confused. I didn’t get confused about anything.

Sure, I messed up, fucked up, but I always knew what I did, knew what the consequences would be.

With her, it was like I knew nothing. My mixed up feelings threatened to tear me apart. It felt like I had no control.

My life was more of a mess now than it had ever been, and Elena was responsible for all of it.

Over the next week, I spent as little time as possible with my parents. I stayed in my room and tried to keep my healing ability from mending my body.

The pain kept the beast calm, and it gave me a bit of space between Elena and the voodoo she had over my body.

Here in my room, the beast was peaceful.

I missed the quiet, the silence, the normal.

It could stay like this, if you only opened your mouth and told the truth, the old Blake sneered in the back of my mind—the thirteen-year-old Blake who had been best friends with Lucian.

I refused to listen to that Blake. He was my past and he would never be my future.

That Blake didn’t know what I would have to give up in order to have that peace.

I wouldn’t be myself if she claimed me and I fell under her spell.

I had seen the drastic change in George, something only an enchantment could do.

I was nobody’s slave.

Scratch that. I’d rather be a slave to darkness and be myself, than be a slave to light and lose who I was.

At least my sister and Elena had gone back to Dragonia a few days ago, a bright ray in the darkness.

My mind was filled with new poems. Old poems, too. Especially those written Propertius, one of my favorite poets, though a lot of people confused him with Virgil.

They had been friends and rivals, and both spoke from the heart.

His poem, “Waylaid by Love,” was my favorite. I had never experienced that type of love until I met Irene.

I missed her, but at least she was safe now that she didn’t know the truth. I’d have to stay away from her, or else her memories would return.

The poem resonated with me, with who I was. I often wondered whether Propertius had known dragons, as the words of that poem were written through the eyes of a dragon.

Another favorite of mine was “An Early Visit.”

The way he spoke about his love, it was something I only felt for Irene. Whether it was as deep as what Propertius experienced or not, I didn’t know. But with Irene, it felt right.

I recited the poems over and over in my head, in my heart.

I had no idea how I was going to make it without Irene.

I didn’t know how long I lay there, rolling the words of the poem over in my head, but time passed and my wounds were healing.

I found my father and mother arguing one morning in the kitchen.

They didn’t know I was close by.

“They shouldn’t have given him a chance,” my mother hissed.

“The Ancients believed that it was what Al wanted. He believed that they could be good, that not all were bad. It was his dying wish to prove it.”

“His dying wish! Goran killed him, Robert. They were led by the Wyverns, or have you forgotten that? Who else has to die before you open your damn eyes? Wyverns will never be good. Helmut learned that the hard way!” She was screaming now, hysterical.

“Blake can take care of himself, Issy.”

“That is not what I meant. Goran will always be their king. The only reason he is in that school is to spy on Blake and relay what Goran wants to hear. That the darkness is already starting to get its claws into him. Am I the only one who sees it?”

“No!” my father yelled. “I felt it with every beating I gave him that night. As long as he is willing to let me give him a hiding, Issy, he will stay strong.” It was quiet for a beat, then my father spoke again. “Lucian called me yesterday. As soon as Blake is back at school, he is going to try to claim him again.”

“He is going to fail. That boy should stop or Helmut is going to lose his only living child. How much more danger do you two want to put our children through?”

“I tried, Issy. The Ancients’ minds were already made up. The Wyvern is going to stay, no matter what any of us say.”

My father’s chair screeched and I hurried back upstairs as softly as I could.

I heard the front door slam.

There was a Wyvern at Dragonia.

Perhaps it had absolutely nothing to do with me. Perhaps the Wyvern just wanted to change for the better. But…

Goran.

Cold rushed up my spine. Just thinking about him, what he had done to us. He was going to become my rider if I didn’t open my mouth soon.

But I didn’t want to suffer the consequences of that—become Elena’s slave.

I’d meant what I said to Irene. Elena wasn’t worthy.

She would never be worthy of me.

My scars were almost healed and I had no choice but to head back to Dragonia.

Lucian had called me numerous times, wanting to talk about something important.

I wasn’t bothered. I knew he just wanted to tell me the date he planned to claim me.

He was going to get himself killed.

I forced myself to think about the poems instead of worrying about what lay ahead.

Whether it was enslavement or darkness, nobody could tell.

I bet Fox had seen it all.

It must be why he had been so adamant to kill her.

I wish he’d succeeded.

I was intrigued with the man who had raised her. Matt said his name was Herbert, but the name was unfamiliar. There had been no Herberts on the council or in the Dragon League.

A knock on my door jerked me out of my thoughts.

It opened and my mother entered.

She gave me a small, lopsided smile, and sat on my bed.

I couldn’t look at her.

“You know you have to return to Dragonia soon, Blake.”

“What’s the use, Mom?”

She raised an eyebrow and sighed. “I need to talk to you.”

I gestured with my hands for her to speak.

She opened her hand. Irene’s bag of Fire Cain lay in her palm.

I stared at it. I couldn’t look at my mother’s heartbroken expression.

“I deserve an explanation,” she said softly.

“Mom, I try to hold on. Sometimes it’s easy, other times it’s not. The Fire Cain helps suppress it, sometimes the alcohol has the same effect.”

She narrowed her soft, peacock-blue eyes at me. We had the same eyes, my mother and I—just like Elena and King Albert had the same eyes. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to look at Elena. I kept seeing her father staring back at me.

“So whenever you are drunk or using Fire Cain, you’re fighting the beast?”

It sounded stupid. In plain English, I was an addict. I became one trying to fight the beast. I was weak.

My whole body shook as a sob escaped, my cheeks wet with tears.

My mother wrapped her arms around me and let me cry.

She said nothing, simply stroked my hair like she used to when I was a child.

It was why I loved her so much. She never hovered, and no matter how bad my shit got, she never questioned my actions—until today.

I lay with my head on her lap until I fell asleep.

The ring of my Cammy woke me up, and I moved to grab it, but my mother put her hand on my head and reached around me to answer it.

Professor Pheizer’s name flashed on the screen.

Cold rushed up my spine.

The old hag was practically and expert in Dents, and she had been on my case from the moment Elena started at Dragonia Academy.

“Good evening, Trudy,” my mother said as she answered the hologram. “Is everything all right?”

“Is Blake up? We desperately need him, Isabel.”

In the background I could hear roaring, fighting, screaming. What the hell was going on?

“What is it?”

“Dragonia is under attack. Students are fighting. We need all the help we can get.”

I sprang up, ignoring my mother’s protests. Professor Pheizer was still speaking when I jumped out my window.

The beast came out and I flew as fast as I could.

The last time I had flow this hard was when I clutched Elena in my paws.

The greater power took over again.

I was going to kill myself to get to her, to save her again. It was who I am, and even though I was fighting it with every ounce of my being, whenever Elena was in danger, who she was to me took over, and it would kill to save her.

I flew faster than I ever had before, and my fire was starting to heat up my entire body.

My mind screamed at me to stop, to slow down, but my willpower wasn’t strong enough.

I was going to lose this battle.

The first time I thought I wanted to save her. I hadn’t known then that it was a higher power that urged me to do it. I figured it out the second time I saved her, but I still couldn’t let any harm come to her, even though I desperately wanted to lift my wing to stop shielding her. It wasn’t me saving her, but it was the connection we were supposed to have. She was my Dent.

Now it was clear that whatever pushed me, against my will, to my fullest potential, was stronger than me. Even stronger than the beast.

The beast would never be able to take her life.

I saw the flames in the distance as I neared Dragonia.

I scanned the area, hoping Elena was already dead.

Then I saw her with Cheng. He was doing all the work. My stomach turned, and whether it was because of her presence or because of her cowardice, I didn’t know.

She was never going to tame me.

Cheng’s shield vanished as he turned to fight. To my surprise, Elena didn’t cower in fear, but sprang up and fought.

Not that it mattered. She still wouldn’t be a match for me.

As soon as I was above the action, I unleashed my fire.

The attackers shouted enchantments as my pink flame licked their skin.

I continued breathing against the first row which was free of students and professors.

More invaders were on their way, climbing up the wall on ropes. I roared and turned my fire toward them.

“Xaxaria,” they shouted in warning, and I saw a few of them disappear.

I had no idea they owned abilities like that.

It reminded me of the Hippogriff.

Maybe it was linked to what these Wyverns could do.

I reined in my fire once I was certain the academy was free of Wyvern attackers.

All that was left of the bodies were ashes.

I flew over Dragonia, searching for a survivor, someone we could get answers from, but I didn’t intend to take any Wyverns alive. My freedom depended on it.

When I was sure there wasn’t another Wyvern on site, I went back to the Parthenon dome.

Subconsciously, my hearing perked, the force listening for confirmation that Elena was okay.

I growled at my lack of control.

She was nothing, and this power it had over me, this need to protect her, was driving me insane.

“They are going to close Dragonia for sure, after this,” Becky said.

“It’s not Dragonia’s fault, Becky. It’s ours,” Elena said. “Goran is not going to back off until we are dead.”

“Shh, Elena. Don’t think like that.”

“It’s the truth…” Her voice faded away as I finally gained control over myself and tuned her out.

I landed near a group of students and Master Longwei, who had just shifted back to his human form.

“Blake, thank you,” Master Longwei said.

I nodded.

“I want you to meet, Paul.” He gestured to the guy standing beside him.

He was more or less my size, a bit scrawny like Lucian, with dark hair and dark eyes.

“I’m sure you heard about the Wyvern.”

I nodded again, not taking my gaze off of Paul. Everything in my scales told me not to trust him. Not after what happened to Dezi, Lucian’s sister, almost a decade ago.

“He killed his own kind tonight, proving that he would do anything for the chance. We can trust him.”

I narrowed my eyes at Paul. “That really happened?”

Paul nodded.

I held out my hand to shake his, and he smiled as he gripped my hand.

“Anyone who can kill his own kind to keep Dragonia safe is worthy of being called a friend.”

There was still a warning in my tone, though I didn’t know why.

He nodded again. “Thank you, it means a lot.”

“Not everyone trusts him, Blake. I’m sure you will discover that soon,” Master Longwei said.

I turned my head toward the door.

Everyone seemed to be fighting about whether it was Paul’s fault or if he could be trusted.

They were still quarreling as I walked into the Parthenon dome with Paul behind me.

The force that had driven me here was long gone, and I was back in control of myself.

I wouldn’t give Elena another second of my time.

“They were Wyverns!” Stan, who was in his final year, yelled.

I snorted. The guy was such a goody two-shoes who had never set a foot out of line in Dragonia. Now he had plenty to say.

I stepped between him and Paul and grabbed his shirt.

“Calm the fuck down. The danger is over, idiot.” I pushed him back and he skidded across the floor.

Professor Milne stepped forward. I’d had the pleasure of only spending my first year at Dragonia with him. He was an idiot as well. Always up Master Longwei’s ass. “Xaxaria means Rubicon in Wyvic, Blake.”

“You brought this on us,” Stan yelled. “They were probably here to drag him back or something.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Paul said.

“What he said,” I said to Stan.

Other students started to stand behind Stan, yelling that I couldn’t see properly because I was getting sucked in by the darkness. I didn’t like it, even though it was the truth.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Paul muttered through gritted teeth.

A part of me felt sorry for him. He was a lot like me.

“Enough!” Lucian yelled through the crowd.

“Finally,” Stan said, puffing out his chest as he crossing his arms.

The dome fell silent and watched Lucian approach Paul. I did not want to fight Lucian. He already looked like he’d just stepped out of a zombie movie.

He was covered with guts and blood and he stank.

I stepped in front of Paul and stared Lucian down.

He shook his head and I stepped out of the way.

He approached Paul and reached out his hand to shake Paul’s. Paul just stared at it. There was definitely something between them, there was no question about it.

Whatever it was, it was long gone. Lucian trusted this guy completely. “He’s not one of them. He saved all of our lives, including mine, a couple of times tonight. Anyone who can kill his own kind for the greater good deserves a chance.”

Paul smiled crookedly. Where he was from, he probably didn’t get the chance to smile a lot.

“You are truly worthy to be her dragon. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

I whipped my head toward Lucian.

What the fuck? Who was Lucian talking about?

I looked at Paul, who was still staring at Lucian.

“Thanks, it means a lot. And I promise, no funny business.”

Lucian smiled. “I will slay you if you try anything.”

Paul laughed.

It hit me, but I didn’t want to give it away. I slapped him on the back.

He was claiming to be Elena’s dragon. Why?

The beast inside me rejoiced.

She could die, after all, and it wouldn’t be by my hand.

This was going to be a breeze. All I had to do was sit back and watch everything unfold.

It might even be fun.

And when it was all over, whether he was someone who was trying to become good or was sent by Goran to kill her, it didn’t bother me. It would bother Lucian, though. He would hunt Paul down, and when that happened, I would help him.

I would tell him that I was just as shocked as he was, and they would never know that she was my rider.

The truth would die when she did.

I grinned at Paul.

Let the games begin.

Lucian left, and I also turned to not give Paul reason to suspect that I knew he was up to something.

He could have a crush on Elena and made up the story that she was his rider.

Or perhaps he did have a hidden agenda and knew more. Which meant that he had gone the extra mile to gain Lucian’s trust tonight.

He would need Lucian to gain her friendship, to get closer to her.

My body tingled. I was still in control. As long as her life wasn’t in danger, the higher power, light—whatever the fuck it wanted to be called—couldn’t do shit.

I walked past Elena and Lucian kissing.

She should enjoy her time with him, because she had no idea what was waiting for her around the corner.

“Blake,” Master Longwei said behind me. “I need a word with you, please.”

I stifled a groan and nodded as I followed him up to his office.

“Sit, please.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk and poured himself a brandy. I was shocked when he offered me one.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know what goes on in your room at night. You deserve one.”

“Okay,” I said, taking the glass from him.

He sat down and took a sip of his.

“A lot of the parents, including King Caleb, are going to do everything in their power to shut down Dragonia Academy.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Nice to hear.” He sighed. “I haven’t killed in such a long time. One thing we need to ask is not how many lives we can take, but how many we can spare.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t in the mood for his mumbo jumbo. I came here to save her, and if killing was the only way to do that, then so be it.

“You did well tonight, son. That’s why I promised King Albert to give it my all; to keep you sane for as long as I can.”

King Albert must have known Elena would end up here.

“Thank you, Master Longwei.”

“How has the darkness been treating you?” he asked softly.

I gave a lopsided smile. “I’m sure you heard what my father had to do recently.”

“I’m not a big fan of it, but if it helps, he’s doing what he can to keep you sane.”

“Yeah,” I said and sipped at my drink.

“The Council wants to see all the survivors of the King of Lion mission. Elena is awake now, but Lucian doesn’t want her near the council in case the Ancients show up. Not after they ruled that she wouldn’t get her name on the brass plaque. Even after your speech, nothing is going to change their minds.”

I huffed. “Pity, it’s one of the few moments in her life that she didn’t value herself. She deserves it.”

“I know, but they argued that she had advantage, that she was part dragon, even though the Keeper didn’t smell it on her.”

I smiled wryly. “So what you’re saying is that Lucian and I have some explaining to do.”

“She isn’t ready for the Ancients or the council yet. But she will be. We are going to see great things from her.”

“And Paul, from what I hear.”

Master Longwei studied carefully, making me feel exposed.

“And Paul.”

“Is that all?” I asked.

I wanted to get out of here before he told me he was on to me

He was one of the few professors Irene had warned me about. They just needed a reason, or an explanation of how the hell King Albert and Queen Catherine managed to get Elena to the other side. Then they would put her in that ring with me.

“You may go.” He downed his glass.

I followed suit and put the empty glass on the desk, leaving without a word.

I hoped Paul was going to do a thorough job, not half-assed like George that day in the cafeteria.

The following day, Lucian, George, and I left to meet up with the council.

It wasn’t the Ancients, thank heavens, as they would see straight through me and would probably summon Elena.

I would be a goner for sure. My freedom gone.

What the Ancients said was law.

During King Albert’s time, we’d barely used them.

There was never a problem too big for him to solve.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be keeping my mouth shut. Perhaps she could solve all the problems in our world.

I brushed the thought away. Albert hadn’t raised her. Other than the resemblance, she was nothing like him. Nor was she anything like her mother.

Queen Catherine had scared the shit out of me.

She had been quiet when she had nothing to say, but she had been vicious when she thought anyone was taking advantage of the king.

I wondered what she would’ve been like as a mother.

She probably would have locked up Elena and I wouldn’t have known her anyway.

I pushed it to the back of my mind as we reached the city hall of Elm where the council was waiting.

“You ready?” Lucian asked.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

I walked out first, with Lucian and George in a line behind me.

My father’s chair was still empty. It didn’t surprise me. He didn’t feel the need to be part of the council anymore, just as he didn’t feel the need for the Dragon League.

King Caleb and Lucian’s father, King Helmut, were heading up the council tonight.

King Caleb narrowed his eyes as just the three of us took our seats.

The council was seated in a horseshoe formation, all two hundred and fifty members around us.

“Son,” King Helmut spoke. “I thought we made it clear that we wanted to see all of the members.”

“As the Prince of Tith, I decided who was going to deal with council and who wasn’t.”

“Lucian, we need to speak to Elena.”

“About what? Why she did it? It’s over. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have discovered that Queen Catherine’s axes were a King of Lion weapon. She doesn’t need to be here, Dad. She’s been through enough.” He huffed. “You couldn’t even give her what she truly deserved.”

“We were going to tell her our reasons for that tonight, Lucian. She deserves to hear it from the Council’s mouth.”

“No, she will hear it from mine. Responsibility, right? That’s what you’ve taught me. Let me take the responsibility for once. I could’ve stopped her anytime I wanted, and I haven’t, because I saw my strength through her.”

King Helmut didn’t say anything, he just nodded.

I wish I could see Elena through his eyes. Maybe then this would’ve been different. The council members asked a ton of questions and not once did Lucian say he didn’t know.

Even though he had only known her for a short time, he knew Elena. They didn’t keep secrets.

I answered what was asked of me and only that. Nothing more.

George answered his questions, and before I knew it, the meeting was over. They didn’t like it, but they got their answers.

“We still need to speak to Elena, to find out what is inside the cavern,” King Caleb said.

The three of us stared at him in disbelief.

“She isn’t going to tell you,” Lucian said. “Not even if you threaten her, just like the other five that made it out of that Cavern, including Queen Catherine. All the women on that brass plaque became queen of this world in one way or another, and so will Elena when the time comes.”

King Caleb practically roared at Lucian’s words. I reveled in his idiocy.

I knew what Lucian meant, but if he knew the truth, it would break his heart. She was already the queen of this world, they just didn’t know it. She didn’t have to marry Lucian to gain that title.

I didn’t want to think where that put me. I knew what I was giving up. Being a dragon ruler. The alpha of dragons.

But I couldn’t have that. I would not bring myself down to the level George was on. He was Becky’s slave.

Lucian and King Caleb quarreled, and when the king tried to use his authority, Lucian became a demon.

I didn’t like the way he fought for her: not just with his heart, but with his mind and soul as well.

If he fought that way for me, I would lose, and he would claim me.

The beast growled inside.

“Don’t push me, boy,” King Caleb said.

King Helmut glowered at him. “Caleb, enough. Have you forgotten who he is? If Lucian says not over his dead body, I assure you, the Rubicon wouldn’t be far from telling you the same thing. You got what you wanted, give the Sacred Cavern a rest. Better yet, go into it yourself if you’re really so desperate to know what it is hiding.”

King Helmut stood up. “Meeting adjourned. Thank you for coming in.”

He turned and left. Emanuel found my eyes and he squinted before he followed.

Did everyone fucking know that I was hiding the truth?

The three of us went outside and Lucian and George climbed into the carriage.

I stayed outside the carriage door and glared at Lucian. “Next time, leave me out of your threats. I’ve got enough of my own shit to deal with.”

I shut the door, shed my clothes, and took to the sky.

Lucian was already in his bed when I entered the room.

Conflicted. That was how I felt most of the time now.

I slumped down on my bed and saw my bags were neatly stacked in the corner.

My mother must have dropped them off.

I got up and opened the first one, and my heart leapt when I saw the bag of Fire Cain inside.

Some would hate my mother for feeding my addiction, but she was a gentle creature that wanted to help me suppressed my darkness.

Tears welled up in my eyes. She was the last person I’d have wanted to find out about this.

Her gesture took me by surprise and I sobbed.

I would do anything for her. Anything but tell her about Elena.

Lucian’s alarm woke me up the next day. He was already in the shower. I rubbed a hand over my bleary eyes.

One of the reasons I was keeping my mouth shut was because I didn’t want to cause Lucian heartache again. He loved Elena, and I couldn’t take that away from him again. Just another reason on the growing list.

I got out of bed, wincing a bit as I stretched my back. The beating had done its job. I was more myself and the darkness was at bay. But I knew it would only last a couple days before the darkness set in again.

Lucian walked out of the bathroom just as I was pulling a shirt over my head.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw the pity in his eyes as they raked over my back.

The scars were still mostly visible, but with my healing ability, which was improving each day, they’d be gone in a couple of days.

“Have you spoken to your father about what we discussed?”

“No, Lucian. He just gave me one hell of a beating. I didn’t get time to speak to him about your precious date,” I snapped as I strode past him.

“It’s not my precious date, Blake. It’s yours. You will turn on the 23rd of August. I need to find whatever Irene saw that can tame you.”

“Lucian, just give it a rest. I can’t be tamed. Nobody is strong enough—”

“Stop it. I know you’re much stronger than I am, Blake. But as long as I feel like I can do this, I will.”

“We were thirteen when you made that fucking promise. I won’t hate you if you broke it. Drop it.”

“Blake, I have to try.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, Lucian. I’m Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Don’t forget that.”

I shut the door behind me. Lucian’s death would be the end of me. If he died by my hands, I doubted I’d be able to claw my way out of the darkness.

I didn’t care what anyone said—there had been claimings that had gone wrong before—but to me, it would be murder. I’d be taking the life of a guy who was practically my brother.

He knocked on the door, and I spat out the toothpaste in my mouth, mumbling for him to come in. It wouldn’t help to ignore him, because he was such a persistent asshole when he wanted to be.

“Let’s go talk to my parents, please. I’m sure they can point us in the right direction, at least.”

I nodded.

Anything to get him to shut up.

The clicked shut behind him. I wished with all my heart that Lucian could let this go.

I didn’t want to be responsible for his death.

That afternoon I flew to Tith while Lucian opted to take the elevator. The elevators might be fast—Lucian arrived two hours before I touched down in the garden where they were waiting—but there was no way in hell I was getting on one of those things.

Queen Maggie rose from her chair once I was dressed and kissed me on my cheek. “It’s so good to see you, Blake. You’ve grown.”

I shrugged, grinning at her as I took a seat next to Lucian.

“What’s this about?” King Helmut asked.

“It’s about the foretelling I got from Irene, Dad. We believe it has something to do with Blake’s claiming.”

King Helmut furrowed his brow.

“In what way, Lucian?” Queen Maggie asked worriedly.

“According to the foretelling, Blake will turn dark on the 23rd of August.”

Queen Maggie gasped, but King Helmut merely raised one of his eyebrows.

“That’s not all she said. She told me I had to find something. Something that’s of great value to Blake. I think there’s something out there that can weaken Blake’s dragon, so I can claim him.”

“Lucian, something like that is not allowed in the ring. I know you want to tame Blake, but—”

“I don’t want to tame him! I want to save him, Dad.”

King Helmut steepled his fingers, tapping his index fingers together. He looked thoughtfully at Lucian, then at me. “And are you okay with this?”

I shrug. “I’d go along with anything that doesn’t get him killed. He won’t listen to me about dropping the claiming.”

“What do you want from us?” Queen Maggie asked in barely a whisper.

“You knew King Albert and Queen Catherine well, Mom. Do you know of anything out there like what I described? Or maybe you can point us in the direction of someone who knows something about this?”

I looked down at my feet as King Helmut turned his eyes toward me again.

We all knew who—besides me, that is—could tell everyone the truth, but we kept our mouths shut.

“There isn’t, sweetheart. At least, nothing I know of. Are you sure it was a true—”

“Yes,” Lucian snapped. “Irene’s eyes lit up and she did the creepy thing. I am the one who had to find it.”

“Lucian…” Queen Maggie’s voice was thick with emotion and she turned her pleading gaze to her husband, but he didn’t meet her gaze.

“I’m sorry we can’t help you, sweetheart. Kate was such a mess the last year of her life. She refused to see anyone. Albert wasn’t much better. If there was anything like what you’ve mentioned, they would’ve hidden it well and none of us would’ve known.”

I almost chuckled at that. She had no idea.

“Did you ask your father about this, Blake?” King Helmut asked.

“My father and I aren’t on speaking terms at the moment,” I said matter-of-factly.

“We have to try. I’ll speak to him,” Lucian said as he got up.

“Oh, won’t the two of you stay for lunch?” Queen Maggie asked with a smile.

“Sorry, we can’t. I have training at five, so I need to get back.”

She nodded and patted his back when he leaned down and hugged her. “Thank you for listening.”

“You are my son. I will always listen, sweetheart. I hope you get more out of Robert than you have from us. If something like that exists, I’m certain Robert would know.”

Lucian nodded.

“I guess this is goodbye,” I said as I got up. Without waiting for any of them to say a word, I shifted into my dragon form.

“He’s getting desperate, isn’t he?”

“So am I, Mom. We have a date, and it’s less than a year away.”

“Then train as hard as you can.”

I tuned out their conversation. She could have easily told him about Tanya, but she didn’t. Neither did.

I should thank them for that, but a part of me was disgusted at how easily they lied to Lucian.

I couldn’t watch my father lie to him, too.

I sprang into the air and headed back to Dragonia.

I’d have to let it be.

It didn’t come as a surprise when Lucian told me my father had said the same thing King Helmut and Queen Margerite had. Everyone in Paegeia pretended that Tanya never existed.

I still wondered how the hell she got Elena to the other side of the Wall.

The must have given Elena the Coward’s potion.

The Coward’s potion turn the drinker into someone that didn’t own a heartbeat. They’d seem undead for a short period. That was my theory on how the Wall only let dragons through and not humans. Dragon heartbeats are so faint, mine can’t even been heard without an EKG machine. Human hearts beat so strong and loud. But she had been merely a baby, so how could it have been the Coward’s potion?

Which brought me back to square one.

Master Longwei’s voice sounded over the PA system in the cafeteria as Tabitha put her tray of food down next to me.

She grabbed my hand and brushed a kiss over my knuckles.

“On Thursday, there will be a claiming in the Coliseum in Etan. The Prince of Tith will face the Rubicon at two.”

Cheers erupted through the cafeteria. Students whistled and called out encouragement to Lucian, who, as usual, was seated right next to Elena.

I shook my head, clenching my fists as I got up and stormed away.

The cafeteria fell silent as I hurried out. I needed to get away before Tabitha followed after me.

I wanted to be alone.

It seemed like Lucian was avoiding me after the announcement, because he barely spent any time in our room, but I knew he was training his ass off. Why couldn’t he let it go?

His best would never be enough.

Usually, I’d go and take a look at his moves, but this time I wasn’t interested, not even when I heard the best trainers in Paegeia were coming to him.

I wanted Irene but it was too risky to get close to her again. The smallest thing could trigger the memory that caused me to use my compulsion on her in the first.

There were times when Master Longwei called me to his office that I expected to see Irene sitting there, having remembered what I had done to her that night

Compulsion was extremely fragile and anything could set it off. And I was still a young dragon, so I wasn’t sure how strong my compulsion was.

When Thursday rolled around, I took the bag of Fire Cain with me to the Coliseum.

I wasn’t going to kill Lucian, not now and not ever. If I took some Fire Cain to weaken the beast, Lucian would stand a better chance at claiming me.

Anyone was better than Elena and this was how things were supposed to be.

I would still be me and be sort of free.

Lucian was worthy.

I paced the waiting area. Tabitha had wanted to join me, to ease my mind, but I’d told her I needed to be alone.

The only person I wanted by my side at this moment was Irene, and Tabitha didn’t even come close to measuring up.

I walked over to the table and lay out a line of Fire Cain, bending down to snort it.

What are you doing, boy?

“Everything in my power to keep you from killing him,” I muttered.

This is against dragon law and you know it.

“Does it look like I fucking care? You’re the reason for all of this.”

Images of me and the dark Blake jumped into my mind. Dark Blake tried to strangle me. He was growling and breathing heavily through his nostrils. But the Fire Cain had weakened him and I started to laugh.

He disappeared as he fought and growled.

I was finally in control again. And maybe this time, Lucian would walk away with more than his life.

A dragon of his own.

I walked out of the gates and into the ring. The sun was blinding and the audience’s cheers were deafening.

I wasn’t a show pony, so I kept my facial expression neutral as I regarded the crowd.

King Helmut glared my way, warning me not to kill his son. Queen Maggie’s eyes seemed to be begging the same thing. Even King Caleb and Queen Gizelle was there.

Cameras flashed in my direction, but I didn’t give them the smile they wanted.

The crowd erupted in an even louder round of applause as Lucian entered the ring.

He was everyone’s favorite.

He came to stand in front of me, and I shifted into my dragon form, eliciting cheers from the crowd. I had grown over the past couple of months—the other day I had shed on the mountain; it was nothing new to me.

Lucian arched his neck as he looked up at me, and for a split second, fear flashed in his eyes.

“You and me, let’s show them a claiming they will never forget.”

“There is no you and me. You are not the true royal.”

AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” started to play. The crowd sang along and my scales vibrated to the beat.

A chill ran down from the main horn on my neck to the tiniest one on my tail.

The beast was subdued—still growling, still angry, but out of it.

Lucian charged, and I pushed the effects of the music to the back of my mind.

I wasn’t going to roll over and yield. That was not in me.

He slid through my paws. He hadn’t been this fast the last time we’d faced each other in an arena.

I wanted to hurt him—not kill him—to remind him what a dumb idea this claiming was. If I knocked the air from his lungs, this entire fiasco would stop.

To my annoyance, he dodged my every move.

How had Lucian become this fast?

I wanted to kick myself for not watching him train.

I peered around, looking for Lucian, but didn’t see him. Suddenly, I felt him running up my back.

I felt him tie the rope he always fought with around my main horn, then he was gone again.

He wanted to tangled me up in the rope so I’d lose my balance.

Right now, it might work.

When he swung down the opposite side of me, I let a few acid balls fly in his direction.

The crowd gasped and cheered again.

He was slippery fast, and proving to be worthy to be my rider.

He tangled the rope around my front paws a few times before he retreated again. He pulled on the rope, and it tightened around me, pressing hard into my scales.

Fight, you son of a bitch!

“No,” I hissed. I had to fall this time. It was Lucian or the darkness.

The beast growled again as I landed with a thud, the vibration running through the earth, shaking the crowd against the hard turf.

Fight or I will kill him.

“No, you won’t,” I muttered.

Lucian looked at me, his brow furrowed. “Blake, yield!”

I wanted to, but something was holding me back. It wasn’t the beast—he was subdued. It was the higher power.

No, Elena wasn’t in danger. It couldn’t interfere.

“Never,” the higher power spoke for me.

My body—no longer under my control—pushed against Lucian’s rope. A roar left my mouth.

The ropes broke and I was free.

The beast laughed.

Coming to bite us both in the end, my boy. It’s her or nobody.

I growled again.

I would never yield to that dragon spawn.

But the entity fought with a force stronger than the beast’s.

If Lucian died today, it wasn’t by my hand or my darkness. It was by this bigger force that protected Elena.

Lucian couldn’t hold his balance as my paws stomped hard on the ground. The vibration shook my scales and I was certain I would to break from the force of it.

Lucian kept fighting.

Lightning headed toward him, but it missed.

The entity controlling me became furious. It wanted this charade to be over because Lucian wasn’t meant to be my rider.

I never should’ve asked Tabitha to teach me magic.

Magic wasn’t allowed in the ring, but the rule was strictly for the Dragonians.

My telekinesis pushed Lucian’s body into the ground, then slammed him against the wall before driving him into the ground again.

The petrified crowd looked in horror.

Lucian lay on the ground, unconscious.

Growls escaped my mouth as other dragons filled the ring. They tried to subdue the greater power but it was still in control, still fighting.

The subdued beast inside was laughing at me, rejoicing at the mistake we’d made.

And just like that, I was in control again.

It was over.

Lucian was in the Infirmary for almost a week.

I’d never expected the light to take over. It’d fought harder than the darkness and it brought little hope that I would ever win.

I wasn’t the kind of dragon who’d put all his eggs in one basket, but now I had to. Paul was my last hope. He needed to succeed, and the only way he would was if I was too occupied to rescue her.

The only thing that would subdue the light was booze, and I had to use more Fire Cain to subdue the beast.

I would be so out of it, it wouldn’t be able to use me to do its bidding.

That was the thing about parasites. The host needed to be well enough for the parasite to thrive.

My only hope lay in the paws of the enemy—a Wyvern.

I still didn’t know if he was a danger, but none of that mattered now.

I’d try to get more acquainted with him over the weekend, and discover his true agenda—whether he wanted this life, or whether Goran had sent him.

But I was confident I wasn’t part of his plans. He wasn’t here to keep tabs on me for Goran.

When I heard that Lucian would be going home for the weekend to recuperate, I invited Paul to my room for a drink.

He spoke about Elena being his rider, and how they were going to change the world, but there was one problem.

I frowned. “Is that problem a prince?”

Paul laughed. “Something like that.”

“Yeah, with the way you feel about Elena, he is definitely going to be a problem, dude.”

Paul laughed. “I guess I just have to win her over the normal way then. Any ideas?”

“I don’t know Elena that well. She’s a bit flat-chested for my taste.”

I took another sip of my beer and Paul followed my lead.

It seemed like he truly wanted to change.

He showed me what he could do.

His fire had a green flame to it, and he was proud of it. It wasn’t anything like the pink kiss but it was something to look at—freaky and a bit evil.

“That’s not all of it, is it?”

He smiled. “Nope, but the other gift is kind of messed up.”

“Dude, I’m all about messed up.”

Paul laughed.

“C’mon, show me. I’m curious now.”

“As long as you promise to show me yours.”

“Deal.”

“It’s a mind thing that all Raven Snouts can do, or Black Weavers.”

“No,” I laughed. “They even got your breeds wrong?”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Paul rolled his eyes

“Black Weaver is such a cool name, though.”

“It’s not bad.”

“So… the mind thing?”

“It’s sort of a tracking ability mixed with a blending device.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t have told you if I was here on other business. Wyverns do not want dragons to know.”

“Okay, so how do you blend in?”

“I can’t read minds, but I can put things in people’s minds.”

“Woah, seriously?”

Paul wasn’t smiling anymore. “I know it’s terrifying. In the wrong Wyvern’s hands…” He took a deep breathe. “You do not want to know the things I’ve seen. It’s twisted. You’re not the only scary thing out there, my friend.”

“What kind of things?”

I got an image of him wanting to kiss Elena in my mind and I gaped at him.

“You saw that?”

“You and Elena?”

He nodded. “It doesn’t work with her, though. She knows about my gift and doesn’t trust anything she feels for me.”

I cleared my throat. “And you’re sure she feels something for you?”

He laughed. “There is something, she just doesn’t want to own up to it. I feel sorry for Lucian, though. He is going to lose.”

“You think you share a Dent with her?”

“It’s just a feeling. Like a greater power leading me. It’s hard to explain.”

I nodded. “You don’t have to explain anything. If anyone knows about other entities driving you, it’s me.”

“Good to know I’m not alone. You give into it?”

“Not yet.”

“You are much stronger than me, that’s for sure.”

Our conversation drifted off after that, but I was certain I had gathered all the information I needed.

I had to consider his confession about the guidance of a higher power.

Could she have two dragons, two Dents?

I wasn’t the type of dragon who liked to share. I always had some sort of a claim over Elena even though I don’t want to admit it. It could be the light Paul was talking about. The stronger force.

It didn’t bother me much that she was with Lucian, which told me I didn’t see her in that way, but knowing that she could have two dragons, two Dents… How the fuck was that going to work?

Crazy thoughts swirled in my mind, shit I didn’t want to think about. I needed more Fire Cain to dull my mind.

Paul wasn’t here on Goran’s doing. If he was, he was good at hiding it, and nobody, except me, was that good.

On Saturday night, I discovered Elena wasn’t at Dragonia Academy.

She’d gone with Lucian to the palace.

When Elena returned on Sunday, every cell inside me froze.

She wasn’t a virgin anymore.

My chest tightened and I struggled to breathe. Being around her was even worse than it was before. My mind warred with me, and I couldn’t calm it.

That fucker!

It wasn’t his to take and yet he took it.

I groaned long and hard.

“Are you okay?” Tabitha asked, concerned.

“I will be,” I said as I got up and stormed out of the cafeteria.

If I didn’t calm myself, I was going to rip Lucian’s head off his body.

Being with her was one thing, but taking away something that wasn’t his to take away, was another thing altogether.

She was the Rubicon’s property.

I headed to the gym, one place I never frequented, but I needed to work some of my rage off without destroying another mountain top or, heaven forbid, killing the Prince of Tith.

Why was I this angry?

I punched the bag, working up to a good rhythm. Sweat dripped from my forehead.

I still itched to rip Lucian to pieces. But it would give everything away.

I needed Fire Cain to subdue the beast. I knew it was the beast because I didn’t want Elena in that way.

I went up to my room and found Lucian waiting for me with a shit-eating grin on his face.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw me glaring at him. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Why the fuck is everybody asking me that?”

He snorted. “What happened to your knuckles?”

“Nothing that won’t heal.”

Lucian shook his head. “Blake, talk to me.”

“Lucian, get off my back. I’m not in the mood.”

I was surprised that I was so calm when a part of me wanted to rip him to pieces.

“Well, if you don’t want to talk about whatever’s going on in your mind, then I need you to listen. I have something to tell you.”

I looked at him, tilting my head as indication that he should talk.

“Do you know who Tanya Le Frey is?”

I stared at Lucian.

Fuck! I wanted to close my eyes but resisted the urge. I walked past him without saying a word.

“Blake, answer me. Did you know that Queen Catherine had a dragon?”

“I can’t remember,” I said, but the lie burned my throat.

He frowned. “I thought you could remember everything.”

“They must have compelled me, Lucian, because I didn’t know.” At least I sounded sincere. “The queen had a dragon?” I asked as a way to keep up the pretense of my ignorance.

“Yeah,” Lucian nodded. “She was part of a Dent. They must have compelled you so you wouldn’t remember her.”

“She had a Green Vapor, but if she was part of a Dent…” I went into pretend mode.

“Yeah, she could’ve been one of the first. You don’t remember anything?”

I shook my head. “I just remember Queen Catherine. She was always so sad. I don’t remember her dragon.”

“Fuckers.”

I tried to not roll my eyes. He was one of them.

“I think she is in the Acker woods, Blake.”

My gaze found his again. “You’re not serious.”

“Nobody knows anything. Tanya shared a bond with Queen Catherine. Just think about it.” He sat in front of me. “All of them promised, they vowed to keep you sane for as long as it took, Blake. None of them ever came up with a back-up plan. It was as if they knew you wouldn’t get lost. Someone knew something, and I think the answer lies with Tanya.”

“Lucian. It’s the Acker woods. No one gets out of there.”

“I’m not planning on dying. I just need to know what can claim you, so I can use it next time. I almost had you this time.”

“You had nothing. There will always be a greater force fighting for me, Lucian. You are not the royal meant to claim me.”

I wanted to say that royal doesn’t exist but the words refused to leave my mouth. It wasn’t true anymore.

“I know, that royal doesn’t exist, but I’m the closest to it. And I am going to keep my promise.”

“You’re going to lose. Lucian, you need to let this go, please.”

“I can’t. You’re like my brother. The darkness took too much away from me, Blake. It’s not getting you, too.” His voice broke, then he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

The fact that we used to be close was biting me in the ass now, because there was no way in hell Lucian would give up on me.

I never should have made friends with him; I should have kept to myself. But the old Blake wasn’t like that.

He was the complete opposite of what I was now.

The date for Lucian’s quest was set, only a few days away. I tried everything to deter him from going, but he wouldn’t give up. I even considered telling him the truth, because he would find out the truth anyway.

The answer lay with Tanya. I didn’t know if she’d made a vow to Queen Catherine or not, but I couldn’t take a chance on that. Lucian was going to discover the truth one way or another. He would discover the truth about Elena, and that I had lied to him all this time. That Brian’s death was my fault because we never would have gone on that crazy mission if I’d opened my fucking mouth and told someone the truth.

But there was still so much at stake.

If I gave in, I would be giving up that integral part of me that made me who I was.

And George wouldn’t tell me what the Dent was. He couldn’t explain why Becky was now his everything, because the plain truth was that he didn’t know, because the Dent was a spell. But George didn’t want to admit it because of how he felt about Becky.

One thing was certain, though. He was completely different than the old George.

“Will you do me a favor?” Lucian asked.

I quirked an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Look after Elena.”

I huffed. “Let me come with you.”

“It’s my foretelling, I have to find its truth, not you, Blake,” he muttered in frustration.

“Lucian, please.”

He shook his head. “Just keep an eye on Elena. I don’t trust Paul with her.”

“You know he is her Dent, right?”

“Pheizer said that’s a load of crap,” he snapped.

“Oh come on, Lucian.”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure that what he says—”

“He killed his own kind to save us that night.”

Lucian slammed his fist on the desk. “No, you saved us that night.”

I pushed up from my bed. “Dammit, you said he deserves a chance.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “I know what I said, it’s just—”

“Your father.”

Lucian nodded. “He still wants me to be aware. I shouldn’t leave, but I must. I’m begging you, please, keep an eye on Elena.”

I grunted in defeat.

He smiled. “I know she annoys you but I don’t know why.”

I shrugged.

He grinned. “It doesn’t matter, as long as I don’t have to slay you.”

“Seriously?” I said, knowing what he was thinking.

“I have my doubts, Blake. That speech you made at the revealing was…”

“Fuck the speech, I was drunk.”

“Well, you know what they say. A drunk man speaks the truth.”

“Fuck off. I don’t want your girl.”

Lucian laughed. “I’m kidding. If you wanted her, you would’ve had her already.”

Like when he was with Arianna and I took that away from him to find out her fears.

“I still need to thank you for that, Blake.”

“For what?”

“For showing me who Arianna truly was. I would’ve never seen Elena if it wasn’t for that. So, thank you. I mean it.”

I sat back on my bed. “Don’t expect me to say ‘you’re welcome’, since it wasn’t my intention. I just needed to know what she was afraid of. I’m sorry.”

Lucian smiled wryly. “Either way, you showed me that she could never be trusted.”

I grinned.

“You’ll keep an eye on Elena, right?”

I nodded. “Sure, whatever will make you sleep better at night. It’s the least I can do for all the shit you are doing for me.”

He smiled. “I know I will find something.”

Lucian’s Range Rover was parked at the entrance of the forest.

I was going to take him down to the ground, since Dragonia Academy was hoisted in the sky, floating in the air.

I saw him saying goodbye to Elena and quietly slipped out the gate.

I tried not to pry, but I could hear them easily.

She was afraid that he wouldn’t come back.

“I am going to ask you something and I know it sounds stupid, but please, just do it.”

“What?”

“I thought a bit more about what my father said about Paul. It’s not that, Elena. He’s your dragon and I’m sure he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you otherwise he will have to deal with me.”

She didn’t want to listen to Lucian’s warning and I remember what Paul said. She had feelings for Paul; she didn’t want to admit them.

“I spoke to Blake. Just tell him if you’re going somewhere with Paul, please.”

I didn’t look at them but I could feel her eyes on me.

“Promise, Elena.”

“I promise,” she said.

I took off my robe to shift as Lucian hurried toward me.

Tears shone in his eyes.

Lucian was going to hate me when he came back, and there would be nothing I could say to tell him how sorry I was.

I flapped my wings, lifting off the ground.

Lucian grabbed my paw. This could very well be the last time Lucian would get the chance to ride with me.

I flicked my paw and he crashed onto my back.

The crowd below gasped as I did a sudden dive.

“See, it’s not so horrible carrying someone on your back, is it?”

“Yeah, the only problem is that no one is worthy to ride on my back, except you,” I growled back at him.

“Blake, I’m going to come back. I promise. And you know my promises are just as unbreakable as yours.”

I chuckled. King Helmut and Emanuel were already waiting when we arrived. Lucian slid off my wing and landed elegantly on his feet.

“He suits you, son.”

Lucian grinned. “I need to win the big guy fair and square.” He tapped a finger on my snout and I growled.

The king and Emanuel laughed, but Lucian gave me a small smile.

“You know it won’t be like that, Blake.”

“I know. I’ll be honored to have someone as brave as you, Lucian. Find out what you need to and come back safely.”

Lucian nodded. “See you later,” he said as he turned and headed toward his Range Rover.

I didn’t stay to hear the rest of his goodbyes.

I flew back to Dragonia, and went straight to my room.

What if Lucian didn’t come back?

Nobody would know the truth, but I would be responsible for his death. Just like I was responsible for Brian’s death.

I should’ve told him the truth, and I wanted to follow him and tell him. I wanted to beg him for forgiveness for having lied for so long, and for what I was to Elena.

It would be better than him going into the Acker woods and never coming back, but I couldn’t do it.

The beast, or perhaps that invisible force that wanted me with Elena, was keeping me in place.

I kept to myself in the days after Lucian left, though Tabitha was a permanent fixture in my room—she would have moved in if it was allowed.

It was fun for a while. We took showers together and we slept late, but then the darkness came back, and the fighting started again.

So I chucked her out.

I was following my grumbling stomach to the cafeteria when that sickeningly sweet scent I associated with the Hippogriff assaulted my senses.

I looked around me.

“What is it?” Jeff asked as he walked up to me, sniffing the air, too.

“Nothing,” I muttered, the smell gone.

This wasn’t good. It meant that the Hippogriff was close by, and that danger still lurked inside Dragonia.

I found Paul sitting alone at a table.

He’d told me that he was some sort of a tracker, so perhaps he could be of some use to us after all.

I’d thought that with Lucian gone, Paul would’ve grabbed every chance he could to spend time with Elena, but evidently there was still something keeping him from sitting with her.

“Hey.” Paul looked up in surprise as I sat down.

“I need your help,” I said.

He looked puzzled. “What?”

I told him about the night at the Warbel games, about the Hippogriff and how I lost her, how she vanished into thin air.

“Dude, please don’t think I have—”

I shook my head. “I’m not. I’m not entirely sure how she vanished, though, that could be linked to the Wyverns.”

“Yeah, I hear you. So you think a Wyvern is behind this?” he asked, scraping his fork along the plate.

I nodded. “She had to get the help from one to just vanish like that.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“You told me your ability kind of works like a tracker.”

“Yeah, if I have something of hers. Her smell… anything.”

“I don’t have anything, but my father has one of her feathers. Would that work?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. I’ll get it.” My hunger forgotten, I got up and left the cafeteria.

Luckily, when I got home, it wasn’t hard to convince my father to give me the feather.

I told him that I was on to her, and that George had agreed to track her down.

“Do you need my help?”

“No, Dad. Let us sort it out.”

“Blake, please just don’t burn down any more warehouses.”

I nodded tightly and headed back to Dragonia.

That night, I gave Paul the feather.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Let me know, okay?”

He nodded and closed the door as I left.

I didn’t hear a peep from Paul for two days, and I was becoming uncomfortable with his silence.

I strode into the cafeteria and saw him chatting to Jeff at one of the tables.

Paul winked at someone behind me, and I turned to find Elena.

I shook my head as I headed over to him. He could chat her up later. Right now, I needed answers.

“So,” I said as I sat down, glaring at him.

“Blake, it doesn’t work like that. It’s going to take a few days.”

“It’s already been a few days. I trust you, Paul. You don’t want that to change.”

“Of course not. I know you’re on edge about this, but a lot of people handled this feather. I’m picking up a lot of scents, not just the scent you want me to track.”

I couldn’t argue with that, because it made sense.

I sighed. “Fine, a few more days.”

“If I get something. I’m doing everything in my power to help, Blake.”

I nodded. I believed him. I shouldn’t be taking my impatience out on him.

“You still hear Paul’s voice?” Sammy’s voice sounded as if she was sitting right at our table and not on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

“No, he’s been quiet lately. Don’t know why,” Elena answered.

“Maybe he doesn’t like having someone in his head?” Becky piped up.

I froze.

Someone in his head.

I felt sick to my stomach again.

I got up and left.

Someone in his head.

No, there was no way Elena could hear my thoughts. She wasn’t that strong.

I told myself to calm down. Paul was weak, and he didn’t guard his mind as well as I guarded mine. To make sure, I kept tabs on Elena.

Eventually, I got a chance to prove that it wasn’t my thoughts she heard. It was the Wyvern’s.

She was in Anatomy, where Gregory was giving a lecture on Green Vapors.

It was one of his favorite trick questions: where does the Green Vapor’s Chlorine lie?

It wasn’t in any of the compartments he drew on the board.

I knew Elena wouldn’t know the answer. I doubted that Paul would know the answer.

I thought about the board and how Gregory drew the compartments and cleared my mind of everything else.

Then I thought about another picture. A Green Vapor’s chlorine lay in its throat, above the stomach.

“Elena,” Gregory called her name.

“It’s not any of them,” she answered. “The Green-Vapor’s chlorine is located just above the stomach, close to its throat.”

I froze.

This couldn’t be happening.

The Dent wasn’t even in place yet.

I clutched my stomach.

“Blake?” Professor Pheizer asked. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me? You claim you know so much about us.”

She just looked at me. “I don’t claim anything, I know more than you think.”

I snarled at her and looked away.

Bentley asked her a question about Paul and Dents. Stupid asshole.

“I won’t discuss Wyverns in my class.”

“But he said he’s Elena’s Dent,” Bentley protested.

“It’s a lie. Elena is not his rider, but it doesn’t matter what I think. She has a strong mind and when she puts it on one thing, it doesn’t get changed that easily. Paul is not her dragon. He’s not compatible with her.”

“But he claims—”

“Wyverns are nothing like dragons, Bentley, they are not that magical, they can’t coexist with humans. Paul isn’t here out of his own free will, and I will stick with that until proven otherwise.”

“He killed his own kind,” Tabitha said.

Professor Pheizer nodded her head. “And what would you do if you want to gain someone’s trust, say the Prince of Tith’s trust?”

“Lucian isn’t his rider,” I said.

“No, he’s not, but he wants to get close to Elena. And maybe we should focus on why, Blake.”

She gave me that intense look again, waiting a bit too long before she looked away.

She knew the truth.

“Elena’s mark is very dark, but it’s not because her dragon is a Wyvern. She is going to show us powerful things, Elena and her dragon. It’s a pity her true dragon doesn’t see it.”

The bell rang and Professor Pheizer busied herself at her table.

Kill, kill, kill, the beast chanted in my head.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and barreled down the steps to the door.

“A word, Mr. Leaf,” Professor Pheizer said.

She had some nerve.

I paused at the door and turned around.

“About what?”

She smiled. “I’m in awe of you, but I don’t fear you. You know what I say is the truth. The reason why you’re not saying anything… that is a bit disturbing.”

I chuckled. “What am I not saying?”

“A dragon always knows, Blake.” She sighed when I didn’t say anything. “You are free to go.”

I shook my head and left.

My arrogant grin disappeared. I was starting to agree with the beast.

Pheizer must go down.

“Well, if Paul isn’t her dragon, then who is?” Tabitha asked Susan in the cafeteria.

“How should I know? For all we know, Pheizer is just spouting a bunch of bullshit.”

“I don’t know,” Jeff said thoughtfully. “It seemed like she knew who Elena’s dragon is. I felt it.”

“I did, too, but why hasn’t she said anything then?”

They all turned to look at me.

“What?”

“Well, you are the Alpha, I’m sure you must know something.”

“Susan’s right, Tabitha. Half the things Pheizer says in that class is pulled out of her ass.”

“Well, why did she ask you to stay behind, Blake?” Tabitha asked haughtily.

I chuckled and ruffled my hair. “Because my book is not making any sense to her, Tabitha. Which only proves to me that she’s not the real deal.”

“Still, you must have felt it, too, Blake.”

I huffed out a breath. “Pheizer is a fraud. She only riles me up. One day it’ll come out that she doesn’t know anything. I’m done talking about her stupid class. I don’t even think I’m going to attend anymore.”

“She helps with your darkness. You have to go,” Tabitha urged.

I slammed my palms on the table. “Are you even listening to a fucking word I’m saying? Pheizer knows nothing and she doesn’t help me with shit.”

I got up and left.

“I felt it. She knows who Elena’s true dragon is. And if that is true, Paul is not here of his own free will.”

Pheizer was riling everyone up, and I needed to put a stop to her before it got any worse.

I tried to come up with a solution, but every scenario led to me facing Elena in the ring.

I couldn’t ignore the issue, even though I felt like I should. When I pushed, everyone noticed, and when I didn’t, everyone calmed down.

But this was different. I couldn’t ignore it, and I couldn’t compel Pheizer like Irene. Rumor had it that she had been part of a Dent a long time ago, and although her dragon’s death was tragic, she carried on and now taught everyone about Dents.

I had no idea how old she was. There had to be some way to make her go crazy, or to kill her.

Killing was the last option.

I paced up and down in my room, contemplating another murder.

I sank to my haunches and buried my hands in my hair, tightening my grip until it was painful.

The door opened and Tabitha walked in. I jumped up and ran a hand through my hair.

“What is up with you? You’ve been acting strange lately. Is it what Pheizer said about Paul?”

“Tabitha, please. You’re driving me crazy.”

“Blake, you need to snap out of this. What’s going on? Why did Pheizer ask you to stay behind?”

My gaze snapped to her. She didn’t believe the lie. “I told you before.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Blake. You haven’t written in that journal for a long fucking time. Tell me the truth!”

I grabbed Tabitha by her arms and slammed her into the wall.

Her eyes widened and I heard the pounding of her heart quicken.

“Stay the fuck out of my business.”

“You are my business,” she whimpered.

“No, I’m not.” I pressed her harder into the wall, my fingers digging into the skin on her arms. “Stop asking so many fucking questions.”

“Blake, you’re hurting me. Stop it. This isn’t you.”

I chuckled. “This is exactly who I am, Tabitha. You love me now?”

“Blake, just stop.”

“Get the fuck out of my room!”

I let go of her and she fell to the floor, then scrambled to get up and away from me.

I needed to calm down.

I rummaged through my things for the Fire Cain, heaped it onto my finger, and snorted.

It took a few seconds for it to kick it, but my mind became quiet.

The room spun around me and I fell face-down on my bed as everything disappeared.

When my eyes flashed open, I grabbed my Cammy to look at the time. Six a.m.

At least it was the weekend.

I got up and stretched as my stomach grumbled. My body was stiff and my mind foggy, but they both eased in the steam of my shower.

After the shower, I searched for a clean outfit in the heap of clothes strewn on the floor.

I didn’t used to be like this. I used to be super organized.

I ignored my laundry. I needed to get some food in my stomach before my hangover killed me.

The bright light hurt my eyes, but I couldn’t find my shades anywhere.

Fuck it. I needed food.

I walked straight to the buffet line, ignoring Chef’s greeting as I piled food on my plate. I sat down at the nearest table and practically shoveled the food into my mouth.

When I was almost finished, Tabitha sat down across from me, staring at me. Her nostrils flared.

I ignored her.

“You bruised my arm yesterday, Blake.”

“Maybe that’ll help you learn your place,” I murmured.

“My place?” Her voice rose an octave. “You are a fucking dick!” Her voice hit the walls in my mind hard. It felt as if my head was going to explode.

I dropped my fork and stood up. I didn’t have time to deal with her right now.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Blake Leaf!” she yelled after me.

I quickened my pace, knowing she would follow me.

I slammed the door behind me once I was in my room. I pulled my jeans off and grabbed the bag of Fire Cain. I was readying a second line when the door burst opened.

“Fire Cain again?” Tabitha hissed.

I ignored her as I snorted the powder, waiting for it to dampen my headache. I needed it to drown out her voice.

“Dammit, Blake. I’m right here! Don’t you have any moral sense?” She shook her head. “No, you don’t, because the darkness has it’s claws in you. I’m going to Master Longwei.” She turned to leave but I grabbed her hair and threw her on the floor.

“You’re going to what?”

She looked at me, eyes filled with fear, as I grabbed her and pulled her up.

“You going to tell him?” I hit her. She screamed, sobbing as I shoved her to the ground. I bent over her and was just about to grab her hair again when my stomach turned.

The knock came a few seconds later.

I growled as I strode to the door, aware that I was only wearing my boxers.

Tabitha pushed herself up and jumped out my window.

Good riddance. I almost growled again when I saw Elena at my door.

“What?”

“I’m taking a horse ride with Paul,” she said, avoiding my eyes.

“Why are you telling me this? I’m not your babysitter, Elena.”

“Lucian—” she huffed and took a deep breath. A sarcastic smile played on her lips. “Forget it.” She turned around as I closed my door.

I stumbled to my bed, falling onto it as the Fire Cain finally kicked in.

Sunday morning, rumors were spreading like wildfire.

From what I could make out, Elena had gotten hurt yesterday. A horse got spooked and dragged her along behind it for a few miles.

The corners of my lips pulled up. She was still unconscious.

Paul was finally doing the one thing I couldn’t. Having my eggs in his basket might not have been such a bad thing after all.

My smile vanished when Jeff put his tray filled with eggs and bacon and fish guts in front of me and sat down.

“Did you hear about Elena? They’re all blaming Paul.”

I grunted.

“Dude, what is up with you?” Jeff asked in exasperation

I shot him a glare.

He backed away, picking up his tray and moving to another table without saying another word.

I wished everyone would be that understanding when I wanted to be left alone.

I wanted to know how extensive Elena’s injuries were, but if I couldn’t show my face in the infirmary without a valid explanation without tipping off the hawks that kept a close eye on me.

But someone, most likely my sister, would probably mention it soon enough.

Once my food was finished, I went up to my room again, and relief coursed through me when I made it back without seeing Tabitha.

I lay on my bed and tuned my hearing in on Sammy.

She was clearly worried that the dragon spawn hadn’t woken up yet.

I chuckled to myself.

Paul had come through after all. I’d had some doubts.

But Pheizer had been right about him. Goran had sent him here to kill Elena, and I was too out of my fucking mind to save her.

Let’s see how you deal with that one, I sneered at the greater power.

My sister’s worry and Becky’s constant nagging at George to use his ability to find out if Paul was here with ill intent was music to my ears.

I had no idea how George could stand all that nagging. Comforting Becky was his life now. The Dent was a hellish spell.

I closed my eyes and gave in to the fatigue of my hangover.

I hadn’t dreamed about the redhead in such a long time. I could barely remember the feeling she incited in my dreams.

She was a distant memory.

Thinking about the redhead made me yearn for Irene. Perhaps once Elena was dead, I could seduce her again.

She still had feelings for me, buried deep inside her. It would be easy to bring those feelings out again.

When I woke up, I grabbed my journal, intent on writing, but as I paged through it, I found an entry I never wrote.

It was impossible. The entry was in my handwriting, and I was the only person who could open the journal, as the pink kiss was its key.

It was a warning about Paul, claiming he was dangerous.

I flipped forward a few pages and found another entry that wasn’t familiar. It was dated yesterday.

According to the entry, Paul had told me everything that happened with Elena. But I hadn’t spoken to Paul yesterday. I’d been too out of my mind after the Tabitha incident—drugged and passed out. But I’d written down what Paul told me. The accident hadn’t been his fault; the horse had dragged her and kicked her in the head.

I’d threatened him.

A shiver ran up my spine. This had to be the work of the higher power. It didn’t even need me to be conscious to control me.

I paged back and found other entries I couldn’t remember writing.

I found an entry I’d written about how upset I was that Elena slept with Lucian. I hadn’t thought I was that upset, but there it was, in my handwriting. How it drove me insane thinking about it, imagining them together.

Panic surged within me.

I flipped through the pages again, skimming over my writing.

One entry from before Lucian left the infirmary asserted that Paul was dangerous.

A few detailed how many times I’d pushed Tabitha around—which was much more than I remembered.

What the fuck?

I closed the journal and threw it on my bedside table.

I looked over at Lucian’s empty bed. I needed to keep a closer eye on Paul, and perhaps having him here with me was the best way to do it.

Could Paul be connected to the Hippogriff?

I lay back against my pillows and tried to remember what had happened without my knowledge, but I came up blank. It triggered nothing in my mind.

Was it part of his ability? Could he do more than he admitted to, like erase thoughts, just like my Green Vapor part?

I glanced at the clock and realized it was already dinner time. I hadn’t noticed that so much time had passed since I’d woken up.

Sighing, I got up and went to the cafeteria.

The minute I stepped inside, I heard that Elena was conscious.

For fuck’s sake, could no one do the job properly? How many lives did that irritating spawn have?

I wanted to scream in frustration, but I turned my attention to the task at hand.

I needed to find Paul fast.

He had a lot of explaining to do.

“Dude, I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about,” Paul panted as I flung him into the wall. He skidded down the steps of the girls’ dormitory, and I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him around the corner.

“Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“I swear.” He sounded so sincere, so afraid.

I let him go. “Lucian’s bed is available. You’re moving into my room. Today.”

“He’s going to come back.”

“No, he’s not,” I said, and a small smile played on Paul’s lips.

My nose wrinkled in distaste. “Wipe that smirk off your face. I don’t trust you.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. Fuck, Blake, I’m serious.”

I sneered. “Just call it a Rubicon instinct. Something tells me we are going to be great roomies.”

I turned around and walked away, not waiting to see Paul’s reaction.

I needed to give him rope so he could hang himself, and if he was mixed up with the Hippogriff, I would kill them both.

I went back to my room and stashed away the Fire Cain. I didn’t need it now that I had a purpose again.

I didn’t mind him tricking Elena or trying to kill her—we were on the same page with that—but the Hippogriff being here and my memories just disappearing like that… Obviously, someone was trying to make a fool out of me.

I was brought here to keep Dragonia Academy safe, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

When it came to Elena, Paul was free to do whatever he wanted. The rest was my territory.

Paul arrived later that night and dumped his bag on the floor next to Lucian’s bed.

I looked up from the magazine I was reading and narrowed my eyes at him.

He raised his hands in defense. “Dude, seriously, I’m not hiding anything.”

“Go to bed. I’ll decide if you are innocent or not.”

He shook his head before he pulled off his shirt and got into bed.

He switched off his lamp, plunging half of the room into shadow.

I continued reading, though my mind was not on the article. It kept circling around everything I’d read in my journal.

According to my journal, I was more on the Hippogriff’s tale than I realized, I had been more upset about Elena and Lucian than I thought, and I’d abused Tabitha more times than I could count.

What was going on with me?

This didn’t seem like the work of the higher power or my beast.

Everything in my journal pointed to one suspect, and he was currently asleep in Lucian’s bed.

I switched off my light, punched my pillow to get comfortable, and tried to calm my mind and get some rest.

When I woke up the next morning, my eyes fell on a silver invitation that had been slid underneath my door.

Irene.

I hadn’t seen her since the night I compelled her.

I picked up the piece of paper, skimming the writing. She wanted to see me before classes started.

I didn’t want to go, but when the Viden summoned you, you went, no questions asked.

I’d just have to do my best to pretend there had never been anything between us.

It was dangerous. If she got her memories back, the beast wouldn’t spare her.

I couldn’t hear the racing of my heart, but I felt it through my entire body. My palms were clammy with sweat, worsening with every step I took to her door.

I lifted my hand to knock, but she pulled open the door before I could.

“The prodigal son returns,” she said with a warm smile.

She moved aside, and I stepped into her tower.

“Sit, Blake. We have a lot to discuss today.”

I took a seat and looked down at my hands.

“It’s been so long since you’ve come to see me. Has something happened?”

I shook my head. “I just don’t see why I need these sessions if you can’t see anything anymore.”

She gave me another warm smile. “I can still help in other ways, Blake.”

I frowned.

“I think it would help you immensely to talk about the darkness. I can also give you advice.”

“Advice won’t help with this type of darkness.”

She cleared her throat. “Blake, I saw Tabitha earlier. She didn’t tell me what happened, but she isn’t a clumsy person. Are you taking your anger out on her?”

I heaved out a breath. “I’m sorry. It will never happen again.”

“It doesn’t help if you apologize to me. She’s the one who needs to hear it.”

I nodded.

“Look at me,” she said sternly.

Reluctantly, I looked into her blue eyes.

“If you ever lay a hand on her again, I will alert the authorities. We all carry darkness inside us, but it’s our actions that counts. I know you are not this type of person, but you cannot take your anger out on others. There is a gym, and we have professors that can help you. If this behavior continues, Master Longwei will put you under like a beast if that is how you want to be treated. Do you understand?”

I swallowed and nodded.

“Now, is there anything you want to talk about?”

I shook my head.

She tilted her head. “Nothing?”

“No, nothing.”

“Well then, I’ll see you again next week.” She smiled softly and nodded toward the door.

Once the door shut behind me, I leaned against the wall and blew out a breath.

Irene had never treated me like that before.

The bell rang, signaling the start of classes, and I groaned. I wasn’t in the mood for Pheizer, so I decided to ditch and headed to my room instead.

Perhaps if I stopped going to her class, she’d forget about the entire “a dragon always knows” business.

I also wouldn’t have to see Tabitha. Seeing Tabitha might make me lose my shit again, and I couldn’t take my anger out on her.

I went back to class during Transformations and tried to lay low. Everyone was staring at me, which meant rumors of what I had done to Tabitha were spreading.

I cleared my mind as the class continued. Edward had one of those voices that could lull you to sleep in an instant, and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open. The second the bell rang, I was out of my seat and leaving the Coliseum.

That sweet scent assaulted my senses once I was back in the hall. I stopped in my tracks and looked around, but I only saw professors and students around.

I noticed the new professor and locked eyes with her.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she snapped haughtily at me.

I rolled my eyes and walked on.

The smell disappeared.

Was the Hippogriff one of the new students? A first year?

It wouldn’t surprise me. I didn’t pay them any attention Then again, I never paid attention anymore.

The darkness was making me colder, more isolated. But it was better for everyone that way.

I took out my Cammy. I was worried about Lucian and needed to hear his voice. But his Cammy went straight to voicemail.

“Call me, please. I need to know if you are okay. Something weird is happening, Lucian. I could use some advice.”

I ran my hand through my hair.

Paul wouldn’t have pulled any of this if Lucian was here.

What did that say about me?

Was I becoming weaker the darker I came?

Just then, Master Longwei’s voice came over the speaker.

“Blake Leaf to my office, please.”

Dread filled me.

I knocked on the door.

“Enter,” he said.

I gulped and opened the door.

He gestured toward a chair, and I sat down, preparing myself for a lecture about beating Tabitha.

“We’re short a Warbel coach this year,” he said while distractedly rifling through a stack of papers.

I frowned.

“I know you’re not allowed to play, but the rules say nothing about you not being allowed to coach a team, Blake. Are you interested?”

“In coaching a Warbel team?”

“Yes. I think it would be a good outlet for your frustrations.”

I smiled in relief. “Sure, let’s try that.” The words came out with a bite of sarcasm, which was not what I had intended. “That’s not what I meant. Sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now, I’m sure Irene spoke to you about the other incident.”

I nodded tightly.

“Good. Don’t think I won’t put you under if I have to, Blake. You can be glad Tabitha isn’t pressing any charges. I advise you to stay away from her.”

“I don’t think you need to advise me on that, sir. Tabitha’s usually the one who struggles to stay away from me.”

My reply didn’t impress Master Longwei in the least. “That doesn’t give you a reason to treat her that way, Blake.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

“That’s no excuse.”

I nodded.

“What stress have you been under?” He steepled his fingers on top of his stack of papers.

“I’ve been worried about Lucian. Worried about keeping the school safe. I’ve just been worried about everything.”

“Do you feel that it’s your responsibility to keep the school safe?”

I shrugged. “It’s what’s expected of me.”

“No, Blake. I’m the one who keeps the school safe. I appreciate your help, but it’s not your responsibility, son.”

I nodded, biting on the inside of my cheek.

“About Lucian. He is fine. We spoke last week. He hasn’t found Tanya yet but he did enter the Acker woods.”

Knowing that he was inside there made me uneasy.

“Warbel practice starts on Thursday. You can choose your team then.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“It’s your last chance, son. Use it well.”

“I will,” I said as I left his office.

I hated the disappointment in everyone’s eyes when they looked at me.

I wasn’t an abuser.

Was I that dark now? I didn’t even know myself anymore.

At least now I knew Lucian was still alive—or had been last week when he’d spoken to Master Longwei.

Apart from that glimmer of good news, I now had a new excitement swirling in my chest.

Warbel.

I might not be on the team, in the thick of things, but coaching was still pretty amazing.

I’d barely touched my dinner when that familiar churning started in my stomach.

It pissed me off that she was awake and walking around, with no serious injuries at all. Even her cuts and bruises had healed.

I finished my meal quickly and got the hell out of the cafeteria. Being around her was not good for me.

Paul wasn’t in the room when I got there.

I was glad he wasn’t there to grate my nerves, even though I had to keep a closer eye on him.

I fell asleep before Paul came back, but he was in bed when I woke up.

Down at breakfast, Jeff and Susan sat down at my table, surprising me.

“Are you ready to choose your team tonight?”

“It’s not until Thursday,” I said.

Susan laughed. “Funny.”

I frowned and shrugged, going back to eating my breakfast. I’d barely taken a bite when Tabitha plopped down next to me.

Groaning inwardly, I got up and left. It seemed like I’d never get to eat in peace again. Master Longwei wanted me to stay away from her, and that was exactly what I planned to do.

“Hey, wait up,” she called from behind me. I didn’t turn to look at her, so she grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“I know you don’t like it when I ask if you are okay, but you can’t be mad at me for caring, Blake.”

“Tabitha, I beat you. More than once. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Blake, I know that was the darkness. Besides, you’ve already apologized like a thousand times. It’s over.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. Yesterday, with the daisy, and the chocolate, and that sweet song.”

“Sweet song?” I scratched my head. Then I thought of Susan’s comment and I froze.

“What day is this?”

“Thursday,” she said with a shake of her head.

The last thing I remember was going to bed Monday night. How did I lose two full days?

This had Paul written all over it. “I need to go. I’ll see you later,” I muttered.

I was going to kill him.

Paul wasn’t in my room when I burst in. I grabbed my journal and flipped through the pages, but there were no new entries. Nothing about the daisy or the song.

I closed my journal and stuffed it under my pillow.

Why was Paul doing this?

I mulled it over, trying to make sense of what happened. The only connection that came to mind was the Hippogriff’s scent. Whenever I smelled it, I lost time.

I went to the Warbel grounds at six. Dragonia’s Warbel grounds weren’t anything like the crevice but the pristine green field and towering stands were still mesmerizing.

Gregory, Edward, Bill, and Milne all shook my hand and welcomed me to the coaching team.

I’d give them all a run for their money. If I couldn’t play the game, I’d just teach my team to kick serious ass.

Gregory called his team to one side—since his team had won the previous year, he got to keep all the members—and the rest of us stood in a row, looking over the remaining members.

Edward blew the whistle, settling everyone down in the middle of the field to be briefed.

Everyone had already gone through the brutal two-week tryouts. I already knew who I’d be selecting for my team, and I couldn’t wait to see how they’d perform.

Becky, George, Sammy, and the boy that liked Sammy were among them.

“This year, we’ve added an extra team. Blake might not be able to join a team, but the rules don’t ban him from coaching.”

Many players cheered, and I chuckled at their enthusiasm.

“You think he’s going to be easy? I feel sorry for his team,” Edward joked in his brisk Irish accent.

Laughter rippled through the group gathered before us.

“The teams will be chosen like usual. Professor Gregory will keep his winning team, and the rest of us will each choose a player, one at a time.”

“Not fair,” someone piped up.

“Then beat their asses and change their fate,” Milne added.

Milne wasn’t very fond of me, not after what had happened the last time the academy was under attack.

“You’ll have to show your coach everything you’ve got. There are a lot of you this year and only eight will get a spot on the field. So the last week of tryouts are the most crucial. Keep it clean, and always remember to have fun. Especially you Blake,” Sir Edward said.

Everyone laughed.

It’s a fun sport, not life and death.

I couldn’t help that I was so competitive. It was how I was built.

“My first player is Struas,” Edward said.

The fifth year beamed, clearly overjoyed to be on Edward’s team.

After Milne chose his first player, it was my turn.

“George,” I said after waiting a beat. He was fast and wasn’t scared. It didn’t matter if he was a slave or not.

“Oh, are we going with the King of Lion mission survivors?” Milne asked, and the way he said “survivor” ticked me off.

“You have your team, I have mine,” I said.

Edward laughed. “I’m sorry to break your team up, Blake, but I choose the princess.”

Arianna got up. “Sorry, Blake.”

“Take her, she wasn’t a strong team player, anyway.”

“What?” Arianna snapped and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Milne chose again, and then Bill.

I’d thought they would take Becky, but she was still available. With George on my team, she was a key player, otherwise George would just be distracted. “Becky,” I said, and she skipped to George’s side.

Edward chose again and Sammy went to Milne. Bill chose next and I had to choose another. I chose from what I knew, what they showed me during my years here.

Finally, the teams were made up.

There were still a few people left, but they didn’t make the cut. Sir Edward apologized and encouraged them to keep up the hard work to make a team next year.

“Maggots,” I said.

“What?” George asked.

“You’re Maggots until you’ve proven to me that you are better than that. We have plenty of training to do. You will attend each and every practice and arrive on time. I’m booking the arena early in the mornings and at nights. We have a lot to prove. Don’t disappoint me. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at six sharp.”

They stared at me in disbelief as I turned around and left.

This was going to be fun.

When I got the room, blind rage coursed through me when I saw Paul.

I wanted to strangle the truth out of him, but I had no proof that he was behind my lost time.

I kept quiet as I got into bed, but I stayed awake until I heard him snore.

In the morning, I hurried to the Warbel grounds, excited for the first practice.

My team arrived just seconds after me.

One look from me wiped the excitement off their faces, and I made them run a few laps. It didn’t matter that the sport was played on raiders; my team needed to be fit, and they needed to be fast.

Then I tested the humans on their raiders.

Becky was reckless, but she showed me everything I knew she would. A few others fared well enough, but Becky was the best, and I pushed her the hardest.

George didn’t seem too happy about it, but he couldn’t say anything.

It was either keep his mouth shut or leave my team.

I was aiming to break them. Once they were broken, I could build them up to what I wanted them to be.

It was clear as day that they despised me after the first hour of training, and I doubted many of them would turn up at the evening practice. I wanted to cull the weak.

When my stomach churned during breakfast, I looked up and saw that Elena seemed to be withering away in front of my eyes. I should have been rejoicing, but I couldn’t.

“What you staring at?” Tabitha asked, then followed my gaze to Elena. She scoffed. “She’s just looking for attention now that Lucian isn’t here.”

“She’s looking really thin,” Susan added.

Tabita giggled. “Maybe Paul likes his girls skinny. I’m sure Lucian is far from her mind.”

Why did she look so frail?

I directed my hearing to her group as I continued eating, pretending that I didn’t care.

I didn’t want her to suffer like this. I wanted her death to be quick.

Suffering meant that the higher power could still jump in and take over.

Sammy was worrying over Elena because she hadn’t been eating, and she insisted on taking Elena to Constance.

I forced myself to tune them out again. This didn’t concern me.

“Oh my word, they say Elena is Ascending,” I heard one of the students saying.

“The freak seriously belongs here?” Tabitha asked, looking at me. I didn’t say anything. “Blake, are you listening? Are you even here?”

I looked to her, pretending to pay attention. “Sorry, what is it?”

“The freak, she’s in the infirmary Ascending.”

“Really?” I shrugged and walked on.

We moved to the cafeteria, but Elena wasn’t there.

She’d just gotten out of the infirmary, and now she was back. If she Ascended, it was only a matter of time before anyone saw her fire and acid and other abilities.

When that happened, my life would be over. Not only that, Professor Pheizer’s gloating would drive me up the wall.

I grabbed some food as I listened to Sammy’s conversation.

“I don’t know, Becky. Constance thinks she is Ascending, but it’s nothing like she’s seen before. Like how she’s not eating. She told Constance that everything tasted off.”

The Black Villain. My acid was one of my first abilities. Everything had tasted off for about three weeks. She only had it for a few days.

I pushed my food around on the plate.

“What is on your mind? You’re driving me insane,” Tabitha huffed.

“Nothing, just worried about Lucian.”

“No word from him yet?” Tabitha asked.

I shook my head, and shifted my hearing back into focus on Sammy’s conversation.

“She said she heard Paul’s voice again last night. She said he was angry at someone.”

I was always angry and irritated. It wouldn’t surprise me if my thoughts were hostile.

Dammit, how did she hear my thoughts when I never got a peep from her?

“I have to go,” I said as I got up. I took my full tray and put it in the clearing zone.

I needed to breathe.

The beast rumbled heavily in my chest.

He knew he couldn’t kill her, I knew that, too. I couldn’t even go have it out with Paul and tell him what a shit job he was doing.

I pulled off my shirt and a couple of girls nearby swooned, but I ignored them as I took of my pants and shifted, jumping into the sky in one fluid motion.

“He can just leave whenever he wants. That is so cool.”

I sped to the nearest mountain.

I need to breathe normally again.

Kill, kill, kill. The beast’s words pounded into my skull relentlessly. The darkness wanted to pull and push and tear me apart.

The trees around me sprouted tiny green leaves, the scorch marks from my previous outburst almost entirely healed, but they wouldn’t stay that way. I let go, my fire engulfing everything around me in flames. I didn’t care about the trees, didn’t even want to plant new trees.

A wail tore through me. The beast was scared.

If Elena Ascended, I was done.

I would change the way George had changed. He’d hardly been able to hold on for a month before he’d fallen under the Dent.

Its spell had to be strong, because it had knocked George out cold for a day. When he woke up, the old George was gone. The new George made me sick. Just seeing how he was around her—always wanting to be close to her—nauseated me. He’d despised Becky before he’d Dented on her, and now she was his everything.

The Dent was sick and twisted, not the beautiful thing that loon Pheizer made it out to be.

I roared again before I settled on the mountain, burying myself in my thoughts.

The sky was dark by the time I snapped out of it and reluctantly headed back to Dragonia for dinner.

I needed to calm my thoughts, especially if Elena was hearing them. I couldn’t let her figure out it was me and not Paul.

I needed some Fire Cain, but I couldn’t use. I needed a clear head for Warbel practice.

The practice was a nightmare because I took every frustration swirling around inside me out on them.

One of the girls passed out, and I took it as an opportunity to go to the infirmary and see Elena.

“We are not machines, Blake” Becky yelled.

“If you don’t like it, then you can quit my fucking team,” I snapped as I picked up the girl and headed to the infirmary.

Julia’s eyes widened when she saw the girl in my arms. “You know, Warbel is supposed to be fun,” she said.

“You know me, everything has to be perfect.”

She sighed. “Put her on the bed.”

I lay her down on the bed and glanced around for Elena, who was asleep on the bed in the corner

“She’s back?” I asked.

“Yeah, we don’t know what it is. Constance thinks she’s Ascending. First time a human Ascends with Wyvern abilities.”

“Yeah.” I frowned. “Do you think Paul is telling the truth?”

Julia didn’t reply, and I continued to look at Elena.

I looked back at Julia when she’d finished working on the girl, whose name I didn’t remember. That probably made me a horrible coach, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had bigger things on my mind.

Julia’s eyes widened. “You don’t trust him?”

“I didn’t say that. Some things are just hard to believe.”

She looked over at Elena. “She believes he’s her dragon. We have to give him a chance. It’s what King Albert would’ve wanted.”

“Julia, King Albert is dead. He got killed by Wyverns. Do you think he would have wanted that?”

She pursed her lips and I sighed.

“Just make sure she’s okay.”

She nodded and I left.

I shouldn’t have opened my fucking mouth.

But there was something off about Paul. He was hiding something. Everything I didn’t remember probably had to do with me getting closer to discovering what he was up to.

I found George near the girl’s dormitories talking to Becky. She shot me a look.

“How’s Ashley?” George asked.

I frowned until I realized that must be the player’s name.

“She’ll live.”

Becky pushed past me. “I’m going to go check on Elena.”

“You were hard on Ash tonight.”

“If she doesn’t like it, she can…” I broke off as the Hippogriff’s scent slammed into me.

My body went rigid.

“What is it?” George asked.

“The Hippogriff. It’s here.”

I looked around, down the long hallway toward the golden dragon statue.

“What do you meant it’s here? Like a student?”

I nodded.

I opened the door that led to the school grounds and almost gagged on the scent.

“You smell that?”

“It’s sweet.”

“It’s making me crazy. If I come to you and it seems like I’m out of it, you need to tell me the next time I seem like myself,” I said urgently.

“Blake, you’re fucking scaring me, what is going on?”

“I’m losing time. Whenever I smell the scent, I lose it. Go to Becky, make sure she’s safe. I’ll speak to you later.”

He nodded grimly.

I had to find the Hippogriff. It was here. It was close.

I followed the scent to the new professor’s class.

The bitchy one.

I knocked on her door.

“What is it, Blake?”

I looked around. The Hippogriff had been here.

“Was there a student in here with you just now?”

She shook her head.

“Are you sure?”

She put her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”

“I smell the Hippogriff.”

Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?” she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

“It’s here. Now who was in here with you? Don’t lie to me.”

“I struggle with names. It was a fifth year. He’s big, always in trouble.”

“Fuck,” I swore under my breath. “Do you think you can point him out tomorrow?”

She nodded.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Keep this quiet for now. I’ll find whoever it is.”

She gulped. “Don’t you think we should alert Master Longwei?”

I walked to the door. “Not yet. I need to know who it is first.”

“Am I in danger?” she squeaked.

“It would’ve killed you already if it wanted to. But it would probably be best if you go to your room,” I said with authority. I was the Rubicon. She had to listen to me.

She scurried around and gathered her things while I waited for her at the door.

She locked her classroom and walked to the main building.

She smiled at me. “Thank you, Blake.”

I continued searching for the Hippogriff, but the scent was already fading.

I knew I’d be missing more days once I woke up.

I woke up on my bed, but I could hardly remember falling asleep.

I immediately grabbed my journal to see if there were new entries. There were..

One of the entries was about Elena, and I was relieved to see that she hadn’t Ascended. Paul had to be behind that.

I’d written about the team—complained about them, more like. They clearly didn’t live up to my standards.

My eyes caught on the word “cave.” Someone was hiding something in that cave. And then my heart stopped and my mind reeled.

Elementals.

Wyverns located them, but dragons hatched them.

What the fuck did Paul want with them?

To my surprise that was another entry.

I discovered all of this then promptly forgotten it.

I turned the page and read on. I’d spoken to Paul about all of this, but he didn’t remember.

Either he was hiding something, or I was losing my mind.

But all of this just confirmed that Paul couldn’t be trusted.

He was stronger than I thought.

I wrote a new entry about waking up and warned myself again that Paul was behind whatever was happening to me.

The fucker was dangerous.

I added in that I couldn’t remember half the entries in my journal, then I closed my journal and put it away.

I felt so useless.

I wasn’t going to find out who the Hippogriff was.

The beast wanted me to stay back. To back off.

The plan was that Elena needed to die.

If the Hippogriff wanted to kill, it would’ve killed a long time ago.

There had been no deaths.

It was keeping a low profile. I should be doing the same. If I wanted Elena to die, I had to back off.

I balled up my fists, then I grabbed my stash of Fire Cain and let myself get lost in a haze.

I groaned awake. My arm was numb because something heavy lay on it. I rubbed my free hand over my eyes and massaged my temple to ease the pounding. I slowly opened my eyes and focused on the form on my arm.

Tabitha.

I couldn’t remember much apart from the amount of times I dove into the Fire Cain. My stash was almost entirely gone.

I rolled onto my side to free my arm from underneath her, but then my eyes fell on the bruises covering her body.

I’d beaten her again.

Broken flashes of us fighting flashed through my mind, but I didn’t know when it fight happened.

I’d been too out of it, more than ever before.

I’m so sorry, I said in my mind, because I couldn’t even force the words out.

Who was I turning into?

I pulled on some clothes and headed down to the cafeteria. I wasn’t sure what day it was, but from the amount of students milling around inside the cafeteria this late in the day, it had to be the weekend.

I needed to find George but first I needed food.

Chef greeted me with a smile, which meant I hadn’t skipped meals during the time I lost.

My stomach churned and I turned to see Elena standing next to me.

I frowned at her.

“Look, I know you’re not my babysitter, but Lucian asked me to tell you where I’m going if I leave with Paul.”

She had the audacity to talk about Lucian to me after I read in my journal that she had kissed Paul? Clearly Lucian was the last thing on her mind. She was just like Arianna.

“We’re going to that cave past the lake,” she said and left.

Whatever. I didn’t care about her whereabouts.

I took my tray and walked away, taking a seat at the table farthest away from her.

My eyes caught on Paul standing in the doorway as ate. I tracked his gaze to Elena, who picked up her bag and walked toward him.

I could imagine what they were going to do in that cave—they wouldn’t be feeding the Elementals, that was for sure.

But it didn’t bother me.

Truth was, Elena was just another cheap whore in a school full of them.

With any luck, soon she wouldn’t be my problem anymore.

Tabitha was still asleep in my bed when I got back to my room.

I was never going to get rid of her. She was like a lost puppy. No matter how badly I treated her, she always came back.

Sighing, I undressed and got into bed, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close. Utter loneliness always overwhelmed me after I came down from my high.

It was hard to admit, but I was glad Tabitha was here.

She stirred in my arms, then turned around and looked at me.

Her lip was busted and swollen.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

“Already forgiven.”

“No, Tabitha. I’m not good for you.”

She looked at my chest and her fingers twirled around my necklace. “I knew when I first laid eyes on you that you were destined for darkness Blake. I know what I signed up for.”

“Tabitha—”

“Stop.” She put her finger against my lips. “I love you and nothing is going to keep me away.”

She brushed her lips against mine, and I deepened the kiss. I rolled on top of her, my hands skimming over her skin.

Tabitha wrenched her lips from mine as the door opened, her eyes wide. She pulled the covers over herself and nodded her head toward the door.

“Lucian,” she said.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Lucian standing in the doorway, his face furious.

Fuck. He knows.

“Where’s Elena, Blake?” Lucian hissed.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not her babysitter.”

“You promised you would watch out for her.” Every word was like a punch to my gut. I had promised him.

I feigned indifference. “I’m the Rubicon. I can break my promises.”

“Paul is dangerous, Blake! He isn’t here to change. He’s here to kill her. Now where the fuck is she?”

“She’s probably busy screwing him in that cave past the lake.”

His face fell.

“Was that not what you hoped to hear? Well, I’m sorry, dude, but you were barely gone when she started spending all her time with him.”

Lucian shook his head. “I don’t care about that. I need to find her. Look, will you please come with me?”

“No. Dammit, Lucian. Elena is not worth your time.”

“Blake, I need to find her! You have no idea what danger Dragonia Academy is in.”

“You mean the danger Elena is in. Just leave her, Lucian. She isn’t worthy of you.”

“Worthy of me?” he scoffed. “You know nothing, and you’ll die that way. You got your wish. I promise not to claim you anymore.”

He stormed away.

I sighed in relief. Lucian didn’t know the truth about her.

He’d only discovered that Paul was here to kill her.

At least he’d finally broken his promise.

I looked back at Tabitha, who lay petrified next to me.

She was still staring at the door.

“What?”

“You need to go, Blake.”

“I’ve got enough shit to deal with. I’m not going anywhere.”

I got up and crossed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I locked the door and leaned my head against it.

This was it. If I wasn’t there to save her, she would finally die.

Lucian would get over her eventually.

The only part of my plan that was ruined was hunting Paul down with Lucian beside me. Lucian knew I didn’t want to help.

Fuck.

What had he meant when he’d said I knew nothing? That I would die that way?

He didn’t know the truth, did he?

“Blake!” Tabitha pounded on the door. “I have a bad feeling about this. Lucian is the only who has ever tried to claim you. You need him to fight the darkness! You have to fight!”

The urge to beat the shit out of her took hold of me. She was like a little fucking dog, constantly yapping in my ear.

“Please. Go help him,” she begged again and again.

I wrenched open the door. “Fine. Just stop nagging.”

I dressed quickly and hauled my ass to the cave.

The Hippogriff’s scent was almost suffocating.

It was in the cave. With Elena Probably with Lucian.

Regret hit me hard. I’d forgotten about the Hippogriff.

“Oh fuck! She’s Ascending,” a woman cried. I knew that voice. It was the new professor. Professor Georgiou.

How the fuck do I know her name?

I sprinted deeper into the cave. I heard a muffled scream that sounded like Elena.

Fuck, she wasn’t dead.

Deep growls echoed off the walls and I stopped in my tracks. What the fuck was that?

“Lucian,” a deep voice screamed.

Cold rushed over my body and I spurred myself on.

The sounds of bones breaking followed a scream

I should’ve left when Lucian asked me to.

He needed to be okay. As long as he wasn’t dead, things would be fine. I could get him back to Dragonia fast. Or I could heal him.

I followed the noises further down into the cave. The darkness finally dissipated and a glorious blue illuminated the cave.

A dragon lay on the far side of the cave, a breed I had never seen before. The Hippogriff stood in front of it, it’s tail thrashing and threatening to kill the dragon.

That fucking bitch. I should have known that night in her classroom that it was her, but she was a good actress.

There was no sign of Paul, but my eyes caught an iron sword laying on the ground.

Maybe Lucian killed him.

The Hippogriff hit her tail against the wall, and the cave shuddered around us. The roof was caving in on us, and the Hippogriff found her escape.

“Go, she’s getting away!” the dragon roared at me. It was speaking English. “Go, Blake!” How did it know my name? I shook it off and jumped through hole after the Hippogriff.

She wasn’t going to get away this time.

She was weak and slow, which didn’t make any sense. Unless… The Calupso? But only we knew about that potion. I doubted the Wyverns even used potions.

I concentrated on the task before me and flew harder.

She had a bag around, and from the clucking noises coming from it, the Elemental dragons were inside it.

She couldn’t escape with them.

As I gained on her, she struck her tail out and missed me by an inch.

She continued striking at me until there was a considerable distance between us again.

I ducked, intent on coming up from beneath her.

My gaze left her for a split second as I readied myself to collide with her, but she vanished. Just like that first night.

I roared in frustration.

I scoured the area, but she was nowhere to be found. Even her stinking, sweet scent had vanished.

Defeated, I returned to the cave.

I reached the hole, shifted into my human form as I leaped into the cave, and ran to the dragon.

It was weeping in the corner, and as I approached, it turned to look at me.

“Where are they?”

“She...disappeared.”

“Again?” it growled.

I cleared my throat. “Who are you?”

“It’s me, you idiot. Elena. I’m—” More weeping sobs came from the dragon.

It couldn’t be.

All the air in my lungs seemed to leave me, the darkness pressing heavily on my chest. There was no light anymore. There had never been any light. All this time I had wanted to eliminate Elena for nothing.

“No, it can’t be.”

“Blake, there is no time. I don’t care what you believe or not. Lucian… that bitch stabbed him with her tail. You need to help him. Now!”

Fear surged through me at the thought of what Hippogriff poison could do to a human. I sprang into action.

I climbed over the dragon’s—Elena’s, fuck I still couldn’t believe it—limbs, grabbed Lucian, and threw him over my shoulder.

For the first time in a long time, my mind was completely clear. My entire focus was to getting Lucian to Constance.

“Hold on, Lucian,” I murmured as I morphed. I clutched him in my paw and flew as fast as I could. My scales burned from the exertion, but this time it wasn’t some entity driving me to push myself.

It was all me.

I landed with a crash, the earth vibrating beneath my feet.

“Constance!” I roared as she and Julia ran out.

“Blake, what’s going on?”

“Help!” I screamed as I lowered Lucian’s body to the ground.

“No!” my aunt wailed as she fell to her knees next to Lucian. She put her hands on him to drag out the poison.

Master Longwei rushed toward us. “What’s happened?”

“Please, please, please,” I pleaded as I watched Constance work. He had to live. Tears blurred my vision.

I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

I should have listened to him instead of letting him go to that cave alone.

The silver of her hair started dimming, fading with her strength as the black veins in Lucian’s face started disappearing.

“Constance, you’re killing yourself,” Master Longwei said worriedly.

“I’d rather die than lose the Prince of Tith,” she panted. She’d barely gotten the words out before she collapsed next to Lucian, unconscious.

I watched in horror as the black veins inched their way back into Lucian’s face.

“No!” I fell on my knees. I had shifted back to my human form without knowing, and someone had draped a black robe over my body.

Angry tears streamed down my face. This was all my fucking fault.

Constance regained consciousness and tried again, but in the next instant she started wailing. She looked up at me and shook her head, and it felt like a spear twisted in my heart.

No, no, no. Tears were flowing freely down my face. I brought my fist up to my mouth and bit down on my knuckles, fighting back a scream.

The Prince of Tith was dead because of me.

“What happened?” Master Longwei demanded.

A distant sound pulled my attention away. On the horizon, I saw a dragon struggling to fly.

Fucking Elena. All this time, I’d been so wrong.

I shrugged off my robe, transformed, and flew toward her.

Her heart was beating so fast, so loud. It was unlike any other dragon.

I positioned myself beneath her, and she collapsed on my back. I dipped a bit from the extra weight, but quickly got my rhythm back.

Elena was going to lose it when she saw Lucian, and I wasn’t ready for that.

I landed gently and laid down so Elena could slide off my back. She fell to the ground with a crash.

Everyone who had gathered outside stared.

They had thought she was dragon spawn or a Dragonian. They were wrong.

I glared at Professor Pheizer once I’d shifted back to my human form. Her “a dragon always knows” bullshit. Perhaps now everyone would see her for the fraud she was.

I turned to Lucian, who was now covered with a white sheet.

I felt Elena’s eyes on me and walked over to her.

“You need to change back,” I said, keeping my voice soft.

“Blake!” Becky screamed. “Where the fuck is Elena?”

I spared her a quick glance. “You’re looking at her.”

A gasp rang through the crowd.

“How is this possible?” Master Longwei approached to get a better look at her.

“I don’t know, Master Longwei. She was already in her dragon form when I reached the cave.” My gaze found Pheizer’s again, who was staring at Elena, a frown furrowing her brow.

Just as I thought. She had nothing to say to me now.

“No!” Elena screamed in agony as she noticed Lucian’s body.

I moved closer to her, but she pushed me away with such a force that I flew through the air. I landed with a thud, an aching pain tearing through my skull. I sprang back to my feet as Elena reached Lucian’s body.

A heart-wrenching, keening cry filled the air. A dragon’s cry. The sound urged humans and dragons alike to cry their souls out. I couldn’t stand it.

Elena wasn’t holding back. She needed to change back before her dragon’s cry drove us all insane.

Constance morphed into her dragon form and brushed her head against Elena’s purple head in an attempt to comfort her.

“Sweetheart, you need to change back,” Constance murmured in Latin.

“She doesn’t speak Latin, Constance. She is English.”

“How is that possible, Blake?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Will you translate?”

I nodded and looked at Elena. “Constance says you need to calm your mind, Elena.”

“Calm down?” she shrieked. “Where the fuck were you?”

I grabbed the horn that sprouted from her chin and pulled her head until she was looking at me. If I had to use persuasion to get her back into her human form, then so be it. “Calm down. “Now, imagine your human body.”

The green of her eyes brightened as she slowly began shifting. The brilliant purple of her scales faded, lightening until her pale skin returned. Her tail and wings retreated as hair started sprouting from her head.

It was slow going—dragons usually shifted much faster than this.

“That’s it, Elena.” Once the final scale vanished, her knees buckled and she collapsed in my arms.

Her cries returned, and even her human sobs penetrated my soul.

I tightened my hold on her, afraid I would break apart if I let her go.

Julia rushed over with a soft blanket and I wrapped it around Elena.

“Fuck, Elena, I am so sorry. I was so wrong,” I whispered. I should’ve been there.

“Bring her inside,” Constance said.

I picked Elena up and cradled her in my arms as I followed Constance.

Her head nestled perfectly in the curve between my neck and my shoulder. Tabitha’s always pressed against my collarbone—but Tabitha had never felt like the perfect fit.

This was so wrong. She was supposed to be my rider, but now she was a dragon.

I put her on the bed, locking eyes with her. “I’m so sorry,” I mouthed before I turned and fled from the room.

“Blake.” Master Longwei grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“Not now, please.”

“Come with me.” His tone of voice left no room for argument. Reluctantly, I followed him, trying to ignore the crying all around me.

He led me to his office and I collapsed into a chair. The wall inside myself finally broke. I gasped for air through my sobs and tears. My heart shattered for the one person who had remained my friend no matter what shit the darkness made me do.

Queen Margerite refused to leave Lucian’s body, her broken, grief-stricken cries cut me to the core.

Constance offered what comfort she could as the queen lay next to Lucian’s body, her slender arms twined around him as she kissed his stark white face.

King Helmut turned his ashen face toward me. “Take me to the cave, Blake.”

I nodded, leading him and Emanuel.

“Where did you find him?” King Helmut asked.

I pointed, and he walked over, bending to pick up the iron blade.

“Did Lucian tell you what he discovered?”

I shook my head. “I think he came straight here. I found the Hippogriff scent and followed it here.”

The lies stabbed into my heart, but if the king knew I had refused to help Lucian, he would ram that iron blade straight into my gut.

“I was too late. I’m so sorry.”

He nodded. “She got away?”

“Yes, she vanished like the last time.”

We fell quiet, the air thick with emotion as King Helmut started to shake.

His choked sobs filled the cave and he fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. Emanuel crouched beside him and wrapped his arms around his king.

Tears glistened in Emanuel’s eyes as he looked up at me. “I think you should go now, Blake.”

I nodded and jumped through the hole in the wall. I headed straight for the mountain, where I screamed until my throat was raw.

Unrelenting and unforgiving anger built up inside me.

I was angry at myself. Angry at the Hippogriff. Angry at Lucian. I’d told him to leave it alone. He should have listened to me. I should have listened to him.

But most of my anger was for Elena. If she’d cared for him the way he cared for her, Lucian would be alive.

She was the one who should’ve died.

She hadn’t deserved him.

And now the truth was out. She wasn’t a Dragonian. Her mark was just a birthmark after all.

But I couldn’t understand her uncanny resemblance to King Albert.

Then it hit me.

What Elena had said on that mountain the night she came out of the sacred cavern.

Maybe King Albert had a heir, but not with the queen.

Elena looked nothing like Queen Catherine. However, she looked a little like Tanya.

Did the king have an affair with the queen’s dragon? That would explain why the queen sent Tanya away. The king hadn’t asked the queen choose; the queen had asked the king to choose.

Everyone knew Queen Catherine had been barren. Having no heir must have put significant strain on their marriage.

But the timeline was wrong. Dragons only received their human forms after seven years.

The queen couldn’t have known, unless she caught them together.

But a human and a dragon couldn’t produce a dragon. Their offspring were always human.

Which meant… King Albert was a dragon.

I desperately wanted to ask my father about King Albert, but I couldn’t. The king had always been like a second father to me, and now it felt as if I hadn’t known him at all.

I’d thought that he loved Queen Catherine, but clearly that wasn’t true.

That was why she’d hated him, because he had ruined everything they’d shared. And with her dragon—her Dent. The one creature who was never supposed to hurt her.

It didn’t sound plausible, but what else could it be?

I wandered through the eerily quiet halls, my mind twisting and turning. Many students had gone home. There were rumors that they wanted Dragonia to close its gates forever, but for now, the school would remain open for anyone who wanted to learn.

How had I gotten this all so wrong? Why had I woken up when they brought her in? Clearly, it wasn’t because she was my rider. They wouldn’t put her in the ring with me now. Only humans could break us. Perhaps it was because she was King Albert’s heir.

It felt like I was missing something and couldn’t see the big picture. There were too many unanswered questions. I was never going to get to the bottom of this without talking to my father, but that was out of the question.

My father hadn’t liked Tanya at all. I wondered if he knew about the affair.

It shouldn’t be bothering me. There was nothing anyone could do for me now.

The only person ever to be worthy to be my rider was lying in the morgue. And no one else had the guts to try to claim me. I was doomed.

I blinked away the tears in my eyes. I missed Lucian, I missed his advice.

I was the reason… No, I wasn’t. I warned him not to go. Elena was the reason Lucian was dead.

He hadn’t even known what she was. He’d just loved her blindly.

I couldn’t believe Elena had fooled us all.

I despised her even more than I ever had before.

I stared out the carriage window, barely taking in the photos of Lucian that hung from every tree and pole. The roads were blocked off for those of us arriving for Lucian’s funeral.

Flowers, cards, teddy bears, and more photos of Lucian covered the iron-wrought gates of the palace in Tith.

He was the prince of everyone’s hearts.

Tabitha sniffed beside me. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and she clung on to my arm as if I were her lifeline. I was relieved she’d covered her bruises well, because Master Longwei and Jeff were sitting across from us in the carriage.

There were cameras and press everywhere, and the interviewers clamored to speak to people as they walked inside.

I got out of the carriage once it had stopped in front of the cathedral, ignoring the group of people who rushed toward me with microphones. I was sure they wanted to speak to Elena as well, but she was nowhere to be found.

Arianna and Nicole both stopped to speak to the press, lamenting the big loss to Paegeia, stating how shocked and furious they were.

It was a huge loss, and for what? A stupid Thunderlight? It infuriated me.

I had to tell Master Longwei everything that had gone down in the cave, and George and the rest had to explain why they’d kept the Elementals a secret.

Elena was the only one he hadn’t spoken to yet; everyone was cutting her slack because of her relationship with Lucian.

But they didn’t know that she never cared for him. Elena had thrown Lucian aside like he was nothing and stepped straight into Paul’s arms.

The cathedral was packed, but there was still no sign of Elena. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d decided not to come.

The pastor spoke about Lucian as if he knew his heart. He spoke about all the things Lucian had still wanted to do, and about the way he loved and cared for every creature.

I glanced over at Queen Margerite. She was a mess. I don’t think she even heard a word the pastor said. She simply clutched at her chest and covered her face with her free hand, shaking violently.

I wished I could ease her pain somehow, but that was impossible. There was no way to turn back time.

My cheeks were wet as I tore my gaze away from the queen. I still felt so much guilt, even though I wasn’t the reason Lucian had gone to that cave.

Once the ceremony was over, we moved down to the lake where Lucian would get the royal send-off he deserved. Burials were rare in Paegeia—we preferred to burn our dead.

I watched as Lucian was settled on the altar, and then a man sang a slow ballad.

I loved the song, but hated it at the same time because my friend’s life, my blood brother’s life, would forever be attached to it now.

I looked back at Queen Margerite, who had her face buried in King Helmut’s neck. He had his arms wrapped around her, keeping her from sinking to the ground in despair.

Suddenly, red-hot rage bubbled inside me when I caught sight of Elena staring at the queen.

She was the only one who wasn’t crying, her face filled with guilt.

I shook my head in disbelief and looked back toward the lake as they pushed Lucian’s coffin into the water.

I walked forward and started to undress, and those around me made space for me to transform.

I flew out to him one last time.

I am going to miss you.

I tried to get my dragon’s cry under the control, and when I was sure I could open my mouth without losing control, I released my Pink Kiss.

A cannon went off in the distance as my flame engulfed Lucian’s coffin, followed by another until the air was heavy with the loud bangs.

I let out a cry and swooped down low over the water, then I propelled myself skywards without another glance.

I needed a release. Fire Cain was the only thing that would calm my mind.

I didn’t care if it would end me. At least that would be a better end than me turning completely dark.

Life would never be the same again. I knew it, the darkness knew it. There was no reason to keep fighting.

I had no idea how many days had passed since Lucian’s funeral. I spent all my time in my room dark room.

I still felt like an idiot for thinking Elena was my rider.

I still didn’t have any answers the questions running around in my mind, and I would probably never get them.

Whatever Lucian had discovered in the Acker woods had died with him in that cave.

When I couldn’t ignore the hungry ache in my stomach anymore, I trudged to the shower and let the water wash over me until it turned cold. My movements were stiff as I dressed.

A part of me wanted to fight. But for what?

What was the fucking point anymore?

I felt empty.

But Lucian wouldn’t want this for me. He would’ve died trying to claim me. And I guess he did die on that mission, even though he came back.

Our parting words filled me with guilt.

I would never forgive myself for the things I said to him.

I headed down to the cafeteria, and forced down the food, but it was tasteless.

Lucian’s death had even taken the simple joy of eating away.

Sammy sat down in front of me, her eyes filled with tears.

“Sammy, please, not now.”

“I’m sorry, Blake, but I need your help.” She sniffed, wiping at her tears.

I narrowed my eyes, gesturing with my fork to continue.

“It’s Elena. I know you don’t like her, but she is giving up. She doesn’t want to live.”

I snorted. “Sammy, don’t be such a drama queen.”

“I’m not being a drama queen. If you don’t believe me, come and look for yourself. Becky and I have tried everything. We don’t know what to do. Please.”

I sighed. “Fine.” I abandoned the rest of my food and followed her out.

She didn’t even shed a tear at his funeral, so this had to be another act.

When I walked into their room, it was just as dark as mine.

I looked toward her bed where Elena lay with her back facing us.

She wasn’t moving. It looked like she wasn’t even breathing.

I walked to her bed and leaned over her.

Her eyes were open, but there was no light in them. They were dull, and she stared at the wall, not even blinking.

Sammy hadn’t been joking.

“Elena, enough!” I snapped. “I thought my sister was overreacting when she said you didn’t want to do anything, but obviously she was right. What are you doing to yourself?”

She pushed herself up and gave me a murderous look.

“Leave me alone!”

“No!” I grabbed her arms and pulled her out of bed in one movement. She was so light.

“Lucian died for you. This is how you repay him?” I shook her again. She needed to wake the fuck up and deal with this shit like the rest of us. “It’s not how I am going to live. I’m going to fight till the very end, Elena. Because that guy believed something out there would claim me. He went on that mission for me! I’m going to fight.”

“Good for you.” She spat out the words.

She sounded cold and ruthless. “You are a selfish little bitch. You didn’t deserve to be his girlfriend.” I tossed her back on the bed and stormed out of the room.

Sammy stood by the door, her lower lip trembling.

“Don’t ever ask me to come here again. If she wants to die, just let her die.”

Sammy gasped.

“Blake!” she called after me as I ran down the stairs.

I didn’t care about Elena.

Irene had been right and wrong. She did have an advantage, and the Ancients knew it. That was why her name hadn’t been printed on that plaque.

I didn’t even feel sick around her anymore.

It had all been in my head.

She wasn’t the light, there was no force protecting her. Nothing.

She was nobody.

I snorted almost the last of my Fire Cain. I knew this wasn’t the fight Lucian had meant, but I was fighting. Fighting to keep the beast calm. I didn’t care if it was going to take my life.

It was so hard for a dragon to die. I envied Brian. He had no idea how lucky he was to be dead.

Weeks passed, and I didn’t even notice. I’d stopped going to class and stopped training my Warbel team. Master Longwei didn’t push me to resume normal activities, though he called me to his office to ask me to help Elena shift to her dragon form.

But there was no fucking way I was going to help that selfish bitch ever again.

That was the last time anyone asked me for anything.

They all knew my fate.

I let the Fire Cain do its job and I drifted away.

A loud knock on the door woke me up.

“Blake,” Constance said.

Why couldn’t she just leave me the fuck alone?

She continued banging on the door, but it felt as if she was banging on the walls of my aching head.

I got up and opened the door.

“You need to come,” my aunt said. She looked horrified.

“What happened?”

“It’s Elena, she isn’t a Thunderlight, Blake.”

“What?”

“Get your ass moving and come. She almost killed your sister.”

That was enough for me to get me moving, and we were in the sky in no time.

“Is Sammy okay?” I asked as Master Longwei joined us.

“Yes, Sammy said Elena didn’t want to kill her. She just wanted her to back off. It was like Elena didn’t know who she was.”

“But, that isn’t possible. We always know who we are, even transformed.”

“Let’s just find her,” Master Longwei said.

I found her beacon. It was incredibly strong.. I’d never felt anything like it before.

“You said she isn’t a Thunderlight. I’m picking up a massive Dragon.”

“She isn’t a Thunderlight.”

“Constance, what is she?” If she said the Saadedine, I was heading straight back to my room. I didn’t sign up for that shit.

“A Rubicon.”

No way. I sped up until I came to a clearing. Elena was inside the heap of broken branches and trees she had destroyed. I heard her growl as she struggled to free herself.

I descended with my aunt and Master Longwei behind me. I shifted into my human form on the ground.

I took the robe from Constance and pulled it over my head.

Elena was breathing hard and her heart was silent.

Before it had beaten like crazy.

This girl was a mystery, that was for sure. She’d taken down half the forest.

“What the fuck?”

“Watch your language, Blake,” Master Longwei said.

“Just be careful. Sir Edward says that she is a Rubicon,” Constance reminded me.

“Oh, come on. Only one Rubicon can live at a time, Constance.”

“I’m just repeating what Sir Edward said.”

A warning growl came from the heap. Only then did I see her figure trapped between a few of the fallen trees.

“She’s here,” I said as I moved closer.

She growled again. But it wasn’t hostile … She was afraid.

“Is she okay?” Constance asked.

I took another step closer. I needed to see her face. “She’s still in her dragon form,” I called to Constance, then I softened my voice. “Elena.”

She was completely trapped. She couldn’t even turn her head.

Her scales shuddered slightly as she stared at nothing. I heard the rumble of her fire deep in her belly. She wanted to breathe. The Pink Kiss left her mouth. I wielded my shield just in time, blocking her fire.

I rushed toward her and grabbed the whiskers around her chin.

She released another breath and I blocked it with my ice.

Suddenly, her fear dissipated.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

I lowered my shield. “Are you calm?”

She nodded her big head.

“I’m scared,” she whispered in a deep voice.

Master Longwei and Constance neared us, and they both stopped to stare at her in shock.

This was seriously insane. How was it possible?

“Why can’t I control her?” Elena gasped softly and dug her head into her paws.

She was strange.

I pushed my aunt and Master Longwei back and they retreated. “Are you sure you are calm?”

“She’s calm, Blake. We need to get her out of this,” Constance said.

Master Longwei started chanting and I felt magic in the air.

Tabitha had been right. Dragons could do magic. The magic Master Longwei wielded was just as strong as the magic some Dragonians wielded.

The trees moved away from Elena and fell on the other side, some rolling down the mountain.

Once enough rubble was off her, I asked her, “Can you move?”

She didn’t answer, just looked away.

“Look at me.”

She ignored me again, and it was starting to piss me off.

“Elena, look at me!”

“No!”

I sighed and walked closer to her large frame as she said she was ugly. I made a joke, she was insulting my beauty.

Then it hit me. Why she was here.

Why Paul had found the Elementals so fast. Danger was coming, but not in the form of the Wyverns, or the Hippogriff, or even Goran.

I was the danger. Elena had become the Rubicon for one purpose.

My lips curved into a smile as relief washed over me. My life made sense again. I needed to train her to succeed.

I wasn’t going to become Goran’s. He’d have a Rubicon if he wanted one, but it wouldn’t be me.

“Okay, look into my eyes. Think about your human form.”

She nodded and started to shrink. Her whiskers grew shorter, her snout and the horns on her back shrinking slowly.

The process was still very slow, but I would help her improve.

Finally, she was human again, naked and shivering.

Our gaze broke.

Constance hurried over and put a robe around her shoulders. Elena clung to it.

She wasn’t used to being naked.

She’d have to get used to it. We weren’t as self-conscious about our human forms as everyone else was.

She looked up at me and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

For the first time in a long time, I felt happy.

And it was because of Elena.

This time I wasn’t afraid to admit it.

She was sent to kill me.

And I would make sure that she succeeded.

Master Longwei and I walked back to the cliff’s edge. Master Longwei quiet and clearly confused.

If there was one thing Elena was a master at, it was confusing the fuck out of people.

“I thought only one Rubicon lived at a time?” Elena asked Constance softly.

I chuckled and Master Longwei smiled.

“That’s true, but ever since you came to Paegeia, Elena, plenty of things have happened that we just don’t have answers for,” Constance replied.

“Yay me,” she sulked.

Constance laughed softly. “See, you’re almost back to normal.”

It was quiet as we walked, everyone lost in thought. What was going to happen with two Rubicons roaming the skies?

that the urge to kill Elena was completely gone.

She brought hope.

Constance was still speaking to her. My aunt was great with handling everything that wasn’t normal.

She explained to Elena that once she embraced her dragon, things would become easier.

“Will I become evil, too?”

It made me feel as if she was seeing herself as my peer.

But she wasn’t. I was hers.

“I don’t know, Elena. Only time will tell.”

We finally reached the edge of the forest and I took my robe off, shifting and heading back to Dragonia.

I landed first with Master Longwei on my heels, and we both shifted.

“Master Longwei, can I speak to you quickly?” I asked him and he nodded.

We walk to the entrance of the academy.

“What is on your mind, Blake?”

I cleared my throat. “I’ll help her, seeing that I’m the only one who can.”

He nodded. “Something doesn’t make any sense.”

“You heard what Constance said. Strange things started happening the minute Matt brought her here.”

“I know, but I was so sure, Blake.”

I frowned. “Sure of what?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” He sighed. “She is what she is. There is no denying it, but I’ve never seen a breed change to become something else. She was a Thunderlight. She should’ve stayed a Thunderlight.”

I nodded.

“Thank you, Blake,” Elena said as she hurried past me, her cheeks red. I realized I was still naked and rolled my eyes.

“Thank you for your assistance tonight and for that offer. I thought that we lost you there for a while.”

“Me too.” I said goodbye with a wave to my aunt.

She frowned and waved back awkwardly.

What was with everyone?

I ran up to my room, feeling delirious with joy. I hadn’t felt anything but sadness and utter loneliness for so much of my life.

Now my life had a purpose, even if it meant I had to die to fulfill it.

Part II

Something had shifted in my core, mind, and soul when I discovered that there was another way out for me.

It made everything calmer, because the darkness seemed to be far away.

The loss of Lucian felt ten times worse than it had before. All the feelings I had suppressed were intensified.

I felt happy and sad simultaneously.

It was all because of Elena. She wasn’t my rider, but she was my salvation.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

I opened the door and found Tabitha standing on the threshold.

She smiled and I pulled her into my chest.

She pulled away and looked up at me with a puzzled expression on her face.

“What’s—”

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head with a smile and kissed her softly.

“This I can deal with.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and jumped up, twining her legs around my waist.

I walked to my bed and set her down, kissing down her neck. This time, the sex was good for both of us.

I was no longer a parasite who only took what I needed.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

She laughed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m late for Warbel.”

She kissed my cheek. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“Definitely,” I said as I got up and dressed. I gave her a quick kiss and rushed out the door.

I reached the arena five minutes later. The players stopped as they spotted me.

I didn’t know who trained the team in my absence, but the looks on their faces told me that they were not happy with my reappearance.

Still, no one said a word as I commanded them to run three laps.

They took off, grumbling under their breathe.

We did core training and physical training, and once they were completely spent, I started with the real training.

“You complain like old people!” I yelled.

George had a smirk on his face as he pushed his Moonbolt form harder.

I loved everything about my Maggots. I laughed, realizing I missed being their coach.

Time carried on, even after the death of someone important.

After a little more practice, I told them to go hit the showers.

Back in my room, I grinned when I saw Tabitha was wearing one of my shirts and on the PlayStation

“So hot,” I said as I fell on the couch next to her.

She paused the game as I lay my head on her shoulder.

“We need to talk,” Tabitha said.

“About what?”

“Is Elena a Rubicon?”

“It seems so, yes.” I nodded.

“And let me guess, Master Longwei wants you to show her the ropes,” she huffed.

I laughed. “I don’t want to fight about Elena, okay? She’s just another dragon, that’s it.”

I kissed her.

The next day I felt slightly different.

Nothing had changed. The mission was the same, and yet, I felt a bit of darkness clawing into me again.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I murmured as Tabitha opened her eyes.

She smiled.

Fuck, I hated myself for the way I had treated her.

“I feel like I’m still dreaming, and I’m afraid to wake up.”

I frowned at her, sneaking my hand under the covers to squeeze her thigh where I knew she was ticklish.

She let out a shrill giggle.

“Do you feel that in your dreams?”

“Noo,” she cried out through her laughter. I kissed her once and she grinned at me. “I like this Blake.”

“Yeah, he’s not so bad,” I said as I got out of bed. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” she said.

“Can you write a note saying to meet me at two on the mountain.”

“Which mountain?”

“Just that.”

“Okay,” she said, clearly confused.

“I need it before class starts,” I said over my shoulder as I headed to the shower.

She didn’t ask any questions and I was glad for that.

I didn’t want her to rile up the beast.

This, the way I felt now, it was manageable.

Before class, I handed the note to Sarah. “Give this to Elena, please.”

“What am I? Your errand girl?”

I turned around and walked backwards. A lopsided smile played on the corner of my lips. “You make it look so damn good, Sarah.”

She blushed.

Even class felt different. It was as if I took on Lucian’s motto: enjoy each day to the fullest.

I was going to do that until the day Elena killed me.

I didn’t participate in class but I paid attention.

I even paid attention in Pheizer’s class. She was still acting weird.

She was like Irene. They both hated it when they were wrong, and boy, had Pheizer been wrong about me and Elena.

It seemed like it an eternity since I’d wanted to kill her.

Class had barely started when Master Longwei’s voice filled the system.

“Elena Watkins, can you please come to the office?”

I smiled. I was excited at the prospect of training another Rubicon.

It was thought that two Rubicons would annihilate the world, but I disagreed. I didn’t feel the need to kill her anymore.

Then again, I was going to be training her to kill me, which was probably why I didn’t have the urge to eliminate her.

The bell rang and I was the first one out of the class with Tabitha by my side.

My arm wound around her neck and I stole a kiss when we reached the stairs.

“Think you can be in my room again after school?” I whispered in her ear.

“Oh, what do you want me to wear?”

“What about nothing? I can’t wait to be inside that warm—”

“You have terrible handwriting,” Elena interrupted, holding the note in her hand. “Just tell me where you want me to meet you.”

I smiled at her. Tabitha’s body went rigid when she realized the note she had written was for Elena. I looked at her as I spoke. “There’s a mountain right behind the—” I frowned. She didn’t look happy about this.

She raised her eyebrows slightly.

“What is it, Elena, why the long face?”

“How do you suppose I get to that mountain Blake?”

“You can fly,” I said sarcastically.

“You think that Ms. Hyde is going to remember to meet you there? Because I can promise you, she won’t.”

“Then I’ll just have to hunt you down,” I teased.

She looked at Tabitha.

I could feel the bad vibes between them.

Well, there went my plans to spend the night with her in my bed.

Chicks, seriously.

“Forget it, I’ll make peace with her on my own terms,” Elena muttered as she walked away.

“Elena!” I ran after her.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tabitha hissed.

“I’ll explain later, I promise.” I grinned at her over my shoulder, then hurried after Elena.

“Would you slow down?”

She spun around, face stormy. “Why do you want to help me all of a sudden, Blake?”

“I have my reasons, and once you’re ready, I promise I’ll share them.”

“Fine, whatever, but I’m not flying to some stupid mountain,” she sulked again.

“Then meet me behind the Parthenon dome,” I said as I walked away.

I needed to find Tabitha and explain, which I was sure would end up in another fight.

“What time?”

I turned around and she waved the note in her hand. “Couldn’t decipher that one either.”

I chuckled. “At two.”

Tabitha seethed about my meeting with Elena, but when I told her to keep the bed warm because I wouldn’t be long, she smiled.

I doubted that Elena would pack anything, so I put some extra robes into my backpack.

I pulled my backpack over my shoulder and headed to the Parthenon Dome.

I undressed and placed my clothes in my bag before I shifted, then, holding the bag in my paw, I waited patiently for Elena.

But when there was still no sign of Elena at five minutes past two, my patience started fading.

At ten past I was about to lose my shit, but I forced myself to remain calm and get comfortable.

Finally, Elena appeared, jumping when she saw me.

She spoke in English, but I had no idea what she was saying.

I stretched as I got up, and I could feel her green eyes on me.

What could I say? I was a dragon who loved to be admired.

She huffed under her breath.

Was that a hint of a smile?

I jumped and grabbed her on my way up.

She yelped as she dangled upside-down in my paws. I flicked my talons and flipped her around, settling her safely inside my paw.

She yelled something again.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I twirled in the air, even though I knew Elena hated it.

When we were right above the mountain, I released her.

She landed on the ground with a soft thud.

I transformed and quickly pulled my robe out of the bag and over my head. I walked over to her, where she was still lying on her back.

“Wasn’t that fun?”

Her eyes were closed and she grunted softly.

“I’ve got a robe on, Elena. It’s safe to open your eyes.”

She quickly pushed herself into a crawling position, scampering to the nearest tree where she hurled.

I took out a wet cloth in my bag and walked to her, smirking.

“Was it that bad?”

I crouched behind her, trying to keep her hair away from the vomit, but she had everything under control.

She held her hand up.

“It’s not that, believe me, this is an Elena thing.”

“I would love to hear about it.”

She looked at me and took the cloth I held out to her, then wiped her mouth.

“Something tells me you already know.”

I chuckled. “I don’t, I just came prepared.”

“I’m afraid of heights,” she spoke softly.

“Sorry?”

“Oh, you heard me,” she spat. “I’m afraid of heights!”

“How is that even remotely possible?” I tried not to laugh, but it was ludicrous.

“Go ahead, laugh,” she snapped. “I don’t know, it is the way it is. I’ve always had this fear of heights thing going on.” She sat down and put her head between her legs, taking slow, deep breaths.

“You serious?”

“Yes, always have been.”

“But you’re a dragon?”

She looked at me. “So sue me.”

I laughed. “You’re funny in a messed up way. You always this pissed?”

“No, it somehow seems to come out whenever you are around.”

I chuckled.

“First rule,” I said.

She looked tentatively at me.

“Whatever you do, don’t fall in love with me.”

“Excuse me!” She was bowled over. I guess there was first time for everything.

I smiled. “You heard me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not one of those bimbos that buff their eyes every time you come near.” She stood up.

I grinned and she averted her gaze, looking slightly pissed with the first rule.

I started to pace. “Second rule. You need to deal with being naked, Elena.”

“Fat chance, Mr. Ego.”

“Elena, you’re a dragon; all dragons are used to being naked.”

“Well, not this one.”

“Good,” I said.

“What’s good?”

“You finally acknowledged yourself as a dragon. I can work with that.”

Her lips pulled back into a snarl before she turned her head away.

“Why don’t you like her?”

“Because I don’t remember the shit she does; I can’t control her and I always end up wanting to kill one of my friends.”

“That will change the more you bring her out, Elena,” I said gently.

“I can’t promise that she won’t hurt you.”

I laughed. “I can handle a little female Rubicon.”

She huffed, her lips tugging up in a crooked grin. “She’s different.”

“She doesn’t have my experience.”

“Fine, just don’t fall in love with her, please,” Elena retorted.

Touché. “Glad we have one rule in common.” I clapped my hands together. “Get her out, Elena.”

She blew out a breath, nervous.

“It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“I don’t even understand one word you are saying, Blake. She doesn’t speak Latin.”

“Let me worry about that. I’ll work something out.”

“I forgot my robe.”

I chuckled as I took the extra robe out of the backpack and handed it to her.

“I told you, I always come prepared.”

She got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She grabbed the robe, then past me to the tree behind me.

I shook my head.

I muffled my laugh when Elena walked back toward me. The robe was a few sizes too big, hanging off one shoulder and showing off her collar bone. She balled the material in her fist on the one side so the hem didn’t trail on the ground.

She stood in front of me.

“I need to meet her, Elena.”

She bit into her lower lip. “She makes everything feel ten times worse, Blake.”

“It’s normal. You’ve got to embrace her.”

Elena groaned. “Fine, turn around.”

I stared at her.

“Turn around.”

“Seriously?”

She grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

Teasing Elena was going to become one of my favorite things to do.

I couldn’t resist peeking.

Elena was on the ground, her legs pulled up to her chest, covering the intimate parts of her body.

She grunted and scales started to appear on her skin.

Her limbs grew and she doubled over.

The process was faster than it was to get Elena to shift to her human form.

She was huge, but I would be able to take her if something happened.

She stood in front of me in her majestic form and opened her eyes.

“Hi, I’m Blake.”

She snorted. “It’s still me, idiot.”

“I thought you said—”

“It takes about a couple of minutes, just wait.”

I smiled. “I don’t know why you don’t like her, Elena.”

“You’ll spin another story once you meet her.”

She lay down and put her head on her paws.

She closed her eyes and I took a seat on a boulder close by.

She lifted her head and looked the other way.

I frowned, wondering if this was the dragon or Elena.

She just stared at the view.

I cleared my throat and she looked at me.

She got up immediately and she rumbled a growl.

I held my hands in defense.

“Calm down, Elena.”

“Who the hell is Elena? I’m not Elena.”

I frowned. That wasn’t normal. “Who are you then?”

“My name is Cara.”

“Cara?” I raised an eyebrow. She had to be fucking with me.

“Fine, I’ll go with that.”

“And you are?” She asked but something in her shifted and she seemed ready to blow.

“Wait,” I said, my hands still raised. I didn’t want to hurt her. “I’m like you, okay.”

She laughed. “You are nothing like me, little rodent.”

“She wasn’t joking when she said that you are feisty.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Elena, she’s in there with you.” I laughed again. It sounded so stupid, especially since I knew this was Elena. “I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.”

“I have nobody inside of me.” Her words were cold. I laughed and her talon connected with my body and I fell off the cliff.

The beast came out immediately.

I flew into her view and hovered in the air.

She got up and ran the opposite direction, smashing everything in her wake.

What the fuck, Elena?

I flew above, tracking her movements. Trees fell all around her as she passed.

She reached the edge and hurled herself off, taking to the air.

I followed behind her, but kept my distance.

This entire situation puzzled me. Why was she calling herself Cara? Had they changed her name to Elena when they left Paegeia?

Even so, whenever I was the beast, it was still me. This was different.

She looked around and spotted me, then whirled to evade me.

Not this time, sweetheart.

I darted higher until she was a speck below me, then I swooped down, hovering above her.

She slowed down, craning her neck to look behind her.

I let a few drops of acid drip from my lips to her snout.

She shook her head and looked up. Swiftly, she darted down. For the next half hour, she tried everything in her might to shake me off.

It was a great workout.

She stopped midair, and I darted passed her, then I stopped and turned around.

She yelled in English, but I had no idea what she was saying.

She was hostile.

I nodded to the mountain and turned around.

I flew slowly, and after a few moments, she started following me.

I quickened my pace. We were both still pups, and loved to play tag.

She got into it and stayed on my tail, surprising me with her moves.

She could do everything I could. Her wings were strong and she was skilled. And right now, she didn’t have a fear of heights.

Suddenly, it seemed like she forgot to flap.

She struggled and started to fall.

When I realized she wasn’t going to start flapping again, I darted down. She shrieked as I swooped down, moving beneath her.

It was as if she suddenly forgot how to fly.

My paws hit the ground and I ran a few steps, bringing us back into the air. I felt her panting on my back.

This wasn’t normal. What did this mean?

Why was she always making me confused?

The mountain came into view and I landed softly.

She slid off my wing and landed on the ground with a crash.

I quickly changed back to my human form and pulled on my robe.

“Why did you fall?” I asked her.

“Just give me a couple of minutes and I’ll remember,” she snapped sarcastically.

I huffed and decided to humor her again. “You’re back.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll give you a couple of minutes.”

“Haha, you are so hilarious.”

“You can change back now, Elena. I still don’t know why you don’t want to embrace her.”

She sighed. “Please don’t tell me you actually liked her?”

I chuckled as I took a seat by one of the remaining trees. I rummaged in my bag for my cigarettes.

“You still smoke?”

“Yes.” It had nothing to do with her.

She hooked the robe with her one tooth and walked deeper into the forest.

A few minutes later, she walked out of the forest.

I studied her. A piece of her hair had changed color. It was now like a rainbow.

That never happened to me.

“What now?” She looked down at her body and hugged herself tightly around her middle.

“Your hair.”

She grabbed her ponytail and let it go.

I got up and pulled the band out of her hair.

Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders, and as I looked at her, I felt the shift in my body. My heart beat faster.

“What are you doing?”

“Look, Elena.” I showed her the strand.

She sighed but grabbed the rest of her hair to inspect it. “Is it only my bangs?”

“Humph.”

“That’s all you can say?”

I shrugged. “It looks kind of cool.”

“Urgh! Whatever.” She grabbed her elastic out of my hand and pulled her hair back into a pony.

I sat back down, and Elena followed suit, sitting down with her back against another tree.

We were quiet as I finished my cigarette.

“She flicked you off the mountain!”

I snarled sarcastically at her and she smiled.

“You are right, she’s sort of awesome… Cara?”

“Yeah.” It was my time to sound sarcastic.

“Is that normal?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” I asked. “But then again, nothing about you is normal.”

“Ha, ha,” she snapped back.

I smiled, taking another cigarette out of the pack. I blew gently on it to light it, then I took a drag.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Use your abilities while in your human form.”

“They haven’t taught you that yet?”

“No, they have. I just don’t seem to be able to do it.”

“You’ll learn in time.”

“I beg to differ.”

I shook my head. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, Elena. Or so I’ve heard.”

She took another deep breath. “Yeah, well, my patience isn’t what it used to be.”

“It’s all up here.” I tapped my temple “Yours is stuffed with a lot of crazy things right now, things you need to accept first, before you will be able to use it to conquer your abilities. So, the faster you get rid of the ‘world owes me something’ mentality, the sooner you’ll be ready to start learning.”

She glared for a moment, then looked away.

I looked at my watch, and realized we’d been here for two hours. I’d told Tabitha I’d only be an hour. She was going to flip.

I got up. “I still have Warbel practice to coach, so let’s call it a day.”

She stared at me and shook her head. “Fine, when do you want to do this again?”

“Tomorrow, same time, same place. Like I said, you have a lot to learn.”

“Yeah, that I already know. Maybe if you tell me something I don’t know, like why you’re helping me, then this could get a bit easier.”

I chuckled. “If I tell you that, I might as well kill you, Elena,” I shifted back into my dragon form and held out my paw for her.

She climbed into it without another word.

When I got back to Dragonia, I contemplated what I had witnessed.

She could fly. Though the minute—and this was pure speculation on my part—Elena took over, she almost fell to her death.

I knew I was dark, but never like that. Unless she wanted to kill herself but didn’t want anyone to know.

It could be the reason why she’d made up this extra persona.

Elena was Cara.

And I would prove it.

Tabitha was pissed that I was late, and wouldn’t listen to my explanation. She just slammed the door behind her as she stormed out of my room.

I took my irritation out on my Warbel team.

I was surprised at my sudden mood change. I’d been fine all day.

The next afternoon, Elena was sulky. Her demeanor rubbed off on me and I snapped at her.

By the end of our training session, we were barking at each other. I almost left her on that mountain.

My poor Warbel team had to deal with the aftermath.

Tabitha still wasn’t talking to me, but I doubted that was the reason for my foul mood. Unless the Snow Dragon was finally affecting me.

I tried to make amends.

“I don’t see why you have to help her.”

“Because she is what I am.”

“And that makes her special?” Tabitha hissed.

“Tabitha, I’m not going to fight with you about Elena. She needs to learn how to embrace her dragon. I’m the only one who can handle her fire.”

Tabitha pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

I stroked her arm. “Tabitha, baby, please tell me that you aren’t so selfish that you’d let me put someone else in harm’s way.”

“I just don’t like her,” she whined.

“That makes two of us. I swear to you, that hasn’t changed.”

She gave me a small smile. “Okay.”

“You seriously think that, what, now she is a Rubicon I would fall for her? It’s Elena, Tabitha.”

“I know, it’s just that the freak has something in common with you now.”

“Believe me, she doesn’t. She is the opposite of me. I don’t think she would ever be able to handle the darkness.”

“Well, not all Rubicons can be like you.” She kissed me. “Sorry I’m so insecure. I’m working on it. Promise.”

“Good.”

I felt a bit better that we patched things up, but I didn’t feel the joy from before. What had happened to it?

It bothered me.

When I got to my training session with Elena, she had the same attitude from yesterday.

Her refusal to try to make peace with her dragon form only confirmed what I’d thought that very first day. She was making Cara up because she was trying to commit suicide. She was giving up.

I pushed again but she just ignored me.

“What is wrong with you?” I shouted at her.

“I don’t want to do this!” she yelled at me, still in her human form.

I rubbed my temples. “Elena, I can’t help you if you are not going to try.”

“I never asked for your help. It’s a hopeless case, Blake. I’m not like you.”

I scoffed. “You got that fucking right.”

My watched beeped. The hour was over, so I took her back to the academy.

When I got to my room, I was pissed.

I also missed Lucian, for fuck’s sake. She wasn’t the only one whose heart ached for him, but we all had to go on with our lives.

Maybe I should go talk to Sammy and tell her what I thought Elena might do. If Elena died, I was screwed.

But I couldn’t talk to Sammy. She’d wonder why I cared. The last time I’d gone to their room, I’d told them to let Elena die if she wanted to die.

After Warbel practice, I tried to calm down with Tabitha, but she just irritated me more by asking about the training with Elena.

“It’s not like that, Tabitha. I’ve told you that a million times.”

“I just want to know how she’s doing, Blake. I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, shaking her head. She kissed my cheek and left.

I forced myself to go to bed.

Elena needed to bring her A-game, but I had no idea what to say to get her to try for a fucking hour.

I’d have to be nicer to her. That first day hadn’t been so bad.

She confused the hell out of me Whenever I thought too hard about what was going on, I got stabbing pains in my skull.

I tried to clear my mind and wrote in my journal. I tried to think of words to express how I felt now, knowing that I truly had no rider.

I might have fought against the hope Elena had brought into my life when she arrived in Paegeia, but there had been hope.

The next day I was late to our training session, but Elena wasn’t there.

I waited, pacing up and down. A half an hour passed, then an hour, and I realized she’d bailed on me. There was no bailing on this training.

I went up to Sammy’s room, my anger bubbling up inside me.

George was outside their room speaking to Becky. I pushed into their room without saying a word to them. Sammy was sitting on her bed.

Her face fell when she saw me and my eyes shifted to Elena’s bed.

She was sleeping.

I pulled the blankets off her. “Get up!”

Sammy lay her hand on my arm. “Blake, can you just let it go for today? She had a pretty—”

I glared at Sammy’s hand on my arm. “No, Samantha.” I looked back to Elena. “Get ready, Elena.”

It looked like she wanted to scream, but she held it back, grabbing her robe and rushing past me. “You are a real pain in the ass.”

“Yeah, that makes two of us.” I followed her down to the Parthenon dome.

She tried to get away from me, but I was fast in both forms.

She was furious, but her anger pushed her transformation.

As she pushed herself through the door that led to the Parthenon dome, she let go.

Her robe tore as her limbs shredded out of her human form.

She fell down on the steps, breaking them in the process.

I shifted and tried to help her up, but she growled at me and breathed fire.

“Stop it. Control your anger! There are other humans here,” I looked at the bystanders and she followed my gaze.

She blew pink fire in their direction but I blocked it with my body.

Was she insane?

She flapped her wings and flew toward the mountain.

I followed.

She glanced back to look at me. She shot more fire at me and I swayed around it, trying to freeze it in the process. If the smallest flame touched anyone by mistake, they would die.

She tried to escape, but I wouldn’t let her. She was going to train whether she wanted to or not.

I swooped over her, pushing myself until I descended and landed on the mountain.

I shifted and watched as she dived toward me. Flames lit my hands and spread along my arms.

“Enough!” I shouted.

She touched down on the ground and the earth trembled beneath my feet. “I’ll say when it’s enough. You think you can bully her as much as you want and get away with it. I’m in control now.”

I didn’t know why I was still humoring her. Surely Elena knew I wasn’t idiot. “So, you’ve finally met Elena. She’s not the innocent victim you think she is, Cara. I’m trying to help her deal with you. So, if you want to come out more, you’ll back off.”

Her hostile demeanor changed and she backed away slightly.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why what?”

“Why are you helping her? From what she’s shown me, you don’t seem like the type that would help her at all.”

Shown her? “We had our differences in the past, but now that I’m a hundred percent sure what she is—”

“You benefit from this, don’t you?”

“Not in the way you think. Is it safe to subdue my fire?”

“Fine.”

My flames faded. This façade needed to stop, but how could I show her that I knew she was Cara?

I was walking to the tree when it hit me. She didn’t look away from my nakedness. It didn’t bother her.

I pulled on my robe and sat by the tree.

She lay down in front me. She stared at me. “Why do you do that?”

She asked weird questions. “Do what?”

“Cover your body with a garment.”

I laughed. “Elena isn’t used to naked bodies, and I don’t know when she will emerge again.”

“She’s what?”

She was a great actress. Maybe it’s a Rubicon thing. “Exactly my point.” I blew on the tip of my cigarette and took a drag.

“What is that?” She pawed at her nose and sneezed.

“I’m putting it out. Just don’t throw another hissy fit, okay?” I squashed a perfectly good cigarette.

There was no way in hell that she was going to make me stop smoking.

I needed to question her about her dragon life. She wouldn’t be able to lie very long or keep up this story. “Tell me about yourself. What’s the last thing you remember about your dragon life?”

“Why do you want to know?”

I softened my voice. “Cara, I’m not the enemy. I’m only trying to help.”

“Fine,” she said. “Not much, Momma and Papa seem to be the only thing I recall.”

“Who were they?”

“I can’t remember what they called themselves.”

That sounded like something Elena would say.

“Did they live on this side?”

“I can’t remember.”

Easy, stupid answers anyone could say. Amnesia was a good cover.

“Did you see other dragons when you grew up?”

“You want me to light up your ass again?”

I shook my head lazily. “Your fire doesn’t harm me, Cara. I told you before, I’m exactly like you.”

“I doubt it. I’m sure I’m prettier than you.”

I chuckled.

She fell down on her paws again. My questions irritated. She knew I was going to discover the truth soon.

She lay like that for a long time, but I couldn’t sit still, so I got up and stretched my legs.

I leaned against the tree and looked at the sky.

I couldn’t train her like this, but she needed to be ready when the time came. She needed to know how to kill me.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice.

My brow furrowed and I turned my head to look at her.

“Elena?”

She nodded and stretched out her back legs. It was a funny sight.

I grinned and looked away. “So that’s what it looks like when dragons stretch.”

She flopped back on the ground and made an annoyed sound.

“Elena, you should deal with your anger.”

“How do you think I should do that, Freud?” she snapped sarcastically.

“See the Viden.”

She looks at me. “Oh please, she treats me just as badly—” she broke off, though I was sure I knew what she was going to say.

“I know she’s not an easy creature, but I also know she really wants to help you, Elena.”

“Why, now that I’m somebody special in her little black book?”

She knew about her foretelling. I had to see if she’d tell me. “You have a prophecy?”

“No,” she lied. “It’s just a saying.”

“Then talk to me,” I offered.

“You’re not very far from the Viden, Blake. I still don’t know why it is you are so eager to help me.”

“Because I benefit from it, Elena.”

“In what way?”

Irritation rose in me. She didn’t trust me at all. Not that I could blame her. A few months ago I tried to kill her.

“When the time comes, I’ll tell you. For now, just do as I say.”

“Urgh, you are so arrogant.” She got up, intent on leaving, but she backed away when she got close to the edge.

I frowned.

She was trying to fool me.

Elena was afraid of heights and Cara loved the sky.

I came up behind her, looking over the edge at the trees below. “That height thing must really suck, huh?”

“Shut up,” she said and turned her back on the view.

“Just because you are so rude, I think I’m going to go.” I pulled off my robe and transformed

“You’re going to leave me here?”

That should teach her to try to mess with my head.

A rumble shuddered the ground during Warbel practice.

Everyone else stopped what they were doing and I listened for the siren.

“Why are you stopping? Do you hear a siren? No! There is no danger, carry on.”

“But, Blake—” Becky said.

“You want to be on this team, Johnson?”

“You know I do.”

“Then as you were.”

Her jaw muscles pumped but she got on with practice.

Training carried on for another hour and a half, just because I felt like it. The team was dead tired and most of the girls complained that I was an evil entity.

I ran up to my room, took a shower, and put on my boxers.

A knock on the door put a smile on my face but I swallowed my grin when I saw Master Longwei standing on the threshold.

“Master Longwei?”

“Expecting someone else, Mr. Leaf?”

I swallowed. “Nope.”

“Good. May I come in, please?”

I stepped out of the way. What the hell was he doing here?

He didn’t sit down.

“I’ll be quick. When you told me you wanted to help, Blake, I didn’t expect that you were going to throw Elena in the deep end.”

I gaped at him. “Excuse me?”

“She wrecked the main entrance and nearly wrecked the infirmary tonight. Lucky for you it was fixable.”

I closed my eyes squeezed the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.

“I hope it won’t happen again,” he said as he left my room.

“Great,” I grunted.

She was trying to fool everyone. She could fly and land. I’d seen it today. Why was she doing this?

I looked out the window. I had to stop humoring her.

She was trying to get herself killed!

Selfish bitch. I’d catch her in the act.

Her little façade won’t last long.

That night, I thought about Elena’s dragon. She called her Cara, and I figured that must have been her name at one time. Elena’s parents must have changed her name, and she remembered more about them in her dragon form than she let on. But was her father King Albert?

I was getting more confused by the day.

My darkness was kind of the opposite of me—he killed, I didn’t; he was mean and did mean things—but I always knew he was still me.

The redhead appeared in my dream after a long fucking absence.

She filled me with happiness and took my fears away. She made me feel like I belonged. That I had a place in this world.

We were sitting on top of the mountain where I trained Elena.

She was stunning with her sprinkling of freckles over her nose and cheeks.

“Why are you doing this, Blake?”

“Doing what?” I murmured against her neck.

When I was with her like this, nothing else was on my mind. All that mattered was her.

She cupped my cheeks and lifted my face. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes sad. “You know what.”

I stared into her eyes. “You want to know why I’m training the dragon spawn.”

She laughed but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I really don’t like that name.”

“C’mon, sweetheart, you know it’s just a name.”

She nodded, but she still looked so sad.

“What is it? Why the long face?” I asked in concern.

“You know why the long face,” she hissed.

“No, I don’t.”

“I’m sorry, am I annoying you?” she rhetorically. As if I was the one annoying her. “Open your eyes, Blake. Before it’s too late.”

I woke up, and the vividness of my dream started fading. I’d never experienced something so intense.

Who was she and why had she disappeared for such a long time?

Why was I dreaming about her again?

It was like I was missing something important. Why had she asked about Elena, and why was she so sad?

Who was she? Was she my Dent, my rider? I didn’t know anymore.

I rubbed a hand over my face as I stared at the ceiling. What did my dream mean? What did she want me to see?

Hopefully, I would dream about her again and ask her. Maybe she was there to guide me.

Yuri had told me many stories of loved ones guiding the living down a greater path, to the truth. Maybe that was why I was dreaming about her. Maybe she did exist, but in the afterlife. Maybe she never got the chance to take a breath. My Neverbreath.

I got up and made myself a cup of coffee. A few weeks ago, I would have reached for the Fire Cain instead of coffee, but my need for it had simply disappeared.

I still had a little stashed away, and I had been contemplating calling Phil for another fight to get more, but it was like I didn’t need it anymore.

How was that possible?

My life was constantly changing, still driven by the unknown force. Why did it still care about me so much?

It felt as if I was on the wrong path, but I knew on the other path I would turn completely dark and belong to Goran. I did not want to be his rider. He didn’t deserve my power.

I felt like a coward for wanting Elena do deal with him, but I just couldn’t handle that type of darkness. I’d been fighting it for so long. I didn’t want to be the dragon who brought terror to our world.

I welcomed death.

Now that there was a chance that she could be there, waiting for me… but then why did she tell me to open my eyes? What did I need to see?

I didn’t want to think about her anymore. She used to be happy in my dreams, but now she was sad. She shouldn’t be sad.

I squeezed my eyes shut. It was so wrong.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the dream. It plagued me all through the day.

I was missing something. I was waiting for that a-ha moment, but it wasn’t there.

And usually when something wasn’t there, it didn’t exist.

I headed down to the Parthenon at our regular time, pleased to see Elena there.

But that pleasure didn’t last long. She was so depressed, and it didn’t help that I could feel her sadness—it only riled up the beast.

She walked to a tree a few feet from the Parthenon dome and shifted.

I didn’t speak to her, but it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t understand anyway.

I was still pissed off about her stunt yesterday.

She flew in perfect line with me without any problems.

She got distracted and started to play in the air, diving down and darting up, twirling and twisting.

I laughed as she let out a sound of pure elation.

Couldn’t fly, my ass. She loved it as much as any dragon did.

I landed first and shifted.

My robe, which had been clutched in my paw, now dangled from my arm.

Elena’s paws hit the ground with amazing finesse.

She was so good at this. Why the act?

“So, who do I have the pleasure of dealing with today?” I asked, trying, and failing, to keep the sarcasm out of my tone.

“Haha,” Elena said. At least she was in a better mood now. “It’s me, idiot.”

“Elena.” I grinned and pulled on my robe. She didn’t even seem to have a problem with my nakedness now. “Was that you flying as well or was it Cara?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Always Cara. I told you I’m not fond of heights.”

I snorted and narrowed my eyes at her.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I chuckled and threw her the extra robe.

She grabbed it with her talon and walked to the forest to shift back into her human form.

Why the hell did she ruin the main entrance last night? Was she trying to get me trouble? Payback for leaving her here?

Fucking chicks.

I sat down on a large boulder.

I would’ve taken out a cigarette and lit it up, but I wasn’t in the mood.

What was happening to me?

“So, do you have any questions about being a dragon?” I asked Elena when she walked out of the forest.

She kept quiet, staring at the ground. “No… Yes. How could I not have known about her?”

Here we go again. I went with it and gave her honesty. “I don’t know. What I do know is that she must have woken up when you realized that help wouldn’t come. I’ve never seen a dragon form stay asleep that long before. But I’ve read about it.”

“You have? Where?” She sat down under the tree across from me.

“In a history book about the thirteenth century. It was when all dragons were still being slaughtered and hunted down. Some, which I assume were Metallic, hid as humans. A couple of them did it for so long that they no longer knew how to turn into a dragon.”

It was easy to talk to her. It felt natural. I understood why Lucian fell for her. He liked to talk a lot. He had liked to talk a lot.

I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat whenever I thought of Lucian.

“Why didn’t he tell me about her?”

“Your father?” I asked, puzzled.

She nodded.

“Beats me, Elena.”

It was quiet for a while after that. But she needed to train. Needed to know how to be the Rubicon.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked, drawing Elena out of her thoughts.

“My mom.”

I was taken aback that she actually answered me.

“What about her?”

“Why did she leave me then? She’s a dragon, too.”

I knew her mother had left because Irene told me. “I can’t answer that for you.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “I just hate all these questions that will never be answered.”

Welcome to my world.

“You really heard Paul’s voice in your head?”

“It was a trick, he planted it.”

I frowned. Why did… It must be a Rubicon thing. But she wasn’t a Rubicon then. It didn’t make sense.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked.

“Just curious. What did it sound like?”

“At first I thought I was going to lose my mind. The extra voice was distracting me and I couldn’t concentrate. Everyone knew something was wrong, but Lucian was the first to ask me about it.”

Lucian knew about the voice in her head?

“Did you speak to one another on a regular basis?”

She shook her head. “I tried, but he never answered. I don’t think he wanted to, to be honest. It was just a trick, remember?” She studied my face, as if she knew I was hiding something.

“You reached out to him?” I asked. I’d never heard a peep.

“I just told you that I tried. I guessed his level of thinking was higher than mine, and that he couldn’t hear me, or maybe he didn’t like the fact that I could hear him.” She tilted her head, a line forming between her eyebrows. “Why do you want to know this?”

“Told you, I’m curious. It’s something that you wouldn’t find with a rider and their dragon at such a young age.”

“And yet I also keep telling you that it was his gift. Tricking people was his specialty.” She smiled and I huffed silently.

Maybe I was seeing things or wanting to see things that weren’t there.

“I do know that he had a thing for poems.”

My jaw nearly dropped, but I controlled myself.

“He kept reciting one over and over.”

I’d been at home, in Tith during that time. It was after my beating. She’d heard me from that distance?

She told me how the voice had scared her at first, but later on it had become soothing.

She was strange.

“Professor Pheizer really thought that it was my dark mark, and that whoever my dragon was, our bond would’ve been strong. She was so wrong.”

I didn’t want to talk about Pheizer. “A dragon that loves poems, it’s a bit pansy, isn’t it?”

She laughed. “It’s not. I thought it was beautiful.”

I looked at her with new eyes.

“It’s how he tricked me into trusting him, too. Someone who recites old Latin love poems like that…” She shook her head. “There is no way he could’ve been evil.”

I didn’t like her words. It felt as if I was the trickster, now. “Evil comes in all forms. Even portrays itself as light.”

I picked up a twig and snapped it in my fingers. I’d been sitting too still and needed to do something with my hands.

“Yes, it would’ve been nice if someone had taught me that before the whole Wyvern thing.”

I could’ve taught her that. It had been stupid of me not to say anything about the missing days. Master Longwei would’ve kicked him out and Lucian would be alive.

I had been so blind.

Maybe the dream I had last night had been delayed. Maybe I was supposed to dream it a few months ago. A warning that Elena wasn’t my rider.

I shifted my attention back to the current conversation. “What did Lucian say about all of this?”

“He thought it was funny at first, but when he saw that it freaked me out, he got worried. He suggested I speak to Professor Pheizer about it. She, on the other hand, told me to embrace it.”

“Did you ever tell him about the poem thing?”

Shut up, Blake. You want to give yourself away? But a part of me wanted to know just how much Lucian had known.

“Yeah,” she replied.

I looked at her, but she didn’t look at me. My gaze darted to the ground. Lucian had known it was me.

“And?”

“And what? He didn’t know who it belonged to, but he got really quiet and worried for a long time.”

He definitely knew. He knew I was lying. And then she changed into a fucking dragon.

I don’t think he even knew that.

“Are you sure this is just curiosity? Are you hearing a voice, Blake?” she joked.

I laughed. “No, I’m not as crazy as you.”

She looked away and shook her head.

“It was a joke,” I muttered.

“Funny sense of humor,” she said in all seriousness, but her underlying tone made me chuckle.

“Tabitha waiting for you?” she teased.

“No. She hates every moment of me being here with you.”

“Tell her she’s got nothing to worry about.”

“I do, every day, but for some reason she doesn’t believe me.”

“Not my problem,” she snapped.

“Ouch! You always this harsh?”

She laughed and it was so welcoming, so familiar. “Change of topic. I thought two Rubicons couldn’t coexist with one another?”

“I said I was going to try,” I said as seriously as I could manage.

Her eyes widened and she gulped. “You want to kill me?” she stuttered, her voice filled with fear.

I couldn’t keep a straight face. I laughed as I stroked my face with my palm. “I’m joking.”

“Haha,” she said sarcastically and threw a rock at me.

I ducked as it whizzed past my head.

“No. I don’t want to kill you. I guess the old farts came to a conclusion about what two Rubicons in this world would do before knowing two who were born at the same time. Why do you ask? Do you want to kill me?” I teased.

“Urges come and go,” she said matter-of-factly. The corners of her lips tugged up. “But they’ve got nothing to do with being a Rubicon.”

I grinned.

“Lucian really told you about the date?” she asked me.

I nodded and blew out a gush of air as regret settled heavily in my stomach. “I should’ve gone with him.”

I didn’t know what to say to change the heaviness that settled over us.

“Did he appear to you, too?” she asked.

“Appear, how?”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

She was seeing his ghost? What did he tell her when he appeared to her? “Elena, what we say here, stays here. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Lucian found a way to be in two places at once. It was like the Cammy, but he didn’t need the Cammy, if that makes any sense.”

So it wasn’t his ghost. She was talking about when he was still alive, but she’d completely lost me.

“It’s connected to the Cammy?”

“No!” she bit out.

Why was she annoyed with me? I had no clue what she was talking about.

“I saw him, and touched him, but he was pale and cold. It wasn’t really him. He told me that it was a trick he’d mastered, and that it’d grown stronger while he was on his mission.”

Magic. Did that kind of magic even exist? And if so…

“I’m not making it up. I’m serious.”

“Then why didn’t he warn us about Paul?”

“He tried, but the connection wasn’t very strong. I thought he was in danger, and Paul knew exactly what Lucian had discovered, so he executed his plan faster. You didn’t know humans could do that?”

How did she pick up on my feelings so fast? It was like she was reading my thoughts.

“No, but then again, this is a world of the strange and unexplained. Anything is possible.”

“So, what does the Viden think about your date?”

“She doesn’t know. For some reason she really struggles to see me. After the Warbel games, she struggles with plenty of things.”

“You think she’s lost her touch?”

I shook my head. “No, she just doesn’t trust it anymore.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s hard to explain to you how Irene’s gift works. All you need to know is that when she says something while she’s going whoo-whoo—” I wiggled my fingers, eyebrows moving up and down. She laughed. “Then you know you should pay attention.”

She was quiet for a moment, then she asked, “Can you feel the darkness?”

“It comes and goes. For some reason, when I make myself useful, like helping you or coaching the Warbel team, it’s bearable.”

“See, helping others is good.”

I smiled. She sounded like Lucian.

“Is that the reason you decided to do this?”

“It’s one of them,” I said honestly.

“There are more? What are the others?”

“You’re not ready to know that yet,” I said as I stood up. All this sitting still was making me anxious. “Come, I’ll race you to the academy.” I pulled off my robe as I ran to the edge of the cliff and dived off, shifting with ease.

I slowed my speed as I waited for Elena.

I expected her not to follow, but she proved me wrong and dived down.

Couldn’t fly, my ass.

Tabitha grumbled under her breath as Elena ran toward our table during lunch the next day.

“Easy,” I spoke softly and Tabitha stopped grumbling just as Elena reached us.

“I’ll meet you on the mountain,” she said.

“You sure you’re going to find your way?”

“I’m not stupid. I actually do own a tracking ability, too.”

I stifled my laughter as watched her walk away

“Are you sure it’s just training?” Tabitha snapped.

“Stop that. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I’m just checking.”

I shook my head, smiling.

I paced the mountain, worried that Elena wouldn’t find the way. But then I saw her large form in the horizon, bearing down on me.

I backed away as she landed. “Cara or Elena?” I teased.

“Be careful who you wish for, rodent.”

I grinned. “Cara.”

“Or is it, idiot?” Elena said and I blinked.

Was she admitting that this was all an act?

“Ciao,” she said as she walked into the forest.

That hadn’t sounded like Elena at all. I sighed. She was confusing.

She came out and took a seat on the boulder next to me.

“So, what are we going to do today, Yoda?”

I laughed. “What do you want to do?” The words sounded suggestive, which was not my intention.

“Nothing,” she said, as if my slightly seductive tone didn’t bother her at all. Perhaps she just hadn’t picked up on it. She relaxed, resting her head against her hands and closing her eyes. She was starting to let her guard down

My gaze drifted over her. The way she was stretched out looked inviting.

“That sounds like a great plan.” I mimicked her pose, and watched as a smile spread on her face.

The sun’s rays were warm on my skin. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of the day relax me.

“Can I ask you a question?” Elena murmured.

“Shoot.”

“How did your father beat you that last time? I mean, you are the Rubicon, and so powerful. I just don’t understand.”

She thought I was powerful? That sent a flutter into my stomach.

I was quiet as I tried to figure out how to explain it to her.

“Blake,” her voice said from above and I snapped my eyes open.

She was leaning down over me, watching me intently. With the sunlight behind her, I saw what Lucian must have seen that first day. I blinked, willing myself to stop looking at her lips.

“I need to know how to control my temper if someone has to beat me.”

Focus, Blake. I turned my head as she settled back in her original position.

I sighed. “Elena, I was drunk. It’s the only time that he’s tamable. Why do you think I get drunk on a weekly basis?”

“But you still do messed up things when you are drunk?”

I shielded my eyes from the sun with one hand. “That’s what happens when people are drunk.”.

“They don’t burn down factories.”

“How do you know? You ever get drunk before?”

She laughed; the sound was music to my ears. The corner of my lips curved.

“Almost, and believe me, burning something down didn’t come up.”

“So he’s basically asleep when you are wasted?”

“I didn’t say that. He’s a bit calmer and it’s easier to hold on.”

“Why do you hold on, why not succumb to the darkness?”

I bit the inside of my cheek as I mulled it over. Nobody asked me that. They all just wanted me to fight.

“Would you?”

“I’m going that way, so I don’t know if I would fight it the way you do. I don’t think I’m that strong.”

I smiled. She would be. “You think I’m strong for fighting this?” I said teasingly. She had no idea what was coming.

“Yeah, you are.” She swallowed and looked away.

My stomach was flipping again.

“I don’t agree. If I had to tell you about all the shit I’ve done, you wouldn’t be here on this rock with me,” I said in an attempt to scare her off.

“Nothing would surprise me anymore. I’m not a naive little girl.”

I laughed at the way she said it. “Nice try, but if I tell you, I will have to kill you, and it’s not a Rubicon thing either.”

She didn’t laugh. “Why did you push Lucian away? I mean, he was your best friend.”

The sudden change of subject caught me off guard. I clenched my jaw. “I told you that night why I did what I did.”

“Because of the darkness?”

“Yes, it didn’t want to be close to the light. It made me nauseous.”

“It made you sick?”

“Yes, Elena. It made me sick. Being in the presence of my best friend made me sick. Telling him that would be worse, so I told him I didn’t want to be his friend anymore.”

“He never gave up on you, you know.”

I huffed. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

“Well, it’s the truth. I tried to talk him out of it the third time he tried to claim you. We got into a huge fight, our first one. He told me I knew nothing, and if I knew what type of person you were, I would understand.” She laughed wistfully at the memory.

I wanted to lean over and kiss her, to run my hands over her delicate skin. What the fuck? It must be a Rubicon thing.

It could be so easy between us.

“Old Blake was pathetic.” I sat up, resting my arms on my knees. Lying next to her was dangerous.

“Is that the Rubicon speaking or you?”

“Both. I am the Rubicon, Elena.”

“Yet you get drunk to control yourself. Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense.”

For some reason, it pissed me off that she didn’t get what I had to do to not to give in to the darkness.

“What do you want me to tell you? How chirpy I used to be and what a happy child I was? Giving my parents joy every day of their life, getting straight As. None of that matters anymore. That Blake is gone.”

She pushed herself up, sitting in the same position as me. “You used to get straight As?” she asked incredulously.

“The past doesn’t matter, we can’t go back and we can’t change it.”

“Says who? Maybe in ten years it will be a possibility.”

I blew out a breath. “You live in a dream world.”

“No, I live in Paegeia, crazy place, remember.”

“Well, if that happens, go back in time and see what I was.”

She changed the subject again. “Why did you ask George to prank me that day?”

“You really want to talk about that?” I rubbed a hand over my face.

“Yes, I do.”

“I don’t know, it was silly.”

“It was cruel. A Moonbolt killed my father and almost killed me, too.” She sounded serious but not angry.

“So I heard afterwards. Sorry,” I mumbled. No way was I gonna admit I had George do that on purpose because I wanted her to lose her mind. It was cruel. But back then I didn’t know that she was a Rubicon.

“It’s fine. I should actually thank you for throwing me into the deep end.”

“Then what, you want me to take back being sorry?”

She shrugged. “You can do whatever you want, I don’t care.”

She meant it, and I didn’t like that. I felt so stupid.

“So, Constance is your aunt. I didn’t see that one coming. What was it like when you were a child?”

Sheesh, with the way she constantly changed the subject, it was like she was interrogating me. “What is it with the million questions?”

“Curious.”

“I’m going to regret this.”

“That’s good.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s good?”

“You see a later; regret always comes later.”

I huffed. I’d tried to get her to acknowledge her dragon, and she’d made me acknowledge a future.

“It was fun, confused the living crap out of me, but they seemed to enjoy every moment of it.”

She laughed. “Now I know where you got your mean streak from.”

“Yeah, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. So what do you want to know next?”

“Curiosity is satisfied for now. If I want to know more, I’ll ask.”

I wanted to keep talking. I liked talking to her. It was easy, light, and fun.. “Matt told me about that night.”

Not this, Blake. Change the subject, my mind screamed at me, but for some reason I couldn’t.

“On Interstate 40?” She smiled sadly. “It sounds like a bad love song, right?”

I laughed, nodding. “It does.”

“So, what did Matt tell you?”

“That your father fought at least five dragons.”

“It was four, and I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.”

I admired her ability to admit things so openly. The more time we spent together, the more I wanted to kick my own ass for having been such a dick to her in the beginning.

“Sorry to hear that. I can’t image it was very easy not growing up with dragons and then getting your ass chucked into a world filled with them.”

She gasped. “The big bad Rubicon showing a softer side? We have to get back to Dragonia, the world is about to end.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah it was crazy, but I would’ve given anything to tell him how sorry I was for being such an idiot every time he made me move. If time travel does exist one day, I would go back and tell him what a good job he did keeping my ass alive, although I still don’t know his reasons why.”

“He was your dad,” I said simply.

“Still, he should’ve told me what I was.”

“He probably had good reasons why he didn’t.”

“Reasons I’ll never know.”

“Fox, the guy that killed your father that night, used to kill plenty of dragons on the other side. I knew Matt was really worried about that.”

“How did you become such good buddies with Matt?”

“Easy.” I grinned. “I’m the Rubicon. Everyone wants to be friends with me.”

“Oh please,” she scoffed, and we both laughed. “Why did Fox kill all the other dragons?”

“He was a Moonbolt dragon and almost twice Irene’s age. I guess that man knew many things, but he was as evil as they come. Matt thought that he was working side by side with Goran. We all believed that when so many dragons died. I guess nobody will ever know why, now that he’s dead.”

“You think it had something to do with my father?”

“Well, whoever your father was, he killed Fox.”

She froze. “I guess I never really knew him that well. For all I know, he betrayed this Fox dude and killed all those dragons to get to him.”

“You really believe that?”

“What other explanation is there?” she whined.

“You were a Thunderlight, for one.”

I practically saw her head spin. I didn’t want her to think bad about her father. She needed to remember the good as well. There could have been a variety of reasons why her father had moved them around so much.

“You ever tried to find your dad this side?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, search for him. See if you have any family that still lives here.”

“No. Now that you mention it, it never crossed my mind,” she said. “To be honest, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Tabitha’s face popped into my mind. She was a fantastic researcher. You are evil, Blake. “I can help you if you want.”

She gasped with her hand over her mouth. “Blake Leaf offering me more help. What would Tabitha think about that?” She was laying it on thick playfully.

I laughed. “It would be with Tabitha, though. She’s crazy smart when it comes to searching for things.”

Elena pouted. “Mmm, she’s not a big fan of me.”

“She’s not a big fan of a lot of people,” I said simply.

“Is that why the two of you get along so great?”

“Could be.” I raised my eyes playfully.

She giggled.

A few months ago I wanted to kill her, but now it was as if my eyes had opened. She wasn’t the enemy.

I decided it was time to leave, before something spoiled this tentative friendship we had.

“Let’s go,” I said.

When we landed back at Dragonia, Elena headed away from me, but I grabbed her arm.

“Not so fast. You do want to find your dad, right?”

“Shit.” She said with shock and smiled. “You serious?”

“Yes, Elena. And look, no thunderstorms. I’ll ask if that puts you more at ease.”

She nodded reluctantly and followed me to Tabitha. I could feel the eyes of every student on us as we passed them.

I’m sure plenty of the students thought there was something going on between us.

There was something about her. She had a fantastic sense of humor, and she made people feel at ease.

Irene had that same way with people, with me. It was why I could talk to her about anything.

I felt the same way about talking to Elena. It was just so easy.

She followed me to Tabitha’s room.

“You sure about this? You won’t sleep in the dog house or something.”

I smiled. “Relax, Elena. It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s your funeral, dude.”

I knocked and Tabitha pulled open the door with a smile, though the smile vanished when she saw Elena.

She glared at me, her lips in a thin line.

“What is she doing here?” she hissed.

I put all the charm I had into my voice. “She needs your help.”

“No, I am not going—”

“Tabitha, just listen, please.”

“Blake, don’t do this. I hate it,” she whined.

“Forget it,” Elena said and turned to leave. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, switching over to Latin so Elena wouldn’t understand what I was saying to Tabitha.

Tabitha’s eyes were locked on my hand clamped around Elena’s wrist.

“Ow,” Elena muttered, pulling her wrist out of my grip.

“Please, she could have family this side. And you’re the smartest dragon that I know,” I sweet-talked Tabitha.

She sighed. “Why her?”

“She’s like me, I told you that before.”

Tabitha rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

I grinned at her.

She made eye contact with Elena, wrinkling her nose as if she disgusted her. Her tone as downright poisonous when she told Elena to meet her at the library at eight.

Tabitha turned around and strode into her room.

“She won’t attack me or something, right?” Elena asked.

I laughed softly. “No, just don’t ask too many questions.”

“Thanks. Good luck,” she teased.

I pouted playfully and closed Tabitha’s door behind me.

Sarah was in the room, but Tabitha’s other roommate Susan wasn’t there.

I sat down on the couch next to Tabitha.

“What are you doing here?”

“My training session is over.”

She inhaled deeply and moved closer to me. “I don’t like sharing, Blake.”

“C’mon, baby. You know it’s not like that. She’s got nothing on you. Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

She glowed at my words. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

“I’m not blind.”

She kissed me.

“Especially in those Victoria’s Secret panties of yours,” I whispered in her ear, eliciting a giggle from her.

Sarah cleared her throat. “Dragon here.”

Tabitha flushed beet red. “Sorry, he gets a bit hormonal this time of day.”

“Well, that explains why you get antsy when he isn’t back yet around this time.”

I laughed again.

“Really Tabitha? This is Elena Watkins we’re talking about.”

I regretted talking about her like this when I wanted to be back on that mountain with her, or in the air, playing tag and racing each other.

“Good,” Tabitha said. “Keep it that way.”

I kissed Tabitha again, trying to tamp down the confusion Elena made me feel.

I spent most of the weekend with Tabitha, and by Saturday night, I could feel the darkness rearing its head again.

I couldn’t stand it.

On Sunday, it became so overwhelming that I had the urge to use again.

The drastic change didn’t make any sense.

Restless, I went down to the cafeteria to grab an early dinner.

I saw Elena and Becky enter the cafeteria, and Becky steered Elena to their regular table, then forced her to sit down. Almost like a mother would do to a misbehaving child. “I’ll get us something to eat.”

Sammy sat down in front of Elena, who did not look like herself. She wasn’t even looking at Sammy.

I wanted to go over to her and ask her what was going on, but I doubted she would tell me.

Had Tabitha found something? Maybe she discovered something about her father that upset her.

“I’m so sorry,” Elena finally muttered.

“Don’t,” Sammy said, sounding concerned. “You’re eyes are different than before.”

“What do you mean?” Elena asked.

“They were almost red before, Elena. They’re back to green. How do you feel?”

Her eyes changed like mine.

“Like crap,” Elena said on a sigh.

“The dark, I mean?”

What? She was becoming dark already?

“It’s gone. What’s going on with me?”

I sighed in relief.

“It disappeared?”

“It doesn’t make sense.”

Tabitha joined me and I stopped eavesdropping. If I didn’t pay attention to Tabitha, her claws would come out again.

She brushed a kiss over my lips. “Why didn’t you wake me up.”

“You looked too peaceful to disturb.”

“I see you’re not growling anymore. The sex must have worked.” She raised her eyebrows.

Susan and Sarah joined us. Sarah muttered, “Oh, please you two get a room. I’m trying to eat here.”

They laughed and launched into a discussion, giving me the opportunity to tune back into Elena’s conversation.

But when I looked over, they were already finished and leaving the cafeteria.

She was also dark. I needed to push and stop playing around. She had to hold on, had to fight, otherwise this world was going to be destroyed.

Master Longwei called me into his office on Monday.

“Sit, Blake,” he ordered and I took a seat across from him.

“I need you to do something for me.”

“Another task?” I asked.

“It’s got to do with Elena.”

That grabbed my attention, but I couldn’t let on that I was interested.

Master Longwei pinned me with an intense look. “I need to find out if Paul is dead, Blake.”

My jaw dropped. “He might still be alive?”

“We don’t know. Elena was out of it. She says Lucian killed him, but we all know there are potions out there that could have preserved his essence.”

“You mean the Calupso Potion?”

Master Longwei nodded solemnly.

“You think the Wyverns know about it?”

He shrugged and spread his hands. “They might. We don’t know that much about them.”

I rubbed my temples and nodded. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

Master Longwei let out a breath. “Thanks. How is she doing?”

“Good.” I smiled—the first genuine smile I ever had in his office. “She won’t be destroying anything anytime soon.”

He laughed. “Any urges to kill her?”

“I guess the Ancients were speculating when they came up with that theory. I don’t feel the need to dominate her or eliminate her.”

“I see,” he said as if things made perfect sense to him. I wished he would clue me in, because I was still struggling to understand any of this.

“Is there anything else?” I asked.

“No, you’re free to go,” Master Longwei said, nodding to the door.

I got up and left.

If Paul was still alive, King Helmut would go on another killing spree. I wanted to go and hunt his ass down and make him suffer for what he had done to Lucian, but if he was still alive, if he had taken the Calupso potion, we wouldn’t know what he looked like.

I struggled to contain my irritation and irrational anger. I couldn’t wait for Warbel training tonight to get rid of these unwanted feelings.

I just hoped that I wasn’t going to bite Elena’s head off.

As soon as she landed on the mountain, I could feel something was off.

She barely acknowledged my presence.

Whatever had happened this weekend, I could feel that Elena was still ashamed about it.

I did most of the talking. Her walls were back up, and it felt as if she was going to sink back into that dark hole of misery she had been in before I’d started her training.

I cajoled her into taking a flight with me and flew to the other side of the mountain.

When we landed she headed straight into the trees to shift and put the robe on. She still wasn’t comfortable naked. I put my robe on while I waited for her.

She came shuffling through the trees, still silent as we walked over to the boulders.

I couldn’t handle it.

“You’re really quiet today. Was Tabitha mean to you?” I joked, trying to ease the tension in the air around us.

“No, she just left me with a shit load of paperwork to go through. It is going to take me forever to find him,” Elena said with a sigh.

“She will find him. That is a promise.”

She toyed with a stray thread on her robe. “Yeah, I hope so.”

I waited a few second before I spoke again. “I forgot to ask you something.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“The day that Paul died. Did you see his body turning into ash?”

“Master Longwei put you up to this?”

I flashed her a soft smile. “We need to know.”

“I don’t know what I saw that day.”

I stopped in my tracks. There could be something in the recesses of her mind…

Elena glanced over her shoulder and stopped when she realized I wasn’t moving.

“I can help, if you want,” I said.

“How? By reading my mind?”

Hilarious. She was the one who had been able to see into my mind, not the other way around. “I can’t read minds.”

“It was a joke.”

“My persuasion can calm your mind, and you might be able to remember more.”

“I don’t want to remember more. Believe me, I’m struggling already with what it is I’m stuck with.”

I sighed. We were back at square one. But then again, I was asking her to examine the day Lucian died. “I know it’s hard. We all lost an amazing person that day.”

“Blake…”

“He was my best friend. If Paul is still out there—”

“If he’s still out there? How could he still be out there?” She sounded almost hysterical.

“What did you see?”

“You are not answering my question! Lucian drove an iron blade through his heart. Iron kills Wyverns.”

“Elena, please, just tell me what you remember.”

She looked to the ground. I had a suspicion Master Longwei hadn’t explained everything clearly.

Through the strange connection I shared with her, I could feel her concentrating. This connection seemed to be growing stronger every day, and it scared me a bit.

I could feel her anger. Intense and unwavering.

Then she looked at me and it was like she threw the anger off.

“I don’t know what I saw that day, but I heard her forcing him to drink something.”

I cupped my hands over my mouth and then rubbed one hand over my face and hair.

“What is it?” she demanded.

Fuck! How could I explain this to her without her freaking out?

“Blake.” She tugged on my arm until I looked at her.

“What is it? Is Paul still alive?”

I looked down. “He might be,” I blurted out.

“Might be, how?”

I sank down onto the nearest boulder. “Just sit.”

For a moment I thought she was going to argue with me, but she sat next to me and leaned forward.

I had to choose my words carefully because the intensity of her feelings projected on to me.

“There is a potion; it’s two different kinds that make a whole.”

“Stop speaking to me in riddles. What do you mean two different ones?”

“Two potions, but together they can do something unforgivable.”

She frowned. “Like what?”

“It’s called the Calupso. One potion is drunk by the person that will become the host, the second is drunk by the one who needs the host. His body would disappear and his essence would be soaked up into the host.”

“That doesn’t make sense!”

“If you heard her say he needed to drink, it could only be that. Did you see her drink something, too?”

“I was busy turning into a dragon. I don’t know what I saw.” She stroked her knees. “How does that work?”

“She’s a Hippogriff, or a shape shifter. Hippogriffs don’t have human forms. If she was a Wyvern she could sacrifice herself, and he would take her place inside her body, but because they weren’t the same, she would’ve needed another host, a Wyvern, in order to save his life.”

“So you’re telling me that Paul is still alive?”

I nodded. “But we wouldn’t know who he is, as his human form wouldn’t be Paul’s. It would be the host whose life he took.”

Elena took a deep breath. I tried to keep myself calm.

“She loved him, you know. How was that even remotely going to work? A Hippogriff and a Wyvern?”

“The same way it works between a dragon and a human.” More questions filled her eyes, and I pitied her for her lack of knowledge about us.

She closed her eyes and looked away, pulling at her hair.

“I’m so sorry. I know how you felt about Lucian.”

She looked at me, confused.

“What?” she asked.

“Paul still being out there must be hard for you to take in.”

“Yeah, I didn’t bargain on that.”

“I’ll find him, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Don’t say that. Lucian said that same thing, and then it happened. If you want to kill him, do it on your own terms. Not because of me.”

I didn’t want to fight. “Okay, my own terms, but I will find him, and he will die. That is a promise.”

She nodded, her smile uncertain.

I looked at the time and our hour was almost up.

“Race you back to Dragonia?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not today, okay, but you are free to go,” she joked.

I squinted. “You not going to wreck something else, like you did with the main entrance, are you?”

She laughed. “No, I promise.”

“Okay, see you later.”

“See you later.” She was still smiling, but I could tell she was unhappy.

I hated leaving her like that, but I needed to get back to Tabitha.

I actually pitied my Warbel team that night, because I was pushing them way past their comfort zones. I knew they had more in them and I wanted to see it.

“Blake! We are not robots,” Becky yelled.

“Becky!” I roared.

“No, this has to stop. You‘re like a fucking bear with a sore tooth. We’re giving you our all but you don’t seem to be happy with anything.”

“Because I know you can do better. I saw it on that mountain.”

“Our lives are not in danger right now. This is Warbel practice, for crying out loud. I’m done. See you tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll be in a better fucking mood then.”

George sighed.

“You leaving, too?”

“Dude, it’s been over an hour. We’re all exhausted. Most of us don’t even want to be on the team anymore. We’re giving you everything we’ve got. I think you need to go rest. Tomorrow is a new day.”

The entire team had quickly left while George spoke.

“Fine, see you tomorrow. Fresh,” I grunted.

“Yeah, yeah.”

I sat on the bench, wallowing in frustration. I had been so calm and collected this afternoon.

It must be Elena who kept my darkness away.

Must be another Rubicon thing.

This was so fucked. She was keeping me calm, keeping me sane, and I was training her to kill me.

Shock and confusion slammed into me with a force that threatened to overpower me.

I couldn’t train her anymore if she had this effect on me. It was too dangerous. I was playing with fire.

I stayed in my room that afternoon. I’d make up a story if Elena asked me why I didn’t pitch.

I still couldn’t believe she could calm me like this. How could anyone have this effect on something as dark as me?

It wouldn’t last. Elena was bound to become dark, too. She’d already had an incident over the weekend.

She wasn’t close to ready to take me on, but I needed my plan to work. At least she could already fight, and surely the professors would help her.

I wasn’t right for the job.

I glanced down at my watch. It was five to two.

I longed to go to the mountain. The darkness was building quickly inside me. I was scared it wouldn’t disappear if I went to the mountain, but I was more afraid that it would disappear. I became addicted to things that kept the darkness at bay.

I watched the seconds tick by on my watch.

It wasn’t like I’d never stood people up before, but this felt different because Elena was my equal.

I was the one who had to show her what it meant to be the Rubicon, and I’d signed up for this.

The Blake I was when I was with her fought hard for what he wanted.

But it was the Rubicon, that was the only reason I wanted to be around her. It wasn’t her, Elena Watkins, but merely the fact that her dragon was just as amazing as mine.

By quarter past, I had rationalized that Elena must have realized by now I wasn’t go to show. The thought that she might come find me for an explanation terrified me.

Ten minutes later, I gave in and jumped out of my window. I’d deal with my conflicted thoughts later.

As I neared the mountain, that edginess inside me started to subside.

Fuck, Elena calmed me down. It was addictive.

She was sitting on the boulder, and I could feel her sadness. This connection had to be a one-way stream—like how she could hear my voice in her head but I couldn’t hear hers.

I didn’t have this effect on her. She didn’t need it as much as I did.

I landed and shifted behind her, pulling my robe on and walking to her.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I reached her, chuckling when I saw her eyes were closed. “You’ll need to get used to that one way or another.”

“Today is not that day. Just get dressed.”

“Ouch. Which Night Villain spat in your milk this morning?”

“I don’t need a Night Villain’s acid, I’ve got my own.”

I sat down next to her.

She was like the sun, and I basked in the light.

The silence that stretched between us was awkward.

I lit a cigarette to calm my nerves.

Her head snapped toward me, but I ignored her judgmental look.

“I don’t know how you can smoke that.”

“It calms me down. So what do you want to talk about today?” I asked as I took another deep drag.

She was quiet for a minute. “How many abilities do we have?”

I chewed on my lip. My abilities were private. I’ve never shown all of them to anyone.

“Seriously. I’m not the enemy here, and one of my friends already has a dragon. My lips are sealed,” Elena said with a hint of impatience.

“Ten.”

“Ten?”

I took a last drag and flicked the cigarette away. “Our flame is pink because of the Red and Blue fire. We can see the future the older we get, we can breathe lightning, chloroform, and acid. And we can persuade people with our minds.”

I looked around for something to freeze and picked up a rock. I could feel Elena’s eyes on me.

I closed my fist around it and my frost seeped out, freezing it. I opened my hand to show her. “We can freeze things, and as you know, heal living things, too. The healing part takes some practice and a lot of concentration,” I said as I hurled the rock away.

“We can move objects in our dragon form, and lastly, we can make people see things that aren’t there.”

She gasped.

“Relax, it’s nothing special. All the Chromatics have that.”

“Ten.” She sighed, like the power we possessed was the most horrifying part of us. “How do you use them?”

I grinned and did something I hadn’t done in years. I used to do it when I was calm and at ease. Girls used to joke that they would rip my tongue out and do things to me I could only fantasize about.

Elena looked away, but I could see her cheeks reddening.

I shouldn’t toy with her like that. I was only spiting myself.

I needed to ease some of the tension in the air. “Now that the flying part and hopefully the fear of heights thing is cured…”

She giggled, which made me chuckle.

“I think it’s time to show you what we can do.” I got up and she came to stand next to me, but kept her distance.

“It’s not easy conjuring your abilities while in human form. It takes time, and the more you do it, the easier it comes.” I lifted my finger and the Pink Kiss danced on top. “This one you don’t have a problem with. Every being is afraid of the pink kiss.”

“The pink what?” she asked.

I smiled. “The pink kiss. I know, it sounds stupid.

She laughed softly.

“But I’ve grown quite fond of the name. When it touches skin, it spreads like a virus. Nothing can stop it, and your enemy will die a slow and painful death. Constance can’t even heal it or slow the procedure down. There is no cure for the pink kiss.”

Her smile disappeared. “It’s like the Hippogriff’s venom,” she muttered.

“Exactly,” I said softly, staring at my beautiful flame dancing on the tip of my finger.

I lifted my middle finger and a spark appeared from it.

“Lightning is handy in the ring, especially if it’s not the Dragonian’s ability.”

“You used lightning on Lucian before.”

I nodded. “He failed the first time because of my lightning.”

I lowered both my fingers and opened my hand. The green fog appeared and the smell of sulfur filled the air.

Elena covered her nose with her sleeve and coughed lightly.

“It can’t harm you, Elena. You are immune to it. The smell is something to get used to, though.”

The green fog turned into acid and ran down my arm, dripping onto the ground between my feet. It incinerated the rocks and the grass and smoke rose up from the spot.

“Deadly.” I closed my first. When I opened it, the acid had vanished.

Her eyes flicked over my palm in awe as she cupped her neck. “It doesn’t burn?”

“Slightly, but it doesn’t hurt the way it would a person that isn’t immune to it.”

“How did King Albert claim your dad then?”

I smiled and walked back to the boulder to sit down, contemplating how to explain.

She sat down next to me.

“King Albert had a gift for making weapons. His armor was of the thickest metal there was, but it was also the lightest.” I could feel another question coming. “Don’t ask me how.”

A small laugh escaped her lips.

“He had a weapon the royal council still uses today. It’s called an acid blaster. He used to fill it up with my father’s saliva and then use it on the enemy. He wasn’t the type of man that loved wars, though, but he was the bravest man I’ve ever met.”

“You still remember him?”

I nodded. I was certain he was her father, and a dragon, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. “A dragon’s memory works differently than a human’s. Usually humans don’t remember anything before their fifth birthday. It’s different with us. I remember everything. Even before I hatched. I remember the inside of my egg, my mom’s tone of voice when she was close and the temperature whenever she lay on me.” I grinned at her.

Stop trying to impress her, Blake. Stick to the plan.

She looked away and I worried that she could still hear my thoughts. It wasn’t like I could outright ask her. That would seem too weird.

“I remember King Albert. He had a special look just for me. I guess it had to do with them knowing that I would become their child’s dragon, if they ever got to that stage.”

“How did he look at you?”

I laughed. “Admiration, warning.”

“Warning. Why?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what it felt like.”

She turned somber. “I’m sorry that he died without giving you what you needed.”

I wanted to tell her that he had, but he’d screwed up because dragons almost never claimed other dragons. A part of me figured that maybe he was desperate and had tried everything.

I desperately wanted to tell her who she was, then maybe she’d discover the rest herself.

“What?”

“You would laugh if I told you.”

“I won’t, just tell me.”

I plucked a weed and started breaking apart. I knew she was watching my every move. I detected some admiration coming from her. I had no idea how deep that admiration ran, but it was there.

What came from me was dangerous. I was playing with fire.

“I woke up from a strong jolt the night Matt brought you here.”

“What?”

I didn’t look at her, jut continued breaking the weed. “I’d never felt anything like that before, so obviously I had to investigate. Lucian woke up as I started to put on some clothes and wanted to know what the hell was going on. I told him something had happened, and you know Lucian.”

She laughed softly. “He wanted to know as well.”

I nodded. “So we snuck to the infirmary and we heard Master Longwei and Constance speaking with Matt. He kept telling them that there was no way, kept talking about the Wall and how no human could go to the other side if they are born inside Paegeia. That the girl isn’t who they think she is.”

“Me?” she asked, and I nodded again. “Who did they think I was?”

My gaze found hers. She didn’t know. “Matt saw me, and motioned for me to hide. I knew that he would speak to me afterward. Lucian left after his curiosity was filled, and I waited for Matt. I had this weird feeling inside me the entire night that I couldn’t explain. When he found me, he told me about you and some details of the accident, but I swear he never mentioned Fox until the second time we met.” The lie slipped off my tongue. “He also told me about what he saw when he got a better look at you. He said that you didn’t respond, and he was really worried, and when he saw your mark, nothing made sense.”

“What didn’t make sense?”

“Why he never knew about you or your father, and if your father was a dragon how the hell you ended up with the mark of the riders.”

She grimaced. “That makes two of us.”

“For a long time, people thought you were somebody else. That your father wasn’t your dad at all.”

She looked blankly at me. “What?”

“Why do you think when you walk into a place everybody stares at you, Elena?”

“I don’t know.”

“Because of who you remind them of.”

“Who?” She laughed, but there was a hint of annoyance in her laugh.

I barked out a laugh, irritated at myself.

Blake, don’t. You’re only going to confuse her more.

She had a task to get ready for. I couldn’t afford to distract her.

“It doesn’t matter now. You’re not that person. You’re just somebody that looked like him. We should get started, and you should concentrate on mastering your gifts.”

Anger slammed into me, and I wasn’t sure whether it was hers or mine.

“Fine, so how do I do this?”

“You’re angry?” I asked.

“You started telling me this story, and then you just drop it out of thin air. You have no idea how much shit I have to deal with, and this will just go on top of that pile.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You are a dragon. It is not going to help you to move on. That is why I stopped telling you that stupid story. You are like me, that is why I woke up that night, nothing else.”

“I still want to know who they thought I was.”

I groaned. “It doesn’t matter. You have to concentrate on what you are, not what everyone thought you were.”

“Fine! But I have no idea how to concentrate now I’m worrying about your stupid story.”

“I know it’s hard, but it will get better. I really should’ve kept my mouth shut.” I tried to stifle my smile, but it didn’t help.

“Fine.” She was still angry. This connection was definitely a one-way stream.

“How do you do it?”

“Close your eyes.”

“You’re not going to kiss me, are you?” she joked.

A laugh bubbled out of me. “I promise.”

“Good,” she said and closed her eyes.

I chuckled, staring at her mouth. Now I wanted to know what it felt like to have her soft lips on mine. Stop it, Blake. Focus. She needs to kill you. “Concentrate and see your flame.”

Her face became expressionless and I stared at her open hand.

“Now fill in the details. The pink in the middle, the red and purple edges. Feel its warmth spreading from your fingertips to the middle of your palm.”

I almost gasped as the blue and red flame dangled on her palm. I waited for the pink but it didn’t show. Still, she was a natural.

“Now open your eyes.”

Her eyes flashed open and she shook her hand. The flame disappeared almost instantly. I laughed.

“You need to control it.”

“It’s not normal.”

“Nothing is this side.”

She rubbed her hand against her robe and took a deep breath.

“It’s not going to hurt you. It’s your friend, and the sooner you make peace with it, the better it will be for you.”

“I know, it’s just weird seeing it.”

I stifled my smile. “Again.”

“Do we have to?”

“Yes, again.” I had to focus.

“Demon slaver.”

I laughed.

She closed her eyes and this time I held my hand underneath hers.

I felt a small current running through me as I touched her.

She didn’t feel it.

How could she not feel this invisible force between us. She was just like me, just not as advanced yet.

I let it go and looked at her palm again.

“Concentrate on the flame.”

Her flame appeared again, and this time it was stronger.

“Open your eyes, Elena.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Just open them. It’s not going to hurt. I promise.”

She opened one eye and I smiled like an idiot as she peeked at the flame before opening her other eye.

She gave a small gasp that belied her excitement.

“It’s your friend.”

“It looks unnatural. It should burn the living crap out of me, but it doesn’t.”

“Your friend.”

I let go of her hand and an urge to touch her again flew through me.

I fought the feeling and stepped away.

“Let me guess, again?”

I looked at my watch. It was almost four. Tabitha was probably gonna lose her head, but right now I didn’t care.

“Yep,” I said, sitting down on the boulder and taking out another cigarette.

She shook her head as her gaze left mine and closed her eyes.

I watched the flame dancing on her palm. Each time, it was stronger.

Elena was a natural.

“Sorry,” she muttered through a yawn, struggling to keep her eyes open. She came to sit next to me.

“Yeah, I forgot how tiring it used to be in the beginning. I think it’s enough for today. Tomorrow, we can practice lightning.”

She pouted.

“It’s not that hard.”

“No, I just remember Becky doing the shakes on the ground when she got her first dose of it.”

“I promise you won’t do the hippie-hippie shake.”

She laughed quietly.

“How do you feel?”

“Like I haven’t slept for days.”

I regarded her for a moment. “Climb on my back.”

“No!”

“You want to fly back home yourself?”

“No,” she murmured and closed her eyes as I took off my robe.

When I took her arm, the same current from earlier coursed through me.

I gently placed her arm over my shoulder and the urge for us to be more than what we were was stronger than anything I had ever felt. Reluctantly, I dove off the cliff and my dragon form appeared.

She grabbed one of my horns and pulled herself upright.

I landed and went to lie down, which allowed her to slide off my back easily. Once she was off me, I shifted back into my human form.

She turned around immediately and I shook with laughter.

“You have to get used to it Elena.”

“Don’t force it, please.”

I rolled my eyes, putting on my robe. “Fine, you can look.”

She turned around slowly, as if she thought I was playing a joke on her. “Thank heavens.”

“I’m actually not that hard on the eyes.”

She raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Okay, whatever.”

“What?” I asked with a teasing lilt in my voice.

“Good night, Blake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I laughed as she hurried toward the entrance of the academy.

“Hey,” my aunt’s voice sounded from behind me.

I turned around as she approached.

With a shake of her head, she said, “Elena is a decent creature. Stop messing with her.”

“Me? Mess with Elena? Never,” I said with smirk. Constance narrowed her eyes. With a wink at her, I turned around and headed to my room.

I was early the next afternoon.

Tabitha wasn’t speaking to me, and to be honest, I didn’t care that much now that I knew Elena was the calming presence in my life and not Tabitha. I was getting sick of Tabitha’s moods.

Elena flew in fast and almost stumbled as she landed.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to see how fast we can fly,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

We. I gave a slight shake of my head as she lumbered into the forest to shift.

She came running out, eager for today’s lesson.

“A bit of an improvement from yesterday,” I said.

“Yesterday was fun and of value. Okay, not the goodbye part, but the actual lesson.”

I laughed. Keep your mouth shut Blake.

I flicked my cigarette away and went to stand in front of her.

“What is today again?”

“Haha, lightning.”

“Oh yeah.” I smiled at her. “Again, the same thing, Elena,” I said. I wanted to touch her, but I refrained.

Last night, I’d made a plan to avoid two things: touch Elena and flirt with her. Both seemed like completely impossible tasks at the moment.

The lightning appeared just as fast as the fire had once Elena focused, but as soon as it appeared, she shrieked and shook her hand.

“That one really hurt!”

“It will. Only in the beginning. Again.”

She leveled me with a glare and I blew out a breath.

“Elena it’s the only way you will get used to it. Concentrate.”

She closed her eyes but her concentration was lost, so the spark didn’t come.

“You are only going to drain yourself and not learn the value of this lesson if you keep that up.”

She grunted. “It really hurt.”

“Boohoo, you are a Rubicon.”

“You’re so mean. I want the chirpy Blake. Bring him out.”

I stifled a snort at that. “Haha, it is me. Now show me your lightning.”

Her upper lip curled into a sneer for a moment, but she closed her eyes.

She cleared her mind. The spark came again and she grunted. “Mother f…” She shook her hand.

I frowned. Was she faking it? The lighting didn’t hurt that much.

I took her hand and inspected her palm. It was slightly red and a few blisters were already popping up on her skin.

“I told you, look. Blisters.”

“You heal. Sometimes things are painful, Elena. Welcome to my world.”

She grunted at me and went back to shaking her hand.

She used her other hand again, her face scrunching up as she concentrated.

The spark was softer this time but it still burned her hand.

This was weird, and didn’t make any sense.

“Okay, let’s take a break.” I went over to the boulder and sat down.

“Mother of pearl,” she said.

She slapped me hard in the stomach with the back of her hand when I laughed. “It’s not funny.”

I held up my hands in defense. “Okay, sorry.”

She closed her eyes again, her face scrunching up again. I was impressed with her determination to keep going, but no lightning appeared in the palm of her hand. Instead, frost spread over her palms, a look of relief on her face.

“Much better.”

“See, you are a natural.”

“I’m a Rubicon.” She mocked me and I couldn’t help the laugh that burst from my mouth.

“Are you trying to sound like me? You need more practice.”

Her eyes sparkled. Dammit, Blake, stop admiring her.

“So,” I said.

“If you are going to tell me that the break is over, Blake Leaf, I’m going to torch your ass.”

I chuckled at that. She wasn’t ready to torch my ass yet, but the day would come soon enough. “No, I actually wanted to ask you about your mother.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “My mother?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, you tried to maybe try and find her?”

A dark laugh left her mouth. “Yeah, so not going to happen.”

“What, you think Tabitha is not up to it?”

“No, I’m just not ready for her deep sighs and grunts this time if I won’t be able to even produce a name. You should’ve seen her when I gave her just my father’s name and birthdate, not even year,” she joked.

I knew this was hard on her. She knew nothing about her heritage or whether she had other family members somewhere in Paegeia. I couldn’t imagine being thrust into a world you knew nothing about, and then finding out you were a dragon.

“You don’t know your mother’s name?”

She shook her head. “I told you she left and my father never spoke about her.”

Growing up without even knowing who her mother was must have been terrible. “That must suck.”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one who has it hard, Blake.”

I simply looked at her. “I never sulk about my life, Elena.”

“Fine, whatever,” she said, her tone playful.

Perhaps I could try to find a picture of Tanya and show it to Elena. If my suspicions were correct, then maybe she’d recognize her, although that chance was slim… Why would she know what her mother looked like if she didn’t even know her name?

I felt like an idiot for not telling her the truth. But I didn’t know another way.

If Elena knew I knew more than I should, she would question it without a doubt.

The frost vanished.

“I got a plan,” she said as she got up.

“Plans already. I like that.”

She closed her eyes, and the frost spread over her palms again.

Once her hands were frozen, she closed her eyes and sparks of lightning danced on the frost.

I started to laugh.

“Mother eff.” She groaned.

“If you told me that was your plan, I would’ve told you not to do it.”

She glared at me.

“You said it’s my friend. Does this look like my friend to you?”

She buried her hands in between her legs and moaned from the pain.

I tried to suppress my laugh.

“It’s not funny,” Elena exclaimed.

“I’m not laughing.”

“But you want to.”

She started to chuckle again. “It burns like fire.”

“Don’t look at me. I can’t heal dragons. Sorry.” She seemed to actually be in pain, and I knew I shouldn’t be laughing at her, but it was hard not to.

“Shush, Blake.”

“I’m sorry, really, I don’t mean to.” I pushed back my laughter and took a deep breath to steady myself. When I was sure I wouldn’t start laughing again, I looked over at her.

“Elena, lighting and water do not mix. What is ice?”

“Yeah, I know,” she huffed sulkily.

“Well, maybe you did learn a lesson after all,” I teased.

She snarled and came to sat down again.

“I really think it’s enough for today.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“You think you can fly back?”

“Yeah, I’ll manage.”

Nodding, I got up. “You’ll see, tomorrow the blisters will be gone.”

“I don’t believe a word you say anymore. I’ll wait for it first.”

“The lightning isn’t supposed to hurt that much. Seriously.”

“Then why does it hurt with me?”

“Maybe because you are a baby,” I mocked.

“Shut up.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said. She turned around, and I shifted, flying away.

She was like the sun. And, man, I loved spending time with her, but she had a very dark cloud waiting to surround her, and I had to prepare her for it.

I never should’ve befriended her, but it had been so easy to fall into.

Mentally, I added “No more laughing” to the list of things I had to try not to do.

Over the next few days, I truly worked on keeping my distance and cooling it with the friendliness between. But that only caused me to push her harder and harder, and as a result, we almost fought, which made me feel like shit.

Elena’s hands were covered in blisters, but the next morning, she came up to me in the hallway as we changed classes, and showed me that her hands were healed. I tried not to smile, but I could feel her eyes on me whenever I didn’t pay any attention to her.

Friday’s lesson was the worst. I pushed her so hard that she passed out cold, and I had to take her back to the academy.

I carried her upstairs to her room, and when I kicked the door open, Sammy’s eyes went wide as saucers. I ignored the gasp from Becky and walked over to Elena’s bed, setting her down on it.

“Dammit, Blake!” Becky yelled furiously at me. “Look at her hands.”

“She’ll heal. You’re such a drama queen. Elena actually brings her A game whenever she shows.” The menace in my tone surprised me, because I wasn’t feeling even a hint of unkindness.

Becky chewed on her bottom lip, glaring at me. With a shake of my head, I stormed out of the room.

I knew what had me in such a shitty mood. It was Friday. The darkness tended to consume me over the weekend.

Sighing, I headed to my room. It would be best if I stayed there for as long as possible. That way, I wouldn’t be tempted to hang around Elena.

It would only confuse her if I was around her.

I needed to get her to distance herself from me, so she could focus on her task. I was sure any animosity between us would make it easier for her to want to kill me.

Thankfully, the rest of the day and night was manageable, and I even put on the lovesick puppy act for Tabitha. But it didn’t last.

I woke up pissed off on Saturday, and dreading Sunday.

Tabitha dragged me to the cafeteria Saturday night. She thought it was the lack of food that had put me in such a bad mood.

I followed her to a table in the corner with some reluctance, where she forced me to sit while she went to dish up.

Sarah, Susan, and Jeff joined me and before I knew it, three tables were pushed together as more of Tabitha’s friend joined.

I pretended to enjoy myself, faking smiles and laughs. Pretending wasn’t as easy as usual.

I turned my head and saw Becky pushing Elena down onto a pillow.

Why on earth did Elena put up with her?

Sammy blocked my view of Elena, which was a good thing since Tabitha had just asked me something. I muttered a noncommittal reply and looked away from Elena’s table.

I started to feel slightly better, but the calming effect wasn’t working well from this distance.

I needed to get closer to Elena.

“You want to leave?” Tabitha asked.

If we left, I could stop at their table and pretend to tie my shoelace. I was about to nod when Sammy called my name.

I could hug her.

I got up, and the light started to seep into me as I neared the table.

Elena was wearing sunglasses, and she clearly wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Not that I could joke with her, since I’d put joking on the list of things not to do.

I should asked her if she was okay. I’d pushed her hard yesterday and that wasn’t always a good thing. But I stayed silent because I shouldn’t be caring about her.

“You heard anything from Dad?” Sammy asked.

I frowned.

“You called me over to ask me that? No,” I grumbled. “Why do you ask? Should I have heard something from him?”

Something was up. This wasn’t Sammy’s normal behavior.

“No, I’m just worried about them. Aren’t you?”

“Samantha, why should I be worried about them?” My sister was freaking me out. I had no idea what she was talking about.

The darkness was slipping away and I felt almost normal again.

“You know, that thing?” Sammy raised her eyebrows slightly.

“What thing?”

“Blake, I’m not going to blabber the thing in front of everyone.”

I heaved out a breath. “Sammy, you are not making any sense.”

“What’s wrong with you? How can you not remember?”

“I don’t have time for this, really.”

She looked at Becky and I followed her gaze, but Becky’s face was unreadable. I glanced at Elena, but all I saw on her face was exhaustion.

What was going on?

“Blake!”

“I’m not going to fight with you over this, Samantha. I’ve got no idea what you are talking about, and I’m going to leave now.”

“Blake!” she yelled again.

I shook my head as I left. I felt better. Thank you, Sammy.

I glanced over my shoulder at Elena. Was she just tired? Maybe she was drunk? She was a Rubicon now, and I had told her that booze kept the beast calm. Maybe it was working for her, too.

“What did she want?” Tabitha asked when I got to her.

“Fuck knows. Let’s go.”

I called my mother that night. Sammy’s cryptic words had me worried.

They were fine, just shocked that I reached out. I felt like an idiot.

Maybe Sammy was also drunk. She hadn’t been acting like herself.

On Monday, I didn’t feel as dark as I thought I would. It freaked me out how a couple of seconds in Elena’s presence could keep the darkness at bay for so long.

I decided to take a break from training her. Warbel needed my attention more than she did, and the break would be good for us. I told her to practice on her own when she was alone.

She nodded but I saw the fear in her eyes.

But I couldn’t give in and help her. We needed the distance otherwise my plan wouldn’t work. I didn’t have to be a Moonbolt to see that.

Falling for Elena wasn’t hard. In fact, it was too fucking easy. She was special, and I finally knew what Lucian had seen in her.

I never should have told him Paul was fucking her.

I didn’t even think that she had wanted him. I had a funny feeling that Paul had put that urge inside her.

If he’d managed to make me forget days, he could easily have done that and gotten away with it.

The way I had spoken to Lucian that day… it was one of the things I regretted most. Those were our last words.

I would never be able to apologize or take it back. I’d never be able to tell him that I finally knew what he’d seen in Elena.

The dark found its way back on Tuesday. By Wednesday I spent the entire day searching for Elena, but she wasn’t around.

I hated the fact that she didn’t need me as much as I needed her.

Thankfully, she was at Warbel practice on Thursday with Becky and George.

I didn’t say hi, just basked in the feeling of the light. I wanted to laugh, but I had to keep my game face on.

I pushed the team and cussed, telling them how useless they were, all just to hide what she was to me.

Whatever this was, it had to be another fucked up entity that wanted us to be together. Once again, I found myself fighting against something larger than me.

I was tired of fighting things I couldn’t see.

The next day, Elena came to watch Warbel practice again, though she didn’t even look at me.

I didn’t blame her. I was a jerk.

I drilled them like an army general.

“Blake, seriously!” Becky said as she fell off her raider.

“Shake it off, Johnson! The first game is tomorrow night. Hustle, hustle, or you’re benched.”

She grunted and I had to fight to keep the smile off my face.

I could feel Elena’s eyes on me, but I ignored her. I had to keep my head on Warbel.

At the game on Friday night, I was pleased to see Elena was there. I’d felt her presence before I’d seen her.

I filled my water bottle—I knew I was going to scream at my Maggots a lot tonight—and walked over to her.

“You should practice.”

“It’s not Warbel, back off,” she joked and my lips curved. She shook her head.

I put in my earpiece to hear what Dimwit one and two were broadcasting and found them staring at me.

They were speaking about the Rubicon being a coach and wondering if I was able to hack it.

I flipped them off and their laughter rang in my ears.

The game was about to start when Greg walked into the box.

“You ready to get your asked kicked tonight, Blake?”

I rolled my eyes.

He laughed at me. “It must be hard to be so competitive and you can’t even play.”

“Your team wouldn’t stand a chance if I could play.”

“Oh, you would’ve made the big shots. No doubt about it.”

I grinned. “I wish I could say the same for them.”

“Still not where you want them?”

“Not by far.”

He ran a hand over his head, his expression turning serious. “How is it going with Elena?”

I sighed inwardly. “She’s a Rubicon, she’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, there are some rumors spreading about a first claim. You should warn your other team member.”

“You shitting me, who?”

“So she’s not there yet. Need to get her in better shape, Blake. Maybe a few laps should do the trick.”

“Fuck off,” I said. “Tell me who it is.”

“I don’t know. I just saw the request. Master Longwei hid who filled it in.”

I gave a slight shake of my head. “She’ll be ready. Believe me, whoever it is, they’ll regret ever laying eyes on a Rubicon.”

He laughed. “I have no doubt about that.”

I chuckled and slapped him on the back.

“Good luck.”

“Fuck off,” I muttered with a smile.

I rested my arms on the railing and watched Greg run to the other side of the arena.

Elena wasn’t ready for a claim. And it would only be a matter of days before Master Longwei made the announcement.

I’d have to train her faster.

I massaged my temples to ease the sudden ache of frustration. So much for distance.

The whistle blew, dragging my attention back to the field, and I watched my team file out in their ridiculous red and white uniforms.

They looked like circus monkeys.

I kept my eyes on George and Becky. Becky was practically a natural on her raider, and George seemed to be at her side to assist her the moment danger was near.

They were like two magnets, constantly drawn to each other.

It must be a Dent thing.

I still hated the idea of it.

Becky scored and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Becky looked at me with a victorious grin, but I just shook my head. I didn’t want her to get ahead of herself. The game had just started.

Her nostrils flared as she glared at me, and I felt the corner of my mouth curving up slightly.

The whistle blew again.

“C’mon, Damon!” I yelled. “Push, push, push.”

I flipped Stan off for one of his comments.

Then the brothers scored.

I inhaled deeply, but I wasn’t as agitated as I’d thought I’d be. Elena was close by.

When they scored again, my competitive edge kicked in.

By the third score, Edmond, one of the brothers, almost knocked Damon off his board with a foul thunderbolt.

George hit Edmond behind the head and the ref blew the whistle at George.

“Seriously, open your fucking eyes if you’re going to referee!”

The ref sent George to the time-out box.

I threw the ref a sign and he blew his whistle at me again.

The brothers scored three more times just to piss me off.

“I thought you were joking when you said he wasn’t fond of losing,” I heard Elena say.

“I feel sorry for Becky and them if they don’t get back on track.”

Elena laughed. She wouldn’t be laughing when Master Longwei announced that she was going to get claimed.

At half time, I headed down to the team to speak to them. I needed to remind them what they had to do if they wanted to kick the brothers’ asses. It was all about defense.

“Blake, stop giving the ref shit, otherwise you are going to sit in that box,” George snapped.

“When in my life was I ever scared of the box? I dare him to put me there. He needs a new fucking pair of eyes,” I growled, eliciting laughter from the team.

“Just defend. I told you guys the brothers are great when it comes to attacking, but they suck at defense. You can turn the game around if you use the strategy we discussed at practice. Let me worry about the blind fucking bat.”

Greg tried to rub it in that his team was kicking our asses. Boy, did he have a surprise waiting for him. Greg headed over to where I had been standing during the first half. We switched sides as our team switched for the second half. The only thing that sucked about this side of the arena was that Elena was now far away.

The game started and my Maggots finally followed my strategy. Becky scored and the fight continued.

The other team had such a clear foul, but the lousy ref didn’t blow the whistle.

“Seriously! Where the fuck are your eyes, old man? You want to borrow mine?” I screamed.

The ref blew the whistle and stopped the game. I was just about ready to stick that whistle up his ass.

“Blake, I saw no foul. If you don’t contain yourself, I’ll have you removed.”

“How much are they paying you?” I hissed at him.

“I’m not like that.”

“Then open your fucking eyes. If I’m going to lose another member because of Edmond or Jeffers, I am going to lose it.”

“I have two eyes, not four.”

“Then use your two fucking eyes.”

“Watch your language.” He walked away. “Last warning.”

I flipped him off behind his back as the game started back up.

Greg shook as he laughed, and I saw Elena trying to suppress her own laughter as Sammy spoke to her.

Greg smirked at me and shook his head at my behavior.

Oh, I would give anything to wipe that smirk off his face.

The guys pushed again, and Edmond attacked George for no reason.

This time, the ref saw it, and I applauded loudly.

I looked at Greg, one eyebrow raised. He was teaching them to play like fucking idiots.

Edmond got two minutes time out.

“Use this time, Damon, c’mon!” I yelled.

Damon pushed through and found an opening. With some effort, he managed to score.

I cheered.

Becky scored again, and I could kiss her.

They tried to go for another score, but Caitlyn missed just as the whistle blew again, signaling the end of the game.

“Fuck.”

I headed to Greg, and he clapped when I got to him.

“Not good enough,” I grunted.

“Blake, they played their fucking hearts out. Don’t give them grief tonight. Know when to congratulate and when to train. Something tells me that we’ll finally have to defend the title.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Just stop pissing off the ref.”

“Well, he needs to use his fucking eyes. Your team plays dirty,” I muttered as I picked up my bag and walked to the exit.

I felt better when I saw Elena, though her back was turned to me.

“You’re a sore loser, Blake!” Greg yelled.

I flipped him off without turning around, and his laughter followed me as I left the arena.

When Monday rolled around, Master Longwei announced Elena’s claiming, and I burst out laughing when I heard who the contender would be.

Lucian’s dimwitted cousin.

Elena definitely stood a chance.

Nicole was a first year, and man, her hopes were high if she thought she could claim a Rubicon.

Nevertheless, Elena would have to scare the crap out of Nicole so she wouldn’t face her again.

Elena was already waiting for me on the mountain when I arrived.

I landed, shifted, and pulled on my robe as quickly as I could. Elena looked so distressed.

“Are you okay?”

She got up and started to pace, waving her hands in the air.

“How could she do that? How did they even let her?”

“Elena, calm down.”

She ignored me. “I don’t understand. I can’t face her, I’m not ready.”

I grabbed both her arms and turned her around to face me.

“Stop freaking out.”

Her green eyes found mine and I felt her relax against me.

“The ring isn’t your enemy, it’s theirs.”

“I don’t know how to do this.”

“Then I suggest we get started. Shift, as you will face her in your dragon form,” I ordered.

As usual, she walked to the trees, and when she came back out, I was surprised by how much she had grown in the last couple weeks.

“Your biggest asset is changing the ring into what you want Nicole to see.”

She laughed. “What is the worst place you’ve ever imagined?”

“I once imagined a place filled with scorpions, snakes and spiders when Arianna tried to claim me.” I was lying, but I had to paint a clear picture of things she needed to imagine instead of telling her to take things away from someone because they were vain. “Let’s just say it was over before we even started.”

“Would I see the same as she does?”

“Elena, you control it, you have to imagine it, otherwise she won’t see it.”

“So, yes.”

I chuckled.

“Spiders and scorpions are so not going to work,” she murmured.

“Even if it’s Nicole’s worst fear?” I asked.

“I don’t even know what her fear is.”

“If you ask me super nicely, I can find out for you.”

“Will you?”

“Just don’t believe the rumors you hear.”

“Easy tiger,” she said.

“What?”

“Nothing, I wasn’t talking to you.”

She was so odd, but this wasn’t the time to think about that. We had to focus on the claim.

“Let’s practice. Imagine a volcano and that everything around you is covered with lava.”

Her entire form heaved with a sigh as she closed her eyes.

The mountains in the distance changed into a volcano. My eyes widened. She was good. The lava spilled over and it ran down in three separate rivers. It seemed so real that I had to remind myself it was fake.

She had a strong imagination.

“Amazing,” I said in awe and she opened her eyes. “Put a bit of heat, Elena, to make it seem more real.”

Heat started to scorch my skin. I stepped back, covering my face. “A bit too much.”

“You think this might work with Nicole?”

“I told you, leave it to me. She isn’t afraid of combat; you need to attack her worst fear otherwise you will face her again real soon.”

“Okay.” She still sounded petrified.

“Remember the ring is your friend.”

“Yeah, like the thunder is my friend, too.” She sounded sarcastic.

“You still struggling with your thunder?”

She nodded.

“If it’s of any consolation, that one took a long time for me to get used to as well,” I lied. She had to get rid of that fear fast otherwise she was going to be Nicole’s bitch. And Nicole wasn’t worthy of claiming a Rubicon.

“Really?”

I nodded.

“Okay, we can do this,” she muttered under her breath.

It was still weird that she spoke out loud with herself in someone else’s presence.

She conjured more horrible scenes and Elena was either an artist or had a secret talent for this.

She was going to be terrifying when I was done with her.

Images of me and her together flashed in my head and I push them back. I couldn’t be thinking about that right now. Or ever.

“I think it’s enough for today.” I looked at my watch, more out of habit than anything else.

“See you tomorrow?” It was more of a question than a statement.

“Yeah, you are going to need all the help you are going to get.”

The next day, I focused on combat, and trained her to how to fight in the air—how to move away quickly, when to strike, and when to lay low.

I’d already started sweet talking Nicole this morning to find out her fear.

Her heart had been pounding like a trapped bird in a cage when I just said hi. She was going to sing like a lark.

I didn’t sleep with her, but I made her believe we did.

She got drunk, which made the compulsion so much easier.

“So what is your biggest fear?” I asked her softly. Her eyes glowed bright green with the compulsion.

“Patsies, I hate patsies.”

“Patsies.” Pathetic. “What else?”

“You,” she said flirtatiously.

I laughed. She was afraid of me, yet she was going after Elena. She saw Elena as weak.

“The desert. I don’t like the heat. Oh, and vines, especially ones that strangle you. Oh, and the creepers.”

I pretended to kiss her again, moaning and letting my breath come out in harsh pants since she was under the impression that I was inside her.

“Oh, you are so worthy of your name.” She gasped and I had to suppress my laughter.

“What else?” The Blake she was seeing grunted in her neck as he kissed her skin.

“Ugly, I’m so scared of being ugly.”

“You’re far from ugly. If you were you wouldn’t be here.”

She laughed and I imagined planting my mouth on hers again. She broke away after a few seconds. “Please don’t be a jerk after this.”

“Me? Never. I’m completely and utterly in love with you, Nicole.” I laughed softly at the moans she made and took a sip of my beer.

She snuck out later that night.

The next morning, Tabitha made a huge scene about it. I don’t know how she found out that Nicole had been in my room but she slapped Nicole’s face and called her names.

“Tabitha, enough!” I pulled her away.

Nicole laughed at her.

“Fly away to mamma, Snow Dragon.”

I gave Nicole a look and she shot daggers my way. Arianna must have gotten to her. She’d probably told Nicole what an idiot she was for spilling the beans about her fears.

She was nothing like her cousin.

“What is wrong with you?” Tabitha cried out and pushed me away.

I followed after her. “Please speak to me.”

“Why did you screw her?”

I pulled her around the corner. “I didn’t sleep with her. I compelled her to make her think I did. Fuck Tabitha, I have standards.”

“Why did you compel her?”

“I’m doing someone a favor.”

The muscles in her jaw twitched.

I raked a hand through my hair. “Forget it. I don’t have to explain everything I do to you.”

By lunch, the rumors had spread like wildfire.

I didn’t give a shit about my reputation. I’d done worse in the past. All that mattered now was getting Elena ready for her claim tomorrow.

I had only been on the mountain for a few minutes when Elena landed.

She walked straight to the forest without greeting me and I was sure she’d heard and believed the rumors.

“You slept with her?” she asked when she emerged from the forest. I could see she thought it was funny, but she arched her eyebrows in a disapproving way.

I burst out laughing. “I told you not to believe the rumors.”

“Blake, I didn’t mean you should sleep with the girl in order to find her fear.”

“It’s the only way women spill their deepest secrets.” It wasn’t like Elena would believe the truth anyway.

“You know what, I don’t want to know.” She started to laugh. “Just tell me what’s she afraid of.”

I smirked. “It really is pathetic.”

“Tell me.”

“She’s got a couple. One is vines that strangle you. Specifically the creepers. Then she’s scared of patsies.”

She gasped. “What’s a patsy?”

“You don’t know what a patsy is?” I asked with a grin.

“No, my father used to say it all the time, but he never told me what a patsy was.”

“It’s a small gecko that has a poisonous tongue. One lick will kill you, but that’s a small piece of info that wasn’t shared with them, so instead of just licking their prey, they roll over and pretend to be dead. Some even kill themselves.”

“Are you serious?”

I nodded.

“She has others?”

“She doesn’t like the desert, something about the heat, and she has a thing for being ugly. I suggest you play with that one. Make her look ugly with boils and burns. My other suggestion is to give her hell, and she will never try to claim you again.”

Elena pursed her lips. “It’s funny you say that. It was Cara’s first thought.”

I burst out laughing again. “You’ve got a funny way of dealing with things.”

“So I’ve been told,” she said.

I showed her what a patsy looked like. The one I made was quite big, and had all sorts of blues and yellows over its body. It shimmered in the sun.

I let it lick its eyeballs every few seconds, and when it saw Elena, it started to bite himself.

“Okay, enough! You didn’t have to show me the gruesome killing themselves part. You could just let him fall over and pretend to be dead!”

I chuckled.

“Why on earth people are scared of them, I don’t know.”

A few more patsies joined the dead one on the rock.

Elena loved them.

She took over and made them play with each other.

“Don’t let them play, Elena. Make them vicious.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Let me.” I gave them teeth and the ability to stretch, toying with her to make her think that they could reach us.

She quickly backed away from them.

“They’re not real, but I’m sure you get the picture. If you add them to the pit of hell, she will run for the hills.”

“I hope she doesn’t go insane.”

“It should teach her to never even consider going after a Rubicon again.”

“Can she reverse it, you know back to what is real?”

“If she’s good and not afraid, yes.”

“Could she create a world where I would forget that it’s only a spell?”

“She’s not a dragon, and she’s only in her first year. Besides, spells don’t work on dragons.”

“So she could only make me see what is real?”

I nodded.

“Just as long as I don’t end up being her bitch.”

I laughed.

“Is this how you felt every time Lucian tried to claim you?”

“It was different with him. A part of me really wished that he would succeed, but the dark in me wouldn’t let him. I’m just glad that I didn’t end up killing him. That last time when he didn’t get up, and I just wanted to keep on fighting…” I stroked my face hard at that memory. “No one will ever be as brave as him.”

“He surely was that, and so much more.”

“You’ll see, tomorrow. I promise you, Nicole won’t claim you.”

“Okay.”

“Not okay. She won’t.”

“She won’t.”

The next day, I accompanied Elena to the Coliseum. I could see she was nervous, but she had nothing to worry about. There was no way Nicole would claim her. Elena was going to kick ass.

Silence hung heavily in the air between us as we walked, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“You’re extremely quiet today. You still scared?”

“No, not scared. I just don’t like any of this.”

I snorted. “Now you know how all of us feel.”

“You guys really don’t want a Dragonian?”

“It’s not really about not wanting a Dragonian. The Chromatics need one. I guess it’s got to do with the type of person that wants to claim you. See, Lucian was worthy of claiming me, but he wasn’t strong enough. Arianna—” I rolled my eyes. “I guess I don’t have to elaborate on that one.”

She gave a nervous laugh. “That’s exactly how I feel about Nicole.”

“Then don’t give in.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

“That’s the spirit.”

We reached the Colosseum and I opened the gate that led to the waiting areas.

“Will Mia be here?”

“Mia will be prepping Nicole, but I can bet she wanted to be here.”

The crowd was already getting into the spirit of the claiming.

I hated everyone in the crowd today. I was used to this, but I still remembered the fear I had felt on my first claiming, and I knew Elena had to be feeling that right now.

“I don’t have to run around like an idiot outside, do I?”

I laughed. “No, less is better. It’s more intimidating.”

“Thank heavens for that.”

“What, no ‘for the love of blueberries’?”

“Haha.”

I gave her a small smile. “It’s time. You should get ready.”

She went into the small changing room, which was new. Dragons weren’t concerned about their naked bodies, but it seemed like they had made an exception for Elena.

It was the first time that I was here as support, and it felt weird not to be wearing the wrap around my waist, waiting to be called up.

I sat down on the stone bench I had sat on so many times before and closed my eyes.

Please don’t let her be claimed today. Get her someone who is worthy.

I heard Elena inhale sharply, and I opened my eyes when she approached.

I smiled reassuringly. Elena looked like she might throw up. She plunged down on the seat next to me.

The crowd cheered louder and I cleared my throat. “It’s time. You should get your ass out there.”

“Any last advice?” she asked without looking at me.

“Yeah, don’t get claimed.”

“Yes, sir.” She saluted and I chuckled.

I got up, pressed the button, and the gate flew open.

She lifted her chin and walked out, exuding confidence.

Nicole wasn’t worthy.

I pressed the button again, and leaned against the wall as the gate closed.

Cheers went out for Elena, and I felt a twinge of pride when she didn’t acknowledge the cheering.

She was a fantastic student. It gave me hope that when the time came, she’d do the right thing and kill me.

“Thunderstruck” started to play and I laughed. Nicole was pathetic.

Elena looked back. “Seriously?” she mouthed and I shook my head.

She lifted her arms gracefully. The sun hit her perfectly. For a split second, I saw Queen Catherine, but that was just an illusion. She wasn’t Elena’s mother.

She jumped into the air and shifted.

For the first time in my life, I wished I was human, so that I could be the one to tame her.

I knew right there and then that I was fucked up in love with her.

I wanted to scream. This was so fucking wrong.

The lightning that came from Nicole pulled me out of my thoughts.

The crowd cheered and I looked at Elena. This was going to freak her out. She was talking to herself again.

Elena, c’mon. Focus.

Nicole was good. I hadn’t thought she would be this good.

I started to feel a bit of panic, but Elena handled it.

She can do it, Blake.

I flinched when lightning hit Elena’s scales, but she shook it off and charged.

She needed to concentrate but Nicole wasn’t giving her the time to do so.

Then, to my surprise, the Coliseum started changing into a desert.

Roaring cheers erupted from the audience.

Give her hell Elena.

Patsies appeared and Nicole screamed.

More, like I showed you.

Elena was doing brilliantly. The sun grew stronger, and the heat became unbearable.

“Don’t mess with an artist,” she hissed, confirming what I had assumed.

She was an artist.

I saw a flash of her sitting in her human form, naked, in front of an easel.

I shook it away, forcing myself to focus on the present.

Nicole’s demeanor changed. “This isn’t going to work, Elena, your ass will be mine!”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that!” Elena roared back.

I heard the rumble of her pink flame. She was relying on the wrong source. I told her to hit her with her worst fear.

The smile on Nicole’s face confirmed she had expected it.

I could see the victory in her eyes.

She had a plan.

The picture changed again, but it wasn’t enough. Nicole she charged, trying to distract Elena. Luckily, Elena’s imagination was strong.

Elena wasn’t giving up. She refused to show the Coliseum to Nicole.

Nicole attacked with more lightning and hit Elena’s scales again.

“I don’t care what she wants, she’s not claiming us.”

I looked at Elena. She freaked me out when she talked about herself like that. It wasn’t normal.

Elena lost her balance a few times. She was losing her grip on what she wanted to show Nicole.

Nicole was determined and released one lightning bolt after the other.

Elena was going to lose.

Dammit, Elena! Give her hell. I roared, and an image of the worst kind of hell leaped into my mind.

Suddenly, the Coliseum changed into what I envisioned.

Elena was midair when the scenery changed.

I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t doing it. It was all me.

I took over. I didn’t give a rat’s ass how this was possible, but I had to make sure Nicole never attempted to claim Elena ever again.

I imagined dry air and rivers of lava surrounding Nicole.

She was trapped as patsies came running out of the lava.

They were vile and evil.

She screamed.

I put on more heat.

I envisioned a hellish kind of creeper. It had long teeth that snapped at Nicole.

Nicole shrieked as the creeper almost grabbed her.

There was no turning back now.

I let the earth tremble as fire sprouted from the ground. With flailing arms, Nicole tried to keep her balance on her podium, which was now a rock barely big enough for her feet. Finally, I took away her podium.

Hands, engulfed in flames, shot up from the rocks.

The hands slapped her and boils formed on her skin.

I smiled as she screamed in agony.

Nicole finally yelled, “Give.”

I let it go and the Colosseum returned to its original state.

Nicole was terrified, crying and screaming.

Lesson learned.

Don’t fuck with a Rubicon.

Another gate opened and more dragons flew out, trying to block Elena.

I took that as my cue to leave and got my ass out of there as fast as I could.

The hallways echoed with murmurs of today’s claiming when I got back to Dragonia Academy. Everyone was muttering about how Elena showed no mercy.

I went to my room and collapsed on my bed.

How the hell had I managed to interfere with Elena’s claiming?

There had to be some kind of bond between us for that to have happened.

None of the other dragon bonds had that, but then again, our breed was far superior.

My mind raced. She was playing tricks on me.

She had to be.

But she had no idea I felt this way about her.

I didn’t know how I was going to stop this, how I was going to tell her the truth. I was only training her because I needed her to kill me.

I couldn’t trust this feeling. It wouldn’t last. She would go dark eventually. Both of us would.

I finally drifted to sleep. I dreamt of nothing.

Greg applauded me when I stepped into his class.

“Didn’t think she had it in her, Blake. You are definitely rubbing off on her.”

I chuckled. “I hope it’s a lesson for all the Dragonians. Don’t mess with a Rubicon.”

The class cheered.

Greg laughed. “If only your Warbel team was as vicious.”

I wanted to flip him off, but he was a teacher at the moment, not just a fellow coach.

In Professor Pheizer’s class, she was quiet. Just once, I’d love to know what was going on in her head. Perhaps she had discovered another Dent. Of course, with the way she carried on, everyone in this school would be Dented to each other soon enough.

No one could stop talking about the claim, but the victor was nowhere to be found.

I headed to the mountain at two and found Elena waiting. I hurriedly pulled my robe over my head.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I sat next to her on the boulder.

Part of me was dreading spending time with her but another part of me was deliriously happy.

I was always fighting against something.

Elena looked worried and annoyed.

“Are you okay?” I bumped her softly with my shoulder.

“I don’t know.”

“She didn’t claim you.”

She gave me a stern look. “Was it you?”

“Was it me, what?” I asked innocently, playing dumb.

“You know what I’m talking about,” she whispered as she got up, rubbing her hands together.

She was afraid. Why?

“No, I don’t.”

“The hell, with the evil patsies and everything,” Elena hissed. “It wasn’t me, and it sure wasn’t Cara, so I don’t know who the hell imprinted that scene into my head. Paul was the only one.”

Fuck. I got what she was saying.

“It’s not Paul, okay. The desert wasn’t scary enough.”

“I don’t care.

I had to stifle a sigh. “She wasn’t afraid of it. It was as if she expected it, so I wanted to change it… and it happened.”

She stared at me, unblinking. “She could claim me if she ever found out.”

“They won’t, you’re a Rubicon.”

“You don’t know that.” She pushed herself off the boulder and started pacing. “What is going on with us? I don’t get this.”

“I do.” The minute the words left my mouth I wanted to take them back.

“Please share.”

I’m in love with you. Fuck! I breathed out softly and slowly. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I made up another reason. “We’re the same. We’re bound to have some sort of link with one another that makes us different from all the other dragons.”

“All my life I’ve been different, but never in a million years did I expect to be this.” She waved her hands up and down her body.

“You still don’t like being a dragon?”

“That’s not what I said. I love my dragon. She has helped me with a lot of things that I would never be able to make peace with on my own.”

She came to sit down next to me again.

“Why did you help me?”

“She’s not worthy enough to claim you,” I said.

“Why do you care who is worthy enough or not?”

“You’re a Rubicon. Only the best of the best should be able to claim you, never forget that.” I held her gaze with my own, feeling as if I could drown in the green sea of her eyes. She buried her face in her hands and grunted.

I hated that she felt she had to hide her emotions from me.

After what felt like an eternity, she lowered her hands and looked at me again.

We stared at each other longer than we should have. The sudden need to kiss her overwhelmed me. I wanted to know what her lips tasted like.

I got up and walked to the tree.

Pull yourself together. She needs to kill you. You trained her for that. Adrenaline spiked in my body and I knew my heartrate was elevated.

My palms were sweaty.

I inhaled deeply to get my nerves under control to change the subject.

“There are rumors that Arianna is going to try to claim one of us next. I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be you, so we should start preparing for it. She’s a bit more fierce than Nicole.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“I can help you.” I crouched in front of her.

“Blake, you can’t. If anyone finds out what it is you can do…” She hid her eyes from me again and shook her head. When her eyes snapped open again, the plea in them was clear. “I can’t become Arianna’s, she’s even more evil than Nicole.”

“You won’t, just trust me.”

“I take it you know her fears, too?”

“All of them.” I smiled.

“You know when she’s planning this?”

“The way some of the Dragonians spoke about it, soon.”

“Then we should get started,” she said adamantly. She was ready.

I trained her harder than I had before. She was still struggling to control her lightning, which concerned me. It was weird. I had never struggled with any of my abilities.

I tried to focus on the training, but it wasn’t easy with Elena at my side.

She was getting stronger and more intimidating.

Our friendship was growing the more we spent time together, even though I tried everything to not let it go that way.

She was determined and she pushed herself past her limits every afternoon, and barely had the strength to fly back to the academy.

I assisted, of course, and made sure she got enough rest.

Warbel didn’t go as badly as I thought it would, though I wished my team had some of Elena’s spunk and determination. If they had, we wouldn’t have come in second.

But there was always next year—if there was going to be a next year.

As I walked down the halls of Dragonia Academy, I noticed banners hovering in the air, announcing the upcoming Testrial ball.

Tabitha kept badgering me about going. I told her I’d think about it.

That afternoon Elena wanted to cut our training short.

“Why, what is more important than Arianna’s claiming?”

“It hasn’t even been announced yet, Blake. There is still time and I trained hard. I believe I deserve a break.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“It’s not Warbel.”

I laughed. “Seriously, what is so important, Elena.”

“The ball, okay? Your sister will skin me alive if I don’t go with them today to go pick up our masks. She is already complaining that I don’t spend nearly enough time with them. So, I’m telling you. I have to leave at half past two.” She looked at her watch. “Which is now.”

“It’s just a ball.”

“I don’t care. I’m sick and tired of practicing how to be a Rubicon. Arianna’s threats have to wait for now.”

She’d already slipped behind a tree to shift back into her dragon form. “Let me guess, you don’t like dances and dress up?”

“Is that even a question?”

She giggled as she stepped out in her dragon form. “So I’ll take that as a no.”

“So, I’ll meet you here tomorrow?”

She shook her head. “Nope, I have to get ready for the ball.”

“Elena,” I said, resigned and disappointed.

“One day is not going to make me worse. I need a break. Go do something with Tabitha. You guys are still together, right?”

I couldn’t believe how easily she mentioned Tabitha. “Yes,” I bit out.

“There you go. See you on Monday,” she said before she dove off the cliff.

I laughed as I heard her speaking softly to herself again. It wasn’t even that weird to me anymore. In fact, it was almost endearing.

I sat down on the boulder.

I lit another cigarette, taking my time, hoping it would help clear my head.

I didn’t know how much longer I could hide my feelings from Elena.

She was like the sun. Fuck the moon and stars.

She was my sun.

You are dark, Blake. It’s not going to last, the darkness whispered inside me.

I closed my eyes. The darkness was right. If our bond was that strong, I would pull her into the darkness with me. I would be responsible for killing the light within her.

I was done being responsible for killing the light within people.

Tears stung my eyes and I blinked them away.

I’d never felt this way before. Not even with Irene. What I’d had with Irene was nothing compared to this.

I couldn’t do anything about it. I was a coward destined for darkness.

I stayed on the mountain all through the night and watched as the sun started peeking over the horizon.

New poems about how Elena made me feel, how there was no hope for a future with her, had played through my mind all night, filling my soul with sadness.

I was a mess. I’d always been a mess.

I was exhausted. Tired of waiting for the darkness to consume me. Tired of life.

Sometimes I wanted to give in to it, but I always pulled back.

This time I pulled back because of Elena.

I didn’t know what I would do if she was gone.

I would lose it. I knew that now. Maybe she would push me over that edge.

It’s time, Blake. I know you are tired. Let me take over.

I pushed the voice of the darkness to the back of my head as I got up and left.

Tabitha was ecstatic when I told her I would go to the Testrial ball with her. She squealed, then ordered me to go make sure I had the right clothes to wear to the occasion.

I didn’t own anything that even resembled a tux, but luckily George had an extra. We were more or less the same build, except my arms were bigger and more muscular.

“Magic is the only way we’re going to manage to alter this,” George said.

“Dude, I don’t know that kind of magic.”

“I know someone who does. She’s here now. I’m sure she can spare a few moments,” he said as he walked over to the doorway.

“Okay,” I said and he quickly left.

A few minutes later, he came back with Lucille, Becky’s mother. She could have passed for Becky’s sister. The years had definitely been kind to her.

“I didn’t take you for the type of dragon who would go to balls like this, Blake.”

“The Snow Dragon made me.”

She laughed. “Put on the shirt and jacket if you want me to fix it.”

George laughed. “That is the problem. He’s fatter than me.”

“Fatter?” I exclaimed in mock outrage. “Try stronger, and faster. I can kick your ass any time I want.”

“Okay, okay.” George held his hands up in defeat, then turned to Lucille. “Can you fix it?”

“How much bigger do I need to make it?”

“It doesn’t fit at all.”

“Not even a little?”

I shook my head.

“Okay, let’s get this done while the girls are cleaning themselves up. I need to be there to help them get ready.” She pursed her lips, then took the shirt from me. “George, put this on.”

He did what she said and she started murmuring under her breath.

I gaped as I watched the material grow larger until it hung on George like a sack. He shrugged the shirt off and handed it to me.

“I told you she’s good.”

“Does it come with a time frame?”

Lucille laughed. “No, I’m the best fairy godmother in all the lands.”

I put on the shirt, but now it was a bit too big for me. Lucille stepped forward and buttoned up the shirt, leaving the collar open.

She murmured something, and I felt the shirt shrinking until it was a perfect fit. “How’s that?”

“Perfect.”

“Good.” She repeated the process with the jacket, then smoothed the material over my shoulder. “Have fun tonight.”

I nodded. “Thanks for this. Just to be safe, I’ll be back in my room at twelve.”

“Whatever you wish. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t. And that goes for you too mister. I’m not stupid,” she said, pinning George with a stern.

He gulped.

“See you later, George. Don’t be late,” Lucille sang as she left.

George quickly found his voice. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I can’t wait to see how breathtaking you make my girl look.”

When she was gone, I turned to George. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

George shrugged. “No sweat, man. Besides, she’s really amazing, if you are into the Mrs. Robinson type.”

I punched his shoulder. “Dude, you do know that’s your girlfriend’s mother, right?”

George left thirty minutes later, just before Tabitha showed up in a tight dress that showed off her every curve. She’d been trying to grow her hair out, and it brushed her shoulders now, bouncing along with every step she took. I took a moment to appreciate her long legs.

She looked stunning.

I grabbed my jacket and threw an arm around her shoulder as we headed down to the ball. When we reached the doors, I shrugged on my jacket and Tabitha grabbed my hand as we walked in. For a few seconds there was silence before gasps of surprise. I didn’t make a habit of going to social events like these.

Instinctively, I felt myself searching for Elena.

I flicked over faces of people I knew but barely recognized. Everyone looked so different, so polished.

I didn’t feel her presence or see George anywhere, so she probably wasn’t here yet.

Tabitha dragged me over to a table where Susan was sitting. When we got there, she choked on her drink.

“How the hell did you get him here?”

“I batted my eyelashes and made a few sexual promises.” Tabitha winked at me.

I chuckled at the memory of Elena telling me she wasn’t the type of girl who batted her eyelashes.

I sat down, pleased that my spot at the table gave me a good view of the entrances.

I slipped on the mask I was so used to putting on around Tabitha.

“I’m not going to stay that long, okay? You know this isn’t really my thing,” I whispered in Tabitha’s ear.

“Would you shush? The girls are all swooning over you tonight. Believe me, it only enhances your ego.”

I smiled and she kissed me.

“Woah, looks like someone is giving Tabitha a run for the snow queen title,” Jeff said, whistling through his teeth.

I turned my head to the entrance, mouth gaping when I realized it was Elena.

She was the definition of beauty.

I quickly looked away and noticed Tabitha’s face had morphed into a glare as she stared Elena down.

“She’s not that beautiful.”

I wanted to get up and go to her. I wanted to sweep Elena into my arms and never let her go.

“She really shouldn’t wear high heels if she can’t walk in them,” Sarah said.

I looked back at Elena and grinned when I saw her wobbling awkwardly.

She wasn’t searching the room for me like I had done when I walked in.

I laughed. “She is going to break her neck. Someone has to help her.” I got up and strode toward her.

“Seriously?” Sarah asked as I walked away, but I didn’t wait to hear Tabitha reply.

A chair suddenly moved into Elena’s path and she wobbled some more, struggling to keep her balance. Laughter rang out behind me, and I knew Tabitha had made the chair move into Elena’s path. Of course, Tabitha would want to humiliate Elena by making her fall flat on her face.

Elena tumbled forward, but I grabbed her before she hit the ground. In her confusion, she grabbed onto my collar, almost taking me down with her.

Laughter bubbled out of me. “I thought heights were your only fear?”

She giggled, turning her head slightly so she was even closer to me. She smelled good. “High heels seem to be the new one.”

I helped her to her feet, keeping my one hand on the small of her back.

“Thanks. You don’t know the humiliation you just saved me from.”

“The way you look tonight, I doubt anything you do would lead to humiliation.”

She gasped. “Was that an actual compliment?”

“Hey, I still know how to give those. Besides, you really look different,” I said as I took in her dress.

“You are so not checking me out,” she whispered. “Go, before Tabitha gets a hernia or something.”

“You sure you’re going to make it to your table?”

Dean’s laughter interrupted our conversation..

“I’ve got her.”

I looked at him, snorting at the mask that rested like a pair of shades on his forehead. “Like the mask, Dean.”

“Yeah, well your sister made me.”

“Be safe, Elena,” I teased and walked back to my table.

Everyone around the table was laughing. Even Tabitha. She wasn’t upset.

“She almost took you down with her.”

“I’m with Sarah, she shouldn’t wear heels.”

Sarah laughed.

“You just have to be everyone’s prince charming don’t you?”

“No, I can never fill his shoes.”

Tabitha smiled, her eyes softening when she realized I was speaking about Lucian.

“Well, you are mine, and apparently Elena’s, too, although I hate that thought. But I trust you.”

“It’s about fucking time.” I pulled her closer and kissed her.

I didn’t have a clear view of Elena, but every now and then I tuned into her conversation, even though I was supposed to be paying attention to Tabitha.

Master Longwei got up and made a short speech, and I just barely heard him mentioning my name.

“Blake, I didn’t think that we would be so fortunate to have both Rubicons here tonight. Please, whenever the urge to kill arises in either one of you, feel free to leave before it happens.”

I gave a lazy grin. “No need to worry about me, and the other Rubicon is wearing high heels, so I think she’ll take herself down soon.”

Laughter echoed through the crowd.

“I was forced!” Elena yelled.

“Are you going to wreck this tent, too?”

“Not with a dragon this time,” she said, which elicited more laughter.

Master Longwei changed the subject and spoke about the ups and downs, the highs and lows of the year. He briefly mentioned Lucian’s death, not grouping him into any other category. The sudden mention of Lucian saddened me, but this time it was bearable. Not the soul-crushing sadness from before.

I was still here, still fighting. It didn’t matter that I was a coward. All that mattered was that I was still fighting.

When Master Longwei was done speaking, we ate and I found myself actually enjoying the company at my table.

After a while, I nudged Tabitha.

“Okay fine, let’s go,” she whined.

“You guys leaving already? The party is going to die without the two of you.”

I shrugged. “This is so not my thing. I only came tonight because of Tabitha.”

“Fine, whatever,” Sarah said. “Go have sex before you take her right here on the table.”

Tabitha giggled loudly. “Don’t be jealous now, Sarah.”

“I am jealous and I’m not even going to deny it,” Jeff said as we walked away.

“That was so awkward,” Tabitha hissed.

“Jeff is an idiot.”

She looked at me. “It really isn’t like that, is it?”

I frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She smiled, and I got the feeling she wasn’t speaking about Jeff.

Was she that insecure? Then again, she had every right to be.

I shook that out of my mind, but then I started thinking about Elena. She was probably in that tent right now, thinking about how different the ball would have been if Lucian had been here.

I didn’t like that thought.

Elena was never going to get over Lucian.

In my room, Tabitha did a little striptease for me, but my mind wasn’t in it.

It didn’t matter that Tabitha was one of the sexiest women in Paegeia, or that she only had eyes for me. I didn’t have the same feelings for her.

I was getting fucking sick of pretending. Pretending to be good, pretending to be someone I wasn’t.

Pretending to forget Elena because she was too good for me.

Tabitha was nearly naked when I realized I was parched, but there was nothing to drink in my room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Stay here. I need to go get something,” I said as I pulled on my shirt and headed out. “Don’t move, I mean it,” I teased and a sultry smile played on her lips.

“Don’t be long,” she called as I closed the door.

I was gonna go sneak out a bottle of champagne. That was all. I kept telling myself that until I entered the tent. My eyes flicked to the table and I realized it was empty. There wasn’t any sign of Sarah, Susan, or Jeff.

I scanned the room and found Elena sitting alone at her table.

I headed over to her, and with every step, her light warmed my soul.

“May I have this dance?” I asked when I was right next to her.

She looked past me at the table Tabitha and I had been sitting at earlier. “You sure it’s safe? I don’t want to get a frost ball thrown at my head.”

I chuckled. “You have frost balls, too, Elena.”

“I’m not a good dancer, and I fear for your toes.”

“Ahh, there is the right concern. My toes will be fine, and I happen to be a terrific dancer.”

She gave me an unsure look. “You?”

“If you tell anyone, you know what I’ll have to do.”

She gave me her hand. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She got up off the chair and almost fell on her first step.

I caught her again and pulled her upright, finding it hard to suppress my laughter. I failed and a deep rumble of laughter shook through me.

Luckily, Elena laughed along with me.

“This is going to be a nightmare,” she whispered.

“It’s going to be fine.”

“Everyone is staring at us.”

“Can you blame them? You seriously look hot.”

Her face fell. “Seriously? That’s like the best word you could come up with?”

She grabbed my arm and struggle to regain her balance once again, which made both of us chuckle.

”Okay, I can foresee this too now. It’s going to be a miracle if we get through this one dance.” With some effort, we finally reached the dance floor.

My hand automatically went around her waist and I pulled her close to me.

“Just take small steps.”

“In what direction?” she asked as she stepped on my toes.

I winced. “Not that direction.”

“Sorry.” I barely heard the word through her breathless laughter.

I lifted her, positioning her so that she stood on my shoes.

“You seriously going to do the side stepping for both of us?”

“It’s the only way for us both to get through this alive. Part Moonbolt, remember?”

“Oh, how could I forget?” she said teasingly. “Are you sure Tabitha is okay with this?”

I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, she is fine, Elena. She knows it’s not like that.”

“Phew, just as long as she is not going to demand my head on a silver platter tomorrow.”

I shook my head.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. “Where did you learn to dance?”

“My mother used the be the belle of the ball.”

“Oh really? Did she have to blackmail you? Force you to learn to dance?”

“I wasn’t always dark, Elena. Just these last few years.”

“I see.”

“Your father never—”

“No, we moved too often. Druglord, remember?”

I shook my head. “Or trying to protect his eccentric yet cuckoo daughter.”

“You’re really mean. There is nothing wrong with me and Cara.”

My entire body shook as I laughed.

The dance came to an end all too soon.

“I really think I should go sit. I don’t want you to have to explain to Tabitha why your toes are blue tomorrow.”

“I heal fast. Rubicon, remember?” I said as I helped her back to her seat.

“Just a suggestion, you might want to take off those shoes. Nobody really cares about shoes this time of night, Elena.” I winked at her.

“And give Becky a heart attack? You know I’m not fond of thunder, Blake,” she said in tone that conveyed just how serious she was.

“Fine, smart mouth. Thanks for the dance. I’m done for the night. I’m going to bed.”

“Yeah right.” She scoffed. “Say hi to Tabitha for me.”

I grabbed one lonely champagne bottle. I didn’t want to leave but I had to. From the way Elena spoke about Tabitha so easily, it was clear that she didn’t reciprocate my feelings. I was still competing with Lucian.

What the fuck was I even thinking? I shouldn’t even be thinking about competing with Lucian’s memory for Elena’s affections. I needed to focus on preparing her to kill me.

I took deep breaths as I walked back to my room.

Midnight would strike soon enough, and Cinderfella had to get back to his real life before his tux shrunk.

I hardly saw Elena the rest of the weekend, which was just as well, because I had made the decision to try and put some distance between us again.

I knew I was going to fuck this up again one way or another, but I had to try… for Elena’s sake.

My darkness wasn’t going anywhere, and eventually, her light would fade.

I would turn. It was inevitable. Elena needed to be brave and take me down.

I’d train her for a little while longer, but then I would need to tell her the truth. But I had no idea how to do that.

I was terrified that it would be easy for her to kill me. I didn’t think my heart would be able to handle that. That would probably bring the darkness faster.

Monday rolled around and I tried to be mean to her, but she had a witty comeback for everything I said, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

The what-not-to-do list was useless now.

I checked my watch and noted I still had an hour before Warbel practice. My curiosity got the better of me, and I wondered if Elena would indulge me.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked Elena before she could get up from her spot and go shift back to her human form.

“If you must.”

I laughed. “Don’t hate me, because I’m trying to help you.”

“Seriously? You should make up your mind. Don’t love me, don’t hate me.”

I smiled sadly. She remembered the first rule.

“So what do you want to ask me?”

I chewed on my lip, wondering how to phrase my question.

“Is it stupid?” she asked.

“Probably.”

“Fine, I’ll laugh later, what is it?”

I kept quiet. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her. Then, completely involuntary, a chuckle escaped my mouth.

“Just spit it out, Blake.”

“Fine. I always wondered why Lucian desperately wanted to ride me and I was wondering if you would show me.”

She stared at me, puzzled. “What do you… oh… Seriously?”

“Yeah, I really want to know how it feels. Find out what the big fuss is about.”

She laughed. “Fine, hop on.”

I kept my lewd remark to myself. I walked toward her and grabbed her main horn, hoisting myself up easily.

I’d managed it with such ease that I wondered why some Dragonians struggled to mount a dragon.

Elena let out a chuckle. What was she planning?

I wrapped the two whiskers once more over my hand to get a better grip.

“Easy, tiger. That is actually attached to me.”

I chuckled and loosened my grip, my body pumping with adrenaline as she stood up and threw herself off the cliff, diving straight down.

The trees rushed up toward us as we descended at breakneck speed.

“Whoa!” I roared from the excitement and adrenaline rushing through me. Elena changed directions on a dime, pushing herself up into the air.

I tightened my grip. I had, essentially, just put my life into Elena’s hands. It was one hell of a ride.

“Go for it,” Elena said, but she wasn’t speaking to me.

She twirled fast and the world spun around me, the force pushing me tightly against her horn.

She dove, came up again, repeating that a few times without slowing her pace.

It was a ride straight from hell.

Elena laughed.

“More,” I yelled when it felt as if she was going to slow down.

She laughed and I held on.

I felt sorry for whoever would be her rider one day.

She was crazy fast. A beast.

Once again, I wished that I had been born human, and that this would be my life if I had been.

My life would have been carefree. Not as intense all the time like was now.

She changed course, heading in the opposite direction of the academy. My palms became sweaty.

“Where are we going?”

“Just wait and see,” she said.

I swallowed the little fear that creeped over me.

She headed south of the mountain, on the opposite side from where we trained. She swooped down, then landed gracefully in a small clearing.

My jaw dropped and a soft gasp left me.

In front of us, the most beautiful waterfall I had ever seen greeted us. The sun filtered through the trees, making everything sparkle like diamonds.

I couldn’t stop staring at the scenery, and without waiting for her to lower herself to the ground, I jumped off her back, eyes trained on the waterfall.

Elena scurried behind a tree and I heard her speaking to herself.

I sat on the bench and pulled my feet up, completely awestruck by the waterfall and the beauty surrounding it—lily pads were scattered on the lake’s surface, moss covered the rocks surrounding it. Why had I never known about this beauty? I’d spent so much time on this mountain, but I’d never once wandered to this side of it. It was breathtaking.

Elena came to sit next me, her warmth brushing over me, but I didn’t look at her.

This place was dangerous. If I looked at her now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from kissing her.

We sat in silence, but the pressure became suffocating.

“It really is a beautiful place. How did you find it?”

“Don’t know. It was the night before Nicole tried to claim me. I couldn’t sleep and I had to find a way to clear my mind.”

“I like it.”

“That’s why I brought you here, idiot.” Her tone was still playful, and she nudged me with her shoulder.

I smiled.

Ducks and swans swam past us. The water looked so inviting, and I decided it was time for a swim. After all, I had to enjoy tonight. For all I knew, it might be my last.

“I’m going to take a swim.” I got up and looked down at her.

I smiled as I leaned into her, blocking her in her spot with both hands right next to her.

She pulled back a bit, blinking up at me in confusion.

“Join me.” I quirked my eyebrows before I ran toward the waterfall.

Without hesitating, I took off my robe and got in.

The water was felt glorious.

I turned around, and Elena quickly turned her head away from me.

She had been checking me out.

What are you doing? You are not worthy of her, Blake. You will pull her into your darkness.

I ignored the whisper rolling around in my mind, instead putting all my focus on Elena.

“C’mon, Elena, the water is perfect.”

“I’m not getting in there.”

“You still have a thing about naked bodies?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Do your thing so we can go home.”

“No, come have a swim. Otherwise I’ll get out and come and fetch you myself.”

She jumped up. “Okay, fine.”

I laughed. She was so scared of my naked body. I turned around to give her some privacy—seeing her naked would be a deal breaker.

I’d already broken my first rule. I couldn’t do more.

She sucked in a breath. “I thought you said it was warm. It’s freezing.”

“Oh, c’mon. It’s not that cold. Just swim around; it will get warm in a minute.”

She went under and swam toward me.

Don’t look, Blake.

Elena broke through the water a few feet from me, but the light was in my eyes and she covered herself with one arm.

I shook my head in exasperation.

With a devious grin, she splashed me with water.

I tried to block it and went for it, and she giggled shrilly as I stalked toward her. I grabbed her ankle under the water and pulled her closer. I was tempted to kiss her, but I dunked her instead.

Fuck.

I didn’t want to fight it anymore.

Elena came back up, spluttering and splashing more water into my face.

We played around for a few more minutes until I decided it would be best if we left. I was playing with fire and I would get burned. My own fire wouldn’t even be a match for what I was messing with.

Elena swam to the edge when the excitement quieted down, but just as she was about to pull herself out, I pulled her back in.

She looked at me. I desperately wanted to kiss her, but the consequences…

Focus on the task.

Fuck the task.

I was so sick of the war inside me. I just wanted to give in to the right side.

“Are you okay?”

I shook my head and opened my eyes.

Big mistake.

I felt myself getting lost in hers.

She was so close I could almost feel her breath.

I moved closer to her, and she followed my lead. Her warm breath brushed over my skin as she touched my chest.

The current I had felt the other day coursed through me again.

Any moment our lips would touch.

But I couldn’t do it.

I mustered every ounce of willpower I possessed and pulled myself out of the water.

I felt like breaking, like my heart and soul were shattering into a million tiny pieces.

She got out after me, and I was sure she would storm to the nearest tree to shift, or ask me to close my eyes as she rushed past me to get her robe. It would be awkward but—

“What, I’m not good enough for you, is that it?”

I froze. She hadn’t gotten dressed or shifted.

I turned around, my brow furrowed.

She wanted me to kiss her?

My gaze quickly roamed her naked body and it was everything I’d imagined. I don’t think Elena even realized she was naked. She was too pissed off. Where was this coming from?

“It’s like I can’t even count how many times that happens. What are you trying to do?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “It’s stupid and I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t get you.” The disappointment in her voice was like a punch.

“Surely you can see being with me makes you sort of calm and normal. Why are you fighting this? Lucian is dead, he’s never coming back.”

What? Shock coursed through me. Elena knew about the effect she had on me.

“It’s not about Lucian.”

“Then what?” she yelled.

“I’m turning dark. I can’t do this,” I said, trying to remain calm.

“You won’t as long as we are together,” she begged.

I wanted to believe her, but how did she know it would last?

“Can’t you feel that?”

So, it wasn’t a one-way stream.

Focus on the task, Blake.

“Feel what?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“You’re different when you’re here, with me. Hell, I feel that even. I feel funny when I don’t spend time with you every day.”

Definitely not a one-way stream.

“In what way?” I frowned. I needed to make sure it was the same thing I experienced.

“Like the dark becomes too much, but the minute you’re near, it goes away. C’mon, I know you feel it too.”

My heart clenched as her words sunk in. Elena would go dark. That was evident now.

I shook my head, knowing I had to lie. “I don’t.”

She swallowed hard.

“The dark is getting stronger. I will turn, no one is going to claim me.” I will take you with me.

“You can’t say that.”

“Yes, I can!” I had to get through to her. Why wasn’t she listening to me.

She shook her head and looked at the ground.

Fuck! I needed her to hear me. I hadn’t wanted to do this tonight, but now I had no choice.

“I think it’s time to tell you why I’m helping you.”

Her head snapped up and she locked eyes with me.

“You ever wondered how Paul found those Elementals so fast?”

“Yeah, he said that danger was coming, but instead it was already upon us.”

“He was right.” I forced a smile, hoping it would hold me together. “But it wasn’t in the form of the Hippogriff or him. It’s me.”

“Blake!” She stroked her face. She was going to fight this and I couldn’t…

“Don’t, Elena. Am I the only one who can see this?” I bit out, defeat and resignation ringing through my voice. “When the Elementals vanished with him, you turned. It didn’t make much sense, but when you started turning into a Rubicon, putting two and two together was easy.”

“What does me becoming a Rubicon have to do with anything?”

I sighed, clenching and unclenching my fist. “I trained you for a reason.”

“And what reason is that?” she spat.

“So when I turn you can kill me!”

It hit her harder than I thought it would. Elena stood there, her eyes wide, mouth open in horror.

That was not what I had expected at all.

“Are you insane? I’m not going to kill you.”

“You have no choice. I don’t want to destroy my home, or the people I care for. The Rubicon doesn’t give a shit about any of them. When he fully takes control of me, I will no longer be. It will only be him.” Tears pricked my eyes. Elena and I were the same. We were both great at pretending. This was going to break me. Trying to break her was going to be my end. “I don’t want to belong to Goran.”

“He’s trapped behind Etan,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“And I would find a way to free him. I’m sure you know more or less what it is our blood contains.”

She nodded.

“Believe me, I would do anything to free him from Etan,” I spoke softly. “That can never happen. We will destroy this world.”

She looked at me. Her eyes were filled with questions but I couldn’t see a single tear.

When had she grown so strong? I could practically see the wheels in her mind working as she thought it over.

Silently, I begged.

She had to agree. I could see it. This night wasn’t a waste. Not yet.

“There has to be another way, someone will claim you.”

“No one is going to claim me!” Fuck. What have I done? I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down.

When I opened my eyes she was right in front of me.

I should just fly away and deal with this later, but I couldn’t leave her here. Not while she was so open. I needed to be strong. “I made peace with that, you have to promise me—”

Her hand connected hard with my face.

“No, I will not kill you, I love you.”

My eyes flew open. She couldn’t love me. If she loved me, I would only ruin her when I turned. She needed to kill me.

Anger swirled in my bloodstream. I was furious with myself. It was my fault she’d fallen in love with me—it hadn’t been her doing. I knew what I needed to tell her. She was gonna hate me. I was gonna hate myself.

“I told you not to fall in love with me. I specifically said that the first time we started with this.” The words were so hard to say that I had to push them through my teeth.

“Well you didn’t make it easy for me, Blake.”

“I was being nice.”

“Oh and those almost couple of kisses we shared?” A sarcastic chuckle tumbled through her lips.

“I was being me. Nothing strange about that.” I had to come up with better lies.

Or maybe I wouldn’t have to.

“So what, you don’t feel anything for me?”

Why did she have to ask me that? I didn’t want to lie about this. How much more could my heart take? “No! I don’t. You are not a match for Tabitha.” Every word pierced into my heart, and I felt how everything inside me shatter.

She took a deep breath and it was then she realized she was naked.

She darted past me and grabbed her robe, quickly pulling it over her head.

“I told you—”

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry about that.”

“You’ve got to promise me.”

“I can’t do that!” she yelled. “You might not feel the same about me, but I do care for you. I can’t.”

She looked down when she ran past me, but I still saw the tears.

I heard her shift, heard her fly into the air, and heard the soft wail that rang through the air.

Elena would never know what that did to me.

I fell to the ground, trying to hold myself together. I couldn’t break. Not now.

A scream tore through me.

I had been wrong when I’d thought breaking Elena would break me. I hadn’t broken, but it was close. I could taste the foulness of my evil.

The darkness made me tell her that we wouldn’t continue training, and she didn’t fight me. She simply nodded before she turned and walked away, not sparing me a second glance.

It was as if I was constantly stuck on the edge, waiting for the day to come when the darkness would consume me completely.

Days passed, and I felt the darkness creeping in more and more. Not even Elena’s presence could make me feel the light anymore.

I drove it away that night when I threw it in her face. My punishment was to never feel it again.

That light. That peace. It was gone, and it would never exist for me again.

The darkness told me I had done Elena a favor. Whatever had held us together was finally broken.

She would be safe when I turned.

She’d just have to face the darkness alone, the same way I had.

Tabitha didn’t understand what caused the drastic change in my demeanor, and she badgered me constantly about it.

When I told her that I had stopped training Elena, she was ecstatic. Now she kept pushing me to cheer up, and every time I got more violent.

The darkness was close to drowning me, but Tabitha wasn’t the one who would push me over the edge.

She wasn’t Elena.

I was stuck on a ledge, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

One afternoon, in the middle of another fight with Tabitha, Elena came to stick her nose in my business.

I glared at her. What was she doing here? Hadn’t she had enough from me? When would she leave me alone? When I was dark?

“We’ve got a plan,” she said.

A fucking plan? She was ridiculous. I started to laugh. “It’s not going to work.” I slouched back into my chair, resting one foot on the table.

“You don’t know that. It’s better than asking someone to kill you!”

“You did what?” Tabitha shrieked.

“Calm down,” I snapped at Tabitha before looking back at Elena. “Stop this, you’re wasting your time.”

“We’re not. Lucian found something. I could see it in his eyes. He knew something; he just didn’t have the time to tell us.”

“I told you, he found nothing but Paul’s deception.”

“That’s not true, and I’m going to prove it.”

“What?” This wasn’t part of the plan. Why couldn’t she just let things go?

But I knew why. Once Elena made up her mind, nothing could change it.

But I would do anything to change her mind. She needed to kill me. Nobody was strong enough to tame me. If Elena didn’t kill me, I would destroy Paegeia.

I leaned into her, my face was inches from hers. It took all my willpower not to grab her and shake the stubbornness out of her.

“I don’t need your permission, but I promise you I’ll find whatever Lucian discovered.” With that, she turned around and started walking away.

“No!” I roared.

She whirled around. “Excuse me, you are not the boss of me. The last time someone told me no, he discovered pretty fast that there is no way to change my mind when I’ve decided on something.”

A blanket of silence fell over the cafeteria. From my peripheral, I noticed some students running away, but I didn’t care. I needed Elena to stop.

“I’m not Lucian. You will kill me, that I can promise.”

She laughed, which made the entire cafeteria gasp. No one ever dared to laugh in my face when I was pissed. “I’m not—”

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, but it was the only way to make her hate me. “It’s my fault Lucian is dead.”

She rolled her eyes. “The Hippogriff killed Lucian.”

“Don’t do this, Blake,” Tabitha begged, pulling at my arm.

“No, she needs to know the truth.” I pulled my arm out of her grasp and moved to Elena. “He came to me that day when he came back. He wanted to know where you were.”

Elena shook her head. “He could’ve asked Sammy or Becky that, too. It doesn’t mean it was your fault.” She was refusing to hear me.

Why was she being so dense? She was the only one who could save Paegeia from me. Couldn’t she see her light wasn’t reaching me anymore?

“I told him exactly where you were and with who.” I forced out a sadistic laugh, but I was breaking inside.

The old Blake who didn’t want to be dark was fighting again.

Give it up. You won’t win when the real darkness takes over.

“He told me that Paul was trying to hurt you, even begged me to come with him.” I looked at the ground. No more games. “I refused.” I made eye contact with her. “If I’d left with him, he would still be alive.”

Her jaw muscles clenched as she wrenched her eyes away from mine. She was thinking hard. Probably fighting her own mind, like I had for so long. She was probably trying not to give in to her own darkness.

She looked up at me. “I don’t believe that.”

I wanted to scream, wanted to tear this place down. But none of that would convince her of the truth. “You can ask Tabitha. She was with me when Lucian came into the room.”

Elena looked at Tabitha for confirmation.

“It was Tabitha who saved your life. She begged me to go after Lucian.”

Tabitha’s soft sobs filled the cafeteria as Elena’s eyes shifted back to me. The light that was always present in her eyes had vanished.

That wasn’t what I had been aiming for. All I wanted was for her to realize I was telling the truth.

Elena growled, and it sent a chill down my spine.

“Elena.” Becky was at her side in an instant. “Don’t listen to him. He wants the easy way out.”

She pulled her arm out of Becky’s grasp. “Don’t.” She glared in warning.

What had I done?

She needs to hate you, boy. Did you think love would make her kill you? The darkness laughed.

“You want to tell me you couldn’t help out your best friend because you were too busy fucking Tabitha?” Her tone was lethal.

I shrugged.

“You arrogant bastard.” Fire lit up her hand, and the crowd quickly dispersed as the Pink Kiss consumed her arms.

“Elena, stop this!” George begged.

She screamed and froze. Her hand went to her neck, and I saw a tiny dart.

Greg stood at the doorway with a tranquilizer gun in his hand.

Elena plucked the dart out of her neck, but it was too late. Her face was turning slack.

Her fire flickered.

The beast inside me roared, wanting, needing to protect her.

She was a Rubicon, after all.

My fire lit up, but before I could move, a barrage of darts pierced my chest. I looked down, blearily counting seven darts sticking out of my chest. I looked up just in time to see Elena collapsing.

Thankfully, George caught her before her head hit the floor.

Her eyelids fluttered.

A roar wanted to tear through me, but the world was spinning an my vision blurred.

“You’ve got your promise,” Elena muttered right before her eyes closed.

In my mind, the good Blake still fought, but the minute Elena made her promise, he stopped and went over the ledge.

As he fell inside me, I fell, crashing into the floor.

Everything went black.

When I woke up, my body was stiff and my mind was bellowing in joy.

I was finally free.

The good in me had fought for so long, but now I was free to be what I had been destined for.

Except, something was wrong.

I couldn’t do shit.

I couldn’t summon my abilities. Nothing worked.

What sick joke was this?

I roared, taken aback when I realized it was my human voice echoing around me.

I tried to shift, but even that failed me. Through the fog in my mind, I realized there were seven men surrounding me.

They were chanting, but I couldn’t make it out.

I sniffed the air.

Dragons.

Magic didn’t work on dragons. But dragon magic—ancient magic—did.

The human part of me had never known that. He’d never let the beast in. He should have just given in right from the start.

“Blake, calm down,” the Asian man spoke.

I had waited so long for this day to come, to watch him burn, and now I was useless.

“Someone stepped forward to claim you. Your abilities will be bound until you are in that ring, or so help me, I will put you down again.”

I laughed. “You really think I’m still tamable?”

“Yes, I do.” The way he spoke to me made me think he wasn’t scared of my evil.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Longwei.”

Before I could say anything else, something hit me in the back of my head, and I went down.

Faintly, I heard Edward saying, “He can wake up in the ring.”

Traitor.

When I regained consciousness, it was light all around me. A thick shield encompassed the arena, and I could hear a large crowd cheering loudly.

Laughter rumbled through my body.

At least I would get to torch someone today. When the wall came down, I would torch them all.

I would torch the creepers and that low-life scum hiding behind them.

No one would ever tame me. They would feel my wrath and fury.

I staggered to my feet and examined the wall.

It was thicker than usual, but it wasn’t unbreakable.

The seven traitors were still around me, still chanting to keep my abilities bound.

I roared again. None of them would stand a chance against the Alpha. I’d show them hell.

That human’s choice of song started playing. The good Blake had taunted me with it more than enough times. It wouldn’t work on me.

A pretty little thing walked into the arena. I sneered. I would make her my slave, my toy.

That pretty little thing wouldn’t last long with me.

I bit my lower lip, raking my gaze over her tight body.

The crowd cheered as she lifted her arms above her head, and a grin spread over my lips as I pictured those arms in shackles, dangling from my ceiling.

I sucked in a harsh breath as my power suddenly slammed back into me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I jumped into the air and shifted. I hit the wall, but it was strong and one hit wouldn’t break it.

An unfamiliar feeling suddenly swept over me, and I heard the vibration of the thousand knights.

Impossible! It was against dragon law.

No, this wasn’t over.

Gust after gust of my fire left me as I gave it my all. She scurried away to the nearest rock and hid behind it and I blew my fire more fiercely than ever before.

A ball of fire left her hand.

I mocked her with my laughter. Her flame felt like a twig bouncing off my scales.

But that unfamiliar feeling was still there, aggravating me. I let out more fire.

Suddenly, another gate opened and a poor excuse for a dragon flew out.

They couldn’t help her now.

I sent my fire in his direction.

I’d kill them all.

The tiny dragon hovered just above my head. I snapped at him. I’d have him for a snack.

But the wily dragon escaped my jaws.

I growled, letting my lightning loose. It ricocheted off the rock, sending stones and debris flying.

Suddenly it became clear. There was more than one tiny slave in this ring.

I snapped my head toward the gate. It was an escape route. I headed toward it, but that tiny dragon screeched like a bird, pulling my attention and begging me to follow him.

The slave ran out the ring, but I had a sense that there was still someone else here.

I let another fireball fly and it incinerated the rock.

My eyes caught the bird diving into the gate, and I watched it closed.

The cheering had stopped. The arena was still and silent.

That unfamiliar feeling still hounded me. It was overpowering, stronger than me.

I roared.

Another slave cried out. But something was off. Her heartbeat was steady, not racing like the previous slave’s heart.

Why was she pretending to cry? Was she mocking me?

I sent another ball of fire her way, and this time it hit her.

She was dead.

Nothing could escape my fire. Soon everyone would meet it.

A scream came from my flame. A force pushed back and my fire burned my scales as it hit my face.

Suffocation and fear tried to penetrate me, but it would fail.

I was fear.

The second slave rose from my flames, her clothing scorched and seared off.

How was this possible? My flame should have killed her.

“He doesn’t understand me,” she yelled.

No. I had broken her. She was a dragon. She couldn’t claim me.

“No, you are a dragon. This doesn’t count,” I yelled and she glared at me, her face void of fear.

“I’m not a dragon. It turns out that it was just the package I left Paegeia in seventeen years ago.”

“When did you learn to speak Latin?” She couldn’t even speak the old tongue when she was in her dragon form.

“I speak Latin?” she asked.

What was this? She was a dragon.

“I don’t understand this!”

“Don’t play dumb, Blake. You knew exactly who I was the first time I set foot in Paegeia,” she yelled.

The old Blake that had fallen pushed back in my mind, but I wouldn’t give him in inch. This was my time.

“I asked you that night if there was a way you could have a Dragonian, and you told me that hope like that didn’t exist. Brian died! Which tells me you knew exactly who Paul was and that he lied about claiming to be my dragon. Lucian died!” she screamed, and it vibrated all the way through my bones.

What was she?

Worthy, the old Blake spoke.

You are supposed to be gone. I killed you!

You said that love would kill me. You were right. But it put new life in me. I’m back. Every word taunted me.

No!

The pink flame consumed her entire arm. “I had to kill Cara for you.”

No!

I wanted to laugh. But I wasn’t ready to move my gaze.

She smelled like danger.

“She was the only one that truly knew me,” she shouted.

Oh, I’d have some fun with her.

“You don’t deserve to be claimed!”

She threw her fire on the floor.

She wasn’t going to walk away. It was going to end right here.

She’d almost reached the gate when she spoke.

“No, Dad, she gave me away to protect herself, you both did.”

“Coward!” I roared. No one walked away from me and lived.

I hit her with lightning because it was the one thing she couldn’t handle.

She grunted.

This wasn’t happening. She’d told me the lightning hurt her. She’d tricked me!

She regained her balance fast and whipped her gaze toward me.

Her eyes were red. “You forgot, none of those abilities belong to you. They’re mine; they can’t hurt me.”

She continued walking away.

No. These abilities were mine!

Her hands lit up as she neared the gate, giving the old Blake hope.

It’s gone, son, it doesn’t exist.

“Don’t mess with me Cheng. Open this gate.”

The gate opened. She was getting away.

A soft hum came from the crowd.

I turned to them and realized they were humming the song. How precious.

But with every stomp of their feet that vibrated through the earth, a shudder tore through me.

Then the real music started.

I roared.

“You still here?” she asked, catching my attention again.

Who was she talking to?

She turned her gaze back at me.

“You and I, let’s give them a claiming they’ve never seen before.”

I laughed. “There will never be a ‘you and I.’”

I release my Pink Kiss again and she dodged it.

Again and again she dodged everything I threw at her.

I pushed harder. She flew into the air but stopped, gently pushing back with her heels against the wall and launched, landing perfectly in front of me again.

She needed to die.

The crowd was going wild and it was driving me crazy.

I hit her with my lightning.

This time she fell flat on the ground. She rolled over to her side. She was tired. Easy kill.

But then she turned around and the same ball of lightning hit me in the leg.

It was more than just a twig this time. It burned.

More connected with my body.

She screamed.

I growled, trying to push the pain aside.

I stumbled and the earth shook.

It wasn’t just fire that connecting with my body anymore. It was everything. Fire, lightning, and ice.

I wasn’t going to win in this attack. Not this time.

I concentrated on the swamps, even though I knew it wouldn’t work.

She’d conquered all her fears with me.

I had been so blind.

The crowd went silent and I heard the blob. She was in the swamp.

“You can see this?” she asked. “Okay. I know what to do, Dad. I sort of became a dragon.”

She was still crazy, except this time she was having a conversation with her father.

“What do you mean, you heard? I’m never going to see you again.”

Was this a distraction tactic?

“I know what to do!” she yelled, and I felt her trying to push through my barrier.

How could she be this strong?

I refused to give up.

I opened my eyes. She was in the open, still seeing the image I had conjured.

It might not be her fear, but she couldn’t attack me.

I lay low and moved toward her.

The crowd screamed in unison, but she couldn’t hear it.

I was so close.

Just one bite and this would be over. She’d be dead.

But before I could make my move, she grabbed one of my horns and pulled herself on top of me.

I tried to hold onto the picture, as images of the Coliseum, then the swamp, and again the Coliseum flashed back.

“It’s no use, Blake. This place will not get you anywhere.” Her voice pierced my eardrums.

This wasn’t going to work.

“You’ve got nothing I don’t know about. It sucks you don’t have any secrets from me, doesn’t it?” The little bitch was taunting me.

I roared and threw her off my back.

She fell to the ground and I stomped my feet, but she evaded my attacks. It infuriated me to no end.

Die! I screamed in my head.

Finally, I got her and her body connected hard with the rock.

She lay still.

This was it. I had to do it now before she woke up.

My stomach rumbled and my Pink Kiss burned in my throat.

I was gonna burn the meat off her bones. She’d be nothing but ash.

Before I could unleash it, she jumped up and sent ice my way.

It was as if she was in my mind, ready for to my next move before I could even act on it.

Ice froze my body. I willed fire into my core and the ice started melting off me. Just as I regained my ability to move, an invisible force pinned me down.

I found myself on the mountain where we had tried to save the King of Lion sword. Trees pinned me down.

I should have never saved her life.

I forced myself to remember that this wasn’t real, and I broke free of the illusion. The last dredges off ice fell off me.

“I’ll wreck this place,” she yelled.

I was ready to attack when I found her on her knees.

Her hands were flat on the ground and the earth started trembling beneath me.

She got up slowly, and the earth shook more. I attacked with my lightning, hitting the one root that just jumped out of the ground.

Another took its place, then more tangled around my body like ropes.

This wasn’t possible. No magic was allowed in the ring.

It’s not magic, it’s an ability, the old Blake yelled. He sounded happy and it only spurred on my hatred.

It was my time. Mine.

The roots forced me down to the ground, and every move I made sent shards of pain through my body.

It’s over, dude.

“Yield!” she yelled.

“Never!” I answered both of them.

I tried to squirm free, but more roots came out of the ground.

The struggle weakened and exhausted me.

“Yield!”

I roared like a wild beast. I wouldn’t let my spirit be broken or tamed.

She was right in front of me, but the fucking roots were in my way.

I couldn’t breathe and my bones were breaking. Something between a shriek and a growl escaped my lips as pain overwhelmed me.

“Yield,” she murmured.

I’d had a taste of freedom, but now I was exhausted.

She might have tamed me, but I would never be hers.

I closed my eyes, giving into the aching exhaustion. The power that flowed through my veins left me.

I opened my eyes, surprised to find that I was still alive.

What the fuck happened?

Flashes of the claiming sped through my mind, images of Arianna hiding, her heart beating a fierce rhythm of fear.

I sneered, but it was quickly wiped away when I remembered Elena had taken her place.

She’d done this to me.

Another memory forced itself into my mind.

Elena wasn’t a dragon. She’d only left Paegeia in one.

Cara hadn’t been her way of dealing with things. Cara was real. An entity sharing a body with another. Elena needed to kill Cara. The images flashed through my mind in quick succession.

The Calupso potion.

Her speaking to her dad inside the ring.

I gasped.

King Albert.

The queen was her mother. Not Tanya like I’d thought.

I remembered Tanya’s daughter. I always knew the time frame was wrong.

Tanya’s daughter’s name was Cara. Elena was too young to be that dragon.

Elena must have Ascended when I unleashed my fire on her in the ring.

I felt only darkness and hatred toward her.

But now Elena was my rider. How the fuck had she ended up in that ring with me?

Professor Pheizer must have had something to do with this.

Elena might have tamed me, but I would never be hers.

If she thought this fight was over, she was making a huge mistake.

Sooner or later, I would be free.

I was nobody’s toy.

I didn’t care how she had claimed me, whether it had been fair or not, I was the fucking Rubicon. I was nobody’s pet.

I growled.

“Blake,” my mother said from beside me.

“How could you? I thought you loved me,” I hissed, putting all the hatred I felt for Elena into my voice.

“Stop that. It is for your own good. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because I’m nobody’s slave.”

“She is King Albert’s daughter! Your father’s rider’s child, Blake. Do you know what he sacrificed that night to raise you? You are so ungrateful.”

“Ungrateful?” Tears filled my eyes.

Disappointment was etched on her face. “You knew all this time. Lucian died, Blake! How many more were you willing to sacrifice to keep your secret?”

“Everyone!” A heavy breath left my nostrils. “I’m nobody’s slave, not even that little bitch’s.”

My mother slapped me, and my cheek stung from the strike. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you insult the princess of Paegeia.” With one last disappointed look, she stormed away.

Rage coursed through me, heating my blood, and I struggled to calm myself.

I tried to shift, but nothing happened. I screamed in frustration, shaking the bed frame.

My entire body ached, and my ribs seared with pain with every breath I took.

Why wasn’t I healing?

Those abilities don’t belong to you, Elena’s voice screamed inside my head. They are mine.

I groaned.

Constance came into my view.

“A few hours. You deserve weeks.” She gave me a shot, and though I fought hard against it, I passed out.

When I woke up, my body felt much stronger than it had before.

I could feel the shift, but I pulled it back.

Everything came rushing back including my hatred. My mother was wrong. It wasn’t my fault that Lucian had died. It was Elena’s.

I lifted my head and spotted Elena lying in the bed diagonally across from mine.

There was no one around. I laughed as I got up.

I wasn’t anybody’s slave, least of all hers.

I grabbed a pillow, intent on suffocating her, but the pillow wouldn’t go near her head. A force pushed back from her.

Who was doing this?

I pressed down with my strength, but whatever was protecting her was stronger than me.

It sent me flying through the air and crashing against the wall.

Footsteps rushed toward me, and I quickly stumbled to my feet as Constance approached.

Constance looked down at me, then back at Elena. Her gaze drifted to the pillow on the floor.

“What were you trying—”

I ran to the nearest window and shifted as I jumped into the sky.

I didn’t look back as I flew as fast as I could.

I didn’t know where I was going or even if I would return. Perhaps I should just kill myself.

Killing myself didn’t work. I healed too fast to inflict death upon myself, and the invisible force saved me no matter what I tried.

I refused to become like George. I wasn’t going to lose myself and fall under the spell they used to control us.

Not me. I was the Rubicon.

Each day, more and more memories returned. I remembered what a wreck I had been after Lucian died and Elena turned into a Thunderlight. How I’d felt like all hope had vanished. How confused I was. Except, I hadn’t been wrong. The events had just made it seem like I was.

I pushed myself to try and remember everything, but so much was blank. All I felt was darkness. And then I had woken up in the Coliseum, and it was over.

I wished I could go to Irene—I missed her—but I knew there was no way I could rekindle our relationship now that everyone knew the truth about Elena.

Fucking Elena. I didn’t love her. I would never love her.

She was going to set me free. Even if it was the last thing she did.

I’d been living in the Acker woods for the past two months, ever since I’d ran from the infirmary.

The people who took those who disappeared in the Acker woods had come to me when I’d first arrived, but they’d taken one look at me and left me alone.

How was it possible that everyone was so afraid of me, yet I hadn’t had the power to kill Elena that night?

I couldn’t shake my anger, no matter what I did.

I needed human contact.

My mother would never let me go back home. Not after all the lies and deceit.

There was only one place I might be welcome now.

Isaac’s.

I reached his place late at night, hoping he would let me in.

His eyes widened when he opened the door and saw me standing on the porch. “Where the fuck have you been, dude?” He stepped aside so I could enter, and I nodded my thanks, but I didn’t answer his question.

“Blake.”

“Don’t badger me. You know it’s not in me to yield, Isaac.”

He frowned, puzzled. “You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?”

“Elena’s not your rider. The Ancients don’t believe she’s the daughter of King Albert and Queen Catherine. King Caleb told them that she was a dragon and that was how she claimed you.”

I snorted. “They believed him?”

“Of course they did. That idiot claimed you for Arianna.”

“What?” That was fucking outrageous. Arianna was a weakling.

“Relax. You’re the Rubicon. It doesn’t work like that.” Silence lingered between us. He looked at the ground.

There was something he wasn’t telling me.

“Elena… She saved your father’s life, dude. She can’t be that bad.” He told me everything that happened, and how the Ancients wanted to kill them for it.

I huffed. “They all turned their backs on me.”

“Still, now you are free for some other idiot to try and claim you.”

He didn’t ask why I was lying.

“You need a shower and I’m sure you are hungry.”

Gratitude filled me. I could always count on Isaac.

I stood in the shower, letting the water wash over me, wash away my worries. When I was clean, Isaac had a large plate of food waiting for me in the kitchen.

I wolfed down the food, then crashed on the floor in his room, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Missy was hovering over me as I woke up.

I grunted a greeting.

“So it’s true. You did turn dark?” she asked.

I sighed. “Missy, I don’t have time for this.”

She gave me a no-nonsense look. “Blake, they’re saying she’s the Princess of Paegeia.”

“It’s a lie. She was a dragon. That’s how she claimed me.”

“A dragon? I don’t believe you.” Missy shook her head in disbelief. “Lucian died. That’s on you.” She stormed out the room, giving me a disgusted glance over her shoulder.

Good riddance.

I stayed at Isaac’s for a few months.

Yuri wasn’t happy about my choices, because he also believed Elena was the princess, but he let me stay because he believed what King Albert had believed—with good influence I might find the light again.

They were a bunch of fruit cakes.

“Don’t you want to call your mom and tell her where you are?” Isaac asked.

“What don’t you understand?” I strummed his guitar. “They don’t want anything to do with me.” I had the good melody going, just not the right words.

He smiled sadly. “She’s still your mother, Blake. I’m sure she is worried sick about you.”

“She’s not.”

Missy called Isaac, her tone frantic and he quickly rushed out. He paused at the door and looked back at me. “You coming?”

I shrugged. He was a fucking giant eagle. He didn’t need me.

He shook his head as he headed downstairs.

I strummed the guitar again, tuning it.

Here I was, practically free. Why didn’t I feel that way?

“Blake!” Isaac yelled from downstairs. His footsteps pounded up the stairs a few seconds later. “You are not going to like this,” he said as he entered the room.

I raised an eyebrow and he handed me a newspaper.

The headline on the front page announced that Elena could prove she was the princess.

“You know what this means, right?”

“You said the Ancients—”

“They always come with a but, dude.”

I roared.

Isaac held up his hand defensively. “If she can prove she is the princess, she gets her title and her dragon back.”

I snarled.

“That explains it. Really?”

“What don’t you understand? I’m the fucking Rubicon.”

“Who needs a rider otherwise you go dark,” he said.

“I’m already dark if you haven’t noticed.”

He scoffed. “No, you’re not. You’re stuck.”

I glared at him.

“It’s this or it’s her, Blake.”

“Then I choose this. I’ll die before I become her property.”

“What is it with you and fucking property? She is a fucking human. Not a piece of gold.”

He got up and left and I grabbed the paper.

King Albert had a secret vault below the theme park.

The vampire tree was the entrance and Elena’s blood would prove she was the princess.

I was screwed.

I chucked the newspaper against the wall as my mind raced.

Maybe I wasn’t screwed.

The vault had to be almost eighteen years old.

Maybe it would never open.

There was still hope.

I picked up the newspaper and found the date. I had to know if that vault was going to open or not.

They made a huge fuss in the newspapers about the vault. Luckily, Yuri didn’t own a television. They didn’t believe in technology. They focused more or inner human strength and relationships.

It was why Isaac was such a great friend, always eager to listen to my problems and assist with my darkness, even when it meant trying to tear off my band members’ heads.

The shifters were all good creatures.

“My dad is going to get a TV to watch the opening of the vault.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Blake, how can you be so cold about all this? This will be good for you.”

“It’s not good, Isaac!” I sighed. “Am I really the only one who sees what being a Dent means?” I ran a hand through my hair.

“Dude, you need a rider to move on, to become better, to get healthy again.”

“No, I don’t. You said I’m stuck, and I can handle that. I want freedom, Isaac. I don’t want to be enslaved.”

“The darkness is enslavement, Blake,” Isaac hissed.

“I’m still me with the darkness,” I said.

Isaac narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you getting at?”

“The Dent. It isn’t this beautiful thing that everyone makes it out to be. You really think I don’t want to be good? You got it wrong. I’ve spent my entire life fighting against the darkness. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. But I’m not going to become someone I don’t even know. That is what the Dent is. George doesn’t even know what he went through. He was out for a day. He hated Becky before the Dent. He couldn’t even think of touching her. And now, he can’t live without her? She is like the air he breathes, his food, his water, without her he will die. And he would take his own life if it meant saving hers. All she has to do is ask. What she says goes. Does that sounds like freedom to you?”

Isaac looked down, scuffing his foot over the floor. “Blake, there have been many bonds with our shifters where they feel like that about each other.”

I hit my fist against my forehead. Why couldn’t he get it? “Those bonds are formed through years and years of knowing that person, Isaac. Not in a day. I would love to have that, but I don’t want to be forced the way George is being forced.”

“Who says he is forced, Blake?”

“Because he isn’t the same, Isaac. I’ve seen it. George is a completely different dragon now. They can’t tame Chromatics, we are dark. The only thing that keeps the darkness away are the beatings, and we are hunted down when it doesn’t work.”

Isaac gave a slight shake of his head. “I don’t believe that. Your father had a great bond with King Albert, and Emanuel has one with King Helmut.”

“And those bonds were formed through years and years of darkness and beatings!”

Isaac blew out a frustrated breath, but he didn’t say anything.

“Those weren’t Dents, Isaac. I’ll take the beatings if I have to, but I’m not going down like that. The Dent is a spell that sedates who we are so they can control us.” Tears stung my eyes. “I will never know what real love is, never make a decision for myself. I’ll always have to do what she says. I’m the Rubicon, Isaac. The Alpha of all the dragons. But I will be nothing if I become her slave. Do you understand why I don’t want this?”

He stared at me, lips pursed as he took in my words. Finally, he nodded. “The way you explain it, the change, the strength of the bond, I believe it is some sort of magic. I refuse to believe that something as beautiful as the Dent is that, but I see your point. A bond that strong needs magic, or some part of it does. I’m just scared that it’s not entirely what you think.”

“It takes months for people to fall in love and years for them to truly love one another before a bond that strong can be formed. Yes, we are dragons. We experience everything tenfold. But I don’t know Elena. Whatever they want people to believe the Dent is, it’s not good, Isaac. I feel it in my entire being.”

“What if it is the darkness that wants you to believe that, Blake?”

“It’s not. I don’t admit when I’m wrong, but I know it when it happens. I’m not wrong.”

I wiped away a tear that rolled down my cheek.

Isaac inhaled deeply. “Okay. I’ll go with your version. You do fucked up things, but you’re rarely wrong. If you say the Dent is a spell, then I will try to look at it that way.”

“Thank you. It’s good to finally have one friend in my corner.”

He smiled. “I’ve always been in your corner, Blake. Always. And I’m not going anywhere.”

The day of the vault opening finally arrived. I leaned against the doorframe and watched the TV screen intently.

Almost the entire village had come to Isaac’s to watch it.

A reporter was speaking, but I wasn’t listening to what he was saying. Instead, I watched the statistics on the screen. It seemed not many people believed she was the princess.

The reporter spoke to a couple of bystanders in the vast crowd. Many were angry that she was claiming to be someone she wasn’t.

The reporter turned to King Caleb.

He seemed livid, trying in vain to control the emotion in his tone. “The world will see once and for all what a fraud she truly is.”

“But she claimed the Rubicon.”

“Because of what she truly is. Deep down inside of her she is still a dragon. She’s just trying to hide it. She will show herself to us again. Mark my words. Elena isn’t King Albert and Queen Catherine’s daughter. That vault will not open, and when that happens, Arianna, the only princess of Paegeia, will claim her dragon.”

The reporter turned back to the camera as King Caleb stalked off.

“There you have it from the King of Areeth’s mouth.”

An advertisement came up, and the shifters murmured among themselves.

Yuri caught my eyes, and I quickly shifted my gaze to the carpet.

He wanted me to tell them the truth. That they didn’t need the vault to open. That a dragon always knows. That I had known from the start who she was.

I didn’t. A part of me knew but King Caleb was right, Elena was a dragon.

Yuri start flipping through the channels to see if there was more on the story. He found a channel that showed what was going at the theme park. The reporter spoke to the people there.

She had more support there. Some were confused and said they would only start paying attention once the vault opened, but other than that, it was just a normal day in Paegeia for them.

Every news station was covering the event.

They were calling it a big day in the history of Paegeia, whether the vault opened or not. If the vault opened, then it would go down as the day that Paegeia once again had hope. If it didn’t open, it would go down as one of the craziest things a human had done to get attention.

I wished for the latter with all my heart, because then they would tear her apart and forget about the Rubicon completely.

The camera panned over the front, where history would be made.

I saw my father arriving first, Elena following close behind.

Mixed emotions came from the crowd. Some screamed profanity, others called for her to stay strong.

My father seemed to be acting as her protector. He seemed so different, like he had purpose again.

That would die when the vault didn’t open.

Then it hit me.

The vault didn’t have to open. I could stop it from opening.

I ran out of the house, shifted, and darted into the air.

I flew furiously, pushing past my limits. At last, I landed atop a hill that overlooked the event.

I scanned the crowd and saw both my mother and my aunt were there.

I smiled grimly. There was no way I could let that vault open today.

I climbed a nearby tree.

No one could forcefully open a vault that was conjured with DNA, but it could be forced to stay shut when it wanted to.

I got a clear picture of the space under the vault. I didn’t have to be close, I just needed to concentrate.

There were a lot of people here who would witness her humiliation, and I was almost certain it would turn into a shitstorm once she failed to prove herself.

I could already feel my plan working. This would give me my freedom.

Elena stepped toward the tree and put her hand inside.

I concentrated on the activation of the vault and heard the click.

I forced it to freeze. It wanted to move but it was stuck.

I’d made that happen.

I could do this for as long as I had to, and then I’d never fall under her spell.

King Caleb’s spoke, but it died out as a mother of a headache pierced my skull, attempting to cave in my brain.

I didn’t care anymore, it could crush me. Then this would be all over.

I laughed maniacally, but the headache pushed harder. The world turned black around me.

I found myself sitting by a pond. My Neverbreath was sitting there, but something was wrong.

I could feel her sadness seeping into my bones. Her loneliness punched my soul.

“What’s wrong?”

She refused to look at me.

I still didn’t know her name, but she filled me with peace, with light. Right now, I was still me.

“Talk to me, please,” I begged.

She looked at me, her eyes rimmed with red. “I can’t talk to you, because you are still blind.”

“What does that mean?” I wanted to get angry but something about her presence made that impossible.

“You don’t really love me.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’ve tried everything to be with you.” I knew she didn’t exist in this life. She existed in the afterlife and I had tried numerous times to reach her.

She laughed and it was like music to my ears. “Everything? You’ve done nothing. You are still blind.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

“I don’t understand what you are saying. You need to be more specific.”

“More specific? Fine. But I refuse to do this any longer, Blake. All you do is bring pain. It feels as if you are breaking me.”

“I love you, with everything I am and all that I have.”

A disbelieving sound left her mouth. “It doesn’t feel like that.”

“It’s the truth. My healing abilities always kick in. I’m fighting hard. I really am.”

“And maybe that is your problem. I’m wasting my time. Goodbye, Blake.”

I woke still on the hilltop under the tree, my head pounding like someone was drilling into my skull.

I didn’t know what had happened after I’d passed out. People were celebrating, but that didn’t tell me much. Either side could be celebrating.

When I pushed myself upright, I felt drunk, and I had to wait a minute to gain some stability.

The vault was closed and the corner of my lips quirked in a defeated smile. I felt like I had succeeded, but I feared the cost.

Would I ever see my Neverbreath again? She hardly came to me in my dreams anymore.

With a heavy heart, I flew back to Isaac’s.

I kept trying to tune into the conversations below me, but my hearing was all over the place.

Was it part of being stuck? If it was, I’d find a way to deal with how off balance this made me feel.

I landed in Yuri’s backyard. There were still a bunch of people here, and it was weird not being able to hear what they were saying.

I went inside.

Isaac was leaning in the doorway that led to the living room. He held a glass of juice, a broad grin lighting up his face. When he caught sight of me, his face fell. “Didn’t think you were going to come back.”

“Blake, where were you?”

“I told you that I would fight against this every step of the way, Isaac.”

He tilted his head quizzically. “Blake, what are you not telling me?”

I shook my head. “I’ve got a mother of a headache and my healing doesn’t want to kick in.”

I heard my father’s voice coming from the television as I stumbled toward the living room.

Everyone went silent as I watched the screen.

“How do you feel?” the reporter asked.

My father grinned. “I always knew that Al was hiding something. From the first day I saw Elena, I knew who she was. Everything made sense to me that day. My son has a true rider and the right royal is going to sit on the throne soon.”

“No.” The word left me in a shocked whisper.

“The vault opened, Blake,” Isaac muttered in my ear.

No! I’d used all my strength to stop it.

I ran up the stairs to Isaac’s room, and he was hot on my heels.

“You tried to keep the vault from opening, didn’t you?”

I feigned ignorance. “What do you mean?”

“You said that you were going to fight. The vault didn’t open at first. What changed your mind, Blake?”

“Nothing changed my mind. I was knocked out.”

“Blake.” He sighed.

“I will fight, Isaac. Even if it’s to prove that she isn’t the princess. But I guess I failed.”

A heavy silence fell between us. Isaac probably thought I was a monster.

Isaac rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Then I guess we just have to fight again another day.”

About the Author

Adrienne Woods is a USA Today bestselling author. Firebolt, book 1 of The Dragonian series is debut novel, and Dream Casters is her second series. The last novel in the Dream Caster series, Millue, will be released in 2018 early 2019. She just started with Dragonian Series spin-of novels called the Beam Series. Book 1, Moonbeam and Darkbeam part one, the Rubicon's story is available. The third part of Darkbeam will come in 2019.

For more information on Adrienne’s books

www.adriennewoodsbooks.com
erichbester@hotmail.com

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