Page 70 of On Wings of Blood

I don’t feel my soul slipping away, if that helps,she assured me.Perhaps none of these books are quite relevant to our situation. Whatever magic bound us together in the first place was something beyond necromancy. Especially as we were bound by love, not simply a necromancer’s selfish desire for power.

Were we?I asked, feeling oddly embarrassed by her mention of the word.

Why, of course we were,she said stolidly.A mother’s love is the most powerful thing in the universe. Why, to think there was a time when I didn’t even think Icouldlove you.

You didn’t...?

I was interrupted by Theo Drakharrow slinking up beside my table.

His cloak was pushed back around his shoulders and his hands were shoved deep in his pockets.

He looked uncomfortable. Anxious.

Good. That was how he should feel.

I stared up at him. “What do you want?”

“Medra.” He chuckled nervously. “Looks like you found the library. Got enough books there?”

“Is this where you distract me so Regan can pull some nasty prank behind my back?” I said coldly. “I’m not interested in another chat, Theo.”

“Look, about all of that...” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I was doing Regan a favor, but I don’t like how that all turned out. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Yet you played along quite well. Helped Regan ensure I’d be late for Professor Hassan’s class and get reamed out,” I pointed out.

“Well, yes,” he said lamely. “But...”

“And you sure didn’t seem to have any interest in stopping her when she made me climb that fucking dragon and almost kill myself,” I continued.

“I’ve always wanted to climb one of those things, you know,” Theo said. “You looked amazing up there. For a moment, anyhow.”

“You mean before or after I roared like a lion and then plummeted off?” I rolled my eyes.

“I thought you were roaring like a dragon.” He tried to hide a grin but not before I saw it. “Well, before that, obviously.” He scratched his head. “Look, I just wanted to say that I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we’re going to be in the same house eventually. The same family.”

“No. Hell no,” I said firmly. “I’m opting out. But what a fucked up little family it is.”

He grinned lopsidedly. “I won’t deny that. Anyhow, I like you, Medra. I mean, you can try to opt out but you might find that more of a challenge then you think. And if you are stuck with us, then I think we could get along.”

I didn’t say anything. Because the truth was, I liked Theo, too. At least, a little bit. In another world, maybe we could have been friends.

“You keep terrible company, Theo,” I said at last. “Your friends are bullies.”

“They can be,” he admitted. “But they’re fun, too. Sometimes. You don’t know them like I do. We grew up together, and each of them...”

“Let me guess. Each of them has a different sob story that explains why they turned out so mean and nasty?”

He snorted. “Well, basically... yes.”

“No excuse,” I said bluntly. “We all have a sob story. It doesn’t mean we should treat other people like shit.”

“You’re right,” he said, a little sadly. “But... it can be hard to stop them once they get going.”

I shook my head. “What did you come over here for? Are we through?”

“I wanted to apologize. I mean, I do apologize.”

I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Does that mean you won’t go along with any of their future nasty little plans for me? Or is this just the first of many ‘apologies’?”

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