Page 178 of On Wings of Blood

I groaned. “Not sure if that’s something I really want to relive.”

My eyes caught movement from behind her. Blake had just exited the refectory. There was a bottle of red liquor in his hand. I watched as he tipped it to his lips. His movements seemed slower than usual, languid, as if he’d already had too much to drink.

My pulse quickened. This was my chance.

Florence was still standing there waiting for me.

“Go on without me,” I said quickly. “I’m going to go for a walk. Clear my head. I’ll meet you back in the Common Room later."

Florence hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, really,” I said. “I'll see you back there.”

Florence nodded and left me sitting in the shadows.

Blake was heading in the opposite direction, away from me, and I thought I had a pretty good idea of where he was going.

I waited until Florence disappeared down the opposite end of the hallway before I stood up and began to follow Blake.

He was halfway down the corridor now, his gait slightly unsteady. Clearly he was intent on drowning his sorrows in that bottle he was drinking from.

I’d have to be careful. He was probably furious with me. I’d humiliated him, and not just once tonight, but repeatedly.

I trailed him through the winding corridors of the academy, moving steadily but cautiously. One wrong move and he might sense me. I had no idea how much the liquor he was drinking would actually dull his vampire senses.

When we reached the Dragon Court I smiled in satisfaction. My guess had been correct.

It was cold in the courtyard. I was still only dressed in the gown from Kage and the winter chill was biting. Even so, I hung back, watching as Blake moved toward the opening to the secret stairwell. I waited until the last possible moment before darting down after him, the passage closing over my head as I ducked inside.

The air was warmer the further down I went. This time I knew the way. But only to a point.

I knew Blake wasn’t going to take the same path tonight.

But I also couldn’t risk running right into him in the dark. I held back, listening for his footsteps, then matching my pace to his.

Eventually we reached the vaulted chamber where the massive dragon skull loomed in silence.

I hung back, watching as he strode right to the arched doorway labeled House Orphos.

I followed at a distance as he moved through the Orphos catacombs where the skulls of the house’s long-dead dragons lay asleep in their alcoves, hollow eyes looking out into darkness.

The catacombs finally ended and Blake moved into a deeper tunnel. We descended, step after step, down endless narrow passages. The temperature dropped and the scent of mildew andbrine filled the air. I knew we must be heading beneath sea level again, just like before. But this time I was betting we wouldn’t end up in Veilmar.

Eventually, I lost the sound of Blake’s footsteps. I hung back, waiting to see if I could pick them up again. Either he’d gone on too far ahead of me to hear them or he’d paused because he’d heard me behind him.

Finally, I had to risk it. I moved on.

There was no one ahead of me. The passage was empty.

The tunnel I was in continued to stretch ahead. I must have walked for at least an hour in the darkness, pressed in on all sides, knowing that above me was only a layer of rock protecting me from the entire weight of the sea.

Just when I felt like I couldn’t take the confinement any longer, I found myself ascending. Steep, curving stairs took me higher and higher. My legs burned from the climb. As I rose, the walls gradually began to change. The rough, damp stone gave way to polished white marble. Torches appeared at intervals in iron sconces along the walls.

The stairs ended. I was on a landing but there were no doors. No hatches that I could see. Blank white marble walls surrounded me.

But I knew I was in the right place when I spotted the bottle of liquor Blake had been holding, tucked away in one of the corners.

Before I could change my mind, I reached for the bottle and took a long swig. I choked. It was strong stuff. I felt it go straight to my head. I took another swallow. I needed courage tonight andif this was what was doing it for Blake, I’d have to hope it would do the same for me.

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