Page 234 of On Wings of Blood

“Does that mean you’ve decided on a healer path, Miss Shen?” Rodriguez asked.

“Not exactly, sir,” Florence said, blushing.

“Ah. You've received permission to extend your decision?” Rodriguez smiled. “They only do that for exceptional students. Good luck making your final choice next year.”

Before Florence could say anything further, a tall figure strode up and slapped Rodriguez on the back with an easy laugh. “There you are, Gabriel. Ready for Summerfell break?”

We eyed Professor Sankara with interest. The highblood teacher had changed up his appearance a bit, letting his normally tightlycropped curly hair grow out a bit. Silver stubble coated his handsome face, giving him a more rugged appearance.

“Not as much as you are, I think,” Rodriguez said, looking at Sankara appreciatively. “The beard suits you, Sebastian. Very pirate-y.”

Sankara tossed his head back and gave a deep, rumbling laugh. “You like it? Figured I’d try something new. Why not?”

I glanced at Florence and Visha. Were our teachers actually flirting with each other in front of us?

Rodriguez chuckled. “You’ll have the students thinking you’ve gone rogue.”

“Let them think what they want,” Sankara replied, giving Rodriguez a playful wink before turning to the three of us. “Good luck today, girls.”

As the two men walked away, continuing their banter, I noticed something.

“Florence!” I exclaimed. “Are you checking Rodriguez out?”

She flushed prettily. “No! Of course, I wasn’t... He’s a teacher!’

Visha raised an eyebrow, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh, I saw that. You totally were.”

Florence groaned. “You’re both imagining things.”

Visha’s grin widened. “Hey, can’t say I blame you. Rodriguez is hot. And with Sankara? Even hotter.”

I stared at her for a moment before joining Florence in a fit of laughter.

Visha burst out laughing, too, and for a moment, the tension of the day melted away.

Today was going to change everything. But for now, maybe this was enough.

As our laughter faded, I noticed another familiar figure approaching.

Theo Drakharrow’s posture was tense, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He approached slowly, almost shyly, his steps hesitant, as if not sure what kind of reception awaited him.

I felt a tug of sympathy at the sight of Blake’s cousin. He’d had a hard year and something about him seemed so forlorn.

“Theo,” I said, stepping forward. I wrapped my arms around him briefly before stepping back. “It’s good to see you.”

He looked startled, but his expression was grateful. “Hey,” he said softly, glancing back at Visha and Florence. I took a few steps away from them. “I just wanted to congratulate you. For getting through the Consort Games.” He smiled briefly. “Not to mention for getting Regan out of the triad. I know Blake’s thrilled.”

I still hadn’t fully processed that I was no longer connected to Regan in any way. It was just Blake and I now. We were still betrothed. What did this mean for us? What came next?

“Right,” I said slowly. “I still can’t believe it myself.”

Theo nodded, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another.

“It’s been a rough year,” I said, watching him. “I hope in the new one we can become better friends.”

Theo perked up. “I’d like that. You know you’ll wind up in House Drakharrow today, right?”

I nodded. “I figured.” What other possibility was there really? I just hoped Florence would be assigned to House Drakarrow with me. With her and Theo and Visha, the next year might not be quite so bad.

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