Page 121 of The Bond That Burns

I opened and shut my mouth, then opened it again. “She can do whatever she damn well wants. It’s her body.”

“Good.” He smiled. “I’m pleased to hear such rationality from your lips.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t doubt me, Blake. Never doubt me. There’s always a plan behind what I do, though you may not know the details. Find another girl. A highblood one this time. Fuck her. Test her out. Then come to me if you want her. We’ll arrange it. A triad is stronger, after all.”

I couldn’t picture forming a triad now. Or another girl in my bed. Not after Pendragon. But I nodded tightly. “Sounds good.”

There was no fucking way I was asking Viktor about what was happening to me now. Not after the way he’d just been looking at me.

Whatever was happening to me? Viktor already knew. He’d expected it. He must have done something to me. But what?

I’d started moving towards the exit when my gaze landed on a door on the opposite wall. I must have seen it a hundred times or more. It led to the Drakharrow archives. All of our historical records had been transferred here when my uncle took up residence in the Black Keep. I’d never had any reason to visit them before. They seemed to be used only by Viktor and a few scribes and secretaries who worked for our house.

But now? If there were answers about what was happening to me—or about Pendragon, about her dragon—they might be in there. Viktor wasn’t going to volunteer information that could help me.

It was time I stopped waiting for permission and took what was rightfully mine.

CHAPTER 30 - MEDRA

The House Avari tower was on the opposite side of Bloodwing.

I hesitated at the threshold to the Avari Common Room, two canvas bags slung over my shoulder. My chest felt heavy as I stared at the door. I’d made my decision. I wanted to see Florence. But it wasn’t as if leaving House Drakharrow had been easy. In fact, it was harder than I’d expected. Not only was there Blake, but I was also leaving Theo and Visha. How would they see my departure? Would they think I’d turned my back on them?

Before I could raise my hand to knock, the door opened and a smiling girl stepped out.

I recognized her from the night of the ball last winter. “Evie?”

She smiled. Her hair was cropped short with points over her ears. Gold baubles hung from each ear and she had a ring in her nose. “That’s me. Welcome to House Avari. I’m one of the Wardens here. Kage asked me to show you to your room.”

Even though I remembered her warmth at the ball last winter, I was still caught off guard by her friendliness. I hadn’t known what to expect—or if I’d even be welcomed. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Thanks,” I said, stepping inside and trying to smile back. The air was warmer inside the common room, with the faint scents of cinnamon and chocolate. I glanced around and saw some students sitting by the fire. One was pouring something from a kettle into a couple of mugs.

“Lucas is always hungry,” Evie explained, watching where I was gazing. “You can almost always scrounge up snacks or tea or hot chocolate if you come down here at night. Amazing we don’t have mice, now that I think about it. But I suppose the servants clean up after all of us when we don’t notice.”

The Avari common room was different from House Drakharrow’s and reminded me more of the First Year’s space. The large room was lined with windows and filled with dark wood furniture, softened by cozy throw blankets and soft pillows. The Avari colors—black and silver—were everywhere. Woven into intricate patterns on the blankets or striping some of the couches. I saw half-moon motifs carved into some of the wooden furniture. A large tapestry hung over the hearth depicting a pack of wolves chasing a stag through a moonlit forest.

“Your common room is lovely,” I blurted out. I blushed. “House Drakharrow’s is very nice, too.”

“I’m sure it is,” Evie said with interest. “I’ve never seen it.”

“Yes, there’s not much visiting between houses,” I said lamely. “Which is too bad.”

She shot me a look I couldn’t interpret but didn’t reply, just smiled pleasantly at me. I followed her up a winding staircase much like the one in Drakharrow Tower. Evie stopped in front of a door on the third landing.

“Well, here we are. If you need anything, just come and find me. I’ll be in the common room all evening studying for a test.” Her smile finally dropped and she rolled her eyes. “Professor Hassan.”

“Ah,” I said with sympathy. “In that case, good luck. You’ll need it. And thank you, Evie. You’ve been so kind.”

“Of course.” She winked at me. “Kage wouldn’t want it any other way. Welcome to Avari, Medra.”

As she disappeared down the stairs again, I pushed open the door to the room then blinked in surprise.

“Florence!”

The room was about the same size as my room in Drakharrow Tower, but this one had two beds, neatly made up with black quilts covered with silver flowers. Florence was already sitting on one of the beds, her legs tucked underneath her.

Her glasses slipped down her nose as she looked up at me, startled. Then her face lit up. “Medra!”

Another figure stepped out from the shadow of one of the windows. Kage.

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