Page 145 of The Bond That Burns

“Because she’s not your fucking uncle,” Tanaka snapped. “She’s ambitious, yes. But not a monster.”

For a second I bristled. Then I shrugged. “Fair enough. I’m not going to defend good old Uncle Viktor.” I looked at Rodriguez. “So we know it’s him?”

“I have every reason to believe so, yes,” Rodriguez said.

“Well, he’ll fail. He won’t get within a foot of Pendragon.” I glanced at Tanaka. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“Wewill make sure of it,” Tanaka had the nerve to say.

“I can protect her on my own,” I growled. “Back the fuck off.”

“Stop it,” Rodriguez roared, slamming his hands down on the desk. “Both of you. The girl is too difficult to protect. It would be all too easy for your uncle to take her prisoner, Blake. You know this. And what could you do to stop him? Take a stand against the most powerful highblood in the land? You’re useful to him right now, but if Viktor was pushed, I have no doubt he’d kill you.”

I was quiet. I had no doubt about that either. “Fine. So what’s your grand plan?”

“Dragon’s blood is key to forging the bond. Without it, Pendragon is useless to them. We need to return Nyxaris to stone.”

I stared at him. “Are you out of your damned mind? We don’t even know how the dragons became stone in the first place.”

“Yes, we do,” Rodriguez said, looking completely unphased. “The Emberwatch performed the ritual.”

Tanaka moved around the chair he’d been standing in front of and sat down, looking for once in his life, a little shaky. “You’re saying your order turned four living dragons into stone? When no one in Sangratha could figure out what had been done and still hasn’t figured out how to bring the others back?”

“Me, personally? No.” Rodriguez shook his head. “But the order, yes. We had that power.”

“Do you know how to bring the other three dragons back?” I demanded, striding over to the desk.

Rodriguez hesitated. “I have some idea. But if you’re asking if I’ll do it, no. And it would take more than me, in any case.”

“Pendragon,” I guessed.

He nodded. “She woke up Nyxaris by mistake. I think she was trying to do something else. Work some kind of a ritual. I’m still not exactly sure what.”

I froze. Had Pendragon been trying to break our bond last year? Was that why she’d been in the Dragon Court?

“Whatever she was trying to do, I don’t believe it succeeded,” Rodriguez continued. “Nyxaris’s awakening was simply an unexpected byproduct of that failed ritual.”

“So you didn’t tell her to bring the dragon back?” Tanaka asked, looking a little surprised.

“No. I was...tempted,” Rodriguez admitted. “Until I recalled the matter of soul-binding. I also wanted to get to know Miss Pendragon better before even considering something as extreme as awakening a dragon.”

“So you didn’t get her to bring Nyxaris back, but you know how to put him back to sleep?” I said skeptically.

Rodriguez hesitated. “Basically, yes. We would require Miss Pendragon’s help to do it though.”

I laughed. “You think she’d help you? If she could hear us talking now, about returning Nyxaris to stone, she’d probably try to kill us all.”

“I have no doubt she’ll be furious if we succeed. But if we don’t act, Medra could become the ultimate weapon,” Rodriguez said quietly. “Her soul lost. Her body either destroyed or inhabited by your uncle.”

I shuddered.

“I’m asking you to protect her. But more than that, I’m asking you to think beyond yourself and to do something which will protect all blightborn. Perhaps even prevent another war.”

“No, you’re asking me to betray her,” I said, my voice tight but controlled. “Because make no mistake about it–what you’re proposing is a complete betrayal. You know she’d never accept this, Rodriguez.”

I didn’t know how much Pendragon cared about Nyxaris, but I had no doubt she did. Even though she’d never said so, everything led me to believe that. I doubted the dragon returned much of her affection. Still, Nyxaris had stood by her. He’d protected my consort when she’d needed him to. How could I betray him, knowing that?

“You think this is all about you, Blake?” Rodriguez exclaimed, looking disgusted. “Your relationship? Your feelings? Or even Pendragon’s? Grow the fuck up. This is bigger than any of that.”

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