Page 153 of The Bond That Burns

There was a knock at the door.

“Blake?” Theo’s voice.

Swearing under my breath, I pushed myself up, then grabbed a towel from the back of a chair and draped it around my waist. Every inch of my body throbbed.

“Blake? Hurry it up. We know you’re in there.” Shit. Visha was there, too.

I staggered to the door, leaning heavily on the frame for support as I opened it.

Theo’s eyes went wide the moment he saw me. “Blake! What the hell happened?”

“I’m fine,” I croaked. “Feeling a little under the weather. I’ll catch up with you later. You two have fun without me.”

Visha whistled as she looked me up and down, then swept into the room. “Under the weather? Hungover more like it. What the hell did you drink? You look like you’ve been through the wars.”

“Nothing,” I muttered, staggering towards her and trying to block her path. “Visha, seriously, just go—”

But she wasn’t listening. She was heading straight across the room. Straight towards...

I suppressed a groan as her gaze landed on the pile of shredded fabric that had once been my clothes. She froze. Slowly, she bent down, picking up one of the pieces.

“What the...” She straightened up. “Did you get mauled by a bear?” She looked over at me and grinned. “Naughty, naughty. Did the rider do this to you?” She looked me over. “I didn’t know you liked it rough. But this... This is even rougher than my tastes.” She whistled again.

Theo had stepped cautiously into the room. Now his eyes widened as he caught sight of the pile of shredded clothes. “Blake...”

I growled, shooting him a warning glance.

Visha was looking back and forth between us with a raised eyebrow. “What’s going on? You two are acting weird. Weirder than usual.”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“Bullshit.” She shrugged. “But fine, keep your secrets. Let’s get you cleaned up and dressed. Don’t you have a girl waiting for you?”

She marched over to my wardrobe and began yanking clothes out. “Get your ass into the bathroom. I can smell you from here.”

I sniffed at myself. She was right. Damnit, I’d just bathed, too. And used up the last of the scent I liked.

With a sigh, I headed to the bathtub. This was happening. I just hoped I could stand on my own two feet the entire night. Because I planned on asking a dragon rider to dance.

CHAPTER 39 - MEDRA

I adjusted the gold sash draped across the waist of my strapless black gown, fidgeting with it for at least the fourth time since I’d put it on. I always felt unnatural when I tried to look elegant, since I never felt anything of the sort. I caught sight of my reflection—the sleek, fitted bodice of my satin dress shimmered with gold embroidered flowers. I’d braided my hair into a crown, weaving a gold ribbon through it, and leaving just a few loose pieces to frame my face.

Beside me, Florence’s delicate blue dress caught the lamplight as she bent over to fasten a pair of silver earrings. The skirt of her gown was made of many layers of tulle and looked as if it had been spun from frost itself—perfect for winter solstice night.

“You look so pretty, Florence. That dress was definitely the right choice.” My eyes wandered to the ledge by the window where she’d carefully placed a book last night. It had been one of Naveen’s favorites. A fairytale collection he’d grown up reading. She planned to read it before the school break was over and we went back to class. The sight of it reminded me how much he must be on her mind.

“I’ve been thinking about him, too,” I said softly, gesturing to the book.

Florence had been brushing out her long black hair. She was leaving it down this evening. The silky tresses gleamed as they fell straight down around her shoulders like a midnight waterfall. Now she paused and looked at me. “He was my friend for so long. I still can’t believe he won’t show up at the door in a moment.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“I miss him, Medra. I miss his laugh, his silly sense of humor.” She put a hand to her mouth. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop.”

I saw the tears in her eyes and quickly moved over to put my arms around her shoulders.

“Tonight would have been a lot more fun with him here,” I said softly. “I wish he could see you in that dress. His eyes would pop right out of his head.”

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