Page 177 of The Bond That Burns

No? And yet they used you to bring me here. They lied and they deceived. Shall I simply allow them to walk away unpunished?His golden gaze shifted, pinning Blake where he stood. Nyxaris growled.

Blake didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped away from the rest of us, moving into the center of the courtyard and raising his hands, as if he were surrendering.

“Do it,” he said softly, to Nyxaris, not to me. “If you want to kill me, do it. I won’t stop you. I know I deserve it.”

“Blake,” I gasped, my heart racing.

He turned slightly to me, his single eye meeting mine, and I saw something there that silenced all my protests. Shame. Deep, unrelenting shame.

Blake turned back to Nyxaris, bowing his head to the dragon. “I was wrong. I have done you a great wrong tonight, Nyxaris. I betrayed you and Pendragon both. I can’t take it back. But if killing me will balance the scales and save Pendragon’s friend, then I beg you–please do it.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Nyxaris’s chest began to heave. Smoke curled from his nostrils, rising into the cold night air. His massive body seemed coiled, ready to spring. I could feel the heat rising off him.

In a flash I was there, standing in front of Blake, my hands raised, palms out. “Stop! Nyxaris, stop.” I took a deep breath. “If you’re going to burn him, you’ll have to burn me, too.”

Nyxaris’s amber eyes met mine.Move aside. Do not test me. He is not worthy of you. Deep down, you have always known this to be true.

“I’m not testing you,” I said steadily, though my knees felt weak. “But he’s mine. Right or wrong, he’s mine. I won’t let you harm him.”

Blake’s head jerked up, his face shifting to shock and surprise.

The weight of my words hung between us. I hadn’t forgiven him—not yet. All I knew was I couldn’t lose him, too.

Nyxaris growled, but the fire in his chest receded. He snapped his jaws open and shut and I tried not to flinch.You protect him. Why?

Because I believe there’s good in him,I answered.And because right now, this isn’t about him. It’s about Florence. Will you help her or not?

Nyxaris lowered his massive head until his golden eyes were level with mine.You ask too much of me.

I know. I always have. It’s not fair. Believe me, I know that. But I’m not asking you to trust me right now.I took a deep breath.Trust her. Florence is good. Pure. She’s nothing like the highbloods you hate. She’s better than I am. If you’re going to take a chance on anyone in this miserable, corrupt world, Nyxaris, then take a chance on her. I will never ask you for anything again, I swear it.

Nyxaris regarded me in silence. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at Florence, his massive chest rising and falling as he pondered.

The courtyard felt deathly still. No one moved. No one spoke.

I held my breath. He was going to say no. I knew he was going to say no. There was nothing else I could do and now Florence was going to die.

A small, insistent sound broke the silence.

A yipping noise that shifted into a soft trill—like the hum of a lullaby sung in a foreign language.

Neville.

The fluffin raced out from the shadows, his tiny paws pattering across the blood-soaked stones. His tufted ears were back as he fixed his large, owl-like eyes on where Florence lay.

He trotted up to her, sniffing her face, his whiskers twitching, then let out another melodic hum—a sound so mournful, so achingly beautiful, that I felt it deep in my heart.

Nyxaris froze, his body going still as stone. His great eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at Neville.What is this? I know this creature. I know its kind.

As if he had heard Nyxaris, Neville turned and padded over to one of the dragon’s massive clawed feet. Then, without hesitation, he climbed up onto it.

The fluffin looked absurdly tiny sitting there against the dragon’s ebony talons. But he sat as if he belonged there, still trilling softly, his eyes glowing brighter.

This...this cannot be,Nyxaris murmured.

Neville simply hummed louder, the sound wrapping around us like a warm embrace. As the fluffin sat there on the dragon’s foot, for the first time, Nyxaris didn’t look like merely a creature of vengeance and fire. He looked...more at peace.

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