Page 22 of The Bond That Burns

Kage fucking Tanaka.

The other Bloodwing House Leader looked too calm, too composed by far, considering what his grandmother had just proposed. His expression gave nothing away, but my instincts flared.

Hehadto have been involved. There was no way Lady Avari would have proposed such a scheme otherwise. Kage probably suggested it himself.

Fury boiled low in my gut. Whatever this was between Pendragon and Tanaka, it had gone way too far.

This wasn’t jealousy. No. This was about the best interests of my house. About protecting the bond, the dragon. Not about Pendragon or whatever fucked up thing this was between us.

Her voice rang out, sharper now, and I forced myself to focus.

She was still speaking. No, not just speaking. She was fuckingconfessing.

“I never wanted to be betrothed to Blake Drakharrow,” she announced loudly.

I flinched.

“I wasn’t given a choice. You were all there that day. And later? Blake tricked me when he forged our bond. He manipulated me,bonding me to him against my will and then by feeding from me without my permission.”

I crossed my arms across my chest. I didn’t bother to hide the shit-eating grin from my face.

“Good luck, Pendragon,” I wanted to call out. Good luck complaining to a room full of highbloods aboutpermissionwhen you were a blightborn. She’d lose the crowd’s sympathy quickly. They generally didn’t like it when blightborn played the victims.

I barely resisted the urge to shout, “Grow a fucking backbone, Pendragon!” I decided it wouldn’t go over well. Especially not with Theo. I snuck a glance at my cousin. He’d shifted away from me and was looking straight ahead. Clearly, he was pissed.

I scowled. Well, fuck. If my own cousin wanted to disown me after all I’d done for him, fine. I had other friends.

Finally that idiot, Pansera, grew a pair and spoke up.

“You will sit back down at once,” Lord Pansera snapped.

“No, I certainly will not,” Pendragon snapped back.

I frowned.

Before the Arbiter could respond, Lady Avari spoke up.

“I, for one, would like to hear Miss Pendragon finish what she has to say,” the Avari matriarch said smoothly.

I growled. Dammit. This was really happening.

Lysander Orphos was nodding in agreement. The fucking traitor. I couldn’t believe what he’d dared to propose. Of course, he’d be in agreement with the Avaris.

“As would I,” he announced.

Lord Pansera hesitated, obviously fuming and afraid of what my uncle would do to him later, but relented. “Very well. Speak but speak quickly.”

Pendragon gestured to her clothing and my jaw tightened. She’d purposely scorned my house colors. I’d remember that. Yet another sign of her blatant disrespect.

Now she lied to everyone.

“I don’t feel any affiliation with any house,” she declared, turning slowly so all could see her in the First Year colors. “I chose to wear the colors of a First Year to this Tribunal not as a sign of disrespect to House Drakharrow but as a sign of my neutrality. Why should your only dragon rider serveonehouse and not all of you?”

I stiffened as around me, the room shifted with a murmur of surprise—and then, to my shock, with ripples of agreement. I saw several heads nodding thoughtfully.

I glanced down at Viktor. His expression was impassive. But I knew my uncle too well. Beneath that stony exterior, he was seething. Pendragon had just dared to openly challenge the stacked cards of his control.

My eyes swept the room again, this time landing on Marcus. My older brother sat higher up in the gallery, beside Lunaya Oprhos of all people.

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