Page 64 of The Bond That Burns

I leaned forward, my voice easily cutting across the ring. “Careful, Pendragon. You don’t want to embarrass yourself. Or your dragon. Oh, wait... Too late.”

I’d already looked her over. Her eye wasn’t bleeding. Sure, it would probably be black and blue by tomorrow, but she’d recover. Still, she glared at me furiously. The exact reaction I’d been hoping for. In the meantime, she’d taken her eyes off her opponent and Laurent took advantage of the opportunity, kicking her in the side and sending her staggering, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over, gasping.

I winced, putting a hand instinctively to my own side. Then I caught Theo giving me a strange look and instantly dropped it.

“Focus, Pendragon,” I barked. “Or are you done? Was that too much for you? Giving up already?”

Before she could reply, a sound split the air. A deep, rhythmic beating that grew louder with every moment.

The class froze. Laurent paused mid-strike, his head snapping upwards.

Above us, the courtyard went dark.

My pulse spiked, no doubt in my mind who was making the shadow overhead.

Nyxaris circled the courtyard.

Oh, fuck.

“What the hell is that thing doing here?” someone whispered loudly, sounding as if they were about to piss their pants.

The dragon’s massive wings flared as he descended and settled, his talons gripping the edge of the stone wall. I eyed the wall nervously. It was a wonder the thing could hold him. I imagined Sankara coming back to find his classroom in ruin. He would not be pleased.

The dragon’s amber eyes scanned the training yard, lingering on Pendragon...before shifting to me.

The weight of Nyxaris’s gaze hit me like a slap of his wing. I felt dizzy, choked, as if I could hardly breathe. There was something in the dragon’s expression that I recoiled from.

Disdain. Contempt.

It made my skin crawl. This creature saw right through me. And it was clear, he didn’t like what he saw.

Pendragon hated me. I already knew that. But what I hadn’t realized was that her dragon did, too.

My hands clenched at my sides. I wanted to look away, break the connection, but I forced myself to stand tall.

Heat began to bloom under my skin. My heart was hammering painfully in my chest. Sweat prickled my temples.

And then, to my horror, I saw it.

A patch of scales shimmered on the inside of my forearm, just above my wrist.

I blinked, certain it was an illusion. Some sort of trick of my vision.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. But the path of scales caught the sunlight, shimmering there like molten fire. They weren’t going away. They weren’t a figment of my imagination. Those fucking things were real.

I folded my arms over my chest, carefully hiding the scales from view. As my fingers brushed over them and I felt their rough texture, a chill went down my spine.

What the fuck was happening to me?

I clenched my jaw, forcing my attention back to the courtyard where the dragon still sat, perched on the wall. Students were whispering nervously. I was a little impressed that none had run away screaming yet.

The dragon was still looking my way, his gaze stripping me bare. I was suddenly terrified he’d noticed the scales on my arm. My chest tightened as the heat that had been building up under myskin suddenly flared again, my cheeks burning as if they’d been set on fire.

The dragon roared. Students screamed. And suddenly, I couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped.

“Class is dismissed,” I shouted across the courtyard. Some of the students jumped, but others were already running for the door. They didn’t need to be told twice. “We’re done here. You can all leave early.”

I stalked out of the courtyard, not waiting to see if they’d listen. Sankara could deal with them when he showed up. I wondered if the dragon would still be there.

---