Page 91 of The Bond That Burns

I shook my head. “No. Not even Florence. Just you.”

“Good. That’s probably for the best. Miss Shen is a brilliant student. But telling her...” He gave me a sympathetic look.

“It could put her in danger,” I finished. “Yes. I know.”

“Good. Not to mention if Hassan finds out you’re aware of their intentions, it’ll put an even bigger target on your back.”

I nodded, then added, “But Nyxaris... What do I do about him in the meantime? What I read scared me. In the dossier, they call what he did ‘punishment.’ But...” I trailed off, my throat tightening. “It sounded more like slaughter.”

Rodriguez leaned back in his chair, his expression dark. “I knew Nyxaris was one of the more powerful dragons. But I hadn’t realized the full extent of his crimes.”

“Crimes?” My voice rose in shock. “You’re calling him a criminal? He’s adragon.”

Rodriguez’s gaze hardened. “What would you call it? Dragons are fiercely intelligent creatures. They’re capable of choices, of knowing right from wrong. Nyxaris chose to carry out those orders. Whatever loyalty he felt towards his riders, it doesn’t excuse the blood on his claws. Does it?”

My stomach churned. I knew Rodriguez was right. “He was a soldier in a highblood house. Are soldiers allowed to say ‘no’ when they’re given an order?”

“Always.” Rodriguez narrowed his eyes. “Sometimes our choices are all we have, Miss Pendragon. They define us, for better or for worse. Obedience doesn’t absolve anyone of guilt. Not dragons. Not riders. Not you or me.”

My breath hitched at the bluntness of his words. But I couldn’t deny they made sense. “So what am I supposed to do? Try to control a dragon who has a history of widespread murder, show the Tribunal I can control him? But it’s a contradiction, isn’t it? I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. If I can get Nyxaris to help me or even bond with me, I’m just making myself more valuable to whoever is planning to kill me.”

Rodriguez studied me for a long moment, his face unreadable. I knew the wheels in his mind were churning. “You need to talk to him.”

“To Nyxaris? I’ve tried. But I’m not sure how telling him what I’ve learned will help.”

“You won’t survive unless you understand him. Right now, you need his cooperation. But do not bond with him, Medra.” He used my first name, startling me.

I nodded. “I know. He doesn’t want me to anyhow.”

“Good. It would be too dangerous. For both of you. Once a bond is formed, Nyxaris will be as vulnerable to highblood control as you.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “This is impossible,” I muttered. “I feel so trapped.”

Rodriguez leaned forward over the desk, his expression fierce. “Stop thinking like a victim. We always have more power than we think. Now use yours.”

He stood up. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my reading about dragons, it’s that they respect strength. Show Nyxaris you aren’t just a rider in name, but in spirit.”

I nodded.

“Now, enough of this. We have work to do.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. “Thrallguard.”

“Right,” Rodriguez said firmly. “Like you said, you don’t want your mind cracked open like an egg the next time Viktor or anyone else tries to delve inside.”

I winced. That wasn’t exactly the expression I’d used. But he was right in theory.

As I prepared for his thrallweave attack, my mind was still a whirlwind of doubts and questions.

Then Rodriguez’s voice snapped through all the clutter. “Focus, Miss Pendragon. Or you’re already lost.”

Our lesson began.

CHAPTER 22 - MEDRA

A few nights later, the wind tore past, stinging my cheeks as I gripped the rough scales at the back of Nyxaris’s neck. Below us the jagged peaks of mountains glinted under the moonlight, their snow-dusted crests bathed silver.

I’d made contact with Nyxaris as soon as I’d left Rodriguez’s office. But it had taken him this long to fly back to me from wherever he’d been hunting. I’d refused to tell him what I’d found until we were face to face. If one could call it that when you were riding on a dragon’s back.

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