Page 129 of The Bond That Burns

Kage staggered but didn’t retaliate. “Calm down, Drakharrow,” he said, his voice even. “You’re overreacting. As usual.”

“Overreacting?” Blake’s fist connected with the House Avari leader’s jaw, sending him stumbling back. “You think I don’t see exactly what you’ve been doing?”

Kage wiped the corner of his mouth, his calm façade cracking a little. “And what exactly do you think I’m doing?”

“Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. Trying to take what isn’t yours,” Blake spat, shoving him again.

“Enough!” I exclaimed, trying to step between them. But it was too late.

Kage’s patience splintered. He surged forward, slamming Blake into one of the bookshelves. The impact rattled the shelves, sending a few books tumbling to the floor.

The two men grappled. Blake fought like a tempest, all raw power and fury, while Kage’s movements were more deliberate, strategic.

“Stop it! Both of you!” I cried, darting in again and trying to pull them apart.

Neither of them would listen. I glanced at the books on the table, suddenly tempted to wack both of them on the head with one. Then I thought of what Jia would say about a book being used as a weapon. Still, it was hard to resist.

A lone highblood student walked by, carrying a large knapsack. As he saw the two House Leaders fighting on the floor, he quickly picked up his pace. No other student would dare intervene. I was on my own.

Blake’s fist collided with Kage’s ribs. The sound of their scuffle echoed through the library, and my heart was pounding. They were going to get caught. We were all going to get in trouble. And then what? Detentions, suspensions, expulsion—the words danced through my mind. I couldn’t afford to have even more attention drawn to myself right now.

“Enough!” I exclaimed again, a little louder this time. “Stop it! You’re both being complete idiots!”

I grabbed Blake’s arm, my hand gripping him tightly and the motion seemed to finally jolt him back to reality. He froze, his chest heaving, his eyes still locked on Kage.

Kage shoved Blake off him and scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off as if nothing had happened. “You need to get a grip, Drakharrow,” he said coolly. “She’s her own person. You can’t control what she does.”

Blake glowered at him, his fists still clenched.

“Kage, I think you should leave,” I said firmly. I knew I was being unfair. He hadn’t even started this. But I suspected I’d have better luck asking him to be reasonable than I would with Blake.

He hesitated, then he nodded. “I’ll be seeing you, Medra.” He kept his voice light but obviously was intent on reminding Blake where my new home was.

When he was gone, I turned to Blake, frustration flaring hot and fast. But it wasn’t just frustration, and that was the problem. My heart twisted at the sight of him. He looked...wrecked. Exhausted. His entire body was tense, his face shadowed with stress. Was this because of Kage? Or something more?

I thought of Theo. I’d visited him in the infirmary since moving out of the Drakharrow Tower. I knew he was improving, but that didn’t mean Blake wasn’t still worried—or wracked with guilt.

I’d been keeping him at arm’s length ever since moving into House Avari, trying to rebuild some measure of the distance we’d lost. Surprisingly, Blake had respected that—at least, until now.

But here we were, standing so close, and suddenly I felt the heaviness of all the things we hadn’t said. He’d accused me of running away. Now I wondered if he’d been right.

I crossed my arms, trying to mask the tangle of emotions I was feeling. “Do you want to explain what the hell that was?”

Blake's eyes were lingering on the spot where Kage and I had fallen. “Doyou?” he asked, his tone cutting.

The guilt twisted tighter, but I shoved it down. “Nothing even happened.”

“That’s not what it looked like,” he said.

Annoyance broke through the guilt. “You don’t own me, Blake. We’re not married.” Not in the way I was used to where I came from. “We didn’t make vows. There’s nothing to say we have to be exclusive in...” I searched for the right word and failed. “In whatever the hell this even is.”

This doesn’t have to beanything, I reminded myself.

But that wasn’t true, was it? Not when I’d spent every spare moment turning over the possibility of breaking our bond. Not when I’d hesitated every time I’d come close to deciding.

I thought of the ritual Kage had told me about. A severing spell. Dangerous, complicated, and completely forbidden. But it could free me from this bond—free us both. Blake had no idea the choice I held in my hands right now–and something about that seemed wrong.

Except just like with all blood magic–performing the ritual wouldn’t be so simple. I no longer had my mother’s soul inside me, providing me with magic to fuel the spell, so I had no idea if I’d even be able to successfully conduct it.

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