Page 83 of The Bond That Burns

“Don’t worry,” I said quickly. “If there’s any trouble, tell them Blake brought him in. We’ll blame him. Neville’s half his problem, after all.”

Jia blinked at me, then burst out laughing. “Oh, Medra, you’re terrible.”

“Well, heisa House Leader,” I said innocently. “It’s basically his job to take the fall for this sort of thing.” And I certainly wasn’t about to let Jia or Florence take the blame.

Neville zipped back around to us, leaping onto a nearby chair and then back onto the floor, his eyes glinting with crazed mischief.

Florence shook her head. “There’s no stopping him when he’s like this.”

As if on cue, Neville skidded down the aisle only to halt in front of a new figure.

“What’s going on here?” a voice said sternly.

Kage Tanaka. The house leader stood at the end of the aisle, his tall frame casting a long shadow, his dark eyes glancing down at the fluffin before lifting to meet mine.

Something in the air shifted. I cleared my throat.

“Neville,” I said, gesturing towards the fluffin. “He’s having a moment.”

Kage raised one elegant eyebrow. “Neville?”

“The fluffin,” I explained.

Neville chose that exact moment to shoot between Kage’s legs, brushing against his boots as he darted away. Kage’s hand shot out instinctively to steady himself against the edge of the nearest shelf. He didn’t stumble, but a look of shock crossed his face. I bit my lip, trying to stifle a laugh, but it was no use. The sight of one of the most commanding highblood students at Bloodwing startled by a fluffin was too much for me and I burst out laughing.

To my delight, Kage’s mouth curved up in the faintest hint of a smile.

Florence was laughing, too, but she was hiding behind her hands. Clearly she was too intimidated by her new house leader to laugh at him openly.

“He’s been terrorizing us all evening,” I explained to Kage. “We’re trying to catch him.”

Kage’s dark eyes lingered on me for a moment then moved to the books on the table. “And what are you working on this evening?”

“Research.” I shrugged. “Just a bit of light reading on dragons.”

“Anything you need help with?”

For a moment, I was tempted. Kage was obviously sharp and methodical. I had no doubt he received excellent grades. If I was honest with myself, the highblood looked almost terrifyingly competent.

But the sight of the small black crescent moon tattoo peeking over the collar of his shirt gave me pause. The symbol was a stark reminder of who he was. Who his family was.

I thought of Elaria Avari. If she found out I couldn’t control my dragon, that I was desperately searching for answers on behalf of Nyxaris... Answers the highbloods might not want either of us to have... What would she do?

Still, Kage might have access to knowledge I could never hope to glean from all the books in the library. Who knew what secrets his family kept about dragons?

“I don’t think so,” I said, with not a little regret. “But thank you.”

He cocked his head. “You don’t think so?”

“It’s...complicated,” I said, hesitating.

He stepped closer and the subtle scent of pine reached me. I expected him to press the issue, but instead he nodded towards Florence and Jia, who were watching our interaction with interest. “Looks like you’ve already got a fine team on your side, anyways.”

“Yes,” I said softly. “I do.”

Our eyes locked. Then Neville darted between us again.

“I’ve got this,” Kage said firmly.

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