Page 71 of Dragon Unleashed

“You…guess?” He presses his lips together tightly.

“I shouldn’t have. I had a lead. I wanted to prove I didn’t need anyone…” I pause. “I did though. Need someone. Thank you.”

He grunts. “I will tell you this once, princess. You are making yourself weak.”

My protest dies in my throat with one stern look.

“You are destroying your relationships. All of them. You called on the rebellion to help, and yet you had no intention of leading it. You have a chance tobesomething, and the rebellion has a chance to make a real difference. And instead, you get their hopes up for nothing, you divide them.”

I’ve never seen Silas look defeated like this.

“Even if you are too much of a coward to fight the Angel King with the rebels, at least save yourself. Save your allegiance, what’s left of it.”

His words ring in my ears long after he’s gone.

I tried. I tried to pull on my allegiance’s powers, to escape those slimy men. But there was nothing there. I couldn’t feel them. I sit on my bed staring at my hands. If that had been Naeve… What if Naeve had no backup, no allegiance to call on? She can’t fight half as well as the rest of us. What if the allegiance breaking down leaves her vulnerable?

I don’t have to like it, but I do have to mend our allegiance. Somehow. We have to make it work. I rub our mark, its stubborn flickering purple and Farrell’s glaring red dot. All the colors of the damn rainbow, except the right ones. I won’t bow to the Fates, not on this.

We have to fix it.

Chapter Thirty-four: Lorelei

Silas didn’t actually sayI told you sowhen I admitted I need to fix my allegiance bonds. But the lines around his eyes crinkled and he pressed his lips together like he was suppressing a grin. Know-it-all. But even after the fiasco with the rebellion, and my stealing his pass, he still agreed to help. Although I’m not sure Naeve and Zephyr appreciate his brand of help.

Zephyr leans against the gym wall. His breathing is ragged, and his forearms are marked from the attacks the soldiers have been sending at us. He doesn’t have the bulky muscle of Chano, or even Farrell, but he’s lithe and normally he’s graceful. Tonight though, he’s breathing out his ass.

“We have to train like this two nights a week?” he grouches. “How am I meant to charm the girls if I’m stuck in here?”

One of the soldiers snickers, but is quickly silenced by a single look from Silas.

“You don’t have girls chasing after you, Zephyr,” Naeve mocks. “Your darling prof has run them all off.”

Muscles I didn’t know existed are hurting. But I can’t resist joining in. “Zephyyyyy,” I screech. “Zepppppphyyyy, you don’tspend enough time with me. You don’t looove me.” I peer over the top of pretend glasses then collapse in laughter, hands propped on my knees to stay upright.

“It’s not funny. She’s a nightmare. She even checked with Silas that I wasn’t lying about not being able to get out of training. As if I’d rather get beaten up than get off.”

He drags his long hair out of his man bun and tosses it over his shoulder with a pout. Naeve howls with laughter. I straighten, wipe the stray tears from my eyes, and pat his shoulder.

“If you don’t like it, if she’s trying to control you, Z…we’re here for you. You know that, right? It’s plain creepy, her dating someone our age.”

He watches me from under his long eyelashes, pursing his lips. “It’s not like that. It’s because of her dad…”

Naeve takes a long swig of her water, then regards Zephyr with her head cocked to the side. “An Oedipus complex? Freaky. How does that work—do you look like him?”

I nearly choke on my own drink. “Holy hell, Z. Daddy issues?”

“It’s not like that either.” Zephyr rolls his eyes and nudges Naeve, hard. “It’s sad. Alice’s dad was old when he married her mom, really old. The way Alice tells it, her mom was almost a child bride, barely legal. He died while Alice was only a baby. Left them both to fend for themselves in the slums. Alice’s mom did what she had to, to keep them alive. Mostly made her money on her back. Alice swore that’d never be her, that she’d only date younger men. Men who wouldn’t die on her.”

My heart tugs. I don’t like the woman, but the slums aren’t an easy place to survive. I should know.

“That’s heartbreaking,” Naeve says, rubbing her chest like she’s physically hurting. “We need to be nicer to her.”

I narrow my eyes. She meant me. She meant I should be nicer. I’m nice. Mostly.

“Now that the mystery of Prof Allegra is solved, and as great as it is spending time together, I have to scoot. I have a date,” Naeve announces. “With someone nearer my age.”

She cackles to herself as she backs out of the gym, narrowly avoiding the cascade of water Zephyr throws. Seeing Beck is good for Naeve; it’s brought out her cheeky, relaxed side. They’re sickeningly happy.

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