Page 84 of Dragon Unleashed

“Nice to know I’ve been missed,” I mutter, glancing at the clock. “I left two hours ago, and no. I’ve not seen theprofessor.”

“Shit.” Zephyr tugs at his silky locks, displacing more strands.

I can’t help myself, the words slip out. “I thought you wanted space? Not that it looked like that while you locked lips tonight.”

He looks startled. “Yeah, yeah, I do. How did you see that? Never mind, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I had a dream. I thought it was a dream. Idiot.”

He turns and vanishes back down the corridor. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him about the footage. I sit for another ten minutes, waiting for him to come back. He said it himself. He wants space. Eventually I steel myself and hit send on my email. Ifanythingis going to discredit Professor Allegra, this should do it. My careful wording is just the nail in her coffin. I didn’t lie. Shewasbehaving erratically; shedidhave an irrational hatred for any female near Zephyr.

I chew my lip. I wish I’d shown Zephyr first. Too late now. I start to dismantle the contraption keeping the tiny camera in my cleavage.Crap. The damn thing has been recording the whole time. Alarick is going to have hours of footage to delete.

I expected repercussions for leaving the ball early, but the Virrey seems blessedly distracted this morning. In fact, I’ve barely seen him. We’re back on academy ground by eleven without incident. I look back suspiciously at the portal, half expecting him to jump out with another ugly surprise. I walk slowly with Naeve back across campus. Beck already vanished to his precious pub and the rest of the boys trail behind us.

Our boots crunch through a thin layer of frost and the bright, crisp day lifts my mood. If I only have a week left here then I’ve decided I’m going to do everything in my power to strengthen our allegiance bond before I go.

“Hey, Z?”

He glances up from frenetic muttering in Farrell’s ear.

“How about a quickie?”

He blinks rapidly, color tingeing his cheeks.

“A quick game of pool, idiot. One track mind,” I mutter loud enough for him to hear.

“Just going to go check on Alice first, I still haven’t seen her.” With that he vanishes toward the professor’s rooms.

I roll my eyes and give Naeve a playful punch. “You and me then?”

“I’m going back to bed, Lorelei.” Her eyes are rimmed in red. “That party was exhausting. You’d know if you’d stayed.”

Laughing, I leave her to it and head to the common room to give her some quiet. The place is virtually deserted. Most people have gone home for Solstice already. I don’t really have one last week with the allegiance, do I? They’ll be heading home. Soon. I sink into the giant sofa and drop my head back against the rest.

Someone slips into the common room, and I peel open an eye. Zephyr. I shut it again. The realization I’ll be alone has sapped my energy. He sits on the couch next to me. He’s so quiet—at least for Zephyr—that I’m guessing he’s distressed. We’re at such close quarters, I feel his angst flickering down our bond. Heaving myself upright, I tentatively pat his jiggling knee. He stills.

“I’m worried, Lorelei. Really worried. Alice never leaves without a song and dance. She hasn’t even texted.” His tablet dangles from his fingers.

I scoot closer to him. I might hate Allegra, but seeing him like this is awful.

“She’ll turn up, Zephyr. She’s like a bad smell.” Okay, so maybe not entirely helpful.

He glares at me. “You don’t understand. She’s dead, and it’s my fault.”

I grip his bicep firmly.

“Whoa, easy, Z. Back up a few steps. Why would you even think that? It’s been what? Max twelve hours since you saw her?”

He tugs on his hair, eyes wide. “I told her. I told her about the Virrey and my bond.”

I drop my arm. He used the stone for that, for her?

He covers his face with his hands.

“I thought I was doing the right thing. She was gunning for you. Believed that me demanding an open relationship was your fault. I thought if I told her about the slave bond, she’d understand I can’t be tied down. Not again.”

My gut sinks. I didn’t realize he felt like that. Didn’t understand that’s the real reason he’s so damn flighty, has so many one-night stands. I thought he was a player; instead, the damn Virrey has ruined relationships for him. Every time I’ve poked fun at his man-whore habits, that’s what was behind them? Hell.

“I’m pretty sure she’s the one that messed my exam up,” I say slowly. “But thanks for trying, I guess.”

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