Page 47 of Dragon Unleashed

One look into his cold blue eyes and I know. He’s deadly serious. I clench my fists and squeeze my eyes shut as the anger drains away. Chano knows none of this. I’m no better than Naeve and Zephyr. In fact, I’m worse. They simply kept Farrell’s confidence.

“Screw you, Farrell. You tell him before I’m ready to and—”

“And what? You’ll tell him I’m a big bad dragon? You think he cares aboutme?” For a moment he looks genuinely sad. “You, on the other hand…you have a lot more to lose.”

Leaning all my weight on my bag, I coax the zipper along, humming happily. I’m leaving campus. It doesn’t matter that it’s just an excursion for our thesis. It’s not here. We need data. But first we need sites to gather it from. Today is only a reccy tour to the closest area of interest, to see if we can’t find some supes who can corroborate what wethinkhappened there.

I grunt in triumph as the bag finally shuts, and stand up, dusting off my pants. For a long moment I stare down at thebulging holdall. After this weekend my life might look very different.

“You okay, Lorelei?” Chano murmurs in my ear, turning me into him. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean my head on his chest, listening to the rhythmicthump thumpof his heart.

“You’ve been weirdly quiet,” he probes.

I pull away and peer up at him. “Look, Chano, we need to talk.”

He rears back, holding me at arm’s length. “We do?”

Wrong words to use. No one likes the “we need to talk” line. Awesome work, Lorelei. He’s now panicked.

Standing on tiptoe, I give him a peck on the lips. “I didn’t mean that kind of talk. We’re good. We’re great together.” I waggle my eyebrows and he grins easily.

We’re good as long as you don’t realize I’m technically a royal. Until then, we’re peachy.

“It can wait until after the field trip. I have stuff on my mind. Mostly allegiance stuff.”

Chano grumbles deep in his throat, suffocating me in a bear hug. “Yep, that can wait. I have to spend this weekend with them. I don’t want to know anything else that’s going to piss me off right now.”

“Hey,” Zephyr calls from the doorway, an edge to his voice. “Less of that. We’re on your side.”

Chano grunts.

“There you are, sweetie!”

Zephyr flinches as Professor Allegra appears. Her perfectly straight hair is bunched into a high ponytail, bouncing along behind her as she walks. She’s wearing a pristine canary yellow pantsuit with floaty cropped legs, showcasing come-fuck-me boots. A pair of designer sunglasses perch on her head, completing the look. No one would ever guess she came from the slums like me. I pick at the jam stain on my grubby sweatpants, scrunching my nose.

“Be a gentleman and get my bag, Zephy,” Allegra croons, running a finger down the front of Zephyr’s shirt.

Chano lets me go. “What the hell?”

“What? The Virrey wouldn’t allow Lorelei off campus without Silas and a prof coming. I think he meant Lady T, but he didn’t specify.” Zephyr rolls his eyes. “Alice will let us do what we want, won’t you, baby?”

“I’ll letyoudo whatever you want to me.” Professor Allegra bats her magically elongated eyelashes.

“Can we go before I’m sick in my mouth,” I mutter, hefting my bag onto my shoulder and pushing past them out the door. She’s not going to have to hide their relationship once we leave. Now I have to watch Prof Allegra stick her tongue down her student’s throat for the whole trip? Great.

By the time we get to the portal I already want to strangle her. And she was my childhood hero? How things change. She came from the slums of Venez just like me. Hell, as a little kid I wanted tobeAlice Allegra. She defied the odds, clawed her way to the top of her field in magical science. Her sideways step into academia didn’t shake my childish adoration. But now? She’s fallen further than she ever climbed.

Naeve’s distinctive coat catches my eye. Why she insists on wearing that thing I’ll never know. She looks like she’s wearing her gran’s curtains. Only when I’m closer do I realize she’s kissing someone. His blue hair catches the light as he steps away, nodding in our direction before leaving. The barman from the Wailing Moon—interesting.

“Was that Beck?”

Naeve colors up until she could compete with a tomato. “Maybe. What if it was?”

I grin and muss her already mussed-up hair. “You look happy. I’m happy that you’re happy, Naeve.”

“I’m happy you’re not still angry.” She smooths her mousy brown hair behind her ears.

I frown. “Who says?” Hell, she’s right. I’m not angry. It wasn’t their secret to tell.

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