Текст книги "On wings of blood"

Автор книги: Briar Boleyn

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 34 (всего у книги 36 страниц)

But I settled for going on the offense. “What of it? It was my right to protect my consort. Even if it was from her co-consort. I did what I had to do and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“If there’s to be a punishment for what Blake did,” Pendragon said, stepping forward, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. “Let it be mine to accept. I only did what was necessary to survive. I was desperate. I didn’t want to go up against Regan. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I met with Regan before the Games and asked her to work with me. I truly tried. When she and Gretchen and Quinn came after me, I defended myself. But I tried to show restraint.”

I couldn’t help it. I chuckled. “You certainly did. Far more than most would have.”

And now her restraint might actually pay off. If she’d dared to kill a highblood consort back on that island...

Headmaster Kim glared at me. But I knew he was thinking the same thing. She’d shown more self-control than any highblood in the room would have.

“It wasn’t until Regan had no other choice that she agreed to work together,” Pendragon continued. “And even then I had a choice. I could have left her alone in that dome to die when she was overwhelmed by the...creature. But I didn’t. I helped her fight that monster. I didn’t abandon her when I had the chance. Even though I know she’d have abandoned me.”

I felt a rush of pride. What she spoke of was mercy. Not a trait typically valued at Bloodwing. Still, I wondered if Lord Pansera understood how close he’d come to losing his daughter because of her own petty selfishness.

I didn’t see a thank you forming on his lips though. He wasn’t about to stoop to thank a blightborn, no matter what she’d done for his family.

Kim was watching us carefully, his fingers steepled over his desk. “Typically, an archon strengthening a blightborn consort with his blood would not be condoned in the games. But nor would it have been necessary in the first place, for consorts are encouraged to help one another. In this case, many other rules had been broken first. Perhaps the first and foremost, the one which governs consort behavior. I’ve interviewed a number of Miss Pansera’s friends. They’ve all testified that she was absolutely determined to refuse to assist Miss Pendragon in any way.” He glanced at me. “I presume you learned of your consort’s defiance beforehand?”

“I did. I learned of it and acted to thwart it,” I said.

Kim’s eyes flared with something like approval, which surprised me. “Very well. I see no reason to punish Medra Pendragon or Blake Drakharrow for what happened in the Games. Miss Pendragon acted primarily in self-defense. She drank her archon’s blood at his command. Unlike Miss Pansera, she deferred to his instructions. She did not seek out an advantage intentionally.”

I could feel Pendragon exhale beside me.

But Regan’s fate still hung in the air. I wasn’t about to let her off the hook so easily.

“Thank you, Headmaster Kim. Your judgment is fair as always,” I said calmly. “However, that leaves Miss Pansera’s punishment to still be determined. Before you discuss that matter, let me state now, before all of you, that I refuse to accept Miss Pansera as my consort any longer. She betrayed me and my triad. I invoke the Right of Dissolution. I hereby end our betrothal.”

Regan’s face paled. Her father’s eyes darkened with fury.

“Tread carefully, boy,” Lord Pansera growled.

“Silence, Pansera.” My uncle spoke for the first time. “The boy is within his rights.”

Part of me was shocked that Viktor wasn’t contradicting me, that he wasn’t going to try to persuade me not to cut Regan loose.

I leaned forward. “Your daughter betrayed me, Lord Pansera. She defied me.”

Lord Pansera slammed his hands down onto the back of Regan’s chair. I watched her jump. “You can’t just throw my daughter away like she’s nothing! My daughter has been loyal to you and to your family...”

“No,” I cut him off. “I beg you to say no more about loyalty. Your daughter has no loyalty to anyone but herself and I think you know that. Good luck finding her a new archon.”

Regan shot out of her chair, her face contorted with fury. “You can’t do this. You don’t understand, Blake. Everything I did, I was doing it for you. For us! I wanted things to be like before. Don’t throw it all away. Not for that blightborn bitch!”

“I'm not,” I snapped. “I’m not throwing anything away that’s worth having. Nothing but you, Regan.”

Her lips quivered in anger.

“Miss Pansera.” Headmaster Kim’s voice was icy. “Sit back down.” He turned his head towards me. “Very well. Blake, if your uncle makes no complaint, I will accept your request.” He looked over at Viktor. My uncle gave a slight nod. “Let the betrothal between Blake Drakharrow and Regan Pansera be dissolved. My secretary will notify the Sanctum and have the records adjusted accordingly.”

Kim’s eyes shifted to Pendragon. “But we are not through with Miss Pansera’s hearing. By highblood law, the death penalty may be invoked for her actions in the Games. Miss Pendragon, as the injured party, you may invoke the Right of Retribution. Do you wish to do so?”

Every eye in the room was suddenly on Pendragon.

“I...” she started to say.

But Lord Pansera cut her off. “Absolutely not, Headmaster. Go no further with this, I warn you. What you propose is an outrage. A blightborn cannot decide the fate of a highblood. If you are determined to continue this farce, I will have to demand the establishment of a tribunal.”

We all knew what would happen then.

“No tribunal is required for a disciplinary hearing having to do with a triad when all parties attend this academy,” Headmaster Kim said coldly. “But on the chance that you later wish to question these proceedings at the highest level, allow me to alter my original question to one that I believe no tribunal would take issue with.” He looked over at me. “Blake Drakharrow, as archon of this triad until a few moments ago, the final decision will be left with you. Do you wish to invoke the Right of Retribution for Miss Pansera’s actions against both you and your other consort in the Games?”

I stared back at him. If I said yes, Regan would be executed.

I looked down at the woman by my side. Without having to ask, I already knew what she’d want me to say.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 57 – MEDRA

“You did the right thing,” I said, as we stepped into the hall.

“Let’s just get away from here as quickly as possible before I fucking explode,” Blake snapped. “Was it the right thing? It sure as hell didn’t feel like it.”

“It was,” I insisted. I gulped down a deep breath, thinking of Naveen. Would Regan’s death have paid for his? Would it have been sufficient? Or would it simply have started a new feud between Regan’s family and Blake’s, ultimately leading to more bloodshed, more chaos, more loss of blightborn life? In the end, Regan hadn’t chosen Naveen to die in that dome. I had. “It was the right thing for me. I couldn’t live with the guilt of another death on my shoulders.”

Blake stopped and turned back to look at me. “Even if it was Regan’s?” He raised his hand and brushed it against my cheek. To my surprise, I didn’t pull away. “She didn’t deserve your mercy.”

“She’ll never believe it was mine. She thinks it was your mercy,” I reminded him.

He laughed. “I’ll set her straight about that if she dares to come near me.” I felt him glance down at me. “In fact, if she comes near you, I want to know about it. If she ever dares to lay a single finger upon you, I’ll...”

“You’ll what?” I demanded, whirling to face him. “Kill her yourself?”

“Maybe,” he said at last. He shrugged. “I don’t usually kill women.”

“So, she’s safe then.” I rolled my eyes.

He grinned. “I didn’t say Visha had any qualms about it.”

I shook my head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You love it. Admit it.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me into an alcove, leaning back against a stone windowsill and trapping my body between his long legs. “Tell me you love it when I kill for you.”

“What the hell is happening here?” I asked, but the words came out half-heartedly. My heart was pounding. He was so very close. So very warm. “I didn’t ask you to kill anyone.”

He leaned forward, nuzzling his face against mine. “But you could. Ask me, I mean.”

I looked down at him, at the smirk playing over his wide mouth, at those beautiful lips. Being around Blake was like dancing on the edge of a blade. Dangerous but intoxicating.

He pulled me closer against him until there was almost no space left between us. “Admit it, Pendragon. Admit that you love it when I get my hands dirty for you.”

My mind whirled. “Blake...”

He cut me off, his finger moving to tilt my chin upwards so I had to meet his eyes. “You think I’m joking, but I’m not.” His voice turned serious, more raw. “While you were in the Games, I realized something.”

I swallowed hard and tried to pull away again. But his hands gripped my waist, not painfully but tight. “Fine. And what was it?”

“That I’d do anything for you,” he said simply. “Hurt anyone. Kill anyone.”

My breath caught as the words settled over me. He meant it. I knew he did.

I stared down at his chest, then lifted my finger to the triangle of exposed white skin, tracing the top of his dragon tattoos. His body stiffened beneath my touch, goosebumps forming under my fingers.

What the hell was I doing?

“I don’t want that,” I said softly, finally lifting my head and looking into his eyes. “I don't want you to kill for me.”

He was quiet for a moment. Then he pushed his forehead against mine. “It doesn’t matter what you want, Pendragon. You’ll never have to ask.”

My heart raced. My body was responding to him, with or without my permission.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered again. His breath moved over my skin, warm and familiar.

I shivered. “I’ve missed you, too,” I breathed. “But Blake, I...”

The kiss was like a thunderstorm that had been gathering for far too long. His lips crushed mine, desperate, heated. Lightning flared. Sparks deep in my soul. My blood tingled.

I should have pushed him away. But I didn’t. Instead, I wound my hands around his neck, pulling him closer down to me, sliding my hands into his hair, unable to bear the distance between us for another second.

Blake’s hands gripped my waist. He pulled me against him, flattening my breasts against his chest. I could feel every inch of him.

He kissed me as if I were air and he couldn’t get enough.

He kissed me like wildfire, consuming everything in its path.

He kissed me as though I were the last drop of blood in the world, the only thing that could ever sate his hunger.

Part of me feared his desire. It was as dark and as deep as a void. If I let him, Blake Drakharrow might just swallow me whole. Devour me like a dragon.

His fangs brushed against my lower lip. My breath caught as I slid my tongue over those sharp points, feeling their edge. He was dangerous. But instead of fear, that knowledge was only fueling the tempest inside of me.

Blake growled, the sound vibrating against my mouth. A shiver coursed down my spine. His hands tightened on my waist, as his lips moved down my neck, grazing my skin with his fangs.

For a moment, I thought he might actually bite down, that he might lose control.

For a moment, part of me wanted him to.

“Your uncle is looking for you, Drakharrow,” a cool male voice said from behind me.

The moment shattered.

Blake’s head jerked up, his lips parting in a feral snarl. “Tanaka.” He stood up, pulling away from me with a growl of frustration.

I turned to see Kage leaning against the opposite wall.

Blake gave me one last look, hungry and possessive. “Later, Pendragon.”

He stalked off down the corridor.

I watched him go, trying to steady my breathing, my pulse still racing.

“Well, well.” Kage pushed himself off the wall and came over to me. “That looked... intense.”

“Just how long were you watching?” I asked coldly.

He smiled. “Not long.”

The inked curve of his crescent-moon tattoo curled along the side of his muscular neck. I remembered his house motto. Luna sanguinea surgit. Blood moon rises.

I started walking towards the First Year dormitory. He fell into step beside me.

“What do you want, Kage?”

“You know he’s only going to break your heart, right?”

I glanced at him sharply, caught off guard.

Kage’s usual smooth demeanor softened as he looked down at me. “When that happens,” he said quietly. “Remember you have other friends.”

“Strangely not comforting,” I snapped. “Why don’t you mind your own business? We went on one date. You don’t own me.”

“And neither does Blake. I’m glad we’re in agreement,” Kage said calmly. “Look, I’ve seen how this goes, Medra. The Drakharrows are only interested in one thing. Power. And trust me, nothing will come between them and what they want, not even you.”

I tensed at his words. “Are you really going to claim House Avari is any different? Please. Spare me the speech.”

“I never said we were any different. But I’m not pretending to be something I’m not,” Kage replied. He met my gaze and held it. “Just be careful. With Blake. With all of this. Can’t you feel it in the air? Something is shifting. The balance. Blake’s uncle...”

“What?” I demanded, suddenly afraid.

“Lord Drakharrow senses it, too,” Kage said slowly. “Something there. On the horizon.”

“Senses what?” I demanded. “Why don’t I sense anything?”

“Maybe you do,” he said softly, looking at me intensely. “Maybe you don’t want to admit it, even to yourself.”

I looked away. The only thing I was sensing that I didn’t want to admit to Kage was feelings for Blake that went way beyond hatred.

“I don't need your warnings, Kage,” I finally said, trying to push past him.

He held up his hands, making no attempt to touch me. “Just keep in mind what I’ve said. In the spirit of friendship.”

“Right,” I muttered, walking past.

But even when I got back to the First Year tower, his words lingered, sticking in my mind longer than I wanted them to.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 58 – BLAKE

The door to the chamber closed with a thud. Viktor stood at the far end of the room, his back to me.

I approached him with caution, well aware that nothing good had ever come from one of our meetings.

“You’ve been busy,” Viktor said, without turning. “Do you even understand what it is you’ve just done?”

I clenched my jaw. “Getting rid of Regan was the right decision. She made us look like fools. She made us look weak.”

“She made you look weak,” my uncle countered. “She made you look like a fool.”

“She was a blight on House Drakharrow,” I said stubbornly. “She took advantage of your kindness, thinking you would allow her to defy me publicly.”

“Ah, so that is what you believe.” Viktor rubbed his chin. “Lord Pansera is furious. But it’s no matter. I have other plans that House Pansera may be worked into.”

“I have no doubt about that, Uncle. You always do,” I said coolly, determined to stroke his ego.

Viktor turned to face me. There was something else in his eyes tonight. Something dark, something hungry.

“Marcus came to me with surprising news.” He closed the distance between us, stopping inches away. “Am I to understand you’ve solidified your bond with the dragon rider?”

I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. It wouldn’t do to look too eager, too pleased with myself.

It also wouldn’t do to tell the full truth.

“I have,” I lied, my voice steady. “I’ve fed from her. As I’d already made her drink of me, our bond is now complete.”

For a moment, Viktor said nothing, his cold red eyes scanning my face as if searching for any hint of deceit.

Could he tell? Could he see? I wouldn’t have risked it if I thought it would be so obvious.

I stood tall, refusing to crack.

I met Viktor's gaze and then I saw it. Just for a moment, but it was enough. Hunger. Lust. But more than that. The fury in those red eyes.

Viktor hadn’t expected me to be able to bond with Pendragon. He’d planned for me to fail, planned for Regan to rebel against the triad, for everything to spiral out of control.

And in the ensuing chaos, Viktor would have stepped in and taken Pendragon for himself.

Just as he’d wanted to do but hadn’t dared to do that first day in the Black Keep.

He knew more about her than he was letting on. He always had.

“You’re a bold man,” Viktor said, his voice smooth. “I always knew you had it in you.”

“Thank you,” I said stiffly, trying to accept the praise I knew to be a lie. “She was a rich gift, as you said. I owe you for it.”

“You do. Just as she still owes me her life. Neither of you should forget that.” Viktor's hand shot out, gripping my shoulder painfully. “Be careful, Blake. A bonded blightborn mate is a valuable thing. You cannot feed from another now.” He smiled slightly. “But then, that’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said carefully.

He pushed me backwards and I staggered, nearly falling from the force.

“You've never been quite like us, have you, Blake? Not like your brother, Marcus, with his endless appetites.”

“If you mean I don’t enjoy murdering blightborns for sport, then no, I’m nothing like Marcus,” I said coldly. “I take pride in that.”

“The shadow of your father,” my uncle mused. I knew it wasn’t meant as a compliment. “But don’t forget that everything you have, everything you are, is because of me. I made you, Blake. You know it. Your mother knows it. I can unmake you just as easily.”

I thought of Aenia, of Pendragon. Of my mother’s retreat into the Sanctum. I said nothing.

I couldn’t afford to play this game fully. Not yet.

“You’re only as strong as I allow you to be,” Viktor said, still watching me closely. “Don’t forget that.”

I nodded stiffly. “I won’t let you down.”

I started to turn away, then decided to risk a change of subject. “Before I go, I wondered if you received the list of selected First Years I had sent over. Selection Day is tomorrow.”

“Another school year, over so soon,” my uncle said. “What happy, carefree times you all must have in these old halls. And what a year it has been. Yes, I received it. The list was acceptable. You know I trust your judgment.” He smiled thinly.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

I hoped Pendragon would be happy with my choices. I’d made some of them with her in mind.

“There will need to be a formal celebration, of course,” my uncle said, as I turned to go. “We must welcome your bride into our family.”

“I’d thought, perhaps over the summer...”

He nodded, waving a hand dismissively. “We’ll arrange it. I look forward to spending more time with Miss Pendragon. A fascinating woman, I’m sure. Well, she must be, to have made you so infatuated to the exclusion of all others.”

“She is,” I said stiffly. And my uncle wouldn’t be getting near her if I could help it. I’d done all of this to protect her. But suddenly I wondered if I’d simply dragged her further into the dragon’s den.

Would she have been safer with Kage?

I shook the thought away. Never.

I left the room, my mind in tumult as I strode through the academy corridors towards the House Drakharrow tower.

The weight of the lie I’d told my uncle clung to me. The consequences of what I’d done only began to hit me as the cool spring air hit my skin, blowing in off the sea.

I’d told Viktor that I’d already fed from Pendragon.

Feeding from a blightborn mate was not something to be undertaken lightly. Once I’d done so, I would only be able to feed from her. My bond with her would be exclusive.

I’d ended our triad. We were now a pair. Regan was gone, expelled. There would be no returning to that arrangement, no forging of a new triad.

There was only one inevitable next step if I wanted to protect Pendragon from my uncle.

I had to feed from her and soon.

The lie wouldn’t hold unless it became truth.

I’d do it the next night, after Selection Day was over.

My throat was suddenly dry as I thought of it. The idea of finally tasting her blood. I’d waited so long for this moment, for the chance to claim her fully. Blood, body, and soul. To taste her, to take her. To fully possess her in every way I could.

The mere thought of her blood stirred a hunger deep inside me. One I’d been repressing since I’d first found her that day.

I’d fed to survive, fed to live. But this would be different. I could almost taste the sweetness in my mouth. I imagined the way the red liquid would flow from her veins, stirring my senses. She would taste like she smelled. No, better. Unimaginably better. I knew it.

A whiff of guilt crept over me. Would she mind? Would she surrender herself to me like I needed her to?

I pushed my doubts aside. I could explain it to her in a way she’d have to accept. She already wanted me. I knew that. I’d make her understand this was good for both of us. Necessary for survival.

Tomorrow night I’d take what was mine. There was no turning back now.

OceanofPDF.com