CHAPTER 36 - MEDRA

It was the same dream I'd had for the last seven nights in a row. Wasn't seven some sort of a lucky number?

I lay tangled in my sheets, my body tense.

I was back in the training yard, fighting with Blake. Heart pounding. Adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I sat astride him, the weight of my body pressing against his.

But this time there was a dagger in my hand.

I pressed it to his throat.

My breathing was ragged. So was his. I could feel the pulse of his life beneath my trembling fingers.

For the first time since we'd been forced into this twisted bond, I felt truly powerful.

I was in control. I could end everything in an instant. Stop all the hatred, all the confusion.

I was filled with a strong emotion. Joy.

Or was it? Why was I hesitating?

Blake stared up at me. His gray eyes were dark with fury and hatred. But beneath it, I glimpsed a hint of fear.

I relished the weight of the blade, focused on the pale skin of his throat. He was at my mercy. All I had to do was push down.

A rush of power was building up in my chest. I'd be free of him.

I faltered. His gaze caught mine and for a split second, I saw something more there.

Raw desire.

It was like looking into a mirror. The realization struck me like a blow, the breath fleeing my lungs.

His lips twisted into a half-smile.

Slowly, he reached up and grasped my wrist. I let him.

"Do it then," he whispered, his voice rough and taunting. "You want this, don't you? Finish it now."

His grip grew tighter. "But that won't be enough, Pendragon. Haven't you ever killed a highblood?"

He moved my hand lower, until the dagger was right over his heart.

"If you really want to end things, you'll have to stab me in the heart."

I gritted my teeth, every fiber of my being screaming at me to do it.

But I didn't move.

That pause was all he needed. In a heartbeat, Blake flew into action.

Surprising me with his strength, he flipped us over, and suddenly, I was the one pinned beneath him.

He had the dagger now, his hand still around my wrist, as he pressed the blade against my throat.

His face hovered over mine. His eyes were wild. So full of hate.

I knew he'd use the knife.

I closed my eyes, the pressure of the blade against my skin intensifying. This was how it was going to end. All because I'd been too weak and too stupid to kill him when I'd had the chance.

I braced myself for the cut. Would he feed from me as my life's blood spilled out?

Then his lips brushed my ear. "I could kill you right here, right now, little dragon."

The words sent a jolt down my spine.

Then the pressure at my throat was gone. I heard a clattering sound as he tossed the dagger away.

"You had your chance to end this," he growled, his breath hot against my skin. "You failed. And now...you're mine."

Then his lips were on mine.

The kiss was rough. Urgent. Possessive. Everything I'd been denying I wanted.

For a heartbeat, I froze.

My first instinct was to push him away. But in the next moment, I felt my hands betray me. I clutched his shirt, pulling him closer instead.

I was furious with myself. In my head, I knew he was no good for me. But my body knew what it wanted and was refusing to deny it for another second.

Heat coiled low in my stomach and the need I'd been fighting for so long surged to the surface.

I was lost in the kiss, lost in him. The way he kissed me was commanding–a storm of anger and desire. Every nerve in my body screamed with need, my mind spinning from the intensity of it.

I could think, couldn't breathe. Couldn't resist him.

Blake's hands slid down my body, his fingers brushing the exposed skin of my waist, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer against me, as my mind screamed at me to stop.

His tongue slid against mine, sending a bolt of lightning through my body, and I moaned.

His fingers roamed over me, finding their way beneath my clothes. His hands cupped my breasts and I shivered, arching upwards, silently begging for more.

"You're mine," he growled against my lips.

I hated myself for how much I wanted it to be true.

"I hate you," I whispered, even as my body melted with his touch.

His teeth grazed my lower lips and I felt his fangs, reminding me just how dangerous he truly was.

His dark voice filled with cruel satisfaction. "You could never hate me as much as you want me."

And then his hands were tugging my trousers down and his fingers were between my legs, slipping into the wet space between my thighs. I trembled against him as he slid in and out of me, bringing me closer and closer to the edge.

The dream shifted violently.

The training yard quaked.

I looked around in terror as the stone walls surrounding us began to crack and crumble, pieces of rock breaking off and tumbling to the ground.

"What is this? What's happening?" I demanded.

Blake looked down at me, his gray eyes strong and steady. "The dragons are coming."

My heart slammed against my chest as the walls collapsed, revealing a dark gaping space beyond.

A shape moved, massive and terrifying.

A dragon–huge and ancient and filled with unspeakable power–rose from the wreckage of the wall, its wings spreading wide, its glowing yellow eyes locked on me.

The beast let out a deafening roar.

I opened my mouth to scream and the sound of my own voice tore me from the dream with a jolt.

My eyes flew open.

I tossed my legs around, trying to untangle them from the wreckage of my blankets, my heart still racing from the nightmare.

Something was wrong.

The room was shaking. The First Year tower trembled as if it would crumble apart, just like in my dream.

I shot out of bed, my feet hitting the cold floor as I stumbled towards the door and ran down the hall towards Florence's room.

Naveen was already there. He had a hand against the wall, bracing himself.

"What the fuck is happening?" I shouted.

The shaking stopped.

Florence's door flew open. She stood there in a white nightdress, her black hair loose around her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and frightened.

Other students had come out into the hallway. The corridor filled with the sound of panicked voices.

I saw Vaughn Sabino come to stand near Naveen. His arm had been out of the sling for a week now.

"Quiet everyone," Florence called, raising her voice to be heard over the din. "Quiet please."

Slowly all the First Years turned towards her.

"I'm not sure where the other First Year Warden is," Florence said. Her voice was calm. I glanced at Naveen, knowing only he and I could probably tell how nervous she still was. "But I need you all to be quiet and to listen to me."

"Probably drunk or being sucked," I heard Naveen mutter to Vaughn. The other warden, Thomas, didn't take his duties as seriously as Florence. I wasn't sure why he'd even been selected. Then I'd found out he was a thrall to one of the students in House Avari. That was probably why. Maybe he was busy with his highblood right now.

The First Years had all turned towards Florence.

"Thank you. Now, please listen. The tower is not going to fall," Florence reassured them, her voice firm. "This castle was built centuries ago and was enchanted to withstand almost anything. Even dragon attacks." Her lips twitched a little. "And I think we all know there's no need to worry about one of those."

There was a titter of nervous laughter.

"I've already spoken to Professor Wispwood about the last quake we experienced a few weeks ago," she continued. This was news to me, but I knew Florence was spending a lot of time with Professor Wispwood after class. "She told me that it was nothing to worry about. Islands like the one Bloodwing is situated on often experience ocean tremors. Sometimes there will be nothing for decades, then there will be a span where you get a bunch all in a row over a few weeks or even days. It's very common."

Her words began to settle around the hall and I could almost feel the relief coming off my fellow First Years.

"Even if we did get hit by something like a tidal wave caused by one of the tremors," Florence continued. "Bloodwing was built high enough above sea level that we would remain safe. Nothing can reach us here."

Some of the students began talking again, but their voices were lower, less panicked. They seemed reassured.

Florence clapped her hands together briskly. "Now, I need you all to go back to your rooms. The tremors are over. Go to sleep. Everything will be fine. I'll check in with Professor Wispwood and the headmaster in the morning, and I promise you, if there is any cause for concern, we will let you know."

The crowd began to move, thinning out of the corridor as the students moved back to their rooms.

I turned to Florence. "That was impressive."

She shrugged modestly but looked pleased. "Just doing my job."

"And Thomas isn't," Vaughn pointed out.

She sighed. "He's probably snuck out again. Can you call it sneaking out if you're going to feed a highblood student? I've never been sure about that."

"I didn't know First Years could be used as thralls," I said.

"Yes, well, apparently Thomas ‘belonged' to this highblood before he arrived at Bloodwing. They came here together from the student's family estate. It's rare but it's acceptable. What's more unusual is Thomas being made a warden." Florence looked frustrated. "I don't see the point of it. He hardly helps the First Years at all."

"Highblood nepotism knows no bounds." I peered past her into her room. "Where's Neville?"

"Gone again," Florence said, pushing a lock of black hair off her face. "Probably to Blake. I hope he's all right."

I shook my head dutifully, but a part of me wondered if Neville slept on Blake's bed. The memory of the dream was still fresh in my mind. Suddenly my own bed seemed very cold and empty.

"Sleep in my room tonight?" Florence suggested.

"Sure, great idea," Naveen quipped. "Sleepover party, Vaughn?"

Vaughn smiled. It was the first time I'd seen him really smile in a long time.

Florence punched Naveen's arm playfully. "I meant Medra."

"Oh, right. That makes sense," Naveen agreed. "I'm still hurt though."

"I'd have invited you if I didn't happen to know you snore like a bear," Florence said, giggling. "We used to have sleepovers when we were little," she explained to Vaughn and I.

We said goodnight to Naveen and Vaughn, and then I followed Florence into her room.

Once we were snuggled up under her blankets, I started to relax. Florence slept with a huge, heavy comforter on top of the other blankets. Its heaviness was nice. Like a warm hug.

Like Blake's body pressing against you, said an evil voice in my head. I told it to go to hell.

"I got invited to the Dance of the Longest Night," said Florence, her voice starting to drift. "Did I tell you?"

I sat up in bed. "No, you most certainly did not. By who?"

Please say Naveen, I prayed.

She hesitated. "I actually received two invitations."

"Oh, really? I'm not surprised. You'll probably get a dozen more before the ball," I teased. "After all, you are the most brilliant girl at Bloodwing. Not to mention one of the most beautiful."

"Ha. I don't know about either of those things," Florence said, scrunching up her nose. "I work hard. That's all." She hadn't dimmed the lamp by her bed yet and I could see her black eyes were bright with excitement.

"You work very, very, very hard. Now tell me who asked you," I prodded. "You know you want to."

She blushed slightly. "One was a student from House Orphos."

"A highblood?" I asked in alarm.

She shook her head. "No, a strategist. Ebbot. He's a Third Year. We've studied together a few times. You know I've been taking some advanced classes."

"Is he nice?" I ventured. "Handsome?"

"He's nice," Florence said, after a pause to consider. "I'm not sure about handsome. I have to admit, I was surprised when he asked me. I hadn't thought about him that way. He's brilliant though. We'd have a lot to talk about."

"It might be nice to have someone in your field to go with," I said cautiously. I was hoping the other invitation wasn't from a highblood. "And the other?"

Florence waved a hand. "It was just Naveen."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to say. Not without revealing anything. "Well, Naveen is a good friend. He'd be fun to go with. He'd make you feel comfortable, right?"

"That's what I was thinking, too." Florence sighed. "I should probably give Ebbot an answer one way or the other tomorrow."

I hoped she'd pick Naveen. But I wasn't sure I should say that out loud. It might sway her the other way.

"Well, no one's asked me yet," I said, throwing my head back down on the pillow. "And they probably won't." I grinned ferociously at her. "Because I'm the weirdo redhead blightborn dragonless dragon rider girl."

Blightborn students seemed scared of me half the time. And highbloods were just plain nasty.

I thought of something horrible. "Wait. Please don't tell me I'm locked into going to this thing with Blake and Regan."

Florence shook her head and relief flooded through me. "You don't have to attend with them. Not if Blake hasn't specifically asked you."

"He hasn't. Thank goodness." But the irrational part of me felt offended that he hadn't. Which was ridiculous. Despite all that Theo had claimed at the bonfire that night, I knew Blake would go with Regan.

"But you will probably have to dance together at least once," Florence went on. "It's tradition."

"I guess I can manage a single dance." I tried to imagine slow dancing with Blake Drakharrow and couldn't quite manage it. "I tried to ask Naveen about the Frostfire Festival but he told me to ask you. He thinks a lot of you, Florence. What's it like having a friend who adores you so?" I decided to risk teasing her a little.

She laughed. "Naveen is silly. He probably could have given you just as good an answer. What did you want to know?"

I thought for a moment. "So far Frostfire seems so... I don't know. Sweet? Cozy? Not like a highblood tradition at all. Although Naveen did mention we'd have to visit the Temple of the Bloodmaiden."

"Yes, that's true." Florence bit her lip. "We're expected to make a blood offering."

I frowned. "Like on your name day? Why didn't you ever tell me about that tradition?"

"I guess I never even thought to. Sometimes I forget that you don't know anything about Sangratha, Medra. Even the most minor things like how we celebrate our name days are new to you."

"Giving the highbloods some blood on your name day doesn't seem like much of a celebration to me," I said with a shudder.

"Well, we're not giving it to one highblood specifically. We're offering it to the Bloodmaiden," Florence replied.

"I still don't understand what the Bloodmaiden really is. A goddess of some kind?"

Florence nodded. "The story goes that when our world was new, a demigoddess–half mortal, half divine–sacrificed herself and let her blood be spilled to save the world. But her family were determined to avoid her fate. Her mother and father and siblings dipped their head into her blood and drank. She saved them and they were granted immortality."

"They stole her blood, cheated death because they were too selfish to help her save the world, and were turned into vampires," I translated.

Florence grimaced. "That's one way of looking at it. Not an interpretation I'd ever bring up in Professor Hassan's class."

I laughed. "I'll remember not to."

"Anyhow, some of the demigoddess's brothers and sisters refused to drink her blood."

"I don't blame them," I chimed in unhelpfully. "Gross."

"Gross but powerful," Florence countered. I thought of what Naveen had said. About how Florence harbored great ambitions and might have been happy to be selected as a highblood's consort. I wondered if it was true. "The brothers and sisters who did not drink remained mortal. A lower life form."

"Blightborn," I supplied.

"Right. They were looked down on at first. Then came the histories you've already heard in Professor Hassan's class."

"The highbloods were the blightborns' salvation." I snorted. "I remember."

"Regardless of what you believe," Florence went on. "Highbloods and blightborn revere the Bloodmaiden. There are temples devoted to her across Sangratha. Some women even enter into her service and live their entire lives there." She shot me a curious glance. "Did you know Blake Drakharrow's mother is in the Sanctum?"

"At a temple?" I said in surprise. "No. How would I have known that? Why?" I was surprised a woman from such a powerful family and house would choose to enter into a life of seclusion.

"When her husband died, she left her family. As far as everyone knows, that's where she went. To the Bloodmaid's Sanctum. The most sacred temple in Sangratha. No one has seen her since. I assume Blake and his family are in touch with her somehow though."

"I don't like the sound of having to give blood at this place," I said with a groan.

"It's not so bad. You'll see. Naveen and I can go first. You can watch... us..." Florence yawned.

"We should go to sleep," I said guiltily, remembering how hard she'd been studying. "You need your rest."

"Sounds good," Florence said dreamily.

The room was quiet for a while. Then she spoke again. "Who do you think I should go with, Medra?"

"Naveen," I said promptly. "You'll have fun with Naveen."

"I'm sure you're right." She yawned again. "Even though he probably only asked me because he thought no one else had. He had a girlfriend back home, you know."

"I know," I said. "But they broke up, right?"

But there was no answer. Florence had fallen asleep.

In another few minutes, so did I.

There were no more dragons in my dreams that night.