“Maybe we’ll run into him in the refectory,” Florence said. “But I can’t go and look. I have another class right now.”

“I could come with you in an hour, but I have to turn in a paper first,” Naveen said. “The class is on the other side of campus.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I can go and look now. This was my last class of the day. If he’s not there, I’ll check the library.”

This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my afternoon, hunting down Blake Drakharrow. I couldn’t even ask any of his friends for help. I knew exactly what they’d do–laugh in my face. Well, maybe not Coregon or Theo.

I was supposed to be working on my paper on dragons and searching more of the books Florence’s mother had found for me on blood magic and souls.

I hadn’t really read much more about dragons–and fortunately, Professor Rodriguez hadn’t asked. We’d been too focused on my thrallguard training. I knew the history was fascinating, but it also seemed like a far less pressing topic than getting Orcades out of my head. Now both things would have to wait yet again.

I moved through the hallways, passing groups of chattering, laughing students. It was almost the end of the day and a steady crowd of people were making their way to the refectory. The vast stone hall was a favorite place for students to hang out at the end of each day as they waited for dinner. Snacks and refreshments were always left out on a large buffet table on one side of the room.

When I reached the refectory, I stood in the hallway near one of the open stone arches, scanning the room. I spotted Quinn and Coregon at the House Drakharrow table with some other Drakharrow students, but I didn’t see Blake or Theo anywhere.

I’d decided I’d ask Theo if I saw him first. He was more approachable than Blake. If I had to owe a favor to someone, I’d much rather it be him.

With a sigh, I decided to check the library next. I took my favorite route through the massive castle. The one that led through the Dragon Court. It was the end of autumn and the leaves had mostly fallen now, but there was still something refreshing about passing through the open air and through the grove of trees that encircled the stone dragon statues.

Some afternoons, I’d taken to sitting under one of the trees with Naveen and Florence and studying. Even though it was a beautiful space, it was usually deserted. As winter approached, it would soon be too cold for us to go there.

As I neared the courtyard, a figure entered the passage ahead of me.

My heart sped up.

Blake.

I hadn’t seen his face, but I didn’t need to. I recognized his walk. That ridiculously arrogant swagger.

I didn’t say anything, just started to follow him down the hall. Where was he heading?

As it turned out, he was heading to the same place I was–the Dragon Court.

I’d let us converge there. Then I’d approach him.

But when we reached the courtyard, I hung back, waiting in the shadows of the cloisters while he strode into the court and stood in the middle between the four stone dragons.

He stood there for a moment, with his head down. For a second, I wondered if he might be praying. But to what? Highbloods all worshiped something called the Bloodmaiden. I still wasn’t entirely sure what she was. Some sort of a goddess, I’d assumed.

Blake glanced up and looked around the courtyard. I was supposed to be approaching him, but instead, I found myself ducking. As I crouched down, my foot hit a pebble and there was a small clatter.

I held my breath.

“Come out, Pendragon,” Blake called. “I know you’re there.”

I sighed and stood up slowly, brushing the dust off the black fitted trousers I wore and pulling down my gray sweater emblazoned with the school crest.

I walked over to where he stood waiting in the middle of the court.

There was a tightness in my throat as I approached him. He wasn’t even looking at me, but rather, at one of the dragons.

Blake was all hard angles. Sharp and tense. Even now, the muscles in his jaw were clenched, as if he were on the verge of an attack. A predator about to spring.

Then he turned his head and looked down his hawkish nose at me, tilting his head upwards in the haughty way I’d grown accustomed to and the tightness in my throat became a lump.

He wasn’t perfect. But there was something about him that had become unbearable for me to look upon–and yet just as unable to look away.

A shocking urge seized me to touch that jaw, to trace the angles of those aristocratic cheekbones, and to stop, right there, in the center, with a finger pressed to those beautiful lips. The only soft thing about him.

I wondered what his mouth would feel like. Rough or tender, soft or firm?

The lips twisted arrogantly. “Reduced to stalking me now, are we, Pendragon?”

I cleared my throat. “You wish.” I needed to work on my comebacks. But he’d caught me off-guard.

“You’ve come to thank me for last night then, I suppose. There’s no need to grovel, but I will accept it if you must.” He gestured to the stone floor in front of him. “Supplicate yourself if you’re so inclined.”

For a split second, I froze, imagining going down on my knees for Blake Drakharrow. Putting my hands on the front of his trousers and unfastening the buttons one by one as he looked down at me, his fingers tangled in my curly hair as I drew out his length and ran my hands over it.

A wet heat grew between my legs. The lump was back.

I choked it down and forced a laugh. “In your dreams, Drakharrow. Maybe that’s what all the nice little highblood girls do for you, but I’m not one of them. Or have you forgotten?”

His gaze raked over me and I felt my cheeks burn. “Oh, I hadn’t forgotten.”

He took a step towards me and I stepped back instinctively. He smiled. “I’m not going to hurt you, Pendragon. I would have thought last night had proved that.”

“You mean because you killed someone?” I scowled. “That wasn’t for me.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Wasn’t it?”

I shook my head. “You did that for yourself. For your messed up sense of honor. For whatever is between you and Kage Tanaka.”

“Right,” he said drily. “It had nothing to do with protecting you. Nothing at all.” He rolled his eyes. “Tell yourself whatever you want, blightborn. I did you a favor.”

This wasn’t going the way it was supposed to go. I felt a pang of guilt. What would Florence say? What would she tell me to say next?

“Fine,” I blurted out. “Thank you. All right? Satisfied now?”

His eyes roamed over me. “Never.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Whatever. That’s not what I’m here for.”

“No? Well, I suppose you want me to guess what you’re really doing, since you won’t admit you were following me. Perhaps you’re here to admire the dragons.”

“They are incredible,” I admitted, looking up at the huge stone statues. “So lifelike.”

He glanced at me as if he couldn’t believe we were agreeing on something. “Yes.” He took a step towards the gold dragon. “They were all modeled after real ones, you know.”

“Specific dragons, you mean?”

He nodded. “This was Molindra. A Luminthar. She rode for House Orphos.”

“A Luminthar? That was a breed?”

He eyed me. “Aren’t you supposed to know this? I thought you’d been assigned an essay on the topic.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “How would you even know that?”

His lips curled mockingly. “I have my ways. Got into some trouble with Rodriguez, did you?” He shook his head. “Rodriguez. Such a hard ass. Anyhow, yes. It was a breed. Each of the four houses specialized in breeding a particular type of dragon. For House Orphos, it was the Luminthars. They drew strength from the sun and were famous for their aural attacks. They could sow fear in their enemies or inspire their allies. For House Mortis it was the Silvraynes. That one was Alabryss.” He pointed to the dragon sculpted of smooth, white alabaster stone. “She could breathe ice.”