That was all the impetus I needed. I would decide what happened to Pendragon. She was mine and mine alone. Our fates were bound whether she liked it or not.

The dagger flashed as it arced towards my chest. But I was faster. I caught Coregon’s wrist in a death grip, my muscles straining.

As I fought to push the dagger away from my body, Coregon fought back. We fell to the ground, grappling, neither of us giving an inch.

Around us the arena was coming to life, triggered by Coregon’s appearance. The stone platforms that had been suspended in place were now shifting, rotating ominously around us.

I could hear the rasping sound of scraping stones as they moved into position and then out again, turning the arena around us into a deadly maze.

Scanning the arena and getting my bearings quickly, I jumped up onto a platform that had just risen behind me.

Coregon followed, leaping up onto it behind me just as the one he had been standing on descended.

I ducked as he swiped, then grabbed his arm, twisting it with brutal force.

The dagger clattered to the stone. I saw the panic in Coregon's eyes as my foot shot out and I kicked it away, down into the open pit far below.

I could have grabbed it. Used it against him.

But that wasn’t my way. It wouldn’t have been as satisfying.

I was tired. Muscles weary. Heart pounding.

Despite that, I knew I was going to win. There was no way I was letting Coregon Phiri take over House Drakharrow, even if it was only at Bloodwing. And there was no fucking way I was leaving Pendragon to him.

“You call me a coward,” I panted. “Yet you brought a knife to a fist fight, Phiri, because you were so afraid to come at me. Who’s the real fucking coward?”

Another platform hovered over us, larger than the one we were standing on, its shadow stretching across the arena floor below.

Coregon lunged again, throwing a wild punch that I just managed to dodge. The pain in my side was a fire now, but I ignored it. It would heal and I’d survive.

The same couldn’t be said for Coregon. He’d fucked up today. It was just a matter of how long it would take him to realize it.

“You could have been my second. You could have been right by my side through whatever happened next. You unbelievable idiot. How could you have been so shortsighted? Here I always thought you were smarter than me.” I gave a mocking laugh.

“Theo would always have been your second,” Coregon growled. But I heard the doubt in his voice.

“Theo is a hopeless romantic with a flair for drama. He doesn’t want to be anyone's second. But you’re right. Now he’ll have to be. He’ll have to step up when you’re dead,” I shot back.

My eyes darted upwards as the platforms moved in closer, the gnashing of stone upon stone echoing through the massive chamber.

I saw an opportunity.

I ducked just as Coregon swung again, dodging the blow and using the momentum to shove him backwards–right into the path of the descending platform.

Coregon stumbled, his eyes widening as the shadow of the platform loomed over him. He twisted, trying to escape. But I was faster. I grabbed him by the throat, forcing him backwards.

“We sparred with each other almost every day,” I snarled at him. “Yet never once did you realize I was always holding something back.”

It was a strategy I’d been taught early on by my father. Never show your opponent what you’re really capable of. Even if your opponent is one of your best friends. Even so, it hadn’t been enough to save him.

Coregon’s hands were like claws, nails raking down my arms with the desperation of a drowning animal. The stone platform above us continued its slow, inevitable descent.

“You think I’m weak?” My voice was filled with cold fury. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, Coregon. Now you're never going to find out. You won’t be around for any of it.”

I leaned in closer to him. “You’re right about one thing though. I was weak. But not when it came to Pendragon.”

Coregon’s eyes were wobbling with panic as the platform lowered, now just feet above our heads. I held him firm, using all my strength to pin him against the stone.

“I was weak when it came to you,” I continued. “You went behind my back when you attacked Vaughn Sabino. That’s when I should have put you down.”

“Theo is a fucking menace. A coward. He’s an embarrassment to our house,” Coregon managed to choke out. “Marcus came to me. I did what had to be done.”

Marcus had come to Coregon? That was another betrayal that would have to be dealt with. But it could wait for another time.

I leaned in closer. “Theo is my cousin. He’s my friend. That’s all that matters. It’s called loyalty, Coregon. Maybe if you'd shown some, you wouldn’t be in this position.”

“I know what you really are. If it isn’t me,” Coregon gasped, my hands tight around his throat. “It’s going to be someone else. Someone else will take you down.”

“Let them come.” I glanced up as the platform lowered. “As for you, you won’t have long to wait.”

Coregon's eyes widened with fear, as the sound of grinding stone filled our ears.

“Blake–wait!” he gasped, his voice strangled. “I’m sorry. Please. Don’t–”

But it was too late. The platform lowered, its descent slow and deliberate. I held Coregon's gaze. He knew there was no escape.

It was over in seconds.

The platform dropped with a sickening crunch.

I stepped back, breathing heavily as I watched the stone platforms all begin to grind to a halt.

The arena was silent.

I was trembling. I curled my hands into fists, trying to stop the shaking. The reality of what I’d just done was still sinking in.

Then the silence shattered. The crowd erupted. A wave of frenzied cheering and applause rolled through the stands.

I wiped a smear of blood from my face and straightened up, trying to look happy with my victory, my eyes scanning the crowd.

Everyone was on their feet, cheering for me. Highbloods loved bloodshed. They loved a brutal triumph. I’d added excitement to what they’d been expecting to be a dull school assembly. Even the blightborn students had been carried along in the frenzy.

Only one person in the arena wasn’t cheering or clapping.

Pendragon.

She stood out like a flame. She clutched Neville to her chest, her eyes locked on me.

Our gazes met.

What was she thinking? Was she disgusted? I knew she couldn’t possibly be proud. Did she even care about what I’d just done? Did she know how much Coregon had really hated her?

My mind raced, trying to untangle the look in her eyes. But she gave me nothing. Just stared back at me steadily as the noise of the arena crashed around us like a wave.

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CHAPTER 25 - BLAKE

I felt my lip split open as my head smashed against the wall.

Whatever pleasure I might have felt from surviving the House Leadership and Coregon’s betrayal hadn’t lasted long–if it was ever there in the first place.

I’d gone from a solo visit with the headmaster to being summoned by my uncle.

I licked the blood off my lips, resisting the instinct that screamed at me to fight back, to resist. Instead, I held still, jaw clenched with tension. The wound on my side from Coregon’s knife was still throbbing. It would take a few days to completely heal. I’d bound it as best I could before coming here.

Viktor was a good few inches shorter than me, but even so, he seemed to hulk over me as I leaned against the wall, trying to fake the proper humility.

He was older than me by centuries. With that age came a power I could never hope to match.

Viktor might look like a typical blightborn man in his sixties. But the very fact that he showed any sign of aging at all spoke volumes.