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The weak don’t survive here, especially not in the Riders Quadrant. The dragons make sure of that.
the Archives are still the only place that feels like home in this giant fortress, the only place where I still feel my father’s presence.
“Are you calling me weak?” “No.” Mira squeezes my hand. “Just…fragile.”
Violet deals with more pain before lunch than you do in an entire week. If any of my children is capable of surviving the Riders Quadrant, it’s her.”
What I lack in strength, I make up for in speed.
I’m supposed to be dedicating my life to books, not throwing them in the corner to lighten my rucksack.
“You’re a Sorrengail,” she responds, as if that’s answer enough. “Fuck what they say.”
“Stay the hell away from Xaden Riorson.”
Putting on leathers doesn’t make you a rider, Vi. They’re going to tear you to shreds, and if they don’t, the dragons will. In the Riders Quadrant, you either graduate or die, and you know that. Let me save you.” His entire posture droops, and the plea in his eyes shreds some of my indignation. “Please let me save you.”
Once bonded, riders can’t live without their dragons, but most dragons can live just fine after us. It’s why they choose carefully, so they’re not humiliated by picking a coward, not that a dragon would ever admit to making a mistake.
I will not die today.
“Xaden Riorson wants you dead.
“And that right there is why Riorson is a wingleader. You need more than strength and courage to be a good rider.”
“Never said I cared if everyone knows who my mother is.”
I don’t want to find a single thing about Xaden Riorson admirable, and yet here he is, being all annoyingly admirable. Asshole.
“If they need a fucking pep talk, then we both know they’re not flying out of the quadrant on graduation day. Let’s get real. I can hold their hands and make them a bunch of bullshit empty promises about everyone making it through if that helps them sleep, but in my experience, the truth is far more valuable.”
“When do we get to kill Violet Sorrengail?” a guy toward the back asks. My blood turns to ice.
GASP
“I told you already, the youngest Sorrengail is mine, and I’ll handle her when the time is right.”
“Fucking Sorrengail.” His hand yanks back the hood of my cloak. “How did you know?” My tone is outright indignant, but whatever. If he’s going to kill me, I’m not going down as some simpering little beggar. “Let me guess, you could smell my perfume. Isn’t that what always gives the heroine away in books?”
“I command shadows, but sure, it was your perfume that gave you away.”
“Is this how you plan to handle me?” “Eavesdropping, were we?”
“Now I might actually have to kill you.”
“Tell me again that I missed,”
“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”
Delicate, my ass. He’d probably think twice about plotting your murder if you threw a few daggers at his head. I unsheathe both daggers from my ribs and flick them in his direction in one smooth movement. They land right where I intended—one nearly nicking his ear and the other an inch beneath his balls. Fear widens his eyes. I shamelessly grin and wiggle my fingers in a wave.
“Laying low wasn’t getting me anywhere,” I say with a shrug as Rhiannon’s opponent is carried off the mat. “He needs to realize I’m not a liability.” And I’ll be harder to kill than he thinks.
“Badass,” Rhiannon says as she moves to my other side. “I thought Jack was going to shit himself.” I smother a smile. “Stop encouraging her,” Dain chastises.
“She’ll be in one piece when I’m finished teaching her.” “I hardly think it’s fair—” Dain’s voice rises. “No one asked you to think, squad leader,”
He fucking catches it and clucks his tongue. “Already seen that move.”
“Going for blood today, are we, Violence?”
“You’d rather I die, no doubt,” I fire back, the side of my face pressed into the mat. This isn’t just painful, it’s humiliating. “And be denied the pleasure of your company?” he mocks. “I fucking hate you.” The words are past my lips before I can shut my mouth. “That doesn’t make you special.”
I can make out every speck of gold in his onyx eyes, every bump and ridge of his scar. Beautiful. Fucking. Asshole.
You are not attracted to toxic men, I remind myself, and yet, here I am, getting all attracted. I have been since the first second I saw him, if I feel like being honest.
“He cares about me.” I glare at him. “He’s holding you back.
“I never said I don’t think you can cut it, Violet.” “You say it every day!”
“Am I affecting your schedule, Violence?” There’s a definite smirk on those lips. “I just need to know what my chances are here.” My hands curl into fists. The ass has the nerve to smile. “That’s the oddest way I’ve ever been hit on—” “Not my chances with you, you conceited prick!”
“Killing you wouldn’t be any trouble, Violence. It’s leaving you alive that seems to cause the majority of my trouble.”
“I can barely count the number of people in this quadrant who want you dead, either as revenge against your mother or because you’re just really good at pissing people off, but you’re still here, defying the odds.”
You want to know why you’re still alive? Because you’re the scale I currently judge myself against every night. Every day I let you live, I get to convince myself that there’s still a part of me that’s a decent person. So if you want to quit, then please, spare me the temptation and fucking quit. But if you want to do something, then do it.”
“I’m a rider.” “Well, maybe I am, too,”
“Can she do that?” someone snaps. I’m doing it now.
His eyes flare, and I don’t miss the hint of a smirk on that infuriatingly decadent mouth of his.
It should be against the Codex to look that good and be so ruthless.
“You should totally bond it, Sorrengail. You’re both freakishly weak. It’s a match made in heaven.” “It looks powerful enough to burn you to death,”
I will not die today.
“Dain lost his vote when he tried talking you into leaving,” she counters.
“Yes!” I whisper loudly. “You! Goldie!” It blinks its golden eyes and swishes its tail. You have to be fucking kidding me. “Go! Run! Fly!” I shoo at it,
It’s going to die just because it’s smaller, weaker than the other dragons…just like me.
“I would strongly recommend you rethink your actions,”
“So I guess that’s a no on the flying?” I toss over my shoulder again, and the golden dragon chuffs low in its throat in response. “Great. Well, if you can back me up with those claws, I’d really appreciate it.”
