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Xaden’s not going to kill me. The realization makes my chest tighten, makes me reexamine everything that happened in that field, makes my sense of gravity shift beneath my feet.
finally coming to your senses about that are ya?
“Did I see her outnumbered and already wounded? Did I think her bravery was as admirable as it was fucking reckless?” He turns that stare on me, and I feel the impact all the way to my toes. “And I would do it again.” I raise my chin. “Well-the-fuck-aware,” Xaden roars, losing his temper for the first time since I met him on Parapet.
first read: oooo someone's getting a little protective and frustrated!
Second Read: yeah he knows in full depth how truthful you're being in the statement hahaha. he was reading you the whole time.
“Did I see her fight off three bigger cadets?” His glare pivots to Dain. “Because the answer to all of those is yes. But you’re asking the wrong question, Aetos. What you should be asking is if Sgaeyl saw it, too.” Dain swallows and looks away, obviously rethinking his position. “His mate told him,” I whisper. Sgaeyl called for Tairn. “She’s never been a fan of bullies,” Xaden says to me. “But don’t mistake it as an act of kindness toward you. She’s fond of the little dragon. Unfortunately, Tairn chose you all on his own.”
awwww! so Sgaeyl was trying to call for help to protect Andarna, but Tairn just ended up liking Violets Spunk 🥰
“Sorrengail is the last person on the Continent I’d ever want to be chained to me. I didn’t do this.” Ouch. It takes all the willpower in my body not to reach for my chest and make sure he didn’t just rip my heart out from behind my ribs, which makes absolutely zero sense, since I feel the same way about him. He’s the son of the Great Betrayer. His father was directly responsible for Brennan’s death.
oooo but girl that just makes him MORE SEXY! forbidden loooove!!!! enemies to lovers!!! Forced proximity!!! ITS ALL THERE!!!
“Would you really level that accusation knowing it would have been what saved the woman you call your best friend?” My gaze flies to Dain, and a silent, damning moment passes. It’s a simple question, and yet I find myself holding my breath for his answer. What do I really mean to him? “There are…rules.” Dain tilts his chin to look Xaden in the eyes.
oh Dain....nooo...You're a piece of shit...fuck... now I get why instagram hates you....
“And out of curiosity, would you have, let’s say, bent those rules to save your precious little Violet in that field?” His voice ices over as he studies Dain’s expression with rapt fascination. Xaden had taken a step. Right before Tairn landed, he’d moved…toward me.
yeah cause Xaddy is a good person with an actual moral compass beyond a crazy codex.
Dain’s jaw flexes, and I see the war in his eyes. “That’s unfair to ask him.” I move to Dain’s side
only cause you're too scared to hear the answer you know he'd give if he's being honest.
“I’m ordering you to answer, squad leader.” Xaden doesn’t even spare me a glance.
woah! Xaddy not backing down!!! ...I like it.
“No. I wouldn’t have.” My heart hits the ground. I’ve always known deep down that Dain valued rule and order more than relationships, more than me, but to have it so cruelly displayed cuts deeper than Tynan’s sword. Xaden scoffs. Dain immediately jerks his head toward mine. “It would have killed me to watch something happen to you, Vi, but the rules—” “It’s all right,” I force out, touching his shoulder, but it isn’t.
yeah that's a definite deal breaker. fuck you Dain. we wouldn't even be friends anymore...
“Because you put too much faith in him,” Xaden answers
he's not wrong...
“And knowing who to trust is the only thing that will keep you alive—keep us alive—not only in the quadrant but after graduation.” “There is no us,” I say,
oh but there COULD BE!!!! 🥰 just given in to it! you know you wanna! 😏
“Tairn’s bonds are so powerful, both to mate and rider, because he’s so powerful. Losing his last rider nearly killed him, which, in turn, nearly killed Sgaeyl. Mated pairs’ lives are—” “Interdependent, I know that.”
oh shit...
“Each time a dragon chooses a rider, that bond is stronger than the last, which means that if you die, Violence, it sets off a chain of events that potentially ends with me dying, too.”
HA! you're stuck with eachother!
“Tairn is one of the strongest dragons on the Continent, and the vast power he channels is about to be yours. The next few months, the unbonded will try to kill a newly paired rider while the bond is weak, while they still have a chance of that dragon changing its mind and picking them so they’re not set back a full year. And for Tairn? They’ll do just about anything.”
Well shit.
“There are forty-one unbonded riders for which you are now target number one.” He holds up a single finger. “And Tairn thinks you’ll play bodyguard.” I snort. “Little does he know just how much you dislike me.” “He knows exactly how much I value my own life,”
lol of course he does, Sgaeyl probably tells him everything hahaha
“You’re freakishly calm for someone who just heard she’s about to be hunted.” “It’s a typical Wednesday for me.” I shrug, ignoring the way his gaze heats my skin. “And honestly, being hunted by forty-one people is a lot less intimidating than constantly watching dark corners for you.”
haha touché
“While tradition has shown us that there is one rider for every dragon, there has never been a case of two dragons selecting the same rider, and therefore there is no dragon law against it,” he declares. “While we riders may not feel as though this is…equitable”—his tone implies that he’s one of them—“dragons make their own laws. Both Tairn and…” He looks over his shoulder and his aide rushes forward to whisper in his ear. “Andarna have chosen Violet Sorrengail, and so their choice stands.”
FUCK YES!!!
My scalp prickles, and I glance across the field at him.
second read: how did I not notice the sheer amount of "scalp prickling" in my first read? 😂
“Tell the boy to move,” Tairn orders. “Tairn says you should move.” Dain steps out of the way. Suddenly, my vision isn’t mine. I’m looking at my own back through…Andarna’s eyes. A back that has a glistening black relic of a dragon mid-flight stretching from shoulder to shoulder and, in the center, the silhouette of a shimmering golden one. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper. I’m marked by their magic as a rider now, as their rider.
🥰🥰🥰
“You have to know that I would do anything to save you, Violet, to keep you safe,” he blurts, panic in his eyes. “What Riorson said…” He shakes his head.
yeah except break the rules. move it along Dainty Dick.
Except break the rules.
LOL like i said! move it along Dainty Dick!
“You have to know how I feel about you.” His thumb strokes over my cheek, his eyes searching for something, and then his mouth is on mine.
oh no...
His lips are soft, but the kiss is firm, and delight races up my spine. After years, Dain is finally kissing me.
oh nooooo...
The thrill is gone in less than a heartbeat. There’s no heat. No energy. No sharp slice of lust. Disappointment sours the moment, but not for Dain. He’s all smiles as he pulls away. It was over in an instant. It was everything I’ve ever wanted…except… Shit. I don’t want it anymore.
oh good. lol I was scared for a second there.😂
Rhiannon’s door, across the small hall from mine, opens and I see Sawyer’s tall, lean frame come out. He runs his fingers through his hair, and when he sees me, his eyebrows rise and he freezes—his cheeks almost as red as his freckles. “Good morning.” I grin. “Violet.” He forces an awkward smile and walks off, headed toward the main hallway of the first-year dormitory.
lol oooo RhiRhi and Sawyer bumpin uglies!
Who gives a shit if it’s frowned upon to be in a relationship with a superior officer? There’s no regulation, and it’s not like any of us is guaranteed to live through the day.” “Solid points,” I admit.
very solid points. now use those point to justify going for Xaden 😌
What about yours, Rhi?” “Somewhere you’ll never see,” she responds. “You wound me.” He slaps his hand over his heart. “I highly doubt that,” she retorts, but there’s a smile on her face.
hehehehe
“I thought Seifert would bond,” Heaton says to Emery across the table, as though we’ve caught them mid-discussion. The normally red flames in their hair are green today. “Other than losing to Sorrengail, he nailed every challenge.” “He tried to kill Andarna.” Shit. Maybe I should have kept that to myself.
tell the whole damn world. shame him!
“You can trust her,” Tairn says, and I startle, dropping the orange. “She hates me.” “Stop arguing with me and eat something.” There’s zero room for debate in his tone.
well there ya go. Dragon Doctor Phil is just mending bridges all over the place 😂😂😂
“Meet me in the sparring gym.” “I’m already working with her on sparring—” Rhiannon starts. “Good. We can’t afford her to lose any challenges,” Imogen retorts. “But I’m going to help you with weights. We need to strengthen the muscles around your joints before challenges resume. That’s the only way you’ll survive.” The hairs rise on the back of my neck. “And since when do you care about my survival?” This isn’t a squad thing. It can’t be. Not when she didn’t give a shit before. “Since now,” she says, gripping her fork in her fist, but it’s the lightning-fast glance toward the dais at the end
...more
lol Xaden is throwing everyone into her inner circle to protect/train her 😂
He’s using a dagger to peel an apple, removing the rind in one long curl, and the blade continues its path as his eyes lift, locking with mine. My whole head tingles.
second read: Xaden be like "look I know I'm beautiful, but I'm trying to peel a damn apply here, get you hormonal intentions in line before I get a stiffy" 😂😂😂
Honestly, if I had those teeth bared at me, I’d back away, too. “No you wouldn’t, because you didn’t. You stayed and defended Andarna.”
he got ya there...
Though it would have been nice to see her. She’s quieter in my head, too, not as meddlesome as Tairn. “I heard that. Now pay attention.” I roll my eyes
😆 of course you did hahahaha
His hand is up, using common lesser magic to project his voice so we can all hear. God help us when Ridoc figures out how to do that. I bite back a smile, knowing he’ll find some way to annoy the shit out of every rider in the quadrant, not just his squad.
lmao!!!
“You’re worthy. At least I think you are, but you apparently don’t pay attention in class.” He chuffs and a warm puff of steam blasts the back of my neck.
*snort*
Tairn dips his shoulder and makes his leg into a ramp for me. Defeat just about swallows me whole. I’ve bonded the biggest—and certainly grumpiest—dragon in the quadrant, and yet he has to make accommodations for me.
he's such a sweet dragon 🥰
“They’re accommodations for me. I’ve seen your memories. I’m not about to have you sticking daggers into my leg to climb up. Now let’s go.”
oh ...haha...good point😅
There’s a disgusted roar of something I don’t understand in my head. “What the hell does that mean?” I scramble for the seat and get myself into position as he flies level. “The closest translation for humans is probably ‘for fuck’s sake.’ Now. Are you going to stay in your seat this time?”
😆 lmao
I wait for that familiar swell of happiness that we might have a minute alone, but it doesn’t come. Instead, there’s a sea of awkwardness that I don’t know how to navigate.
lol oh dear...
“Tell him to mind his own business.” “I’ll…uh…do that.” I bite back a laugh. “Take it easy on him. He’s my best friend.” Tairn snorts.
lol Tairn does NOT like Dain
“The kiss,” he admits, his voice lowering. “It…it never should have happened.” Relief courses through me. “Right?” I crack a smile. Thank gods he feels the same way.
oh I don't think you do...
“And it’s not that I don’t want you—” “What?” My eyebrows rise. “What are you saying?” Are our wires somehow crossed? “I’m saying the same thing you are.” Two lines appear between his brows. “It’s incredibly frowned upon to have a physical relationship with anyone in our chain of command.”
yeah that's what I thought
they have to be lovers. I am not jealous. Nope. That pit of ugliness spreading inside my chest isn’t jealousy. It can’t be.
you do you miss delulu. 😂
My feelings are complicated, but I think about the way it felt to soar on Tairn’s back, the gentle nudges from Andarna to keep going when I thought my muscles might give out during Imogen’s training sessions, and my relationships with my friends, and I can’t deny the truth. “I’m happy.”
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." -Dumbledore
“And Dain?” she asks as we head for the door. “Have you seen him?” My smile falters. “That’s a story for another day.”
lol whole can of worms 😅
I feel a tingle in my scalp and know if I turn, I’ll find Xaden watching us. Watching me. But I don’t give him the satisfaction of looking. He hasn’t said so much as a word to me since Threshing. That doesn’t mean I’m alone—oh, I’m never alone. There’s always an upperclassman somewhere near when I’m walking the halls or headed to the gym at night. And they all have rebellion relics.
lol buncha body guards 😅
“You only fell about a dozen times that trip,” Tairn remarks as we land on the flight field. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.” I take deep breaths and try to calm my racing heart. “Take it as you wish.”
he did say "only" 😂
I mean that's pretty fair...
“This grumpy ass just caught you a dozen times, Silver One.”
lol 😂
“And I could call you Violence like the wingleader.” “You wouldn’t dare.” I narrow my eyes as I move forward, checking where his chest begins to rise. “And you know how much that ass annoys me.” “Annoys you?” Tairn chuckles above me, the sound like a chuffing cat. “Is that what you call it when your heart rate—” “Don’t even start with me.”
ahahahaha Tairn knoooooows 😂😂😂
