THRONE OF CLAWS AND FANGS
remember
t, the thunder of his pulse in his ears, the echo of Kael's voice saying
he forest at dawn, he was soak
t cheer. They stared
ess, his neck and chest bandaged in strips soaked through wi
early crushed his windp
he Trial Grounds, or how many competitors he'd injured. The only
sh
had yanked Aeryn
ound with silver-threaded rope, a magical dampening rune glow
bes leaned over him, her
mouth," she
down his throat-bitter, metallic. T
he ordered
topped. The rage faded.
he Counc
d in gray and masked in iron. Their voices echoe
the heirs of t
atural order. You s
olf. Not a vampi
at the ceilin
know," he
will fi
he ropes were removed, but th
e confined to his tower
adn't
ked thre
answer was the
. Students moved aside in the corridors. Some whispered "hybrid
seemed entirely un
rth day, uninvited, sliding into the seat across fro
ouring dark tea into a silver cu
n't ki
et
hed his t
's collarbone. Where it had once hung loose, it had now embe
t belong to you,"
my bro
act
eyes. "You know s
r." I knew the Council lied when they said he died during training. And I know
purp
mile widen
ed whenever he grew too agitated, a constant, throbbing remin
. Twice. And Aeryn owe
he
charm earlier without a word-an obsidian ring carved with the sigil o
s floated down the halls like fireflies
pped in fresh bandages, his arms scratched and bru
at besi
ou," he whispered. "I di
ct an answer.
for near
ve, the shadows nea
de fl
r whistled past his cheek, emb
ure l
cker's arm-but didn't stop them. They moved like smoke
ed. Grabbed the dagger f
gure f
cut to the arm. Blood dripped onto the runes on the floor-
issed. Turned
eryn sc
slamming them into the
der than him. Eyes
supposed to l
e growled-and stabbed
Melted into
r slamm
rcers ru
was wit
en room, the blood, the dagg
ga
s moved to r
hem. "No need. H
hesit
ion. Join House Blood. Or next time, they
ooked a
t rose a
brea
about it,"
"Good. But don'
ed into
rned bac
e, Kael's ey