Starlight (The Dragonian Series Book 5) (12 page)

Becky did too and saw George just standing there, without a hint of pain.

“Told you, we can do this.”

She laughed, ran to him and jumped in his arms.

“What did you do?” Blake asked again.

“I knew, Blake. I don’t know how to give the consent as it happened without me knowing I did it. Yes, it was a bit painful in the beginning. But I kept focusing on the part that we’d done this before, and it was knowing that we could. The pain disappeared.”

Blake’s face fell. He didn’t like that he couldn’t do this without experiencing pain. “So you want to tell me it’s a doubt thing?”

“Something like that.”

“You need to let everything go, Blake,” Pappi spoke. “Total surrender.”

Blake chuckled. It wasn’t a happy one. “That is going to be a slight problem because I’m not built that way.”

“I know.” Pappi didn’t smile.

I looked at the ground with my hands on my hips. I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can do this.” I looked at Pappi. “He’s not built to surrender, and I don’t want him to know what it tastes like either.”

“Elena, we have no choice,” Blake spoke again.

“I do have a choice, Blake. And I’m telling you, I can’t. I won’t,” I said, turning around and walking away.

“Elena!” Blake called after me but I didn’t stop. I had to go think about this and just needed some freakin’ distance from him. He was always there, and although I loved his company, there were some times that it still freaked me out. Just a bit. I needed to think by myself and try to make sense of how this was going to be of any help.

BECKY FOUND ME in the room later that afternoon. I didn’t hear her come in because I was listening to my music.

I only saw her as she walked into my line of sight.

“Sorry,” she smiled and I took out my earplugs. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” I said and lay with my head propped up on my hand.

“It really does get better.”

“Becky,” I smiled. “You and George, even though it was by accident, found a way to do this. He completely surrendered to you.” I broke my gaze with her. “I know what Blake is capable of, but I know what he isn’t too. I’m not going to force him to surrender. It’s not who he is.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to Elena, he doesn’t know how to and that fact scares him more than surrendering everything. Not trying would do more harm than not wanting surrender for him.” She sighed. “I just wish George could get a glimpse of the future. It sucks not knowing what’s going to happen.”

“He hasn’t even seen a glimpse yet?”

She shook her head.

“Blake saw something.”

“What do you mean he saw something? Something of the future?”

I nodded. “It came out as gibberish though. We have no idea what is going to happen.”

“What did he see?”

“Us fighting the Saadedine.”

She just gaped at me.

“He looks like a fire-breathing crow next to him, Becky.”

“How do you know that?”

I took a huge breath. “I saw the picture before he got the foretelling.”

“What?”

“I think it’s his Moon-Bolt part that was finally being activated. The only problem is, we have no idea what it is that can kill the Saadedine.”

“Your blood?”

I shook my head. “The way Blake said it, well, they said it didn’t sound like my blood. It’s called the missing ingredient, something stronger than my blood.”

“That cannot be good.”

“Oh, that is not all of it. If we don’t find it”—tears welled up in my eyes—“one of us is going to die.”

BECKY STARED AT my bed for a long time.

She didn’t say anything after I told her about this huge omen of death hanging over the two of us.

Paegeia could not live without the Rubicon.

“Well,” she finally opened her mouth. “Blake was right. You have no choice Elena.”

“Becky.”

“You need to learn how to wield his abilities in his human form. If they can protect you, you must. It’s not a choice anymore.”

I knew she was afraid. I was scared too, but to see Blake in that sort of pain was something I couldn’t do. It should feel like it was payback, but this Blake didn’t deserve that kind of pain. He wasn’t dark anymore.

“We will help you. I can tell you what I think of and George can help him find a way to let everything go.”

I nodded. Guess she was right after all.

We found Blake and George at dinner sitting with Sammy and Dean at one of the tables outside. It was a beautiful night. They were both making jokes and Sammy gave her hyena laughter, which made all of them laugh.

“I would so love to know what this Dent is. For them to not fucking hate our guts after that torture.”

We walked up to their table. None of them mentioned today; in fact their faces lit up when they saw us and Becky just gave me that raised eyebrow of hers, which made me laugh.

“Are we missing something here?” George asked as he pulled Becky in for a hug.

“Nothing at all,” Becky joked.

I got up to go and grab something to eat. In all the time that I’d known Pappi, I’d never been this angry at him. Why did he even have to go and mention this today? It made me wonder about the night my fire showed. How much pain had Blake experienced before Master Longwei told him to shift?

Back at the table, Becky and I ate our food while the others were making jokes with Dean. I felt sorry for him because he was now the outsider. George and Blake had always been friends, even if George had turned to the light. A part of him had stayed good friends with Blake.

“It’s fine, whatever.” Dean spoke. “I’ll find a way to get into the good graces of that Night Villain. Really thought you would help me dude.”

Blake laughed. “Sorry, but when it comes to Sammy, my dad’s seriously not going to listen to anything I tell him.”

We all laughed. Sir Robert didn’t treat Dean like that. He was just very protective of his baby girl, or dragon, the way he’d spoken it on that day that had ended with a horrible beating.

“So,” George started and looked at me. “What is it going to be Elena?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

He smiled and moved his eyes towards Blake.

“Urgh. I knew that you were going to mention it, but I decided that you guys are right.”

“Sorry,” Blake said, which made me laugh. “Didn’t hear you properly. Where is my Cammy? I have to record this.”

“HA, HA,” Becky mocked him again. “I know how Elena feels about this, but we spoke about everything, and it’s in Elena’s best interest to know how to wield her fire, at least.”

“What I said.”

“Blake, shush,” Becky scolded him. “She’s not looking forward to it.”

“Still here, I can speak for myself, Becky.”

“I’m just saying. It is not going to be fun, but it’s something you will try.”

I smiled. “Who says it won’t be fun. Guess it’s payback time.” I popped a grape in my mouth and smiled.

Blake started to laugh. “I so deserve that.”

“But there is one condition. We need a detailed report from Pappi on how it’s done. I need to read those words over and over until they are stuck in my head. Otherwise, I’m not even going to try it.”

“You wouldn’t need it if you had just stayed in class today.”

“Well,” I didn’t know what to say. “Whatever.”

He laughed again and put his arm around my neck. He pulled me into the side of his chest and kissed me on the head. “I will get a crow to him.”

“They seriously don’t use email?” Sammy wanted to know.

“Guess they love traditional posts,” I said.

We left around seven and Blake said he needed a word with me. “So, I spoke to Master Longwei earlier on and he was really so friendly to give me this.” He handed me a piece of paper. I opened it and saw my detention schedule.

“Repacking the library.”

“You want mine.”

“What’s yours?”

“Cleaning the coliseum.”

“Repacking the library it is.”

“Thought so,” Blake smiled. “Besides, repacking the library isn’t a bad thing. It means you will clean the restriction section too. You can try to find the missing ingredient.”

“Good thinking,” I said.

“I am actually one of the smartest dragons out there, Elena,” he joked. “But picking up on our wonderful time away from one another”—he sounded sarcastic—“it wasn’t the reason I went to see Master Longwei. I actually went to talk to him about training you, and he thinks it’s a good idea. Your first class starts at eight tonight. Don’t be late.” He turned around before I could protest.

“What?” I yelled after him.

“Parthenon Dome at eight, Elena.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I spoke to myself.

“Nope, just be there,” I heard his voice coming from the stairs. He disappeared on and I smiled, shaking my head.

I ROCKED UP at eight with a pair of slacks, sneakers and a shirt, ready for the workout from hell.

I found him sitting on the bleachers, checking his watch.

“It’s eight.”

“Just,” he said, and I hated that smirk on his face. It was as if he knew I was really not looking forward to this at all.

“Just promise me that we are not going to try that tonight.”

He smiled. “Depends on what trying part you are referring to.” He had that evil grin on his face and it made me blush

“The abilities one.”
Idiot.

“Oh,” he smiled. “Okay. Promise.”

He put down his water bottle and walked toward me.

I couldn’t look at him and tried to hide my blushing face, thinking of what other “try” was going on in his mind.

He just laughed. “You have a dirty mind, Elena Watkins.”

“Whatever. The way you said it makes me think your mind is dirty.”

“I’m not like that.”

I laughed with raised eyebrows. “Sure you’re not. Now let’s get started.”

I had to suppress my laughter again as Blake mocked me one more time with his.

“I didn’t mean that, I meant the lesson. The fighting lesson,” I retraced my words. Guess it’s true what they say: boys and their hormones get twenty times crazier at night.

“Whatever you say, Princess.”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay. So I’ve seen how you fight. Not bad, I see Lucian has trained you well as you fight more or less the same style he used to fight.”

I smiled as he mentioned Lucian. It wasn’t that tearful feeling anymore. It was peaceful, grateful that I’d known him.

“He taught you to fight good, clean. I’m going to teach you how to fight dirty.”

“That is not good.”

“Nope, it is. Dirty fighters always win.”

“Fine, then bring it on. Teach me how to fight dirty. Am I going to be able to head-butt people?”

He laughed. “I can teach you that if you like.”

“I thought it was as easy as hitting someone with your head.”

“Nope, you do it wrong, you end up with one mother of a headache.”

“Oh, so there are rules in fighting dirty too?”

“There are. But only a few,” he said. “Now pick up your axes. No more jokes. I take fighting quite seriously.”

I did as he said and we started to fight again.

He was really good and so fast, I could hardly pinpoint his next move. He had me again in so many death grips.

He then broke them down, telling me how to get out of each and every one.

“I thought that the thing about these grips was that there isn’t a way to get out of them?”

“There is always a way to get out of one.”

I tried the first one, it was easy. The second one was easy too. Starting from the fourth it got hard, because Blake was really strong.

“Use my strength, Elena,” he started to grunt.

I tried, but it didn’t work and he showed me again.

I didn’t know how long we’d been fighting, practicing, but it was interesting in a very annoying way.

He let go of me hard and was taking huge breaths. The old Blake, with not a lot of patience, was starting to seep through again.

“Again,” I said and we would start all over again, just so we could end up in the same stupid grip I couldn’t get out of.

“What do you do, Elena?” He was totally different than in Art of War: very serious, and I could tell he was very close to losing it again. This Blake was making me scared, just a tiny bit, and he always knew what buttons to push.

“I don’t know.”

“C’mon, even Tabitha could get out of this one.”

He made me furious just mentioning her name. I wasn’t a fucking Snow dragon, far from it.

“I’m not Tabitha,” I said and tried again to get out of his grip with no success. It was harder than the previous one.

He let me go. “I told you many times how to get out of it.”

“I can’t. Your way doesn’t work.” We were both seriously getting fed up with this.

“So you want to tell me that Tabitha is better than you? Never thought that could be possible Elena.” His look of pure disappointment and anger fueled me more.

Why was he mentioning her so many times?

“Again,” he said.

I went for him again, ducked and dove the first two grips he tried to catch me in. The third time, he did it again.

“I have to say, it wasn’t the only thing Tabitha was good at. She is a much better kisser than you too.”

What!?

I stomped on his toe for that, and hit him with my elbow. His grip faltered and I attacked him again. But one shove from his body and I fell flat on my ass for real. He didn’t even help try to stop the landing like he had in Art of War.

What was this?
I knew he took fighting seriously, but this seriously was ridiculous. My elbow hurt and I saw a big scrape on my arm.
Shake it off, Elena.

“Get up and fight like you are supposed to.”

“You are seriously pissing me off here. I’m not in the mood to fight anymore.” I got up, ready to walk away. I wasn’t a dirty fighter.

His hand pulled me back. “Not so fast. You think your enemy is just going to let you walk away? Tabitha would never walk away.”

I laughed sarcastically. “For your information, she is a fucking Snow dragon. She wouldn’t walk away because she wouldn’t give anyone the chance to walk away from to start with. She would’ve fled a long time ago.”

“Not Tabitha. Now again.”

I attacked him again. I hated the way he kept speaking about her. I wasn’t the jealous type—or was I? I knew I was probably a lousy kisser, but I know Tabitha, she would’ve fled.