Page 11

To my surprise, Avery jumped in to defend me.

“Headmistress,” he said smoothly.“The only times Saint’s Drake has ever started to come out was when he thought thatIwas being threatened.”

Headmistress Nightworthy trained her sharp blue eyes on me.

“Is this true, Mr.Santiago?”

I swallowed hard and nodded.

“Yes.My Drake has…taken an interest in Avery.I don’t quite know why,” I admitted.

“Do you think your Drake might have chosen Mr.Connor as your…what is the Drake term?Ah yes, as yourl’lorna?”Headmistress Nightworthy asked delicately, raising one silver eyebrow at me.

At her use of the term for a Drake’s chosen and fated mate, my own Drake leapt within me.I clamped down on him—hard.

“I do not see how that would be possible, Headmistress,” I said icily.“Since al’lornais always a female and Avery is a male.Also, I am no lover of men,” I added, just so we were all clear on the matter.

I felt Avery stiffen beside me, but he said nothing.I stole a sidelong glance at him and saw that his lips—which were quite lush and pink for a male’s—had tightened to a thin, white line.

“All right.”Headmistress Nightworthy nodded.“But youdoagree that your Drake has taken some interest in Mr.Connor and that the only time it threatens to emerge is when he seems to be in some kind of danger?”

“Yes.”I nodded—I could admit that much, at least.

“Well then, it seems we must keep you out of danger, Mr.Connor, if your roommate, Mr.Santiago, wishes to continue to matriculate here,” the Headmistress said crisply, speaking to Avery.“How can we do that?”

“Well, to start with it might help if I didn’t have PE with the biggest, most homophobic guys in the school,” Avery said.“I can generally take care of myself but when it’s five or six against one, that’s a different story.”

“That sounds like the story of bullying which I willnottolerate.”The Headmistress bared her fangs in anger.“I will certainly have something to say to the boys who subjected you to that.”

“Actually, I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” Avery said, surprising me yet again.“If you start interfering on my behalf, it’s going to get back to my father,” he continued.“And he doesn’t believe in special treatment.”

“It’s not ‘special treatment’ to keep one student—or in this case, a group of students—from abusing another!”Headmistress Nightworthy exclaimed.

“But if you punish them, they’re only going to hate me more,” Avery pointed out.“I have to live here, Headmistress, and you can’t be standing over my shoulder every minute.Just move me out of that gym class—that will be enough.”

“Very well.”She sighed and ran a hand over her sleek silver hair.“I cannot excuse you from all classes you share with this particular group because the logistics are impossible, but Iwillallow you to attend study hall in lieu of PE for the rest of this semester, Mr.Connor,” she said to Avery.“Or you can choose any other class that suits you and join it.How does that sound?”

“Perfect.Thank you, Headmistress.”There was a note of relief in Avery’s voice that strung my heart.How long had thosecabronsin his gym class been picking on him?Despite the fact that he was small, my roommate was tough and he wasn’t one to complain.I wished I would have known what he was going through—maybe I could have threatened the other Drakes to leave him alone before all this happened.

Then I reminded myself that he probably hated and feared me now anyway, so what did any of this wishing about the past matter?

“Very good—then I will consider this problem solved.But Mr.Santiago…”

I looked up to see her staring at me again.

“Yes, Headmistress?”I asked, my voice sounding slightly hoarse in my own ears.

“Donotlet this happen again,” she said sternly.“If your Drake shows so much as a single scale, I’ll have no choice other than to expel you and send you back to the Sky Lands.I am a big believer in giving second chances, but I cannot endanger every other student in my care for one troubled Drake.Do you understand?”

I nodded and swallowed hard.

“I…I understand,” I said.

“Good.Then you and Mr.Connor are dismissed.”She frowned.“I do believe it’s nearly meal time, so you should be just in time to eat with the rest of your friends.”

“Thank you, Headmistress,” Avery said and I mumbled my thanks as well.We rose and left her office, not saying a word to each other and—in my case at least—not even looking at each other.

So I hadn’t been kicked out, after all.But I was sure my roommate hated me now and I couldn’t say that I blamed him.