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“I’m so sorry, girls,” I apologized.“That spell my father put on me really did a number on my head.I seem to remember thinking I was some kind of straight stud.”

“Well, you weren’t,” Megan informed me.“Not that you didn’t try,” she added.

“Yeah—half the girls in the Dining Hall slapped you!”Emma giggled.

“I don’t know what you said to them, but I have an idea you’re going to have a lot of apologies to make,” Kaitlyn said.

I closed my eyes and groaned.I barely remembered what they were talking about, but the recollection of shooting off my mouth to several of the girls on campus made me want to kick myself.

“Ugh!”I said.“Do you think I could just wear a sign that says, ‘I’m so sorry—I was under a spell?’”

“Thatmightwork,” Megan said doubtfully.“Ifwe’re all allowed to stay at Nocturne.”

“Yeah, I have a bad feeling that your father is going to make a stink with Headmistress Nightworthy,” Emma said dolefully.

“Well, even if she does, we only did what we had to do.”Kaitlyn lifted her chin.“And if we all get expelled, we’ll find a place to stay together—maybe in the human world.”

“I wonder if I could get us a big house in the Realm where we could all live together?”Emma looked thoughtful.“Iamgoing to be the Queen.That ought to count for something.”

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it,” I told them.“For now, I just want to thank all of you for freeing me from that awful conversion magic.If that spell had stayed on me much longer, I never would have been my true self again!”I shivered at the thought.

“We’re just glad to have you back,” Megan said, smiling.“And now, I think we’d better let you go.I think a certain Drake is waiting for his cuddles.”

She nodded at Saint, who was waiting patiently just outside our little circle, his eyes glowing with his Drake’s love and affection.

“Yes, let me go for now.And we’ll deal with everything else later,” I promised.

For now, I just wanted to be held in the arms of my Blood-Bonded Mate—and the arms of his Drake.I had a feeling that a showdown with my father was imminent but I wasn’t going to let him spoil this night for me.

For now, I just wanted to be happy.

43

SAINT

“Now, Mr.Connor, what’s this I hear about Blood Magic being done on school grounds?”Headmistress Nightworthy frowned at Avery, who sat up straighter in his chair.“And about Drakes coming out, when that is expressly forbidden?”she added, glaring at me.

All of us from the Norm Dorm were crowded into the Headmistress’s office, though Avery and I were the only ones in chairs.Standing behind us were Megan, Kaitlyn, and Emma and behind them were their mates.Griffon had one hand on Megan’s shoulder and Ari hovered protectively close to Kaitlyn.Of course, Bran and Lachlan were standing on either side of Emma.Jalli was behind all of them, hiding behind Ari with her chimelings.

Standing opposite all of us, a glare on his face, was Avery’s father.

My own Sire, at least, had declined to come.He had sent word through another messenger cloud that he was disowning me completely and forever.

Ari’s father wasn’t very happy with him either, for coming to get me from the Sky Lands but at least he hadn’t disowned him.I had no idea how I was going to pay my tuition now, but at the moment, that was the least of my worries.

I sighed inwardly as I braced for the battle to come.Avery and I had shared a blissful night and my Drake had gotten as many cuddles as he desired, but now we would have to pay for it and I feared the price would be a heavy one.

“It is true that I changed from my Drake form to my human form and then to my Drake form again,” I admitted to the Headmistress.“But I flew in from the Sky Lands and then I had to reassure my Drake that Avery was all right.Otherwise, he might have caused chaos.”

“Also, Headmistress, the only Blood Magic going on last night was a Blood-Bonding between myself and my Fated Mate,” Avery said, taking my hand and squeezing it firmly.“And before you say we shouldn’t have done it, Sainthadto Bond me to him—it was the only way for me to be free of the spell my father had put on me.”

Headmistress Nightworthy frowned and tilted her head to one side, looking at Avery’s father.

“Spell?What spell?”she asked.

Avery’s father jutted out his jaw belligerently.

“I came to see Avery the other night and worked some magic to make him normal—that’s all.”