Page 157 of Veiled

He’s strong and strategic, but he’s furious right now, and that could be equally helpful as it could be detrimental. Lucas, on the other hand, has always been scrappy, but with how escalated some of his attacks on me have been, there’s really no way of knowing what he’s capable of anymore.

I picture Matt bleeding somewhere in the dark, alone, and my stomach twists violently.

What if he kills Lucas?

Matt doesn’t ever lose control, but tonight isn’t normal. None of this is. If he does, what then? Do they extend his sentence? Will they send him straight to prison, chains, and stone walls again for only the gods know how long? Or would they skip all of that and sentence him to death?

And Lucas—does he deserve it? After everything he’s done, everything he’s threatened? The pigs—both real and stuffed, the notes, the years of rumors and torment.

Tyr snorts softly, shifting beside me, “You are still thinking too much. I don’t know if there is anything humans could do to keep him away from you, Little Faren.”

Despite Tyr’s warm body radiating behind me, goosebumps take shape as my body shivers.

“Please, Gods, keep him safe. Bring him back to me,” I pray for the first time since they abandoned me as a child.

Chapter fifty-seven

Annalise

“Iknow you said he’s in the infirmary. That’s why I’m not leaving this spot except when we fly,” Tyr growls, refusing to leave the space he's claimed between the castle and the Combat Arena.

Matt was gone for less than an hour last night, though it felt like I stared at that spot for days waiting for him to return.

After breaking into Lucas’s room to find him jerking off to an old photo of me, Matt let loose years of pent-up anger on him. And while he wouldn’t tell me any other details, he did let me know he was interrupted before he could kill him, he isn’t in any danger of getting in trouble, and that Lucas would be spending at least a few days in the infirmary.

How those three things could be possible together, I’m not sure, but when he promised me, I had no choice but to trust him.

Tyr, on the other hand, has been stationed here since I left for formation this morning. He has gone full chameleon, posted here so he has a direct line of sight to the infirmary doors, should Lucas miraculously recover faster, and so he’ll be able to watch over me as I walk between classes.

“Fine. You won’t hear me complaining about getting to talk to you all day.”

“I really hope we never get stuck in a position where you are responsible for creating our strategy,” Tyr comments two seconds after Calderon bashes my tactical assault plan.

“Gee, thanks,” I groan. “And how did you know that anyway? There's no way you fit through the castle doors…Or can you make yourself smaller if you stay dragon shaped?” I ask, instantly imagining a shoulder-sized dragon.

“Still doesn't work like that,” he chuffs. “But now that we're so close, you're projecting every conversation you have to me.”

My stomach drops. Worry and panic hit at the same time, my thoughts taking a spectacular nosedive straight to memories I absolutely did not need my bonded dragon witnessing—late nights on campus, Aiden stretched out beneath me having…conversations…not meant for Tyr's ears.

“You’re still projecting,” Tyr adds dryly. “And I hadn’t known about any of that until you unfortunately just showed me. The bond was new back then, and I was farther away.”

“Oh my gods—oops. Sorry!” I hiss, mentally scrambling, shoving apology after apology through the bond along with frantic embarrassment and a very clear please unsee that.

Tyr’s amusement curls warm and smug against my thoughts. “Pay attention to your class, Little Faren. One day you may actually need to know this stuff.”

“I look like a pervy Pinocchio!” I half-laugh, half-panic yell to Tyr, who won’t stop laughing.

I’d be concerned he might light the glen on fire if I could focus on anything other than the too-big protrusion in the center of my face as I check my reflection in a hand mirror.

“You’re overthinking it,” he says, amusement curling through the bond.

“I look like I should be banned from playgrounds,” I cry out.

He doesn’t even try to stifle his emotions pouring through the bond.

“How can this make you happy? Tyr, this is almost as bad as last week.”

That earns a fresh wave of laughter from him.