The rest of the summer flew by in a whizz. I spent every day with Blake as we waited for the ancients to make their decision about the claim.
The last evening of our summer break we ended it off around a bonfire on the private beach through the forest on the east side of the palace.
I sat close to Blake. Near him was the safest place for me. My father behind the creepers occupied my mind more than I wanted. When was Blake going to tell his dad the truth?
We said goodnight later that night and then Blake left. I did not know where they lived, just that it was some place in Etan. I tried to visit during the day, but a part of me got a feeling he was embarrassed. It was so silly.
The next day, Lucian and I said goodbye to our parents over a feast of breakfast in the dining room. Breakfast was normally served on the patio, but this morning they set it up in the dining room.
Telling Dad goodbye was harder than I thought. I wouldn’t see him for the next month because of first year rules and regulations. There was a lot of settling in and things to get used to during the first month.
I couldn’t wait to see Blake again.
The elevator trip was still horrible. The pain still came, no matter how big of a breath I took or how long I kept it in. My skin burned and buzzed all the way to Elm.
It finally stopped, and the sensation disappeared. The doors opened after a few moments and Master Longwei welcomed us. I unclasped my buckle and stepped out of the seat as our luggage waited on the carpet.
“Here is your room number, princess.” He handed me a key.
“Elena, please, Master Longwei.”
“Forgive me, Elena.” He bowed his head, and I looked at my dorm and schedule.
I was starting the dual classes and did not know what that meant, but the subjects didn’t sound like Greek thanks to orientation.
The room was on the seventh floor. I grabbed my luggage and followed Lucian to the lobby of the academy.
“Which room are you in?”
“704.”
“Okay, see you later. Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” I said as our paths split. I couldn’t believe that I had to take the steps all the way to the seventh floor. When I reached the fifth floor, an elevator stood on the left side and I pressed the button. It was quiet for the day that everyone was going to come back.
The wooden doors opened, and I entered, dragging my luggage behind me. The pull upward came, and I rested my head against the wooden panels when the elevator ding announced the seventh floor and opened its doors. Room 701 stood right in front of me.
I unlocked the door and found an enormous room, with a small kitchen at the back and a flatscreen TV by the couch.
Four poster beds took the first part of the room. Two on each side of the walls, facing each other. Someone occupied one bed against the wall and I decided on the bed near the window. I took out the bedding that the queen had purchased a few days before. It was a beautiful white and lilac bedspread with all the fitting linen that went with it.
I wondered who the other bed belonged to.
As I made the bed, a key sounded in the door and Sammy’s shriek filled my ears as she came running through the door. “I knew when they gave me a key with 701, royalty had to be involved.”
“You’re one roomie?”
“Yes, I already chose my bed. I wonder where the other two girls are?”
“How long have you been back?”
“We came early this morning. It’s a miracle my brother isn’t here. You told your room number to Lucian?”
I nodded.
“Miracles happen,” she said, and a knock came at the door. “Knew it was too good to be true.”
“Shush, I actually like your brother’s company a lot.” I rushed to the door and opened it.
Blake leaned against the door frame.
“You’re my roommate too?”
“I wish,” he said and pushed himself away from the frame and stepped in. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him as he lowered his head closer to mine for a kiss. His lips were soft and warm like always, with a minty sweet flavor playing on his tongue as we kissed.
“Get a room, hopefully not this one,” Sammy said, and I couldn’t help the unexpected puff of laughter slipping up my throat.
Blake broke the kiss and glared at his sister. “You are such a party pooper.” He looked back at me. “You need help?”
“No, but you can keep me company as I pack away my clothes.”
He walked over to my bed and plopped on top. “So, where are the other two?”
“Don’t know.”
He took out a small ball, smaller than a tennis ball, and threw it against the left pole of my bed and caught it again. He didn’t miss. “You got your schedule yet?”
“Yes, it says dual. What does that mean?”
“It means that you are on a rider-dragon curriculum. We learn together.”
“You are going to be in the same class as me?”
Blake kept focusing on the ball he threw. “So much fun, right?”
Sammy’s amusement rippled through her. “You’re starting over. That must suck.”
Blake caught the ball and flipped his sister off.
“You’re starting over?” I asked.
“Another curriculum. It’s not the same syllabus.”
“It’s not your last year?” I squinted at his figure sprawled out on my bed.
He caught the ball and looked at me. “Never was. I still had two more years to go.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“You have to attend school longer than you should be. That must suck.”
“I’m sure you’ll make it worth my time.”
My body flamed up. Blake chuckled as I turned around, packing away the clothes that were in my hands and the thud against the pole of my posted bed reached my ears as he carried on playing with his ball.
The key sounded in the door and a girl with short dark hair walked in. She froze mid-step as her eyes landed on Blake, laying on my bed.
“Hey.” Sammy jumped from her bed.
I waved.
“I think she’s broken,” Blake said, and the girl snapped out of it as Sammy grabbed her around her shoulders.
I remembered her from orientation. She was in the class where we learned about the sword and I thought her answer was funny.
“I’m Sammy.”
“Leaf.” The words slipped out fast.
“Yeah, the idiot is my brother and also Elena’s dragon, so I hope he will not become like our fifth roommate.”
“You wish,” Blake said.
The girl blushed, and I had to suppress my smile as my gaze flickered to Blake, who beamed. He loved all the attention he was getting. I didn’t care what he said.
“Rebecca Johnson, but everyone calls me Becky,” she squeaked, and Sammy told her to take any of the two remaining beds.
She took the one next to mine and plopped her bag on top of it.
Becky looked in every direction, trying to ignore Blake.
“Maybe you should just go until she settles in.”
“You serious now?” he whispered.
“You are like the guy at this school. Just for the first few days.”
A grunt left his lips as he launched himself off my bed. “Fine. See you later, I guess.”
“Are you leaving?” Sammy said.
“Yes, I don’t want to break your new roommate with my presence.”
“Oh, please.” Sammy rolled her eyes, and Becky kept staring at her bed.
“You better get used to me fast, Rebecca Johnson.”
She froze as he said her name, closing the door behind him.
“Sorry about that. He is like my shadow. I’m used to it, but the others aren’t. My name is Elena.” I held out my hand to her.
“Is this like the royal dorm or something?”
“I’m with her. So tell her thanks.” Sammy pointed her thumb toward me.
She took my hand. “Becky. Nice meeting you, princess.”
“Elena, please. The p word still sounds awkward.” I walked back to my side and unpacked the rest of my clothes.
“Blake is seriously going to be in this room a lot?”
Giggles filled the room.
“They are a dent and inseparable. It’s puke worthy,” Sammy said.
“Stop being mean. I would like to see you when you meet your human or rider or whatever you call them.”
“I can bet you it won’t be part of a dent, so I won’t be as pathetic as the two of you.”
“You know how hot he is, right?” Becky asked.
My lips fanned into a grin as I looked at her. “Yeah, I struggled with that part in the beginning, too. You get used to it fast. Believe me.”
“I hope so.”
“Make you a deal. He won’t be in this room until you are okay with it. It’s not just my sanctuary, it’s all of ours.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She smiled and Sammy started asking her about where she lived and so forth.
She lived in Tith, close to the palace. Her mom was the only one raising her as she had lost her father the night of the creepers. “My dad was part of your dad’s royal fleet.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay. I don’t remember him. I was too little.”
“So you are a Dragonian?”
“Yes,” Becky said, lifting her sleeve to show us her mark on her arm. It was quite dark.
Keys in the door sounded once more and a girl with red hair waltz in. She had a sleeve of some sugary candy dangling between her lips. Her piercing blue eyes enhanced the dark brown tones of her skin. “Oh, my word. I must have won the Dragonian lottery or something. Look at this room. Hi,” she held out her hand at Becky, “I’m Victoria Button, yeah, like the button on your jeans. Lame, I know. Everyone calls me Vicky.”
Becky shook her hand. “Rebecca Johnson, everyone calls me Becky.”
“Samantha Leaf.” Sammy jumped up and took Vicky’s hand.
“Oh fuck, Blake’s your brother?”
Chuckles filled the room.
“Yes, the idiot is my brother.”
“Elena,” I said and waved.
“Hi, okay, so spill. How did we end up in this room? I thought we were on the first to fourth floor.” The girl put her two bags on the only open bed next to Sammy.
“Royalty?” Sammy said.
“Royalty? Who the hell is royalty here?”
“That would be me.” I lifted my hand.
“She is King Albert and Queen Catherine’s daughter.”
“Crap, you’re the girl that claimed the Rubicon?”
“Yeah, well, if you call that attempt a claim, that would be me.”
“Pfft, submitting is harder than yielding. Believe me. They had tried to claim me once. It didn’t go so well for the other guy.”
“You’re a dragon?” Becky asked.
“Sun blast. The worst there is, apart from the Rubicon. He’s really your dragon?”
“Yes, I almost got a heart attack when I entered and I found him on Elena’s bed,” Becky said with enormous eyes.
“He was here,” Vicky asked. “Where is he now?”
“I sent him away. I need distance.”
“A dent. I believe that? So he is going to be here regularly?”
“Only if that is okay with you guys. I made a deal with Becky that he won’t come until she is ready.”
“Yeah, then he told me I had to get used to him pretty fast.”
“What?” Vicky’s eyes grew as her lips fanned out into a smile. “He actually spoke to you.”
“I know. My tongue was all twisted. I couldn’t even answer.”
Vicky’s eyes flickered back to me. “You know how hot he is, right?”
“Ewe, ewe, ewe, that is my brother, girls.”
“Sorry, but you would’ve agreed with us if he wasn’t your brother, Sammy.”
“Okay, I probably would’ve, but still. He is blood. I don’t see him that way.”
“So we all have the same schedule, right?” Vicky was a blabbermouth.
“Accept for Elena, she has to take classes with the cool kids.”
“Haha.” I chucked a tiny pillow at Sammy, which she caught with ease.
“Oh, right, you start on the dual schedule. That’s so awesome. Our dragons are not so lucky. We have to wait until someone claims us before we can start on that schedule.”
“That sucks so much,” Sammy said.
“Tell me about it.”
Vicky started telling us about her family as she started with her first bag, packing the content of it into her closet. She lived with a dragon colony in her dragon form and I hung on the words that left her mouth. There weren’t a lot of colonies anymore, but she knew a few dragons at Dragonia that were a part of her colony. Tabitha was one of them. “She must love you now that you have taken her precious away from her.”
“Yeah, she tried to warn me during orientation about him,” I said.
“What? Ugh. What did she say?” Sammy asked.
“The dragon is awesome, but the boy behind it doesn’t know what he wants.”
“Don’t believe that for a second.” Sammy sounded upset. “She would do anything to get between the two of you. She is smart and cunning, so don’t you dare believe a single thing, Elena.”
“Chill, I don’t. Besides, Lucian already warned me.”
“The prince,” both Becky and Vicky yelled at the same time.
“Yeah, we sort of live with them.”
“You and I are going to be best friends, girl.” Vicky came over and wrapped powerful arms around me and lifted me off the ground.
She squeezed all the air out of my lungs. I voiced it with a grunt and she let me go. “Sorry, my mom said I’m a bit too much.”
“Don’t apologize. I like your energy.” I motioned with my hand around her.
“You don’t seem like a princess.”
“Oh, it’s because I’m not. The p word makes me uncomfortable, and besides, I didn’t grow up with wealth on the other side. So I won’t be your typical princess.”
“That is great to know. I hate Arianna.”
“I second that. She is a spoiled brat,” Sammy said. “She actually tried to claim my brother once. It was a spectacle.”
I froze as I remembered the story that Lucian told me, how he had lost Arianna because of the Rubicon. It was Blake. I didn’t know how I felt about that one.
They all joked about her claim as I finished packing away my clothes.
Sammy came over and leaned against the wall. “You okay? Was it something I said?”
I shook my head and smiled.
“He was different back then, Elena.”
“Sammy?”
“No, I saw how your face changed when I mentioned that. Lucian told you what he did, didn’t he?”
I nodded.
“He didn’t mean for Lucian to find out about it. He did, as the brat actually believed she had a chance with my brother and told Lucian that she couldn’t be with him anymore.”
“What?”
“He didn’t tell you that part?”
“No, he just said that they hurt him, really hurt him.”
“Their actions did, but he was so different before you. A cocky ass, to be honest. He came back a different dragon, and it’s all because of you. Please don’t hold his past against him. It was pretty dark.”
“I’m not that type of person.”
“I’m figuring that out. Just ask if something bothers you. Don’t assume, okay?”
“I won’t.”
She looked at the other two roomies. “I’m starving. Who wants to go see what is for lunch?”
I lifted my hand. “My stomach is growling at me.”
The other two couldn’t wait either, and we all left for the cafeteria.
Sammy locked our room and everywhere girls, older than us, huddled in groups, whispering to each other as we walked down the stairs.
“I bet they are wondering what the first years were doing on their floor,” Vicky said.
Laughter bubbled from me as I walked down the steps. I liked Vicky. She didn’t have a shy bone in her body.
“I doubt they would think it’s royalty,” Sammy replied.
“Is it true that the ancients want to cancel you and Blake’s ordeal?” Vicky asked.
“What?” Becky said.
“I doubt they can do it,” Sammy answered Becky.
I nodded at Vicky’s question. “They still might. They haven’t decided yet. So I guess we will have to wait and see.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs and Tabitha, with three of her friends, all equally beautiful, walked past us. I tried not to pay attention to her beauty.
“Sammy.” Tabitha greeted.
“Tabitha,” Sammy said.
“You’ve seen your brother this summer?”
“Yeah, we actually spend almost every day together now that you are not in the picture anymore.”
A chuckle rolled off her lips. “It’s not over until I say it’s over.”
I stopped with Becky and Vicky. “Excuse me,” I said.
She laughed. “Oh, what, because the dragon in him submitted you think you own him? You do not know the needs he has, little princess, and I doubt you even know how to handle him.”
“Do you hear yourself, Tabitha? Elena is his Dent. There is not one incident in the entire history that an opposite dent ever gave up a rider or dragon just because of the likes of a third party,” Sammy said.
“She didn’t claim him fair and square, little mongrel, and when the ancients are going to annul it—”
“If!” Sammy interrupted.
“No, when. They are not stupid. Your brother is the Rubicon. He needs to yield, and not to the likes of someone that doesn’t even have the guts to tame him.”
“Tabitha, enough!” Blake’s voice came from the stairs.
She jumped in fright.
“Now you did it,” Sammy said.
“You too, Samantha.”
I shook my head and just walked through the door.
“Yeah, run away, little mouse,” Tabitha yelled.
“I said enough!”
My strides grew bigger trying to get away from them. She was never going to stop. Flashes of her, me and Blake kept occupying my thoughts.
“Stop this, please,” Blake said from almost beside me as I walked toward the cafeteria. Tears pricked in my eyes as her words kept rolling into my mind.
“Elena,” Blake said, but I didn’t stop. A grip clasped around my wrist and he pulled me to the side of the cafeteria. “What did she say?”
“You know what she said. You have enhanced hearing.”
“I know how to tune it out. What did she say?”
“What do you think she said? That it’s not over between the two of you. She decides that. She will not back off.”
“I don’t want her. Don’t believe the crap that she is going to spin. Because then this won’t work.”
My lower-lip wobbled.
“Don’t cry. Come here.” He pulled me into his grasp and I tried to pull back my tears. I sniffed and took a huge breath when I had them under control. “Look at me,” Blake said as he pushed me away and my gaze flickered to his. “You asked me to make the choice, which no other Dragonian has ever done, and I told you I want you. I don’t want anyone else.”
I nodded. “She said when the ancients are going to annul this—”
“They won’t. I won’t let them and neither will you.”
“Blake?”
“I’m the alpha. I have perks. Trust me on this, okay?”
I remembered what Dad had said about his alpha call. That they had to obey when he used it. I nodded.
“Now, let’s go eat something, as my stomach is protesting.”
A giggle slipped past my lips as he took my hand and led me to the cafeteria.
Everyone stared at us as we entered, and a lot of his friends stopped to greet him. He sure was popular. I walked on and went to the buffet area. Time would tell where the snow dragon was going to fit into our lives. But I could see a wonky road.
