"I was surprised to see him again, that's all." I got under the blanket and pulled it up to my chin. "I told you, he was there the night the Shedun attacked our village."
"Okay, fine. Don't talk about Ravel if you don't want to." She reached for the light switch next to her bed and turned the lights off, but she'd forgotten to close the curtains on the window, and the aurora lit sky supplied plenty of illumination to keep everything in our small room in sharp relief. "Tell me how it went with Alar instead."
And here I had thought that I had dodged the interrogation.
I should have known better.
"It went well, I think. He's not glaring at me anymore."
"Well? Don't leave me hanging!" She propped herself on her elbow. "What did you say? What did he say? Did he apologize for being a jealous ass?"
I laughed. "Not in those exact words." I smiled. "But he admitted that he'd been hasty in jumping to conclusions."
"From Alar, that's practically groveling." Shovia flopped back against her pillow. "So, I guess you didn't confess the tingles you got from Commander Tall, Dark, and Brooding."
My smile faded. "I may have downplayed that part."
"Downplayed or completely omitted?"
"I told Alar that I recognized Ravel from the Shedun attack, which was true. I just didn't mention the strange connection I felt with him even back then."
I couldn't reveal to Shovia or anyone else my ability to communicate with Onyx, so I couldn't tell her my latest theory that the connection I felt was actually to the dragon, and through him to Ravel. It was their bond that facilitated the transfer.
"Some things are better omitted," she said with a sage nod. "There's no reason to add fuel to Alar's insecurity at this stage."
Her words mirrored my own thoughts so precisely that I felt validated. "I still feel guilty, though."
"Don't," she said firmly. "When you get much closer—" she winked at me suggestively "—and he feels secure in the relationship, then you can admit to your smidgen of totally natural and completely understandable attraction to the hunky commander." She fanned herself dramatically.
I would have thrown a pillow at her, but they had given us only one each, and I wasn't using mine to wipe that lustful expression off Shovia's face.
"It's not like that," I protested, though a part of me wondered if it was. The way my heart had raced when Ravel had approached me, the strange electricity I'd felt...
It was more than just recognition, more than just the connection through Onyx, but it also wasn't the same as what I felt for Alar.
"It's exactly like that," Shovia said. "And there's nothing wrong with it. Ravel is gorgeous, powerful, and obviouslyinterested in you. Any woman with a pulse would feel something."
"Maybe," I conceded. "But it doesn't matter. I care about Alar."
"Of course, you do." Shovia's expression softened. "That's why you marched your butt down to his room tonight instead of hanging out with all the fun people at the lounge."
I turned on my side. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not really. I should have taken my time in the shower instead of rushing to make it to the get-together. All we did was rehash stories from the pilgrimage that everyone knew already."
"What about you and Codric?"
There was a long moment of silence. "He was checking out all the other girls, so naturally, I checked out all the other guys."
I was sorry to hear that. Now that they were both about to become riders, their casual fling could mature into something more, but if it wasn't meant to be, I was sure Shovia would find someone to take Codric's place soon enough.
I sighed, turning on my back and staring at the ceiling. "It all feels so surreal. I can't believe that I'm here, in the dormitory of the Dragon Flight Academy, having just made up with a guy I've known for less than a week over a silly spat, while being...whatever this is...about another man I barely know."
"Welcome to adult life," Shovia said. "It's messy."
I chuckled. "I've seen you make a mess of yours, but I never expected it to happen to me. It's almost as bizarre as being declared a rider."
"Yeah, tell me about it. You were at least kind of ready for it because of Dylon, but I was in complete shock. Now I will never get to travel the world. I will be stuck in Elucia for the rest of my very long life."
