Viola snapped her mouth closed and leaned over to whisper something to Tristen, then the three of them turned on their heels and left.
They were probably worried I’d tattled on them, worried they were going to get some kind of reprimand, and when none came, then they’d wonder why. Oh, how I loved mind games.
“Viola did it, didn’t she?” Dori asked, eyes flicking between me and the retreating trio.
“Bitch!” Benedict said.
“Wait till my aunt finds out,” Dori added.
I shook my head. “I’m not reporting it.” The room dimmed as the sun hid behind a cloud.
“Looks like a storm’s brewing,” Cami said. “Strange. The weather reports that came in said it would be clear today.”
“Forget the weather,” Benedict said. “I want to know why Ana won’t report Viola. That bitch needs to be put in her place.”
I snorted. “Then what? She comes at me again, thinking that I can’t fight my own battles? No. I’ll deal with her myself in my own time, and?—”
The shrill sound of a siren split the air, battering my eardrums and drowning out my voice.
“Emergency drill!” someone yelled over the wailing alarm.
Dori rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, ushering for me to follow suit.
Looked like I was going to miss out on that hot pot once again.
I grabbed my notebook and slid out of my seat, the siren still blaring and covering the sound of the many boots shuffling toward the exit. There was no urgency in anyone’s stride. Looked like drills happened often here for there to be?—
All thoughts stopped as an icy, phantom hand gripped the back of my neck, and my knees buckled. I grabbed hold of Benedict, who was closest to me in that moment.
“Ana, what is it?” he asked.
A prickling sensation crawled across my scalp. “Something’s wrong…”
Whump, whump, whump.
“What is that?” Clary turned to the window.
Whump, whump, whump…
“Trinity save us.” Someone cried.
Shadows swallowed the room, as something huge, scaly, and blue filled the windows. My warning cry locked in my throat as it crashed through the floor-to-ceiling glass, bringing the salty spray of the sea with it—icy and sharp as it pricked my skin.
I hit the ground, shielding my head with my arms to protect my face from flying glass. Ears ringing and heart thudding in my throat, I slowly raised my head to the sight of wings, talons, and a serpentine body eating up the space.
My astounded brain finally registered what I was seeing.
A dragon…
I was looking at a fucking dragon.
CHAPTER 18
The tithe must be paid century on century. Land and Sea must remain united if the pact is to continue.
EXTRACT FROM THE LAND-SEA PACT (VAULT ARCHIVES)
The dragon shook its head, dislodging a shower of sea spray. Its scales glistened, coated in foam, as if it had sprung from the ocean itself.
