Warning: Smut!
Please remember this is my first time writing smut so there is room for improvement.
I can't wait until next year when we get to join the riders quadrant. Not because I'm eager to become a rider, but because I'm excited to finally see you again.
- Recovered correspondence from Liam Mairi to Raya Riorson
A few days have passed since assessment day. Sawyer and Rhiannon have been teaching Violet sparring and the four of us have been studying history and physics together. Violet hasn't taken up my offer of teaching her sparring but she has been talking to me more, so at least it's a step in the right direction.
Now that dinner and classes are finished, we're back in the sparring gym along with the two other squads of flame section, fourth wing. Rhiannon is teaching Violet while Sawyer and I are on the mat next to them.
Sawyer and I aren't going full out, but more testing each other just to do something. "When did you learn to fight?" Sawyer asks.
"Pretty much since I could walk." I throw a punch that Sawyer dodges. "Living beyond the wards, my dad always wanted us to be able to defend ourselves."
"Makes sense, no wonder you're so good on the mat." Sawyer throws a punch of his own but I use his momentum against him, sending him to the ground.
"What about you?" I try to pin him but he uses his size to roll from underneath me.
"I learned pretty early on, plus last year in the quadrant helped." He shrugs, trying to sweep my legs from under me.
I hum, "You know? I kinda admire you."
"Admire me?" His eyebrows knit together, using the distraction I tackle him to the ground. "Shit!" I laugh as he struggles beneath me, his arm locked between my legs. "Why would you admire someone who didn't bond and had to repeat a year?"
"Because," I grunt as he finds a way to wiggle out of my grip, rolling so he's on top of me. "You didn't give up. Despite knowing that this college is a death sentence and you'll have to be here an extra year, you came back. It's brave."
Sawyer has me pinned between his hips, "Brave? That's a new one." The right side of his mouth curves into a smirk. "Do you yield, Raya?"
My own lips pull into a smirk, "Why would I yield when I have multiple ways to make a man beg for mercy?" Sawyer's eyes widen at my words. I push my full weight off the ground, switching so I'm now on top of him, "And if I did yield I never would have gotten to see how good you look underneath me."
A smile lights up Sawyer's face, "I must say, I like this view myself."
"Raya!" Sawyer and I look to the side, Xaden has his arms crossed, watching us fight. He crooks a finger at me beckoning me over.
I look back at Sawyer, "Duty calls, but you're not allowed to move from this position. I expect to finish this when I come back."
"Sure thing." Sawyer laughs as I stand to walk towards my brother.
I follow Xaden to the corner, out of the way of passing cadets, "Practicing or flirting?" He asks.
I smile, "Why can't it be both?"
Xaden rolls his eyes, "Don't do it in front of me."
This time, I roll my eyes, "I didn't know you were here, Xade. With that being said, deal with it. I can die at any point in here and if I want to fuck someone I will."
Xaden's face quickly morphs into one of disgust, "I don't need to know." Xaden pulls shadows around us, shielding us from prying eyes and ears, "I called you over here to tell you we're meeting tonight, midnight." Xaden already told me where this first meeting between the marked ones will take place, I guess he finally got the chance to confirm a time.
I nod, "Okay, I'll see you tonight then." I move to walk away but he grabs my arm, stopping me before I get far.
"You'll be able to make it out by yourself?"
"Duh, I'm not incompetent. I'll be fine. Liam and I already planned to meet when you got a time so we could head over together." He nods before letting me walk back to Sawyer, the shadows falling away. I smile at the taller first year, who is still laying on the mat where I left him. "Awe, you listened."
"I was thinking while you were talking to you brother," he smirks, "I'll yield right now if you want to find a room to sneak off too."
I smirk back, "Say less." I hold a hand out for him to help him off the mat. As we walk out of the gym, my eyes meet Xaden's. He glares at me, knowing exactly why I'm leaving but he doesn't do anything to stop me.
*_*_*_*_*_*
There are a lot of empty bedrooms to choose from considering cadets only get a private room once they bond a dragon. Sawyer and I choose one that's close to the barracks. The minute the door is closed behind us, Sawyer pushes me against the door, hands gripping my hips.
I throw my arms over his shoulders and pull him down, our lips meet in a heated kiss. He quickly adjusts his hold on me, hands skimming down the sides of my body to grip my ass then thighs. I jump up as he presses me even more tightly against the door. Our tongues clash, my fingers tug at the ends of his hair as his hands feel my curves. "More," I whisper against his lips.
He quickly adjusts his hold, moving one of his hands to fit in between our bodies. He unbuttons my pants, sliding his hand underneath my clothes. "Fuck," he pants. "You're so wet."
I whimper at the pressure of his fingers against my clit, kissing down his neck. I tug at his shirt wanting more access to his skin. We slightly pull away from each other so I can pull his shirt off. He removes his fingers from my pants, carrying me to the bed. I take off my own top before he throws me on top of the sheets. "You're beautiful." Sawyer whispers, a smile lighting up his face.
"Mm, you're not too bad yourself." I run my hands up his toned stomach, pulling him down once more so his lips crash into mine. I roll the two of us over so I can get on top of him. "Wanna taste you," I mumble as I start kissing down his body.
Once I reach his pants, I snap the button open, tugging them off him to get access to his cock. Sawyer watches me with wide eyes, waiting for my next move. I smirk up at him before I lick the tip of his cock. Sawyer groans above me, "Raya." I smirk once more at the sound of his voice, it's rougher now compared to how it usually sounds. My lips wrap around the tip, and I swirl my tongue around it causing Sawyer to groan once more. "Feels so good." He reaches a hand down, gathering my hair and lightly tugging.
I hum around the tip before slowly sinking more of him into my mouth. What I can't fit, I wrap my hand around before slowly starting to bob my head around his length. I look at him through my eyelashes, seeing his blissed out face. I can feel him getting closer but before he cums he grips my hair tighter, pulling me off of him. A string of drool connects my mouth to him. I pout, "What was that for?"
"Want to feel your pussy wrapped around me. Don't want this to end yet." Sawyer lets go of my hair and reaches for my pants, indicating he wants them off. I step off the bed to shimmy out of the tight pants. Once off, I climb back on to the bed, straddling Sawyers hips.
The minute I sink onto him, we both moan from the pleasure. I slowly lower myself, sinking inch by inch until his cock is fully inside me. "Gods, you feel incredible." I moan.
"And the view is definitely perfect." Sawyer smirks, referencing the conversation that started this. I let out a breathy laugh.
"It is," a smile lights up my face. I start to move, Sawyer's hands gripping tightly onto my hips to help me. They'll probably end up bruised with how tight he's holding me but I don't mind.
After a few agonizingly slow minutes, Sawyer starts to roughly fuck up into me. The action causes me to gasp and I fall forward, one of my hands splayed on his chest, the other lands on the pillow by his head. I turn my head to kiss and suck at his neck as our hips meet.
Breathy moans and groans escape our lips, "Are you close?" He asks me. I nod, not being able to form words, "Me too. Cum for me, Raya." He reaches a hand between us to rub at my clit, helping me climax faster. I slam my lips on his as I cum, Sawyer following right after.
When we ride out our highs I roll over so I'm laying beside him, "That was. Amazing." I sigh.
Sawyer laughs, "Agreed." He turns his head to look at me, "Want to go for another round?"
I bite my lip, because yes, abso-fucking-lutely I want to go for another round, but I need to go meet Xaden and the others and if I don't leave now I'll be late and Xaden will be pissed. "I have to go meet my brother, he'll be pissed if I'm late. But if you stay here, I'll be back soon and we can go for however long you want."
Sawyer smirks, "Sounds like a plan to me." I give him a quick kiss on his jaw before standing up to put my clothes back on and heading out of the room.
*_*_*_*_*_*
I meet Liam by the parapet. He's sitting on the same bench where he helped me put my shoes back on on conscription day. "We're going to be late." Liam whispers, standing up when he sees me, handing me a cloak.
"We'll be fine." I brush his concern off, moving past him to the stairwell as I slip the cloak over my shoulders and pull the hood onto my head.
"Did anyone see you?"
I purse my lips, "Technically no."
Liam's eyes narrow, "What do you mean? Technically no?"
"I was with someone. That's why I'm running a little late. They just think I'm meeting Xaden, so they won't say anything considering he's my wingleader."
"Care to share who you were with?"
"Why? You jealous?" I smirk.
"No." Liam shakes his head, holding the door at the bottom of the stairwell open for me. "Whoever it was, bet I'd be better."
I quietly laugh, "I don't know. I had a great time tonight."
Liam smirks, "But you've never been with me." We stop talking as we see the figures ahead of us. Xaden and the others are gathered by the Iakobos River, under a tree.
"Finally," Xaden says, seeing us approach. "You're late."
"Maybe you're just early." I tilt my head.
Xaden rolls his eyes, "I don't care what you do in your free time, but don't let it delay our meeting." I smirk, Liam and I aren't even a minute late, I know he's just being protective and doesn't want to think of me sleeping with someone. Understandable though, considering I don't want to know what he does in his free time either.
"Well, let's not delay anymore, big brother."
Garrick starts the conversation, "We've already lost Sutherland and Luperco."
"We're here to make sure as many of you survive as possible." Xaden continues.
"Like it or not," Imogen says, "We're going to have to stick together if you want to survive until graduation."
Carolyn Bennett, a first year with olive skin and dark brown eyes speaks up, "And if they find out we're meeting?"
"We've done this for two years and they've never found out," Xaden responds. "They're not going to unless one of you tells. And if you tell. I'll know." He narrows his eyes at the group, "Like Garrick said, we've already lost two first years to their own negligence. There are only forty one of us in the Riders Quadrant, and we don't want to lose any of you, but we will if you don't help yourselves. The odds are always stacked against us, and trust me, every other Navarrian in the quadrant will look for reasons to call you a traitor or force you to fail."
There's a murmur throughout the group, I lean against Liam, not wanting to stand up straight anymore. He wraps his arm around me as Xaden continues, "How many of you are getting your asses handed to you in hand-to-hand?" Four hands shoot up, Carolyn is one of them along with a tall dark-skinned gangly guy named Dmitry Harper, a guy with shoulder length black hair and tanned skin named Julian Rizzo, and a pale woman with blonde hair named Carina Steiner.
I made it my mission to know all of the marked ones names even if I didn't have a lot of contact with them growing up. Their parents all fought with my father, and just like Xaden, I feel some responsibility towards them. "Shit," Xaden swears, lifting a hand to his face.
"I'll teach them," Garrick assures.
Xaden shakes his head, "You're our best fighter-"
He gets cut off by Bodhi, "You're our best fighter," He corrects.
"Dirtiest fighter, maybe," Imogen says, smirk on her face, "You and Raya don't know how to fight clean."
"Ruthless more like," Garrick corrects, "Both of them."
I smile, "Thank you."
"Garrick is our best fighter," Xaden continues like he wasn't interrupted, "but Imogen is right up there with him, and she's a hell of a lot more patient." He pauses, "So the four of you split yourselves up between the two of them for training. A group of three won't draw any unwanted attention. What else is giving you trouble?"
"I can't do this," Dmitry says, he hides his face behind his hands.
"What do you mean?" Xaden's voice is hard.
"I can't do this! The death. The fighting. Any of it!" His voice pitches, "A guy had his neck snapped right in front of me on assessment day! I want to go home! Can you help me with that?"
"No." Xaden bluntly answers, "You're not going to make it. Best accept it now and not take up my time."
"That was a little harsh, cousin." Bodhi says, but we all know Xaden's right.
"What do you want me to say, Bodhi?" Xaden cocks an eyebrow, "I can't save everyone, especially not someone who isn't willing to work to save themselves."
"Damn, Xaden," Garrick mumbles, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Way to give a pep talk."
"If they need a fucking pep talk, then we both know they're not flying out of the quadrant on graduation day. Let's get real. I can hold their hands and make them a bunch of bullshit empty promises about everyone making it through if that helps them sleep, but in my experience, the truth is more valuable, and I know for a fact Raya agrees, that's why she looks bored as hell right now."
I nod in agreement. "We knew coming in here that death would be common, best get used to it and be prepared to welcome Malek with open arms."
"In war, people die. It's not glorious like the bards sing about, either. It's snapped necks and two-hundred-foot falls. There's nothing romantic about scorched earth or the scent of sulfur. This," He gestures around us, "Isn't some fable where everyone makes it out alive. It's hard, cold, uncaring reality. Not everyone here is going to make it home… to whatever is left of our homes. And make no mistake, we are at war every time we step foot in the quadrant." He leans slightly forward, "So if you won't get your shit together and fight to live, then no. You're not going to make it."
Everyone's quiet except for Garrick who mumbles, "Fucking Riorson's."
Xaden sends him a look then addresses the group once more, "Now, someone give me a problem I can actually solve."
"Battle Brief," Lydia Savel starts, her bunk is a row over from mine, "It's not that I can't keep up, but the information…" She trails off.
"That's a tough one," Imogen says. She turns to Xaden for his answer.
"You learn what they teach you," Xaden replies, "Keep what you know but recite whatever they tell you to." In other words, don't say anything about the truth of what's beyond the wards and memorize what the professors want you to know. "Anyone else? You'd better ask now. We don't have all night."
"When do we get to kill Violet Sorrengail?" Ashton Matuli asks from the back of the group. I stand up straight, my head snapping towards him, a glare on my face.
"Yeah, Xaden." Imogen says, a seemingly sweet smile plastered to her face, "When do we finally get to have our revenge?"
Xaden turns his head to Imogen, "I told you already, the youngest Sorrengail is mine, and I'll handle her when the time is right." I roll my eyes at my brother.
"Didn't you already learn that lesson, Imogen?" Bodhi asks, "What I hear, Aetos has you scrubbing dinner dishes for the next month for using your powers on the mat."
Imogen turns to face Bodhi, her eyes set into a glare, "Her mother is responsible for the execution of my mom and sister. I should have done more than just snap her shoulder."
I open my mouth to respond but Garrick beats me to it, "Her mom is responsible for the capture of nearly all our parents, not her daughter. Punishing children for the sins of their parents is the Navarrian way, not the Tyrrish."
"So we get conscripted because of what our parents did years ago and shoved into this death sentence of a college-"
"Violet's in the same death sentence of a college, if you haven't noticed," I cut her off, "And her mother forced her to come here as well. She was originally training to be a scribe. So looks like she's not doing much better."
"Don't forget her brother was Brennan Sorrengail," Xaden adds, "She has just as much reason to hate us as we do her. And I'm not going to tell you again. She's mine to handle. Anyone feel like arguing?" There's a moment of silence before Xaden speaks again, "Good. Then get back to bed and go in threes."
"Go ahead, I'll catch up." I whisper to Liam. I wait for the group to disperse, Liam lingers a bit farther away. I look towards Xaden, "You can't kill her."
He raises an eyebrow at me, "Yeah? Why not?"
"Like Garrick said, we don't punish the children for the sins of the parents. I hate General Sorrengail too, but Violet did nothing wrong. Leave her out of this." I don't wait for him to reply, I turn around and head towards Liam. We walk back together, Liam heading for the barracks and me towards Sawyer.
*_*_*_*_*_*
The next morning Sawyer and I are up early so we can make it back to the dorms before everyone else starts waking up. Just as I'm about to open the door I hear voices, I pause to listen, "We have curfew for a reason, cadet."
I whisper to Sawyer, "It's Dain. We should wait until he passes." Sawyer nods in agreement, moving closer to also listen.
"And you know that no one is supposed to be in the private dorms until after threshing." Dain scolds.
"Maybe we were just up early," We hear Rhiannon answer, "You know, like you are right now."
Dain sighs, "Just get back to the dorms and pretend you slept there, will you?"
"Absolutely!" Rhiannon agrees, footsteps move away back towards the dormitory.
"Monitoring the sex lives of first years was not what I had in mind when I applied to be a squad leader." Dain's voice fades as he walks further from the door.
I slowly creak the door open, peaking my head out to check if it's clear, "All good." I smile over my shoulder at Sawyer, "Luckily it was Rhiannon that was caught, he so wouldn't have let me get away with it."
"You think so?" Sawyer asks.
"Oh, definitely, Dain hates me. He thinks I'm out to get Violet and when we first met I called him an asshole."
Sawyer smirks, we make it to his dorm first, "I'll see you at breakfast." He whispers before opening the door and stepping inside.
Once I make it to my own dorm, Rhiannon is sitting up in bed tying her boots. "Where were you?" She questions.
I smirk, "With a friend."
She wiggles her eyebrows, "And that friend would be?"
I giggle, "I'll only tell you if you promise not to tell anyone. I don't want things to be weird."
Rhiannon nods, suddenly serious, "Promise."
I lean closer, "Sawyer."
Rhiannon's eyes light up, "I wondered where you two ran off to last night. I saw you talking with your brother so I thought maybe you were doing something with him but it makes sense that you and Sawyer left together. Was it good?"
I smirk, pulling a shirt over my head to put a fresh one on, "Well considering we went multiple rounds…" I trail off.
Rhiannon laughs, once we're both fully changed she hooks her arms around mine so we can head off to breakfast, "Well, your secret is safe with me."
*_*_*_*_*_*
After breakfast the next day, all of the first years are in Professor Kaori's classroom. Kaori is our professor for Dargonkind. I sit with my squad, Sawyer to my left. Liam sits beside me to my right, the rest of his squad close by. I'm taking notes as Kaori talks about the different dragon types. "Keep the temperaments of each specific breed in mind when you decide which dragons to approach and which to run away from at Threshing."
Professor Kaori is an illusionist. He can project different images of things he's seen to show others. Currently there is an illusion of a Green Daggertail in front of the class but Kaori quickly replaces the image with a Red Scorpiontail.
"Red Scorpiontails like Ghrian here, are the quickest to temper," Kaori looks at the dragon with a smile, then his eyes quickly scan over the cadets, "So if you offend him, you're-"
He gets cut off by Ridoc, "Lunch." The class laughs, even Jack Barlowe, who I was beginning to think only knew how to glare at Violet.
"Precisely," Professor Kaori smiles, "So what's the best way to approach a Red Scorpiontail?"
A first year from Second wing speaks up, "They prefer that you approach from the left and from the front, if possible."
Kaori nods in approval, "Excellent. For this Threshing, there a three Red Scorpiontails willing to bond." The image changes in front of the class to another dragon.
"How many dragons are there in total?" Rhiannon asks.
"A hundred for this year." Kaori changes the image again, "But some might change their minds during Presentation in about two months, depending on what they see."
"That's thirty seven fewer than last year," Violet says.
Kaori nods, "Yes, Cadet Sorrengail, it is, and twenty six fewer than the year before that."
"Wonder why there is less bonding." I mutter to Liam. He nods, his eyebrows knitting together.
Another voice from across the classroom asks, "Will they tell you why they won't bond?"
"No, jackass," Jack sneers, "Dragons only talk to their bonded riders, just like they only give their full name to their bonded rider. You should know that by now."
Professor Kaori sends Jack a pointed look that shuts him up, "They don't share their reasons, and anyone who respects their life won't ask a question they're not willing to answer."
"Do the numbers affect the wards?" Aurelie asks. She's tapping her quill against the desk, never happy sitting still. Can't say I blame her though, my leg is bouncing up and down as I focus on the conversation around me.
"We're not sure," Kaori's jaw ticks, "The number of bonded dragons has never affected the integrity of Navarre's wards before, but I'm not about to lie to you and say that we're not seeing increased breaches when you know from Battle Brief that we are."
The wards are faltering quite frequently, which begs the question are we growing weaker or our enemies growing stronger. I personally think it's our enemies growing stronger, which kind of terrifies me to think about. Either way, all that means is that I need to train harder and do better so I can make sure myself and my loved ones survive.
Kaori changes the image to Sgaeyl, "You won't have to worry about how to approach blue dragons, since there are none willing to bond this Threshing but you should be able to recognize Sgaeyl if you see her."
"So you can fucking run," Ridoc drawls. The class laughs, as I share a look with Liam.
"She's a Blue Daggertail, the rarest of the blues, and yes, if you see her without her bonded rider, you should… definitely find somewhere else to be."
"Xaden said she likes me." I say with a proud smile.
"Consider yourself lucky then," Kaori smiles, "Ruthless does not begin to describe her, nor does she abide by what we assume to be what the dragons consider law. She even bonded the relative of one of her previous riders, which as you know is typically forbidden, but Sgaeyl does whatever she wants, whenever she wants."
"Badass," I whisper to myself.
"In fact, if you see any of the blues, don't approach them. Just.."
"Run," Ridoc finishes for Kaori.
Kaori nods, "Run. There are a handful of other blues in active service, but you'll find them all along the Esben Mountains in the east, where the fighting is most intense. They're all intimidating, but Sgaeyl is the most powerful of them all." And my brother bonded her.
"What about the black dragon?" A first year in Jack's squad asks. "There's one here, right?"
Jack's face lights up, "I want that one." I roll my eyes.
"Not that it's going to matter," Kaori sighs, he flicks his wrist replacing Sgaeyl with a massive black dragon. "But just to appease your curiosity, since this is the only time you'll ever see him, here is the only other black dragon beside General Melgren's."
I suck in a breath, I hate General Melgren and his dragon more than the Sorrengail's. And that's saying a lot. Liam notices me tense and grabs onto my hand, gently rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. "You okay?" Liam asks, causing Sawyer to look over and notice how tense I am. He reaches down, placing his hand on my thigh, squeezing gently.
I nod, "Fine."
"He's huge," Rhiannon says. "And is that a clubtail?"
"No, a morningstartail. He has the same bludgeoning power of a clubtail, but those spikes will eviscerate a person just as well as a daggertail."
"Best of both worlds," Jack calls out, "He looks like a killing machine."
"He is," Kaori agrees, "And honestly, I haven't seen him in the last five years, so this image is more than a little outdated. But since we have him up here, what can you tell me about black dragons?"
"They're the smartest and most discerning," Aurelie answers.
"They're the rarest," Violet adds, "There hasn't been one born in the last.. century."
"Correct," Kaori nods, "They're also the most cunning. There's no such thing as out smarting a black dragon. This one here is a little over a hundred, which makes him about middle-aged. He's revered as a battle dragon among their kind, and if not for him, we probably would have lost during the Tyrrish rebellion." The marked first years around the room pull there sleeves down and squirm, except for Liam and I. We both hold our heads high, unfazed by the gazes of our fellow first years. "Add to it that he's a morningstartail, and he's one of the deadliest dragons in Navarre."
"I bet he powers one hell of a signet. How do you approach him?" Jack asks, sitting forward in his seat.
I loudly laugh before I can stop myself, "Oh please try to approach him. I'd pay good money to see what happens." Liam and Sawyer smirk beside me.
Jack glares over his shoulder at me but doesn't say anything as Kaori starts to talk, "You don't. He hasn't agreed to bond since his previous and only rider was killed during the uprising, and the only way you'd ever be near him is if you're in the Vale, which you won't be, because you'd be incinerated before you ever got through the gorge."
"Someone should ask him again," Jack states.
"By all means, Jack. Why don't you. Maybe he'd say yes if you ask him nicely." I pout, the rest of the class laughs, except for Jack and his gang of misfits.
"It doesn't work that way, Barlowe." Kaori says, bringing the attention back to him, "Now there is only one other black dragon, which is in service…"
"General Melgren's," Sawyer says, "Codagh, right?" Sawyer's hand is still resting on my thigh, lazily tracing patterns. He's not taking notes in this class, which makes sense since he already took it last year.
"Yes," Kaori nods, "The eldest of the den and a swordtail."
"But just for curiosity's sake." Jack speaks up once more, causing me to roll my eyes. "What signet ability would this guy gift his rider?"
Professor Kaori closes his fist, the illusion disappears, "There's no telling. Signets are the result of the unique chemistry between rider and dragon and usually say more about the rider than the dragon. The stronger the bond and the more powerful the dragon, the stronger the signet."
"Fine. What was his previous rider's?"
"Naolin's signet was siphoning. He could absorb power from the various sources, other dragons, other riders, and then use it or redistribute it."
"Badass." Ridoc's tone has a little more than hero worship.
"He was," Kaori agrees.
"What kills someone with that kind of signet?" Jack asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Professor Kaori glances at Violet before quickly looking away, "He attempted to use that power to revive a fallen rider - which didn't work, because there's no signet ability capable of resurrection - and depleted himself in the process. To use a phrase you'll become accustomed to after Threshing, he burned out and died next to that rider."
There's a brief moment of silence then Kaori flicks his hand once more, "Last dragon of the day." A huge white dragon appears in front of us. She looks to have a daggertail but the image is slightly blurry, making it difficult to see. "This image is also a bit outdated but since we are going over every kind of dragon, I figured I should mention her."
"She's beautiful." I say.
"I've never seen a white dragon before," Liam tilts his head.
"She is, and she's the only one of her kind. She's never bonded before so we don't see her very often. But she is just about one hundred years old and we believe she's incredibly powerful. It's possible that if she chooses to bond, that she will die with that rider. Which is why she either doesn't want to risk bonding or she is waiting to choose wisely. Of course we can't be certain, as nobody has ever talked with her."
"Is she coming to presentation this year?" Lydia Savel asks.
"No, she has not said that she's willing to bond this year." The bell rings signaling the hour is up, we collect our things, putting them in our bags, before heading out of the classroom.
*_*_*_*_*_*
I stand next to Xaden in the gym watching as Rhiannon faces off against a guy from Second Wing. She quickly gets him in a headlock, cutting off his air supply. "She's good." I say, tilting my head. Xaden hums, a look of boredom on his face.
"You're better." He states.
I smile, "Not many people here will be better than me."
"Don't get cocky, that's how you lose."
I roll my eyes, "I'm confident, not cocky. I know not to underestimate anyone and I know not to let my emotions get the better of me, I'll be fine."
"I know you will be," His eyes flicker to me as the guy in Rhiannon's hold passes out, "I'm not worried about you on the mats."
Both of our gazes our drawn towards Jack and Violet who are arguing, "Gods, I want to kill him every time he opens his mouth." Violet throws two daggers at Jack just missing him, causing me to snort. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Xaden's lips twitch as he fights off a smile. I smirk but don't say anything.
Xaden turns away when Violet makes eye contact with him, "I'm going to watch some of the other Fourth Wing matches, but I'll be back over here when you're called up."
"No need, you're a Wingleader, focus on the cadet's that need help."
"You're my baby sister, I'm going to support you in your first challenge. Kick your opponents ass and don't disappoint me." I smile and nod, moving to stand beside Rhiannon as Violet moves onto the mat.
Violet is against Oren Seifert. He looks like he's going to be sick, Violet may get lucky. "Don't take this personally, but you'll only be a hazard to your wing." He says, palming a dagger. He charges at Violet but he's sluggish. She lands a punch to his kidney's before spinning away. They taunt each other, swinging their daggers and dodging.
When Oren goes for Violet once more, she waits until the last moment to dodge, nicking his side in the process. She kicks him in the back, sending him sprawling to the mat. Violet takes advantage, digging her knee into his back and placing her dagger at his throat, "Yield."
"No!" He calls out, he retches, bringing up everything he ate that day.
"Ew. Gross." My face scrunches up in disgust.
Beside me Rhiannon mumbles, "Oh my gods."
"Yield," Violet demands once more.
"He yields," Emetterio calls out, ending the match. Violet stands up, sheathing her blade, than taking the one that Oren dropped on the mat.
"You won!" Rhiannon exclaims.
"Good job!" I smile.
"He's sick," Violet shrugs in response.
"I'll take being lucky over being good any day," Rhiannon counters.
I nod, "True, but you can't just rely on luck. Keep up with training and you'll be fine."
"I need to find someone to get this cleaned up." Dain mutters, walking away and getting a first year to clean up the mess.
The group moves to another mat to continue matches, "Riorson and McCall." I move towards the mat, a girl slightly taller than me but with less muscle steps up. She was the one who was originally in Dain's squad but got switched out. She nods at me, "Weapons?" Emetterio asks.
"Swords?" She asks, noticing I have a short sword strapped to my hip. I nod pulling mine out, causing her to do the same.
"Begin." I keep my weight balanced, waiting for Scarlett to make the first move. When I don't know how my opponent fights, I like seeing their style first. She lunges, swinging her sword towards my neck. I quickly block it with my own, pushing her arm up and spinning underneath, ending up behind Scarlett.
She moves quickly, not wanting to have her back towards me. She charges again, feigning left before attacking towards the right. Once again, I quickly block, I kick her in the stomach, causing her to stumble backwards. She gasps in pain but comes at me again.
I dodge, swiping at her legs as I pass her. My sword nicks her ankle causing her to stumble once more. Before she can recover, I attack with a flourish of swings, each one sending her closer to the edge of the mat. I send a quick kick to her sword hand, she loses her grip, the sword tumbling to the mat. I quickly raise my sword to her throat.
Scarlett sighs, "I yield."
I smile at her, "I'll take a dagger, keep the sword." She smiles back at me, reaching into a sheath on her thigh to hand me a dagger and picking up her sword once more, before stepping off the mat and heading back to her squad.
As I step off the mat to stand once more beside Rhiannon and Violet, I glance up at Xaden, he has a proud smile on his face. He nods to me before turning to watch another match.
Week after week passes, I win every match thrown my way only ending up with minor bruises and cuts. Liam and Violet are also undefeated at the moment. Every time Violet is up against someone though, they have something wrong with them. It's easy to tell that she's poising them but I'm starting to think I'm the only one who notices. It's not like I'll tell anyone, surviving the Rider's Quadrant takes more than being strong, and Violet is smart enough that she may just survive.
It's early September and I've collect five new weapons from challenges. Professor Emetterio looks down at his roll seeing who's to fight next. "Raya and Liam." Multiple heads turn, trying to find each of us in the crowd. One of us is losing our winning streak and it's not about to be me.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Liam
I slowly make my way to the mat, just because I'm going against Raya doesn't mean I'll take it easy. I make it to the mat first my eyes scan the room for her. My blue eyes land on her just as she hands her corset halter that carries three of her daggers, to Violet. My eyes narrow in confusion but quickly widen as I watch her reach down to pull off her shirt, leaving her in just her work out bra and pants.
She flings her shirt at Ridoc who's standing beside her, gaping like a fish. "What are you doing?" I hiss once she's across from me. I know every eye in this room is on her right now, and it makes my blood boil.
She smirks, "Using all of my assets to ensure a win."
I roll my eyes, "Fighting me without a shirt isn't going to be a distraction."
"You say that now, but I know you better than that. Using daggers okay?" She asks.
I nod, but don't take one out. I want to win, but I don't want to harm her, and without an extra layer covering her that goal got a lot more difficult. "Begin." Emetterio calls out.
She tilts her head at me, beckoning me over, a small smirk on her face. I know she won't make the first move, and I want to end this quick so I comply with her wishes. The smirk on her face grows as I lunge but Raya's quick and dodges out of the way. Gods do I want to wipe that look off her face. She uses her foot to trip me, but I catch myself before I fall.
I turn to face her again, she raises an eyebrow, unfazed by the eyes on her. My jaw ticks, I just know Xaden is seething on the side of the mat. I charge once more, her dagger grazes my side as she dodges, but I grab her arm before she can fully get away.
I twist her around, throwing her to the mat, she let's out a gasp of air. I squeeze her hand open, causing her to drop her dagger. Our faces are close, neither one of us have broken into a sweat, "I love being manhandled." She whispers, her breath gentle on my face.
Before I can reply, she knees me in the groin, "Cheap shot." I groan, as I fall off her.
She gets another dagger out, pinning me to the ground, "All is fair when you're at war. Do you yield, Mairi?" She's straddling my thigh, one leg pinning my right arm down, the other knee pressed to my groin. The dagger she holds is pressed to my throat, and her other hand is holding my free arm to the mat.
I clench my jaw, about to move her off of me, but her dagger presses closer to my neck and her knee moves pressing more into my groin, and I know I'm trapped. "I yield." I say loud enough for the room to hear me.
Raya smirks once more, she kisses my cheek as she sheaths her dagger, then pulls a dagger from one of my sheaths, "Thank you for this." She winks before getting off of me, offering her hand to help me up. Once I'm up, she turns around, twirling the dagger she took from me around as she heads back to her squad. My eyes follow her as I slowly back off the mat.
Just as she reaches Ridoc, grabbing her shirt back from his outstretched hands, a hand grabs tightly onto my shoulder, "Undress my sister with your eyes again and I'll cut them out of your head." I blink, my head whipping to Xaden who's glaring at me. I gulp and nod, turning around to properly head back to my squad.
"Mairi, I know you just lost your first match, but damn. You're so lucky. I'd gladly let Raya do anything she wants to me." My eyes sharpen into a glare as I look at my squad mate, Augustus.
"Fuck off." I growl.
Augustus smirks, "What? I thought you two where just friends. And Raya's hot. Every guy and some of the girls were eye fucking her when you guys were fighting."
Lyra, another first year in the squad nods, "Even Barlowe looked like he wanted to have a go with her." She tilts her chin in his direction, "He's still trying to sneak glances."
I look in the direction Lyra indicated, my eyes finding Jack, he's laughing with his squad, and sure enough his gaze passes by Raya multiple times. I feel like throwing up. Instead of answering, I march over to Raya and her squad.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Raya
I make my way back to my squad after winning against Liam. Ridoc holds out my shirt, I slip the dagger I won from Liam in an empty sheath before I reach to take my shirt back from him, "You might want to put that on fast, your brother looks to be seconds away from killing everyone in this room." Ridoc says.
I snort, "He won't do shit."
"Well, you looked hot and everyone here can agree on that. I swear everyone was eyeing you like they wanted to take a bite." Rhiannon smirks, "Honestly, I wouldn't say no."
"Come find me later," I wink, taking my corset back from Violet.
"I could never be brave enough to fight without half my weapons. Or without at least some sort of barrier between my skin." Violet says, shaking her head.
I smile brightly, putting my corset back on, "The key is knowing your opponent. I know Liam would never intentionally hurt me, at least not severely. So without that extra layer, he was going to be more cautious and not go all out even though it's a subconscious thing, because he would never purposefully go easy on me."
I pause briefly as I tighten the corset, "Plus, like you guys pointed out, I'm hot. So there was a chance he'd be distracted by that as well."
"Incoming," Sawyer whispers, looking behind me.
I turn around to see what he's talking about and find Xaden's eyes locked on me and Liam marching over, a glare on his face. I open my mouth to tease Liam about losing but he beats me to it, "Never fucking do that again."
My eyebrows knit in confusion, "What? Win?"
Liam rolls his blue eyes, "Fight shirtless in a room full of horny cadets. Jack fucking Barlowe was eye fucking you and if I have to see him do that again I'm going to murder him than gouge my own eyes out. Don't even get me started on having to hear what my squad wants to do with you."
I smirk, "Oh, was it anything fun? Maybe I -"
"Raya!" Liam scolds, grabbing my upper arm, but I only smirk more.
Before either of us can reply Garrick appears at our side, "I'm going to separate you two before you're brother comes over and hurts Liam." Garrick looks Liam in the eye and nods at him to get back to his Squad. Liam's jaw ticks once but turns on his heel, walking away from us.
"Why does Xaden want to hurt Liam?" I ask.
"He wants to hurt everyone that was looking at you, Smiley. He's showing a lot of restraint at the moment."
I snort, "I'm sure he is. Does that mean you weren't looking at me?" Garrick smirks but doesn't reply.
"Smiley?" Violet asks.
"She was always smiling and laughing as a kid so I started calling her Smiley." Garrick answers.
"If any of you try and use that nickname, I will break your nose. Garrick's the only one allowed." I say, watching the match in front of me.
"She's not lying. She broke Xaden's nose when we were thirteen because he tried to call her it."
Rhiannon laughs, "I would had loved to see that." The girl on the mat knocked out the other cadet with a swift kick to the head. She takes one of the cadet's daggers then moves back towards her squad.
"They were thirteen, I was eleven." I clarify.
"I'm sorry, Violet," Professor Emetterio speaks up, causing our group to face him, "You were supposed to challenge Rayma, but she's been taken to the healers because she can't seem to walk in a straight line."
Violet winces, "That's… Too bad," She pauses, "Should I just…"
"I'm happy to step in," Xaden says from across the room, causing me to smirk.
"You sure?" Professor Emetterio asks, glancing over his shoulder.
"Absolutely." Garrick and I exchange a look. We know he's already pissed because of my stunt so it's going to be fun seeing him against Violet. I know Violet is probably on the verge of a heart attack but Garrick and I both know he won't do anything on the mat.
Xaden steps forward, "You are all in for a treat," Professor Emetterio says, clapping his hands, "Xaden's one of the best fighters we have. Watch and learn."
"Well that's going to go right to his head," I mutter to Garrick, rolling my eyes.
Garrick's lips twitch into a smirk, "Please, he already has a big head, Emetterio saying he's one of the best fighters isn't going to change that."
Violet steps onto the mat, facing Xaden. "A little out of her league, don't you think?" Dain calls out, trying to protect her.
"Relax, Aetos." Xaden looks over his shoulder at Dain as he begins to take off all his weapons, handing them to Imogen. "She'll be in one piece when I'm finished with her."
Dain raises his voice, "I hardly think it's fair-"
Xaden cuts him off, "No one asked you to think, squad leader." Garrick and I both snort, turning away to hide our laughs.
"You don't think you'll need those?" Violet asks, watching Xaden remove the last of his weapons.
"Nope. Not when you brought enough for both of us." He grins, stretching out his hands, "Let's go."
"This is going to be fun," Garrick whispers.
"He's not going to hurt her, right?" Ridoc asks.
"No." Garrick and I both say in unison.
"You both seem confident about that." Sawyer says, watching the match.
Violet attacks Xaden, he blocks her easily, and slowly starts to disarm her, kicking each of her weapons towards Dain who stands at the edge of the mat. "We know Xaden, he won't harm her." Garrick replies.
Xaden and Violet are talking as they fight, Xaden offers Violet a hand, "Don't take it." I mumble.
"She's going to take it." Garrick says. Sure enough, Violet takes my brother's outstretched hand. He tugs her up then twists her arm behind her.
"Damn, thought she'd be smarter than that."
Xaden keeps disarming Violet until finally she snaps, "You've made your damn point." Imogen gasps, but I just smirk. Xaden crosses his arms, unbothered, and Violet starts letting her emotion into her fighting.
Xaden has Violet pinned to the mat, he moves her hands to grab her last dagger, showing her where to attack an opponent. "See, he's just teaching her. No harm done." Garrick says to the rest of the squad.
The two exchange a few more quiet words before Dain speaks up, "I think she's been taught enough today."
"Awe, he's jealous." I whisper to Garrick. Garrick's shoulder's shake in a silent laugh. Xaden stands, walking away from Violet and gathering his weapons from Imogen.
Violet moves towards Dain in order to collect her weapons, "Aetos," Xaden calls out, turning to look at the second year, "She could use a little less protection and a little more instruction." Dain nods.
Xaden makes a beeline for me, "Good luck." Garrick whispers to me, he nods at Xaden then walks away.
Xaden is glaring at me, he then grabs my arm, pulling me away from my squad and out of the gym. "Challenges aren't over you know." I say, a smirk on my face.
Xaden remains silent as he walks me through the halls, glare never leaving his face. I know why he's mad, but I don't care. We make it back to the dormitory, heading straight for his room. Once he closes the door behind us, he finally lets go of my arm. "Sit." He says, gesturing to the bed.
I sit on the edge of his bed, biting my lip to keep from smiling, but it's easy to tell that I find his anger amusing. Xaden's eyes flare, "It's not funny. What the fuck where you thinking?"
"I was thinking it's Liam and I could distract him. When you fight an opponent that's bigger and stronger than you you need to use everything in your arsenal to win. That's exactly what I did."
Xaden rolls his eyes, "Oh, so you'll just walk up to a random enemy, take your shirt off, and fight them in hopes they'll be distracted."
This time I roll my eyes, "If I know my enemy is attracted to me then yeah, maybe." Xaden's glare hardens, "Xaden, I'm not dumb. I know how to win and get what I want and that's exactly what I did. I'm still undefeated in challenges, you should be proud of me. I don't see what the big deal is."
Xaden raises his voice, "The big deal is that you were just shirtless in front of almost the whole quadrant and half those people were eyeing you like a piece of meat. You're my little sister, I don't want anyone looking at you-"
I cut him off, "That's why you sent Garrick to me. You wanted him next to me to scare off anyone eyeing me. Well, Liam already informed me about the colorful commentary on my behalf and I don't give a fuck. Let them talk. Let them look. More than half of those people are going to be too scared to do anything anyways."
"That's not the point!"
I stand up, "What's done is done, Xaden! We can't go back in time and stop me from taking my shirt off and you know what? Even if we could, I would do it again. Because I. Won. I did what I needed to do and I don't regret it."
Xaden pinches the bridge of his nose, "You're going to be the death of me." He says causing me to roll my eyes, "Just don't do it again. Okay?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Xaden's jaw ticks but he doesn't say anything else.