Page 46 of The Last Dragon
“Not you,” I say. “You don’t get to sit with us.”
He scoffs, the same attitude he had during Division Day creeping in. “You forget what I know,” he says, twisting a smile.
“And you forget you’re not in a unit unless it’s reported directly to the general.”
He glares, his smile disappearing.
“He shouldn’t even be in a unit,” Ilian belittled, shoving pieces of bread in his mouth.
“Shut it.” Eryca on cue as always.
Ilian glances at Raumen, casually wiggling the bread in his hands—completely ignoring everything that just happened. I catch Alex’s glare aimed straight at Ilian, like he’s plotting how to take him down without anyone noticing. Yeah, these two are going to get along about as well as fire and resin.
“If you want to sit with us,” I say, my hand still extended. “You have to earn it. You canbein our unit, but you can’t be withus.”
His eyes bore into me. “A unit needs to know one another enough to work well,” he says, his smile twisting into another victorious leer.
“Good luck making us care to knowyou.”
His body tenses, eyes locking with Nida seated beside Eryca. His jaw flexes.
“You’re telling me she gets to be part of the unit just like that, without having toearnher place?” He points his finger at Nida. “That’s some bullshit. Or are your balls as deep in her as your ego?” Alex sneers, his tone laced with venom, calling for a challenge. “I guess that’s one way to climb the ladder, ain’t that right—” he comes closer. “—Commander?”
The room falls silent. My eardrums feel punctured—but there’s no pain. It’s as if torches get snuffed out and bitter coldness rushes in. I grab Alex by the collar again, ready to snap his neck. Nida jumps between us, pushing us apart. Everything about him makes my blood boil. If the dragon doesn’t kill him, I will.
“You want to keep that head of yours?” she says, a threat lingering in the air as she glares at him. “Thenwalk.”
Raumen is already on his feet, ready to interfere in case something happens. Alex scoffs, his eyes shifting between me and the rest of the unit, but he doesn’t walk away. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Lieutenant Rylan prowling toward us.
“Looks like we got ourselves a littlecat-fight.” He flashes a grin, mocking, eyes shifting between Alex and me.
“There’s no fight here,” Ilian butts in with a nervous laugh. “Just some good ol’ unit play.”
“Nah, I think there’s a fight here,” Rylan says, his eyes stopping at me. “Maybe you should’ve shown him more during sparring.” His smile fades, gaze gleaming with mockery. “As I said, you’re getting soft, Aaran.” His attention returns to Alex. “You could prove me wrong. Now’s your chance.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you,” I hiss. I face Alex, glaring at him, making sure he starts walking. He gets the hintand then backs away, finally realizing that earning his place won’t be that easy.
Rylan scrunches his nose. “Soft.”
We hold each other’s gaze, neither willing to look away first.
“Shows over!” he yells out to other cadets, forcing them to return to their seats. “If you could call that a show.”
I return to my seat, watching how Rylan stalks away. My knuckles turn white. I completely lost my appetite, so I push the tray aside.
“Take the rest if you want,” I say to my unit, before shooting up from my bench.
“Where you going?” Ilian asks, but I’m already three steps away.
“To get some air.”
The air here feels too thick. Too heavy. And I need to get out of here. Now. I need to clear my head. Rooftop.
Cold seeps into my skin. I lift my hands and unfurl them, fingertips warm with blood from where my nails dig too deep. I didn’t even feel it. I watch as the blood slowly runs down the wrist from my palm, before I stride out of the cafeteria.
CHAPTER 17
“Fuck!” I exclaim halfway down the hallway, tossing my head back. I have to report this to the general. I spin on my heel and stride past the mess hall entrance, finding myself in a long corridor that ends at the general’s quarters.
