Page 353 - Fourth Wing

And I mean it. “You only want to keep me safe. I appreciate that. But it

stops now, Dain. Xaden is tied to me because of Sgaeyl. Nothing more. I do
not need protection, and if I do—I’ve got two badass dragons who have my

back. Can you respect that?”

He reaches up to cup my cheek, and I hold his gaze, determined for him
to understand he either starts valuing my choices or we are never going to

fix our friendship. “All right, Vi.” His eyes crinkle at the sides as his mouth

turns up into a half smile. “How can I argue with someone who has two
badass dragons?”

A weight shifts in my chest, and suddenly I can breathe again. I toss him

a cheeky grin. “Exactly.”
“I’m sorry for not asking for the memory.” He drops his hand to my

shoulder. “You’d better get to class.” And then he squeezes my shoulder
gently before walking away.

I let out a shaky breath and turn back to the door for Carr’s class. The

hallway is empty.
I head into Carr’s room, a massively long chamber with padded walls and

no windows. The entire length is lit by chandeliers of mage lights bright
enough to emulate daylight over three dozen students from Third and

Fourth Wing, who are seated in rows on the floor, evenly spaced to give one

another the most room.
Rhiannon and Liam meet me at the door and Professor Carr raises his

bushy white brows at me when we approach where he’s positioned at the

front of the room, dominating the space by doing nothing more than
standing there. The man isn’t just imposing, he’s intimidating as fuck.

I swallow, remembering how he snapped Jeremiah’s neck.

“Finally ready to join us, Cadet Sorrengail?” There’s no kindness in his
eyes, merely shrewd, clinical observation.

“Yes, sir.” I nod.
He studies me like I’m a bug pinned to the wall in the biology room.