I stand outside of Liam's door, hand shaking and my breathing unsteady as I knock on his door, my legs threatening to buckle any second.

After what happened Bodhi had taken me to the flight field to get some fresh air and calm down, we had sat out there for hours.

Rapping my hand against the wood lightly, I draw in a deep breath, preparing for him to be utterly disgusted by me.

The door swings open, "Stas?" He pulls me in tight, "You took so long, you had me worried."

Pulling away, I gesture for him to sit down as I shut the door.

"So, I- um." My voice shakes as I move to sit with him, looking down at my trembling hands, before he wraps his own around them, forcing me to look into his big blue eyes.

He gives me an encouraging nod, "I manifested my signet and accidentally killed 5 people. I'm a chaos wielder. Surprise."

Liam stares at me, open mouthed in shock, "Holy fucking shit Stas, that's- fuck that's hot."

What?

"So you don't hate me?" I whisper.

"Baby, I could never hate you. Why would you think that?"

--------------

"Oren Seifert." Captain Fitzgibbons finishes reading the death roll and closes the scroll as we stand in formation the next morning, our breath creating clouds in the chilled air. "We commend their souls to Malek."

There's no sorrow in my heart for six of the eight names, no remorse, no guilt, no regret. They all deserved to die.

"I can't believe they tried to kill you while you were sleeping." Rhiannon's still seething at breakfast after Violet told our table what happened.

"Even worse, I think I'm getting used to it." Violet responds

Captain Fitzgibbons makes some minor announcements, and I tune him out as Xaden strides our way, cutting through the space between the Flame and Tail Sections of our wing.

"There's a change to your squad roll."

"Wingleader?" Dain questions, his spine straightening. "We just absorbed four from the dissolution of the third squad."

"Yes." Xaden looks to the right, where Second Squad, Tail Section stands at attention. "Belden, we're making a roll change." "Yes, sir." The squad leader nods once.

"Aetos, Vaughn Penley will be leaving your command, and you'll be gaining Liam Mairi from Tail Section."

Dain's mouth snaps shut, and he nods.

I can barely contain my excitement.

We all watch as the two first-year riders exchange places. Penley's only been with us since Threshing, so there's no heartfelt goodbye from our original squad, but the other three grumble.

Liam nods at Xaden, and my stomach twists. I know exactly why he's being put under Dain's command. Not for me, for Violet.

"I do not need a bodyguard," she snaps at Xaden.

He ignores her, facing Dain. "Liam is statistically the strongest first-year in the quadrant. He has the fastest time up the Gauntlet, hasn't lost a single challenge, and is bonded to an exceptionally strong Red Daggertail. Any squad would be lucky to have him, and he's all yours, Aetos. You can thank me when you win the Squad Battle in the spring."

Liam steps into formation behind me, taking Penley's place.

"I. Do. Not. Need. A. Bodyguard," she repeats, a little louder this time.

One of the first-years behind us gasps, mortified by her audacity, no doubt.

Imogen snorts. "Good luck with that approach."

Xaden walks past Dain and stands directly in front of Violet, leaning forward. "You do, though, as we both learned last night. And I can't be everywhere you are. But Liam here, he's a first-year, so he can be in every class, at every challenge, and I even had him assigned to library duty, so I hope you get used to him, Sorrengail."

"You're overstepping."

"You haven't begun to see overstepping," he warns, his voice dropping low, sending a shiver down my spine. "Any threat against you is a threat against me, and as we've already established, I have more important things to do than sleep on your floor."

"He is not sleeping in her room." I ground out.

"Of course not. I had him moved into the one next to hers. Wouldn't want to overstep." He turns on his heel and walks away, headed back to his place at the front of our formation.

"Fucking mated dragons," Dain seethes, keeping his eyes forward.

Fitzgibbons finishes his announcements and steps to the back of the dais, which would usually signal the end of formation, but Commandant Panchek takes the podium. He makes it a habit to avoid morning formation, which means something is up.

"What's going on with Panchek?" Rhiannon asks at my side.

"Not sure." Vi says, wincing.

"It has to be something big if he's fumbling with a Codex up there," Rhiannon says.

"Quiet," Dain orders, glancing back over his shoulder at us for the first time this morning. He does a double-take, his eyes flaring wide as he catches sight of Violets neck. "Vi?"

"I'm fine."

"Squad Leader Aetos, people are staring." I snap at him.

"Dain!" Violet yells.

"Is that what Riorson meant by last night?" she nods.

"I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm fine," she repeat, nodding toward the dais. "Later." He turns, but the motion is reluctant.

"It has been brought to my attention as your commandant that a breach of the Codex has occurred," Panchek calls out over the courtyard.

"As you know, breaches of our most sacred laws are not to be tolerated," Panchek continues. "This matter will be addressed here and now. Will the accuser please step forward."

"Someone's in trouble," Rhiannon whispers. "Think Ridoc finally got caught in Tyvon Varen's bed?"

"That's hardly against the Codex," Ridoc murmurs from behind us.

"He's the executive officer for Second Wing." I send a pointed look over my shoulder.

"And?" Ridoc shrugs, grinning without a touch of remorse. "Fraternizing with command is frowned upon, not unlawful."

"I miss sex." Violet sighs.

I personally can't relate.

"If you're looking for a little fun, I'm happy to oblige-" Ridoc starts, shoving his floppy brown hair off his forehead with a wink.

"I miss good sex," she counters. "Besides, apparently you're spoken for."

"We're not exclusive," Ridoc counters. "It's like Rhiannon and what'sher-name..."

"Tara," Rhiannon offers.

"Will you all shut the hell up?" Dain barks in his superior-officer voice.

Our mouths snap shut.

"This is about me" Violet whispers, as we all watch Xaden ascend the dais.

I know what's about to happen.

"Early this morning," he begins, his deep voice carrying over the formation, "a rider in my wing was brutally, illegally attacked in her sleep with the intent of murder by a group primarily composed of unbondeds."

A collection of murmurs and gasps fills the air, and Dain's shoulders stiffen.

"As we all know, this is a violation of Article Three, Section Two of the Dragon Rider's Codex and, in addition to being dishonorable, is a capital offense."

Xaden's hands clench the sides of the podium.

"Having been alerted by my dragon, I interrupted the attack along with three other Fourth Wing riders."

He dips his chin toward our wing. "As it was a matter of life and death, Cadet Anastasia Riorson and I personally executed six of the would-be murderers, as witnessed by Flame Section Leader Garrick Tavis and Tail Section Executive Officer Bodhi Durran."

"Both Tyrs. How convenient," Nadine, one of our new additions to the squad, says from the row behind Ridoc and Liam.

I look back over my shoulder and pin her with a glare, "You better keep your mouth shut or you'll be next, Nadine." I snap.

Liam keeps his eyes forward.

"But the attack was orchestrated by a rider who fled before I arrived," Xaden continues, his voice rising. "A rider who had access to the map of where all first-years are assigned to sleep, and that rider must be brought to swift justice."

Shit. This is about to get ugly.

"I call you to answer for your crime against Cadet Sorrengail." Xaden's focus shifts to the center of the formation. "Wingleader Amber Mavis."

The quadrant draws a collective breath before an uproar rips through the crowd.

"What the hell?" Dain bites out.

"She's a Tyr, too, Nadine," Ridoc says over his shoulder. "Or are you only biased against marked ones?"

Amber's family stayed loyal to Navarre, so she wasn't forced to watch her parents get burned alive and wasn't marked by a rebellion relic.

"Amber would never." Dain shakes his head. "A wingleader would never." He turns completely to face Violet. "Get up there and tell everyone that he's lying, Vi."

"But he's not," she says.

"It's impossible." His cheeks flush a mottled shade of red.

"I was there, Dain."

"Wingleaders are beyond reproach-"

"Then why are you so quick to call our own wingleader a liar?" My brows rise in challenge, daring him to say what he's so careful to keep quiet.

Behind him, Amber steps forward, separating herself from the formation. "I have committed no such crime!"

"See?" Dain swings his arm, pointing toward the redhead. "Put a stop to this right now, Violet."

"She was with them in my room," Violet says.

"That's impossible." He lifts his hands, as though to cup her face.

"Let me see."

What the fuck?

"Give me the memory," he orders.

Indignation lifts my chin. "Touch her without permission, and you'll spend the rest of your life regretting it." I growl, surprise ripples over his features.

"Wingleaders." Xaden projects his voice over the chaos. "We need a quorum."

Both Nyra and Septon Izar-the wingleaders for First and Second Wing -climb the stairs to the dais, passing by Amber as she stands utterly exposed in the courtyard.

A familiar chaos fills the air, and we all look toward the ridgeline as seven dragons curve along the mountain, flying straight for us. The biggest among them are Gaia and Tairn.

In a matter of seconds, they reach the citadel and hover over the courtyard walls. Wind from the strong beats of their wings blasts through the courtyard. Then, one by one, they land on their perch, Tairn at the center of the grouping.

Gaia is perched to the right, next to Sgaeyl, she's looks terrifying up there. Nyra's Red Scorpiontail looms behind her as well, and Septon's Brown Daggertail mirrors the stance to the left. On the ends, puffing blasts of steam, are Commandant Panchek's Green Clubtail and Amber's Orange Daggertail.

"Shit's about to get real," Sawyer says, breaking formation to stand at Violets side, and I feel Ridoc move next to me.

"You can stop this all right now, Violet. You have to," Dain implores. "I don't know what you saw last night, but it wasn't Amber. She cares too much about the rules to break them."

"You're using this to get your revenge on my family!" Amber shouts at Xaden. "For not supporting your father's rebellion!" That's a low fucking blow.

Xaden doesn't even acknowledge it as he turns to the other wingleaders.

Tairn chuffs and every dragon besides Sgaeyl stiffens on the wall, even Amber's. The riders are quick to follow, silence filling the courtyard, Violet's memory playing out in everyones heads.

"That spineless wretch," Rhiannon seethes.

Dain pales.

"Believe me now? You're supposed to be my friend, Dain. My best friend. There's a reason I didn't tell you."

He staggers backward.

"The wingleaders have formed a quorum and are in unanimous agreement," Xaden announces, flanked by Nyra and Septon while the commandant hangs back. "We find you guilty, Amber Mavis."

"No!" she shouts. "It is no crime to rid the quadrant of the weakest rider! I did it to protect the integrity of the wings!" She paces in panic, looking to everyone-anyone for help.

As a whole, the formation moves backward.

"And as is our law, your sentence will be carried out by fire," Nyra states.

"No!" Amber looks to her dragon. "Claidh!"

Amber's Orange Daggertail snarls at the other dragons and lifts a claw.

Tairn swivels his massive head toward Claidh, his roar shaking the ground beneath my feet. Then he snaps his teeth at the smaller orange, and she retreats, her head hanging as she grips the wall again.

The sight breaks my heart, not for Amber but for Claidh.

"Please don't," Violet begs.

She turns to Xaden and begs again, her voice breaking by the end. "Please give her a chance."

"Claidh," Amber whimpers, the courtyard so unbelievably silent that the sound carries.

The formation splits at the center.

Tairn leans low, extending his head and neck past the dais toward where Amber stands. Then his teeth part, he curls his tongue, and he incinerates her with a blast of fire so hot, I can feel it from here. It's over in a heartbeat.

A gruesome scream rends the air, shattering a window in the academic wing, and every rider slams their hands over their ears as Claidh mourns.