Chapter 20

Blake recalls his childhood fluffin, Thistle, revealing a rare softness beneath his hard reputation. Carrying the injured fluffin pup Medra found, he heads for House Drakharrow’s tower, mulling over Marcus’s cruelty and the need for someone who could truly intimidate his brother.

Thinking of Medra, Blake admits—grudgingly—her defiance and wildness draw him despite their constant clashes. He resents that she neither cowers nor curries favor, yet finds her resolve and fire compelling, which unsettles him.

Determined to keep his errand hidden, Blake covers the basket with his cloak, intimidates a passing First Year, and worries about ridicule from Kage or entanglement with Regan. He reaches the Drakharrow infirmary and finds the healer who treated Medra previously.

Blake presents the pup and brusquely orders Healer Ailith to treat it in secret, in her own chambers. After a brief, vulnerable moment whispering encouragement to the pup, he reasserts his cold authority and secures her discretion.

Leaving the infirmary, Blake resolves to check on the pup later—ostensibly for House standards, but clearly out of concern—exposing the growing conflict between his ruthless image and his emerging care tied to Medra.