In Historical Strategy, Blake rationalizes that the scales he saw on his skin were a temporary reaction to Nyxaris’s proximity. Visha confronts him about his hostile behavior, accusing him of alienating his friends and driving Medra away with his “feral highblood” antics. Blake claims Medra was disloyal first, but Visha argues he provoked the situation and is embracing the worst highblood traditions.

Visha insists she would be a better Second than a sycophant like Laurent because she isn’t afraid to be honest with him. She bluntly tells Blake his bullying tactics are failing and advises him to apologize to Medra, after which he can learn how to actually woo her. Blake privately admits Visha is right. Though he resolves not to beg for Medra’s forgiveness, he knows he must change his approach or risk losing everything.

Intending to get their scheduled feeding over with early, Medra finds Blake’s bedroom door ajar. She enters and hears him in the bathroom. Overcome with curiosity, she peeks inside and sees him naked and masturbating. Aroused, Medra begins to pleasure herself while watching. Just as Blake climaxes, he groans her name. As she tries to sneak out, Blake discovers her presence and blocks her exit.

Blake demands that Medra should strip as payment for the show she got without his consent. When she refuses, he throws her onto the bed and pins her down, telling her he will let her go if she screams even once. Medra remains silent. Blake caresses her intimately, gazing at her body with reverence and calling her “magnificent.” Overwhelmed by her attraction for him, Medra gives in to the moment.

Blake makes love to Medra, surprised by the intensity of the encounter. As they have sex, he sinks his fangs into her neck, and begins to feed from her. Medra does not appear repulsed by the feeding. Blake realizes this is because she is relaxed. He tells her feeding should always be as pleasurable for her, as it is in this instance. 

Afterward, Blake gives Medra his robe and suggests things can be better between them if she stops fighting him. She scoffs, stating that nothing has changed and reminding him of how he humiliated her friends. She mentions he made Florence cry. Stung, Blake offers a rare apology. Medra accepts it but insists he has not “won” before leaving. Alone, Blake feels a confusing mix of anger and sadness, realizing he wants more than just a physical connection with Medra. He resolves to protect her and prove to her that they can be good together.

Leaving Blake’s room in his robe, Medra is confronted by Regan and her friends, who taunt her. Medra viciously retorts, reminding each of them of their previous humiliating defeats at her hands (in Book 1 of the series), and they back down. Back in her room, Medra castigates herself for sleeping with Blake and takes a bath to wash away his scent. Later, she meets Florence at the library. Medra’s mother, Orcades, whose spirit resides in a dagger Medra carries, teases her about the encounter with Blake.

Medra has been consulting Florence’s mother, Jia Shen, the librarian, for information about dragons on the pretext of an assignment. Jia tells Medra that the specific information she wanted—the disappearance of the dragons—seems to have been expunged, but Florence has begun contacting other institutions for help. Their work is interrupted by Florence’s pet fluffin, Neville, running wild. Kage appears and easily catches the creature. He then speaks with Medra privately, revealing that House Avari has extensive records on Nyxaris, whom they bred. He claims Nyxaris had a “tempestuous” nature and that his loyalty had to be earned. Kage insists his house was not responsible for turning the dragons to stone, though Medra senses Kage may be lying. He warns her that not everyone would welcome Nyxaris’s return, and cryptically tells her to watch Blake for strange behavior. He also informs her that his mother is complicating her request to transfer houses.

Later, Medra telepathically tells Nyxaris what Kage said. The dragon is enraged, revealing that his memory tells him that the dragons were not partners but were enslaved by the highblood houses through blood magic. He warns her not to trust Kage’s “honeyed words.”

During a private lesson, Professor Hassan lectures Medra on her role as a rider, calling her a mere “tool” to channel the will of the highbloods to the dragon. When Hassan is briefly called away, Medra snoops on her desk and finds a dossier on Nyxaris. The file details his history as a brutal “enforcer” used to punish “rogue dragons and riders” (210).

Medra is horrified. She then finds a page titled “Assessment of Rider Compatibility” with her own name on it (211). The assessment, clearly written by Hassan, evaluates Medra’s traits and notes her “Potential for Soul-Binding” (211). Medra recalls from last year’s lessons that soul-binding is a ritual where a highblood binds their soul to a rider to gain direct control of a dragon through the rider’s bond, with the rider’s soul destroyed or overridden in the process. She realizes Hassan is evaluating her to see if she is a suitable sacrifice. Suspecting Viktor Drakharrow is behind the plot, she resolves to learn who truly commands Hassan.

A few days later, a frantic Medra tells Professor Rodriguez about the soul-binding plot. He is shocked, saying he hadn’t considered “they” would go that far. He scolds Medra for her recklessness in awakening a violent enforcer like Nyxaris, confessing that the thought of killing her to contain the threat crossed his mind. Medra is shocked. Rodriguez explains that since the highbloods’ coercive magic is weakening, they are likely to use a dragon to crush the inevitable blightborn rebellions. However, he respects Medra and will help her find a way to escape the soul-binding ritual.  

Rodriguez advises Medra to keep their discussion a secret even from Florence, to protect her. He also tells Medra not to bond with Nyxaris, warning that once a bond is formed, the dragon will be as vulnerable to highblood control as she is. They then begin their thrallguard lesson to strengthen her mental defenses.

Riding Nyxaris through the mountains at night, Medra tells him what she learned from the dossier about his past as an enforcer. Nyxaris is silent for a long time, then reacts with pained anger, stating that it is a truth he would rather have left forgotten. He asks if she fears him now. Medra is unsure but reaffirms her promise to discover what happened to the dragons.

Her commitment seems to move Nyxaris, who remarks that a human who keeps a promise is more than he could have hoped for. As the approaching tribunal evaluation looms, Nyxaris makes a surprising offer: He will help her. He promises to act in a way that will make the tribunal believe she has mastery over him, explaining that he is doing it so she can survive to fulfill her promise.

While Medra studies in the common room, Blake approaches her to discuss the upcoming tribunal evaluation. He admits his uncle, Viktor, is pressuring him to keep her and the dragon under control, then warns her that the tribunal plans to use “leverage” to ensure her cooperation. He reveals they intend to threaten one of her friends—most likely Florence.

Medra is devastated and terrified, remembering what happened to her other best friend Naveen last year (to test Medra, the blightborn boy was turned into a grotesque creature, forcing her to kill him). Blake swears he will do everything in his power to keep Florence safe. As Medra begins to cry, Regan appears and misinterprets the scene, gloating that Blake must have finally dumped her. Blake orders Regan to leave. Regan sneers that she has already moved on to a man with real power—“the kind of man who can make or break someone like you” (230)—before walking off. Medra flees to her room.

Blake follows Medra, pleading with her to open the door. Medra relents and collapses into Blake’s arms. Blake comforts her, kissing her gently until the embrace turns passionate. Medra initiates sex, and he slowly undresses her before bringing her to orgasm with his mouth.

Later, Blake asks Medra if she wants him to leave. She shakes her head and suggests they take a bath and then sleep. In the bath, he holds her and reaffirms his promise to protect Florence. Medra is surprised by Blake’s unexpected kindness, and Blake admits that she has always deserved the best of him. As she drifts off to sleep in his arms in the bed, the simple intimacy feels like a miracle to Blake.