Dragons.
Many dragons. A whole flare. My heart pounds with excitement as I count wings and heads as the creatures stretch in the morning light. There are several large dragons with yellow wings and at least one scarlet Alpha. There are probably smaller dragons as well, but I can’t see them through the scrubby trees. I wonder how many Betas and if there are any Omegas. I can’t seea male Alpha with Golden Terror’s coloring, so I wonder where he is. Sleeping, lying prostrate on the ground? I’ll have to move closer to find out.
I call to Nilak in my mind, telling her where I’m going but warning her to stay back so the wild flare doesn’t startle.
I climb down into the valley and approach the flare, gazing at all the strong, beautiful dragons. I’ve never seen so many wild dragons in one place, many in shades of yellow and red, but others silvery like granite or a deep forest green. It will require every ounce of my knowledge and skill to tame even one of them, but I itch to get started. So many new riders will be able to bond with these and strengthen our country.
The wind blows from the southeast, and it carries a powerfully sweet scent. I stop dead and breathe in deeply.
An Omega.
AhumanOmega.
She smells like ripe blackberries and crisp autumn leaves. I haven’t crossed paths with another person since I spoke to that farmer, who is a hundred miles away by now. The last place I expected to find someone was this close to a wild flare. I look around and see that there’s a small, dilapidated cottage a little way off through the trees.
I want to approach the dragons, but I have to know if they’ve already bonded with riders, and whether those riders can be persuaded to join my flare. Reluctantly, I turn away from the flare and approach the cottage, one hand on the hilt of my sword. A horse grazes nearby on a long tether.
By the front door, which is hanging drunkenly on its hinges, the Omega’s scent grows even stronger. I thrust open the door, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness after the bright light of day. The little two-room place is mostly empty apart from a rickety table and chairs, an old stone fireplace with an empty grate, and a sleeping pallet on the floor.
There’s a small figure in the bed, curled up in a ball. Red curls tumble over a makeshift pillow. A woman. I haven’t closed the door behind me, and she raises her arm against the light and whimpers. In here, her scent is unmistakable. She’s in heat, and as she looks at me, I smell a sudden sharp scent of fear. She holds up her hand and flames crackle around her shaking fingers.
Then she drops her hand in exhaustion and slumps down. “I don’t care anymore. Just make it quick.”
I hunker down on my heels and speak in a low voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. I apologize for intruding. I didn’t expect to find anyone so close to the wild flare.”
The woman opens her eyes a crack, and she frowns in confusion. “You’re not wearing black.”
“Why would I be wearing black?”
“You’d better leave. He’ll hurt you.”
“Who?”
“Kane. I doubt he went far.”
“Is he your Alpha? He left you while you’re in heat?”
“You use those strange words as well. He’s not my anything, though he does keep me here. Please, just leave me alone.”
But I can’t do that. There’s something strange about this whole situation. Something I don’t like. She doesn’t know what a heat is, but I suppose she wouldn’t if she hasn’t been to Lenhale. And what does she mean, he keeps her here? “This…fever you have. How long does it last?”
“A day or two. It makes me so weak and…and stupid. What magic is this?”
“It’s not magic. You’re Maledinni.” If her heat lasts just a day or two, that means it’s a false heat, not a true one. The woman is in her early or mid-twenties, past the age for false heats, but the dragons have only just returned to Maledin, and designationsare still emerging. This woman has no idea what’s happening to her.
She watches me warily. “Are you sure you’re an Alpha? You don’t smell like anything to me. Anything strange or captivating, I mean. Not like the other one. Why does he smell like that? How does he make it so impossible for me to defend myself? I just…give in.”
Apprehension trickles down my spine. The Alpha she’s talking about must be her fated mate, and yet she wishes to defend herself against him. What the hell is he doing to her? I look around the cottage, which is dirty and cold and should probably be torn down. It could very well be torn down by the wild dragons if they become spooked. She shouldn’t stay here.
So much for my determination to tame the wild dragons, but at least I know now where the flare resides.
“There’s a temple in Lenhale where you can find shelter and learn from theHratha’lenwhat you are. I am returning there now, and you can come with me.”
She cringes away from me, shaking her head rapidly. “No, no, no. I can’t go to the capital. They’ll kill me.”
I frown in confusion at her sudden panic, until it finally clicks. A woman expecting men in black to hurt her. The flames that crackled around her fingers. She’s a witch who has been pursued by witchfinders. The Brethren would have burned her at the stake.
“I won’t take you to a Brethren monastery. The Brethren are gone. TheHratha’lenare temple women who will welcome you.”
