The ground shakes beneath my boots, sending shockwaves up my legs as a deep growl draws my attention over my shoulder and to the cave. Expecting Bali, I smirk as a black-scaled dragon emerges, the silver light from above pouring over her. Except it isn’t the domineering dragon I know rules these fields but her smaller daughter.
“Shit,” I whisper, watching as she winds her head from side to side, a warning growl showing off her still very menacing and very sharp teeth. Her claws dig into the ground, sending pebbles and dirt flying with each step she takes. Though she isa younger dragon, her Khar lineage makes her just as big as the green dragon, and when she gives him another thundering roar of warning, she snaps her wings out to the sides, making her appear even larger. Hunching low on her front two legs, she pauses like a cat waiting to pounce. Sandwiched between the two of them, sweat pools on my palms.
The Hiravar dragon doesn’t back down, flaring his own wings out as he raises his head, taking a defensive stance against Sunis. My feet are moving before I mentally tell them to, running to the side to get out of the Hiravar’s way. The air stirs above me as a green tail slices through it, and I dive onto my stomach, my body connecting with the ground harshly enough for stars to flare behind my eyes. My ribs scream in protest, air punched out of my lungs until I’m left gasping.
Sunis swipes at the Hiravar’s chest, her claws scraping against the rough, leathery skin devoid of scales. The green dragon whines, the sound piercing as he backs up a step. A ridiculous amount of pride surges through me as Sunis advances, communicating her displeasure through a series of gruff growls. Pushing myself up to stand, I catch the attention of the Hiravar, his head snapping towards me while those yellow eyes narrow into slits. The sight is terrifying, and I lay my hands on my vest where throwing daggers are sheathed on instinct, despite knowing they will not help me at all. My heart pounds in my throat as I cast a quick look to the cave Sunis came from and to the forest that leads back to the palace. Both options are less than desirable, but staying here will get me killed, and I’d rather not have Sunis fighting for me without our bond in place.
With my decision made, I bolt to my left.
My arms pump at my sides, the roar at my back pushing me faster while my boots pound against the uneven ground as I sprint towards the forest. I don’t need to see to know that the green dragon’s attention is locked on me. I can feel it on my skin,a primal unease coating me.Faster. My thighs burn and my throat goes raw from the air that rushes past it, death lurking a half step behind me and gaining speed.
Pain flares at my ribs from running, just as I realize the ground isn’t vibrating with the steps of the dragon chasing me. The moment the thought forms in my mind, I drop to the ground, my arms covering my head as an immense heat more powerful than any sun blasts above me. I scream into the dirt, sure that this is the end.
A rush of cold night air blankets my skin as the dragon fire disappears, but any relief I feel is temporary when I hear what can only be described as a night-shattering howl. Lifting my head, I ensure I truly am alive and not melted into my leathers before pushing up onto all fours, craning my neck to look back at the two dragons. My eyes widen as I watch the Hiravar advance on Sunis, pushing her back towards the cave.Where he can trap her. I’m up and running towards the chaos again before I can think it through. Sliding my blades from their sheaths at my ribs, I push myself faster, my ankles nearly twisting as I run over sticks and rocks. The Hiravar swings his tail and strikes Sunis, the dark liquid staining her front making a scream rip from my throat.
He lunges again, sharp teeth closing around her neck and making her roar in pain. She tries to shake him off, but the dragon holds firm, lifting a front leg and dragging his claws over her chest. Fuck, he’s going to kill her.
I reach his back foot, jamming my dagger between his round scales. Even though the blade is much too small to cause significant damage, it draws the dragon’s attention to me, his head snapping back towards me as he releases Sunis. Those vertical pupils flare wide when he opens his mouth to reveal a flame of swirling orange and yellow and red. I pull the dagger out, sweat sliding into my eyes as I jam it again into a differentspot, hoping Sunis takes advantage of the distraction to fly away. The green dragon fills the entirety of my vision, so when I hear wings beating, I assume it’s Sunis taking to the sky.
But I’m wrong. I hear her before I see her, a bone-rattling roar filling the air before the ground shakes from the impact of her landing. Bali wastes no time charging forward, and I’m forced to abandon my dagger when the Hiravar moves to defend himself from her. Rolling to my side, I pop up to the left of Bali, bolting to Sunis as I watch her mother sink her teeth into the attacking dragon’s neck, inducing a blood-curdling whine. He swings his tail again, aiming directly for Bali’s flared wing. But she adjusts effortlessly, keeping her hold on his neck as she snaps her wing in and tips her body to the side. The three spikes scrape against her scales, missing her softer underbelly. She growls around the blood of the now destroyed scales on her opponent’s neck as he tries desperately to free himself.
Standing in front of Sunis, I dare a closer look at the wound on her chest. The Hiravar’s claws shredded her skin, but the gash doesn’t appear too deep, the blood leaking from it already beginning to slow. My stomach settles as I release a breath.My dragon won’t be dying today.
The green dragon still struggles against Bali’s hold on his neck, and it occurs to me then that if she wanted him dead, this would have been over the moment she landed to defend her offspring. No, she is toying with him. He may have been testing his fate against Sunis confidently, but against Bali? All he’s done is anger a stronger power.
Bali lifts onto her hind legs with a growl that sounds almost frustrated, the weight of the dragon in her jaw inconsequential before she slams him onto the ground, the weight of her body crashing into his side. The sound he releases is like nothing I’ve heard one of the beasts make before, and the silence that follows is even more deafening.
Taking a step forward, I see Bali’s eyes snap to mine as she finally releases the green dragon, leaving him injured but alive. Fury burns in her gaze as she prowls towards me, but I keep my weary body still. Moving to stand over me, Sunis makes a series of deep chittering sounds while her mother approaches.
Several tense seconds pass, and Sunis bumps her snout against her mother’s in some unspoken conversation. Whatever she is trying to communicate makes Bali relent with a flash of her teeth aimed at me before she stalks into the cave. The tension in my jaw releases, only to travel up to my temples, throbbing to the beat of my quick pulse. Sunis lowers her head when I step out from underneath her, tilting it to the side like she did when nudging at her mother. One serpent-like eye stares at me, and though I can’t explain why, I lift my hand and lay it against the side of her face. Both of our eyes close at the contact.
Navin described the bond as a slow build of power, like watching the sun rise, until it suddenly snapped into place. He said each pairing has a different look, feel, and color to their bond, its uniqueness dependent on the fae and dragon themselves. Even with my eyes closed, I sense Sunis settling down in front of me. My heart begins to pound for a different reason, excitement amplifying each beat as I search my mind for that bond. A pathway to Sunis that will forever be mine and mine alone.
Each inhale draws her scent towards me—fire and brimstone and ash. I take another step closer, the heat of her mouth so powerful that new sweat layers over the old behind my neck. A line forms between my brows as I search the darkness of my mind, empty hands grasping at nothing over and over and over again. Sunis makes that chittering noise again, and I say her name under my breath to calm her as I peer deeper into my mind.There!A flicker in the dark, like a wayward star come to life. I stretch my mind towards it, watching as its size growsand morphs, flashing from white to gray and back again before taking on a slightly pink hue. As if recognizing I am there, the movement halts, the pink light suspended and frozen in time. My stomach lurches, and my hand on Sunis trembles, pressure building behind my eyes as desperation washes over me.Finally. Fucking finally, it’s—
Sunis pulls away from my touch, and the connection between us severs in an instant.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Myla
Thegreendragonwasn’tdown long before he stood and hobbled into the dragon fields, ignoring my presence completely. I don’t know how much time passes as I stare at the mouth of the cave Sunis retreated into, both daughter and mother now nestled safely within its walls. It’s long enough that my disappointment morphed into anger which has now settled into some pathetic version of acceptance. As if I have any say in the matter. “It is progress,” I mutter to myself before tugging my hood up and turning towards the forest. I’m halfway there,moving slowly as exhaustion and pain settle into my bones when two dragons crest the treeline ahead of me. I drop into a low crouch, hoping that my black attire will help me blend into the rocky ground as I watch the dragons slow down, making their descent to the middle of the dragon fields.
Shit. Measuring the distance left until I can hide within the pines, I prepare to launch myself forward when the sound ofvoicesstops my movements. What are King’s Riders doing out on the fields? My brows furrow as I try to recall the last time I saw dragons enter the fields with their bonded. But in the years I’ve come here, not once have I ever seen anyone other than those sentenced to death.
One of the dragons turns towards me, its head lifting high in the air as it begins to sniff. “What are you doing?” its rider asks, stretching an arm clad in black riding leather out as he pats the blue-scaled dragon on the side of its back. “You smell something?Someone?” The rider peers in my direction, his eyes scanning from side to side. But I’m in a pocket of shadows between the moonlight, invisible to them unless their dragons decide to investigate. A growl, low and full of warning, rumbles from the cave on my right. The males on their dragons stiffen while their beasts each take a step back.
“Let’s hurry this up. I’ve got a female waiting for me back at the palace,” the other rider says, his voice gravelly as he guides his dragon past a still burning pile of remains.
“Why are we even doing this anyway? It’s the third time, and Shah’s old dragon hasn’t fallen for the bait once.”
“I don’t ask questions, and neither should you. The king wants us to leave the bait here, so that’s what we are going to do.”
Bait? I watch as they walk farther out into the field, pausing in the darkness, their voices drowned out by the distance between us. The chill of the night air permeates my leathers,my joints stiffening as I stay crouched and wait for their departure. Eventually, wingbeats punctuate the air and signify their departure.
I stare out at the space the riders vacated, my curiosity drawing my steps towards it even as I mutter, “This is fucking stupid.” I have never before stepped onto the fields, but my curiosity drives me forward at their mention of Bali.
A beast rumbles not too far off in the distance, so I pick up my pace, finally reaching the spot where they stood. The scent of rotting meat is pungent in the air, and I lift my hand to my nose to try and stifle some of the stench. It takes me a moment to locate the offender—a decaying pile of dead deer. Swallowing down the bile in my throat, I survey the ground around the pile, but nothing looks different or out of place. Nothing except the waiting meat.
Saliva gathers in my mouth at the foul rotting meat. How curiously annoying that I can gut a fae without blinking an eye but decaying animal turns my stomach. Moving past the initial scent of maggot-infested deer, I draw in a deeper inhale as I take a step closer, this one rich with the metallic smell of old blood. Old blood and— I freeze, inhaling again as a second scent layered beneath the blood catches my attention. It’s faint, only just barely noticeable, but the pungent and acrid floral notes are undeniable. “Belladragis?” I whisper.
