Her voice was barely audible above the rush of air, but he heard her.
Without turning his head, his eye shifted—just one massive, glowing iris sliding sideways, pinning her in place. But part of her wondered if he was still watching her from the corner of his vision.
Oh. . .God. . .
Her breath caught.
The heat in that gaze wasn’t threatening. Not exactly. It wasknowing.
She shivered. “Korin. . .where are you taking me?”
He remained silent, and then, just as slowly, he turned his eye back to the sky.
Sol exhaled.
Her pulse thundered behind her ribs. She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been gripping the edge of his claw until her fingers started to ache.
Can dragons even speak? Maybe he can only talk when he is in human form. . .
She thought back to the small knowledge of dragons that she’d learned.
Dragons roared. They burned. They flew. But they didn’t speak.
And yet. . .
No one ever said a dragon could turn into a man, either.
She didn’t know what to believe anymore.
All her life, she’d relied on stolen books, overheard myths, half-whispered lore buried in floorboards. But none of it had prepared her forthis—for the heat of his body, the softness in his hold, the terrible grace of that golden stare.
Maybe everything we think we know about Korin is wrong.
Or worse.
Maybe everything we thought we understood was only what he allowed us to.
She placed her gaze back on the ocean.
The moonlight turned the water into liquid silver, endless and undisturbed, stretching so far, she couldn’t tell where the sea ended, and the sky began. It looked calm from up here, but her mind wondered what might be hidden beneath the surface.
What kind of creatures swim below? Are there beasts within those murky depths?
Her thoughts drifted, pulling her inward.
Mother. . .Father.
By now, they would have realized she hadn’t returned.
She could see her mother standing in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron, still believing that maybe Sol had stopped to help a neighbor.
Maybe she was gathering herbs.
Maybe she was just late.
But as the hours passed, that hope would crack.
Her father would already assume the worst. He always feared her power would betray her, that someone wouldtakeher.
