Her amusement coursed through me just as Vyper reared back, flapping his wings to lift into the air.
“Oh, no you don’t!” I yelled, running towards him, and jumping onto the nearest boulder while he began to lift from the ground. “You are not going anywhere, you stubborn Dragon!”
My boot connected with the next rock, and the next, then the wall, using them as steppingstones to launch me onto his wing. Unfortunately, it flapped right out of my reach. Damn it. Arms flailing, somewhere between the ground and the Dragon flying away from me, I briefly panicked—crashing down was going to hurt like hell. I’d heal, but still. If only I had a few more steps to help me…
Suddenly, my foot found solid ground, and I lunged myself off it, reaching for the next floating step.
Not a floating step… My magic.
Golden light burst mid-air under my next footstep, then another, and another while I continued upwards, taking me towards Vyper. Jumping one last time, I landed on his wing as it rose, propelling me onto his back.
What I could only describe as an eruption of madness came from below us after the insane feat, and I glanced down to find Asher, Harrison, and Elijah fisting in the air while everyone else shouted and jumped frantically from excitement.
I mean, that was kind of impressive, though I had no fucking idea how I did it.
When I glanced forwards again, I swallowed. Vyper viciously glared at me over his shoulder, baring his sharp teeth and hissing at me. The now extra-large, fin-looking appendages at the sides and the top of his head trembled in unison.
Holy shit.
He reminded me of the scary-ass, venom-spewing, raptor-thing in Jurassic Park.
Right. Time to tame the stubborn Dragon.
His slitted, yellow eyes narrowed at me an instant before he whirled in the air, almost hitting the roof of the mountain system while trying to get me off him. My Dragon strength flared to life, helping me hold on to the scales on his back while he went round and round without stopping. Vyper was like a wild bull, bucking and kicking to throw me off his back.
“Tough luck, dude. I’m not going anywhere!” I shouted over the breeze his flapping wings blasted my way. “You are mine, whether you like it or not!”
One would think I learned not to tell that to a newly awakened adult Dragon, but here we were.
Closing his wings, he plunged towards the castle, threatening to crash us both if I didn’t let go.
People gasped below us, suddenly growing silent.
Damn it.
Igniting my Dragon Eye, I accessed the family tree in our essence again, immediately finding Vyper’s throbbing light since it spun like a crazy force around the glowing leaves that represented other Dragons. I also had a weapon of my own. Gathering all of the energy I could, I shot it towards his light in the tree, shocking him into submission.
Vyper’s body jerked in real life, and he swerved upwards, his claws clinging to the side of the castle to stop flying. A wave of shock and disbelief rushed from him and into me, and he looked over his shoulder again, eyes wide.“Why would you do that?!”
Heart thundering against my ribs, I blinked at him, startled.“What do you mean, why? You are acting like a maniac!”
“I was playing with you, fool!”
“The fuck?!”My flabbergasted expression must have been a poem to him because his chest began shaking against the castle. He was laughing at me.Vyper was fucking laughing.The asshole.
He remembered me. He wasn’t lost, or pissed off, or threatened.
He. Was. Playing.
A branch swiftly grew from his pulsing light, cementing his place in our tree. One by one, an onslaught of memories flashed before my mind’s eye, representing every moment we had spent together since we met.
The first time he threatened to eat me. When he pulled his wing from under me, sending me face first onto the sand. The time he spewed fire at Tharion, trying to “protect” me from him. Roasting the coffee beans with me and picking me up every night through the window of my room to take me to Evanna’s quarters. His tail wrapping around my body and pulling me against him as we slept on the ground in the lair at night. And how much it hurt him to leave me when his shedding began…
Yeah. Vyper was an asshole for putting me through all of this just to mess with me, but he wasmyasshole.
Stretching his neck, he nudged my side with his jaw, smirking.“Of course, I remember you, Brax… I could never forget.”
Awe…
