His lips flatlined. “No, Aradia. I can’t. That is what I’m trying to tell you. I’m more than just a dragonlord. I’m a dragon shifter. When I am not in this place, my body transforms at my will. I become a beast that can take to the skies. My breath is fire.”
I pressed a hand to my throat, stumbling back. Had he just said he could shift into a dragon? I’d never heard of such a thing. It seemed impossible. People could not just transform into animals!
Of course, I’d seen a lot of impossible things since arriving in Inishfall. Portals were real. Blood-sucking fae were real. And dragonlords were real. Who was to say magic didn’t go even further than I thought? It wasn’t in a book that I’d found, but that didn’t make it untrue.
My eyes widened as I contemplated it. What did he look like in his dragon form? Majestic, no doubt. I could picture him now, wings flared against the setting sun. Did heeatthings in dragon form? Was he fully himself? Or did a part of his mind turn beastly as well?
“So, you see now why I didn’t want to tell you,” he muttered, turning away. “You look terrified of me.”
“What?” I reached out and took his hand. “I’m not scared of you, Yuto. I’m just amazed. To think you’re capable of doing something like that...well, it’s the most remarkable thing I’ve ever heard in my life. You’re amazing. Everything about you is almost impossible to believe. But here you are. An impossible reality.”
He tightened his grip on my hand and yanked me to his chest. “And now you see what we’re fighting for, yes? Why you must trust me?”
I nodded. “I see now.”
“And maybe you can believe that I am not the only impossible reality in this castle. That you are stronger than you think. We can tackle Panos together, my love. Together, we can make him pay.”
19
Aradia
We would leave at dawn. But first, the dragonlords would beat their thunder at the skies. The Great Hall had been transformed for the battle feast. Crimson banners hung from each wall, and a thousand candles cast dancing flames throughout the lofted stone room. A traditional rite, Yuto had explained to me. Dragons never went to battle without a feast. It was considered bad luck.
Yuto sat at the head of the table, thunking his tankard against the wood. The others joined in, their drumbeats pounding in my ears. There were only four of them, but the sound was as thunderous as a thousand.
“Come on,” Eryx said with a smile from where he sat on my left. “Jump in, Aradia. Join your thunder with ours.”
“Really?” I asked. I wasn’t part of their Thunder, and I didn’t want to intrude. But Eryx had shoved a tankard into my hands before I could object.
Timidly, I slammed the steel cup onto the table. The sound reverberated up my arm like a warning of what was to come. I did it again. And again, until I had joined the frenetic beat of the dragonlords.
Yuto jumped to his feet and roared. A chill swept through me at the sight and sound of him. His body trembled with the unbridled rage of a warrior. His muscles screamed with the need to fight. Desire tripped through my veins. I slammed my tankard down again, a strange desperation swirling through me. I couldfeelhis bloodlust. I could scent his need for vengeance in the thick, acrid air. It was as if a strange magic had sparked at this table, consuming everything within the Great Hall, including me.
Suddenly, the thunder stopped. Yuto dropped his tankard onto the table and slumped down in his chair. “That will do. The gods have been called.”
“What gods?” I asked Eryx.
He shot me a mysterious smile. “Perhaps if you return to Pira with us, we will teach you about the gods.”
I rolled my eyes.Of coursethat was his answer. No one ever told me anything.
One day, I would learn everything I could about the dragonlords. There were things they didn’t want me to know, which made me all the more determined to find them out.
Aleka stood and passed a bowl of boiled potatoes around the table. I eagerly plopped some onto my plate, wincing when my stomach growled in eagerness. The meat came next, red and juicy and steaming, followed by honey-glazed carrots that shot a sweet scent into the air. I waved away the greens. No time for that. I was perfectly happy with the meat and potatoes, thank you very much.
After everyone’s plates were full, Yuto stood and raised his tankard once more. “To the blood of our enemies.”
“To the blood of our enemies!” everyone rang out, including me.
“And to Aradia Galatas, our mortal friend.”
“To Aradia Galatas!” they shouted and screamed. For that one, I kept my mouth shut. I hadn’t done much, and yet they boasted me as if I were one of them now. A sheep amongst wolves, more like. But their words still sent a shot of warmth through my heart. They’d welcomed me into their pack. Sure, Yuto might have meant to keep me captive at first, but all of that was in the past.
Somehow, these dragons had become my friends.
“So, Aradia,” Orion asked from beside me. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?”
My teeth sank into a smooth, buttery potato. “Scared as fuck.”
