Page 106 of Wild Bond

A sharp warning cry went up, the roar of several dragons echoing from outside. Our heads whipped toward the sound.

“What—” I began.

A loud boom shook the mountain followed by the shattering of glass and stone and several alarmed yells and cries of pain. Rake and I both turned, instantly alert, to see that the massive stone balcony that took up a large portion of the right side of the hall, now had a huge portion missing from one side. What had once been flat, time-smoothed stone, was now a jagged, scorched mess. The thick glass doors had been blasted off completely, and a large hole now sat open to the chilly night air.

Several riders who had been out on the balcony were now scrambling away from the edge. One rider clutched a burned, mangled leg as her dragon pulled her to safety.

My gaze was drawn past the injured rider to the night beyond, wondering at what had caused the explosion. My eyes could just make out dark shapes in the sky, some of them still far off but growing steadily closer.

My blood chilled.

Dragons. Dozens and dozens of them. For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend it. Why would wild dragons be attacking . . . but then I saw the rider sitting tall on the back of the nearest dragon. The same one I surmised that had just shot a stream of fire directly at us—at Three Points itself. So, not wild dragons then, this was other dragon riders.

Skye came to land at my side in her minor form, as Naasir did the same for Rake. Many dragons were following suit throughout the hall as we all took in the unknown threat.

“Mount up!” Rake bellowed, his order carrying in the large space. “We’re under attack!”

His words were the catalyst that had everyone springing into action. Weapons were drawn and people ran for their saddles. There was a limited amount of space at the edge of the partially destroyed balcony, even though it took up the length of one side of the hall. Only four or five dragons were able to shift and take off at once. I watched in fascination as lines quickly began to form leading up to the balcony. One dragon and rider would mount up and take flight as the dragon behind shifted into their natural form and their rider saddled them. Riders from all three kingdoms did this with the ease of long practice. In that moment, I was thankful for all the times Rake had made me practice saddling and unsaddling Skye until I could do it perfectly in less than a minute.

As we ran towards the balcony, Prince Malik fell into step beside us, all of us having been on the far side of the cavern.

“Yours?” Rake demanded, glaring at the prince.

Prince Malik glared back at him. “No. My riders would never attack the sanctuary. No Zehvitian would dare disobey my orders so flagrantly.”

Rake shot him a look that conveyed his doubt of that statement. But if the cold rage on the prince’s face was any indication, I couldn’t help but think he was telling the truth.

Just as we reached the mass of riders crowded near the balcony, Dembe and Zade appeared with my and Rake’s saddles, as well as their own. I hadn’t even seen them take off for the tack room where all the saddles were stored. As I thanked Zade and took Skye’s saddle from him, a Zehvitian rider appeared at Malik’s side and delivered his saddle.

Before long it was almost our turn and Skye began to shift at my side as I threw the saddle over her back.

“And you?” Malik barked to Rake, as he saddled his intimidating crimson dragon—a dragon nearly as large as Naasir—almost before he had stopped shifting.

“Not unless the council is acting without my knowledge,” Rake bit out as his large form swung gracefully onto Naasir.

That left Halmar, I thought. But even as I climbed up Skye’s leg and into the saddle, I could see Princess Helene and her golden dragon launching into the fray from the crumbled edge of the balcony. It seemed unlikely that her kingdom was behind this either.

But who, then?Some rogue group? I knew that couldn’t be. There were no rogue dragon riders. Those who bonded were coveted and monitored too closely by their kingdoms.

And yet . . . here they were.

Lightning split the sky and a rumble of thunder shattered the darkness. The promised storm had arrived, though it wasn’t raining yet. I took in the scene of the battle. Dragons and pillars of flame filled the sky, with the backdrop of the other mountains behind and the ravine below. It was breathtaking in a brutally violent way.

I watched as Dembe, Zade, and Prince Malik dropped off the edge and joined the fray. Pulling my eyes from the sight, I shared a look with Rake.

A world of unspoken emotion was in his eyes. “Be careful!” he said, his mouth a hard line. I could tell that he wanted to say more—possibly ask me to stay close to him, or not participate in the fight at all—but I knew he wouldn’t do that.

And I loved him for it.

I loved him.

It was a strange moment to have such a realization . . . but then again, I was pretty sure I had known it for a while now.

A wild, reckless part of me was ready to tell him just that when Rake’s words stopped me from opening my mouth.

“Not here!” he commanded, his eyes blazing. He must have seen something in my expression or guessed at what I was about to say. “Save it for when our lives aren’t in danger. I want to be able to respond properly.”

“Yes, Commander!” I hollered back with a mocking smile. And despite the currently dire situation, I felt Skye’s amusement in the bond as I faced forward. I forced myself to focus on the circumstances at hand as our dragons leapt into the sky.

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