Page 109 of Wild Bond

“But . . . but why?” I demanded. My shock gave way to the seething anger once again. “Why would you do this?”

She shrugged again. “I told you why.”

I opened my mouth to argue that I had no idea why in the Nine Realms she would do such a thing, when I remembered our conversation during tea with the queen.

“You wanted to become a dragon rider?” I said in disbelief. “That’swhy you did all this?” I gestured to the sky above us.

It appeared that many of the real dragon riders had realized the rogue riders weren’t trained, and they’d changed tactics. They were no longer outright attacking, only defending themselves or evading.

The only reason the fight was even lasting so long was because I could tell the dragon riders were trying their best not to hurt the younger, inexperienced dragons who didn’t know what they were doing. My heart lurched at the thought that they had been forced to bond and were being manipulated somehow by Mercedes, and whoever was helping her.

“Yes,” she confessed baldly. Then her face crinkled with confusion, and her eyes narrowed. “I thought you of all people would understand. Being elevated from a prisoner and a thief to a dragon rider and everything that comes with it. It must have been a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want that? Before you bonded, wouldn’t you have given anything for that opportunity?”

“Not at the expense of other people’s lives!” I argued. “Nothing is worth that.”

“I disagree,” she said calmly. “And besides, the people I took for my experiments were nobodies. Low-lifes that were contributing little, if anything, to society. They won’t be missed.”

I thought of the people she was describing. People like Borden or Lessa or other poor orphans—people like me before Skye found me. A fresh wave of disgust rippled through me, and I almost didn’t recognize the cold voice as my own as I inquired, “And the dragons? What about them? They aren’t low-lifes, as you call them. They’re innocent creatures.”

For the first time, something like true remorse came over her face. “A regrettable necessity. Though their sacrifice will not be in vain now that we have the potion.”

“You really think your mother will condone the death of so many dragons? So many of her own subjects?”

“Once I show my mother what the potion can do—that we can use it to create all the dragon riders we want—she won’t care. It will make us the most powerful kingdom in Palasia.”

“And what about kidnapping me?” I gritted out, having just realized she had to be behind that as well. I was unable to keep from grabbing the front of her armor and shaking her. Right then I could have cared less that she was a princess. She had just admitted to killing and kidnapping dozens of people, not to mention dragons. “Why? I’m already bonded. What help could I be to your experiments? And why put me in the trials?”

“I decided to speed up my plans after our conversation by the dragon. I knew from your questions you were on to what we were doing, and I decided to kidnap you while the other riders—and especially that spymaster—were away. I wasn’t sure how much you knew. If those Zehvitian cutthroats we hired hadn’t blundered your initial kidnapping so badly, I would not have had to take matters into my own hands in such a way.”

“That was you?” I demanded. Thinking back to how Valla, Zade, and I had all almost been killed. Zehvi hadn’t been behind the attack after all. It was Mercedes. It had always been Mercedes.

“Of course,” she admitted without an ounce of guilt. “We have several other elixirs we are working on developing, and I thought testing them on a naturally bonded dragon rider would be informative. But when I finally did manage to test them on you, you were impervious to most of them . . . even when I gave you a stronger dose.

“I knew then I should just get rid of you. You and your dragon were of no further use to me. I had already had to kill that crime lord to keep him from blabbing. But you, you had been so nice to me . . . I couldn’t bring myself to kill you outright. I knew there would be no risk of you remembering anything—no one ever does—so I thought, what better way to deal with you than throwing you into the trials? That way you would at least have a fighting chance to survive, and if you died, it wasn’t my fault.” She shrugged again and I found myself wanting to slap her for it—for the sheer indifference of the gesture.

But then she continued, “We were already close by. Flying you over and sneaking you in was no problem with his help.” Mercedes didn’t seem to be even talking to me anymore as she spoke. How had I not noticed how mad she was?

“Hishelp?” I asked.

She stared at me, as if startled I was still there, then waved away my question. “Not important.”

“Do you mean Prince Pierce?”

“My brother?” Her condescending laughter echoed around us. “You honestly thought he was behind all of this?” She shook her head as if the suggestion was ridiculous. “Though I’ll admit he does seem the type, he would never be able to accomplish what I have with the potion. He’s too arrogant and short-sighted to ever conceive of such a thing.”

“You’re right. Not even he could conceive of doing something so perverted and evil.”

For the first time, a flash of real fury lit her delicate features, but then it smoothed out like it had never been.

Skye began stirring in the bond, not yet to full wakefulness, but close. Pure relief filled me as I turned my head in her direction.

It was only a moment, a fraction of a second that I was distracted, but Mercedes took advantage of it.

Grabbing my wrist, she pushed back from the dagger while simultaneously stomping down on my injured foot. Hot, fiery pain reverberated up my leg, and I cried out. She then hit me hard in my bleeding side, harder than I would have thought her capable of.

I crumpled to one knee, my injured leg no longer able to support my weight. Gasping through the blinding pain, I still saw the kick coming and was able to block it by dropping my knife and gripping her foot before it made contact.

A familiar presence came to full awareness in the back of my mind, but I was barely conscious of it as I used my superior strength to toss Mercedes to the ground. The fact that even injured I was able to overpower her just proved that, whatever polluted bond she had with her dragon, it couldn’t compare with the real thing.

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