Page 26 of Wild Bond

I began to fidget under his stare and unconsciously rubbed my scar. His eyes dropped to my arm, and I instantly stopped.

Something ticked in his jaw, and I got the sense that he was irritated about something, but I couldn’t begin to guess what. Then he finally spoke.

“For your first lesson, I only want you to focus on flying, not on ground takeoffs. This spot is high enough that Skye can simply leap off rather than building up the momentum from the ground.” He paused, giving me a pointed stare. “Thatis why I had you meet me up here.”

“Right,” I mumbled, fighting hard not to acknowledge the color rising in my cheeks. “That makes sense.”

“Now,” he began, “we haven’t yet had a saddle made, so Skye will need to keep steady while in the air. No spinning or turning too swiftly until you can be strapped in.”

I nodded and felt Skye listening intently in the bond.

“The last thing we need is for you to fall to your death.”

“Saving that for lesson two?” I quipped, unable to help myself.

To my relief, a spark of something that could have been humor lit his expression, instead of the stern disapproval I had been expecting.

“Let’s see how today goes,” he replied dryly.

I cleared my throat. “Right, how do I do this, then?”

He gestured to Skye. “Have her bend down. Climb up using her front foreleg, then swing your leg over and sit at the base of her neck, just between her shoulders.”

I did as he said, finding there was a natural groove below her neck that seemed made just for a rider. I patted her neck, feeling an odd mix of anticipation, excitement, and fear of the unknown. Skye, for her part, was still thrumming with excitement in the bond.

“Sit up straight,” Rakim instructed, eyes assessing me. “Keep your legs slightly bent at the knees, and use your thighs to grip her sides, just as you would when riding a horse.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse,” I confessed.

He shook his head, dark hair glinting in the sun. “No matter. Riding one pales in comparison to a dragon, anyway.”

I grinned down at him, and his eyes dropped to my mouth. Something tightened in my lower belly when his eyes met mine again.

I fought to ignore the flutter in my stomach as he began speaking again. “When she takes off, bend forward over her neck. Lean into her turns and movements. Don’t forget to use the bond to communicate with her. Use it to act as one while you’re flying.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath, and facing forward. I had to focus. I was about to ride a dragon, after all.

Rakim climbed up onto Naasir and strapped himself in. The saddle itself was made of black leather and blended in with his dragon’s midnight scales seamlessly.

“Watch what I do and try to imitate it,” he instructed.

I nodded and felt a thrill of exhilaration as Naasir moved to the edge and leapt into the air. Skye and I watched as he soared into the sky, remaining level for the most part.

Leaning down and rubbing my dragon’s smooth, warm neck I murmured, “Are you ready, girl?”

Skye let out an answering cry of affirmation as her jade wings lifted partially behind and on either side of me. I felt her muscles bunch and contract beneath me. A hum of excitement filled the bond and then, between one breath and the next, she leapt.

Wind whipped my face, and my heart was in my throat as we plummeted toward the hard ground below. I couldn’t help the fleeting thought that I was going to die.

But before I could even scream, Skye flapped her wings and we rose back up in the air before leveling out again. I gasped in wonder as I stared around me, taking in the ground far below and the city beyond. The view was breathtaking in the bright light of day, and the feeling of the wind in my hair and racing across my skin was exhilarating. It was like nothing else I had ever experienced.

Rakim and Naasir were circling above us, and I could feel their assessing eyes on us, making sure I was safe. Skye stayed perfectly level, her wings outstretched and gliding gently on the air. I could tell that she was extremely conscious of me and making sure that I was okay. I reassured her in the bond that I trusted her, and for several minutes we both just soaked in the joyful and utterly unique feeling of flying together for the first time.

I was riding a dragon.

Something I had wanted since I was a little girl, dreamed of since the moment I first learned what a dragon was. And it had happened. It had actually happened. I tried to fight back the hot sting of tears but failed miserably. Luckily, the wind stole the tears away, which I thought was only fitting.

After a while, Commander Rakim lowered closer to us and shouted instructions, critiquing my posture and reminding me to use my legs and to always be in constant communication with Skye.

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