Page 30 of Wild Bond

“Don’t,” Rake murmured.

I looked over, surprised to see he now stood so close beside me. I hadn’t even heard him move.

“Let Naasir handle this. The male is wild and nearly feral in his current state. We would only be in the way.”

I nodded and swallowed hard, trying valiantly to ignore the warm tension in my body that his nearness seemed to create.

Naasir growled and made a few odd sounds deep in his throat as if communicating with the scared dragon. The other dragon whined once then went still as Naasir extended his long neck downwards and began yanking the metal spikes out of the ground with his teeth.

“Why didn’t he just shift to his minor form and free himself?” I asked, the thought just occurring to me.

“Because something was preventing him,” Rake answered.

Confusion raced through me. “But that’s not possible.”

Rake didn’t respond as the younger dragon shook himself free of the chains, then used his powerful forelegs to claw off the charred muzzle. My chest expanded in relief as he got shakily to his feet. I then watched him kick away a glowing white stone that had been lying on the ground beneath him. He hissed angrily in its direction then roared in triumph at his newfound freedom, a small flame jetting from his throat.

Before I could comment on the glowing stone, Rake spoke. “Have Skye escort the dragon back to his nest. You can fly back with me on Naasir.”

“Why not have Naasir go with him?”

“Naasir is the one with a saddle. We need him to fly us back.”

I saw his point and repeated his request to Skye.

As we watched the male fly off and eventually disappear into the night sky, my beautiful jade dragon not far behind him, I felt the knowledge and relief that the male dragon would be okay begin to fade and be replaced by anger and questions.

I stared at Rake. “Who could have done this? And . . . andwhy?”

He shook his head, and I could see a matching fury burning in his eyes. “I don’t know.” He strode over to where the dragon had been held, and I followed.

Both dragons had searched for a scent trail around the site but hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary.

“Whoever did this has resources and plenty of coin,” Rake declared from where he was crouched, scanning the ground.

“How can you tell?”

He gestured to the chains strewn around him. “Chains of this size and quality don’t come cheap, and the metal looks new.”

I glanced down at the thick, shiny metal and knew he was right. Then a thought occurred to me. “Do you think that poor dragon has been here ever since the Exodus?” The idea horrified me. The Bonding Celebrations had been nearly a month ago.

Rake rose to his feet and nodded slowly, his expression hard. “I would assume so. Whoever did this most likely captured him while he was heading to or from the Nest.”

I watched as he strode several feet away, then picked up the white stone from among the grass. As he walked back over to me, I asked warily, “What is that?”

The stone was smooth like a river rock and fit in the center of his palm. It was no longer glowing, but still shimmered with an opalescent sheen.

Rake regarded me as if deciding whether to answer, then said, “This is Moonstone. A stone that’s been touched by one of the fae and imbued with their power. It is the only thing in Palasia that can stop a dragon from using their magic. The instant it comes in contact with their skin, it begins to glow and prevents them from breathing fire, shifting, or even healing at their normal rate.”

My entire body chilled at the revelation, and Skye recoiled in the bond. “I-I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” I swallowed hard. I had heard of fairies, of course, and knew they were surprisingly powerful for their small size, but I had no idea their magic was capable of something like this.

Rake’s expression was grim. “That’s because dragon riders have purposely kept it secret. Only we know of its applications. And Moonstone is extremely rare, so even if someone did know, it would be nearly impossible to come by.” He clutched the rock in his fist. “The fact that whoever did this knows what Moonstone can do, and has access to it, is very concerning.”

I couldn’t help but think that was an understatement. “But I still don’t understand why. Why would someone risk capturing a dragon? What could they have to gain that would be worth that risk?”

Rake was silent for several beats. “The only reason I could see would be the black-market trade.”

My eyes widened. “People sell dragons on the black-market?” I had bought and sold several items myself on the market, usually things I had stolen that were too expensive or recognizable to be sold on the street, but I had never heard of dragons being sold there.