Page 31 of Wild Bond

“Not dragons,” Rake clarified with a grimace, “dragonparts.”

Theblooddrainedfrommy face at his words, and I could tell through the bond that Skye was listening intently to our conversation and just as disgusted at the thought as I was.

All the magic in Palasia came from the land itself, and by extension, it’s magical creatures. Humans did not innately have their own magic, other than what they could use through the byproducts of magical creatures or the creatures themselves. The capturing, buying, and selling of these creatures was an everyday occurrence all over Palasia and wasn’t illegal, except when it came to dragons.

“Magical creatures are how we access magic,” Rake continued, “and dragons are the most powerful magical creatures of all. Even one dragon would be worth its weight in gold. A dragon’s teeth and scales alone would be worth a king’s ransom, and dragon blood can be used in a wealth of potions, let alone the rest.”

Naasir growled behind me at his words.

I fought to push past the bile rising in my throat as I got just the smallest glimpse into what knowledge Rake was privy to, and what he must encounter on a daily basis as the spymaster. “So— that’s what you think this is about?”

“Not necessarily,” he said, his tone brooding. “The fact that they didn’t kill the dragon outright makes me think this is something else.”

I couldn’t even begin to fathom what that might be. “What?” I questioned.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. But regardless, we should go. I don’t want whoever did this coming back and finding us here. You don’t need to be mixed up in whatever this is.”

I looked at him blandly. “I can take care of myself.”

His eyebrow raised. “In many respects, yes. You can defend yourself, or at least that’s what Dembe tells me, but you and Skye both have a wild streak and a disregard for your own safety. Need I remind you that this all started because of your reckless flying habits?”

I scowled at his accusation and was still trying to decide which part of his statement to protest first when he continued, “Now get on the dragon.”

It was at that point that I became aware of Naasir standing not two feet behind me. When had that happened?

“You know, it’s kind of creepy how silently you both move. Something so massive shouldn’t be so quiet,” I said in an effort to cover up how flustered I was.

“Get on the dragon, Rin,” Rake ordered again, not amused, or at least, I didn’t think he was. It was kind of hard to tell with how stoic he looked all the time. At least around me.

“And you’re very bossy,” I added.

“Now, Rin!”

“Fine!” I griped, turning to face the equally stoic dragon at my back. But I couldn’t help myself as I grumbled, “Maybe you should be grateful for that reckless disregard for my own safety, otherwise we wouldn’t have even found the dragon.”

He didn’t say anything, obviously not willing to concede my point. I sighed and went about the arduous task of climbing on the dragon. I was careful to avoid the spikes along his spine. Naasir was much bigger than Skye, much higher off the ground, and I immediately began to feel uneasy about this whole idea. I couldn’t help remembering the last time I had been this close to Naasir, and he had been blocking my escape.

I opened my mouth to protest and say I could just wait for Skye to come back when Rake swung his leg over the dragon’s back and strapped his legs into the saddle behind me. The saddle was only made for one rider, so I was left to wiggle uncomfortably on the hard scales, trying to find a spot that didn’t make me feel like I would fall off.

I gasped as a warm hand pressed against my belly, and I was pushed back securely into a hard chest. “What are you doing?” I demanded, perhaps a little too breathlessly.

I heard a soft, deep chuckle in my ear.

“We wouldn’t want you to fall, now would we, little thief?” Rake murmured.

A riot of tingles raced up my spine at his words.

Naasir rose to his feet and extended his wings.

My anxiety spiked. “Don’t you dare let go!”

Rake’s hand pressed even tighter against me. “Never,” he replied.

Then Naasir launched into the air, and I couldn’t muffle my scream.

I heard Rake laugh this time. I could feel Skye’s worry through the bond at my fright, though it was muted due to the growing distance between us. I reassured her as best I could.

Once we were airborne and had leveled out in the sky, it wasn’t so bad. It felt much the same as riding on Skye, though Naasir didn’t seem to be as fast as she was. We didn’t speak, and before I knew it, we were landing in the main courtyard of the rider compound.

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