Page 47 of Wild Bond

So, last night when Skye slowly began bringing me the items from the corner over to the bed one by one, to show me each thing, I hadn’t had the heart to tell her I was tired and just wanted to sleep.

I wasn’t sure how late I was, and as I jogged my way out onto the practice fields, I hoped Dembe would still be there. The morning sun was already warm, and I quickly braided my hair down my back as I went.

Dembe was there waiting, but just as I was about to apologize for sleeping in, he told me that Rake had returned, and that I was to meet him at the aviary where our lessons had been before.

Nerves raced through me all the way there. When I reached the bottom of those infernal stairs, I was tempted to hop on Skye and have her fly me up them, but I knew I shouldn’t. Skye was a good sport though and kept me company, fluttering around me as I made my way up. The ascent didn’t seem as hard to manage this time. Skye informed me just before I reached the top and stepped onto the flat outlook that she scented more than just Rake and Naasir waiting for us.

Zade and his dragon Valla were also present.

This was the first time I had seen Valla in her natural form, and she was gorgeous. She was slightly bigger than Skye, her frame more muscular and solid compared to Skye’s sleek and sinuous lines. Her scales were a bright yellow-green that shone in the sunlight. Her rider’s blonde hair and tan skin did much the same.

Skye transformed into her natural size and walked at my side as we made our way over to the two men and their dragons. I stroked Skye’s neck absently as we came to a halt a few feet away. I purposely didn’t look at Naasir or the dark rider standing before him. I wondered if Rake had deliberately asked Zade here to be a buffer between us. Did he regret what happened between us? I quickly dismissed the pang of hurt that thought caused and tried to focus.

Zade’s handsome face split into a wide grin as he regarded me. “Well, it sure took you long enough. We were just wondering if we would have to send a search party after you. Death by stairs isn’t a very dignified way for a rider to go out.”

I was tempted to flash him an unkind hand gesture but decided against it. Zade had an easy-going manner, but he was still a dragon rider, and I was just a trainee. Still, there was something about him that made me feel comfortable enough to tease.

“I’d like to see you climb them,” was all I said in response, though I could tell by the flash of humor in his eyes that Zade knew I wanted to say a lot more than that.

He waved off my comment. “Waste of time when you can just ride a dragon instead.”

“I would love to,” I retorted, “but I’ve been forbidden to until I have a saddle.” I said this purposely not looking at Rake.

Zade grinned and opened his mouth as if to speak when Rake’s deep voice cut in. “That will no longer be an issue.”

No longer able to avoid looking at him, I finally turned my attention to Rake. My eyes took in that broad form, bronze skin, and those blue eyes in a single breathless moment. Even after not seeing him for so long, everything about him was achingly familiar.

“What do you mean—” I began, but then my gaze was drawn to what he was holding draped over his arms.

A saddle. The seat, straps, and harnesses were all made of a deep brown leather. Silver buckles hung from the harnesses in several places.

My eyes widened. “Is that for me?”

Rake nodded, warmth entering his gaze at the smile that broke across my face. “Neskel just finished it this morning. I had him put a rush on it. I know your penchant for disobeying orders and didn’t want you falling to your death before your time.”

I didn’t even bother to respond to his little jab as a squeal of excitement left me at the thought of getting to fly with Skye.Reallyfly. I could feel Skye’s eagerness as well as she chuffed in anticipation. “Can we use it now?”

Zade chuckled at my reaction.

“Why do you think we’re here?” Rake asked.

I smiled unabashedly at him, and something sparked in his gaze as I did. But then he seemed to shut down whatever it was. After our kiss in the alley, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw him again, but he seemed almost stiff or reluctant in some way, like he was holding himself back.

Deciding to brush it off for now, I had Skye bend down. Rake showed me how to lay the saddle flat just at the base of her neck, before the arch of her back. He then showed me how to cinch the straps so they were secure, but not so tight as to be uncomfortable for Skye. Zade threw out a few pointers, and before long, it was ready.

Rake helped me get strapped in the saddle, showing me the strap that went around my waist as well as each of my legs.

“That way she can spin and twist in the air, and you’ll have no fear of falling to your death,” Zade explained helpfully, with a teasing wink.

I rolled my eyes as the two men mounted their own dragons on either side of me.

The anticipation to get in the air was killing me, but a thought occurred to me, a question I probably should have asked when I first arrived on the clifftop. In my excitement over the saddle, I had forgotten.

“Where are we going?” I addressed the question to Rake, deciding that if he was going to act like nothing happened in that ally—at least while we were in front of Zade—then so could I.

“Itrain,” Rake replied as he strapped himself in. I tried valiantly not to notice the suggestive roll of his hips as he naturally adjusted to Naasir’s shifting movements, or the way the rider tattoo on his bicep gleamed against his bronze skin as he flexed slightly.

I had noticed that he and Zade preferred to dress in the more casual lightweight leathers rather than their more formal dragonscale armor. Some of the other dragon riders and council members pranced around in their armor from time to time at the compound, but not these two. And not Dembe, either. Come to think of it . . . I had never seen Rake in his full dragonscale armor. He probably only wore it for special occasions or, I assumed, in battle. I’m sure he would be a sight to behold.

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