Page 48 of Lady of the Lake

My heart sinks at the phrasewe’re winning. “Okay. I’ll get Clover. I think she’s in the stable now, right?”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “Yes, but I didn’t mean a ride on a horse.”

I press my hand to my chest. “Oh. Is this really how the legendary seducer proposes sex?”

His slow, sly smile sends heat prickling down my spine. “I do love that that’s where your mind went, but I meant on Tarasque. Do you want to ride with me on a dragon?”

“On thedragon?” Is he out of his mind? “But only dragon riders are allowed to ride. Also, I’d fall off.”

“I’m the best dragon rider who’s ever lived, and I will keep you on. I know how you like to cling to me, anyway. You won’t slip.”

My heart pounds with the allure of doing something dangerous, something that I absolutely shouldnotbe doing. And yet…when will I ever get the chance to ride a dragon again? Probably never. “Let’s do it.”

His eyebrow rises in what I’ve learned is admiration. “Good. Meet me on the other side of the Lost Palace. I can only get her out that way.”

My pulse races as I step outside into the biting air and wind my way down the path around the old palace. Icicles drip from gargoyles and stone carvings of human heads with tusks and owls with their wings spread out. Snowy yew branches arch over me.

As I walk, I hear the creak and groan of doors opening. I follow the path around the palace and see Tarasque lumbering through the doors and into the garden. Talan is in front of her,completely at ease with his beast. He radiates quiet confidence and power that makes my breath catch. “Let’s go, Tarasque.”

The enormous dragon slithers forward, and I can feel the ground vibrating through my bones as she moves into the open. As soon as she’s outside, she stretches, her head rising high above us. Awe blazes through me. Her size is breathtaking.

She crouches at Talan’s command, glaring at me with eyes of liquid silver. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve made a terrible mistake.

Taking my hand, he leads me closer to the dragon and points at her throat. “Over here. You need to get up there and straddle her. Act confident. Dragons get impatient with weak riders.”

And even if my legs are shaking, why not feign absolute confidence? I’m faking everything else.

Talan can apparently sense my pounding heart, because he steps closer, staring down at me with a faint, crooked smile. He reaches beneath my chin and gently lifts it. “Of course, the soil is littered with the bones of fallen dragon riders, but I’ve been doing this for centuries without getting injured once. And do you really think I’d let my wife fall to her death? It would be a tiresome inconvenience to find a new one.”

I raise my eyebrow. “So, you’re even better than Auberon?”

Amusement dances in his eyes. “I’m afraid the old king plays it safe.”

I turn from him, mastering the confidence to mount the dragon. With a racing pulse, I cross to her side, lift my cloak, and straddle her neck. I take a deep breath to calm myself. To my surprise, the top layer of Tarasque’s scales is almost soft, but a second layer below those scales feels cold and hard. Spikes rise from her neck, giving me something to grip. I squeeze my thighs around her, wondering how I’ll stay on. I force my breathing to remain steady. Unfortunately, I can’t do much for my heartbeat, which is pattering like a hummingbird’s.

Tarasque lets out a huff, her nostrils releasing steam into the air, and Talan slips on right behind me. His warmth and muscular solidity anchor and steady me, and I lean back against his strong chest. One of his arms slides around my waist in a viselike grip that makes me feel secure.

Talan murmurs in my ear, “I’ll keep you safe, Princess,” then sits straight and commands, “Tarasque, rise!”

Tarasque raises her neck, forcing me to lean back into Talan. The world tilts perilously away, and my instincts kick in. I lean down, gripping the ridge of her spikes, my knuckles going white, my thighs clenching around her neck. Her enormous wings beat once, twice, and the wind rushes over me as we lift into the air.

My heart is left hundreds of yards behind as we soar into the sky. For a while, I forget to breathe. As the wind tears at my hair, I grip the dragon’s spikes.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Talan’s body feels solid as marble behind me, and I lean into his strength. “Open your eyes.”

I didn’t even realize they were shut. I open them, squinting against the rush of the wind, and the world unfurls beneath me, gleaming with enchanted beauty in the winter sun. The ground is far below us, a patchwork blanket of white fields and wintry forests. My chest leaps as we swoop over cozy villages of golden windows and smoking chimneys, and I feel as though I’ve stepped into a dream. I relax and ease my grip a little on Tarasque’s spikes. Exhilarated, I let out a laugh.

Tarasque flies over riders on horseback, as tiny as ants, and we leave them far behind within seconds.

“Look at the palace.” Talan’s mouth is close to my cheek, his breath warming the shell of my ear.

Deep beneath his detached exterior, I realize, the prince loves his home.

I look where he’s pointing. The palace looks gorgeous from up here, its towers high above the parapets.

“See that gap in the cloud up there?” Talan asks.

I look up. “Yeah, I think so…”

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