Page 36 of A Thieving Curse

“All right.” Her voice sounded small. She crept toward him, watching his mouth and its rows of sharp teeth. He turned his head away, as if understanding her trepidation.

She tentatively reached for the large scales on his leg. They were warm and smooth but offered enough grip to aid her as she clambered up and onto his back. She had to hike her skirt up past her knees to straddle his neck, settling in front of one of the ridge-like protrusions running down his spine. The next, smaller spike was too far forward to grasp.

“There’s nothing to hold on to,” she squeaked.

“Better hold tight with your legs, then.”

His wings beat the air, and he rose off the ground. Raelyn sucked in a breath and leaned over his neck, clinging to his scales as best she could. His neck bobbed as they rose over the trees. She squeezed her eyes shut while he surged upward.

Cold air pricked at her face, but the heat radiating off him kept her body warm. As she grew more confident that she wouldn’t fall to her death, she risked opening one eye. They sailed over the landscape, the tops of the pines dimly illuminated far below. She opened both eyes, her mouth falling open. The white edges of snowy peaks stood out against the horizon in all directions, and everywhere around her, an endless dome of stars.

Flying. I’m…on a dragon. Flying.The wind pulled at her hair, her braid flailing behind her. She sat up straighter to get a better view of the scenery rushing by below them, and caught glimpses of rivers and lakes, the stars reflected in their dark surfaces. A ridiculous, childish thought occurred to her. Carefully, she let go of the sides of the dragon’s neck. She held her hands out to her sides and closed her eyes, just like she used to at the top of the tower. She felt weightless.I’m flying.

A giggle burst out of her, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes flying open. The dragon turned, and a rush like she’d never felt before pulsed through her. She couldn’t help it. She threw her head back and laughed, letting her stress melt away for that one extraordinary moment of impossible flight.

The dragon prince banked sharper, and she crouched forward and grabbed at his scales again. She spotted the black mouth of the cave around the dragon’s bobbing head as they descended. There was a downward lurch, then he landed. He knelt, and she half climbed, half slid off his back and to the ground. She giggled again, and the dragon prince craned his head around.

“Enjoying yourself, Princess?”

She blushed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” If a dragon could smile, he was definitely doing so now. “There’s no sensation quite like flying.”

The dragon shuddered, then shrank. She spun around and fiddled with her braid, realizing when this process ended, he’d be a naked dragon-man.

“Alex!” Meredith’s voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps. “Are you all right?”

The prince groaned. A moment passed, then he said in his smooth human voice, “Yes. Found the princess.”

“I can see that.” Meredith’s terse reply made Raelyn wince. “I’m unsure if I’m relieved she’s in one piece or disappointed.”

He clicked his tongue. “Now, Meredith. Be nice to my guest.”

“What, she came back willingly?”

“I suspect it had more to do with not wanting to get eaten, but yes. I’m decent, by the way, Princess. You can turn around.”

Raelyn peered over her shoulder, prepared to whip back around if he was lying. The prince stood next to Meredith, who held a torch, bathing them both in flickering orange-red light. The prince wore trousers, but no shirt, and his wings were folded neatly against his back.

“I think we may have different definitions of decent,” Raelyn said. She turned around but avoided looking at his bare torso.

He chuckled and his tail twitched. “Turns out the princess likes flying. She was laughing like an exuberant child.” He smirked, keeping his gaze fixed on her. “She’s actually kind of cute when she’s not being rude.”

She stuttered, at a loss for words as blood rushed to her face.

He turned back to Meredith. “We’ve agreed to give each other another chance at being polite. Maybe we’ll even reach friendly. If not”—he gave Raelyn a sidelong glance—“I can always eat her.”

Raelyn gasped and Meredith slapped the dragon prince’s bare shoulder with a loud smack. “Alexander!”

“Ow! All right, all right.” He rubbed his shoulder as he turned toward Raelyn. “Sorry. I’ll stop with the jokes about eating you.”

“Thanks,” she muttered.

Meredith sighed and waved her over. “Come on. It’s cold out here.”

As Raelyn approached the circle of torchlight, Meredith frowned. “What happened?”

Raelyn looked down at the dress. Dirt streaked the rumpled fabric, and there were a couple rips in the hem. “Your dress…I’m so sorry. I…I’ll clean it and mend the—”

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