Page 185 of Cursed Evermore
It didn't take long to get back to the manor. Within minutes, we hovered over the spired rooftop of the grand manor home and descended to the bottom of the garden, near the sparse clearing where I'd first seen Zyrra.
Wolfe touched down with his dragon—Pyrion—first and leaped to the ground.
Hedion and I landed with a soft thud across from them, and he put out his wing for me to step down. Once I did, Hedion carefully balanced me so I could get down to the ground with ease.
My legs wobbled from the flight, but that was the least of my worries. Wolfe bounded toward me, closing the distance between us in three powerful strides. I froze, rooted to the spot as I braced for his wrath. When he reached me, his handsclamped down on my shoulders. Not gently, but not cruel, either. His touch was urgent, desperate, completely at odds with the fury blazing in his eyes as he began checking me over with frantic intensity.
“Are you hurt?” The words came out rough, strained, as if they'd been torn from his throat.
“I'm fine,” I stuttered.
He still continued his search, turning me around to check my back before spinning me to face him.
“Wolfe,I'm fine,” I said with more insistence.
I probably shouldn't have reassured him so quickly. I should have said something more,anything,to hold on to that brief moment of tenderness, because the moment I spoke, fury flooded back into his eyes, twisting his features into something dark and terrible.
His concern vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and cold rage swept across his face like a storm reclaiming the sky.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” His hands gripped my shoulders, and he shook me. “I told you to stay away from the fucking caves.”
“I'm sorry. I?—”
“What part of dangerous dragons don't you understand? And you flew?” His gaze cut from me to Hedion, who bowed his head in silent remorse.
“I'm fine. Hedion took care of me.”
Wolfe’s face paled and he released me. “How do you know his name?”
“He... told me. He spoke it to me in my mind. Pyrion and Hedion, twins from the same side of the moon. The last of the Ochia Aetherflame dragons.” I thought I was being clever by showing that I was absolutely fine, but the more I said, the more shock registered on Wolfe's face. “Was I not supposed to know that?”
He seethed and gave me a steely stare. “No. No, you aren't fucking supposed to know that, nor are you supposed to hear dragons' song, or them talking to you.” His voice rose higher and louder. “And you most certainly aren't supposed to be able to fly them!”
He shouted those last words so loudly my soul shook. He was about to unleash more of his fury when both dragons stepped forward beside me in perfect synchronization and roared at him, splitting the sky with a sound like mountains breaking apart.
All color drained from Wolfe's face as he stared at his dragons, his mouth falling open in stunned disbelief. Bewilderment filled his eyes, and he went perfectly still. For the first time since I'd known him, he looked genuinely surprised.
I was surprised, too. His own dragons had defied him and chosen me over him.
His gaze darted between the two of them as he tried to process what had just happened. What wasstillhappening.
The dragons looked like they were about to attack him. They roared again, the sound shaking me to my core.
Wolfe was prepared this time. Shadows grew around him, like a mass of midnight and smoke, then he spoke a command in what sounded like Old Galaythian. I couldn't make out what he said, but whatever it was had the dragons cowering like sheep, not the mighty beasts they were. Both bowed to him, their loyalty restored, but he was still enraged.
“Al maniyel da bouche!” Wolfe shouted, pointing back to the caves in the distance.
At his command, the dragons took off and flew toward the cave. I guessed he must have ordered them to go back there.
He whirled around and faced me, eyes blazing. “You, listen to me. And listen well,” he began, moving so he was in my personal space. “Don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Do you hear me?”
“Why?”
“Because when I tell you to do something, you do it.”
I couldn't argue that I'd been wrong to go to the caves and fly his dragon, but there was no way I was going to allow him to speak to me like that.
“Don't talk to me like I'm a child,” I snapped, steeling my spine.
